Monster Girls – Character And Cliché In Visual Novels
From Myth And Mystery
Nothing
in the world of visual novels leaves quite the same immediate
impression as Monster Girls with their addition anatomy and
supernatural nature. A Monster Girl is not the same as something like
a cat girl where they have direct connection to real animals and
instead are based on monsters from myth and folklore. This often
means more dramatic changes to their appearance like with the snake
lower body of a lamia or the horse of a centaur, but they can also be
merely an otherworldly bloodline which gives monstrous personality
traits as often happens with the oni. In addition despite the title
saying Monster Girls this work will consider their male equivalent
for what it shows about how gender changes their role. On their most
basic level a Monster Girl is a monster and may well act like it
through aggressive actions which they may
not have full control over. Then there are the Monster Girls for whom
their monster characteristics are just a cute accessory to make them
stand out to the player and they rarely have any negative elements to
them in order to make them likeable. Their unusual appearance gives
them room to act as stand in for humans while still allowing for some
distance from subjects like discrimination. These characters are a
wide spectrum of body types, additional limbs and personalities so
there is quite a bit of flexibility in what roles they can fill.
Let’s escape the hoards of Monster Girls and find out how these characters have shaped and been shaped by visual novels.
The Monster Within
A
Monster Girl character does not need to have need to have any
immediately identifiable physical elements so long as their non human
nature is reflected in how people treat them and in the way it
influences their lives. This style of character has their monstrous
nature act as a sort of curse which they often have no control over
yet decides much of their life with many people coveting that power.
Since they appear human on the outside they generally do their best
to blend into normal life and dream of being left alone. Their nature has a violent and uncontrollable
undertone to it and this does not have to be just for themselves as
its effects on the people the character cares about can be vastly more
destructive. From a narrative standpoint this type of Monster Girl
reflects on the ruinous nature of our darker emotions or the desire
for ever greater power. In overcoming these internal negative traits
the characters can display a virtue and struggles through which core
themes can be displayed as well as provide a reason for the player to
root for them. One of the most common kinds of Monster Girl to get
this treatment is the oni since having some oni in a bloodline as
an excuse for magical powers is a cliché in and of itself. The
customary violent nature of an oni makes this struggle against these
darker tendencies an expected part of the process of character
growth.
 |
| It is always a problem when they start wanting your blood |
One particularly interesting example of this use of oni is in
the Hakuoki where a number of oni characters make their appearance
including the protagonist Yukimura Chizuru. What makes the oni stand
out here is the variety and flexibility of their roles for person to
person. Chizuru is obviously the oni with the largest amount of
screen time but for the most part their powers are not something
which they have to struggle but instead it falls on those around her. She is
coveted by multiple other individuals including other oni and she
reveals their less desirable sides through their pursuit of her while
also highlighting the heroic side of those who defend her which plays
well into selling the romantic interests. When she starts using her
blood to save the people she cares about is where the darker aspects
of the oni start to creep in as the suitors she uses it on are not
always able to adjust and reveal the dangerous side of the oni.
Their struggles with their declining mental state and how the Chizuru
handles their relationship works as the backbone of their arcs in the
later parts of the game and helps support the historical drama
happening around them. As rival to the suitors and the foil to
Chizuru, Kazama Chikage’s status as an oni places him in position
where he is both the best and the worst of his kind. The arrogant
superiority where he looks down at humans as inferior mirrors that
element in humanity itself and yet it is this pride which demands he
hold himself to a higher standard than many of the people around him.
Throughout the narrative he demonstrates himself to be the one
character who will stand by his values to the very end even as he
fights in open opposition to the heroes. This muddies the picture of
what it means to be an oni and further allows them to be a direct
connection to humanity and the time of chaos the cast find themselves
in.
As A Cute Trait
By
far the most common use of a Monster Girls style of character is as a
means to add distinctive traits to the cast in order to make them
stand out. Often this is the bare minium for the character to be
considered a Monster Girl and takes the form of some extra element on
their human bodies, but even then they have the ability to
conceal it the majority of the time. Functionally they are just human
characters as far as the narrative is concerned with vague nods at
their supernatural nature so it can be done in the least invasive way
possible. For this kind of Monster Girl their role rests solely in their
appeal and exotic origins as a way to spice up what might otherwise
be a standard visual novel. Take The Ditzy Demons Are in Love With
Me, if the Monster Girls were stripped of their powers the game would
just be another standard example of the romance slice of life genre.
