Are true routes / grand finale routes something you enjoy?

[Rosellia]

I have a love and hate view of true/canon routes. The route usually ties the plot together and is pretty emotional. I also love the reincarnation and LI and MC has a past together trope in some true routes like Goemon from Tengoku Struggle . At the same time, it kinda decreases the effect of other LI for me to the point where it feels like the true route LI is the only one meant for the MC. For me it definitely is a good idea to make the true route only accessible after playing all the other ones cause if it was possible in the beginning of the game, I would most likely end up not playing the other routes after the canon one.

 

[Yuhiru]

it's depend. whether the true/grand finale route sometime revolves around poster boy or secret LI, i am bias since usually my favorite is poster boy and their route being grand or true route is almost always makes me happy because maybe i find otome games like a shoujo manga. As for secret LI make up as grand finale route i do think their route serve as a plot reveal rather than true ed, so i kinda think if the secret LI is not serve as a poster boy then they're the second lead LI. In short make the true route being the last since it'll reveal a lot of plot dump, mystery and other story related in the games.

I'd rather care to play the game if the poster boy or main LI is interest me (bonus if they're clicked and match a lot with the MC), rather than my favorite LI end up as a side LI. It's rarely happens to me that i end up liking the non-poster boy if i happened to like them i do think it's the same comparison as poster boy really that's my opinion.

But i think, just serve your favorite LI as your canon route instead rather than caring which one is canon, because i think that's the aspect of otome games giving player a choice to choose LIs? Play your favorite LI only and leave out the rest if it's unbearable i guess?

well unless there's an anime adaptation like hakuouki for example, then the story is different.

 

[osanajimimi]

Well, there are stories that do a good job with a secret LI/True Route, and I appreciate the effort to make everything make sense. However, with things like that, some routes are usually poorly written, having a simple plot just to build part of the world, and I don't like it.

Just having to write a story with 5 LIs is complex. Having five seems ideal to avoid messing up the overall writing, and adding a True Route can make things feel unbalanced.

I like to experience the story and see the development between the MC and the LIs. I would rather have that almost completely developed than half-cooked. Yes, I'm talking about you Akaza haha

 

[hib]

Absolutely Hate It . . .

True Routes Just Feel Like A Speed Run Of All Of The Other Routes Plot Points All Sandwiched Into One , If You Removed All Other Routes Than True . . . . . . . . Would The Story Still Make Sense ? ? ? ? ? ?
That Is My Bottom Line For If A True Route Is Passable

God Forbid If You Are The Poor Poster Boy That's Been Strapped To The True Route , All Of The Plot Rests On Your 2D Shoulders . . . . . . . . .

IMO Every Route Should Be Able To Shine Without The True Route Being Fix - It - All , There Should Be Themes , Plot And Character That Stays On That Route And LI ; Every Part Should Compliment Each Route To Make A Work Shine And Stick In Your Mind Like Glue ~ It's A Visual Novel ! ! ! ! It's All About Choices ! ! ! ! If Everything Goes Back To A Single Road , Than It Should Just Be A Kinetic Game . . . . . . . .

My Perfect Idea Of A True Route Is . . . . . . . . HAREM ENDING ! ! It's Just No Fair That Everyone Else Gets Sideline For The " Perfect " Choice And All Of Their Problems Get Solved Without The LI Getting The FMC , If This Route Solves Everything Then FMC Should Get Every LI ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Keep It Vague Or Confirm It , It Also Works For Sequels If You Are Planning On Adding More Dudes ( No Need To Retcon The True LI Route To Be A Platonic Thing So To Explain Why The MC Is Single )

Better Yet , Just Don't Have A True Route ! ! ! ! ! ! Every Piece Is A Puzzle And You Divide How The Picture Looks , Every Route Just Able To Be By Itself Without The Threat Of The " Canon Answer " ! ! Also , Maybe Having A True Route For Every LI . . . . . . . .

P . S . There Are Definitely Good Ones That Make My Gripes Actually Work And This Is A Problem Of Visual Novels In General , This Was My Ted Talk Bye . . . . . .

 

[0x0]

I think it depends on the situation. It's great when everything ties together well, but if not, it's not very good

 

[joaoka]

I really like truth routes/finales to the point some games feel empty without them ! Tbh usually things get wrapped up in a nice, too convenient way but it still feels more satisfying in the end !

 

[haiane]

I love them, but as you say - I would definitely welcome more equal routes in terms of the lore. When it's more equally distributed, everyone benefits! Readers get more hooked on the game and are more eager to do all other routes. It's like putting together pieces of the puzzle, and the final true route is that last piece you were missing to get the full picture.

 

[mizumachi]

Hmm, it depends? I mean, I don't mind whether there's a "true route" or not. Take Mistonia, for example: I actually prefer the characters' normal routes over the true one—the true ending just feels a bit too perfect for my taste. I definitely didn't like the conclusion regarding how they handled Tia—"yeah, it's fine for her to stay inside Aprose body while she recovers"—no, definitely not. Not to mention the pseudo-harem ending (?). On the other hand, in Radiant Tale, I really like Vilio route, and he effectively has the game's true route, It makes sense within the overall plot for him to be the canonical choice, and it also explains why he simply disappears in every route. I actually have plenty of patience for unlocking true endings across various types of games; I find it interesting.

yes i really agree with the mistonia point! i really enjoyed mistonia but the true ending imo felt like such a big letdown. it felt like such an insane speedrun of every issue and just felt so shallow. honestly i would love more pseudo-harem endings but it was done pretty badly here.

but in general, i dont mind true routes or a final locked route! i like when each of the routes leave breadcrumbs and you finally get the answers at the end. as long as the other routes feel complete and don't get invalidated by the true/locked route, im fine with it. alot of the times the final LI isn't my fave but i still enjoy them or the route well enough

 

[eevee09]

I am a big fan of the otome games where the lore gets revealed but by bit as LI routes unlock one by one. It really helps with the immersion and also kinda acts like the slow unwrapping of an insanely cool birthday gift.

When it comes to true routes, I think their execution can be decent if supported by a strong plot. But sometimes the true routes can involve characters whose route was played a long time ago, and that can kinda mess up my original perception of the lore I've built up until now