For my fifth Ludum Dare (fourth time making a game), I'm going to make a Visual Novel. Or, well, a VN-style short story. Hard to call it a novel when I'mma finish it in 72 hours. ;)

This medium fascinates me because I got into game development through interactive fiction. A couple years ago, I wrote a piece of interactive fiction for a Ludum Dare using Inform. Although this was entertaining to me, the game received a lukewarm reception, as it was purely text.

Given my proclivity for music and sound design, along with my past interest in both creative writing and interactive fiction, it makes sense to experiment with the Visual Novel medium. However, most VNs that I've experienced haven't tickled my fancy in the way that many pieces of interactive fiction (or text adventures) does.

There's this idea of a "sound novel" which I think fits closer to my vision. The focus will be top notch audio, but my lady friend @katethemakeupmonster will be providing artwork in her first ever Ludum Dare. This should make it look much better than it would with my own awful attempts at visuals.

I'm hoping that by implementing a substantial amount of "game elements," I'll be able to create a Visual Novel that satisfies both fans of traditional VNs and my own personal taste. But we'll know soon enough.

Hope everyone else has a fun time next weekend, and good luck on the jam!