#indie vn dev

[sparkofthemachine]

Happy new year y'all! I spent new year's eve finishing the demo for my dawning dating/friendship sim, and it's out on itch.io if you wanna give it a spin! The demo contains the first 20% ish of the game, and I plan to release the full game on Jan 3rd. A current playthrough of the demo takes about 5-10 minutes but there's a bunch of dialogue options to choose from.

customizable player name (pronouns are unspecified/gender-neutral throughout the game)

you can choose from human, awoken or exo at the start (limited dialogue changes atm)

original OST

I'll make another post when the final game is out.

[vanade]

Made some big progress on my dawning dating/friendship sim by the way! If you're still on the hellsite known as twitter, I'm posting regular updates on my development process in this thread. The aim is to be done and submitted to wintervnjam ideally by Dec 31st 11:59PM but it depends how the next few days go.

[hamiltonhour]

Summer Devlog

New devlog posted, which is more or less what we've shared here + a couple screenshots we shared on twitter. hoping to have something more substantial in the next devlog (hopefully by the end of the year!)

[meo-eiru]

❗Hold Your Tongues is now officially up❗

You can go here and download the game!

Make sure to read the warnings!

Thank you so much @celerifleuri you did an amazing job at everything I'm honestly so emotional right now. We worked so hard, started from 0 and managed to finish this, I'm so so happy.

And guys don't forget, the game isn't over yet! We will continue to add bonus content so please look forward to those!

Have fun and I hope you like it!!!!

[miragenoirvn]

Mirage Noir / Keyframes Collab

There's an evil catnapper going around, so it's up to our two detectives to crack the case!

Credits

Yunie: MeggieEliseVA

Cam: kokapeach_

Fio: yumprincessVT

Jamie: charlatean

Art: tsyshenn

Keyframes: @blank-house

Kickstarters

Mirage Noir: https://kickstarter.com/projects/1303122279/mirage-noir?ref=a7ipj2

Keyframes: https://kickstarter.com/projects/blankhouse/keyframes?ref=4gxa4i

Full Comic

[stemmmm]

Good Lord! Everyone at the Reunion For My Religious All-Girls School Is a Trans Man... And They're Hot?! is out now!

It's a romantic comedy otome game featuring three trans masculine love interests made over a 2(ish) month period for the Otome Jam and the Trans Rep Jam!

AND IT'S COMPLETELY FREE TO PLAY!

Hop over to itch.io to catch up with your old classmates!

[team-avia]

This darling is somber and calm. Peer into the murky depths of her past and help her wash away the bad to bring the good ashore.

[maneki-mushi]

Saint Ceri - upcoming adult otome

Saint Ceri is an adult otome with poly options that will be released on July 31st!

It features three love interests, 6 monogamous endings, and every possible combination of poly endings! But reaching your happy endings will require careful communication and withstanding the pressure of the church you belong to.

It also features:

📖 120k words

🎨 28 total base CGs

🌹 Soft femdom (two submissive male LIs, one dominant female LI)

💋 NSFW scenes, and an optional SFW mode

💔 Optional jealousy and angst; break everyone’s heart!

Play the demo now on itch.io or Steam!

[minthe-drawings]

✨💖Meet Niko💖✨

Your charismatic childhood best friend with an eye for fashion!📷 Childhood romances can stand the test of time, right?

[endys]

Haunt a suit of armour. Reclaim your memories.

Rewrite this tragic ending.

You wake up as a ghost, with no memory of who you were or how you died. The only clue to your past is the empty suit of armour you now possess.

As you explore an abandoned castle and piece together your memories, you’ll uncover your tale: A tale of broken promises, regret, and bonds that last beyond death.

But your story doesn’t have to die with you.

Play the demo:

Steam | Itch.io

[glasswinggames]

Visual Novel In Progress

Discord || Ko-fi || X

Dear Reader,

Congratulations! You have been selected for a chance at a new life in another world!

Archelia is a place of magic, mystery and more! This city may have many Twisted Secrets, but it's a place where dreams can be made reality... though of course, all things come with a price.

So, complete your missions, trigger the Catalysts to change the world, and maybe, in the midst of it all, find your Ever After...

You, our beloved Reader, have been brought over from Earth by a mysterious being who only seems to communicate with you through a blue screen that only you can see. You've been chosen as the representative of the God's who wish for change to the story of a world that has long since gone stagnant.

If you succeed in unlocking your power and creating change with the help of the Catalysts, beings at the centre of change identified by the God's, you can have anything you wish for...

