Yousei is out and Jisei is cheap! Woohoo!

Buy Yousei Now ($15.00): Windows | Mac | Linux

Free demo available.

Hey gang! Yousei is out! Hurrah! Huzzah! Other cheerful exclamations! What took so long? Well, I guess it just took us a lot longer to tighten up the graphics than we thought. Also, Yousei's longer than Jisei and Kansei. And there are more characters. And images. And music. And everything, really. I also hear it's the best one yet. And there may be emotional bits, but don't quote me on that.

For those of you who haven't joined the Jisei clan yet, Jisei is currently 50% off for the entire month of February. Think of it as our Valentine's Day gift to you! Plus, the Jisei+Kansei bundle discount is still in effect, so if you buy Jisei and Kansei together, that's like...less than twenty bucks. Which is pretty cool.

Yousei Castlist

Greetings sakefans and voiceover artists alike. Normally this is where I'd talk about how hard it was to cast the game, etc. but right now I'm sure you just want to see the cast list, so here it is:
Jupiter - Erica Mendez
Aaron - Edwyn Tiong
David - Clifford Chapin
Nathan - Chris Cason
Shawn - Kevin M. Connolly

Additional Voices:
James Goins, Greg Nugent, Karen Kahler

Alright! Now for those who weren't cast, please don't be disheartened. I received 102 auditions total, many from very talented people with wonderful voices who I'd like to hear again. Casting is a tricky process, and it's not always simply about talent. Here are some of the major factors that went into my decision process:

Voice - Was the voice itself a suitable match for the age and appearance of the character? A lot of auditions I received were on the young sounding end, which didn't automatically disqualify anyone, but it did lower chances of getting cast in a college setting.

Vocal Comparisons - Each of the cast members needs to sound distinct from the others. If two characters sound too similar to each other, it's confusing. That means the voices need to sound unique from the other cast members - not only the ones being cast in this round, but also the ones already on board from previous games. There were a couple really great sounding voices and actors who sounded very similar, and I couldn't cast all of them.

Sound Quality - I know that recording across the internet means that not all mics will sound the same, but some mics sound better than others. Having a lower quality mic, or not having good mic "technique" (i.e. standing too close or too far, or breathing on the mic), would drop a person lower in the running. (There are examples of things to avoid here.)

Following Direction - I tend to give pretty specific directions on how to submit files. People who don't follow the directions get lower priority. I know it seems like a petty thing, but if an actor can't even name a file correctly, it doesn't instill much confidence in their ability to take direction elsewhere (like while recording).

Overall, I'm very pleased with the auditions I received, and I'm honored that I got to hear all the fresh talent out there. I'm very grateful to everyone who auditioned, and I look forward to hearing you again.

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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.

--

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.

--

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.

On Finishing things and Crossovers

Don't get too excited about the screencap. It's a mockup using an old Kansei sprite. BUT. If you've been following facebook or twitter, you'll know that we've been half joking/half serious about a Jisei/Fairbrook crossover. Talking about it has certainly garnered an enthusiastic response, so I've been drumming up ideas. Will we actually go through with it? I don't know. There's stuff to be done, like Yousei, Every Sunrise, Oneiro, and Swan Song. On top of that, Winter Wolves definitely has a full docket, too. And of course, there are the merging difficulties. Will it be a murder mystery? Probably not. No one in Fairbrook would kill someone. Will it be a dating sim? Probably not. The relationships in the Jisei series already have their own directions. Who would you play as? Kangai? Natalie? Steve? Susana? Some new character? It's going to take a while to solidify a good idea for a crossover game, but be assured that we are definitely thinking about it. Just don't expect it to be something that pops up terribly soon.

I definitely won't be working on it until Yousei has made it's gloriously late debut. There's a balance somewhere between making a game longer and getting it out faster. Most mobile apps swing in the "get it out soon!" direction, which leads to a lot of lifeless apps. AAA games try not to sacrifice either, but often sacrifice the workers instead. So where does that leave us? Players want a game long enough that it's worth the money they spent. They also don't want to wait forever to read the next chapter. Kansei was longer than Jisei, but it took longer to get out. Yousei is longer than Kansei. Actually, it's got more words than Flower Shop/Winter in Fairbrook. But as you may have noticed, it's taking even longer to release. I think at our current price point, the length of Yousei will be indicative of the length of further games in the series. As for when it's coming out, we really are at the tail end of it. Pre-orders with beta testing should be up super super soon, and I've already had a couple people come in to record voices for the final version. The cast is NOT complete as of yet, but I will announce it as soon as all the lines have been recorded. I've been keeping some of my choices under wraps just in case last minute changes have to be made.

