A visual novel is an interactive fiction game, featuring mostly static graphics, most often using anime-style art or occasionally live-action stills (and sometimes video footage). As the name might suggest, they resemble mixed-media novels.
In Japanese terminology, a distinction is often made between visual novels proper (abbreviated NVL), which consist predominantly of narration and have very few interactive elements, and adventure games (abbreviated AVG or ADV), which may incorporate problem-solving and other types of gameplay. This distinction is normally lost outside Japan, where both NVLs and ADVs are commonly referred to as "visual novels" by international fans. Visual novels and ADVs are especially prevalent in Japan, where they made up nearly 70% of the PC game titles released in 2006.
Visual novels are distinguished from other game types by their extremely minimal gameplay. Typically the majority of player interaction is limited to clicking to keep the text, graphics and sound moving (most recent games offer "play" or "fast-forward" toggles that make even this unnecessary).
Most visual novels have multiple storylines and many endings; the gameplay mechanic in these cases typically consists of intermittent multiple-choice decision points, where the player selects a direction in which to take the game.
My Merry May: Released also for the Dreamcast console this VN tells the story of Yasusuke, a senior high school student, who lives a normal student's life until one day he receives a strange device from abroad. This device creates Reu, an artifical human being in form of a young girl, who loves Yasusuke and cats. The remaining cast of heroines include Hitoe Haruna, Yasusuke's childhood friend, Motomi Agatsuma, the girlfriend of Yasusuke's nemesis Ryo Hagimoto, 21-year old Tae Kiduki and 13-year old high school student Misao Yuki.
MANUFACTURER'S DESCRIPTION:
Love adventure depicting a strange communal life artificial life forms and "Re~u". At the Watarase Kyosuke attending high school boarding, from family residing abroad suddenly one day, an apparatus for artificial life of a human form was in was sent. He tried to Tsukuridaso girls ideal, was born actually no better than a baby girl. Not surprisingly, if two or falling back! ?
FEATURES:
- First person perspective.
- 2D graphics
- Cartoon graphics
- Romance & Anime themes.
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