107-457: Muv-Luv is a Japanese visual novel developed by âge and originally released as an adult game for Windows on February 28, 2003. Consisting of two parts, Muv-Luv Extra and Muv-Luv Unlimited , the gameplay in Muv-Luv follows a linear plot line, which offers pre-determined scenarios and courses of interaction, and focuses on the differing scenarios of the female main characters. Muv-Luv
214-463: A Kickstarter campaign to officially release the Muv-Luv series in English. The campaign succeeded in late 2015 after raising over US$ 1.25 million, against an initial goal of $ 250,000. The campaign also met all of its stretch goals, including ports to PlayStation Vita and Android and English localizations of photonflowers* and photonmelodies♮ side-story collections. The English localization of
321-522: A Metacritic score of 76/100 based on reviews from four critics. RPGFan writer Don Kim gave the game a mixed review, writing "although Extra is nothing more than a glorified character introduction (and a terrible one at that), the game went far beyond my expectations in Unlimited, making the mediocrity of Extra almost forgivable." Muv-Luv Alternative ' s English release has a Metacritic score of 83/100, based on reviews from six critics. Summarizing
428-469: A cult following . Following Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake , Kojima produced his next graphic adventure, Policenauts (1994), a point-and-click adventure notable for being an early example of extensive voice recording in video games. It also featured a hard science fiction setting, a theme revolving around space exploration, a plot inspired by the ancient Japanese tale of Urashima Taro , and some occasional full-motion video cut scenes. The gameplay
535-449: A day-night cycle with a time scheduling system that provides context and relevance to character interactions, allowing players to choose when and if to interact with certain characters, which in turn influences their responses during later conversations. It is not uncommon for visual novels to have morality systems. A well-known example is the 2005 title School Days , an animated visual novel that Kotaku describes as going well beyond
642-480: A hentai anime. Traditionally, PC-based visual novels have contained risque scenes even if the overall focus is not erotic (similar to the " obligatory sex scene " in Hollywood action films ). However, the vast majority of console ports do not contain adult material, and a number of recent PC games have also been targeted at the all-age market; for example, all of Key 's titles come in censored versions, although
749-610: A point-and-click interface for a console, like The Portopia Serial Murder Case , but making use of visual icons rather than text-based ones to represent various actions. Like the NES version of Portopia Serial Murder Case , it featured a cursor that could be moved around the screen using the D-pad to examine the scenery, though the cursor in Suishō no Dragon was also used to click on the action icons. Hideo Kojima (of Metal Gear fame)
856-544: A post-apocalyptic science fiction setting, an amnesiac protagonist, and some light gun shooter segments. It was praised for its graphics, soundtrack, high quality writing comparable to a novel, voice acting comparable to a film or radio drama , and in-game computer database with optional documents that flesh out the game world. The Sega CD version of Snatcher was for a long time the only major visual novel game to be released in America, where it, despite low sales, gained
963-415: A real-time branching choice system where, during an event or conversation, the player must choose an action or dialogue choice within a time limit, or to not respond at all within that time. The player's choice, or lack thereof, affects the player character 's relationship with other characters and in turn the characters' performance in battle, the direction of the storyline, and the ending. Later games in
1070-591: A Little Planet . There are role-playing video games that feature visual novel-style elements. A well-known example in the West is Mistwalker 's Lost Odyssey , an RPG that features a series of visual novel-style flashback sequences called "A Thousand Years of Dreams". These sequences were penned by an award-winning Japanese short story writer, Kiyoshi Shigematsu. Another title is the Arc System Works fighting game series BlazBlue , which plays off of
1177-586: A Senjoki vs. BETA strategy RPG, computer wallpapers, and a Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse short story. "All-age" versions of Muv-Luv and Muv-Luv Alternative with the adult content removed were released simultaneously on September 22, 2006. In 2011, both games were ported to the Xbox 360 by 5pb. and simultaneously released on October 27, 2011. Both titles were also released for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in 2012 and 2016, respectively. In an October 2019 livestream producer Koki Yoshimune announced he
SECTION 10
#17327835302121284-426: A book. Most visual novels have multiple storylines and more than one ending; the mechanic in these cases typically consists of intermittent multiple-choice decision points, where the player selects a direction in which to take the game. For example, in a dating simulator -themed visual novel, the player is prompted to pick different characters to date which, in turn, leads to a different ending. This style of gameplay
1391-435: A branching path structure, and allowing them to focus on complex stories with mature themes and consistent plots in a way which Choose Your Own Adventure books were unable to do due to their physical limitations. Many visual novels often revolve almost entirely around character interactions and dialogue choices usually featuring complex branching dialogues and often presenting the player's possible responses word-for-word as
1498-622: A browser game and later for iOS and Android , launched in September 2016, and shut down in July 2018. In October 2019, âge showed a demo of Project Mikhail: A Muv-luv War Story , a TSF-focused action game, released for Steam, iOS, and Android in October 2021, and available in Japanese, English, and Chinese. Immortals: Muv-Luv Alternative , a free-to-play mobile action RPG developed by aNCHOR,
