25 Visual Novel Essentials (Part 1)

[ShuyaTheDark]

#1 No shit!

#4 lol

#7 And "promise", don't forget about that

#8 ALWAYS

#10 x)

[OSDolphin]

@#3

WHAT KIND OF MARKET IS THIS?!!!

[dougarr]

a school with female elf girls ??!??! what's the name of that ?

you have a full list of the games ?

Thanks. Bye .

[ShinzouMahi]

Mmm, this should also be known as the 25 Visual Novel Cliches.

[ChaosScourge777]

If I may make a suggestion, give G-Senjou no Maou a chance, if you can. It's got most, if not all, of the suggestions here, but it's also got an incredible storyline, excellent artwork, amazing music and sound work, and a good presentation.

[nikoniko667]

what game is at 6 :30

[sakura1konohAgirl]

what is the name of the 2 visual? O.o

[TheShadowrunner98]

@T0mixDark

Higurashi no naku koro ni I think they have the translation of it in English on manga gamer.com it has no nudity and is a great story line. Be warned though it's quite bloody. It has a anime now look up When They Cry episode 1 English dub on YouTube and you should be able to see if you like it.

[Korttimies]

Isn't this more about galge and eroge rather than a comprehensive view about visual novels?

[lordofdarkness111]

Pedobear approves of Essential 10!

[Sugarymoon01]

i think....this should be named YOUR ideal game,not essential visual novel

[LeonGun8]

@Sugarymoon01 Well, he named the most recurring themes in visual novels. That said, only the most bland and by-the-books harem eroge depend solely on that. He's either mocking the cliches or his taste in VN's sucks.

[MewVenus]

I have a visual novel for the DS designed for girls. It's not entirely traditional and there is minimal gameplay involved using the touch screen, but it's pretty cute.

[Deathclok]

I've seen some visual novels where the girl looks too young for their age yet had massive ta tas.

Another essential would be the ability to create your own character's name in for a non-voiced visual novel. Or helle ven create yourself

[pixelated111]

what's the visual novel at 4:40 called?

[Requiemfortherev]

actually some really really good without multiple girls... True remembrance was good. Had NO options what so ever.Forget what they call those though

[chinonononozu]

makoto shine

[HiguraShiki]

PRO VIDEO MAN!!!

Make more videos like this!

[AniimeGiirl]

whereeee can i get these games

[kaorushima99kyou]

Okay, i'm making my own original visual novel for the past two years and it revolves around 5 guys, but you don't go out with them, you just help them, and there is 2 girls the main character can go after. Is this alright?

[johncmcham]

@kaorushima99kyou if you think its fine then its fine. but IMO don't be pure orthodox

[erotaku12493]

I saw the first essential and blew a fuse. Have you never really played a kinetic visual novel? If not you're missing out

[TimeManInJail]

LOL i watch anime and into Japanese culture and now i know what visual novel is =.= LOL!

[Lawlscaliburn]

apparently nasu disagrees with having more than one heroine as he is releasing his single route game in December

[AdamFSmith]

Rule 10: there will be loli.

[BloodyGuru]

@AdamFSmith An essential indeed.

[tommybui]

god, kanon... is H .............. >,<

[Sarkral]

What about narcissu and narcissu 2nd; both great and critically very well received games and the majority of the things mentioned in the vid don't apply to them at all

[gamer4ever9999]

awright is 2:26

what I think it is????

miss B is a heroine???

[lousy91]

I disagreed in many of the essentials which you had mentioned.

Everything seems so "fan-service" and you did not even mention about the whole story itself.

What's make a great Visual Novel is to use ideas that people never think of before.

[corncob444]

@lousy91 erm. it's obvious they're joking.

[FullmetalFan12345]

These aren't "essentials." Ever played Higurashi no naku koro ni or Umineko no naku koro ni? {yes, they are by the same guy, even so, still visual novels.} They have none of these, other than possibly the main male protagonist.