Their personalities form the expected spectrum of moe traits from shy
to clumsy to teasing and can easily be summed up in a single sentence
which is a part of the romantic fantasy this style of story is aiming
for. However, being too similar to its peers risks it not standing
out enough to make a player consider picking it up among the sea of
other titles. So each girl was made into a different Monster Girl in
order to provide them a visual identity different from other such
characters. To its credit the game does allow some aspects of their
monstrous nature to show themselves, such as the succubi being
seductive, but it is still restrained to only positive or humours
traits that will not scare off players. The story does not reflect
this choice in any meaningful way with the conflicts and arcs being
ones where the monsters could easily have just be swapped out for
humans and nothing would change. It should be said this strategy for
using Monster Girls has broadly been successful as can be seen in the
way it has formed a subset of players who like the aesthetic changes.
 |
| Definitely a normal girl.... |
This subject comfortable brings us to the other reason the surface level
existence of a Monster Girl is used, to appeal to a fetish. Obviously
this is something far more common in eroge where it feeds into the
erotic elements of the game, but it can act as an undertone in any title
where the characters have noticeable non-human physical additions.
Unlike the use of these as a tool for cuteness, here the Monster Girl
is more tightly bound to the expectations of their race and it
closely defines the outline of their personalities. The easiest way
to see this in action is to look at the developer Eushully’s output
in its entirety and note their obsession with angels. All the angels in
their games fall under the same racial archetype, this being purity
with a layer of vaguely religious background. Each individual
character does have their own spin on it to try and not make this
cliché too obvious such as with Melodiana from Kamidori Alchemy
Meister being a kind and refined individual while Forzasleyn from
Kami no Rhapsody is serious and stubborn, yet at their core this
commonality remains. Since an angel is such a potent symbol of purity, the associated white wings and golden halo become a part of a
framework to appeal immediately to those who find such traits to be
desirable and it insures a consistent stream of predictably
attractive characters. Eushully’s consistent fixation of
angels can be applied to a lot of other titles using Monster Girls
since racial archetypes makes for an excellent shorthand for a narrative and recognisable aesthetic all in one.
Just Like You And I
Using
Monster Girls as a direct metaphor for the struggles and treatment of
people in our own world is a fairly common practice. Their mix of
human and monstrous features make them a perfect blend of being close
to the player while still having the necessary distance to allow for the player to more objectively view their
treatment and avoid any unwanted connections to real world
equivalents. Being so fantastical provides room for the edges to taken
off the darker elements that might be addressed during the game by
slotting in another lighter kind of content such as over the top
fights featuring their powers. Ayakashibito’s
monster of choice is the yokai of which Kisaragi Suzu gets the
largest amount of screen time and her treatment forms the backbone of
a lot of the title’s themes. Immediately striking is the fact she
is lacking in any physical identifies of her origin for most of the
game and looks just like a normal human girl which is a deliberate
choice made to draw a line between the her suffering and the player’s
own experiences. It also helps form a similar bond with the player as
they have with the rest of the cast and blurs the lines they define themselves
along. As such humanity’s treatment of her is reflected back onto
them as they justify their actions based on her monstrous nature and
ignore the things they have in common. Despite this undertone
Ayakashibito is not interested in making any meaningful comments on
their actions beyond a simple moral evil. Instead the story uses it
as a justification for the interpersonal conflicts and the battles
with it just acting as additional texture to their character arcs.
 |
| So begins a quest into a gentle world |
It
would not be proper to discuss about Monster Girls without bring up
Monster Girl Quest and its influential choices in character design.
It uses the non human appearances of its Monster Girls as the basis
for a narrative about discrimination and prejudice based on physical
attributes and misunderstandings making for a very simple analogy for
the real world. The complexity of the issue is not something Monster
Girl Quest is interested in tackling and so the result is a parable
about the need to not judge a person without first understanding them which is perfect from the kind of heart-warming space
the game want to provide. Sitting next to this is one of the widest
pools of different Monster Girl designs all clearly leaning into one
fetish or another to a frankly impressive degree. Neither of these
two side even acknowledge the other’s existence and it does make
the game’s messaging feel a bit confused as if two entirely
different titles were smashed together yet there is no doubt its
brand of Monster Girls has left its mark on how future visual novels
presented their versions of it even if they never reached the same level of
success.
Conclusion
Nothing
quite speaks to human nature like a Monster Girl character as they straddle the line between their twin natures and the clichés which
come with their appearances. They can function as a way to examine
the dark and uncontrollable sides of human nature through their
supernatural powers and those who covert them. How people treat them
and how the Monster Girls attempts to deal with that allow for an
exploration of discrimination and reconciliation. However, they do
not need to embody complex themes at all and can simply exist as cute
accessories to someone who is otherwise just a human or as a means of
appealing to a fetish. Being both alien and familiar gives Monster
Girls a lot of range on where they can be included and what roles
they can be given so they are worth considering when making any kind
of fantasy narrative.
