What is considered "finishing" a Visual Novel?

[FatEdenshaw]

So I haven't played many VN, in fact the medium has always felt really difficult to "get into" for me. In part I feel like it's because a visual novel feels like such an undertaking, with many requiring several playthroughs to reach a satisfying end. 

 

What I'm wondering is, what is considered "finishing" a visual novel? Is it only getting the true end, if there is one? Finishing ALL routes? For instance I played Ever17 and the ending I got was pretty bad in my opinion which made me not like the game. I know there are other endings but since the first playthrough invoked nothing interesting I feel no incentive to go back to it. Can I still say I finished the game and give an overall opinion on if the game is good or bad? 

 

What do you think at fuwanovel? How do you "finish" a visual novel?

[Guest]

100% Complete, ALL CGs, ALL Endings, ALL Routes, and ALL text Read.

Also Ever 17 is a Multiple Route Mystery VN so routes rely on Each other to build the plot, I don't advise giving up now, since sometimes we play a Route that we find boring but It is Just one of many, só you should try playing at least another one Just to be sure, before dropping It.

Edited April 24, 2018 by Guest

[Homufate]

Depend on the VN if there's true route like Gr-senjou no Maou. I would consider myself finish VN by finish the true route regardless of other routes (except if it forced you to through other routes in order to read true route like Ever17). But if there's no true route like Grisaia or Fate/stay night then I've to completed every routes. Higurashi and Umineko are easier to consider because they're linear

[Pomelo]

For me, it's thoroughly completing the VN- all routes, CGs, etc. The rare occasion where this isn't the case is usually because I find a VN too unbearable to continue any further. Either that, or I like one ending so much that I don't want to go through any others to "spoil" it. It's happened with Katawa Shoujo, DMMD, and Subahibi. It takes a few months, but I usually do go back to finish it, and then I just replay my favourite route again at the end. 

Of course, this is just my version of finishing. There's no one who's going to hold a gun to your head if you don't feel like reading through all the content. Maybe you like one route and you're satisfied with that ending- you could say it's finished for you then.

[-soraa]

This thread again...

Until I am finished with the route's I am interested in.

If there is a really good route but I don't like the girl (e.g. Amane from grisaia), then I will read it ofc.

Well, I actually don't care about to complete it 100% because I am reading VN's to work of stress and relax. But no to bore myself. I am not a M.

[Inorin]

When you feel like enough is enough. I consider myself done with Muv Luv even though I've only read 4 routes in Extra and 1 route in Unlimited. I also consider myself done with Fate Stay Night despite only reaching 3-4 bad ends out of a possible 40.

Edited April 24, 2018 by wei123

[Zander]

I'm finished with a visual novel when the protagonist finishes in the best girl.

[Plk_Lesiak]

1 hour ago, Zander said:

I'm finished with a visual novel when the protagonist finishes in the best girl.

Hmmm, I'm afraid this might leave many VNs forever unfinished. Planetarian for example...

l'm sure there are fanfics that fill the gap though. ^^

--------

Edit: Oh, and I've shared my opinion on the topic in a previous thread, I think it very much still stands:

Edit 2: [redacted] 

@Zander Ok... Boooring...

Edited April 24, 2018 by Plk_Lesiak

[Funyarinpa]

All significant endings achieved and significant optional parts read. 

 

[tymmur]

3 hours ago, SeniorBlitz said:

100% Complete, ALL CGs, ALL Endings, ALL Routes, and ALL text Read.

This is pretty much the definition of finishing a VN. This makes some VNs really hard to finish because not all can be finished with a simple walkthough. For instance Private Nurse has some randomness into the H scenes, meaning reading all the text and finishing all the routes might not have collected all the CGs. In fact due to the way the CGs can be reviewed, the complete number of CGs is not generally known and it's impossible to tell if you really got all variations of every single one.

What you should do is to read to have fun. If you don't feel like completing a VN, then don't do that. Not all VNs are worth completing.

[bakauchuujin]

I like to collect all CGs and take screenshots of them and sort them on a folder on my PC so that I can look through CGs of all the different VNs I have played through without having to start the VN and go into the VN itself. Because of this I will collect all the CGs and try to make sure that I didn't miss an alternate version of one.

[snowbell55]

Will just copy and paste my response from a previous thread -

On 2/1/2018 at 1:56 PM, snowbell55 said:

Personally I'd say it's when I've finished the first main route to a natural, intended ending (ie not some random bad end that just appears out of nowhere), but will continue to read as many other routes as possible if I am enjoying the VN. 

If it's something I don't like though I'll only read whatever routes seem promising. 

36 minutes ago, bakauchuujin said:

I like to collect all CGs and take screenshots of them and sort them on a folder on my PC so that I can look through CGs of all the different VNs I have played through without having to start the VN and go into the VN itself. Because of this I will collect all the CGs and try to make sure that I didn't miss an alternate version of one.

Wow that's a really good idea. I've been doing the same but for songs. Do you find that it lessens the need / desire for you to replay the VN when done though? Since CGs seem to tell the main parts of the story...

[bakauchuujin]

8 minutes ago, snowbell55 said:

Wow that's a really good idea. I've been doing the same but for songs. Do you find that it lessens the need / desire for you to replay the VN when done though? Since CGs seem to tell the main parts of the story...

