What I Learned Judging 200+ Visual Novels
Overview
In this video, Visual Novel Design shares seven valuable lessons learned from judging over 200 visual novels in the Spooktober Game Jam. The video offers insightful tips and critiques on how to improve visual novels, from creating engaging storylines to maintaining art cohesion and testing for bugs.
Lesson One: Don’t Bury the Lead
The video emphasizes the importance of starting your story with a hook that grabs the reader’s attention. Don’t save the best for later; instead, build up from the beginning. A strong start can set the tone for the rest of the story and keep the reader engaged.
Lesson Two: Build Your Atmosphere
Visual Novel Design stresses the importance of creating an immersive atmosphere in your visual novel. This can be achieved through a combination of visuals, sound effects, and descriptive writing. The goal is to evoke emotions in the reader and draw them into the world you’ve created.
Lesson Three: Maintain Art Cohesion
One of the most common pitfalls in visual novel development is a lack of art cohesion. To avoid this, start with rough sketches, concept work, and color treatments to ensure that all artists are on the same page. Regularly check in on progress to ensure that the final product is cohesive and visually appealing.
Lesson Four: Edit, Edit, Edit
Many visual novels suffer from feeling like first drafts. To avoid this, keep your game shorter and more focused, with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Edit your work to remove unnecessary elements and ensure that the pacing is well-balanced.
Lesson Five: Keep Things Moving Visually
Visual Novel Design recommends keeping the camera moving and adding visual interest to keep the reader engaged. This can be achieved through character expression changes, camera movements, and other visual effects.
Lesson Six: Test Your Game
A surprising number of visual novels suffer from bugs, graphical errors, or are simply difficult to finish. To avoid this, make time for bug testing and include beta testers to identify any issues.
Lesson Seven: Play More Visual Novels
Finally, the video emphasizes the importance of playing more visual novels to learn from others and gain inspiration. By reading and analyzing different visual novels, you can identify what works and what doesn’t, and apply those lessons to your own games.
Takeaways
- Start your story with a hook to grab the reader’s attention
- Create an immersive atmosphere through visuals, sound effects, and descriptive writing
- Maintain art cohesion through regular check-ins and clear communication
- Edit your work to ensure a focused, well-paced story
- Keep the camera moving and add visual interest to engage the reader
- Test your game thoroughly to identify and fix bugs
- Play more visual novels to learn from others and gain inspiration
