I had a long answer and it got eaten. So this is going to be a lot rougher.
I don’t think Choice of Robots is the best example. Eiji and Elly occupy the same place in the narrative, however there are some fundamental differences between them unlike most gender-flipped characters. They both have different backgrounds, different jobs, slightly different interests.
What I dislike most though is when completely different characters are given the exact same lines. You know when there’s a section that is INSERTROMANCENAMEHERE says “long piece of dialogue.”
I think blandness is more due to writing than because a character can be gender-flipped. It may also be personal taste.
I thought all of the Choice of Robots characters were equally fleshed out. Which is to say I think that characterisation, and those relationships were actually the weakest point of the game and certainly paled in comparison to the depth granted to the robots. I didn’t mind though since the game was about the robots first and foremost.
@Lordirish Well I shall suggest again, watch movies in the genre you’re writing that have romance arcs in them, and read books in those genres that do the same. Also analyse what the various choice games do (both the right and the wrong). You likely won’t actually need to go into too much depth.
Definitely.
Choice of Rebels actually tripped me up on that because I was so used to being forced to say ‘yes’ that when you first meet Breden in Rebels I knew that ‘no’ was the right, most realistic choice, but I was worried that choosing anything but ‘yes’ would lock me out of that romance path. I was most gratified when Breden acted realistically to a complete stranger trying to kiss them though.
I’d rather have an arc, preferably one that exists with a character that serves more purpose than just being a romantic interest.
Movies have limited space, (just as choice games do) to tell their stories so it stands to reason they condense things (especially if it’s not a romance movie). They take short cuts.