Pocket Mirror: GoldenerTraum Review – Golden Hope And Young Girls
Genre – Horror, RPG Maker Play Time – 10 hours Developer – AstralShift Steam
Hold That Gold Tight
Releasing
at the tail end of the golden era of RPG Maker horror, the
original Pocket Mirror captured the best quality of games from that
time and brought them together into a well presented package. Seven
years later AstralShift released a remaster of Pocket Mirror named
GoldenerTraum which touches up the visuals and adds some new content
in order to bring it to a wider audience. It maintains the excellent
atmosphere and creeping dread alongside the characters’ riveting
journey which made the original so memorable. Those characters are
dealt with separately and given the space they need to shine and
inspire fear. Creating a visual and audio space filled with tension
and beauty was already something the original did well so the new
touches help elevate it to a new level. However, GoldenerTraum does
not solve any of the flaws of the original from unclear choices to
uneven pacing while adding in many of its own with its new content
not meshing with the old. Is this enough to undermine this classic
RPG Maker horror game? Let’s get lost in a kaleidoscopic maze of
terror and find out.
Into Fear And Loneliness – Narrative and Themes
The
one element a RPG Maker horror game needs to be successful is a
strong atmosphere with a backbone of dread since it cannot rely on
its visuals in the direct way other style of horror are able to.
Pocket Mirror takes notes from its predecessors in order to embody
their best traits while avoiding some of their common pitfalls. Dread
is used as a subtle tool with the off nature of puzzles and
interactions carrying a lot of the tonal weight. Often this manifests
in moments where characters will have the protagonist do things that
are twisted or not be upfront about the consequences of what they
want only to turn round and be confused at the protagonist’s fear. An abnormal sense of normality is
pervasive throughout as the items and scenery of a young girl’s
life take on strange forms and even in the quiet moments the player
cannot shake the feeling of wrongness. This encroachment becomes more
pronounced as the game goes on and the characters become more
openly hostile to the protagonist and this makes for suitable pacing
curve to prevent the horror from becoming too stale and predictable.
Its
characters’ journeys and how the relate to and influence the
protagonist is the main narrative driving force.
Their
unforgettable personalities and the way they can turn on the
protagonist at any moment helps make each new encounter with them
feel like a meaningful look into their minds. When combined with the
player’s ability to decide their individual fates through choices
made
along the way, it makes for a compelling motivation to push through
the fear and see the outcome of this story.
One
area Pocket Mirror is careful to not overuse is the chase sequence.
Many of its peers have a tendency to overuse this mechanic due to the
lack of other ways to directly threaten the player which might be
exciting at first but eventually results in fatigue due to the player
wanting to just get on with the game. Here
Pocket Mirror understands the need for palpable danger but uses the
chases as a means to emphasise a specific narrative beat or to shake
up the player’s expectations after a long period of their absence.
By
holding back it can get the most out of this mechanic without it and
avoid it wearing out its welcome.
A similar approach can be seen in its more
selective use of dead ends compared
to other RPG Maker horror titles. Rather
than just killing the protagonist at every minor mistake, it instead
makes its dead ending narratively appropriate and clear
telegraphs the imminent danger to
build up and pay off the tense situation. Using its tools when they are
called for a general use of subtly and implication are Pocket
Mirror’s greatest strengths and are the basis of its fear.
 |
| Be careful not to fall |
GoldenerTraum
is an odd release when it comes to Pocket Mirror’s narrative and
tone since it makes a lot of changes and additions which undermine
the strengths of the original while also failing to fix the issues it
has inherited. By far the most problematic addition is the new ending
which exemplifies the issues with the changes made by GoldenerTraum.
It is says the quiet part out load. This ending covers something
which was never the focus of the original story and was vaguely
implied through subtle clues. It is not an important element of the
story and not expanding on it did not hurt the original work. By
spelling it out for the player it removes a layer of subtly which was
the game’s greatest strength in exchange for an ending lacking in
meaningful substance. To top it all off it is also a bad ending so
lacks any proper sense of resolution and feels like it exists to
punish the player despite another bad ending already existing to
fulfil this purpose.
Beyond the ending, the other changes all roughly
follow this pattern of stripping away subtly and are damaging to
various extents. For example, the endings all now have little
illustrations which pop up after they have been completed. While they
should be a nice touch which adds another layer to presentation, they
are instead highly destructive since they spell out how the player
should interpret them. Ambiguous endings are now made black and white
removing any need for the player to engage with narrative and
undermining the horror brought about by that lack of certainty. Then
there are the problems also present in the original which the new release does
nothing to resolve. Chief among these is the imbalanced lengths of
the sections given to each character with the first one, Fleta, being
noticeable longer when compared to the others. In the original this
was likely caused by the opening hours being the first to be
developed meaning they got the most revisions and additions before
the final release. However, GoldenerTraum does nothing to address how
lopsided this can make the experience of playing the game and seems
to not be interested in fixing issues so much as making unnecessary
add-ons.
Girls With Trauma – Characters
Having
such a small cast works in Pocket Mirror’s favour since it can
spend a larger amount of time focused on their individual arc. The
game knows this is one of its strength as it is rare for there to be
more than two characters on screen to further narrow the player’s
attention. To make sure there is no competition for space each of the
main character are given their own sections of the game one after
another where they become the pivot around which the game revolves.
Their distinctive personalities and the way they offer vastly
different kind of dangers to the protagonist helps them stand out.
