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A Visual Novel Idea I've Been Toying With...
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Hello, all. Recently, I was toying with this idea for a Visual Novel...The mood I'm going for is a dark tokuatsu-style game, in the vein of Kamen Rider or Garo; I haven't hammered out all the plot details, yet, but this is a general outline...
'The Witness':
The main character is the newest member of a four-man sentai team, charged with protecting his (nameless, but clearly Japanese) city from nightmarish monsters called the 'Mimics'; In true body-horror fashion, these alien creatures abduct and replace specific humans with near-perfect dopplegangers...Who revert, at odd intervals, into bestial engines of destruction. They have *some* plan, but it's impossible to know what it is; Quite simply, the good guys try to survive on a day-to-day basis, performing damage control where they can, trying to stop people from being hurt.
At the very beginning, they were, in fact victims of a Mimic attack- But were revived through the application of Perfect Gears by the enigmatic hero Kerebos, who's been around since, oh, absolutely *forever*, and empowered to keep up the good fight- And if they don't slay and consume the energy of Mimics, the Gears that keep them alive malfunction, and they die. It's a Hobson's choice, but they're getting better at it...
So we begin with the main character balancing his life as a Henshin hero with school days- The mood would be something like Gatekeepers, with the imagery and sleek equipment (But without the nihilism and outright adult content) of the Gantz manga. The first chapter fleshes out his team, of which he's very much a follower, not a leader...They're all very detailed, to the point you'd say there's elements of Ho Yay, if it weren't for the staples like the main character's childhood friend, the sporty girl, and so on...
-Except that this is all a fake-out, and one night, after the prequel, *everything* goes wrong. The entire team is slaughtered by a nearly-invincible Mimic nickname 'Hyde' by the player- Because, in a bad pun, he advised to 'Hide!' by the leader shortly before his death. The main character is the only survivor- Unlike the others, who were butchered, his Gear resuscitates him...Leaving him *alone*.
So now, there's only one hero left. He's frightened, not very experienced, and cracking from the strain of his double-life, without even others to share the burden with him...This doesn't mean he's a whining wuss, though, just quite traumatized by the horrors of what he's seen and done- And the *worse* horrors he'll face before all this is over! It quickly becomes quite clear that he *can't* quit the job- It's tantamount to suicide- and he can't be lucky forever...
And so, when the real game begins, he resolves to kill Hyde before his number is up.
It's a complicated scenario, but I've always loved toku- And this is effectively cranked to the eleven. Also, the main character isn't a faceless, perverted boob- He starts off fairly competent, and has to get more so *fast*, because he doesn't have many chances to make mistakes! There's an equal split between 'ordinary life' and 'horror/Kamen Rider action' chapters, though he can't shrug it off like the typical anime main character. And all the while, Hyde's out there, somewhere, hunting and being hunting, slowly closing in...
Of course, we have the metaplot; What *are* the Mimics? What are they after, really? Who- or what- is Kerebos, and what's his ultimate plan? Of course, all Hell will eventually break loose...But here's three TYPE-MOON esque 'routes' I'm planning...
1.) Unlucky Childhood Friend (aka, the 'Witness' route): As the battle between the sole surviving Factor and the Mimics rage on, the main character's childhood friend slowly grows closer to him...And is put directly into harm's way, as things get closer to home. This is the introductory route, and is relatively straightforward; Best friends become something more, as the clock ticks toward an inevitable confrontation with Hyde, the chapter's final boss.
This chapter doesn't *exactly* provide a happy ending; Even if the main character wins, there's no way to *stop* being the Witness. The best he can do is come to terms with it, and gain a reason to fight on. While 'having something to protect' is cliched, it's the easiest, most visceral way to motivate someone...Though I think it'd be nice if the osanamji is something of a tomboy, and is actually seeing someone else, instead of beginning as the damsel in distress.
2.) Mysteries (aka, the 'Mission Control' route): The main character, in this route, begins to receive...help. Indirect things, at first: E-mails of upcoming attacks, warning calls, distractions when he needs it most...There's someone else out there who knows what he's doing, and is trying to reach out-
This leads to the inevitable, let's meet offline. Instead of the genius he's expecting, though, it's a cute girl...^_^
3.) Not Alone (aka, the 'tsundere' route): Someone close to the hero- Perhaps the class rep, or the lovely ojou- starts to act *strange*. Turns up late, tired all the time, skips lessons...And usually turns up bruised/hurt. It's easy to assume conventional causes, but the main character has a different hypothesis...