1605-640: A character from âge's first visual novel, Kimi ga Ita Kisetsu . Muv-Luv Unlimited The Day After continues the story of Muv-Luv Unlimited , showing what happens after the end of that story and prior to Takeru's backward time-skip that begins Muv-Luv Alternative . Currently incomplete, TDA was released episodically (as episodes "00" through "03") as part of the Muv-Luv Alternative Chronicles series of side-story discs. In 2020, âge announced that it will release episodes 00 through 03 in English, and that work has begun on episode 04, which
1712-400: A clip of new animation, seemingly indicating an anime adaptation of the original Muv-Luv Alternative visual novel. It was later announced that the new anime would be a television series. The series is animated by Yumeta Company and Graphinica , with production by Flagship Line, and is directed by Yukio Nishimoto, featuring Tatsuhiko Urahata handling the series' scripts, Takuya Tani designing
1819-509: A complex fantasy setting where a one-hundred-year period is reset indefinitely with many variables. The many branching storylines in Story Mode can serve as stand-alone stories, but players must consider them together along with Arcade Mode stories to be able to fully understand the universe. Another successful example is Sega 's Sakura Wars series, which combined tactical role-playing game combat with visual novel elements, introducing
1926-455: A generally open world , a branching dialogue conversation system where the story develops through entering commands and receiving responses from other characters, and making choices that determine the dialogues and order of events as well as alternate outcomes, though there is only one true culprit while the others are red herrings . It also features a phone that could be used to dial any number to contact several non-player characters . The game
2033-425: A live-action television drama, but allowing players to explore multiple character perspectives and affect the outcomes. Another successful example is 428: Shibuya Scramble , which received a perfect score of 40 out of 40 from Famitsu magazine. The history of visual novels dates back to The Portopia Serial Murder Case (1983). It featured non-linear elements, which include traveling between different areas in
2140-526: A portmanteau of ero tic ga me ( エロチックゲーム )). Many visual novels also qualify as eroge , an abbreviation of 'erotic game'. These games feature sexually explicit imagery that is accessed by completing certain routes in the game, most often depicting the game's protagonist having sex with one of the game's other characters. Like other pornographic media in Japan, scenes depicting genitalia are censored in their original Japanese releases, only becoming uncensored if
2247-675: A reference and analyzed them to try to determine why they were so popular. He decided that the secret was that the stories would start with ordinary, enjoyable days, but then a sudden event would occur leading the player to cry from shock. He used a similar model as the basis for Higurashi but instead of leading the player to cry, Ryukishi07 wanted to scare the player with the addition of horror elements. Other examples of horror-themed visual novels include: Animamundi: Dark Alchemist , Higanbana no Saku Yoru ni , Umineko no Naku Koro ni , Ookami Kakushi , Imabikisou , Saya no Uta , Doki Doki Literature Club! , and Corpse Party . Prior to
SECTION 20
#17327835302122354-1220: A resurgence in the adventure game genre outside Japan. GameSpot has credited Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney in particular for revitalizing the adventure game genre. The success of the Ace Attorney series was followed soon after by the even greater success of Level-5 's Professor Layton in 2007. Both have since become some of the best selling adventure game franchises, with Ace Attorney selling over 3.9 million units worldwide and Professor Layton selling over 9.5 million units worldwide by 2010. Their success has led to an increase in Japanese visual novels being localized for release outside Japan, including: KID 's Ever 17: The Out of Infinity (2002), Cing's Another Code series (2005 onwards), Marvelous Entertainment 's Lux-Pain (2008), Chunsoft 's 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors (2010), and Capcom's Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (2010). In more recent years, several modern Western narrative adventure games have drawn comparisons to visual novels, including Telltale Games titles such as The Walking Dead (2012), and Dontnod Entertainment 's Life Is Strange (2015);
2461-577: A save file of Konami's dating sim Tokimeki Memorial is present, a technique Kojima would also later use in Metal Gear Solid . From 1997 to 1999, Kojima developed the three Tokimeki Memorial Drama Series titles, which were adaptations of Tokimeki Memorial in a visual novel adventure game format. Other acclaimed examples of science fiction visual novels include ELF 's Yu-No (1996) and 5pb. 's Chaos;Head (2008) and Steins;Gate (2009). Popular subgenres of visual novels include
2568-897: Is Fate/stay night (2004). Many visual novels are centered on drama , particularly themes involving romance or family, but visual novels centered on science fiction , fantasy fiction , erotic fiction and horror fiction are not uncommon. Dōjinshi ( 同人誌 , often transliterated as doujinshi ) is the Japanese term for self-published (fan-made) works. This includes (but is not limited to) dōjin games ( 同人ゲーム ), also sometimes called dōjin soft ( 同人ソフト ). These visual novel-style games are created as fan-made works based on pre-existing fandoms (usually anime and manga , but also for TV shows or even other pre-existing games and visual novels). Dōjinshi games are often based on romance (or shipping ) between two characters, known as an otome game ( 乙女ゲーム ) or dating sim ; sometimes becoming sexual (or hentai ), known as an eroge ( エロゲ ,
2675-409: Is a form of digital interactive fiction . Visual novels are often associated with the medium of video games , but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with static or animated illustrations and a varying degree of interactivity . The format is more rarely referred to as novel game , a retranscription of the wasei-eigo term noberu gēmu ( ノベルゲーム ) , which