At the moment I own too many VNs that I haven't finished to really start going back and replaying the once I have already played. Though with good VNs I imagine I would want to go back and replay it after a while even if I have the CG collection.

[PiggiesGoMoo]

5 hours ago, FatEdenshaw said:

So I haven't played many VN, in fact the medium has always felt really difficult to "get into" for me. In part I feel like it's because a visual novel feels like such an undertaking, with many requiring several playthroughs to reach a satisfying end. 

I think you have the impression of VN's being an "undertaking" because you tried to read Ever17.  That's probably the slowest VN I've ever read, and you really have to be aware of that before you read it.  Many VNs don't even have multiple routes, they just have a single ending.  And of course VNs widely vary in length. 

Ever17 also has a sort of "true ending" in the final route, so no, you didn't really finish it.

Edited April 24, 2018 by PiggiesGoMoo

[Dreamysyu]

Depends. Usually, I prefer to see all the good/true endings and preferably bad endings, if they aren't very hard to get. I believe, seeing all the relevant good ends is a "must do" in case of most story-focused VNs. At the same time, if I ever come down to actually reading a moege, I'll probably just read all the routes that I care about and still consider myself done.

3 hours ago, Zander said:

I'm finished with a visual novel when the protagonist finishes in the best girl.

And what about VNs where the best girl doesn't have a route?

[Zander]

14 minutes ago, Dreamysyu said:

And what about VNs where the best girl doesn't have a route?

Then it remains unfinished until the developers acquiesce to my angry e-mails and give her one as DLC.

[DarkZedge]

6 hours ago, -soraa said:

This thread again...

Until I am finished with the route's I am interested in.

If there is a really good route but I don't like the girl (e.g. Amane from grisaia), then I will read it ofc.

Well, I actually don't care about to complete it 100% because I am reading VN's to work of stress and relax. But no to bore myself. I am not a M.

Pretty much this, whenever I'm done playing the routes that interest me or the girls I set out to get then I'm finished with it. I don't know where the notion that "Finishing" something means you've done 100% of the cg gallery / done all routes and all that, to me that's completing something not just finishing it.

That being said when a game has a "true route" I'll most likely end up completing it.

[VirginSmasher]

I'm finished with a VN when either my patience for it runs out or I complete all of the routes. 

[Ranzo]

When the last enemy is defeated then I know the Visual Novel is finished.

 

[Ningen]

After unpacking and analyzing the game files.

[tymmur]

Reading through the posts, I noticed a pattern. I will classify the posts as belonging to either of the two groups:

Completed: Read all text and reached all endings and CGs

Done with it: Reached the endings you want and don't care about the rest

VNDB has the classification "dropped", but I think that's more like it's not liking the story and stop in the middle of the common route or something like that. That's not the same as the done classification.

As long as we mix both completed and done into completed, we will never agree to a definition of what it mean to complete a VN. I would add that completing a VN despite knowing in advance that you need to read through routes you don't care about is silly and there is nothing wrong with sticking to just being done with the routes, which interest you. It's not like one approach is better than the other. In fact it would be best to mix them and feel free to use either on a per VN approach. The amount of English releases have become so great in recent years that it's no longer a matter of just accepting what you can get, but rather you can now be picky about what you read.

[+StrikeR+]

Going by definition a visual novel is complete when:

7 hours ago, SeniorBlitz said:

100% Complete, ALL CGs, ALL Endings, ALL Routes, and ALL text Read.

Also Ever 17 is a Multiple Route Mystery VN so routes rely on Each other to build the plot, I don't advise giving up now, since sometimes we play a Route that we find boring but It is Just one of many, só you should try playing at least another one Just to be sure, before dropping It.

That said, i don't do it, i do this for the immersion, fun, enjoyment and excitement i get out of them, i go for good enjoyable ends, pretty much always skip bad endings and if i don't enjoy a heroine or the route doesn't get me invested i drop it in a heartbeat. And i have no problem using guides to make sure i avoid bad ends. Of course there are times  where i will try multiple routes if its worth it, for instance right now i'm enjoying Tsujidou-san Junai Road, and i went like usual for the true ending, but since some elements irritated me (but that is a story for another thread) i deviated slightly on to the other past midterms route because it was more fun and felt more right for me. basically its about things like that. I just stick with what i find enjoying or interesting in a vn and don't bother with anything else.

[Being]

Personally I use "dropped" or "stalled" If I don't have near-100% completion (I don't require all CGs unlocked or all text read, but I require seeing completing all routes/seeing the true ending).

I assumed that's the norm. Like OP You haven't finished Ever17, you have dropped it.

[1P1A]

I used to be more strict where I would only consider it completed after completing all routes. Now, as long as I read at least one of each of the heroine's routes, and the true ends if applicable, I'm satisfied.

[Okarin]

Depends if you're an OCD completionist, or if you're a smooth criminal that steals one of the girls and never touches the rest.

For plotge such as Root Double or Steins;Gate, I'm afraid you've got to play the whole game to grasp it all.

A typical VN lasts more than the average videogame, but it's not insufferable to sit through those 30-something hours usually, unless you've got ADHD.

I'm sure that if you pay 30-something dollars for your game, you'll want the most out of it, thus playing through all content.

 

* Disclaimer: clinical terms are used very loosely here, don't take it to heart.