[MrNewbiie]

Erm can anyone teach me how to play visual novels . i have problem starting visual novels and there are no japanese words but some wierd letters

[ComradeMagnum]

@MrNewbiie you probably need an english patch

[TJAnimated]

Hello i just wonted to say That I read one "Kana -Little Sister-" and i thought it was great just wonted to say. andi wont to try downloading alot of these my one problem is i am Only abel to do one part of the story Basicly One play through :/ did it both on Clannad and Kana Ps. I wont shuffle becouse i wont to chouse the angle :)

[hentaipleasemalcolm]

Around the 2 minute mark, three op's in a row have orange arrows. O.o

[Itsumademou]

@hentaipleasemalcolm Because all those games are from the same series.

[xJanimex]

Well... It's nice that you made something like this, not that everything is completely correct. Besides, those 'essentials' make a visual novel kinda cliché. You know, the same old routine over and over again. I personally prefere something more original. Something that goes STRAIGHT against the essentials XD. But it's a nice thought...

[Itsumademou]

@xJanimex You are not supposed to take it seriously. It's really just a list of cliches.

[JackieRabbit5]

i was actually thinking about making my own visual novel and these are things i'm trying not to do mostly heh

[NeumanProductions]

I figured you wouldn't forget #10, that is the most important by far.

[Rastanatsta]

Can I ask what the anime shown at @6:12 is? I love shuffle, played the first one and really really, want essence+ to be translated as I don't understand a word, and if I can't understand the story it's pointless. :(

[njashdw]

@Rastanatsta It's called Kanon. The one you see in the video is the old version. There has been a remake of the anime released a few years back.

[Sakibou]

You could've used the main character's sister from Yume Miru Kusuri; she would've fit even better than Nekoko...XP

[ComradeMagnum]

Tsukihime meets all those essentials lol 1) has choices 2) 6 girls 3) Shiki has a generic japanese phenotype except for his blue eys 4) Akiha, technically nii-san but hey, who cares? 5) Arihiko ftw! 6) ...yeah... 7a) Yea 8) official gag manga had one, don't know if the VN had one though 9) maybe... 10) Don't say that in front of Akiha

[ComradeMagnum]

@ComradeMagnum er... for 5) I mean Hisui and 6) should be Arihiko

[artman40]

Does visual novel have to include romantic main or subplot?

[joey123le]

why this when u can whatch the real thing

[KeitasShadow]

where did you get the visual novels please tell me i want one bad

[koqblaz]

@KeitasShadow what visual novel do you want?? maybe i can give you DL link

[KeitasShadow]

@koqblaz Shuffle or clannad or both would be nice in english

[Pikachunojutsu]

@koqblaz if you have a link to download Shuffle! I would really appreciate it. I can't find any download links after looking for a few hours yesterday

[soraxnoxshana]

please someone help me!!! how do I import the visual novel shuffle! to my psp or shall I say how do I change the format of the visual novel to the PSP format please reply

[Melylareputamadre]

Essential 3: I did not played bible black yet, it is bad? (the comment you did...)

[ChocolateWithAlmonds]

That song used in this video, Miss You by Marica, do you happen to know where I can find that song? Specifically the album or soundtrack? I've been trying to find where I can purchase it.

[RieVanM]

This reminds of Tatsuhiro Sato from Welcome To The NHK LOL!!! xD

[victorialau95]

LOL. This is just a random video containing jokes about visual novels. Damn it. Your title can really confuse people.

PEOPLE! DON'T BELIEVE THIS VIDEO!!

[panikkrazy]

agreed.

[Melylareputamadre]

is shuffle well translated to english?

sorry for my bad english ¬¬

[reaper337]

5:02 WTF Girl's uniform o_0. but your right about all of these thing all the manga, visual novel (1) that i read got all of those essentials and they always got a-----1 serious guy, one inteligent guy\girl, one funny guy\girl and one sexy girl. like bleach, naruto, one piece and tsukihime(visual novel)

[RizellX]

Do you have a translation of Shuffle?