Felta is a bubbly and childish girl who becomes brutal and aggressive
the moment she does not get her way while Harpae is a calm and mature
person who poses a threat in the way she will smother the protagonist
in her desire to protect them. The constant tension of waiting for
the moment these characters switch and reveal their darker side
allows them a larger presence in the player’s mind and makes their
eventually resolution all the sweeter. Interacting with all these
characters is our protagonist who carefully treads the line between
the necessary vulnerability of a main character from a horror game
and the good heart needed for her actions and attitude towards others to
make sense. Pocket Mirror loves to play on her status as victim to
inspire growth in her and highlight how her unwillingness to admit
responsibility for her actions has hurt others. This makes the other
character’s a great foil to her as they are all things she is not
but wishes she could be and through their actions she is shown the
reality of how their lives are not what she imagined them to be.
 |
| Fleta is so nice until she has a tantrum |
Wonderland Of Terror – Visual, Audio and Technical
If
there was one area GoldenerTraum preforms better than its predecessor
it is in the improvements it makes to both the traditional and pixel
art. It builds upon the strong style and direction of the original to
enhance the atmosphere while bring clarity to previous muddy
elements. What this means in practice for the pixel art is that it
has a sharper resolution with more details being visible and the
movement of the characters and their expressions being easier to see.
This opens the way for a flexible use of the assets to add a layer of
control over how a scene will play out so a greater degree of visual
spectacle can be achieved during impactful moments. In terms of the
traditional artwork for the CGs and character portraits, there have
been a number of new additions throughout and many events which
previous did not have any have been given one. The overall effect of
these changes is a greater sense of immediacy to the danger and
emotion of Pocket Mirror’s world while still maintaining enough of
its mystery for these visuals to not overstay their welcome.
Improvements have also been made to the game’s soundscape primarily
through an expanded soundtrack. Since the original’s music was
already a highlight of the experience with its mix of haunting and
gentle melodies and GoldenerTraum keeps to this core identity with a
few flourishes of its own in order to add to its range of emotions.
 |
| Ever screen has a dream like quality to it |
Mechanically
Pocket Mirror is in line with its peers and does little to try and
change the gameplay formula which has worked so well for them. What
this means is, outside of the aforementioned chase sequences, a fairly inoffensive adventure game format filled with simple environmental or
inventory puzzles. This is not going to shake the boat but at the
same time it is well enough put together that the player is likely too
distracted by the story and the horror to notice the uninspired
repetition. A large mechanical issue stems from the choices where it
is regularly unclear what the player has to choose in order to get
the best endings for the cast. At times what appears to the right
option is in fact completely wrong yet the correct answers are not
consistent enough to just apply counter logic in order to find them.
This can make for a frustrating experience where the player may feel
inclined to look at a guide since they want to see the characters
they have grown to care about get the ending the deserve. On top of
this the new ending added with GoldenerTraum is only available on a
new game plus playthrough. For new players this will likely not be an
issue, but for fans who played the original and want to experience
the new content this results in two playthroughs of a game whose
content they have likely already played many times before just to get
to the stuff they paid for.
Conclusion
Embracing
the legacy of the RPG Maker horror genre places a lot of expectations on
Pocket Mirror which it comfortably meets by capturing the best of
those games. It creates an atmosphere of creeping dread where chase
sequences and jump scares are not overused while mixing in a twisted
version of a young girl’s life. Visually it takes full advantage of
its pixel art to craft a beautiful and haunting world with
GoldenerTraum further expanding it. The cast support these core
elements through their combination of vulnerability and hostility
where the player is just waiting for the other shoe to drop and each
is given the space they need to shine. However, the other changes
made by GoldenerTraum hurt the game as they undermine the subtly it
was using as part of its horror while not fixing the issues of the
original. Thankfully this damage is not severe enough to ruin what is
one of the most magical titles of its genre.
Verdict –
Captures the essence of what makes RPG Maker horror games tick
and refines it into a beautiful and unforgettable journey.
GoldenerTraum changes do muddy the waters a bit with some
questionable additions.
Pros -
+
Brings together the best aspects of the RPG Maker horror genre while
leaving behind many of its problematic elements.
+
A strong cast who invoke as much fear of them as love and this makes
for wonderfully tense interactions.
+
Beautifully haunting pixel art is accompanied by an equally powerful
soundtrack.
Cons -
-
Changes made by GoldenerTraum often result in a loss of subtly and
the horror implied by it in favour of just telling the player how
to interpret what they are seeing.
-
There are several strange design choices such a locking the new
ending behind a second playthrough and the correct choices for each
character’s good ending often being unclear.
Best Visual Novel Releases – October 2025
Now
the spookiest month is behind us, we can come out from under the
covers and see in the light all the visual novels which came out this
month. There has been a good variety of releases to dig into from a
remaster of a classic title to a spin-off from a popular anime to the
horror of a zombie outbreak which make for a delectable buffet of
games. Let’s dive in and see if any of these can tickle your fancy.
