Tiny Bytes with Alfy Issue #2
News and Announcements
I Was a Teenage Exocolonist nominated for the Games for Impact award at the Game Awards
It’s always nice to see visual novels getting recognized within the mainstream media. Earlier this year, Lookout Drive Games had their debut title, Portrait of a Texas Family, mentioned on MSNBC. Now, the visual novel/RPG hybrid I Was a Teenage Exocolonist has been nominated for an award at the Game Awards! You can show your support for the game by voting for it. Audience votes count for 10% of the award criteria, with the remaining 90% contributed by the voting jury. You can tune into the Game Awards on December 8 at 7:30 PM EST. We also interviewed Sarah Northway, the lead developer on the game, earlier this year!
You can purchase I Was a Teenage Exocolonist on Steam, itch.io, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4/5 for US $24.99.
Learn to heal and connect with others again in Dear Mom: My Letter to You, now on Kickstarter!
Ayame lost her mom in a tragic incident which has made her close off herself from others, including her own family. A year later, Ayame tries to begin her life again by going back to school. Because of her absence, her friends have become distant, and rumors about Ayame have begun spreading throughout the school. Just when it seems like all hope of restarting her life is lost, Ayame meets a kindhearted soul named Miso. Thanks to Miso, Ayame begins to open up again and tries to be more honest with those around her.
Dear Mom: My Letter to You is currently on Kickstarter with an initial funding goal of US $6,500. If you wish to put some money towards this project, you can visit the Kickstarter here! There's also a demo out for the game. The demo features a lot of Dear Mom's mechanics, such as stat-raising and hanging out with your friends.
Follow your dreams and fall in love in Diffraction, now on Kickstarter!
Inspired by works like Natsume’s Book of Friends and Skip Beat is Diffraction, a coming-of-age otome game developed by Rain Droplet Atelier. In this title, you take control of April, who wants to become a photography-based influencer despite being told her dream was a long shot. Though she tried really hard to make her dream come true, our protagonist has come up short. With no job, no money, and a huge amount of debt to her name, April moves back to her small, rainy hometown. There she meets two men who might turn her far-out dream into a reality.
The project has a funding goal of £11,000 with multiple stretch goals planned. You can support the game on Kickstarter here! If you want to get a preview of what’s to come, Diffraction has a demo out on itch.io.
Can you survive the serial killer who is stalking the students at this all-girls school? Support Red Lilies on Kickstarter!
In Red Lilies, you play Irene, a young girl who is sent off to attend Lady Lilianne’s Academy. With the school holding an excellent reputation for teaching everything a young woman needs to be elegant and well-mannered, Irene is eager to start her time at her new school. However, her world gets turned upside down when a student is found dead in her room. While the higher-ups say she was attacked by a wild animal, Irene and the other students suspect otherwise. Despite voicing their doubts and concerns regarding their safety, the staff dismisses them. Left with no other choice, the young students of Lady Lilianne’s Academy need to fend for themselves if they want to survive their time at this school.
Red Lilies is looking to receive $4,500 USD in funding. If you wish to support ButterflyLatte and their project, you can visit the Kickstarter page here! The game also has a demo out if you want to get an idea of what the game’s like before pledging.
Long-awaited horror mystery title The Elevator Game with Catgirls is releasing December 13th
The Elevator Game with Catgirls showed a lot of promise when its demo was released for Winter VN Jam 2020. You play as Asahi, whose girlfriend, Kirin, decides to take part in a Korean urban legend, "Elevator to Another World." As Kirin disappears into a quiet apartment building to play the game, Asahi waits for her outside. When Kirin doesn't return, Asahi tries calling her, and all she gets is eerie laughter on the other end. Left with no other choice, Asahi goes inside and enters the apartment in search of her girlfriend.
The Elevator Game with Catgirls is set to release on December 13 on Steam and itch.io. We strongly recommend getting the game when it launches next month, especially if you're a fan of either the horror or mystery genres.
Top New Indie VNs
Will you embrace or reject God in God is in the Radio?
Developed by catsket, who made LIMERENCE and is currently working on Art Without Blood, God is in the Radio is a horror title where you play as Death. On Halloween night, gathered with the other Arcanas, you and the others are informed by the High Priestess that God has a message for everyone: hidden away in an abandoned house is a gift. By finding this gift, that person will be given life. Will you go searching for His gift without hesitation? Or will you start to become wary, fearful of what lies in store for you and the others?
You can download and play God is in the Radio for free on itch.io.
Learn how to be human in Studio Élan's newest release, Please Be Happy
Developed by Studio Élan, who made the acclaimed yuri game Heart of the Woods, Please Be Happy is described as a "comfy, slice-of-life" visual novel. You step into the shoes of Miho, a fox who was shown kindness by a traveler long ago. Many years later, Miho is in search of the one who gave her a chance when others wouldn't. On her journey, she arrives at Wellington Skyport; littered with humans, this puts Miho, who is wary of humans due to their cruel nature, on edge. But when she meets two women, Aspen and Juliet, Miho begins to learn that there's more to humans than just the bad stuff.
