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!

 

[Watera]

I prefer more choices, i like to get more involved with how story go , sometimes heroine will agree on something without my opinion, i would like to disagree when everyone agree on something and see how will this choice affect my relationship with everyone or everyone will think about it and follow me instead

 

[totallyamanda]

it depends solely on the quality of the story or impact of the choices. ల(´= ◡ =｀)

a really riveting story will be engaging enough to keep me interested even on a linear path so a lack of choice or limited choices will not deter me from continuing a story.

on the flip side, i am a sucker for flavor text choices that may not impact the story and just gives me a little cute or flirty interaction. they do not have to change anything story wise accept for a few sentences. what can i say? brain go brr for flirting. (∗ᵕ̴᷄◡ᵕ̴᷅∗)՞

if it's more like interactive fiction where the choices shape MC's personality, background stat raising, or locks routes and options, i enjoy them as well. although, like others and myself, i'm an avid walkthrough user who will avoid truly sad bad ends so sometimes the pressure of choices, especially a huge amount of such, can be daunting and turns the game into a stressful chore. (´･_･`)

 

[usagi-k]

i love more choices as long as they actually lead to something !! a lot of times vn's tend to have choices that either lead to the same conclusion / merge into the same branch or are just present randomly for the sake of it TT choices matter to me esp since im someone who really enjoys exploring all the different endings (even if theyre just abrupt instakill bad ends lol) cause i think dialogues in those less than ideal scenes also help in shaping a character a lot ! esp since i have found myself liking or disliking a character just because of the side i saw of them through their other endings ^^

the choices dont always have to meaningful in terms of shaping the plot tho i also enjoy it when gag choices are included so that you can have a sillier interaction with a character by asking something personal instead of what you should actually be investigating or when you have a bunch of choices that all say the same thing just to reinforce how the mc feels about the situation !

 

[AyaAyaya]

I would prefer reading more (I love playing kinetic novel) but choices sure have its own fun interesting point too...

 

[Harumichi]

I think having more choices is a good thing. I also like reading long stories, but I love when the choices let us decide which path we take and what kind of ending we'll get :)