Yousei Auditions

Please Note:
Everyone who auditions will be expected to have a Skype account and be available for live direction and recording over Skype. That is, you must be able to record on your own mic while Skype is running and I am listening and giving you direction. All payment will be handled via PayPal.

Summary:
Kangai and his friends are given a new assignment: pose as prospective college students and find some old research from a project long hidden away at a local university. There's a little bit of a dent in the assignment when one of the university's oldest professors shows up dead, and all clues point to murder. All of the characters listed below are college grad students, so think early 20's. This game is the sequel to Jisei and Kansei. Knowledge of the prior games is useful, but certainly not required. Extras and bit parts will be cast from auditions received.

Returning Cast:
Naoki Mizutani - Micah Solusod
Aki Mizutani - Apphia Yu
Li Mei - Cherami  Leigh
Mikolaj Gurski - Christopher Niosi
Chance Jackson - Kira  Buckland
Marissa Klein - Melissa Johnson

Guidelines:
1.) Record lines in .WAV or .MP3  format. 44100Hz 16-bit preferred.
2.) Name files as yourname_charactername_line#.wav
3.) Please use your real name or an approximation of such. No nicknames, web names, or handles.
4.) Please read this checklist and make sure your sound files don't exhibit any of these problems. I will assume that the quality of the audition I receive will be the same as the quality I will receive if I cast you.
5.) The deadline to submit auditions is Saturday, October 13th, 2012. That is the last day I will be accepting auditions.
6.) Email a .ZIP (or .RAR) containing all your audition files to soymilk.pudding@gmail.com (not my sakevisual address). Please name it yourname_yousei.zip Feel free to include a demo reel, resume, or website link, but it's not a requirement.

--

Aaron Vanich
A shutter-bug with an outgoing personality who makes friends easily. He was raised in Thailand, but he's been speaking English for a while, so any accent he has should be slight. Aaron was the first person to find the body, and it was something of a traumatic experience for him.

01: Introducing himself and his room. (Coo' = Cool)
"Coo', coo'. Aaron. Welcome to the Super Duper Fortress of Fortressness. Those are for you. You can unpack before we go to the lab."

02: Teasing a student after he expresses discomfort at being photographed.
"Well, I like it. You'll get used to it eventually. Everyone does."
 
03: Panicked. Speaking on the phone with emergency services after he finds the body.
"No...I don't...I don't know! No no no, you don't get it! It's Dr. Johansen!"

04: Frustrated and confused the day after the body is found. Trying to be okay, but failing. Kizaki and the main character show more control because they've solved murders before, and he doesn't understand why they're more calm about all these events.
"This is so stupid! Stupid! Super stupid! That was not a thing I wanted to see ever. How are you okay with this? You saw it. The blood. And other parts. I don't even want to be awake, but Kizaki just got up and left an hour ago."

--

David Sawicki
A Steel City boy with a fondness for soccer and slacking off. The other students generally consider him to be less reliable, but he's the favored TA among all the undergrads. Probably because he's the fun one. He jokes around with Nathan a lot. Pittsburgh slang occasionally shows up in his speech, but he doesn't have a very distinct accent.

01: Debating/joking with Nathan over whether guns or swords are better during a zombie apocalypse.
"Guns have a longer range, and they're deadlier. Plus you have to get within biting distance to even use a sword! Hello infection!"

02: Sharing a piece of juicy gossip with the main character.
"Well, you didn't hear it from us, but Auten and his partner, Shen Guan were part of some super hush hush project. The government was funding the whole thing, but something bad happened. And by "something bad" we mean someone died."

03: Repeating the "official" story of how the victim died.
"That's a terrible way to go, accidentally falling off the tower like that. Not like it makes any sense for him to be up there in the first place, but whatever."
 
04: Angry after being accused of being the murderer.
"Are you jaggin'? Who kills a guy over something like that? That's just stupid."

--

Nathan Holm
A young genius from the Pacific Northwest who spends his free time watching sci-fi and practicing with his light sword. He and David are considered the "class clowns," but he tends to be more meticulous about his work.

