Charlatans[KN] [NaNoRenO 2015]

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clua
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Charlatans[KN] [NaNoRenO 2015]

#1 Post by clua »

Image
A-a game about slaps!


After the death of her father, Karon is now one of the richest women in the country. But she can't handle the grief of losing her beloved one. She spends her days going to plebeian shows trying to dissipate her mind and to avoid the several marriage proposals of hungry of money men. One of the shows happens to be run by Sabine, a man that says he can speak with the dead. Karon decides to take part of the show when she is asked to, but quickly gets fed up with it. On her way down the stage she meets Priam, Sabine's twin sister. As Priam demonstrates to be way more competent than her brother, she takes advantage of Karon's curiosity about what lies beyond the death by secretly making her the test subject of each experiment she performs.

:Screenshots:
Image
Image



:Features:
>12k words
>A lot of sprite variations and cgs
>3 extra stories you can check after the end of the game.

EXTRAS
I did this poll before I completed the game, asking which one of the 4 main characters were your favorite just by their looks. I think it would be fun to know which now is your favorite after playing the game XD
So if you like, you can vote!
http://strawpoll.me/3797899
Charlatans extras and more on my blog
VNDB entry(Got spoilers, beware!)

Special Thanks!
>Arowana (Helped me with my programming doubts!)
>Carrogath(Helped me with music resources and to proofread the whole game!)
>Duskylli(Helped me with testing the game and pointed out the many errors the first version had!)

This is my first time going completely solo for Nano, since for TKOT I collaborated with Anarchy.
Please, let me know what you think about it :D!
Last edited by clua on Mon Apr 20, 2015 3:25 pm, edited 3 times in total.
♦WIP♦
Infurubia
The hurtful wall
_Salomon

♦COMPLETE♦
+The Knife of the Traitor(Nanoreno 2012)
+Charlatans(Nanoreno 2015)

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GrizelyBear
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Re: Charlatans[KN] [NaNoRenO 2015]

#2 Post by GrizelyBear »

Ah, I really enjoyed this story!
I mean, it didn't make me cry or anything, and I never lost anyone dear to me yet, but I cannot help but sympathize with Karonte, Priam, and Virgil. They're all interesting characters: Priam, especially. Finding out her reason for doing such acts and then seeing the ending, I can't help but feel pity for her... D:

I didn't think much of Sabine at first, but when I saw how much he did care for his sister when she temporarily died, and reading the bonus story with Caronte, I ended up liking him more!

Oh, and speaking of the bonus story... I liked the first one a lot! XD I found myself laughing when Karonte was telling Virgil that the dress was obviously bought with impure intentions. :))
Good luck in your other projects! Thank you for the wonderful kinetic novel~ <3

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Re: Charlatans[KN] [NaNoRenO 2015]

#3 Post by nipaa_kazuma »

Hello =)
I reaaalllyyyy liked this story.
The knife of the traitor was my first visual novel and is still nowaday a great memory (and even more since it is still on my computer).

Once again with Charlatans I'm impressed, the way the introduction is made puts the reader in phase for the rest of the story.
It is a great way to put it in form and contribute to the action.
I also really liked the theme of the story :
I'm like Priam about death with her many questions about it...
It's original, well written and invite to question ourselves.
Even the secondary characters have their charm and the extra stories were enjoyable and funny.
In fact, the biggest mystery is what I likes the most in this game ? There is something in your art style that I find original and beautiful : the way Virgil is blushing in the extra makes me think of Corvus whom is still one of my biggest heartbreak in visual novels. (I had no choice but to let him be with Lady Os, they were too cute).
Congratulations ! Definitively one of my favorite project this year !

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Re: Charlatans[KN] [NaNoRenO 2015]

#4 Post by Carrogath »

Playing this and noticed I still missed some typos, argh...

