The core idea behind the deduction-based visual novel Gnosia isn't anything new for fans of the genre. As a crew member in a spaceship infected by an alien race known as the Gnosia, players must deduce which of their fellow crewmates wants to kill everyone else on the ship. One of the most interesting aspects of deduction games like Among Us is the element of human interaction. Players must learn to lie, negotiate, cooperate, and betray others in order to reach their goals.
Instead of a multiplayer experience though, Gnosia takes the form of a visual novel, similar to series such as Danganronpa and Zero Escape. As a result, players will need to focus on character dialogues and interactions in order to look for clues. Over time, more and more mechanics are introduced and players can take advantage of debates, alliances, and skills to find the imposters.
Gnosia's Short and Sweet Timeloop Mechanic
While visual novels such as Danganronpa traditionally feature a straightforward narrative, Gnosia features an interesting mechanic that distills the gameplay into short 10 minute rounds. Players are thrust onto a spaceship where shapeshifting aliens known as Gnosia intend to kill off the entire crew during the night. After some debate, crew members will decide on someone who they believe is infected by the Gnosia and put them to cryo sleep in order to prevent deaths. The game continues until all the Gnosia are eliminated or they take control of the ship.
Though this aspect of the game is similar to other deduction-based visual novel such as Danganronpa, Gnosia also uses a time loop mechanic that forces the player and crew to relive the same day over and over. Much like multiplayer deduction games such as Among Us, the variables are randomized every loop and players will find themselves as both crew members and Gnosia killers in different loops. This unique formula succeeds because it shrouds the story of Gnosia in mystery and forces players to give up their preconceptions about the characters they interact with.
Typically, visual novels like Danganronpa are concerned with building up a strong narrative over time and usually feature a single mastermind that players must discover through hours of gameplay and dialogue. Gnosia does focus on character interactions but at the same time, introduces the time loop mechanic where the crew's roles will all shift once a round has ended. Regardless of whether the player had won, lost, or died, the reset brings a fresh start and players cannot routinely rely on certain characters. Resembling social deduction games like Among Us, each new round has different imposters and this mechanic makes Gnosia an unique experience compared to similar visual novels.
The RPG Elements
Gnosia also takes the mechanics even further through its use of RPG-like elements such as stats and roles. As players loop through the storyline, they can improve stats such as charisma, intuition, logic, charm, and more to aid them in the investigations. For example, stealth makes it more difficult for the Gnosia to kill the player while intuition makes it easier to pick up on lies and suspicious behavior.
Advancing certain stats will also grant commands that can be used in debates. For example, having 15 charm will allow players to use the "Let's Collaborate" command which asks another character to act as an ally in debates. As the stats increase in level, players will gain access to more options which can aid or sabotage their crewmates during the debates. Featuring a levelling system similar to RPGs, Gnosia gives players a sense of progression as they uncover more secrets through subsequent loops.
Gnosia also introduces a role system for crew members to further complicate the mystery. After a few loops, players are introduced to this mechanic where crew members are assigned roles such as doctor, engineer, and guards. These special crew members have specific abilities that can aid their teammates or fool the others. For example, the doctor has the ability to identify if the crew member that was voted into cryo sleep the previous night was actually a Gnosia or not. While this can be a helpful tool, the Gnosia are also able to use this to their advantage by lying about the cryo sleep member.
The Inevitability of Failure
Another interesting concept that separates Gnosia from other visual novels is the idea that failure is inevitable but tied to progression at the same time. Similar to rogue-lite games such as Hades, failing a round doesn't stop a player's progression in the game. The narrative will continue to progress to some degree while the player has the opportunity to level up their skills and use what they learned from their failure in the next run. Eventually, the player will overcome the hurdle by either progressing their character significantly or understanding the mechanics of a run thoroughly.
While Gnosia departs from traditional visual novel mechanics through its use of time loops, this rogue-lite style of play is also a great way to present branching paths for the players to take. Different narrative paths are a common theme in visual novels to encourage replay and allow players to discover more information about certain characters or storylines. Instead of restarting from the beginning though, Gnosia takes an approach similar to rogue-lites where failures contribute to the narrative in some way. Over many loops, players will encounter special events or trigger flags that will progress the story forward and reveal more information about their crewmates. Eventually, players will slowly uncover all of the secrets in the game by continually interacting with the crewmates and understanding their motivations.
Gnosia is able to put a unique spin on the visual novel genre through its time loop mechanic. Taking cues from social deduction games such as Among Us, Gnosia implements an engaging gameplay loop through short bursts of gameplay that slowly reveal the overarching narrative. Much like Danganronpa, Gnosia also focuses on character interactions and dialogue to drive the narrative forward and uncover the final mystery. Combining the best parts of Among Us and Danganronpa, Gnosia offers a different experience than what players might expect from the visual novel medium.
Gnosia is available on Nintendo Switch.