Would you rather hear an LI’s inner thoughts throughout his route or unlock his POV after finishing it?

[mentaik2]

If you could choose how an otome game reveals an LI's inner thoughts which would you prefer??

Option A: Know exactly what the LI is thinking throughout his route, including his hidden feelings, internal struggles and reactions to the heroine as the story unfolds.

Option B: Experience the entire route normally without knowing his thoughts and unlock his complete POV after finishing it so you can revisit the story from his perspective.

I'd personally choose B! I feel like knowing his thoughts from the beginning would take away some of the mystery. Plus imagine finding out he was already in love with the heroine WAY earlier than you thought

 

[annaqueue]

Definitely the second one! Going into a route already knowing everything he's thinking completely kills the tension.

Unlocking his POV afterwards hits way harder, especially when you realize he was down bad the whole time behind that poker face. It gives the route so much replay value too.

 

[vivi:3]

Sometimes inner thoughts are fun, but unlocking his full POV at the end hits way harder (^-^) It makes replaying the route so rewarding (^.^)

 

[laminate]

If you could choose how an otome game reveals an LI's inner thoughts which would you prefer??

Option A: Know exactly what the LI is thinking throughout his route, including his hidden feelings, internal struggles and reactions to the heroine as the story unfolds.

Option B: Experience the entire route normally without knowing his thoughts and unlock his complete POV after finishing it so you can revisit the story from his perspective.

I'd personally choose B! I feel like knowing his thoughts from the beginning would take away some of the mystery. Plus imagine finding out he was already in love with the heroine WAY earlier than you thought

Option B all the way!! As someone who loves playing completely blind, knowing the LI's internal struggles right from the start would totally ruin the tension and mystery for me!

There is literally NO feeling like finishing a route, unlocking his POV, and realizing he was silently losing his mind over the heroine the ENTIRE time while acting cool. It makes the second playthrough feel like a whole new game!

 

[SweetTranq]

I'll go with B.

As someone who self-inserts as the heroine, I don't want to know what he's thinking or what his reasons are — it breaks my immersion in the story. I'd rather try to figure out on my own why the male lead is acting that way.

I prefer it when games handle it like Sympathy Kiss, where you can choose whether or not to view the male lead's perspective. Sometimes, a sudden switch to his point of view leaves me really confused — like someone force-feeding me. (Please don't do that.)

Some games even switch to the male lead's perspective and make me choose options for him. Isn't that just way too weird?!

 

[brickoflover]

As everyone had already said, option B is more preferable! But if I'm allowed to be curious are there any examples on option A? I feel like it would ruin the immersive playthrough but I'm sure there's a reason the developers put it that way!

 

[O cha]

Definitely B for me! I love that approach. Noa's route in Blackish House Side Z actually follows this kind of format, and it's one of my absolute favorite routes. I agree that knowing his feelings from the beginning would take away some of the mystery and excitement. Getting to experience the entire story without knowing what's going on in his head, and then finding out why he acted the way he did and how he truly felt afterward, made the whole experience so much more emotional and rewarding. I really loved it!

 

[acaffeinecrisis]

Option B 100%

I don't think I've ever played an otome game that does option A, but I've read a lot of things that more or less spell out the thoughts of the love interest at all times and man it's boring as hell to read lol

 

[Mahiruuuu]

Definitely option B for me! It feels more rewarding to unlock his POV after experiencing the entire route. I also agree that knowing his thoughts from the beginning really does take away the mystery. We love a little tension lololol

 

[Foxgloves]

First of all, I love when any piece of media does this! Not just visual novels but novels/manga/manhwa/etc. My initial thought is definitely leaning towards B but I think I really like any POV shifts to the LI, like in 9RIP. It really comes down to how it's written since I don't really encounter this often in VNs.

 

[satory]

As everyone had already said, option B is more preferable! But if I'm allowed to be curious are there any examples on option A? I feel like it would ruin the immersive playthrough but I'm sure there's a reason the developers put it that way!

9 R.I.P. does this, after LIs meet with MC for the first time. It switches to their perspective and describes what LIs felt. Itehari does this too, but it's not about feelings, mostly what LIs and other characters did at the same time or after episodes. I'd say it was done very good in terms of showing story.

I like looking at the situation from different perspectives, it help getting full picture of what is going on, so I'm a minority, but choose A

 

[wodaiwushi]

I choose B just like everyone else, because leaving some suspense is exactly where the fun lies—it's like solving a puzzle, and there's no fun in knowing the answer from the start. After finishing the ending, I sometimes feel a sense of emptiness that leaves me at a loss, but when I know the ending and then experience his emotional journey again from LI's perspective, it makes me feel like I understand him better and have come one step closer to him, which also eases my emptiness well.