2782-554: Is a sequel to Muv-Luv and taking place after the events of the Unlimited arc in the original game. The DVD version of the game was released on February 24, 2006, and the CD version was released on March 3, 2006. A Muv-Luv Alternative fandisc, Muv-Luv Altered Fable , was released on August 31, 2007, containing an alternate version of the Extra arc from Muv-Luv along with a radio drama,
2889-749: Is a series set in the Germany of the Alternative universe, during the early years of the BETA invasion in 1983. The protagonists are the 666th TSF squadron of East Germany, who fight both the BETA and opponents from the corrupt Stasi (Ministry of State Security). Schwarzesmarken replaced the Total Eclipse serialization in Tech Gian magazine. The series is written by Hiroki Uchida and features character designs and illustrations by CARNELIAN . The novel
2996-412: Is also all-ages, its spinoff Tomoyo After: It's a Wonderful Life is not. Often, the beginning of the eroge will be dedicated to introducing the characters and developing the protagonist's relationship with them, before the protagonist sexually interacts with other characters, for example, Lump of Sugar games such as Tayutama: Kiss on my Deity and Everlasting Summer do this. The effect it has on
3103-459: Is considered to be some of the best pixel art in the history of video games , with a popular example being Policenauts in 1994. There have also been visual novels that use live-action stills or video footage, such as several Sound Novel games by Chunsoft . The most successful example is Machi , one of the most celebrated games in Japan, where it was voted No. 5 in a 2006 Famitsu reader poll of top 100 games of all time. The game resembled
3210-600: Is divided into two parts. The first part, titled Muv-Luv Extra , features playable character Takeru Shirogane (voiced by Sōichirō Hoshi , credited as Tsuyoshi Aiba in the Windows version) who wakes up one morning to find a beautiful young woman sleeping in his bed, just as an infuriated Sumika Kagami (voiced by Hiroko Taguchi , credited as Rika Fujiwara in the Windows version), Takeru's neighbor and childhood friend, comes to wake him up that morning. The young woman, Meiya Mitsurugi (voiced by Kazumi Okushima, credited as Aki Okuda in
3317-519: Is left unvoiced, even when the rest of the characters are fully voiced. This choice is meant to aid the player in identifying with the protagonist and to avoid having to record large amounts of dialogue, as the main character typically has the most speaking lines due to the branching nature of visual novels. Non-linear branching storylines are a common trend in visual novels, which frequently use multiple branching storylines to achieve multiple different endings , allowing non-linear freedom of choice along
Muv-Luv - Misplaced Pages Continue
3424-442: Is limited to clicking to keep the text, graphics and sound moving as if they were turning a page (many recent games offer "play" or "fast-forward" toggles that make this unnecessary), while making narrative choices along the way. Another main characteristic of visual novels is their strong emphasis on the prose, as the narration in visual novels is delivered through text. This characteristic makes playing visual novels similar to reading
3531-569: Is more often used in Japanese. Visual novels originated in and are especially prevalent in Japan , where they made up nearly 70% of the PC game titles released in 2006. In Japanese, a distinction is often made between visual novels (NVL, from "novel"), which consist primarily of narration and have very few interactive elements, and adventure games (AVG or ADV, from "adventure"), which incorporate problem-solving and other types of gameplay. This distinction
3638-676: Is normally lost outside Japan, as both visual novels and adventure games are commonly referred to as "visual novels" by international fans. Visual novels are rarely produced exclusively for dedicated video game consoles , but the more popular games have occasionally been ported from PC (or a hardware equivalent) to systems such as the Sega Saturn , Dreamcast , PlayStation Portable , or Xbox 360 . The more famous visual novels are also often adapted into light novels , manga , or anime , and are sometimes succeeded or complemented by video games such as role-playing games or action games set in
3745-405: Is related as a plot device in the game. Fan-created novel games are reasonably popular; there are a number of free game engines and construction kits aimed at making them easy to construct, most notably NScripter , KiriKiri and Ren'Py . Many visual novels use voice actors to provide voices for the non-player characters in the game. Often, the protagonist (that is, the player character )
3852-430: Is similar to story-driven interactive fiction , or the shorter and less detailed real-life gamebook books. Some visual novels do not limit themselves into merely interactive fictions, but also incorporate other elements into them. An example of this approach is Symphonic Rain , where the player is required to play a musical instrument of some sort, and attain a good score in order to advance. Usually such an element
3959-433: Is spent reading the text that appears on the lower portion of the screen, representing either dialogue between characters, narration, or the inner thoughts of the player character. Every so often, the player will arrive at a "decision point", and be required to choose between multiple options. Gameplay pauses and depending upon the player's choice, the plot will develop in a specific direction. There are multiple plot lines that
4066-593: The nakige ( 泣きゲー , crying game) , which still usually has a happy ending, and the utsuge ( 鬱ゲー , depressing game) , which may not. The genres are somewhat fluid and were largely pioneered in parallel during the late 1990s through the early 2000s by the works of Key co-founder, scenario writer, lyricist, and composer Jun Maeda ; and through the works of Hirohiko Yoshida [ ja ] through his affiliated company Âge , particularly Kimi ga Nozomu Eien and its successors, notably Muv-Luv . The ultimate goal of nakige and utsuge are emotional connection with
4173-470: The Memories Off series (1999 onwards) by KID , D.C.: Da Capo (2002) by Circus , Wind: A Breath of Heart (2002) by Minori , and Snow (2003) by Studio Mebius (under Visual Art's ). One of the most acclaimed visual novels of this subgenre was Key's Clannad , written by Jun Maeda, Yūichi Suzumoto , and Kai and Tōya Okano. Released in 2004, its story revolved around the central theme of