[njashdw]

I do, actually. Google mangagamer shuffle and you'll find the English translation to Shuffle. If you want to obtain it through other means, you're on your own.

[RizellX]

I know Manga Gamer and I hate paying for it!

[Xoujiro]

why do ppl even like loli....

[Pyro1248]

i no 1 taht dosent have #2, may sky...then again its free...or well

[lee29lee29]

i believe the 10th essential is called loli o.o

[Maverynthia]

#2 is critically flawed, first it assumes all visual novels are for men "go after girls" and it assumes all visual novels MUST be about dating or "going after someone"

#3 is outright sexist

Yeah this whole video is extremely sexist and not worth watching even in a parody sense...

[njashdw]

I've seen a ton of visual novels, and they have very similar aspects, which are noted in these "essentials." No, they're not essentials, but they're IMPLIED to be essential since many of them have it (and they're overpriced; new releases are about $100 a game!)

This video is not intended to be offensive to any race or gender. If you feel that female protagonists or kinetic novels are underrepresented, go do something about it!

Trust me, a lot of visual novels contain these ideas...

[Dougcalypse]

(01/16/09) 5,602 views.

[vedicardi]

well no shit they contain these ideas, but you're promoting them

[codyc67]

@njashdw 30+ hours of gameplay in my opinion is not overpriced.

[nevadachi]

@njashdw then please, rename the video to 25 visual novel most common points. saying essentials is like something that must have or else it sucks... which really isn't the case, there are awesome visual novels in which some of those points aren't present.

[Karza00]

who fucking cares, who wants a genre of games to be 4 everyone that is sooooo boring. Not to many guys would even play these games unless they were like this. Otherwise it would probably only be fitted for a female only audience.

[Kouta13]

@Maverynthia

#2: A visual novel can be about anything, it usually falls under the category of "Dating Sim". Granted I haven't played EVERY visual novel, but these are the ones I see most of the time, their purpose is usually to "win a relationship" with one of the characters. Usually done very beautifully. : )

#3. Some do have female protagonists, but the majority of the fan base is male. The character is RARELY described. I have an idea why, but I don't have enough space to explain. : (

[codyc67]

@Maverynthia Half of them are aimed at men

Hence most girls being moe blob characters in vns.

[allanimeloverxoxo]

WHERES PART 2!?!?!? >:O

[njashdw]

It's been put off for quite a while now, but I plan to add several more visual novels into the mix, and in High Def! =O

[IcyBlue487]

I know you have a list of visual novels in the description bar but which one was the yaoi one? I am trying to make a visual novel but mine do not have any of these common points found in most visual novels. I'm just wondering who will be interested in my visual novel.

[njashdw]

There isn't a yaoi visual novel listed under the info; it was a joke.

There are yaoi visual novels though. I can only think of Animamundi at the moment. I've read a summary of another one, but I forgot what it was called.

If your visual novel does NOT have any of these points, that's good! Most visual novels that contain these points are often repetitive and overused, yet they are somewhat successful. However, "it is only because they contain H-scenes, or eroge." Stay away from these points!

[IcyBlue487]

Oh ok. I got all the humor except for the yaoi part XD. I think I'll look into that Animamundi one.

That's good. My visual novel has a girl that is on her way to becoming a villain (since most of the villains in her city are failures or have retired). I can not imagine her getting with anybody.

[njashdw]

Characters don't necessarily have to have a relationship with another one unless it makes a strong influence on decisions or actions. Maybe your character could have a secret crush on someone...

Okay maybe not, since that's sort of cliche already (female villains + crush = many female villains from Magical Shoujo anime).

Remember that if you've hit any of these ten essentials, it's already been portrayed in several other "official" visual novels. I encourage you to try to be different!