But only if you give a satisfying ending.

As the screen disappears, you're left to your own choices, to shape your new life in this fantasy world, where magic and mystery exists around every corner, and to become whoever you want to be. Will you stay as a reader, letting the story pass you by? Will you be a supporting character, helping the hero or villain as you choose? Will you become a protagonist, bringing change by your own hands?

... Or will you become something more?

Features

Ever After: Twisted Secrers is an 18+ Visual Novel set in a historical fantasy inspired world following eight different stories exploring a variety of themes.

🦋 Customisable MC 🦋

The MC of Ever After: Twisted Secrets is completely customisable. There is a customisation screen to choose name, pronouns, gender, sexuality, and physical appearance, including disabilities and much more. You can set preferences for physical touch, and personality is defined through optional flavour choices.

🦋 Different Relationship Dynamics 🦋

When you meet each interest, you will get to choose how you feel about them, whether it's dislike, disinterest, friendliness, or attraction, and there will be options to deepen these feelings throughout the stories. This gives more opportunities to give depth to your MCs personality: dislike a character but want to be nice to their face or even manipulating them to love you? There are options for that.

At the start of each route you will be asked whether you want to play the platonic or romantic route, this will determine your potential relationship statuses in the endings. For platonic you can become best friends or even be in a queerplatonic relationship.

In Jedreks route, there is the option to be in a poly relationship with Jedrek and the side character Oliver. You can choose the dynamic, whether it's a V or a triangular relationship. It is not possible to be in a relationship solely with Oliver.

🦋 Choice Driven Stories 🦋

There are three types of choices:

Flavour Choices: Don't impact the endings but dictate your characters personality and influence how people react to you. These choices are optional, if you turn these off then it will follow [redacted]'s selections throughout.

Relationship Choices: Impacts the endings for whether the interest likes/loves or dislikes you.

Catalyst Choices: Impacts the endings for whether you were successful in triggering enough change within the world.

There are four different endings per interest, not including bad ends throughout the prologue and routes and additional epilogues, which are unlocked once you meet the requirements.

🦋 Extras 🦋

CGs - There are 16 CGs in the prologue alone! Each route will have several CGs which you can collect and view in the gallery.

Compendium - Throughout the routes as you discover more key terms and information will be stored in a Compendium which you can access at any time to learn more about the world and its history!

Original Music - For the prologue, there will be an original song written for idol group Boo-K, with plans for the full game to have even more music for you to listen to!

Achievements - There are several achievements you can get throughout each route! Maybe something will happen if you unlock them all...

As you can choose to play platonically and define your own relationships, I refer to the different route options as Story Interests!

Meet the Catalysts of change below!

'I'll have my own following with blackjack and hookers--'

Pronouns: They/them

Sexuality: Demisexual

Age: 30

Height: 6'2"

Cairen is known as being the irresponsible, frivolous rake of the Palace, the fallen second star of Archelia, the charming elven heartbreaker of the city. When they aren't gallivanting around the city and avoiding their royal duties, they can be found tending to their butterflies in their private greenhouse... also avoiding their royal duties.

Perhaps it's a good thing that their uncle still holds into the throne? That the position of heir has gone to their war hungry cousin?

However, as you will see with Cairen, things aren't always as they seem in the floating Palace, and the one who has long since been underestimated has poisonous plans of their own to take back what has been stolen from them, with interest.

Despite Cai's playful, frivolous demeanour, they are smart, cunning, and very ambitious. They know their worth and believe the crown may not be enough to showcase it anymore: they need to ascend even higher and create a new world where they stand above all else.

Will you join them at the peak? Or will they push you off along the way?

'What's a historical fantasy without a cold Northern Duke?'

Pronouns: He/him

Sexuality: Bisexual

Age: 28

Height: 6'

As the ArchDuke, Helios is the leader of the most powerful family outside of royalty, though even they have little control over him since he became the Shayan, the head of the magic tower and the most powerful mage in the Kingdom.

Helios has used his magic and intellect to contribute to the Kingdom, advancing technology through magic stones that are widespread in transport and improving medical care to reduce dependency on the church.

However, his sharp tongue, impossibly high standards and stubbornness haven't earned him many friends, even if his criticisms come from a place of care. Though this doesn't seem to bother him, as he still has what is truly important: his family, his reputation and his magic.

But, when Helios stands to lose everything, and the world he helped turns against him, will he be able to stay true to himself, or will he be driven to revenge?

