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About this blog

This is a series of condensed articles from my main Blog.

Reviews, News and Analysis are my specialty and will be updated weekly on the main site followed by here.

Entries in this blog

Analysis

Thriller – Genre Deep Dive

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   The Enemy Within   Sometimes we just need a little danger to add some excitement to our lives, but do not want to actually put ourselves in harms way so we turn to the Thriller. This genre has had a long history of fiction covering everything from spies to crime in order to keep the reader on their toes. In many ways it is similar to another genre visual novels thrive in, Horror, since
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Pallas_Raven in Analysis

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April Fools – Genre Deep Dive

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   That Time of The Year   Once a year people come together to pull pranks or other humorous activities on each other in an effort to lighten up their lives and visual novels have become a vessel for this practice resulting the birth of a genre. The games which spawn from it are parodies of established titles or series where their essence is exaggerated for comic effect while keeping the q
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Pallas_Raven in Analysis

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Achievements – An Anatomy Of Visual Novels

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   The Completionist Drive   It is human nature to want to be rewarded for our accomplishments hence why people are so happy to get a bit of paper at the end of a university course. Games love to tap into this emotional response through Achievements and visual novels are no exception. Achievements are generally used as both a system of rewarding the player and a means of encouraging them t
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The Skip Button – An Anatomy of Visual Novels

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   Pressing Fast Forward   A simple feature like a Skip Button might seem too minor to be worth covering in any detail, after all most visual novels have one so they must be a normal part of them, right? It is only when it is taken away that its impact, both on how the player interacts with the game and their perception of it, becomes clear. Presenting the option to skip content is always
Analysis

An Anatomy Of Visual Novels – Unlockable Extra Content

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   Shiny New Things   Everyone likes to be rewarded for their effort and video games are happy to oblige with a variety of Extra Unlockable Content. These bonuses are often treated as a side show disconnected from the important main sections of the game and relegated to a sub menu where it has little impact on the greater structure. For visual novels this unlockable content has a much more
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Mystery VNs – Genre Deep Dive

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   Through The Lies And Deception   Of all the genres Mystery is perhaps the one visual novels have the most tools of engage with. The levels of subtly and the precise execution needed to ensure a balance between the known and unknown so that the player is never lost is no easy task and demands a degree of control many games lack. At the same time they have to be able to spin other delica
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Multiple Title Screens – An Anatomy Of Visual Novels

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here. The Many Faces We Wear   Upon booting up a visual novel, the first thing the player will see is the main menu. Over the course of their play time they will pass through it countless times and come to memorise its details. As such altering this key feature will immediately be noticed by the player and the more dramatic the change, the greater this impact will be. A wide variety of visual novels
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SRPG – Uncovering The VN Hybrid

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   Mixing Words And Chess   If you want gameplay that mixes the grand feeling of strategy while still maintaining a strong character focus then the SRPG is generally the way to go. Hence why visual novel developers find this style mechanics appealing and select it to form a hybrid with in order to compliment the visual novel's narrative tone. Here the SRPG will be defined as a strategy gam
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Yaoi – Genre Deep Dive

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   Love In All Its Forms   As a genre Yaoi has an interesting kinship with masculinity which leads it down some distinctive narrative pathways. In many ways it is a mirror of its stable-mate Yuri since it also has the two extremes of commercialisation and thoughtful representation. Much of the genre’s output tends to be aimed at a female audience with the characters and relationships setti
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Science Fantasy – Genre Deep Dive

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   Of Robots And Sorcerers   At first glance sci-fi and fantasy might seem incompatible with one another since the first focuses on extrapolations of concepts from our scientific present while the other deals with impossible events and powers. However, behind these differences they share a common desire to explore the nature of humanity through situations as distant as possible from our e
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Event CGs – An Anatomy Of Visual Novels

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   Capturing The Action   When visual novels wants to enhance the drama and impact of a particular narrative beat or intimate character moment they turn to Event CGs. These large and intricate graphics depict these key moments with a vivid detail which the character portraits are no capable of replicating. Each one has such a profound effect on the player due to the infrequency of their us
Analysis

Save Systems – An Anatomy of Visual Novels

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   Recording Your Progress   Almost every game has some form of system by which the player can save their progress since a developer cannot expect them to complete the title in one sitting. How this manifests varies wildly from the freedom to save as many times as the player wants to a single save slot only available at designated intervals to an autosave system out of the player’s hands.
Analysis

Dating Sims – Uncovering The VN Hybrid

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   Making Yourself Desirable   Many outside the visual novel space often make the mistake of referring to romance visual novels as Dating Sims and at a glance it is easy to see why given their shared focus on pursuing a chosen heroine or hero. The two types of game have had a long and connected history with Dating Sims utilising visual novel elements to sell their story sections and buildi
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Multiple Route Mystery – An Anatomy Of Visual Novels

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.     Puzzle Pieces Scattered To The Wind   Putting together a mystery in order to find the truth is one of the most rewarding narrative and mechanical feelings it is possible to give the player. The route based structure of visual novels places them in a unique position to take advantage of this niche. They can spread their mystery over the course of their story in a non-linear manner
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Fighting Games – Uncovering The VN Hybrid

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   Fight Start!   As a style of gameplay Fighting Games are at once wonderfully expressive and yet incredibly restrictive and so combining them with visual novels make for an interesting hybrid. The primary feature which binds the two together is their heavy focus on characters and invoking strong emotions through their expressiveness. Visual novels offer the chance for fighting games to e
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Pallas_Raven in Analysis

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Apocalypse – Genre Deep Dive

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   Until There Is Nothing Left   As a species we have a strange obsession with the inevitable demise of everything we have built in the face of sudden and uncontrollable disasters. There is a kind of catharsis at seeing this scenario play out in a fictional setting and witnessing how the characters attempt to adapt to the end of the world as they know it. This genre of Apocalypse stories c
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Pallas_Raven in Analysis

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Adventure Games – Uncovering The VN Hybrid

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   Pixel Hunting   Creating a sense of immersion within a fictional world has always been one of the greatest strengths of visual novels so it is only natural they would end up paired with a style of gameplay about interacting with the details of that world in the form of Adventure Games. These are titles which involve clicking on elements of the environment in order to solve puzzles or me
Analysis

Meta Fiction – Genre Deep Dive

This is a condensed version of the full article which can be found on my Main Blog Here.   Beyond The Screen   Directly addressing the nature of the medium and the player has a long tradition within video games as a means of introspection and entertainment. The Meta Fiction genre is something visual novels have dipped their toes into over the years with varying degrees of commitment to its use. This manifests through everything from playing with the games systems, jokes by ch
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Pallas_Raven in Analysis

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