But overall it was nice to see it all put together!
Actually what really killed me what the Extras screen... It's lovely and simple and evocative; leave it to Priam to fool the ferryman of the dead. The imagery for the afterlife scenes was so interesting, like seeing Karon's/Priam's tiny soul clutching onto the silver coin. (Also Caronte holding Priam's soul upside down by the leg... Probably deserved it after everything she's pulled TBH.) The parallels between their respective visits to the afterlife were really neat.

And reading it through again, Priam's obsession with death comes through a little clearer. She's still a terrible person, OMG, but at least her friendship with Karon has softened her up a bit. You already know how I feel about their relationship, haha... maybe I'll write fanfiction
Honestly, I was expecting it to be goofier, but I like the way it turned out. Karon and Sabine have some great lines too; they have wonderful chemistry. Now I wish you'd had the time for Sabine's route...
Kinda frustrating to see them act all flirty in the extras and then... not have it go anywhere...
Back button for the Extras screen doesn't work, BTW.

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clua
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Re: Charlatans[KN] [NaNoRenO 2015]

#5 Post by clua »

Ahhh what a grateful surprise! XD Thank you everyone for your support.
Btw all operating system version is uploaded!

GrizelyBear
Yes! I want for Priam to have that kind of ending: resignation, which is for me, one of the worst things in life.
I understand how you feel about Sabine, he barely got significant scenes in the whole game in comparison with Priam or Virgil. Since my initial plan for this game was to have two routes(One for each sibling!) I opted to have Priam's route for the whole game since it is more interesting for me.
And about the extra, I wish I could have drawn Virgil or Karon handling the dress...XD It's like they are nuts and they are talking about an invisible dress XD
Thank you so much for playing! XD

nipaa_kazuma

Aaaaa I'm very glad you liked TKOT! I actually was very worried because I know people would expect Charlatans to be better in some way than TKOT. But I guess I'm being silly, each game can be good by their own..Right? R-right?
Corvus x Os is my OTP too...I think it shows a lot XD. Which is why it's so hard to me to write actual romance games where you choose from a variety of LI...I'm happy that you found Virgil cute XD
I'm grateful that you played this! :A:!

Carrogath

N-noooo! :A: I actually find out that there were some places where I put a comma instead of a point at the end of a sentence XD And because my eyesight is not that good I thought "Yeah! that's a point!"
Ahaha! I wanted someone to notice that even if I got lazy and did whatever for Caronte's silhouette...:p
The tiny soul thing was an inspiration from Dorohedoro which I believe I better not spoil but the characters got something similar and I find that super cool XD
And yeah! But you know no one can beat Karon in one slap fight XD Maybe if it were about swordfight which Priam is more skilled things would be different(Now you know what Sabine and Priam do when he says "Outside!"...They use sticks actually too poor to have swords...)
Woops forgot to answer about Karon and Sabine
My friend was upset also when she found out nothing happened between them and I laughed while I rubbed my fat belly hahaha. Seriously speaking I think nobody will be happy if I told what actually was planned for Sabine...
Holycrap! I think I'm still sleeping...About the BACK button yeah, Duskylli also told me it was broken and I really got frustrated
that I can't find out why is broken in the first place
(I remember it worked fine until I added the loli extra :p)
Thank you so so much for your help, also I'm not going to use the walkthrough for GEM! I CAN DO IT :P
(...At least let me get a different ending, I don't care if I'm still killed XD)
♦WIP♦
Infurubia
The hurtful wall
_Salomon

♦COMPLETE♦
+The Knife of the Traitor(Nanoreno 2012)
+Charlatans(Nanoreno 2015)

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tilly
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Re: Charlatans[KN] [NaNoRenO 2015]

#6 Post by tilly »

what beautiful art!!! i can't believe you achieved all of this in a month. congratulations!!!!! i loved the story and i especially loved priam <333 what an amazing project!

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Re: Charlatans[KN] [NaNoRenO 2015]

#7 Post by Anna »

Hi Clua!

