Genre: Visual Novel

Branching narratives, meaningful choices, and quality-of-life features define visual novels.

Core Loop

1. Read: Consume narrative text and character dialogue
2. Decide: Choose at key moments
3. Branch: Story diverges based on choice
4. Consequence: Immediate reaction or long-term flag changes
5. Conclude: Reach one of multiple endings

NEVER Do (Expert Anti-Patterns)

Narrative & Flow

• NEVER create the "Illusion of Choice" exclusively; strictly provide Immediate Dialogue Variations or Flag Changes even if the plot converges later.
• NEVER skip mandatory QoL features; strictly implement Auto-Play, Fast-Forward, and Backlog/History for replayability.
• NEVER display "Walls of Text"; strictly limit dialogue boxes to 3-4 Lines max to avoid intimidating the reader.
• NEVER hardcode dialogue text inside GDScripts; strictly store narrative scripts in External Files (JSON, CSV, or custom Resources) for iteration.
• NEVER ignore the Rollback mechanic; strictly maintain a history stack so players can undo miss-clicks or reread missed lines.