The girl in question is *also* a Factor- A recent one, and in more-or-less the same boat as he is. Like this, how could they *not* meet? I'm guessing the girl is the 'tsun-tsun' type; Cold, aloof, relies on her own abilities and tries to keep her distance...Maybe someone similar could bridge the gap?
4.) The Reveal (aka, the Kerebos route): It'd be a spoiler to say much more, but you get this route once criteria are unlocked/you avoid the other heroines. The main character clashes with the older, more potent Kerebos- Possibly because of the difference in their methods, with one putting the safety of others above all-else, compared to the idea of sacrifice for the greater good. This is the equivalent of the UBW route in fate/stay night...
Though for the ren'ai aspect, we could have a mysterious, Really Seven Hundred Years Old kuudere turn up...
5.) Naze no Shoujo (aka, Hits the Fan route) After all other scenarios are completed, this one pops up. The main character meets a amnesiac girl, who appears to be a runaway from school/home, who ends up a pretty freeloader at his home...Which should confuse players mightily, as she only gets a cursory mention in the cover and box art. She's cute, a little shy, the kind of easily flustered/out of place girl...In fact, of all the heroines, she's the most impossible, as she's the moe-moe heroine too good to be true!
This is where the game goes all-out, as the Mimics finally bring their plans to fruition, the hero finds out how perfect their body-snatching abilities are...And that, horrifically, Factors aren't the only ones who 'henshin' into superheroic forms.
Because, y'know, the girl he's found? She's Hyde.
And she doesn't even know it.
This is the 'tragedy' route, and the epic one, with the main character's powerup, plotlines from previous chapters coming to a head, and battles on an apocalyptic scale...And where most of the budget goes, to challenge a player who's max-level from previous playthroughs. ^_^
'The Witness':
The main character is the newest member of a four-man sentai team, charged with protecting his (nameless, but clearly Japanese) city from nightmarish monsters called the 'Mimics'; In true body-horror fashion, these alien creatures abduct and replace specific humans with near-perfect dopplegangers...Who revert, at odd intervals, into bestial engines of destruction. They have *some* plan, but it's impossible to know what it is; Quite simply, the good guys try to survive on a day-to-day basis, performing damage control where they can, trying to stop people from being hurt.
At the very beginning, they were, in fact victims of a Mimic attack- But were revived through the application of Perfect Gears by the enigmatic hero Kerebos, who's been around since, oh, absolutely *forever*, and empowered to keep up the good fight- And if they don't slay and consume the energy of Mimics, the Gears that keep them alive malfunction, and they die. It's a Hobson's choice, but they're getting better at it...
So we begin with the main character balancing his life as a Henshin hero with school days- The mood would be something like Gatekeepers, with the imagery and sleek equipment (But without the nihilism and outright adult content) of the Gantz manga. The first chapter fleshes out his team, of which he's very much a follower, not a leader...They're all very detailed, to the point you'd say there's elements of Ho Yay, if it weren't for the staples like the main character's childhood friend, the sporty girl, and so on...
-Except that this is all a fake-out, and one night, after the prequel, *everything* goes wrong. The entire team is slaughtered by a nearly-invincible Mimic nickname 'Hyde' by the player- Because, in a bad pun, he advised to 'Hide!' by the leader shortly before his death. The main character is the only survivor- Unlike the others, who were butchered, his Gear resuscitates him...Leaving him *alone*.
So now, there's only one hero left. He's frightened, not very experienced, and cracking from the strain of his double-life, without even others to share the burden with him...This doesn't mean he's a whining wuss, though, just quite traumatized by the horrors of what he's seen and done- And the *worse* horrors he'll face before all this is over! It quickly becomes quite clear that he *can't* quit the job- It's tantamount to suicide- and he can't be lucky forever...
And so, when the real game begins, he resolves to kill Hyde before his number is up.
