Anyone notice the rise of Dating Sims/Visual novels on steam? There’s too many for me to count, and i’m guessing the reason why this is, is due to the low cost of making one. Although there are many games in this genre out there, there is one thing that has not been accomplished, at least not in any game on steam…3D character models!
Example:
This screenshot is from the 3ds/ds title Love Plus, and as Far as I know, this is the only dating sim/visual novel that makes use of 3d character models.
Why would this be a good idea?
.Production costs would still be relatively low.
.Characters could look really good without a major hit to performance.
.The use of 3d models would make the game more interactive and immersive.
.3D models would also allow for a more in depth character customization system.
.In a market full of only 2d games in this genre, this game would stand out to the community, bringing in many customers based on the idea alone.
.A game like this can be presented in episodes (Chapters), so you can see how many people are interested in the idea, without having to finish the entire game, and also get some invest back a.s.a.p.
Reading Visual Novels has been a hobby of mine for a while now, Steins;Gate and Fate/Stay Night being my favorites. I’d be very interested to see more Visual Novels that use 3D models like the ones for the 3DS, since most of those never see a western release. I wouldn’t imagine making it would be very challenging, I’d personally see writing a compelling story to be the most difficult part. Another neat thing would be integration with VR headsets since most Visual Novels have the reader seeing from the protagonist’s perspective.
I personally see Visual Novels as a genre and Dating Sims has a sub-genre. Dating Sims normally involve stats, lots of interaction, a day/night system where your days are counted, romance meters, etc. There are plenty of Visual Novels (Some that have multiple paths, and others that are completely kinetic) that are about romance but not a dating sim. One thing that is giving that stereotype more fuel would be the Visual Novels that are very popular on steam, as a lot of them are very erotic-themed. These are the only Visual Novels that most people have seen so that’s what their first impression of the genre is.
The game is part dungeon crawling jrpg/dating sim. The only 3d parts in the game is dungeon exploration/combat and interacting with the love interests.
Honestly though, I hate the dungeon crawling genre and think that the settings and gameplay grow tiresome pretty quickly.
If I had the choice, id make the game open world tokyo, with a combat system similar to the witcher 3. The dating sim elements would play an important roll in determining the story arc you would go down and also influence special stat bonus’s that apply when you are partying with this character…which is all pretty ambitious. This was my original idea, but honestly…this sounds like a game that a triple A publisher would have to produce. Im sure no indie team would even want to attempt something like this. Q.Q
Which is why I think a visual novel/Dating sim would be a cheaper alternative, that would provide a similar impact.
It would sell like freakin hotcakes!