4280-544: The PSP version of Tactics Ogre (2010). Chunsoft sound novels such as Machi (1998) and 428: Shibuya Scramble (2008) developed the multiple-perspective concept further. They allow the player to alternate between the perspectives of several or more different characters, making choices with one character that have consequences for other characters. 428 in particular features up to 85 different possible endings. Another popular visual novel featuring multiple perspectives
4387-528: The Unlimited world's Takeru, who is said to be dead, and Sumika, who does not seem to exist in the Unlimited timeline. The characters are mostly identical to their Extra counterparts, with the notable exception of Yoroi, Takeru's best friend in Extra who, for reasons unclear, is a girl in this reality. In the sequel Muv-Luv Alternative , Takeru wakes up three years after the beginning of Unlimited to find himself back in his room. Although he first thinks that
Muv-Luv - Misplaced Pages Continue
4494-508: The BETA first arrived on Earth in 1973 (in China and Canada) after arriving on the Moon in 1967 and being spotted on Mars in 1958. Subsequent battles with BETA resulted in the global population dropping to 2.4 billion with most of mainland Eurasia having been lost by the time the game starts in 2001. Most of the major characters from the Extra timeline are present in Unlimited , notably excluding
4601-562: The Condominium Wife ), which was an early adventure game with colour graphics, owing to the eight-color palette of the NEC PC-8001 computer. It became a hit, helping Koei become a major software company. Other now-famous companies such as Enix , Square and Nihon Falcom also produced similar erotic games in the early 1980s before they became famous for their role-playing video games . While some early erotic games integrate
4708-483: The PC-8801 and FM Towns computers in 1990; it featured a branching narrative, multiple endings, and audio CD music. A common feature used in visual novels is having multiple protagonists giving different perspectives on the story. EVE Burst Error (1995), developed by Hiroyuki Kanno and C's Ware, introduced a unique twist to the system by allowing the player to switch between both protagonists at any time during
4815-414: The Windows version), is the heiress to a financially powerful family and is determined to be Takeru's bride. As the story progresses, both girls compete for Takeru's affections while Takeru has recurring dreams about a marriage promise he made to a girl long ago. At first, he believes the girl was Sumika, but eventually realizes that it was actually Meiya. At the conclusion, Takeru must choose between which of
4922-433: The all ages version, the opening theme the Extra segment is "divergence" by Minami Kuribayashi. For the Unlimited segment, the opening theme is "Sion" by Masami Okui . The all ages version featured several ending themes depending on the ending, including "I will" by Minami Kuribayashi, "Kizu wa Kaseki ni Narenai Keredo" by Aki Misato , "Astraea" by Miyuki Hashimoto , and "Little More" by CooRie . The opening themes for
5029-638: The all-ages market in recent years, with titles such as Steins;Gate and Higurashi no Naku Koro ni respectively. In addition to official commercial translations, a vibrant fan translation scene exists, which has translated many free visual novels (such as Narcissu and True Remembrance ) and a few commercial works (such as Umineko no Naku Koro ni and Policenauts ) into English. Fan translations of Japanese visual novels into languages other than English such as Chinese, French, German, and Russian are commonplace as well. English translations of Japanese visual novels on video game consoles were rare until
5136-562: The anime outside of Japan. Several other prose spin-offs were published as short stories in Tech Gian magazine. In addition, two fandiscs were also released, Muv-Luv Supplement and Muv-Luv Altered Fable , containing alternate scenarios, short stories, computer wallpapers, and audio dramas. Other spin-off material appeared as short visual novels in re-releases of earlier games, and in the Muv-Luv Alternative Chronicles series. Some of these visual novel segments for PC were assembled into
5243-475: The characters, and Evan Call composing the series' music. It aired from October 7 to December 23, 2021, on Fuji TV 's +Ultra programming block. V.W.P performed the series' opening theme song "Rinne" ( 輪廻 ) , while Stereo Dive Foundation performed the series' ending theme song "Tristar". Crunchyroll licensed the series outside of Asia. Muse Communication licensed the series in South and Southeast Asia. At
5350-484: The characters, through exploration of their personalities and evolving interrelationships through the drama of the game's storyline, and to emotionally resonate with the player; repeated playthroughs across a rich cast of characters offers a multi-layered narrative. Games from publisher Key often follow a similar formula: a comedic first half, with a heart-warming romantic middle, followed by a tragic separation, and finally (though not always) an emotional reunion. This formula
5457-536: The collections photonflowers* and photonmelodies♮ for the PlayStation 3 in 2014, later ported to PC via Steam. Aside from the visual novels, several other styles of games based on Muv-Luv have been released over the years. The browser game Muv-Luv Alternative: Next Answer launched in February 2015, and remained in operation for about a year. Muv-Luv Alternative: Strike Frontier , available initially as
SECTION 50
#17327835302125564-484: The content might still not be appropriate for children, and three have never contained erotic content at all. Also, all of KID 's titles are made with general audiences in mind. However, some of these games are later re-released with the addition of erotic scenes, or have a sequel with such. For example, Little Busters! was first released as an all-ages visual novel, but a version with erotic scenes titled Little Busters! Ecstasy came out later, and though Clannad
