E.B.O.N.Y. (pseudo-VN)

[AKAAkira]

I say "pseudo-VN", but admittedly I'm not sure what the working definition of VN is around here. I've seen people say the Phoenix Wright series isn't a VN, but don't know what aspect of it disqualifies it...

 

The point is, this E.B.O.N.Y. reads off a narrative, is first-person with "you" as the main character, and contains a number of interactive characters with unique personalities. It also reveals an intriguing plot through dialogue with the characters (though it's still in the starting stages at the moment, so lotsa question and very few answers), a few branches in the paths you take, and, uh, "CGs" on every level, Those are the similarities.

 

I don't see anything that immediately precludes a "Visual Novel" tag from it, but the first thing to know is that it's what's called a "riddle game" - you start on level one, gather hints from that level, then input the answer to move on to the next level. Where I'm from, these were popular a few years back (around the 2008 range, which is when this was launched), though as far as I know this is the only one with a real (and very compelling, in my opinion) narrative. You only get to talk to a character every ten levels or so, so the levels in-between might feel like a grind, unless the kind of puzzles this gives you is just your thing. Most of the characters are "borrowed" from other works, so it's more like a fan-VN as well. It's also obviously not Japan-made.

 

This is the link: http://ebony.extra.hu

 

I bring this up here since I've been a follower of this game for a long while now, before I even knew visual novels existed, and I wanted to see what people who were into VNs longer than I was would say about it. That, and it wouldn't hurt to have some people I can talk about this with.