A Study on the Multiple-Route Approach of VN

[Christfall]

Have you all ever thought about continuity issues in a VN? Do you prefer if all the routes are canonically true or not?

 

Most VN have multiple route systems with individual heroine routes, but the majority of them are never explained and is never the focus of the story.

 

So I am going to discuss the minority that DO, thus I would make a list of VNs where the multiple routes/endings are all important plot points in the story. This means, each heroine route actually plays an important factor in-universe where they either directly or indirectly affect/control the events of another route before they can achieve the true, final ending. The method can be anything, time travel  technology, interference from a higher dimensional entity, or some form of special power a character has, etc. 

The point here is that the characters themselves have to be aware (may not need to be immediate, as long as they do eventually) of such a thing actually happening. If they are not, then the story itself has to tell you clearly.

To put it simple, the routes are not just an excuse for you to just romance a heroine or for the purpose of unlocking secret and true routes.

As a result, a true route / final route are almost mandatory for these kind of games.

 

Some Examples are what counts and what don't:

What Counts:

- After clearing Route A and while you are In Route B, one or more characters are able to somehow know what happens in Route A, and then take actions for a different outcome based on that knowledge. The point here is that the events in route A has to happen for real beforehand, so if it is just some sort of pregconition of events by characters, it doesn't count.

- There is some sort of GroundDay Hog Loop happening in-universe. Characters may or may not retain their memories, but both still count.

- Forced time travel that leads directly to a different route or a planned time travel by characters with full intention to enter a different route.

 

What Does Not Count:

- "What-If" scenarios.

- There is a multiple world setting, such as alternate realities, but the routes do not overlap each other, in other words, there are no constructive evidence they actually "exist" independently in-universe.

- The writer/creator (AKA Word of God) tells you all routes are canonically true, but the routes in the story itself do not overlap and there is no parallel world to support that fact.

 

TLDR: Any VN where every route occur canonically in the story.

 

As it is a theme where it is usually (if not always) an important aspect of the plot, be warn of SPOILERS.

 

Here's my list of VN That Fit the Criteria :

Baldr Sky Dive 1 + Dive 2

HHG Hyper Highspeed Genius

HHGX Ragnarok -Megami no Shuuen

Ever17 -The Out of Infinity-

12Riven -The Climinal of Integral-

Magical Charming

Clannad

Little Busters

The Zero Escape series (999 + Virtue's Last Reward)

Irotoridori no Sekai

Irotoridori no Hikari

Rewrite

Flyable Heart

Steins Gate

Akatoki!

Gin no Toki no Corona

Harumade Kururu

Natsukumo Yururu

Majokoi Nikki

Cross Channel

Hapymaher

Chusingura 46+1

"When They Cry" Series

 

Feel free to discuss your views and opinions whether or not it is necessary in a story and list out titles not in the list above.

[madvanced]

If you apply a theory like the multiverse, in any given VN every route is valid because the character will always choose every route simply because there is a universe for each of them. Also just because a given route doesn't show many plot related aspects to the bigger picture there's always character related plot, so it doesn't mean that it will be canonically wrong. For example in Grisaia there are some routes that in respects to the games plot and MC's background give almost nothing however that doesn't make them wrong as canon. Any relationship developed with any given heroine is just as valid as the other ones, in other words every route is valid. This is just my opinion of course and like any other opinion it isn't more valid than others' opinions.

[Okami]

Multiple routes are like parallel universes witch took a different turn. I don't think that there is much to be said, if you know what a parallel universe means that that's all that needs to be said about multiple routes. I generally don't like when VN tries to explains having multiple routes because they can rarely come with anything better then some kind of parallel universes and trying to explain multiple routes as parallel universes is unnecessary and it can interact with the rest of the story in a bad way and it doesn't really change anything. The only cases when it is necessary is when some character needs to remember something from a previous route.

 

To discus one of the VN examples, Rewrite:

It explains that all the routes have been happening in different worlds millions/billions of years after each other and the only reason why this is necessary to be said is Moon route in witch protagonist needs to remember all the routes that has happened in order to find a way meat a goal of a story (To save a world) and that solution being to be born earlier in next world then in worlds of routes that already took place. But then most people didn't even understand that it happened and they still enjoyed the story while completely misunderstanding Moon and Terra routes. Witch shows that in most cases the only thing they need to have is some explanation for multiple routes in order for a character to remembers something from previous routes, and that being the only reason why explanation is necessary.

 

Steins;Gate

In this one parallel universes are part of a story and that's pretty much the only reason why explanation is added there, otherwise there is no real reason for it.

 

I also agree with what madvanced said.

[Chewy]

Multiple routes are like parallel universes witch took a different turn. I don't think that there is much to be said, if you know what a parallel universe means that that's all that needs to be said about multiple routes. I generally don't like when VN tries to explains having multiple routes because they can rarely come with anything better then some kind of parallel universes and trying to explain multiple routes as parallel universes is unnecessary and it can interact with the rest of the story in a bad way and it doesn't really change anything. The only cases when it is necessary is when some character needs to remember something from a previous route.

 

To discus one of the VN examples, Rewrite:

It explains that all the routes have been happening in different worlds millions/billions of years after each other and the only reason why this is necessary to be said is Moon route in witch protagonist needs to remember all the routes that has happened in order to find a way meat a goal of a story (To save a world) and that solution being to be born earlier in next world then in worlds of routes that already took place. But then most people didn't even understand that it happened and they still enjoyed the story while completely misunderstanding Moon and Terra routes. Witch shows that in most cases the only thing they need to have is some explanation for multiple routes in order for a character to remembers something from previous routes, and that being the only reason why explanation is necessary.

 

Steins;Gate

In this one parallel universes are part of a story and that's pretty much the only reason why explanation is added there, otherwise there is no real reason for it.

 

I also agree with what madvanced said.

Completely agree with what has been said here.