 

[ufoufufu]

B as well but I'm also intrigued by the concept of a mind reader heroine ^_^

 

[rita2sexy]

Definitely Experience the entire route normally without knowing his thoughts and unlock his complete POV after finishing it because if choose a i feel like it would break the illusion for me

 

[koko36]

I'd actually choose A (=^.^=) I feel like unlocking his POV only after finishing the route wouldn't hit as hard for me (u.u)I love getting little glimpses into his hidden thoughts and reactions throughout the story, especially when they reveal feelings he wouldn't openly express to the heroine ~ I don't necessarily need to know EVERYTHING he's thinking, but I think knowing at least some of his inner thoughts adds so much to the relationship development ° It makes you appreciate the little moments more and see how his feelings gradually change and deepen throughout the route (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)

 

[mentaik2]

Definitely the second one! Going into a route already knowing everything he's thinking completely kills the tension.

Unlocking his POV afterwards hits way harder, especially when you realize he was down bad the whole time behind that poker face. It gives the route so much replay value too.

YESSS and imagine finding out that a scene you thought was completely insignificant was actually a HUGE turning point for him emotionally!! For instance the heroine casually says something nice to him and moves on with her day, meanwhile he was still thinking about it three chapters later! I would genuinely go back and replay every interaction just to see what I missed the first time.

 

[mentaik2]

9 R.I.P. does this, after LIs meet with MC for the first time. It switches to their perspective and describes what LIs felt. Itehari does this too, but it's not about feelings, mostly what LIs and other characters did at the same time or after episodes. I'd say it was done very good in terms of showing story.

I like looking at the situation from different perspectives, it help getting full picture of what is going on, so I'm a minority, but choose A

I haven't played 9 R.I.P. yet, but I can definitely see how switching perspectives would make the storytelling more interesting, especially when there's something happening behind the scenes that the heroine isn't aware of! I think I'd actually enjoy little glimpses into the LI's thoughts throughout the route, as long as they don't reveal too much about his feelings too early.

 

[mentaik2]

I'd actually choose A (=^.^=) I feel like unlocking his POV only after finishing the route wouldn't hit as hard for me (u.u)I love getting little glimpses into his hidden thoughts and reactions throughout the story, especially when they reveal feelings he wouldn't openly express to the heroine ~ I don't necessarily need to know EVERYTHING he's thinking, but I think knowing at least some of his inner thoughts adds so much to the relationship development ° It makes you appreciate the little moments more and see how his feelings gradually change and deepen throughout the route (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)

I actually love the way you explained this!! You might be slowly convincing me to switch sides!! I can definitely see the appeal of watching his feelings develop in real time, especially when he starts noticing little things about the heroine before he even realizes he's falling for her. I think a nice middle ground would be getting occasional glimpses into his thoughts throughout the route while saving the more emotional or revealing moments for after the ending! Best of both worlds hehe ♡

 

[voIuvreles]

Option B for sure! Knowing his POV after I finished the full route just makes it feel emotional and gives a good closure in my opinion ‍

 

[under_themoon99]

All in for Option B..

Although it's quite fun and interesting hearing his thoughts, but it would mean much more to know his full POV at the end.. It will be much more unforgettable and make appeal more on our hearts.. ദ്ദി˶˃ ᵕ ˂ )✧

 

[Ted]

I'm leaning toward A. But only if it's a matter of screenwriting, like continuing to develop the same storyline and action where the protagonist couldn't keep up.

But if the scenes aren't related to each other, I find it a little boring to break the flow by switching POVs. In that case, I prefer B.

 

[neverenough]

I prefer B! First off, it gets tiresome if we're constantly inside the male lead's head. It's long and jarring. For the main story, we should only get the female lead's thoughts most of the time, with the male lead's popping up occasionally. Too much of his inner monologue makes it feel like the protagonist has switched, which hurts immersion.Second, putting the male lead's perspective in a DLC, bundled together separately from the main plot, makes it easy to revisit whenever you want without hunting through the main story. Plus, going through the story from his point of view is pretty fun—you get to roast the male lead and all that. N9FD does it exactly like this.

 

[star light]

I lean toward option A.
If we get some insight into what he's thinking—even just a little—at various points in the story, it becomes easier to understand why he acts the way he does.
I enjoy being able to gradually grasp the nuances of his inner state.
Then again, maybe I'm just a bit slow to pick up on things!