Official Releases
D.C. ~Da Capo~ Re:tune
The
Da Capo series is one of most memorable of its time for its charming
mix of light fantasy elements alongside a strong core of romance with
slice of life drama. It is nice to see the original title which began
it all receive a much deserved face lift to bring it in line with the
later entries. This update is primary related to the graphics as
it aims to make them compatible with modern hardware and screens
while appealing to the changing tastes. Some of the classic charm of the
original style is somewhat lost in this process yet there is an
awareness of the way the old game looked and an attempt has been made
to recapture it even if it falls more onto the side of the modern. It
also contains exciting additional storylines and new heroines to get
to know which adds something new for long time fans. Even without
this new material the original story still holds up surprising well
after all these years and it has a purity of intent and execution
which later entries moved away from in order to carve out their own
identities, so it still remains distinct for them. If you have not
played Da Capo or have a desire to revisit it, this version offers a
convenient way to experience a classic romance.
The Ancient Magus' Bride: Midsummer Pilgrimage
As
a spin-off of a popular anime which aired two years ago, this title
was always going to have an uphill battle justifying itself and
attracting an audience. Its solution to this issue is to double down
on what made the anime so popular, its magical world and its two
leads. There is absolutely nothing here for someone who is not an
entrenched fan to quite an extreme degree with it just assuming
knowledge of the universe and characters and never explaining itself.
For those fans what is here is essentially a greatest hits of
characters and world building which blends together the highlights of
the anime within a self contained original story. Its aim was clearly
to offer a way to spend more time in the series fans have come to
love and once again immerse them. In that regard there is a lot
here to like as the original content treads much of the same ground
as the anime just in a new context to keep it fresh. Overall, one for
the fans and nobody else.
Yomegami: My Sweet Goddess!
Fancy
something wholesome, funny and sweet? This is precisely the feelings
Yomegami invokes as its protagonist struggles his way through a
series of slice of life comedy set pieces. Despite being the
reincarnation of a devil there is nothing the protagonist, Narukawa
Hayato, want more than to live a simple virtuous life, but the powers
inside him and the whims of fate have other plans. Unable to control
his demonic powers and caught up in the jaws of romantic
misunderstandings, Hayato must fight against the tide of silly
situations and maybe even find love at the end. This is a game
carried by its fun and endearing cast who fill every moment with
their sharp banter and offer a variety of amusing foils to the
studious Hayato. For anyone looking for something light hearted and
relaxed then you cannot go wrong with Yamegami.
BatteryNote
Emulating
the retro aesthetics of the Game Boy Colour and with some striking
robot designs, BatteryNote immediately leaves an impression on the
player. Focused around interacting with three robots the protagonist
has picked up from a scrapyard and each only has a small amount of
battery life left so the player must choose their dialogue carefully.
This subtle time pressure makes for an interesting bit of flavour
which is in the background all game long asking what getting to know
them means if it is for such a short time. Or you could just shock
them and laugh at their silly reactions. For all its set up this is a
game not afraid to engage in some light fun in order to create a
short experience made for a single memorable play through. An amusing
take on the retro aesthetics format for visual novels and one
respecting the player time.
Tayutama -It's Happy Days-
As
a fandisc to the sweet and light romance visual novel Tayutama: Kiss
on my Deity, Its Happy Days builds off this foundation to imagine
what trails and joys await its heroines after the original’s
conclusion. It maintains its signature light fantasy element with its
tayutama still holding a major role in the narrative and its
conflicts and help reinforce the idea of this title as a continuation
of what came before. There is an overall slight shift into a more
romance centred story rather than a mix with slice of life since the
heroines are more or less set in their roles so the only place left
to go is into the tender moments between the couples. For a fandisc
is does a good job of capitalising on the original’s strength for a
game fans are going to love.
Tokidoki Tactical Squad
Our
final visual novel is another capitalising on a retro aesthetic
although of a very different kind as it leans into a retro anime
mixed for a classic survival horror feel. It follows the journey of
Iris a squad leader who is fighting to keep her team alive in the
face of a world now crawling with infectious zombies. Rather than
simply focusing on the action of this battle for survival, there is
an important emphasis placed on the psychological health of its
characters and it is from this strain the game produces much of its
textured conflict. A short experience which knows how to press all
the correct buttons for a good zombie horror title and keeps things
fresh with its likeable cast and their reactions to this stressful
situation.
Pregnancy – An Anatomy Of Visual Novels
The Truth About Children
Due
to how closely visual novels have historically sat to the world of
adult entertainment, they have often been able to touch upon subjects
other games or media struggle to address and one of these is
pregnancy. Their attitude and use of pregnancy varies wildly from
title to title but it remains a powerful narrative element in all
situations since bringing another life into the world is action with
fate altering consequences. By far the most common presentation of
pregnancy is as the natural outcome of a romantic relationship where
the characters are depicted happily awaiting their new or recently
born child. Then there is comedy which loves to poke at the absurdity
of the human condition and there is no better material than people’s
reactions to the natural outcome of biology. Since pregnancy is such
a life changing event with all kinds of emotional connections it is
the perfect breeding ground for drama amongst the cast. Let’s
marvel at the wonders of life and discover how it influences the
visual novel space.