01: Holding the main character "prisoner" after they mistake him for a criminal.
"Don't talk. We're not going to consort with the likes of you."

02: Debating/joking with David over whether guns or swords are better during a zombie apocalypse.
"But swords don't run out of ammo, and they're quieter. And what are the odds you're going to hit the head a moving target with a gun, anyway?"

03: Bragging about solving a difficult problem when no one was looking.
"Don't blame me. It's not my fault! Nah, I'm being too modest. It really is my fault."

04: In response to being accused of having a disagreement with another student.
"Well, yeah, but we patched it over. That's what people do, you know.  They work things out."

--

Shawn Tasse
The student liaison at the University of Edgewater. Smart, friendly, and always upbeat: Shawn is basically the perfect guy. It also helps that his wealthy family regularly donates to charity. He works hard to maintain his perfect image, and it's rare to see him at a loss for words.

01: Welcoming prospective students to an overnight campus experience. Enthusiastic.
"These'll get you into the dorm building where you're staying. There are also three meals encoded onto the magnetic strip. Just swipe 'em at the cafeteria for a meal!"

02: Talking about the murder, but still trying to "sell" the school to the prospective students.
"It really is a tragedy, isn't it? You know, if you want to talk to a grief counselor..."

03: Apologizing to the main character after he was arrested for something he didn't do.
"Yikes, dude. If I had been there, I would have cleared everything up as quickly as I could. I just hope this doesn't reflect badly on the school."

04: Panicked and a little flustered. Doesn't like the idea of the main character going off to find the killer alone, but not interested in joining him.
"Well, if he's really the murderer, don't you think it's kind of a bad idea for you to confront him? Why take the risk? Maybe you should go get that cop to help you out."

--

Jupiter Celedon
A grad student from Latin America with a no-nonsense attitude. She's the head student in the lab while the professor's away, and she takes her duties very seriously. While she has no problem taking time to relax or have fun, it frustrates her that the other students don't always share her work ethic.

01: Interrogating the main character after she finds him wandering around a locked facility.
"The campus may be a public university, but this lab is off limits to anyone without clearance. I'd like to know how you came to be wandering around alone in our hallway."

02: Sarcastic, somewhat bitter response to "So you don't get along?"
"What makes you think we don't get along? She behaves like a child when things don't go her way, and she's manipulative. Dios mio, she can be so frustrating."

03: Chasing after a rabbit that escaped from its cage.
"Don't let it get away!"

04: Lecture mode on Dr. Johansen's theories.
"Dr. Johansen's hypothesis is this: That such people did exist, but their bloodlines eventually thinned out. But if we could find a sample of the genetic makeup of those extrahumans, we could recreate such abilities today."

Suspect Profile - Jupiter

Meet Jupiter - one of the six suspects in the upcoming murder mystery game, Yousei. She's a student from Latin America, currently attending the University of Edgewater. She's in charge of the biology lab, and it's her job to make sure all the other students stay in line and do their work.

The job is taxing, but she says she loves it. However, lately things have been difficult, and it seems like she might be unhappy with her current working conditions. Enough to kill someone? Find out in Yousei!

Pre-orders will be opening up this month. Although we haven't finished all the extras and the voice recording, anyone who pre-orders will have immediate access to the beta version of the game.

Suspect Profile - Nathan

Meet Nathan - one of the six suspects in our upcoming murder mystery game, Yousei. Nathan's a grad student at the University of Edgewater, and he's a big fan of the War Stars trilogy (Yes, War Stars).

Even though he likes to joke around a lot, he always seems to get his work done on time. According to his friends, he's a genius who can learn anything the first time around. Did he get bored of academics and take up murder as a new hobby? Find out in Yousei: Pre-orders coming soon!

Con Report (x3) + Yousei Update

Hey, everyone! I'm still alive! (Surprise.) Just finished San Japan, MatsuriCon, and AnimeFest, and I am tired. Had a great time, but maaan, that's a lot of dancing. XD I didn't get to run a panel at San Japan this year (going was a sort of a last minute thing), but we sold out of Jisei and Kansei. : D It's my first time selling out of games at a convention. *_* Many thanks to those who came by to buy or just chat with me.

