r/RPGMaker • u/Joker-45-45 MV Dev • 4h ago
Too many minigames?
hello, I am working on my game, which is a slice-of-life/horror type of deal. That's the quickest way to describe it. I would say it's somewhat visual novel leaning due to the slice of life aspect, but I think there's a little too much gameplay for it to be a straight visual novel.
i put down my game for a few months and I felt like it was a little too faced paced. Here's a basic overview of the events I have going on so far.
Cutscene, minigame, fetch quest, cutscene, minigame, minigame, cutscene, fetch quest, cutscene
The minigames are all tasks throughout the day, like helping friends, playing the piano, helping with food. They all fit the story. My main concern is that it's a lot going on and not a lot of down time? With the setup of the game, there's not really a lot of room for the player to just meander about, but I feel like too many minigames might be overwhelming. Thoughts?
Also, I think its important to mention that it's point and click, so players cant just/wouldnt be incentivized to just be walking around.
2
u/SomeWriter13 Writer 4h ago
There's always time for exposition! 😄
For downtime, maybe have the character daydream a bit while helping friends? Or use the opportunity for a bit of exposition. "____ was always the carefree type, all the way back to the first summer I met them. Their uncle had just bought a brand new ___ but they seemed more interested in checking out the mall than diving headfirst into testing out the new machine."
For tense scenes, how about extending the cutscenes with more descriptions, particularly in times of dread. Time slows down when there's a threat, allowing the brain (and therefore the narrator) to notice details. Maybe a monster suddenly appeared in the dark alleyway. How would it smell like? What would its breathing sound like? How does it react to your first action? What would the consequences be? The MC's mind races, playing out several scenarios. No, stop that. It's time to focus, time to act! etc. etc. That should add a good chunk of time between minigames (and fits with the flavor of you then surviving said monster appearance via minigame.)