{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/visual-novel--family-17","type":"mechanic","id":"visual-novel--family-17","lang":"en","title":"Loops, time and repeat playthroughs","summary":"Replays, time loops, and flashbacks change the knowledge available and how you can influence the story.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/visual-novel--family-17/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/visual-novel--family-17.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/visual-novel--family-17.md","aliases":[],"tags":["Visual novels","Mechanics"],"sourceIds":["source-78d3f84fe2a0bc57"],"sources":[{"id":"source-78d3f84fe2a0bc57","title":"Slay the Princess — The Pristine Cut","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1989270/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"Replays, time loops, and flashbacks change the knowledge available and how you can influence the story."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Variants and applications\n\n<a id=\"family-17-variants\"></a>\n\n- Switching the controlled hero. Type: Mechanics. Rule: The player chooses for which participant to continue the development of the general situation. <a id=\"variant-vn-164\"></a>\n- Time return as an ability. Type: Mechanics. Rule: The hero or player returns the plot to the previous state according to the game rules. <a id=\"variant-vn-165\"></a>\n- Creating plot points of return. Type: Mechanics. Rule: The player chooses moments to return to within the story. <a id=\"variant-vn-166\"></a>\n- Limited supply of kickbacks. Type: Mechanics. Rule: Returns consume a resource or are available a limited number of times. <a id=\"variant-vn-167\"></a>\n- Knowledge between runs. Type: Mechanics. Rule: The information obtained allows you to go through a familiar situation differently. <a id=\"variant-vn-168\"></a>\n- Transferring state between cycles. Type: Mechanics. Rule: After a restart, parameters, items or achievements are saved. <a id=\"variant-vn-169\"></a>\n- New options after replay. Type: Mechanics. Rule: The game opens solutions when the conditions of the previous playthrough are met. <a id=\"variant-vn-170\"></a>\n- Changing the past for the sake of the present. Type: Mechanics. Rule: Early action changes the available current situation. <a id=\"variant-vn-171\"></a>\n- Coordination of multiple timelines. Type: Mechanics. Rule: The player achieves a compatible result in several versions of events. <a id=\"variant-vn-172\"></a>\n- The influence of one character's choice on another. Type: Mechanics. Rule: Changing a character's line opens or closes opportunities in a parallel line. <a id=\"variant-vn-173\"></a>\n- Selection of conditions for an event in a cycle. Type: Mechanics. Rule: The player sets up roles, participants or initial parameters for the desired meeting. <a id=\"variant-vn-174\"></a>"},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"Author's working classification for designing games and interactions. Options can overlap and combine; the list is not a generally accepted standard or proven exhaustive list. Application examples are conditional unless a specific verifiable observation is indicated nearby. Sources support individual techniques and technical limitations."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"visual-novel","id":"family-17","title":"Visual novels","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/visual-novel/#family-17","categoryIds":["section-1"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Loops, time and repeat playthroughs","description":"Replays, time loops, and flashbacks change the knowledge available and how you can influence the story.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/narrative-slay-princess-09.webp","width":1440,"height":810,"game":"Slay the Princess — The Pristine Cut","sourceUrl":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1989270/","originalUrl":"https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/1989270/ss_2167394b90a99c33387b6c6cf45c2e6804f5f35f.1920x1080.jpg?t=1791026492","credit":"Black Tabby Games / Black Tabby Games / Serenity Forge","rights":"© Black Tabby Games / Black Tabby Games / Serenity Forge. All rights reserved.","caption":"A repeated encounter opens new questions","alt":"A repeated encounter opens new questions","markers":[{"x":88,"y":46,"label":"The question about imprisonment uses accumulated knowledge"}]},"tips":["Make clear which knowledge carries across repeated playthroughs."],"examples":[{"title":"Slay the Princess — The Pristine Cut","url":"https://store.steampowered.com/app/1989270/"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on 2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and editorial review.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/visual-novel"}}