itch.io

Are you planning to release a mobile build? I have this on PC, but I wanna play this at school !!

Omg thanks for reviewing my game!! I’m surprised you have so much to say based off of this short demo ^^

I’ve never been a big fan of long, windy expositions in visual novels. So, for this game, I wanted the player to learn about shadows and how they impact the world along with Diune. Which is why the information given at the start is so limited.

As for the character designs, my main goal was to showcase as much of the characters’ personality/backstory without saying a word. For example, I wanted Elizaveta, the maid in the intro, to have both a nurturing and mysterious air. I wanted the player to feel at ease and on edge during the short time she’s around. I also wanted their full designs to translate well into smaller sprites. Which is why there’s sometimes a really tiny doodle of a character on some concept art.

Color is also another thing I’m proud of. I didn’t want Diune to blend in, but I didn’t want her to feel like she’s out of place. So, I made sure that the backgrounds weren’t too dark or too bright to lose sight of her (although, her dark green jacket and bright yellow scarf balance this out already). Speaking of backgrounds, I’ll admit that some of the last maps were rushed since I was working on them about 2 days before I went on a trip, so it looks a bit off compared to the rest of the maps.

Thr writing was what i was worried with the most, since I do all of it on the spot. Outside of general planning, I come up with conversations on the spot. So I’m a bit worried that some phrases might be a bit jank. I’m not the biggest fan of visual novels, so I try to keep conversations at a reasonable length, but be as fulfilling as possible. Marisa was a bit of a challenge for me. I wanted her to be soft and caring, but I didn’t want her to feel like she just revolves around Diune. I’ll admit that she doesn’t have enough screen time in this demo to really showcase her character.

By the time this reply is written, the missing sfx should be fixed! Thank you and the people who reported it! I’m planning to add custom sfx and an ost in the full version!!

Oh, and before I go, let me tell you that some the information shown when you inspect the desks in the office is actually a bit of build up before you meet whoever works there :3

Thanks for playing my game!!

I didn’t know those files were missing. It was one in many countless attempts to upload the zip file for the web build, I think I deleted them on accident and was too tired at that point to playtest the web build.

As for the chase, it was originally set to chase the player, but I didn’t like how it would sometimes step to the side while chasing the player. I’m going to have to test some other behaviors out soon.

Thanks again and good luck with your project as well!!

Thanks for commenting!! Sorry for the late reply, it takes me a while to come up with responses sometimes.

I’ll admit, I got a bit lazy during playtesting and only looked for bugs for the downloadable builds. I didn’t notice the missing sound files! They either got lost when I exported the game, or when i was deleting sound effects to make space for the 1000 file limit.

I’ll admit that the writing and visuals were a higher priority than sound design, so I didn’t spend a lot of time in that department. I was mostly rushing through while playtesting, so I didn’t notice how empty the game felt without sound. Adding an ost and better sound design is my highest priority right now.

I’m glad you liked the art and writing!

i appreciate it, but I figured it out !! the issue turned out to be the browser i uploaded the zip file on, everything’s good now !!

it should be working now, sorry it took a while !!

I’ll be sure to patch it after school!! I uploaded without playtesting to look for bugs, so that’s on me lol.

thank you so much !! this comment means a lot to me, since it’s my first time making a game. i wish i got more content into the game, but i didn’t have time! we might not see the princess for a while, unfortunately, but i have something planned for halloween!