Congrats on finishing this (ALL BY YOURSELF - omg girl), it was really really fun to read. I absolutely adored the atmosphere you created with the story; it felt intriguing, mysterious, bizarre but very charming. The opening set the tone of the story perfectly and like a slap to the face (I felt that to be a fitting description considering the Mc lol). All the characters were flawed as hell but very charming too and that made them feel real; I loved them~

The music fit very well too <3 and you did a lot of work on the art.

Good job!

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Re: Charlatans[KN] [NaNoRenO 2015]

#8 Post by Carassaurat »

I played this just a few days ago -- unfortunately, with the unedited version -- and it's just charming. It's got clua written all over it. You always find a way to not just pick a midpoint between goofy comedy and gothic themes, but have a foot planted firmly in each; it's both light hearted and dark, and I have no idea how you keep pulling that off.

Speaking of pulling things off, the amount of art you made for this thing is staggering. I think you might have put more effort into NaNo than any other person this year.

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Re: Charlatans[KN] [NaNoRenO 2015]

#9 Post by Mad Harlequin »

Congratulations on finishing! I'll be leaving feedback sometime soon! :)
I'm an aspiring writer and voice talent with a passion for literature and an unhealthy attachment to video games. I am also a seasoned typo-sniper. Inquiries are encouraged. Friendly chats are welcome.
"Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other."
— Mark Twain

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Re: Charlatans[KN] [NaNoRenO 2015]

#10 Post by Alera »

Just finished playing today and I quite liked it! Liked it a lot actually!!! I have been a fan of your work since TKOT and I've been looking forward for another one of your stories. I absolutely love your art and your characters are always very unique with their own little twists and surprises to them. Congrats on doing so much work by yourself and bringing us this amazing KN!!! <333
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Games:
❤️ Zayay [Otome?][BxPlayer][NaNo 2013]
❤️ Tortichki [Drag&Drop mini game]

Other games I've worked on:
My Heart's Flame Emissary of Starlight Freedom From Silence Sickness
And many more unannounced/secret projects. (. .)

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clua
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Re: Charlatans[KN] [NaNoRenO 2015]

#11 Post by clua »

Guys! Sorry for the lateness! Thank you so so much for all the downloads the game got until now ;:A;
Image
This is not updated actually :A:! But if I sum this with the MediaFire ones it goes to 400 something! XD

tilly
Thank you!! :A: I'm so glad you liked Priam of them all XD Like she is the hardest to be liked but! Then again Karon is the MC...
I have to play and give my thoughts to Fairly Dangerous too ;A;!

Anna
Thank you Anna! Also for the little review you did about the game! I thought at some point of the month that I wouldn't make it :p
For some reason I wanted to draw EVERYTHING that was happening in the game. I just gave up but some things paled because of that :A: I'm glad you liked them all XD. Is Priam still your favorite XD?

Carassaurat
Hey, it's good to see you again!
Thank you so much for playing and orz...I'm sorry I was so hyper when I finished the game that I didn't realize people would have to download the game twice :p
About the art...Well I surely made a lot I admit but some things are obviously done desperately that if you compare cg scenes--uh..
Also please take in mind that I had the half of the month free to work tons on my game, that's something barely everyone had in advantage :D!

Mad Harlequin
Hello! Thank you so much for downloading it, let me know what you think about it anytime :D

Alera
Aww thank you so much! I'm glad you liked this nano entry too :A: I hope to see a new game by you in the future :D!


Guys! I will write two extra stories about (Just see if you finished the game)
+A resolution between Priam and Virgil. And bits of Karon too! This will have some flasbacks of the twins when they were younger and also when they meet Virgil.
+Karon's grandparents come to visit her suddenly saying they will bring some suitors for her. She, of course, freak out(Her grandmother is a scary woman...) and send a letter lying that she actually found someone.You can choose between those two gentlemen! Of course whatever you choose, that will not end up well.(Just like your average shoujo manga!)
If you like to suggest something, please do! I will release a newer version with the extras as soon as I finish my wip game _Salomon. you can see my progress of it here.
♦WIP♦
Infurubia
The hurtful wall
_Salomon