Pregnancy As The Outcome of Romance
When
many visual novels engage with pregnancy it is often in the context
of a romantic relationship and acts as a final confirmation of the
longevity of the couple’s bonds. Having a child is a serious
commitment to make since it will be many years before they leave home
and so it is wordlessly speaks to the intimacy and future nature of this relationship. Presenting the pair as having already
had a child does achieve the same effect, but a pregnancy removes the
need to have a new character design for the child and allows the
player to imagine what they might be like while communicating the
same thematic commitment through being a dramatic change to the
appearance of the female character. It helps that in many eroge the
characters have been engaging in intimate activities beforehand which
makes it easier to present these pregnancies as a natural outcome of
their actions and thus binding romance and pregnancy together. Take
Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai! series and the character Oshitari
Azumi for an example of the positive and romantic presentation of
pregnancy. The actual pregnancy is confined to the end of her route, long after the point where she and the protagonist are married, in
order to have this be a signifier of their bond without dealing with the
realities and inconveniences of the process. Since it is such a brief
window there has been a lot of effort put into how it is framed from
the gentle illumination and soft colours of the visuals to the light hearted
banter and deep trust in each other. This allows it to land with a
greater impact and presents a bright future for the pair so the route can ends on a high note even if the player will never get to experience
any more of their lives. It does help that the pair were fornicating
throughout the sections after the marriage to provide the context for
the pregnancy and further push the idea of it as the ultimate
conclusion to their relationship.
 |
| Behold the wonders of childbirth |
Titles with a deeper exploration
of pregnancy are less common but those that do exist tend to place it
in the same romantic context. Clannad’s After Story section brings
the focus down to a single heroine, Nagisa, and during this time she
becomes pregnant. Rather than simply skipping over this part of their
lives Clannad engages with the social and biological reality as the
pair get ready to become parents for the first time. It is used as an
avenue to showcase the strength of their commitment to one another and
continues to develop it as they overcome these strange new hurdles.
Despite the difficulties of pregnancy it is still shown to be some of
the best moments of their lives to help drive home just what a
positive thing these events are and how the player should interpret
them. While Clannad is not an eroge, the influence of Key’s history
with the eroge of their earlier titles is clear from their willingness
to present pregnancy, the reason it occurs and its consequences in a
frack way that a developer with a more main stream audience may have
shied away from.
The Comedy Of Our Desires
Pregnancy
sits in a strange place in the social consciousness, it is a thing to
be celebrated since it brings new life into the world yet the process
which leads to it is not something people are comfortable talking
about. Into this awkwardness strides comedy to inject a much needed
dose of humour into the absurdity of this situation. Since many
visual novels already deal in this style of comedy it is only natural
they would take advantage of this avenue as a means to add variety.
One way this can be achieved is by directly pointing to the cause and
effect of how pregnancy and engaging in a bit of tongue and cheek
education for the player. Futamata Ren’ai does this at the end of
Toiro Kirame’s route where she realises she has become pregnant and
then the other characters point of that since she and the protagonist
have been at it like bunnies, this was the obvious outcome. Before
this point the game had not brought up the idea of pregnancy and so
this sudden shift highlights it as the expected consequence which
people do not openly discuss resulting in a kind of awkward laugh
from the player as they realise the mental disconnect they possess
between action and outcome. It helps that Futamata already makes a lot
of adult jokes and regularly utilises its status as an eroge to touch
on such ideas so this discussion about pregnancy does not appear to
come from nowhere but is instead a part of its sense of humour.
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| Boys and girls this is what happens when you go at it too much |
Another way comedy visual novels like to use pregnancy is take it too
its logical extreme, if the protagonist gets around then there should
be a lot of pregnancies. The Rance series and its titular protagonist
do not know how to keep it in their pants so the outcome should be
obvious. These games love to play up their promiscuous protagonist at
every chance and pregnancies are a great way for them to do so while
at the same time point out how absurd their protagonist is and how
his actions result in some truly over the top romantic situations.
This plays nicely with the over the top story of the Rance titles
and their nature as eroge to get a chuckle while continuing to keep
both sides of its mechanics and narrative satisfied one joke to the
next.
Dramatic Pregnancy
Given
how life changing a pregnancy is for all those involved it naturally
lends itself to being a source of drama. In particular the idea of
pregnancy as binding two people together regardless of whether they
like it or not can be leveraged to drive a wedge into proceedings in
a way a player might not be expecting. As such it primarily deals
with the discovery of the pregnancy rather than the later stages so
it can side step the physiological changes and just use it as a
narrative device which does not impede the character’s ability to
engage in other plot points. This allows it to be a flexible element
which can either be the focus of events or a compliment to a
situation with already high stakes without being invasive since it
can be framed as the natural escalation of romantic tensions.
