Tiny Bytes XOXO for 2/22/23
This week, we interviewed Sam from Delphinium Interactive! She's the lead developer on Whispers Through the Wall, Graveyard Girls, and Reflection! In our interview with Sam, we talked about her, her many projects and the inspiration behind some of them, and her advice to developers on cancelling a project. She also has a very special announcement, which you'll read first in our interview with her! You can read the interview here.
Norn9: Var Commons is coming to Nintendo Switch on March 30th!
With the Switch release for Norn9: Var Commons on the horizon, Aksys has announced a set of collectible character cards that buyers will find in the first-run copies of the game. Alongside this announcement, Aksys also announced the Norn9: Last Era limited edition, revealing the lineup of memorabilia that will be included: an artbook, a cloth poster of the characters, a full-color artbook, 11 vinyl stickers, and an acrylic chibi keychain.
Charade Maniacs is releasing in English this summer!
Charade Maniacs will be localized and released on the Nintendo Switch in summer 2023. It is a Japanese romance visual novel developed by Otomate. The story follows the female protagonist and second-year high school student, Hiyori, as she gets swept up into a fantasy world known as Arcadia. Nine others have also been pulled into Arcadia with no escape other than to perform in a drama at the request of a mysterious masked individual. They may be faced with the same situation as you, but does that mean you can trust them?
Kinder World creator Lumii Interactive has released a plant dating sim!
Lumii Interactive is an Australia-based developer that created a plant-themed mobile game, Kinder World, geared toward spreading kindness and improving mental health with the help of cute plants. The houseplant game was funded on Kickstarter for AU $88,950. The early access mobile game is available on Android and iOS, and has received over 100,000 user downloads, which is a huge feat for an indie developer. Kinder World is so successful that the developers have decided to branch out and create a dating sim, Take Me or Leaf Me, that was released on February 14th.
In Take Me or Leaf Me you can have romantic encounters with houseplants. Each character will have two sprite portraits that appear during conversations so that you can associate the plant with a human sprite. In Take Me or Leaf Me, these plants have unique personalities. Hang out with Pink Princess, Monstera, Dragon Tail, and Pilea, and see which plants steal your heart. Overall, you can look forward to a lighthearted time filled with hilarious moments when you play Take Me or Leaf Me.
You can play Take Me or Leaf Me in-browser here.
The popular webtoon Let's Play will be adapted into a dating sim!
The Kinder World developers aren't the only creators to announce a dating sim based on their original work! Mongie (Leanne M. Krecic), the creator of the webcomic Let's Play, has announced plans for a dating sim based on it. Let's Play is a popular series published on Webtoon which tells the story of an indie RPG developer and her real-life encounters. Her favorite internet gaming celebrity, Marshall Law, does a video review of her game, but unfortunately, his bad review causes a ripple effect and tanks the rating of her game. With comedy, drama, friendship, romance, and more, Let's Play is a story that will bring you through emotional twists of life.
The upcoming spin-off, Everdate, showcases 12 of the fantastic characters found in the webcomic, and players have the option to choose one of these characters as the protagonist and then build relationships with anyone of their choosing. Play the right cards to win over your love interest. They'll reveal their cards, and if you are compatible, you'll move on to your second date. Everdate is currently running a Kickstarter campaign and will be successfully funded if it raises US $50,000 by March 16th, 2023. As a stretch goal, fans can look forward to a voice-acted version if the campaign raises $100,000.
You can follow the Kickstarter page for Everdate here.
Fantasia: At Regime's End
Content Warning: Death, execution, suicide, language, minimal suggestive themes, drug use, alcohol.
Step into the shoes of a demon assassin, Ash, who hails from Valleydyne, the soon-to-be conquerors of the Requia Kingdom. Meet humans, navandels, and other demons as you journey to kill the princess of Requia. But even a demon assassin can have the heart for romance if she finds her match. This game has 341,000 words and six different routes to pursue.
You can play Fantasia: At Regime's End for free on itch.io.
Otome Legends
Content Warning: Themes of suicide and depression, graphic imagery of blood and gore, and themes of violence.
You play a popular otome game on your Nony console, but after playing, you only wish that fantasy were reality. Your best friend thinks she can make that dream come true, but her evil plan doesn't pan out the way she expected. Despite the outward pink and slice-of-life appearance, Otome Legends is a psychological horror romance.
You can buy Otome Legends for US $12 on itch.io.
A Date With Your Serial Killer
A Date With Your Serial Killer is an upcoming yandere romance that tackles the dark side of online dating. The MC comes across a blank profile and decides to give the guy a shot and go on a date, and to her surprise, he's actually pretty handsome. But as the title suggests, this handsome guy is probably a serial killer in disguise.
The developer mentions that the game will be updated in the future, but has not given any other concrete details regarding the future of the development.
You can play the A Date With Your Serial Killer demo here.
Lovebirb
Lovebirb is a bird dating sim with rhythm game mechanics. You meet birds on the online dating app Bumbird and swipe left or right to decide who you want to get to know better. Win over your favorite birds by playing the right tunes! If you were a fan of the pigeon dating game Hatoful Boyfriend, Lovebirb is a lighthearted story that will satisfy your bird romance needs without the dark horror elements.
You can play the Lovebirb demo on Steam and itch.io.
Love and Country
It's 1916 and Lillian Sinclair is a spy for a French spy bureau in this period piece, Love and Country. Lillian and another spy have been tasked with rescuing one of their agents that's fallen victim to the enemy. Lillian must learn to work with her difficult and possibly untrustworthy partner to bring the fallen agent home.
You can play the Love and Country demo on itch.io.
Heart Agency
Heart Agency is a BL game that revolves around Adrian Heart, a genius composer for his pop princess sister. Despite his massive talent, Adrian prefers to remain anonymous in the entertainment industry. Adrian crosses paths with other talent, including a famous music idol, a model, and an actor. One of these celebrity love interests just might capture Adrian's heart, perhaps bringing him out of his shadow of anonymity.
You can play the demo for Heart Agency on itch.io and Steam.
The games below have been out for a while, but we highly recommend checking them out in case you missed them!
Highway Blossoms
Highway Blossoms is a yuri story that takes place in the American Southwest and follows two girls in their travels across the desert. MC Amber kindly gives the damsel in distress/hitchhiker Marina a ride, but shortly after, the two find themselves in search of an old gold rush miner's hidden treasure. Highway Blossoms is a kinetic novel that focuses on the budding romance between Marina and Amber.
You can buy Highway Blossoms on Steam, itch.io, and GOG for US $12.99.
Perfect Gold
Perfect Gold is a magical girl yuri VN about the relationship between two magic students, Audrey and Marion. These girls have a rough past, and hopefully they can not only rekindle their friendship but realize there's something more brewing between them. Players can play from either Audrey or Marion's POV, seeing two sides of the same story. The game has full voice acting and intricately animated scenes that make it stand out from the crowd.
You can play Perfect Gold on Steam, itch.io, Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS.
Monica McKenzie
Monica McKenzie is an internet celebrity and beauty queen who has respectfully earned the title of makeup guru. She has pink hair and sparkling blue eyes, and you'll rarely see her without a stylish outfit. Monica exudes confidence, and what makes her so special is that she loves to uplift other girls and teach them to be confident as well, which is why she proves to be a wonderful love interest and friend. Monica is from the webcomic Let's Play and will also be a character in the upcoming dating sim Everdate.
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