Tiny Bytes for 1/2/23

Arbitrary Metric announces Roman Sands RE:Build, a visual novel hybrid with multi-genre blend elements

Announced on December 19th, Arbitary Metric, the developers behind Exquisite Ghorpse Story and Paratopic, have announced their latest title, Roman Sands RE:Build, for PC and Nintendo Switch.

In this unique-looking game, you find yourself on the shores of a luxury retreat whose residents await the day that the sun will swallow the world. The game will have various elements from different game genres, like adventure, horror, survival, simulation, and, of course, visual novels. What will you find at this retreat? And will you be able to leave, or will you become like the others in hoping the sun will swallow the world?

According to a tweet made by the developer, you can expect Roman Sands RE:Build to release sometime in summer 2023. If this game sounds like something up your alley, we recommend checking out the Steam page and wishlisting the game.

Project: Eden's Garden

This is a Danganronpa fangame. Damon Maitsu, the Ultimate Debater, arrives at Eden's Garden Academy, a school hosting an orientation for their most talented and gifted students. However, it's revealed to him and the other fifteen students that there is no orientation. Instead, they have been invited and are going to be forced to play a killing game where only two students can make it out alive.

You can download Project: Eden's Garden's opening chapter, "Vows Woven by Stitches and Needles," on itch.io.

The Cleaner

Originally given a partial release for Yaoi Game Jam 2022, Sponge Kitty Games has launched the full version of The Cleaner. Taking place during the end of the world, you play as a trauma cleaner who gets a request from a man he doesn't really know. Who is this man, and what will happen between him and the protagonist?

You can download The Cleaner on itch.io.

C:\OVER\MIND

In C:\OVER\MIND, you will explore a mental institution named Godcomplex that was built after the world ended. Your job is to find Doctor Jacob Stedman, who is said to be the only one who can help rid the world of its pain. What lies inside the Godcomplex, and will Jacob truly be able to help the world?

You can download C:\OVER\MIND on itch.io for free.

Insomnia: Theater in the Head

In Insomnia: Theater in the Head, you see a young woman experiencing insomnia. You go inside her mind and solve surreal puzzles, gaining insight into her life and why she isn't able to sleep. Will you be able to rid the woman of insomnia so she can finally get some rest?

You can buy Insomnia: Theater in the Head on Steam for US $2.49.

Sweeter Yesterday

In this RPG Maker horror game, you control Laletta, who goes on an adventure through a world she made up as a child. This world is filled with friends, all of whom have an aspect of the main character's personality. However, Laletta's friends start to act insincere and mean towards her. Does this mean there's something bad in Laletta? And could there be far more worse traits that her friends have yet to show her?

You can download the demo for Sweeter Yesterday on itch.io.

Isolated Room

Isolated Room is all about having to wake up another day despite life not being the best. You have limited time each day, so what can you do with the time you have to be happy? To live a better life, especially when you're secluded inside your apartment with very little to do and no one to interact with?

You can buy Isolated Room for US $3.99 on Steam.

77 Oleander Avenue

Content Warning: body horror, homophobia, portrayals of child abuse, religious abuse, suicide, transphobia, unreality, and other potentially disturbing topics.

You play as a paranormal investigator named Tabby who mysteriously finds herself in an abandoned house with none of her belongings on her person. To add onto the weirdness, she can't remember why she's there. While trying to find her things, Tabby meets a ghost named Evie. Who is Evie? Why is Tabby at this house? And what exactly happened at 77 Oleander Avenue that caused the house to become abandoned in the first place?

You can purchase it on Steam or on itch.io for US $5.

Calico

Calico is a wholesome simulation game where you need to rebuild the town's cat café and get it filled with the local customer base: the adorable animals that live around town. You're able to customize your character, interact with the pets, and decorate the café however you like.

On December 22, Calico got a free update that added new minigames, new pets, and new customization tools for your café! So if you haven't picked up Calico yet, now's a great time to do it.

You can purchase Calico on Steam, itch.io, Game Jolt, Epic Games Store, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One/Series X/S for US $11.99.

