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Introducing a new Otome game: Crumb by Crumb!


It's a new school year! Excited to start your first day? Problem is, you're starting at a new school and you're already a senior! Not to mention that this school, Notre Dame Academy, is a boarding school!

You'll meet new friends, explore the town, choose your own elective, and (hopefully) make some lasting friendships!

Let's meet the characters!

Ladies first:

(Pictures to come soon)


The heroine's stepmother. She's very kind and tries to take care of everyone, though sometimes she's afraid of overstepping the boundary between mother and stepmother.


One of the heroine's roommates. She's a quiet and sweet girl who tends to put others before herself. She's a bit naive and sometimes laughs at the wrong times. Though it can sometimes be hard to carry on a conversation with her, there's much more to her than awkward shyness!


The heroine's other roommate. She's upbeat and energetic! She loves running around and playing games, and she also claims to know karate. She has lots of friends but very few people can really say they know her. She can be quite distant and she's much deeper than she appears to be.

(More to come soon!)

Introducing the gentlemen:


The heroine's father. He's very smart and caring. Not much more to be said about him.



Natalie's brother...uh, twin brother. He's a very happy person and loves to play music. He's often surrounded by girls but he tries his best to befriend the heroine. He most often has a smile on his face and he might just be a secret romantic!

Favorite Food: Cream Soda!
Favorite Subjects: Music and French
Favorite Video Game: Ocarina of Time
Catchphrase: "What? Catchphrase?"



Dane's friend and a fellow classmate. He has a bit of a strange accent and is quite guarded. He's frequently in the common room reading or playing video games. He's a bit nerdy and very mysterious!


Favorite Food: Falafel and Yogurt Sauce
Favorite Subjects: Literature and Philosophy
Favorite Video Game(s): Final Fantasy V-IX
Catchphrase: "Sigh."



Dane's roommate and best friend. He's quite childish and likes to laugh. He'll resort to poking fun at the heroine just for giggles. He's also fairly new at Notre Dame, having just moved from Hawaii the year before. Surprisingly, he has an artistic side and hopes to write comics someday.


Favorite Food: PB&J!
Favorite Subjects: Art and Calculus
Favorite Video Game: Cooking Mama
Catchphrase: "Only if you buy me chocolates!"

Game Features:

Custom character name!
Many different paths and endings!
Secret Characters!
In-game CGs!
Holidays!
Fun Stuff!
(hopefully) Up to 2 hours playtime!
Plus LOTS of super cute chibis!


Progress thus far (estimated):

Script: 15% complete
Character development: 40% complete
CGs: 10% complete
Backgrounds: 25% complete

I'll do my best to update on any progress, slow as it may be. Considering that I'm working on this project alone, it may take quite a while. Nonetheless, a demo is on its way! (someday)

I live near Chicago, so I have heard about a school with a similar name not far from where I live. And after searching the web for "notre dame academy," I found out there are several schools with this name in the US. Some appear to be all-girls academies. ...Anyway, even if the boarding school in your story is modeled after one that exists, you might want to change its name.

Also, you named specific video games which your characters like. As a long-standing fan, the references mean a lot to me. But it also gets me wondering when your story will be happening. If your characters are in high school and the game's events are happening in 2012, then the characters were probably quite young when Ocarina of Time first debuted on N64. Likewise, FF5 through FF9 were originally made from 1992 through 2000 (though there was no English version of FF5 until about 1999).

On the other hand it's often better if there are already *several* schools with that name because that way you can easily say that you're not based on any one of them.

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Hanako Games

Indeed there are many schools called Notre Dame Academy. My intent was to be vague but still specific and relatable. The same goes for the town, which is Forest Hills, a very popular town name in the U.S.

As for the video games, I intended to parody the names (which I just haven't figured out yet), but since the Final Fantasy series (specifically V through IX) and LoZ Ocarina of Time are generally highly regarded classics, I paid no attention to release dates. Perhaps that needs revising... :3

Anyway, the game is supposed to take place in the present, recent past, or near future, whichever you please. I'm trying not to get too hung up on specific times and places because the project, as it is, is quite ambitious for me. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated though!

Thanks so much for the feedback!

Really I'm just glad no one's said anything about my artistic ability yet, or rather lack thereof.

I think Dane Weller's left arm and Cyrus Taylor's left arm look unnatural

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Thank you for all your kindness!
Will proofread (grammar/typos) for hugs!

This is really cute <3 I wish you all the best on making this, it's rare to see friendship-theme vn nowadays. The character's arts are cute as well, I can't lie about that. The story seems to be full of joy and fun.
I wish you all the best!

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Yay! More comments!

Thanks everyone for the feedback! I really appreciate it ^_^

Now for some updates:

Firstly, the script is coming along and it should soon be ready for the demo!

Secondly, I am making revisions to character designs. They will hopefully look less awkward! :D

Lastly, I am experimenting with new backgrounds. Originally they were done with a pencil sketch and digital media, but I am attempting to recreate them in a traditional medium, i.e. watercolor. Here is a very quick example of the school:


*I did use a faded gaussian blur in PS to try and cover up my sloppiness :P

Let me know if this is a good idea! If so I will try to redo the backgrounds in this medium (though much more carefully).

Thanks again everyone for all the comments and support! <3

The character design looks great :'D cant wait! ovo

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My DeviantArt

the background looks great. I think it will be nice if you add shadows to the trees, school building, etc