It's a complicated scenario, but I've always loved toku- And this is effectively cranked to the eleven. Also, the main character isn't a faceless, perverted boob- He starts off fairly competent, and has to get more so *fast*, because he doesn't have many chances to make mistakes! There's an equal split between 'ordinary life' and 'horror/Kamen Rider action' chapters, though he can't shrug it off like the typical anime main character. And all the while, Hyde's out there, somewhere, hunting and being hunting, slowly closing in...
Of course, we have the metaplot; What *are* the Mimics? What are they after, really? Who- or what- is Kerebos, and what's his ultimate plan? Of course, all Hell will eventually break loose...But here's three TYPE-MOON esque 'routes' I'm planning...
1.) Unlucky Childhood Friend (aka, the 'Witness' route): As the battle between the sole surviving Factor and the Mimics rage on, the main character's childhood friend slowly grows closer to him...And is put directly into harm's way, as things get closer to home. This is the introductory route, and is relatively straightforward; Best friends become something more, as the clock ticks toward an inevitable confrontation with Hyde, the chapter's final boss.
This chapter doesn't *exactly* provide a happy ending; Even if the main character wins, there's no way to *stop* being the Witness. The best he can do is come to terms with it, and gain a reason to fight on. While 'having something to protect' is cliched, it's the easiest, most visceral way to motivate someone...Though I think it'd be nice if the osanamji is something of a tomboy, and is actually seeing someone else, instead of beginning as the damsel in distress.
2.) Mysteries (aka, the 'Mission Control' route): The main character, in this route, begins to receive...help. Indirect things, at first: E-mails of upcoming attacks, warning calls, distractions when he needs it most...There's someone else out there who knows what he's doing, and is trying to reach out-
This leads to the inevitable, let's meet offline. Instead of the genius he's expecting, though, it's a cute girl...^_^
3.) Not Alone (aka, the 'tsundere' route): Someone close to the hero- Perhaps the class rep, or the lovely ojou- starts to act *strange*. Turns up late, tired all the time, skips lessons...And usually turns up bruised/hurt. It's easy to assume conventional causes, but the main character has a different hypothesis...
The girl in question is *also* a Factor- A recent one, and in more-or-less the same boat as he is. Like this, how could they *not* meet? I'm guessing the girl is the 'tsun-tsun' type; Cold, aloof, relies on her own abilities and tries to keep her distance...Maybe someone similar could bridge the gap?
4.) The Reveal (aka, the Kerebos route): It'd be a spoiler to say much more, but you get this route once criteria are unlocked/you avoid the other heroines. The main character clashes with the older, more potent Kerebos- Possibly because of the difference in their methods, with one putting the safety of others above all-else, compared to the idea of sacrifice for the greater good. This is the equivalent of the UBW route in fate/stay night...
Though for the ren'ai aspect, we could have a mysterious, Really Seven Hundred Years Old kuudere turn up...
5.) Naze no Shoujo (aka, Hits the Fan route) After all other scenarios are completed, this one pops up. The main character meets a amnesiac girl, who appears to be a runaway from school/home, who ends up a pretty freeloader at his home...Which should confuse players mightily, as she only gets a cursory mention in the cover and box art. She's cute, a little shy, the kind of easily flustered/out of place girl...In fact, of all the heroines, she's the most impossible, as she's the moe-moe heroine too good to be true!
This is where the game goes all-out, as the Mimics finally bring their plans to fruition, the hero finds out how perfect their body-snatching abilities are...And that, horrifically, Factors aren't the only ones who 'henshin' into superheroic forms.
Because, y'know, the girl he's found? She's Hyde.
And she doesn't even know it.
This is the 'tragedy' route, and the epic one, with the main character's powerup, plotlines from previous chapters coming to a head, and battles on an apocalyptic scale...And where most of the budget goes, to challenge a player who's max-level from previous playthroughs. ^_^
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so... its an rpg with tokusatsu elements? the thing with sentai is that the character do not have a chance to 'train' as you might in an rpg. there's no 'dungeon', there's no 'need to walk to another town'. how would you overcome this?