This game features two routes, multiple endings, and full voice acting. You can purchase Please Be Happy on Steam and itch.io.
Meet, fight, and fall in love with Gods in the otome game Yukar From the Abyss
In Yukar From the Abyss, Kurumi Oki lives a busy life in Tokyo. Trying to enjoy a day out with her friends, Kurumi boards a train to go see them. She falls asleep on the train, and when she awakens, she finds herself not in Tokyo, but rather in Hokkaido, Japan, a land dominated by gods. In unfamiliar territory, Kurumi meets a cast of handsome men who she can romance if she plays her cards right.
The game is currently in Early Access on Steam and can be purchased for US $18.99.
Other New Games You Might Like
Solve a series of murders in 16th-century narrative mystery Pentiment
Made by Obsidian, Pentiment is a historical narrative-driven game taking place in early 16th-century Bavaria. As Andreas Maler, you get caught up in a series of murders in Tassing and Kiersau. It's your job to figure out what happened to the victims. But it won't be simple. Because of the time period the game is set in, where religious and political change is occurring, your choices can impact the community's future. What happened to the people of Tassing and Kiersau, and what will their tomorrow hold?
You can purchase Pentiment on Steam and Xbox Series X/S for US $19.99.
Embark on a road trip with Scott and Polly in Monster Prom 3: Monster Roadtrip!
Beautiful Glitch has released the third entry in the Monster Prom series, Monster Prom 3: Monster Roadtrip. Dating takes a backseat in this entry. Instead, you're focused on getting to a destination with your chaotic pals, Scott and Polly, in tow. If you've played Monster Prom, you can expect much of the same: absolute insanity. What sets Roadtrip apart from the others is that you need to carefully manage your stats. If any of them reach 0, it's game over. Also, while we did mention that dating has taken a backseat, it's still there, so those wishing to romance one of your road trip companions still can.
You can purchase Monster Prom 3: Monster Roadtrip on Steam for US $11.99. The game also has DLC, each of which costs $2.99 and allows you to play as a different character, like Zoe or Juan, who has appeared in previous Monster Prom entries.
Alfy’s Jam-Dar
Winter Jam 2022
Jam Description:
This jam’s theme is: Winter. You can interpret this theme how you like. No matter if your story is about cozy times in front of a fireplace, spending time with loved ones over winter holidays, or adapting winter-themed tales, all are welcome here.
Twitter Hashtag: #WinterVNJam
Jam Period: December 1st to December 31st
Allows: Demos, WIPs, projects that started before the jam began
Rules: Has to be a visual novel or a story-focused game, has to fit in the jam’s theme of winter, no sex or gore, and no entries that are hateful or bigoted
Discord Server: The server that’s hosting Winter VN Jam 2022 is DevTalk, the biggest server for visual novel developers. If you wish to share your project’s progress and talk with other participants, we recommend joining DevTalk!
As mentioned in our last issue, Winter VN Jam is approaching! If you're looking for a relaxing jam to take part in, this game jam is perfect for you. It's very laid-back and there are very few restrictions when it comes to the kind of entries that can be submitted. For veteran or first-time game developers, Winter VN Jam 2022 is a nice jam for all to participate in.
Interviews
Last week, we interviewed the team behind First Bite. So, if you missed that, you can check out that interview here! There are also plenty of other devs that we've talked to over the past two years.
- Celebrating the two-year anniversary of Our Life: Beginnings and Always, GB Patch Games is a talented developer who we interviewed back in March 2021.
- On October 31, Phantasia Jam ended! This three-month-long game jam focused on bringing more fantasy stories to life. We interviewed one of the hosts, Cats on a Lilypad Studios, about the jam back in August.
- Silken Sail (Henchman Story), Galdra Studios (Arcadia Fallen), and Rocket Adrift (Raptor Boyfriend: A High School Romance) have come together and created the Heroes, Villains, and Raptors bundle (US $45.87) featuring their games! We interviewed Marc Soskin of Silken Sail in November 2021.
Insightful Developer Content
No social media platform lasts forever. With Twitter getting worse every day, Arimia wrote a fantastic post about social media and how they aren't your friends. This post talks about how various platforms out there can screw you over and why you should rely on the media you own (such as newsletters) to get your products out there.
As we mentioned in our first issue, getting your game noticed is hard. Some have even attributed their success to pure luck. However, while luck is involved, there are things you can do to try and get your game out to more people. The developers behind Minotaur Hotel, Minoh Workshop, have written up a detailed overview on how to get your game higher in itch.io's search results.
Accessibility matters, and there's no excuse not to have options that make your game more accessible. There are a ton of accessibility options already out there for VN devs to take advantage of, like minute's Ren'Py Accessibility Add-On. Game Maker's Toolkit released an informative video back in 2018 about tailoring your game for those who are colorblind and have low vision. This video can give help you some ideas on what to do for your next release.
Supporters
