Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Hello, 2013~

Yaaay! It's the time of the year where we all say it's the time of the year, and then talk about the previous year and the upcoming year and it's fun and stuff!

So, let's start with a summary of 2012. Thankfully, I didn't get into any horrific car accidents this year. So that's definitely a plus over 2011. Also, went to SakuraCon for the first time, which was all kinds of fun. Made a lot of friends, kept in touch with old ones, and in general had a great time. Sadly, didn't actually finish any VNs (although Yousei is close - so beta testers should keep an eye open for the voiced version going up today or tomorrow). We did make a lot of progress, though, so onward to 2013...

This year, my rule is start nothing new, and finish everything else. So let's go down the list and see what's up.

Every Sunrise - The long awaited sequel to Ripples. Yes, the story goes on. No, you don't get to find out why Kuu and our mascot Kurara have similar hair (although discerning readers have probably already figured it out). Every Sunrise will be another kinetic novel. It will also be our first try with (optional) voiced narration. With increasing requests to make VNs more accessible, we're going to release this with every word available to be heard. While doing the same for a VN with choices seems like a difficulty at the time, if the response to full narration in Every Sunrise is good, we'll look into solutions for games with different paths.


Swan's Melody - A free game that Deji and I have been working on on the side. It's been a sort of on and off project for years, and we used 2012's NaNoRenO to push ourselves to get a decent amount of the work done. We'll likely do the same this year. The game involves cute girls. And magic. Potentially at the same time. Will we finish it this year? Only time will tell! There's kind of a lot in it.

Oneiro - The game that won't stop revamping. orz We're currently on our third background artist, and our second revamp of sprites and CGs. I don't know why bits keep falling apart like this, but I really want to finish this game. I'm quite fond of it, and I'm really looking forward to sharing it with you all. The writing is basically done, and the OST is complete. Until we can finish the new art, please enjoy this lineart of Lance and Asami having a moment.

Backstage Pass - I've been hinting at this on and off last year, but with tooaya busy with school, we haven't been able to devote much time to working on this. This will be our first otome game in the Green Tea Line, and it will have everything some of the things you guys wished RE: A++ could have had. It'll also cover a year of time instead of a month. I hope you like showbiz, because it's got a singer/musician, an actor, a model, and a magician. >_>;;

Jisei Mark IV - Those with the beta of Yousei already have an idea of where the next game is going, but for the moment I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't played yet. This will probably come late in the year, as I'll be spending the early portion of the year promoting Yousei and working on the above mentioned VNs. Currently, the plan is to make it approximately the same length as Yousei. Also, someone will probably die in it.

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Other stuff I will get around to eventually but probably not this year:
-Kangai's Big Little Adventures: I want to write some free side stories for Jisei that involve the group solving non-murder mysteries that aren't directly linked to the main story. I also want them to be illustrated with chibis.

-Jisei in Fairbrook: Started as a joke, but kind of isn't a joke anymore. So...maybe this will happen? Someday? I don't know.

-A big, multi-artist project: I've been toying with the idea of doing a VN in which the main character visits multiple worlds, and each world is illustrated by a different artist. I think it would be super cool, but I'll have to do more than just think about it before it really comes into fruition.

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In summary, my goal remains the same as ever. Finish two free games and one Green Tea game. Considering how far along I am in two of the free games on the list, that looks like it might actually be a possibility this year. Whoa.

8 comments:

BonBonBunny said...

These all sound really great!! Swan's Melody sounds adorbz because I rather like cute girls and also magic.

And though I've been following you guys for a while, this is the first I've heard of Backstage Pass!! The flashy showbiz theme sounds like a lot of fun!! I can tell you right now I am going for the magician first.

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh! All of these 'upcoming' announcements are making me squeal in fangirl-ish delight! Cannot wait for more Jisei series installments, spinoffs, and whatnot! Kangai's Big Little Adventures sound so amazing, considering Kangai is my favorite character... All of the other new games sound great as well. Keep up the absolutely fantastic work, Sakevisual! And happy new year!

Anonymous said...

:( Does this mean Hanami x2 was dropped?

Anonymous said...

I hope you feel accomplished and get as much of this done as you can this year! I've really been looking forward to Oneiro and I really want it to happen. And I want to see the sequel to Ripples, too, since I liked the original and it would be nice to see another little sweet story like that.

Annie said...

A little sad to see Hanami x2 not on here. I guess I missed the announcement that it was dropped.

The other games sound fantastic. I quirked a brow at "Backstage Pass" because the art and description seem very much like a typical girly otome, but then I remembered it was you writing it. Crisis averted. I do believe that is the first time you've told us the name of the game itself. It's nice to have something to call the project by.

The idea of the game where the main character visits various deliciously rendered places made me swoon a bit. I love showcases of artistic talent and variety like that. Hopefully that serves as encouragement if you ever decide to go through with making it. :)

Good luck this year! I'm looking forward to seeing what you accomplish.

Ayu Sakata said...

Just so you guys know, hx2 isn't canceled, but we have to regroup right now because of some of the people currently on the team.

Anonymous said...

If the voiced versions of Yousei are going up does that mean the auditions have been finalized?

E.R said...

and im still here.. waiting.. for ripples sequel T_T