'Do you want to get magically stuck together? Cause that's how you get magically stuck together!!'

Pronouns: She/her

Sexuality: Bisexual

Age: 35

Height: 5'6"

The Witch of the Forest of Yulis is a mysterious woman. Though she visits the city often with her beautiful seeing eye dog Orion leading the way, she maintains enough of a distance that not too many know much about her.

Nature, animals, and the souls of the dead wander by her side now, but there was once a time when the forest was a haven for others in the city. But as technology has taken over, and more of nature has been destroyed to expand the city walls, the forest and its resident witch have been affected by some strange unknown force and nobody has been able to get close.

Farren is a kind woman, with a tendency to do her best to help others, especially those who can't help themselves. She is gentle, but firm in her boundaries, and a woman with a strength underneath her softness.

However, in the face of death, how long will her gentleness last, and will she take matters into her own hands to save the nature she loves the most?

'[J.Jonah Jameson voice] GET ME PICTURES OF THE BOOGEYMAN!'

Pronouns: He/him

Sexuality: Bisexual

Age: [Redacted]

Height: 6'3"

At some point or another, everyone has either heard or told stories of the Boogeyman. Parents who tell their children to behave lest they be whisked away, friends who hunt for him as a test of courage, and rumours that spiral whenever somebody goes missing. But everyone knows this is just a myth, a legend of a monster that doesn't exist.

Or does he?

Despite his notoriety, nobody knows the face of the Boogeyman, or the fact that he is back.

He feeds on fear, finding joy in their panic, and with his laughter filling the streets as he claims another, it may just be that the title of monster fits him better than you realise.

You've taken a job as a reporter, alongside your new friend Oliver, to hunt him down for the latest scoop, and when you get close enough to snap a photo you find that the playful monster of a killer enjoys the limelight.

Will you be able to keep him entertained long enough to find out what he's doing with the bodies? Or will you end up just another victim on his path?

'Spencer Reid if he was the unsub... and an idol'

Pronouns: He/him

Sexuality: Bisexual

Age: 24

Height: 5'10"

A previous otherworldly traveller like yourself brought the concept of idols to Archelia, giving it a classical twist to fit in with the worlds tastes.

Illium is part of the five member group, Boo-K, an incredibly popular boy group inspired by flowers, with Illium the red flower member alongside his brother, the yellow flower, Zephyr.

He's known as the Prince of the group, the untouchable idol who keeps everyone at arms length with his universal kindness and gentle smile. Fans have pictured him rescuing animals, especially fallen birds, with a soft smile that matches his gentle voice.

But behind his pretty words and soft demeanour, he is still searching for a reason why he exists and something to be truly passionate about. As you spend more time together, he believes you may have the answer to his prayers.

However, you start to notice a trend to a string of attacks and murders... they are all people who have wronged you no matter how small the altercation. Surely the sweet, with his princely charm, Illium could have nothing to do with it... right?

'Your flirting mind tricks don't work on me, only money!'

Pronouns: Dependent on presentation, he/they when masc and she/they when femme.

Sexuality: Bisexual

Age: 48

Height: 6'2" (Masc)/5'9" (Femme)

A large building towers in the city's shopping district: the Bedisa Lounge, home to a large casino, and the Bedisa Family led by the one and only Eos.

On the surface they are a legitimate business and entrepreneur, who supports all the businesses in the city, providing protection, preventing crime and making profits for all. Underneath though, the Bedisa Family is a large criminal organisation who manage the black market, the flow of information from the Underworld, and work under the eyes of the law to steal and con nobility to line their own pockets.

It's so easy when the short tempered, cocky leader can shapeshift and become anyone, even those you think you know well.

Unfortunately for yourself, you make an enemy of Eos when you walk on their turf, and if you want to win this war between the two of you, and even change your status from enemies to lovers, you're going to have to bring all you have.

Though, when they start dabbling in darker businesses, will you stand by them on top of your shared riches... or will you be swept up in their shadows.

'You like heroes? You like himbos? Excellent /breaks him'

First Locked Route

Pronouns: He/him

Sexuality: Bisexual

Age: 25

Height: 7'

The first person you see in this chaotic world and the one who will support you above all else, Noah is the true hero, and not only to yourself. He is known for being a walking ray of sunshine, helping others and protecting all from danger, not even realising when he gets hurt himself.

It's the 'everyday heroics' he likes to say, believing that no matter how small the action is, you can do something to save someone.