5671-423: The development of a new generation TSF, which may be able to change the course of the war. Enterbrain published Total Eclipse in its Tech Gian magazine. This was followed by a manga adaptation titled Total Eclipse published by ASCII Media Works . Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse was later adapted into the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 visual novel by âge and 5pb. in 2013. A Microsoft Windows version
5778-528: The end of the series' episode finale, a second season was announced. It aired from October 6 to December 22, 2022. JAM Project and Minami Kuribayashi performed the opening theme song "Akatsuki o Ute" ( 暁を撃て ) , while V.W.P performed the ending theme song "Saikai" ( 再会 ) . Muv-Luv has prompted many spin-offs , and is itself a spin-off of âge's Kimi ga Nozomu Eien and its sequel Akane Maniax , as it features several characters, locations, and story elements from those games. Muv-Luv Alternative also adds
5885-411: The erotic content into a thoughtful and nuanced storylines, others often used it as a simplistic vehicle for fetishism, pleasure, an aid of the lightheaded themes that encourage stress relief or to portray nuances of sexuality. The Japanese game Pai Touch! involves the protagonist gaining the ability to change the size of girls' breasts, and the adventures that ensue in trying to choose which girl to use
5992-547: The events of Muv-Luv Unlimited were a dream, he soon feels that something is wrong, and leaves the house to find that he has been sent back in time to the beginning of the events in Unlimited . Unwilling to accept the events at the end of Unlimited , he decides to help professor Kouzuki save the Earth and mankind by bringing the mysterious Alternative IV plan — cancelled at the end of Unlimited — to fruition. The gameplay in Muv-Luv requires little player interaction as most time
6099-528: The first Muv-Luv visual novel was released on Steam in July 2016, and Muv-Luv Alternative was released in September 2017. PS Vita versions of both games were released in June 2018. The English version of photonflowers* was released on Steam on August 3, 2019, and the English version of photonmelodies♮ was released on July 30, 2020. The English versions of Muv-Luv Unlimited: The Day After episodes 00 through 03 were released via Steam on February 5, 2021, marking
6206-636: The first English release of a Muv-Luv visual novel not directly funded by the 2015 Kickstarter. In addition to the crowdfunded Android version, the iOS port was also created. Mobile versions of Extra and Unlimited were planned to be released worldwide in Spring 2022, with Alternative set to release at a later date. They were all released as part of Japan-only mobile game, Muv-Luv Dimensions , on July 11, 2023. Muv-Luv and its sequel Muv-Luv Alternative have been adapted into three manga series by MediaWorks (later ASCII Media Works ) and were serialized in
6313-456: The focus in visual novels, including Spanish, French, Russian and Mandarin, which have seen increased success due to the popularity of the genre. Sales data for visual novels is frequently unavailable; the sales listed below can be significantly outdated as some of the sources are over a decade old, and series qualified for an entry could be missing. These lists should be referenced carefully. Free visual novels do not appear in these lists due to
6420-496: The franchise's lore, such as Muv-Luv Alternative Integral Works . The Kickstarter campaign that funded the official English translation of the core trilogy commissioned new merchandise as rewards for backers. Unique items included a plush BETA toy, and Muv-Luv Alternative Codex , an English translation of most of Integral Works along with other material. In 2003, Muv-Luv was number one in national PC sales following its release. The sequel, Muv-Luv Alternative , released in 2006,
6527-436: The game is licensed outside Japan with all art assets intact. Certain eroge titles receive re-releases which exclude explicit content in order to be sold to a younger audience, such as ports to consoles or handheld systems where sexually explicit content is not allowed, and storylines referring to aforementioned sex scenes are often omitted from adaptations into other media, unless that media is also pornographic in nature, such as
SECTION 60
#17327835302126634-435: The game), with character sprites ( 立ち絵 , tachi-e ) superimposed onto these; the perspective is usually first-person, with the protagonist remaining unseen. At certain key moments in the plot, special event CG computer graphics are displayed instead; these are more detailed images, drawn specially for that scene rather than being composed from predefined elements, which often use more cinematic camera angles and include
6741-454: The game, instead of finishing one protagonist's scenario before playing the other. EVE Burst Error often requires the player to have both protagonists co-operate with each other at various points during the game, with choices in one scenario affecting the other. An important milestone in the history of visual novels was YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World (1996), which
6848-590: The girls he truly loves. In addition, the player may also make decisions to choose between one of the three girls in the main supporting cast: Chizuru Sakaki (voiced by Masayo Kurata ), Miki Tamase (voiced by Hitomi , and Kei Ayamine (voiced by Yūko Nagashima ). The second part, Muv-Luv Unlimited , starts with Takeru Shirogane waking up in his bed, reminiscent of the start of Muv-Luv Extra ; however, Takeru quickly realizes that neither Meiya nor Sumika come to wake him that morning. Upon leaving his house, he finds his neighborhood destroyed and Sumika's house crushed under
6955-503: The latter's creative director cited visual novels such as Danganronpa (2010) as an influence. Additionally, there have been some visual novels developed mainly in English, and intended for an English-speaking audience; one of the earliest commercially-available examples on a mainstream platform is 2004's Sprung , and in more recent times, the availability of the genre has increased, with notable examples being Doki Doki Literature Club! and VA-11 HALL-A . Other languages have been
7062-417: The main protagonist does not advance towards the flow of the story. Kinetic novels are visual novels with non-branching plots, similar to a conventional novel or a graphic novel in multimedia form. Examples of kinetic novels include Higurashi When They Cry , Muv-Luv Alternative , and Digital: A Love Story . The term was first used by the publisher Key for their title Planetarian: The Reverie of
