Introduction
This week I played One Night, Hot Springs (ONHS) on PC. This indie visual novel explores the experiences of Haru, a trans woman, during a hot springs trip with her childhood friend. Developed by npckc and released in 2018 for Android and PC, ONHS feels more like a personal diary than a game made for an audience. Despite this, I believe it can resonate with players of all ages who enjoy visual novels and are interested in queer stories.
Central Argument
Through its visual novel genre, ONHS embeds the feminist theory of agency. Additionally, ONHS encourages players to play as feminists by “think[ing] within different perspectives and experiences”. I argue that this game achieves this in different ways for cis and trans audiences. Cis people can learn about and appreciate the trans experience, and trans people can enact different experiences to gain the understanding that the world isn’t always as scary as they may fear it to be.
Analysis
As a visual novel, ONHS has simple game mechanics. Players progress by clicking through the story and making choices at key decision points, influencing how Haru navigates various situations. This interactive element grants players a sense of agency. Shira Chess, in “Play like a Feminist”, notes that agency is defined as “the choices made that make the game unique … to each player” in the game world, and “the will to act and gain voice in a system of power” by feminists. ONHS blends these definitions, allowing players to influence the narrative while giving voice to a marginalized identity (a Japanese transwoman).
In ONHS, cis and trans audiences play as feminists differently. For many cis players, ONHS might be their first time experiencing a trans perspective. Therefore, moments like filling out Haru’s legal name and sex on the ryokan’s registration form might feel particularly novel and thought-provoking.
Conversely, trans players are already familiar with this scenario. Writing down Haru’s legal name on a form or navigating Erika’s somewhat obtrusive questioning about Haru’s identity is an everyday experience for many trans people. Rather than playing out a new experience, ONHS encourages trans audiences to think as feminists by considering different routes they may take to interact with the world. This game becomes a safe testing ground where trans players can make choices they wouldn’t otherwise make in real life, gaining positive affirmation that the world isn’t as cruel as they fear it to be.
In my first playthrough, I only chose “safe” answers. My goal was to protect Haru from confrontational and dangerous situations. Despite my intentions, playing cautiously led me to the only bad ending (of the 7 possible). Even though I avoided any dangerous situations and negative responses from others, I didn’t promote a positive outcome for Haru. She didn’t get to experience the hot springs or connect with the people she encountered, for good or bad.
In my second playthrough, I took a bolder approach. I had Haru openly discuss her identity and advocate for herself, leading to one of the best endings where Haru befriends Erika, enjoys the hot springs, and connects with a ryokan staff member who has a transgender sister.
Therefore, by rewarding more “risky” choices, ONHS encourages trans people to interact more openly with the world, promoting the empowering message that trans people can be welcomed and accepted for who they are.
Conclusion and Critique
Overall, ONHS creates fun through its simple narrative of a transgender woman. The game is fairly short – I finished my first playthrough in less than 30 minutes. However, due to its short length and its aim to promote a positive message, it doesn’t fully explore certain issues. I believe that ONHS could deepen its exploration of feminist themes by portraying a more complete view of the transgender experience. By only including positive reactions from outside characters, cisgender audiences may conclude that Haru’s fears are exaggerated. Therefore, I believe including bad endings reflective of the prejudice transgender people face may allow cisgender audiences to gain a more complete understanding of the trans experience.
As a final note, while not a critique, I did notice that the game relies on some cultural context Western players may not have, such as the concept of public baths. Moreover, the English translation might obscure important cultural details, such as the significance of Japanese honorifics and the distinction between gender and sex in Japanese society. I believe that having a more complete cultural understanding allows players to better understand the choices they make for Haru.
Discussion questions:
Is there another genre that would tell ONHS’s story in a way that still promotes agency?
How does ONHS disrupt the video game industry?