A member of the church, he is your rock in the midst of political arguments and infighting between factions. Noah wants to make your dreams come true above anything else.

But underneath that happy go lucky demeanour are anxieties he cannot squash on his own, and a darkness that threatens to swallow his and your light.

What lengths will Noah go to be a hero? Will you be able to save him before he ends up losing himself?

(´｡• ᵕ •｡`)

Second Locked Route

Pronouns: She/they

Sexuality: Bisexual

Age: [Redacted]

Height: 5'7"

Ranked to determine strength, S class mercenaries are few and far between. Fortunately for Archelia however, one resides within their lands. Though unlike others who seek fame and coin, the Mercenary Queen only accepts payment in the form of books and stories.

The quiet Athanasia can always be found with her head in a book, losing herself in the pages regardless of it's contents.

But a life lost in the world's of others is often a lonely one, and they have become no more than an observer, a reader of reality, rather than a main character.

However, as you join this mercenary as she experiences her very own horror, fantasy, romance and more, revealing secrets of the world that have long since been forgotten, what role will she play in this story?

And who is she to you?

[0re]

Amarantus menu screen

[vanade]

IT IS DONE 📢

The Dawning may be over but it's still on in my heart...

Spend a few days with my guardian Ceph, helping him figure out cookie recipes with Eva's 1st gen oven. Will you befriend him? Spend every moment flirting?? Will you EAT THE FORBIDDEN DOUGH?

Features:

10.7k of text (10-15 min per playthrough)

lots of dialogue choices

customizable player name (pronouns are unspecified/gender-neutral throughout the game)

be a human, awoken or exo (changes some flavour text)

original OST by my sister

too many cookies

Play it for free over on itch.io ! Windows, Linux, OSX and Web-Playable! (download recommended though) Also if you enjoy it I would really appreciate if you could leave a rating!! This was a solo project for #WinterVNJam2023 and it was a work of love (and insanity)

[hamiltonhour]

May we interest you in some drabble of how the 3 Seasons boys each hold your hand? 👉👈

Written for warmups as vanade jumps back into outlining Briar's route! Text versions included as image descriptions on each picture, and included below the cut.

Holding your hand: Yuto Edition

Yuto reaches for your hand with hesitance—even now that you're together—as if he's afraid to let himself touch you... Afraid his cool skin might make you flinch away instinctively. He knows you don't mind, but it's a tough habit to break. You find it cute though, how his pinky finger interlocks with yours in quiet silence, wordlessly seeking your consent. You don't need to look at him to know his gaze is averted, the tips of his ears flushed a soft pink, peaking out from his long white hair. You slip your hand into his, intertwining your fingers with a gentle squeeze. He returns your gesture with a firmer grip, the way you'd hold on to something precious you dare not lose.

Holding your hand: Sol Edition

Sol's hand finds yours with such natural confidence. His palm is rough from constant time spent outdoors, and his lightly calloused thumb runs over the back of your hand unconsciously even as he chatters at you about something irrelevant. He tugs you along like an excited kid, his grip sometimes loosening in his excitement to show you things. Every now and then though, something he sees or says will remind him of you—you catch the glint of affection in his eyes as he squeezes your hand, a silent gesture of gratitude that you're with him.

Holding your hand: Rye Edition

Rye's fingers intertwine with yours slowly, assuredly. He enjoys this act and display of intimacy: the symbolism of your bond through physical touch. He doesn't hesitate in the slightest... if anything, his slow and deliberate gesture loudly signals his confidence and his love of romantic actions. It's his own way of communicating to you the thrill and happiness that being in love with you has given him… the ability to shower affection on his own special someone.

[meo-eiru]

❗THE GAME IS GOING TO BE RELEASED TOMORROW ARE WE READY❗

Guys I'm literally so excited I can't wait for you to finally see it. We have been working so hard this past 2 months I really hope you guys like it!!!!!

[crescencestudio]

❆ SECRET SANTA 2024 ❆

IT'S BAAAACK!!!

For the second year, Secret Santa for the indie VN dev community is here!! Let's celebrate and share some love with one another <3 Last year we had 40 people make and receive gifts, and I'm hoping we can spread the holiday love again this year too ^^

The rules are simple: make a fanwork for your giftee and receive a fanwork in return! Gifts last year ranged from

Fanart

Fanfiction

Fangames

Dress Up Games

Videos

and more!

You can participate as a team or as an individual. But the main point is for everyone to have fun \o/ Sign up here (and reblog this post to spread the word!):