Follow Along: Make Visual Novel in 3 Minutes

Want to make your first visual novel with Novelez?
Follow this guide and you'll have a short visual novel with choices, branching paths, and multiple endings.

Time to create: ~10-15 minutes
Play time: ~2-3 minutes
Endings: 3 (Honest End, Regret End, Mystery End)

📋 Getting Ready

1. Create a new project
2. Add 2 characters in Character Management:
   • Haruka (color: pink)
   • Kei (color: blue)

⚙️ Settings Tab

In the ⚙️ Settings tab on the left:
• Game Title: The Letter
• Title Background: Default Assets → background → pick a school background
• Credits: Put your name here!

📝 Building the Script

Switch back to the 📝 Script tab and start adding blocks.

Step 1: Player Setup

Add a "Player Setup" block and turn on "Ask Name."
This will ask the player for their name when the game starts.

Step 2: First Scene

Add "Label" → name: start
Add "Scene" → pick a school background from default assets

Add 4 "Dialogue" blocks:
• Haruka / normal / "Oh, {player_name}! Can I talk to you for a second?"
• Haruka / normal / "I found this letter in your locker..."
• Haruka / normal / "It's addressed to someone, but there's no name on it."
• Haruka / smile / "Did you write this?"

💡 Tip: When you select a character in the dialogue block, you can also choose their expression!
💡 Tip: {player_name} automatically becomes whatever the player typed!

Step 3: First Choice

Add a "Menu" block:
• "Yes, I wrote it" → wrote_yes
• "No, it's not mine" → wrote_no
• "...Why do you ask?" → wrote_dodge

💡 Tip: Don't worry if the label doesn't exist yet. Create it later and it'll connect automatically.

Step 4: Honest Route

"Label" → wrote_yes
"Dialogue" → Haruka / surprise / "Really? So this is your letter..."
"Dialogue" → Haruka / surprise / "It says 'I've always admired you from afar.'"
"Dialogue" → Haruka / blush / "Wait... is this letter for me?"

"Menu":
• "Yes, it's for you" → confess
• "No, it's for someone else" → not_you

Step 5: Confession Success (Honest End)

"Label" → confess
"Scene" → change to park or sunset background
"Dialogue" → Haruka / happy / "I... I don't know what to say."
"Dialogue" → Haruka / happy / "Actually, that's not true. I do know."
"Dialogue" → Haruka / smile / "I've been wanting to talk to you too, {player_name}."
"Dialogue" → Haruka / smile / "Let's walk home together today."
"Ending" → Honest End ♥

Step 6: Rejection (Regret End)

"Label" → not_you
"Dialogue" → Haruka / sad / "Oh... I see. Of course."
"Dialogue" → Haruka / sad / "I hope they feel the same way about you."
"Dialogue" → Haruka / normal / "Good luck, {player_name}."
"Ending" → Regret End

Step 7: Denial Route — Karen Appears! (Mystery End)

"Label" → wrote_no
"Dialogue" → Haruka / normal / "Hmm, that's strange. It was definitely in your locker."

Here, Karen joins the scene! When two characters appear at the same time, use "Show" blocks:
"Show" → Haruka / normal / left-center
"Show" → Karen / normal / right-center

"Dialogue" → Kei / smile / "Hey, what are you two talking about?"
"Dialogue" → Haruka / smile / "We found a mystery letter!"
"Dialogue" → Kei / smile / "Ooh, how exciting! A secret admirer?"
"Dialogue" → Haruka / smile / "I guess we'll never know who wrote it."
"Dialogue" → Haruka / normal / "But it was really sweet."
"Hide" → Kei
"Dialogue" → Haruka / normal / "See you tomorrow, {player_name}!"
"Ending" → Mystery End

Step 8: Dodge Route

"Label" → wrote_dodge
"Dialogue" → Haruka / surprise / "Huh? I just thought you might know whose it is."
"Dialogue" → Haruka / normal / "The handwriting looked familiar, that's all."
"Dialogue" → Haruka / blush / "...Actually, can I be honest with you?"
"Dialogue" → Haruka / blush / "I was kind of hoping it was yours."

"Menu":
• "It is mine" → confess
• "Sorry, it's not" → not_you

💡 These choices lead to the same confess and not_you labels from Steps 5 and 6. You're reusing labels you already created!

🎮 Test It!

Hit the ▶ button at the top of the editor to play your game.
Try to reach all 3 different endings!

• Honest End ♥ — An honest confession
• Regret End — Words left unsaid
• Mystery End — The letter remains a mystery

🌐 Share It

Want others to play your game?
⚙️ Settings tab → turn on "Publish to Gallery" and save!
Find your creation at novelez.com/gallery

Congratulations! 🎉
You just made a visual novel with choices, branches, and multiple endings.
Now go create your own story!