Sunday, July 16, 2023
Shiny New Things
Everyone
likes to be rewarded for their effort and video games are happy to
oblige with a variety of Extra Unlockable Content. These bonuses are
often treated as a side show disconnected from the important main
sections of the game and relegated to a sub menu where it has little
impact on the greater structure. For visual novels this unlockable
content has a much more profound effect them due to its more limited
design space and options, leading to the choice to include these
extras stand out. Both developers and players perceive the game
differently depending on how this feature is handled and it achieves
everything from holding player interest to encouraging an exploration
of the narrative space. Not all the consequences are good and a
poorly implemented extra can undermine key tonal and thematic
elements. When talking about Unlockable Extra Content this article
does not mean the unlockables common to most visual novels, such as a
CG or music gallery, but instead to the bonuses that go above a
beyond with side stories, concept art or even entire extra games.
These stand out the most and draw the attention of the player because
of the effort they showcase and as such they influences perception to a
greater degree. With all that out of the way, let’s be filled with
a sense of achievement and dive into the world of Unlockable Extra Content.
Rewarding The Player’s Interest
On its most basic level, Unlockable Extra Content provides a key means
of rewarding the player in order to keep them invested in the game.
Broadly speaking these rewards take two forms, those unlocked over
the course of the game and those unlocked after the game’s
completion. Incremental bonuses act as a bread crumble trail for the
player and cue them into the fact that they are progressing in the
right direction. Each individual reward does not even need to be the
actual bonuses themselves, but instead the promise of a future
unlockable as can be seen in Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace
Attorney. In this game the player is given a currency as they play
and overcome certain challenges and this currency can be spent to
unlock whatever they desire in the extras menu. Here the possibility
of what the player could unlock if they continue playing is more
powerful than the actual content and serves as an excellent
motivation for casuals and completionists alike.
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| For an extra mode this is quite elaborate |
On the other hand,
the type of extra content unlocked after the end of the game aims to
act as a final fanfare for the game’s best moments, while keeping the
player engaged for just that little bit longer after the curtain has
fallen. These big dumps of bonuses can be quite cathartic for players
as they can revel in fun they had playing the visual novel and
remember why they played it all the way to its conclusion. For an
impressive example of this approach then look no further than the
Danganronpa series which has a whole unlockable post game bonus mode.
This extra content focuses around the characters that act as the
game’s most distinctive and memorable feature and in doing so
further highlights them in the players mind to ensure a lasting
impression. It helps that this mode is well put together and on the
same level as the main game before it, albeit in a different genre,
and it is a victory lap for the player to make them more likely to replay
the game again.
Encouraging Exploration Of Narrative Space
Incentives
can be used in far more specific ways to steer player behaviour and
for visual novels this involves getting them to explore the
game’s narrative space. Many players will be tempted to stick to
the most direct path through the game since they will be invested in
the central narrative force and sideline the rest of the content.
This is a major issue for visual novels with a more open narrative
space or those who want to encourage certain slower pacing as it
directs the player into a narrow and hard to control head space. What Unlockable Extra Content does is offer another avenue to try and
correct the player impression of the game into the developer’s
intended one.
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| There are many ways to sell tone |
Both Fate Hollow Ataraxia and Psychedelica of the Ashen
Hawk utilise bonus side stories to achieve this effect, but the
implementation and exact results could not be more different. For Fate
Hollow Ataraxia these side stories present the player with a direct
incentive to explore beyond what is required to complete the game as
they can only be unlocked through none mandatory content. This steers
the player by giving them a concrete signal that what lies beyond the
beaten path is intended as part of the core experience and rewards
those who are curious about what it has to offer. In contrast
Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk uses its side stories as a means to
expand the narrative space in a more direct fashion through the very
stories themselves which act as a supplement to make the player give
greater consideration of events. Their optional nature also means
they are not invasive and instead provide a gentle nudge for the
player to consider other sides to the narrative space to improve
their overall experience.
Changing Pace And Context
Sometimes
we need a break from the core direction of a visual novel, because
either it is too emotionally taxing or gives clear stopping points,
and unlockable bonus content can be exactly what is needed to keep
interest within the context of the game. These often break the tone
of the main content completely and many even address the production
of the game itself in order to provide as much distance as possible.
By showing another angle on the game’s material the player’s
interest can be brought back to the main sections once they have
finished with the extra content, ensuring a cycle of highs and
downtime as new bonuses are unlocked that helps balance out the
overall length of the game. However, it can also backfire on the
visual novel since if the extra content is too disconnected from the
tone and substance of the main content then a player may feel
completely brought out of the experience the game was trying to sell
and lose any enthusiasm to continue. We can look to Corpse Party:
Blood Drive for a template of this approach to bonus content. Its
unlockable material runs the whole spectrum from collectable tags to
short audio snippets from the voice actors and they work as
contrasting points which build a small area separate from the intense
horror of the main game. Being so focused around fear makes Blood
Drive susceptible to burning people out since there is only so long a
person can stand to be held in tension before they long for something
else, as such have a side space to unwind does wonders for keeping this
pressure from become overbearing.
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| The Name Tags are an interest example of a collectable extra |
Gamification At The Cost Of Immersion
Not
all applications of Unlockable Extra Content are beneficial to visual
novels and using it inappropriately can risk a damaging gamification
of key narrative spaces. Bonuses are inherently external to the core
direction of the game since they hang off the side as optional
segments and so when they are highlighted they draw attention to
work’s nature as a game. This is not an entirely bad feature with
many of the above benefits relying on a mild use of this disconnect,
but should a visual novel lean on it unnecessarily or in a way that
contradicts the intended tone then the consequences can be quite
dire. Take for example Fate Stay Night, its has a collection element
to its bad endings and getting them all results in a special scene
not available through other means. The desire to collect stands in
firm opposition to the way the main game depicts the bad endings as
undesirable since the outcomes are terrible for characters the player
has come to care about. In this confused messaging the tension these
endings are meant to provide is lost as the player is pulled in two
directions and given how many of them there are it is an ever present
reminder that this is a game leading to the possibility of player apathy.
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| Each one is a bad ending. Are they meant to be serious or a joke? |
Conclusion
Visual
novels are a sum of their parts in a way other types of games do
not have to deal with and this is exemplified by the influence Unlockable Extra Content can has on them. They provide strong
incentives to explore the rich narrative space available for the
player while rewarding the time the player commits to the game and
offering a change of pace so they remain engaged. Of course it is by
these same methods a visual novel might be ruined since there can be
an unintended gamification of serious and emotional elements which
leds to a regular undermining of its tone. However, as a tool for a
developer Unlockable Extra Content is a surprisingly precise
instrument that gives them a subtle way to shift the player’s
perceptions of the overall experience and as such should definitely
be taken into consideration when you are making your own visual
novel.
