Monogatari is a free and open-source visual-novel engine that runs on the web. Your game is a real website, which means it runs almost anywhere — browsers, desktop and mobile — and you can extend it with anything the web can do.

This documentation will take you from an empty folder to a released game.

New to Monogatari? Follow these in order:

1. Getting Started — Install Monogatari and build your first scene.
2. Building Blocks — The core concepts: script & labels, characters, variables, actions and components.
3. Script Actions — The full vocabulary for writing your story: dialog, choices, images, audio and more.
4. Components — The interface pieces you can restyle and reconfigure.
5. Configuration Options — Tune saving, languages, preloading and more.
6. Style & Design — Make the game look like yours.
7. Releasing Your Game — Ship to the web, desktop and mobile.

flowchart LR
    script["Your script<br/>(labels & statements)"] --> engine["Monogatari engine"]
    engine -->|matches each statement to an| action["Action"]
    action -->|updates| components["Components & screens"]
    components --> player(["What the player sees"])
    player -.->|clicks / chooses| engine

You write a script of statements; the engine matches each statement to an action; actions update the components that make up what the player sees. That loop — read a statement, run an action, update the screen, wait for the player — is the heart of the engine.

While this documentation covers many parts of Monogatari, it doesn't cover everything you could do — because your VN is a website now, and the possibilities are endless. Anything you've seen on a website can be done in your game.

So how do you find help for those things? Another benefit of your game being a website: there are lots and lots of tutorials out there. If you want something to happen when a player clicks an image, you can search "JavaScript click image" — there's no need to look for a Monogatari-specific answer. Everything that applies to a website applies to Monogatari too, even step-by-step web-development tutorials.

Of course, you are not alone! If you have a question, a problem, or just want some help, please reach out:

• Community Forums — a friendly community of people making games just like you.
• Discord Server — for something a little more immediate.
• Mastodon or email (on my website) — for other kinds of questions.
• GitHub — to report bugs or request features.

You can also check the F.A.Q. to see if your question has already been answered.

If you like Monogatari and would like to support it, becoming a sponsor is the best way to do it. There are many ways to donate or sponsor the project — sponsors can also get benefits depending on their tier, like hosting for their games.