What do you think about artstyles?

[jeftai]

so in general newer visual novel reading people will tend to read hoshi memo or some other newer vn made around +2007 where generally art starts improving and becomes less fiss-eye and out of proportion.

but if you start with early vn dating around ~2000 where art was yea you know since you saw it already probally you would care less about the art and more about the story but also it mainly depends on ones personality and preferences its not like we can say we all must read visual novels for there visual part and not there story.

[Decay]

Things I don't like in an art style: Regular clothes that are somehow skintight just around the bust. I'm sorry, but it looks ridiculous. Also, massively oversized breasts. I feel a little weird obsessing over how breasts are drawn but really, it's usually because the game's art is being really... perverted? It makes me embarrassed to read VNs with that style.  I just like a more grounded art style and some games that present massively exaggerated proportions quickly turn me away.

 

Minori's art provides perfect examples. In their earlier titles, like Wind and Ef, their body proportions were reasonable, their character and clothing designs appropriate and not distracting, and their CGs were well drawn. Now their most recent adopt the complete opposite philosophy. All of the heroines' bodies are egregiously proportioned and it just looks terrible. It makes me sad that Minori ditched the more modest/halfway-realistic style in favor of the outrageous style they have now. 

 

Other than that, it's really on a case-by-case basis. I don't really like old art styles too much. Of course, it felt like VNs were 10+ years behind the trends in anime, with a lot of the early 2000s stuff looking like they've come from a bad '88 TV show. I just can't appreciate that style of art. Also I don't have much tolerance for poorly executed art. Bad line art, shitty anatomy, lack of variation, etc. I can't play Higurashi without the sprite replacements, and I still haven't played Symphonic Rain because of the art (but I will get around to it eventually, I swear).

 

 

....are you serious?

 

Rewrite's art was really lackluster, and I'm being serious. This is for different reasons than the above. Key's art just looks bad.  Of course, on a technical level, the execution was much better in Rewrite. Better color work, better anatomy, etc. I just don't like the faces or something.

 

 

Wait...Tsukihime isn't voiced?!

Omg...that makes me want to read it, actually.

 

I've come so close to turning off the voices in VNs sometimes because I read too fast and they're still talking and then I feel like I have to wait.

It gets me bored REALLY fast.

 

This is why I turn off voice skip in games with that option. I can't really understand them much anyways and I get to hear most of their lines even when breezing through the text. In a lot of VNs, the voices end up expressing a lot of emotion and such that the text fails at portraying.

[sarayne]

 

 

Rewrite's art was really lackluster, and I'm being serious. This is for different reasons than the above. Key's art just looks bad. I just don't like the faces or something.

Those chins/faces in clannad just make me want to just stop playing my god and rewrite they just looked so weird lol

[Monmon]

Those chins/faces in clannad just make me want to just stop playing my god and rewrite they just looked so weird lol

I think most of Key art style kinda remind me of old-style anime yet in HD versions~~~ those big puppy eye....

[Zhiroo]

Art is maybe important but I don't mind it much. I haven't dropped a VN yet because of the art only because of the story. I also love the art in Period.

[DoodlyNyan]

The art style really matters to me. I don't particularly like Key's art style, that's why I have little motivation to play their VNs (with the exception of Rewrite and Clannad, though I haven't finished Clannad yet). Same thing happens with YU-NO, if only they have better graphic, I would be playing it right now.

[Mr Poltroon]

Bloody hell, people are critics...

 

Personally... there have been two games in which the art was reasonably unsatisfying.

Umineko (without the sprites patch), and One ~Kagayaku Kisetsu e~.

Neither of them affected my enjoyment much, though.

[babiker]

Well, I don't really give a dam about artstyle, sure, it affects my whole ranking of the VN, but it comes secondary to the plot and characters. I dropped clannad because it was going to make me cry,   not because of the art.And I still enjoyed most of it. Ever17 has low quality art (to most people), but I also enjoyed that. It depends on you as a person, of you're use to books and novels, then VN's don't have to have the best pics for ya. But if your more of an anime person, you'll probably care a lot about the art.

 

But your still missing out (in my opinion) if your drop a VN for only the art

[Nerathim]

Takeuchi's chara-design and Liar Soft's aside (maybe Steins;Gate, too), I haven't found a good-looking VN, not very important by me but if I have the choice I really prefer Rewrite or Grisaia artstyle, it's generic  of course but it's not ugly either, unlike 07th Expansion's VN or Muv-Luv.  However I don't think we can drop a VN because of its art, it's simple just to adapt to it.

[Scars Unseen]

Art does matter to me, but story matters more.  I put down Clannad because most of the routes weren't clicking for me, not because everyone looked like aliens in high school uniforms(though they totally did).  On the other hand, some art styles I didn't like initially grew on me as I read the VNs and got attached to the characters.  Muv-Luv and Steins;Gate being the most notable of those.

[dannyboo]

I can only speak for myself but 'bad' artwork doesn't really bother me I guess.

I enjoyed Fate/Stay Night even though it's in a 800x600 screen and the quality isn't

overwhelming.

 

Steins;Gate is similar. There is no hd art like in the new games but the art still blends in really well

with everything else it has to offer, creating a unique and amazing atmosphere while playing.

 

I wouldn't even classify Steins;Gate's art as bad. Bad would be deformed objects or limbs that

the artist didn't quite manage to get right or really bad backgrounds and so on.

[Mr. Meogii]

The art is not important to me. The story has to be good though.

When the story is not good a person tends to pay his or her attention to other things, like for instance the art style. This is just my opinion.