♦COMPLETE♦
+The Knife of the Traitor(Nanoreno 2012)
+Charlatans(Nanoreno 2015)

Dev tumblr
EVN Store

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Re: Charlatans[KN] [NaNoRenO 2015]

#12 Post by Anna »

clua wrote: Anna
Thank you Anna! Also for the little review you did about the game! I thought at some point of the month that I wouldn't make it :p
For some reason I wanted to draw EVERYTHING that was happening in the game. I just gave up but some things paled because of that :A: I'm glad you liked them all XD. Is Priam still your favorite XD?
Priam, Karon and Sabine are my favourites (I cannot pick), because they're all so charming and I'm a sucker for bonds between siblings/siblings caring about each other. I really don't why, but Virgil didn't appeal to me too much D: even though I didn't mind him either!

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Re: Charlatans[KN] [NaNoRenO 2015]

#13 Post by Carassaurat »

clua wrote:Carassaurat
Hey, it's good to see you again!
Thank you so much for playing and orz...I'm sorry I was so hyper when I finished the game that I didn't realize people would have to download the game twice :p
About the art...Well I surely made a lot I admit but some things are obviously done desperately that if you compare cg scenes--uh..
Also please take in mind that I had the half of the month free to work tons on my game, that's something barely everyone had in advantage :D!
It's good to see you too! And as active as ever, which can't be said of me. Anyway, while I realise that Charlatans doesn't look as polished as, say, Basiliska (I noticed only a few days ago that it had come out -- it's gorgeous!) the effort is still amazing to me. I don't entirely understand why you always go for the most detailed designs; Karon could have done with half as much lace and jewellery and none of us would have noticed ;-) . I remember that a few years ago, I was talking with Anarchy about how I only started noticing subtle details in your drawings, such as the blood on Os' eye balls, when I started drawing fan art. She hadn't noticed that bit of detail at all before I mentioned it, even though she, as your editor, had been looking at TKoTT probably more than anyone else had.

Speaking of fan art -- I made a piece. It's traced (just like last time...) but the game is called Charlatans, so maybe that fits.
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Re: Charlatans[KN] [NaNoRenO 2015]

#14 Post by Razz »

Wow, I think this is among one of the best written VNs I've played. I've always been a big fan of your brand of humor and dark themes and this is my favorite game yet!

The twists were well-done, I didn't feel like word of prose was wasted, the characters were likable and depraved
(even the main character! When does that ever happen?)
I'm kind of speechless by how well-crafted everything was.

I'm eager for more in the extras section.
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clua
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Re: Charlatans[KN] [NaNoRenO 2015]

#15 Post by clua »

Anna
XDD I liked the twins at the end too! I said while I was writing that Sabine wouldn't have that much screentime, but I added a lot of them in the end :p

Carassaurat
Well, anytime is good for a comeback!
I used to be more concerned on details :A: when I drew in traditional media...I hate to admit that digital made me a little bit lazy in that aspect :p. I think Os and Karon might be the detailed mc's I've done in a while ahaha..:_:
For Basiliska I did a way more polished art! It took me more hours to finish one Basiliska sprite than anything that came for Nano XD
For Nano projects I tend to paint over sprites a lot, just to save time...Which it's not recommendable to do actually :A: But it's effective if you are desperate.
B-btw that's not blood on Os's eyeballs, those are veins hehe :A:

XDDDDD That fanart is awesome!! Thank you so so much! May I know from where is the reference? I like how Karon looks intimidating and kinda flat, but I guess that's because the original was a man? But I don't mind it looks super rad XD!!


Razz
:A: You are too kind to me! I'm not that good writing ahahaha :A:
I'm writing the extras in my free time! One of them might be a little longer but the others not so much. I will try to polish some of the art too for a newer update. Thank you so so much for playing!!
♦WIP♦
Infurubia
The hurtful wall
_Salomon

♦COMPLETE♦
+The Knife of the Traitor(Nanoreno 2012)
+Charlatans(Nanoreno 2015)

Dev tumblr
EVN Store

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