When do you stop a playthrough of a visual novel?

Off-Topic
#1

As the title explains; when you play a visual novel, at which point of progress would you normally stop playing it?

When you have been through all the routes?
When you have achieved what is considered the ‘true ending?’
When you have been through your favourite route(s)?
or other points of progress that I haven’t considered.

For example, some may stop playing a visual novel when they have gone through the routes of every character they consider to be a main character (though not necessarily their favourite characters).

Furthermore, when playing a visual novel you don’t particularly like, do you;

Still play through it until you’ve completed the visual novel?
Give a certain number of hours or routes a chance before you drop it?
Drop it when you’ve reached your limit and had enough?

Note that this isn’t limited to just Key works, but also other visual novels including small ones you come across on steam.

#2

I consider a visual novel completed when I have been through all the routes, as I now know the full story, but also because I’m the type of gamer who wants to get most of the achievements, trophies, collectables etc.

#3

For me it’s when I’ve finished all the routes and seen all possible dialogue in the game (or at least I like to think I did) even really minor ones. That means constant saving and loading near identical scenarios over and over.
Why I do it? Unfortunately, I consider myself a perfectionist which means I can’t just consider it finished when I know I can discover more things. A really bad habit of mine :cry:

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#4

Whenever any and all visible metrics are 100% complete. Usually that just means CGs, but there’s also stuff like the records in AB! and friends in Rewrite.

(That’s the most amount of words I can write on this topic. This could be reduced to a straw poll without any real loss.)

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#5

When I complete all the routes and get all achievements/cgs, I guess? I do try to get all possible outcomes like try other types of choices even minor ones and all but I easily get tired of that, especially when I try it out after completing all the routes…
As for a Visual Novel I don’t really like well… It depends on the visual novel itself. I stop either when I reach my limit (like Katawa Shoujo) or when I’ve gone through at least two routes. When I played Air at first and was on Minagi’s route, I was bored af but when I completed her and Kano’s route, I actually started to like it. I’m actually glad that I finished it 'cause I wouldn’t have enjoyed it if I just had let myself stop it around the Common route.

#6

^ Sums it up perfectly.

“Complete” isn’t really subjective. Either you read everything, or you didn’t read everything. Not reading everything means you didn’t complete the VN.

It’s kind of like saying you completed a book, but skipped chapters 12, 17, and 42 because they weren’t important.

#7

Yeah, I should have picked a more subjective word… actually, if I’m able to, I change the question to a more suitable one.

#8

It’s a bad habit of mine because I usually stop through a route when I finish it for the first time and move on to the next one. It doesn’t feel that I gave enough time and effort to go through it again just for the little details.

I would go through each of the character routes including choices that may seem minor and reading each text carefully as if you would read your favorite book. Nowadays, I now know to read through bad endings before going to each character’s good endings because it shows the consequences of the actions you have chosen and helps you to understand what choices you need to make provided you save at a certain progress and load the game again. The same applies for missed CGs as well.

This time I would hope to slowly take my time and read all the text that I haven’t gone through and reread if I missed something.

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#9

I’m a perfectionist when it comes to games, so I usually try to complete as much as possible unless those things require an amount of time and effort that are several times greater than my interest in the VN or my interst is caught by a different game.
For example, I got ALL steam achievements on Root Double, but I didn’t get 100% of the Clannad Dangopedia.

I try to avoid using walkthroughs on my normal playthrough, but I definitely use them afterwards, to get up to 100% of whatever there is to get.

Also, I do this:

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#10

Till I lose interest in the story; same as books in this case. That naturally varies wildly, but if I really come to love a story, I’ll want total completion (like Key games, for example). Other ones, I might not care as much; I might not even finish their main storyline.

#11

uhmmm… Till I get bored of it?
I don’t even know myself lol

#12

It may just be me, but knowing that i’m missing a part of a story does not sit well; this also applies with VNs that I particularly do not enjoy (masochist tendencies yo)

I would play through a VN and comfortably say I have completed it when all parameters of said VN are accomplished. If some points are difficult, then I resort to a guide. (E.g. Friends/Quests in Rewrite)

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#13

I read any visual novel at least until I’m done with the story. If there’s additional scenes / achievements / lists to fill, it heavily depends on how much I enjoy the game and process in question; I went for 100% Dangopedia in CLANNAD and all achievements in Root Double - which was quite fun to do - but I wouldn’t dream of going for all achievements in the Danganronpas, and I gave up trying to get Oppai Ending in Rewrite (hooray for YouTube). Quality of Life features can make a huge difference in this regard; like even though Umineko is my favorite VN, I’d NEVER go for all PS3 achievements because skipping through text just isn’t particularly fast in that game and one of the achievements is a massive pointless grind.

When I first started reading visual novels I was a die-hard completionist and aimed for 100% lines read, but my first VN was CLANNAD and, well, that turned out to be essentially impossible. Put a quick end to that plan.

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#14

I usually try to go through at least all the routes, but I’m willing to skip side routes if I don’t think they’d be interesting or add much to my experience. Like with Kara no Shoujo, I tried the bare minimum to finish it, since the side routes didn’t intrigue me enough.

I try to at least do one route before dropping a VN. I like seeing how drama is done first before making final judgments.

#15

I do all route endings. I define that as reading through all of the paths that lead to credits. If it doesn’t have credits I don’t count it as an route ending. Most of the time I will do 100% cg as well, unless there are hard to get cgs. I don’t use guides so I still see some of the minor paths here and there.

I haven’t really read one I hate, I stalled on some but I will go back… probably lol… I’ve been stalling rose guns days for years lol… I am progressing just very slowly. I just sort of forget about it…(honestly considering how I use to wait for TL, example umineko and little busters, it really isn’t that slow) In fact just mentioning it just now makes me realize I need to read it…

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#16

I only left a VN when I obtain all the CGs and ends also the secrets events sometimes

#17

Same here!

I’m a “completionist” generally but I won’t always do absolutely everything just for the sake of it, it has to be for deriving maximum enjoyment.

For example, in the Clannad series I haven’t done “Dungeons and Takafumis” or got 100% on the Dangopedia nor will I probably attempt them.

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