RPG. But by no means a graphic novel. This also applies to kinetic novels. When I read, my brain creates certain images on a subconscious level. As for graphic novels, they only destroy the elementary culture of reading. And/or are designed for people who have already lost this culture/are unable to perceive large amounts of text. Yes, clip thinking prevails nowadays and this trend is very sad.
I like both, The gameplay of the RPG is more engaging and the VN have a better way to transmit the story. But the visual novel that tried to add RPG mechanic it's just the worst..
Here I am in search of games. It's the gameplay that interests me. I ignore kinetic novels, and I download VN novels if they contain game elements. I delete novels with a linear plot without the slightest regret.
Never been a huge fan of the rpg maker games so I guess VN. When they tend to mix rendered images with pixel games it just give an off feel to the game.
Generally RPG maker, in thesis it has more interaction range and it's easier to translate and manipulate (like extracting the gallery if the gameplay sucks). VNs tends to come in a varied range of engines with varying dificulties of interface and translation and their interaction choices tend to be harder to handle. Though many rpg maker games would benefit from being in the VN format since they are just scene collectors so just skip the travel time.