SRPG – Uncovering The VN Hybrid
Entry posted by Pallas_Raven in Analysis
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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 game using a grid systems where the player and the enemy take turns moving their units such as in Fire Emblem or Disgaea. The stories using SRPGs tend towards two types, a grand strategy tale about big conflicts between factions or one with a larger cast where a lot of them are involved in combat. These share the common trait of being on a scale beyond the normal small groups and personal conflicts and needing something equally big to properly express them. Just copying and pasting basic SRPG mechanics to form a hybrid often leads to repetitive feeling battles and adding in a some unique element is required to make it more distinctive. However, this is something the SRPG can struggle with and is reflected in many hybrids. Let’s checkmate our opponent and explore how SRPGs function in visual novels.
Expressing A Strategy Centric Narrative
Grand is the stage of a story pitting groups of people against one another, be they between villages, nations or anything in between. As such a visual novel focused around such a topic must have equally grand mechanics in the form of the SRPG. Its function here is to help sell the scale and manoeuvring involved in the conflict without the narrative having to spend valuable space spelling it out in a potentially dry manner. Having the player act out these sequences creates a sense of how the character in command feels when dealing with the complexities of combat and this frees the visual novel from having to express these ups and downs and it gives emphasis to greater story by having it as the secondary focus. There is also an understanding of how important the planning and macro movement which occur outside the SRPG sections is in creating a steady sense of escalation. So when the plan is put into action and the player is pushed into the SRPG, they experience the sense of being the one to put into action the cleaver tricks and tactics the characters have thought up.
The Utawarerumono franchise is a good example of how this is put into practice on various scales of conflict. Each game starts with low stakes encounters for the sake of building a bond between the player and those they are commanding. There is understanding in these games that the SRPG must follow the tempo of the VN given the slower ramp up it has to follow or the two would start to clash given vastly different focuses. As the narrative escalates into an increasingly grand scale, so to do the mechanics of the SRPG grow in complexity to create a united sense of the actions of the cast. Even as the scope increases the games never lose sight of the characters who made this journey possible through their duel role as powerful units and the emotional core of the narrative. The two halves of Utawarerumono weave in and out of each other without ever stepping on each other’s toes creating a harmonious experience which the player feels the increased impact from both since they aim for the same ends.
Stand In For Large Group Combat
Not all visual novels using SRPG mechanics are interesting in grand scale conflicts. There are many aiming for a smaller focus around a large cast on a personal and local level to their lives. Presenting the conflict through the lens of an SRPG allows for a stage on which all the characters can be shown working together to help further the camaraderie found in the narrative. It also gives each a unique flavour through their skills and abilities which showcase the identity the player has come to love. Everything about the SRPG seeks to emphasise the feelings of intimacy formed in the visual novel and make them kinetic in a practical setting. Here the choice of an SRPG over a more traditional strategy game provides both the benefit of scale without zooming so far out as to lose the relationship and bonds visual novels thrive on.
Issues With Creating Mechanic Distinctiveness In SRPGs
From a mechanical perspective the SRPG is a type of game which has always struggled with diversity. It has a specific set of expected features and there is little room offered for a new game to expand it to leave their mark. Some do try to add their own unique spin on the formula but it is rare for them to have any meaningful impact on the overall experience of play. This is not as important to hybrid visual novels as it is to a pure SRPG since it wants the broad and tactile emotions the SRPG invokes rather than its complexity or difficulty. However, that does not mean it is above suffering from the issues of mechanical repetitiveness and many still try to include something unique to create a more memorable experience.
Digimon Survive attempts to do exactly this with its digivolution system. This is where partner digimon have the ability to change into higher and more powerful stages of evolution at the cost of continually draining their SP and after running out they will return to their original state. The idea here is clearly to encourage the player into the shoes of the humans supporting the digimon by giving them access to the same powers as the protagonist characters and make them careful consider when to unleash it to swing the tide of the fight. In practice there seems to have been some fear of actually committing to this interesting idea and the SP cost is rendered irrelevant through high SP totals and easy SP recovery meaning there is never any reason not to go straight to the highest stage of evolution at the start of the battle. This is an extremely common trend among hybrid visual novels with many of them adding theoretically engaging unique mechanics only to not properly utilise them and render the SRPG feeling extremely standard and uninspired. Its status as a secondary element might well be to blame as resources are funnelled into the visual novel portion due to its greater importance which results in these extra elements being starved of what they need to shine.
Conclusion
When considering the SRPG for a visual novel hybrid there is a great deal it can offer in terms of thematic synergy and pushing an elevated perspective on events. It provides the game with a sense of grandeur through the scale it operates on and allows the player to put themselves in the shoes of the character commanding this battle. Despite this perspective it still has a much more personal angle to the units being controlled than other types of strategy games which gives it a greater compatibility with visual novel narratives. The major downside to using an SRPG is the way it can be difficult for the gameplay to feel unique especially when it is secondary to the visual novel and as such has less development time to get it the mechanics right. Nonetheless, if you are looking for style of secondary gameplay that works with a larger cast or a grander scale then you cannot go wrong with the SRPG.
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