[Diamon]

As for me, I tend to believe that art is secondary to the story.

If I enjoy the story, and if the art somehow displeases me, I'll make an effort for adapting myself (it was the case for Cross Channel and F/SN). I felt Steins;Gate art was really weird and unique at first, but the story was so good that the art eventually became in my mind a distinguishing feature of the VN.

 

However, if I don't like the story, even beautiful art won't prevent me from dropping it (I'm thinking about If my heart had wings, which I found too slow paced and as a result a bit boring).

If the VN has a slow start concerning the plot, good art makes it more tolerable to read until the plot starts to unfold.

 

And ofc, if the VN has both good story and awesome art (someone mentioned Grisaia, and I totally agree with him), it leaves an even better overall impression on the reader.

[Mr. Meogii]

As for me, I tend to believe that art is secondary to the story.

If I enjoy the story, and if the art somehow displeases me, I'll make an effort for adapting myself (it was the case for Cross Channel and F/SN). I felt Steins;Gate art was really weird and unique at first, but the story was so good that the art eventually became in my mind a distinguishing feature of the VN.

 

However, if I don't like the story, even beautiful art won't prevent me from dropping it (I'm thinking about If my heart had wings, which I found too slow paced and as a result a bit boring).

If the VN has a slow start concerning the plot, good art makes it more tolerable to read until the plot starts to unfold.

 

And ofc, if the VN has both good story and awesome art (someone mentioned Grisaia, and I totally agree with him), it leaves an even better overall impression on the reader.

 

Art does not matter right XD

It's only after people realize that the story sucks that they begin to judge the art. 

[Mr. Meogii]

If you are one of those people that judges the art of a visual novel before even reading half of it's story i'm gonna just say relax. 

Bad art also has it's pros. Lol if all art was good how would we be able to differentiate bad art ?XD

[Tatsujin]

The art style really matters to me. I don't particularly like Key's art style, that's why I have little motivation to play their VNs (with the exception of Rewrite and Clannad, though I haven't finished Clannad yet). Same thing happens with YU-NO, if only they have better graphic, I would be playing it right now.

Doodly, what VN is your Sig?

[SilverLi]

Well so far I only encountered one game I could't even play. I dropped it after 1 minute. It was Higurashi (When I cry). 

 

But otherwise I am not that particular in my taste of a VN. I can enjoy a lot. But sometimes personal opinions take over. But as someone said. The VN should be appealing or otherwise you can't enjoy it. It should get you moved. 

[crunchytaco]

I was going to create a thread about aesthetics art-wise too, specifically about hairstyles. Does anyone have a preferential Anime hairstyle that instantly attracts you to that character when she shows up? If I see a ponytail, I start neighing like a horse. 

[Nerathim]

Long,smooth hairstyle and ponytail are my favorites too.

And never forget this "thing"  :

[Praeliator]

To me, art is very important because I am playing a VISUAL novel, if I wanted to only read I might as well stick with novels. Hell if a visual novel had horrible art (from my point of view) to a point where I can't get used to the art I will most likely drop the visual novel and most likely never look back.

[DoodlyNyan]

Doodly, what VN is your Sig?

Well! Thanks for asking, she is Mayuki Yuubana from Comyu, best girl ever!

[seventhfonist425]

I honestly liked how Rewrite looked. I was fine with Clannad, and Little Busters wasn't a problem.

Anyways, yeah, I'll admit art is important for me. Of course, my standards for bad are high, of course if it's something like, say, "Higurashi," unfortunately, that's too much. (I hear there's some sort of patch that fixes the art or something, but I dunno.) Usually, the first thing I look for in a VN is the art (which, I KNOW is bad, but I can't help it!)

For example, when I first saw this, my mind burst. I got that VN asap, and I now have plans to read it.

[Praeliator]

I honestly liked how Rewrite looked. I was fine with Clannad, and Little Busters wasn't a problem.

Anyways, yeah, I'll admit art is important for me. Of course, my standards for bad are high, of course if it's something like, say, "Higurashi," unfortunately, that's too much. (I hear there's some sort of patch that fixes the art or something, but I dunno.) Usually, the first thing I look for in a VN is the art (which, I KNOW is bad, but I can't help it!)

For example, when I first saw this, my mind burst. I got that VN asap, and I now have plans to read it.

Dat art *drools*.

 

You have good eyes my friend...

[DimDito]

This is why I turn off voice skip in games with that option. I can't really understand them much anyways and I get to hear most of their lines even when breezing through the text. In a lot of VNs, the voices end up expressing a lot of emotion and such that the text fails at portraying.

Moreover, with voice you instantly recognize which character is currently talking without having to repeatedly skim the name displayed on the text box. Very useful especially in NVL novels, where sometimes the name is shown after the dialogue and it's very easy to miss. Also, when reading untranslated VNs, it's fairly easier to understand the Japanese by hearing it instead of reading it.

 

Aaand I nearly derailed this topic.

[Zalor]

Why is Steins;Gate's artwork getting all the hate? Maybe it is just the inner hipster in me speaking but good art work does not have to be in HD and it does not even have to be pretty for that matter (think Picasso). The value of visual art is the emotional and intellectual thoughts it produces from being looked at. Thus the value of art in story driven visual novels is for the art to resonate with the overall atmosphere and themes of the work. The art in Steins;Gate does that very well. The way the backgrounds and characters are designed work really well with the atmosphere of Steins;Gate. As Dannyboo said

Steins;Gate is similar. There is no hd art like in the new games but the art still blends in really well

with everything else it has to offer, creating a unique and amazing atmosphere while playing.