We're Moar Interactive. We're making Signed in Secret, a story-rich adult visual novel set at a hidden magic school. It's the remake of Bancroft Academy. Episode I is in production, and there's no build to play yet, so we don't have a playtime to share. Following us on Patreon is free.
Why there's no one answer
A visual novel is a game you read. So how long it takes depends on you, too. Fast readers finish sooner. People who listen to every voice line, or stop to look at every picture, take longer.
The bigger thing is what the playtime is counting. When a store page says "8 hours," ask:
- Is that one episode, one season, or the whole story? Many adult games are still being made. The hours often cover only what's out now.
- Is that one route or all of them? If a game has several love interests or endings, one playthrough shows you only part of it.
- Is it a guess or a measured number? Steam's "hours on record" can include time the game sat open in the background.
Rough sizes people use
VNDB, a big visual novel database, sorts games by how long players say they took:
- Very short: under 2 hours
- Short: 2 to 10 hours
- Medium: 10 to 30 hours
- Long: 30 to 50 hours
- Very long: over 50 hours
A lot of adult games that come out in episodes start in the short band. They grow as more episodes come out.
Longer isn't always better
Fans argue about this a lot. Some love huge stories they can live in for weeks. Others want something tight that doesn't drag. Most agree on one thing: a story should earn its length. Ten great hours beat thirty slow ones.
How to check before you start
- Read the store page for a playtime, and see what it covers.
- Look the game up on VNDB for player-reported times.
- Check how many episodes or chapters are out, and whether it's finished.
- Look for "routes" or "multiple endings" if you like to see everything.
What about Signed in Secret?
- Planned size: eight episodes in three seasons.
- Playtime: not announced yet. We'll share it once Episode I is done, not before.
- Choices that stick. Blow someone off for a week and they'll notice, so a second playthrough can go differently.
- Same game for everyone. Patreon supporters get builds sooner. Nobody gets locked out of scenes.
- No build yet. When Episode I is out, it's $10, one time, in early access on Patreon and itch.io. It's free if you own Bancroft Academy on Steam (the free itch.io copy doesn't count).
Following is free. A paid pledge is monthly, and you can cancel anytime.