However, it does need a specific kind of story for it to not feel out
of place due to it being so closely tied to intimate relations and as
such placing it into a game without even the slightest allusion to it
would make this subject especially jarring. Perhaps the most
memorable example of a visual novel using this dramatic device is
School Days. Before pregnancy is even brought into the conversation
this game presents itself as a drama fuelled descent into romantic
madness as every character does the stupidest thing possible in every
situation. Having such an open season on what is reasonable for a
character to do in pursuit of love makes the presence of pregnancy
feel like the natural conclusion or extension of these conflicts.
Sometimes it a cause to be happy and in others it is cause for
murder, School Days gets a surprisingly large amount out of this dramatic
moment as a means of pushing the cast over the edge for the most
outlandish endings possible. As with many of the previous examples in
this article it helps that the characters have been sleeping around
so the pregnancy appears natural yet this game takes it further since
the sleeping around is a major source of drama and the pregnancy
pushes those strained relationships to its breaking point.
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| Be careful who you sleep with... |
Conclusion
One
of the defining experiences of a human life is to bring another person
into the world so it makes for perfect material for visual novels to
include in their stories. Romance likes to use it as the ultimate
conclusion of a relationship where the commitment of the pair is
shown in a physical manner which speaks to the bright future ahead of
them. It can also be a source of drama and tension since its life
changing nature may not be what all parties want or represents the
breaking point of a relationship. Playing off a pregnancy can be a great
means to create comedy where the taboo nature of the process leading
to pregnancy is juxtaposed against the happy outcome of the union as
a means of highlighting the obvious connection between the two. As a
narrative tool there are few with the potency of pregnancy and if
handled correctly can leave a powerful impact on the player’s
impression of your game.
Roguelike/lite – Uncovering The Hybrid
Repetition Towards Perfection
Roguelikes/lites
and visual novels have never been styles of game associated with
one another for good reasons. Repetition is an extremely problematic
element for anything which leans into narrative since it undermines the
feeling of progress stories rely on yet it is core to the appeal of a
Roguelike. Of course this has not stopped developers from trying and
this has led to some interesting results as they attempt to reconcile
these two halves. A common narrative device used to try and justify
the repetition in the visual novel is the time loop where the player
character is trapped in some kind of repeating cycle which they have
to extract themselves from. When it comes to integrating these
elements into a compete package one method used is to segregate them
so they do not impact each other in any negative ways. Another way is
to firmly plant the visual novel within the Roguelike mechanics
either through narrative events or making whole story a Roguelike.
These three aspects are the defining pillars around which this hybrid
struggles to construct its identity. Let’s get ready to start all
over again and discover what this hybrid has to offer.
Groundhog Day
In
order to justify why the characters are constantly repeating the same
levels and fighting the same enemies many stories present it as them
being in a time loop and visual novels are no exception. The reasons
for its prevalence in Roguelikes stems from it being a popular trope which is
easy to understand while at the same time being open enough to not
restrict the kind of settings or characters it can have within it.
Utilising a widely known narrative framework frees the visual novel
aspects from having to extensively justify the existence of the
game’s mechanics since a loop naturally invokes the idea of
repetition. It also works to help make the reuse of some story beats
or lines of dialogue a means of creating the same emotional
experience of the cast being trapped even if many of them might
not be aware of their predicament. The loop as a means to further
this feeling is used by Gnosia to great effect when combined the physical confinement of the spaceship. Doubling down on the
restrictiveness of the setting might seem like a poor choice since it
limits the opportunities to add diversity to events, but here it
works in Gnosia’s favour as it ties its narrative closer to the
design space of its Roguelike mechanics. By removing all distractions
the game can focus on selling the life and death tensions its
investigation and social deduction elements thrive on and make each
new cycle have the same impact throughout its play time. The
randomness and unpredictability of a Roguelike is the core element
which allows this style of interaction to be possible with its ability to
shift the pieces around so they feel new again.
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| Oh no! Should have framed some. |
Time loops are not
limited to strictly sci-fi stories and any genre can comfortably fit
within its vague outline. This is one of the reasons it is so
prolific as a narrative device within Roguelikes and it has led to a wide pool of titles that might not have otherwise seen the mechanics
as compatible with them. One notable example of this is the game
Expelled! where its protagonist has become the prime suspect in an
attempted murder case and they have to figure out how to avoid
getting expelled by any means possible. This school setting and its
younger characters opens up a lot of possibilities for interesting
situations and more flexible morals given their desperation to avoid
an outcome which would ruin their lives. Teenagers tend not to be the
most stable people so the web of lies and questionable actions the
protagonist weaves over the course of her various loops do not feel out of place given all that is happening to
them. Assisting this narrative direction is the Roguelike mechanics
and the way they play on the slightly exaggerated nature of the game
with their social navigation and evidence manipulation that encourage
the player to experiment in what they can do before it blows up in
their faces. The aim always returns to uncovering the truth about who
is responsible for the attempted murder and curiosity guides the
player onwards through the title’s various cycles.