MatsuriCon was my first time selling in Ohio, so that was an adventure unto itself. It was also my first time as a guest at a con, and I just want to thank everyone at Matsuri for being so nice to such an unknown. ^_^;; Shared a table with Painapple Teriyaki, and sold comics alongside games. Thanks to everyone who donated to the charity squirrel (long story) at the table. We raised $130 for the World Food Program. ^o^

Also ran into the first Li Mei cosplayer I've seen at Matsuricon. Almost screamed like a little child when I saw her, which was bad, because I was sitting in someone else's panel when it happened. >_> I'm still really, really excited - especially since she did my favorite outfit from the Jisei series.

And just got back from the four-day con that is AnimeFest. Wound up hosting some extra VN panels with Sayuri Studios and Matt from L33t Str33t Boys, where we had a sort of round table discussion about how visual novels are developing in the west, the state of the market, and general differences between EVNs and JVNs. It was a lot of fun, and I'm considering adding a similar panel to our regular set if people are interested.

Aaaaand a Yousei update for all you brilliant, patient readers. I think I've been saying this for a while, but we ARE nearing the end. Yousei will be longer than Kansei and Jisei combined, so it's taken a lot longer for me to write it. We've also added some other neat things (like an in-game hint system and unlockable glasses for Li Mei and Gurski) and some updates to the exploration system, which was all new code I had to figure out. On top of that, Deji has been devoting a lot of time to create some excellent artwork for you guys (see above for details). I think the endings in this game are the most satisfying (and emotional) ones yet, and I hope that you all enjoy it.

I am hoping to release the game sometime in the summer (not much summer left...), but more than anything, I want to make sure it's good. We rushed Kansei last year, and a lot of bugs popped up. I don't want to make you guys have to deal with that again. I'm considering putting the game up for pre-order with all pre-orderers able to play the beta and give feedback.

For those wondering about the poll for free things, it's because I'm working on designing the game packaging right now, and I'd like to include a nice little bonus item. Still not sure what the bonus item will be, but feel free to leave your thoughts~

Recruiting Beta Testers for Yousei

You know we're almost ready to release a game when I stop posting in the blog. It means I'm busy with other things. XD

In case the post title doesn't make it evident, I'm currently searching for people to beta test Yousei. I'm especially interested in people with Mac or Linux setups, but anyone who can find typos or look for ways to break a game is welcome. Knowing the first two games is probably helpful, but definitely not required. Please visit the sakevisual forums here for details. Beta testers for the full game will be selected from those who respond.

Progress Report

The con rush has died down for a month, so now is a good time to summarize where we are and what our upcoming plans are for the future.

Yousei is slated to come out sometime this summer. We're around the 25% mark in terms of overall completion, but the framework is in place. The sprites for the main cast are done, writing is underway, and music is on track (haha, pun). The final game will be about twice the length of Kansei.

Oneiro will be out this year. Wooo! Right now, I'm thinking sometime in the fall. After reading all the feedback, I've decided not to go with a free vs. deluxe version sort of release. If you want to support Oneiro, we'll have bonus things like posters, t-shirts, or other goodies (like figures) for sale. This game WILL be voiced, and I'll probably be holding auditions for extras in a few months. Keep an eye out for that.

Swan's Melody has always been a side project for Deji and I, so while we're still working on it, it's not high on the priority list. However, I'll be posting updates as we have them.

New Yousei Design

Another updated character design for Yousei. Yup. Chance is back, and she's going to be a major player again! Hopefully Kangai and the team can handle her.

Happy Lunar New Year! The Dragon is Coming.

It's the Lunar New Year, and that means time for tasty food, fireworks, and hope for a great harvest. I'm making rice cakes for dinner tonight. ^o^ As it's the year of the dragon, I thought it would be cool to post a sketch of a relevant character from Jisei, but then I realized that that would be a massive spoiler. D: However! I did get this lovely dragon logo from Alisa, and it was just too perfect not to share with you guys.

But since we're on the topic of Jisei, I'm happy to announce the title for the third game will be Yousei. This was probably the hardest choice for me, since "yousei" tends to mean "fairy" these days. Originally, the word represented a spirit that wasn't of Japanese origin (versus the creatures of Japanese mythology referred to as youkai), and now it implies more of a European fairy type creature. Still, one of the fairy creatures referred to by the term "yousei," was a spirit that could raise the dead, and that's perfect for the Jisei story and our hero Kangai, so I decided to go with it anyway. Of course, knowing the more modern interpretation, I'm still open to fanart of characters with fairy wings. ^_-