7169-538: The manga magazine Dengeki Daioh through 2018. In 2020, âge announced it would digitally self-publish an English translation of the Muv-Luv Alternative manga. In addition, Shueisha has published a seven volume novel series based on Muv-Luv and Muv-Luv Alternative . At the conclusion of an October 2019 live event, âge presented the on-screen title “Muv-Luv Alternative in Animation”, followed by
7276-578: The market thrived with the excitement and the risks that were being taken, and became a hotbed of creativity". The branching timeline system was influential, opening "the door for visual novels to become more elaborate and have a greater range of narrative arcs, without requiring the player to replay the game over and over again". According to Nintendo Life , "the modern visual novel genre would simply not exist without" YU-NO . Branching timeline systems similar to YU-NO also later appeared in role-playing video games such as Radiant Historia (2010) and
7383-399: The narrative style of literature , visual novels have evolved a style somewhat different from print novels. In general, visual novels are more likely to be narrated in the first person than the third, and typically present events from the point of view of only one character. In the typical visual novel, the graphics comprise a set of generic backgrounds (normally just one for each location in
7490-400: The overall story. Initially, only the Extra arc is available to play, but once the player has completed the Extra scenarios for the two main heroines, Sumika Kagami and Meiya Mitsurugi, the Unlimited arc becomes accessible. The 2016 Steam release removes this lock and makes Unlimited available immediately, albeit with a warning that the player should experience Extra first. Muv-Luv
7597-459: The overall storyline and it is only after uncovering all the possible different paths and outcomes, through multiple playthroughs, that every component comes together to form a coherent, well-written story. The digital medium in visual novels allow for significant improvements, such as being able to fully explore multiple aspects and perspectives of a story. Another improvement is having hidden decision points that are automatically determined based on
7704-437: The player can follow, one for each heroine in the story, and there are nineteen possible endings. To view all plot lines, the player must replay the game multiple times. The game can end in failure if the player makes the wrong decisions. When this occurs, the player can return to a previously saved spot to try again. Muv-Luv is divided into two segments, or story arcs — Extra and Unlimited —which serve as different phases in
7811-439: The player character would say them. Such titles revolving around relationship-building, including visual novels as well as dating simulations , such as Tokimeki Memorial , and some role-playing video games , such as Persona , often give choices that have a different number of associated "mood points" that influence a player character's relationship, and future conversations, with a non-player character. These games often feature
7918-413: The player's past decisions. In Fate/stay night , for example, the way the player character behaved towards non-player characters during the course of the game affects the way they react to the player character in later scenes, such as whether or not they choose to help in life-or-death situations. This would be far more difficult to track with physical books. More importantly, visual novels do not face
8025-461: The power on the most. Another subgenre is called "nukige" ( 抜きゲー ) , in which sexual gratification of the player is the main focus of the game. In 1986, Square released the science fiction adventure game Suishō no Dragon for the NES console . The game featured several innovations, including the use of animation in many of the scenes rather than still images, and an interface resembling that of
8132-498: The protagonist. These event CGs can usually be viewed at any time once they have been "unlocked" by finding them in-game; this provides a motivation to replay the game and try making different decisions, as it is normally impossible to view all special events on a single play-through. Up until the 1990s, the majority of visual novels utilized pixel art . This was particularly common on the NEC PC-9801 format, which showcased what
8239-509: The reader is the H-scenes (sex scenes) will have a stronger emotional impact for the two (or possibly more) characters. Some of Japan's earliest adventure games were erotic bishōjo games developed by Koei . In 1982, they released Night Life , the first commercial erotic computer game . It was a graphic adventure , with sexually explicit images. That same year, they released another erotic title, Danchi Tsuma no Yūwaku ( Seduction of
8346-797: The release of the Nintendo DS , though some games with visual novel elements had been published in the Western world before then, such as Hideo Kojima 's Snatcher . Following the success of mystery titles for the Nintendo DS such as Capcom 's Ace Attorney series (which began on the Game Boy Advance in 2001), Cing's Hotel Dusk series (beginning in 2006), and Level-5 's Professor Layton series (beginning in 2007), Japanese visual novels have been published in other countries more frequently. The success of these games has sparked
8453-452: The same length restrictions as a physical book. For example, the total word count of the English fan translation of Fate/stay night , taking all the branching paths into account, exceeds that of The Lord of the Rings by almost 80%. This significant increase in length allows visual novels to tell stories as long and complex as those often found in traditional novels, while still maintaining
8560-406: The same universe. The market for visual novels outside of East Asia is small, though a number of anime based on visual novels are popular among anime fans in the Western world; examples include Clannad , Danganronpa , Steins;Gate , and Fate/stay night . Visual novels are distinguished from other game types by their generally minimal gameplay. Typically the majority of player interaction