Mechanics First
In
order to not get in the way of the mechanics focused nature of
Roguelikes, the incorporation of visual novel elements often results
in a kind of segregation where neither side interferes with the
other. This is done in an attempt to not comprise of the qualities of
both parts of the game by giving them the space they need to exist in
their purest form. Such a divide is common in Roguelikes since those
who play them tend to value an uninterrupted gameplay experience
where story exists in its own dimension. As a result is an
immediately recognisable part of the genre such as in Duel Princess
which even at a glance quickly conveys its mechanical origin. This
deck builder Roguelike tells its narrative beats, often between the
various princesses, in between its larger sections of continious
gameplay and the two do not have any meaningful impact on each other.
Instead they are bound together through their common bright anime
styling and emphasis on the princesses and their personalities.
Having been disconnected they are free to focus on what each does
best with the deck building being given the ability to lean into the
castle defence and army management angles for fluid strategies
while the visual novel carries the reason and influence of the
player’s actions. It is not difficult to see why this division is
the main version of this hybrid since it offers the developer a means
of shaping the two halves individually to achieve their desired
effect.
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| The divide between this and the card mechanics could not be larger |
If the emphasis is flipped on its head with the visual novel
element being the driving force then the issues of this approach
become more pronounced as can be seen in Forsaker: Ding Ding &
Blade. Here the narrative is front and centre with the Roguelike
being the supporting pillar to provide a means for the player to act
out certain parts of the story. This imbalance highlights the jarring
contrast between the two halves of the game by creating long
stretches of visual novel which then suddenly stop to give way to a
free-form gameplay experience that is nothing like what the player
has been engaging with. It is clear Forsaker wanted to put it
story front and centre so this emphasis on narrative was an
inevitable outcome within this segregated approach and showcases how
delicate a balance is struck in those games who successfully manage
it. Should the positions of the two halves be inverted the problem is
not resolved and it merely shifts the visual novel elements being the
pace breakers to the flow of the gameplay which risks the player
being brought out of the experience provided in the Roguelike.
A Fine Line
Another
method for handling this hybrid is to more closely integrate its
writing into the flow of the Roguelike in a natural fashion. Creating
the space for this approach to work without it breaking the flow of
the other mechanics is not easy and for this reason tends to only be
used by titles able to commit to necessary reorganisation. If the
game can tread this fine line then it gains the ability to more
smoothly blend the two halves of itself together and avoid the
jarring feels possible in a sharply divided experience. A common
manifestation of this can be seen in titles like Umamusume where
small vignettes are used to humanise certain markers of mechanical
progress. This takes what would otherwise be a cold indication of
numbers going up and down and turns it into a moment of growth in a
girl’s emergent story and the consequences to the player’s
actions. The effectiveness of this approach at creating a bond and
telling an unstructured narrative can be see in Umamusume’s
popularity and the way it even made its player’s invested in the
real horses each girl embodies. Of course there is a major flaw here
and that is the way it rubs up against the repetition inherent in a
Roguelike. Reading the same thing over and over again can get boring leading to many players simply skipping through the scenes after a
few viewings which undermines their emotional impact over the long
term.
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| The small stories really sell the characters journey |
The ultimate end point of this merger between the two
halves is a game were the visual novel is the means by which the
Roguelike presents its mechanics. This style is extremely rare but
one notable example of it is Gnosia and its deduction sections. Here
the player has to interrogate the other characters to deduce who is
the gnosia while trying to deflect suspicion away from themselves.
All of this is presented within the framework of a visual novel
presentation and pulls from a large pool of responses to invite the
player to comb over every word and the way they were said to try and
gleam information. It is the core element around which the
tension of these situations is both shown and systematised and since who the
gnosia is differs on each run, it keeps the search from clues in the
text meaningful over the game’s play time. Being a linear Roguelike
with a conclusive narrative ending does help provide a place were the
player can stop playing and move on before the repetition starts to
undermine the appeal of its psychological thriller.
Conclusion
Given
the often uncomfortable relationship between visual novels and
Roguelikes it is surprising just how many attempts there have been to
make this hybrid work. To help this along there is an extensive use
of the time loop as a narrative device to justify the repeated visual
novel sections and why progression is tied to success in the
Roguelike. Attempting to blend the two halves together results in a
smoother overall experience at the risk of the narrative elements
losing their impact over time and becoming an irritation. On the
other extreme, segregating them can allow each the space they need to
fully express themselves at the cost of having to maintain a delicate
balance lest one start overwhelming the other. There is a lot of
potential in this hybrid waiting to be tapped into if the conflicts
between its elements can be resolved since there is a demand for a
strong narrative in Roguelikes as games like Hades have demonstrated.