the nazo no shoujo shouldnt 'just' appear in the last route right? maybe she should appear throughout the story but only revealed to be hyde when the final route picks up its pace? then there's tricking the viewers in the 'common' portion of all routes that she is in fact trying to help the main character(aka, dissuading viewers from piecing together that she is hyde)
anyhow, its kinda interesting.. please do carry on expanding the story... (i like to read stories)
the nazo no shoujo shouldnt 'just' appear in the last route right? maybe she should appear throughout the story but only revealed to be hyde when the final route picks up its pace? then there's tricking the viewers in the 'common' portion of all routes that she is in fact trying to help the main character(aka, dissuading viewers from piecing together that she is hyde)
anyhow, its kinda interesting.. please do carry on expanding the story... (i like to read stories)
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I'm fairly leery of including an RPG system in a Visual Novel, but now that you mention it- Sure, why not? A standard stats system would be redundant, but I'm thinking action-based gameplay like, say, Baldr Force...The main character can improve his attacks, unlocking variants of the moves, but his core stats stay the same.
Actually, let's expand on that; The main character- The Witness- unlocks skills and perks, but has a limited number of slots that *slowly* increase...That way, while you can have a significantly different 'loadout', it's still heavily reliant on player skill rather than strength. I'm thinking combo-based gameplay, where you 'soften up' your opponents before hitting them with a final, epic finishing move- Like a Rider Kick.
This also fosters consistency, too; I'm thinking that the hero should have an iconic weapon- A glaive/halberd, for instance, which is the weapon of the foot solider. His counterpart, Kerebos, uses a sword, which implies privilege- Hyde *does* use weapons (Claw-like blades, similar to F/HA's Avenger's) but has, say, super-speed...
To avoid RPG-style level grinding, I'll prefer a Momentum system- It's partially real-time, with a counter before you can act. However, you can parry the opponent's attack at any time, and can 'trigger' your own attacks for MASSIVE DAMAGE. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)
So, you don't have MP- But you do have Momentum, which builds up by performing normal attacks, and decreases when you get hit. Your most powerful attacks are furthest up the chain, and will quickly end the battle, but less-powerful 'special moves' make life much easier for the casual gamer. Of course, completionists will want to see how many Perfect Parries/Counterattacks they can make...
Each route has a set number of encounters, in line with the plot- This way, each fight is 'unique', and you're not forced to kill the same guys over and over again. The idea is variety, not raw power...So not matter *when* you meet Hyde, it's still a threat. You just have more ways of dealing with it, now, beyond a grueling battle of attrition.
As for the final girl, yes. It'd be interesting if she shows up on the periphery of the earlier routes- "Why does this character have a paper doll?"- to foreshadowing "Mimics have 'sleeper agents' that pose as human." Then: "Some sleepers don't know what they are..." Just dropping hints in earlier routes. ^_^
Actually, let's expand on that; The main character- The Witness- unlocks skills and perks, but has a limited number of slots that *slowly* increase...That way, while you can have a significantly different 'loadout', it's still heavily reliant on player skill rather than strength. I'm thinking combo-based gameplay, where you 'soften up' your opponents before hitting them with a final, epic finishing move- Like a Rider Kick.
This also fosters consistency, too; I'm thinking that the hero should have an iconic weapon- A glaive/halberd, for instance, which is the weapon of the foot solider. His counterpart, Kerebos, uses a sword, which implies privilege- Hyde *does* use weapons (Claw-like blades, similar to F/HA's Avenger's) but has, say, super-speed...
To avoid RPG-style level grinding, I'll prefer a Momentum system- It's partially real-time, with a counter before you can act. However, you can parry the opponent's attack at any time, and can 'trigger' your own attacks for MASSIVE DAMAGE. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)
So, you don't have MP- But you do have Momentum, which builds up by performing normal attacks, and decreases when you get hit. Your most powerful attacks are furthest up the chain, and will quickly end the battle, but less-powerful 'special moves' make life much easier for the casual gamer. Of course, completionists will want to see how many Perfect Parries/Counterattacks they can make...
Each route has a set number of encounters, in line with the plot- This way, each fight is 'unique', and you're not forced to kill the same guys over and over again. The idea is variety, not raw power...So not matter *when* you meet Hyde, it's still a threat. You just have more ways of dealing with it, now, beyond a grueling battle of attrition.
As for the final girl, yes. It'd be interesting if she shows up on the periphery of the earlier routes- "Why does this character have a paper doll?"- to foreshadowing "Mimics have 'sleeper agents' that pose as human." Then: "Some sleepers don't know what they are..." Just dropping hints in earlier routes. ^_^
