LogFAQs > #978734591

My personal criteria for 'is it a VN or not?' is based on reading and also if the main point of the game is the reading or not.

IE I considering the Utawarerumono series a VN but not, say, GBA/GC era Fire Emblem, despite both having strategy RPG gameplay with dialogue segments using still portaits between them, because you can literally go hours in Utaware without combat at times but FE will usually only be a half hour or so at most.

FE wants to keep you 'in the gameplay' with story interludes whereas Utaware wants to keep you 'in the story' with gameplay interludes.

That said that kind of breaks down for ZTD in particular because while I would say the story is front and center and not the gameplay, it also doesn't expect much reading- there's little non-voiced text. I don't believe you generally get any character thoughts or monologues, or descriptions of things or actions that you must read.

So personally, I don't consider ZTD a VN.