Editing Visual novel (section)

==Style==
[[File:Cameliagirls1 0.55a.png|thumb|Visual novels are commonly characterized with dialog boxes and [[sprite (computer graphics)|sprite]]s denoting the speaker. This is a recreation of the usual screen layout of a visual novel, generated by the [[Ren'Py]] game engine.|alt=Wikipe-tan, an unofficial mascot of Wikipedia is seen telling the player "I heard Watanabe-san was going to make his own visual novel so that we would have some free images to use on Wikipedia! That's the kind of guy who keeps the Internet alive, don't you think?"]]
Despite using the narrative style of [[literature]], visual novels have evolved a style somewhat different from print novels. In general, visual novels are more likely to be narrated in the first person than the third, and typically present events from the point of view of only one character.

In the typical visual novel, the graphics comprise a set of generic backgrounds (normally just one for each location in the game), with character {{nihongo|[[Sprite (computer graphics)|sprites]]|立ち絵 |tachi-e}} superimposed onto these; the perspective is usually first-person, with the protagonist remaining unseen. At certain key moments in the plot, special ''event CG'' [[computer graphics]] are displayed instead; these are more detailed images, drawn specially for that scene rather than being composed from predefined elements, which often use more cinematic camera angles and include the protagonist. These event CGs can usually be viewed at any time once they have been "unlocked" by finding them in-game; this provides a motivation to replay the game and try making different decisions, as it is normally impossible to view all special events on a single play-through.

Up until the 1990s, the majority of visual novels utilized [[pixel art]]. This was particularly common on the [[NEC PC-9801]] format, which showcased what is considered to be some of the best pixel art in the [[history of video games]], with a popular example being ''[[Policenauts]]'' in 1994.<ref name=Retro/> There have also been visual novels that use live-action stills or video footage, such as several ''Sound Novel'' games by [[Chunsoft]]. The most successful example is ''[[Machi (video game)|Machi]]'', one of the most celebrated games in Japan, where it was voted No. 5 in a 2006 ''[[Famitsu]]'' reader poll of top 100 games of all time. The game resembled a live-action television drama, but allowing players to explore multiple character perspectives and affect the outcomes. Another successful example is ''[[428: Shibuya Scramble]]'', which received a perfect score of 40 out of 40 from ''[[Famitsu]]'' magazine.<ref name="1up_novel"/>