Do you prefer more choices or more reading?

[ryuntsai]

One of the reasons I like to play visual novels is the choices. Being able to influence the story and reach different endings based on the decisions I make makes the experience feel much more immersive—something that you don't really experience by reading a regular novel (where there is only one ending).

So if I had to choose, I'd definitely lean toward VNs with meaningful choices. That said, if the story is really engaging, I don't mind a long common route or a more reading-heavy experience either haha.

 

[Nihilistic]

I enjoy more choices! As much as I enjoy an engaging story I also enjoy character building my own character when it has options too. It's more a western thing to have more choices but I do enjoy it especially when the protagonist is a self insert or a blank slate.

Though if it's a full story I don't mind as long as the choices are impactful and actually change the way the story flows.

 

[ninnikuryona]

im fine with either, but ive noticed lately that ive been leaning more towards kinetic vns as of late. sometimes even vns with choices or different routes feel like you are only supposed to play them the "correct" way, otherwise the story is pure nonsense. same thing with regular choice-driven games (*cough*quantic dream*cough*)
other than that, im just too scared of making mistakes.. even with guides. i remember reading gatenkei (not otome) last year, and i followed the guide exactly as it was written, yet i still got stuck on end03 and end06 for some reason. end03 was an easy fix, but i had to skip through the entire vn to fix the endless end06 loop! had to whip out a separate japanese guide and follow it instead of the translated english one. choices are facking scary....!!!!
besides, having to reread a vn and completely ignoring the boy you were pursuing just a while ago is,, really painful sometimes!!:"3 so even a single hero vns are okay to me. but even then, its not like a single hero equals kinetic vn.. navigatore is a good counterexample..!

it all depends on the story honestly. many people think kinetic vns are worthless or uninteresting, but higurashi didnt just become so popular for no reason at all, right? (not mentioning umineko because it is its own can of worms LOL) and as someone with a fanfiction reading background, its like a pure, uninterruptable(?) reading experience to me, just with pretty pngs to look at while you digest the story. im fine with that!! kinetic vns with nvl style presentation are the greatest (in my eyes).....!

 

[meruruchan]

I feel like I enjoy lots of choices in theory, but then again.. I religiously follow a guide anyway, so I guess it's pretty much the same as if it were a kinetic novel But I do love a VN which has lots of different endings, because I feel like that's the unique appeal of a VN over another medium: the way it can play with branching stories and different routes.

 

[nerim-w]

More choices all the way! As someone who plays a game raw (no guide/walkthroughs) I think its so much more fun to have choices and influence where the story goes - and as a self inserter its nice to inject a bjt of my own thoughts/actions into the story. Even small choices that dont change the story much apart from a small detail, like in Bustafellows where you can get Shu to stop smoking , those little changes can really enhance my experience imo!