8667-619: The sequel Muv-Luv Alternative are "Asu e no Hōkō" by JAM Project for the original release and "NAME ~Kimi no Na wa~" by JAM Project for the all age release. The ending theme for both releases is "Muv-Luv (2005 ver.)" by Minami Kuribayashi. "Carry On" by Masaaki Endoh of JAM Project is used as an insert song in Alternative . The Muv-Luv franchise has prompted the creation of a wide variety of tie-in merchandise, including clothing, model kits , action figures , dakimakura (hug pillows) , and more. Several tie-in books provide coverage of
8774-422: The series added several variations, including an action gauge that can be raised up or down depending on the situation, and a gauge that the player can manipulate using the analog stick depending on the situation. The success of Sakura Wars led to a wave of games that combine role-playing and visual novel elements, including Thousand Arms , Riviera: The Promised Land , and Luminous Arc . Despite using
8881-530: The series for DualShockers, Giuseppe Nelva wrote: "If you love strong storytelling, solid and realistic sci-fi, diverse and engaging characters, quite a bit of charming fanservice, and to be deeply engaged on the emotional level, you owe it to yourself to try the Muv-Luv trilogy out." According to the manga author Hajime Isayama , his hit manga series Attack on Titan was heavily inspired by Muv-Luv Alternative . Visual novel A visual novel ( VN )
8988-686: The time they have used a Reflector stone. The game also implemented an original system called Automatic Diverge Mapping System (ADMS), which displays a screen that the player can check at any time to see the direction in which they are heading along the branching plot lines. YU-NO revolutionized the visual novel industry, particularly with its ADMS system. Audiences soon began demanding large-scope plotlines and musical scores of similar quality and ambition to that of YU-NO , and that responded by hiring talent. According to Gamasutra : "The genre became an all-new arena for young artists and musicians once again, with companies willing to take chances on fresh blood;
9095-475: The title after showing his work on the Dragon Quest role-playing video games to a girl he was dating. On finding she did not enjoy them, he was encouraged to make a video game that he described as "for people who haven't played games before." Influenced by the early survival horror game Sweet Home , he developed it into a horror-themed interactive story. Chunsoft's next release, Kamaitachi no Yoru ,
9202-410: The usual "black and white choice systems" (referring to video games such as Mass Effect , Fallout 3 and BioShock ) where you "pick a side and stick with it" while leaving "the expansive middle area between unexplored". School Days instead encourages players to explore the grey, neutral middle-ground in order to view the more interesting, "bad" endings, e. g. an ending where a character dies or
9309-982: The value of having a family. It was voted the best bishōjo game of all time in a poll held by Dengeki G's Magazine . It served as the basis for a media franchise, with successful adaptations into a light novel , manga , animated film , and acclaimed anime series . In 2008, several of Key's visual novels were voted in the Dengeki poll of the ten most tear-inducing games of all time, including Clannad at No. 2, Kanon at No. 4, Air at No. 7, and Little Busters! at No. 10. In 2011, several visual novels were also voted in Famitsu ' s poll of 20 most tear-inducing games of all time, with Clannad at No. 4, Steins;Gate at No. 6, Air at No. 7, Little Busters! at No. 10, and 428: Shibuya Scramble at No. 14. After developing The Portopia Serial Murder Case , Chunsoft released Otogiriso in 1992. Koichi Nakamura conceived
9416-434: The way, similar to a choose-your-own-adventure novel. Decision points within a visual novel often present players with the option of altering the course of events during the game, leading to many different possible outcomes. An acclaimed example is Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward , where nearly every action and dialogue choice can lead to entirely new branching paths and endings. Each path only reveals certain aspects of
9523-474: The wreckage of a large mecha . Takeru later learns that he is in an alternate world to Extra , where aliens called BETA (an acronym for "Beings of Extra Terrestrial origin which are Adversary of the human race") have invaded and mankind fights back against the alien aggressors with mecha called Tactical Surface Fighters, ( 戦術歩行戦闘機 , Senjutsuhokōsentōki ) usually referred to in Japanese as simply Senjutsuki ( 戦術機 ) . Muv-Luv Unlimited explains that
9630-485: The year 2000, few Japanese visual novels were translated into other languages. As with the visual novel genre in general, a majority of titles released for the PC have been eroge , with Hirameki 's now-discontinued AnimePlay series a notable exception. As of 2014, JAST USA and MangaGamer are the two most prolific publishers of translated visual novels for the PC; both primarily release eroge, but have begun to diversify into
9737-577: Was "heavily hyped [and] had gamers impatient until its release. It was only one game released by Key so far, and yet [it] had already sent major shockwaves around the industry. And yet another game [ Air ], two years later, sent even more shockwaves. Air was equally hyped and well received." Key's "crying game" formula used successfully in One and Kanon was later adopted by other visual novel companies to create their own "crying games". Examples of this include: Kana: Little Sister (1999) by Digital Object,
9844-434: Was also a best seller and would prove to be highly influential. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni ( When They Cry ) was a 2002 horror-themed visual novel by 07th Expansion , influenced by the "crying game" subgenre. Ryukishi07 of 07th Expansion mentioned in 2004 how he was influenced by Key 's works and Tsukihime during the planning of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni . He played their games, as well as other visual novels, as
9951-399: Was compiled into seven volumes following a 41 chapter run from 2011 to 2014. The series was followed in Tech Gian by its prequel, Bernhard im Schatten . A visual novel adaptation by âge was released in late 2015 for Microsoft Windows in two parts: Kouketsu no Monshou and Junkyoushatachi . Between the release of the two parts a Steam release and English localization of the visual novel
