Point-and-click

Point-and-click refers to gameplay sections where the play must use their cursor to a location on their screen (pointing) and press a button (clicking). In the context of visual novels, this usually happens when the player is asked to click on the background image to collect items, clues, or to navigate.

In some cases, point-and-click events will have several potential outcomes, and the player must choose between them. This can alter the narrative path.

Best practices

In order to make the experience smooth and pleasant for the player, it's worth considering the following:

• Interactable objects should be highlighted or distinguished from the background. For example, hovering the objects might give the object an outline, or the pointer changes in some way. This avoids the need for pixel hunts.
• Indicate when text is exhausted if clicking an object multiple times results in different dialogue. For example, the pointer can use one color if there's unseen text and another one if the text is exhausted.