How to make a visual novel with choices that matter

Plan branches you can finish

• Branch and merge. Let a choice split the story for a scene or two, then bring the paths back together. Each split doubles your writing if it never merges.
• Flags. Remember a choice in a variable and pay it off later with a changed line. Players feel the choice, and you write one extra line, not a whole route.
• Few endings, earned. Three endings that depend on what the player did beat ten that depend on the last click.
• Choices with a cost. A good choice gives something up. Save the friend or the evidence, never both.

The tools

• Ren'Py. A free, open-source visual novel engine with a Python-based script language. You write on a computer and can build for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. Doki Doki Literature Club (Team Salvato, 2017) was made in it.
• Twine. A free, open-source tool for interactive fiction. You link passages on a map, which makes it the fastest way to test a branching plot before you add art.
• Roam. A free iPhone app. Describe the story, the characters and the key choice, and it comes back as a playable game with art and sound. No code.

Text people actually read

Short lines, one speaker at a time, and a beat to read before the next thing happens. Key text like the rules, a message or a confession needs two or three seconds on screen. If players skip it, the premise never lands.

Roam's story games keep the key lines up long enough to read. When you make your own, say it: "hold the letter on screen", "slower dialogue".

Questions people ask

Can I make a visual novel on mobile?

Ren'Py builds games for Android and iOS, but you write them on a computer. On iPhone, Roam lets you describe a story game and play it there.

Can I make a visual novel without coding?

Mostly. Ren'Py's script is close to writing a play, and Twine needs almost no code. Roam needs none: you describe the story.

Can I make a visual novel for free?

Yes. Ren'Py and Twine are free and open source, and Roam is a free iPhone app.