10058-522: Was considered. However, despite this version of the game being approved via Steam Greenlight , it was ultimately not released. On September 18, 2015, a teaser website announced that an anime television adaptation of the Schwarzesmarken novels by ixtl and Liden Films was scheduled to air in January 2016. The series began airing on January 10, 2016. Crunchyroll has acquired the rights to stream
10165-451: Was developed by Hiroyuki Kanno and is ELF 's most famous visual novel. It featured non-linear storytelling, with a science fiction plot revolving around time travel and parallel universes . The player travels between parallel worlds using a Reflector device, which employs a limited number of stones to mark a certain position as a returning location, so that if the player decides to retrace their steps, they can go to an alternate universe to
10272-425: Was followed by a sequel, Muv-Luv Alternative , which was released for Windows on April 24, 2006, and follows the storyline of Muv-Luv Unlimited . The trilogy's story initially presents itself as a light-hearted romantic comedy ( Extra ), but changes into an alternate timeline coming-of-age story ( Unlimited ), and finally evolves into an alien invasion war epic ( Alternative ). The visual novel Muv-Luv
10379-527: Was influenced primarily by Hiroyuki Kanno 's YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World (1996) and Leaf's To Heart (1997), and was further developed in One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e (1998) by Tactics . After One was complete, the development team quit Tactics to form Key where they developed their first title Kanon , also based upon this formula. According to Satoshi Todome in his book, A History of Adult Games , Kanon
10486-493: Was inspired by The Portopia Serial Murder Case to enter the video game industry, and later produced his own adventure games . After completing the stealth game Metal Gear , his first graphic adventure was released by Konami the following year: Snatcher (1988), an ambitious cyberpunk detective novel, graphic adventure, that was highly regarded at the time for pushing the boundaries of video game storytelling, cinematic cut scenes , and mature content. It also featured
10593-508: Was largely similar to Snatcher , but with the addition of a point-and-click interface and some first-person shooter segments. Policenauts also introduced summary screens, which act to refresh the player's memory of the plot upon reloading a saved game (save), an element Kojima would later use in Metal Gear Solid . The PlayStation version of Policenauts could also read the memory card and give some easter egg dialogues if
10700-561: Was number three in sales during the first half of 2006. Muv-Luv has received a median rating of 79 out of 100 on Erogamescape (EGS), while Muv-Luv Alternative has received a median rating of 93 out of 100, making it the third-highest rated visual novel on the website. On the Visual Novel Database (VNDB), Muv-Luv Alternative received an average rating of 9.13 (out of 10), making it the site's #1 visual novel by Bayesian ranking. The English-language release of Muv-Luv has
10807-514: Was released in 2014 in Japan, and was released worldwide on July 20, 2022. On July 24, 2011, a teaser website announced that an anime television adaptation of the novels is in the works. Produced by ixtl and Satelight , it aired between July 2 and December 23, 2012. Crunchyroll has acquired the streaming rights for the series, with Sentai Filmworks licensing the anime for digital and home video release. The first 13 episodes were released on January 20, 2015, on Blu-ray and DVD . Schwarzesmarken
10914-690: Was released in Japan on March 17, 2022, for both Android and iOS. Set in an alternative universe of Muv-Luv Alternative , the player plays as the director of the Immortals Private Military Company and leads a team of TSF mercenary pilots to battle the Beta. While the game has original characters, many of the characters from the Muv Luv franchise are also available to recruit which includes those from Muv Luv Alternative , Total Eclipse , Euro Front and Schwarzesmarken . Immortals
11021-403: Was released on February 28, 2003, on Windows CD-ROM, and re-released on DVD-ROM on April 30, 2004. A fandisc , called Muv-Luv Supplement containing a number of short stories, computer wallpapers, audio clips, and a trailer for the upcoming Muv-Luv Alternative . The limited edition DVD was released on December 17, 2004, and the regular edition was released on December 24. Muv-Luv Alternative
11128-401: Was shut down approximately four hours after it was released due to an exploit , and was re-released on July 11, 2023 under the name Muv-Luv Dimensions . The opening theme of Muv-Luv is "Muv-Luv" by Minami Kuribayashi . The closing theme for the Extra segment of Muv-Luv is "I Will" and the Unlimited segment's ending theme is "Harukanaru Furusato no Uta", both by Minami Kuribayashi. For
11235-406: Was subsequently retitled Muv-Luv Resonative . Muv-Luv Alternative Total Eclipse is a spin-off story set parallel to Muv-Luv Alternative , following a new cast of characters while retaining the setting of the original visual novel. It focuses on the development of experimental TSF craft and the relationship between Yuuya Bridges, a Japanese-American test pilot and Yui Takamura, a leading figure in
11342-406: Was well received in Japan for its well-told storyline and surprising twist ending , and for allowing multiple ways to achieve objectives. Shortly after, in 1988, Snatcher appeared, developed by Hideo Kojima and released for the PC-8801 and MSX2 in 1988, in which a cyberpunk detective hunts down a serial killer. Another more non-linear early example was Mirrors , released by Soft Studio Wing for
11449-491: Was working on a new sequel to Alternative , called Muv-Luv INTEGRATE , but was not sure at that time what form the project would ultimately take or when it might be released. In the early 2010s, Mangagamer attempted to negotiate an English-language release of Muv-Luv and Muv-Luv Alternative , but talks broke down, and the translator unilaterally released an unofficial fan translation patch, effectively ending Mangagamer's efforts. In 2015, âge partnered with Degica to launch
#211788