So I just finished Steins;Gate, and I wanted to play the 8-bit game. Is there anywhere I can legally obtain a copy?
There's a guide to buying games legally by me that's a little bit outdated (new one coming soon(TM); the changes are minimal) in the OP, if you need help beyond that I would be glad to assist you.
I've wanted to talk about this for a while. This is might get long and lack coherence in that I should probably be asleep right now.
THE FOLLOWING TEXT CONTAINS UNMARKED THEMATIC AND PLOT SPOILERS FOR A GAME THAT WILL PROBABLY NEVER GET TRANSLATED (Soranica Ele) AND PROBABLY A FEW OTHER RANDOM GAMES.
Coincidentally, I happened to have recently finished a game that basically sat down and asked questions like: "What is player agency?", "Is agency an illusion?", and "Is it the authors story, or the readers story?" which has had me really thinking about storytelling as of late. With much of my recent thoughts in mind, I have some questions about how you're going to handle things.
I want to start by asking: what is a "different truth?" I ask this because one of the key elements of Soranica is that, while the main story of each route is the same, depending on what route your in the way things play out is as different as could be, with some characters only choosing to take certain actions in very particular situations. All of these routes have a sort of "equal value" as you claim, but I guess what I'm not understanding is are the actual events changing as you discover what appears to be happening, or is the only thing changing supposed to be the interpretation of the event based on the perspective and knowledge of the player. Since there is a "single truth" as well, I have to wonder what relation that has to the different truths. Are they mere parts, or is there a single correct truth while the others are wrong?
In terms of this style of storytelling, I can't help but say you should perhaps go play a game called Ever 17. E17, Soranica, and multiple other games I won't mention for spoiler reasons are prime examples of the specialty of VN's as a medium: non-linear storytelling. VN's allow for repetition as a storytelling element in a way that no other medium does in that they are usually designed to be a repayable, choice driven narrative where the outcome can change. Some of the smartest stories, in my opinion, manage to take advantage of that fact and seamlessly integrate it into the narrative to provide small meaningful mysteries and story arcs that come together under one large umbrella to form a complex whole in a way that no other medium can. In that way, if you create a story that isn't just a retelling of the same exact thing with one ending, but rather a complex mystery which is impossible to fully understand from just one angle, I don't think having players stick around will be an issue, given that solving the mystery is the whole draw of a mystery game. This can be done wrong and certainly doesn't belong in some media, the infamous "Endless 8" from Haruhi is a fine example of what you shouldn't do: create something where the nuances are borderline meaningless to the point of wasting the reader's time.
Honestly, the best way to understand what the hell I'm rambling about is to go experience it. For someone who claims to have not a ton of experience with the medium, I have no hesitation in restating the above and telling you to go play Ever 17 and pay attention to how the mystery is written. Do us all a favor though, and take notes on how the game also struggles with pacing.