[IcyBlue487]

I often find my stories to be different from most. That's what I believe too about relationships. It is a shame that ALMOST every media out there (anime, movies, etc) MUST have some type of romance for the main character all the time. My main character is a loner type and her quick to temper attitude scares a lot of people away. I feel like I can talk about this for hours. When I finally make this visual novel (it will be my first one), you wouldn't mind being one of the first to look at it?

[Aluenvey]

Are these requirments as strict when its a psychological horror visual novel?

[njashdw]

There are no requirements to making a visual novel. You can make it however you want.

[1c3b3ar]

I don't agree with you on the part where you claim the player must be able to choose between at least 2 girls.

My personal favorites are Saya no Uta　and Bible Black in which you basically just have to _Survive_ till the end.

I'd say that the games with just 1 girls are generally at the top.

(only my personal opinion)

And yes, I've played quite a few visual novels.

[njashdw]

I guess I need to work on my sarcasm a bit...

"Choosing girls" basically means the protagonist has the choice to sleep with them. Many visual novels that contain H usually have more than one girl.

The essentials in the video are not necessarily essential, but the fact that there are numerous visual novels that contain similar aspects Imply that its essential (to make a successful visual novel).

[1c3b3ar]

I see what you mean and got to agree there.

I don't know if it sounded differently from my first comment but it's a great vid :3

[NephilimsCell]

Very good Video, thank you for the advice ^___^

Sorry for another "What`s thename of the game at...?"-Question, but what`s the name of the game at 1:07? xD

[njashdw]

Baldr Force EXE

[allanimeloverxoxo]

can u explain the second essential to me? i didn't quite understand it....o.o

[njashdw]

Opening videos of visual novels often display how many endings you can achieve, or how many girls you can sleep with. As shown in the video, they follow a similar format of revealing a profile image of the girl, followed by their name. This continues for the rest of the opening video until the visual novel runs out of girls.

Tick Tack is mocked in this video because it breaks the opening video "essential," implying that there's a possible relationship with the men shown in their intro video.

[allanimeloverxoxo]

how many girls you can sleep with? LMAO!

i love eroge companies. XD

[sniperli1]

Umm can I asked a question? WTH is this visual novels?

[tysonultima]

Visual novel's are like books that normally have voiced dailogue and shows the character of whom your interacting with. Normally Visual novels are dating sims or possibly far enough to be eroge (Hgames). In special cases there are kenetic visual novels in which you just sit back and watch the story. On another note visual novels are actually alot better than credit given. ESPECIALLY visual novel's by the artist key. Cause key does an amazing job with their work.

[allanimeloverxoxo]

a visual novel is an an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art.

[aznboy1337]

I think Welcome to the NHK taught some essential things about visual novels too

yes im hoping to make a doujin-soft in the future -_-

[ddrcrono]

Ahahahahahahaha that was the VERY FIRST THING I thought when I saw this video.

[galaxyangel10]

ever17:best visual novel ever

[EV2]

read first all the other good novels before saying that

[galaxyangel10]

Which is better too you then?

[Evangeline3]

Even funnier, because it's true xDDDD

[DivineLimits]

有趣的我可以磺化聚醚醚酮中国没有日本寿： （

[ForeverDissevered]

I wish I knew japanese!

Sigh, class for Jap starts next year..

[njashdw]

I can't read Japanese myself, and I'm playing these visual novels...

[ForeverDissevered]

Oh! Text readers. I tried it before, but it doesnt feel the same unless seeing it perfectly translated or in the original language

[njashdw]

I'm playing these visual novels without text readers >,> I don't like re-editing poor Japanese translation in my head. I have enough of a headache after playing for 6 hours or more.

[tysonultima]

best friend of the main character but doesn't get any girls? that cries Clannad right there

[njashdw]

Sadly, I have yet to play/watch Clannad.