Perfect Tides

Content Warning: Contains references to sex, depictions of sexual harassment, references to self-harm, and use of drugs and alcohol.

Set in the year 2000, Perfect Tides has you play as Mara, a 15-year-old writer who lives on Perfect Tides, an island that is said to be absolute paradise even though the residents absolutely hate living there. Mara dreams of a life full of excitement. With her 16th birthday approaching, maybe now is the time to do something worth talking about. However, are all those things worth doing?

You can buy Perfect Tides on Steam and itch.io for US $14.99.

Winter VN Jam 2022

Winter VN Jam 2022 has concluded! Just like we did in the previous issue, let's highlight some more entries that were submitted this year.

Inter

While on a long train ride, you can listen in others' conversations and read text messages. Will the story be cozy or be spooky? That's up to you.

You can download Inter on itch.io here.

Midwinter Memory: An Ardency Story

A short holiday story that occurred twelve years before the events of Ardency: Heart of the Rebellion.

You can download Midwinter Memory: An Ardency Story on itch.io.

Snowman

After having his car break down during a blizzard, the protagonist finds a cottage and a deformed snowman. What lies inside the house?

You can download Snowman on itch.io.

Where Winter Crows Go

Content Warning: Emotional abuse (Manipulation, isolation), depictions of blood, implications of the protagonist being overworked and harassed at their job, shaking screen, strong language

Finding yourself stuck in a terrible snowstorm, you find a lone cottage in the middle of the roads that's owned by a man named Crowe. Will you stay with him until the storm passes, or will you leave, risking freezing to death in the bitter cold?

You can download the demo for Where Winter Crows Go on itch.io.

Winter Fragments

A yuri visual novel about two best friends making a visual novel together.

You can download Winter Fragments on itch.io.

Black Visual Novel Jam (December 20th – February 28th)

On December 20th, Black Visual Novel Jam started! If you're a Black creator and are looking for a game jam to join, check out Black Visual Novel Jam! You can check out the game page here. The jam also has its own Discord server!

OjiJam announced (March 1st – May 1st)

Are you a fan of older fictional men, like Kiryu Kazuma from Yakuza or Reeve Tuesti from Final Fantasy VII, and want to spread your love across the internet? Well, now you can! OjiJam, a visual novel jam dedicated to 2D old men, has been announced!

The theme is obvious: create a visual novel featuring an old man or men! There jam page shows examples of what constitutes an old man (e.g., Rodrigue from Fire Emblem: Three Hopes is one, but not Nanami Kento from Jujutsu Kaisen, since the latter is 27). If this sounds like something you'll be interested in, check out the jam page and sign up! You can join a Discord server for the jam here.

Last week, we interviewed Gabmag from Two and a Half Studios! That studio is responsible for The Divine Speaker and is currently developing Dreambound. if you haven't checked out our interview with Gabmag, you can read it here! Next week, we'll be interviewing Moirai Myths, the team behind the upcoming romance/adventure visual novel The Good People (Na Daoine Maithe)!

Write Your Renpy Visual Novel Using A Word Doc by pass_by_reference

Many developers write their games in a writing program or word processor before transferring it over to Ren'Py. For those developers, it's easier than writing in Atom or another code editor. However, sometimes, those same developers struggle when bringing it over to Ren'Py. You have to copy lines over and then add code in between. It's a long process that can leave some devs frustrated. Thankfully, a user by the name of pass_by_reference has released a piece of code that allows you to easily convert the contents of a Word document to a Ren'Py file. This will save you a lot of time during programming.

Animating Chapter and Scene Transitions by Arimia

Sometimes, it's the simple things that can help make your visual novel go from good to great. While coding your visual novel, there are plenty of neat tricks you can do in Ren'Py that'll breathe some life into your game. Arimia wrote a devlog about the different animations she used in her free game Crimson Waves on the Emerald Sea. We definitely recommend reading her post if you want to get some ideas on how to add better visuals and animations into your game!

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