[tysonultima]

well the have an english patch so don't worry about that but the game surprisingly follows almost ALL of the credentials

[njashdw]

Most visual novels follow the statements said in the video. Don't forget, there are twenty more "essentials" which will be up sooner or later (but don't get your hopes up).

[tysonultima]

i thought it was a joke at first but then i REALLY looked at it and its sadly true

[harmonizetoregulus]

Personally I think Clannad is overrated anyway, just between the two of us. It bored me, because it doesn't have all the supernatural elements of Kanon, Air or One.

[Leotaku]

keep watching it does have some. IMO it has a better soild story. Much more so than the other 3.

[harmonizetoregulus]

Really? Tell me more, (feel free to PM me).

I saw some episodes (even the ending), and found the story & characters rather sappy. Like the father busting in on the theater and screaming at Nagisa about her dreams right before she performs. No one in the audience seemed to even say anything, lol. It also has a tendency to break the 4th wall with jarring effects like chibi, or make the anime portrayed as an RPG or something for no reason.

Kanon and Air generally didn't do this.

[zorbon]

I must say, even though this comment is 2 months old, you seem not to get this at all.

First things first, Clannad just like Air, Kanon, One and Moon (Last 2 made before Key was formed) were visual novels. The reason for that RPG style, is because that is ho the game was. Clannad has a very deep story which can only be found by playing the game, which i strongly suggest you do.

[Sorinchako]

NEIN! Yaoi fans rejoice!

Best part of any essential vid. EVER.

I was thinking of getting something like the Blade Engine to make a short visual novel. You video really gave me some help.

[njashdw]

Ah... well this video is intentionally sarcastic, but it has some truth to it.

[Totalidiocy]

Apparently you've never heard of a Kinetic Novel.

[njashdw]

My second visual novel was Narcissu, a kinetic novel, followed by Planetarian.

I do not compare kinetic novels and visual novels because there is almost nothing to compare it to. Kinetic novels have their own unique style while many visual novels follow the same pattern of being able to choose 3-5 girls, containing traits explained in the video.

[wishbonesi]

very nice advices !!

good job ! :D

[WhoTheHelIAreYou]

Is the game Shuffle! at 2:05 on teh computer?

I'd like to play it.

[njashdw]

That would be Really? Really!, the third and "final" visual novel Navel created based on the Shuffle universe.

[tysonultima]

final so far because really? really! and tick tack were based on kaede's and nerine's paths meaning that it's possibly for others to be made.

[njashdw]

I've been told that Really Really is Navel's final visual novel release based on the Shuffle universe. This is probably because in the Shuffle visual novel, Nerine and Kaede's endings were not as conclusive as the other three (I personally think Lisianthus' ending was powerful).

[thejorrel129]

hey is the shuffle! games in english yet?

and yea im willing to buy or rent them from wherever i can find them...by the way where can i find them?

[123noTOWN]

its a game my goshers how cool!

[Flexkill]

Wich game were you playing at 3:11? P.s gooood vid ^^,,!

[njashdw]

That was Wind -a breath of heart.

[Flexkill]

TY,,^^ P.s HOW COULD U NOT USE THE EROGE ITSUKA TODOKU ANO SORA NI XD lawl :P or nursery rhyme XD,, aah maybe in your part 2 :P?

[njashdw]

I would if I owned them.

[Lueseiseki]

ESSENTIAL 3 GUY IS A PIMP

[njashdw]

Not necessarily. Most visual novels force readers to go for one girl. If you try to be a "pimp" and aim for two or more girls at the same time, you will often get outcomes that you do not expect.

From our view, yes, many guys in visual novels can choose many girls, but according to the actual characters, he can only choose one, or face consequences.

Of course, a guy hanging out with a lot of girls does not make one a pimp.

[Lueseiseki]

No I meant he was a pimp because it looked like the exact same guy spanning across sooo many games, hooking up with people in each, lol.

[XuanTamKun]

Very cool video.

I really love the moment "Oniichan" :)

[Ninjaface1]

Cool video :]