What is Hybrid Theory?:
Hybrid Theory is a Visual Novel taking place in a world where monsters and humans live together peacefully. The plot focuses on Melia, a half-monster hybrid girl born after monsters left the pocket dimension they were sealed in long ago (the Sealed World). She lives in the first town the monsters created after leaving the Sealed World, putting her in close proximity to a lot of monsters and people who were important in the Sealed World. One September, before school starts again, Melia's parents give her the freedom to roam the town as she pleases and get to know the people in it better. It seems like a good time, but it turns out that there's quite a bit that she doesn't know about the world she lives in, or even about the people she sees every day.
That's not all. A being known simply as the Entity has begun to manipulate the world in ways that seem beneficial but bring about unintended consequences. Someone is aware that something is wrong, and that someone is determined to steer the world onto a path of true happiness... but will that have even worse consequences than the Entity's modifications?
Features I'm Aiming For:
- At least 4 routes and endings (route endings may feature variations). These are not romantic endings, as the player-controlled character is quite a bit younger than the potential "interests." As of this moment, the four routes belong to Caleb, Arciel, Fenne, and Serge.
- Something that keeps track of how many times you've played the game and what endings you've gotten, which will lead to...
- A "True Fate" mode, with a dramatically different story to tell. (Don't get excited about this yet, I want to finish the main mode first!)
Currently working on:
Bouncing between getting the script further ahead and doing the character sprites. Once the character art and the expressions are at least mostly done, I'd like to release a short demo with at least the introductory segments (and maybe the very beginning of Caleb's route depending on where the script is at) so that people can ask questions before I get too far and forget.
A note on progress: this project was intended to be one I could work on at my own pace, carefully measured out so that I wouldn't get overwhelmed and have the project die of burnout. There may be gaps where the rate of work becomes inconsistent due to life events. The biggest reason I am not outsourcing any work to outside parties just yet is to avoid pressure to work too fast. Also, working on everything myself gives me a better idea of what exactly I need. Please exercise some patience; I will try to post updates as often as I can.
Progress:
Script: Not Enough/100%
- I've only just completed the introductory segments for each character, so I'm afraid that not much has been done yet (hey, Lint says I'm at just under 5900 words total, that's got to be something!). This is one of the big reasons I'm posting in Ideas and not Works in Progress. I plan to do the main routes one at a time, starting with Caleb's route (watch as I end up jumping around between routes anyway).
Art Assets: 20ish%/100%
- Three characters still need their bases drawn. All of these characters still need their expressions done. I've got my work cut out for me. Oh, right, and CGs, those are a thing I need. It'll probably be a while before I approach 50% here, given all the characters and expressions that are needed. I may also draw the backgrounds eventually, because there's some stuff that I'm just not going to be able to do with stock photos.
Music: Filling Out As I Go/100%
- Chiefly using Royalty-Free music for now. There are two specific songs that I'd like to commission, but they won't be needed for a while (and also I can't afford them at this moment).
The Cast:
I've divided the cast into multiple sections for your perusal.
A note about the art: I know that the art is really rough, but please be polite about it. I might see about replacing the art assets towards the end of the project (which will be a whiiiile from now).
The "Kids":
Full Size here
From left to right:
Melia: The main character. She's a half-monster with a human mother and a "Bosskin" father. Though she has only been alive for 4 years, her half-monster heritage has caused her to age oddly, so she has the body and mind of a 13 year old. Generally bright, adventurous, and curious, but can sometimes be a little too nosy in her pursuit of secrets. Also has a bit of a rebellious streak towards her mother.
Fenne: A young woman known as a hero to the monsters of the Sealed World. When she was 10, circumstances caused her to run away from home and eventually get lost in the Sealed World. It was her kindness and steadfast refusal to fight anyone that eventually lead to the gate of the Sealed World being opened peacefully. Nowadays, she's the official ambassador for the monsters to the humans. At 18, she seems happy with the way her life has turned out, but it also seems that there's a lot she's hiding.
Arciel: The former prince of the Sealed World's royal family (before they became just a normal family). He's a friendly, easygoing sort who does his best to care for everyone. He was actually dead for quite some time before Fenne landed in the Sealed world; the Entity brought him back to life after Fenne opened the gate. He still has some concerns over being so "casually" resurrected. He's 17 years old; his nature as a monster means that he'll be stuck at that physical age for a while. He was 9 years old when he first met Caleb, and when he was resurrected.
Caleb: Arciel's adoptive brother; the royal family of the Sealed World took him in when he wandered through the gate and couldn't leave. As a child, he was fiercely angry at the world, to the point of scheming to pass through the barrier and annihilate his village. He died in the same incident that cost Arciel his life; he was resurrected not long after Arciel was. Now that he's older, he struggles with his inability to "love the world" like he thinks his friends do; when he's not being dryly teasing, he tends to be quite melancholy. He was 11 years old when he first went through the gate long ago, and he was resurrected at that age. He's 19 now.
The Adults:
Full size here
From left to right:
Serge: A mummy-like monster whose cool head is only matched by his refusal to do anything productive. Instead of patrolling the town with his brother, he runs a hot dog stand. Has a philosophical side and is fiercely defensive over his brother. Notorious for having hidden depths.
Peter: Serge's younger brother. Loud and cheery, he tries to urge Serge to action (and doesn't normally succeed). He is good at following instructions and takes patrolling and helping Fenne with her ambassador work very seriously. Though he seems a bit immature, he has talents of his own.
Esci: The former royal scientist of the Sealed World. A bit nervous and very easily embarrassed. She designed a robot, Positon, who became a famous TV star after leaving the Sealed World. She wishes he'd at least write every once in a while. Engaged to Dynah.
Dynah: A fierce Angelerfish warrior who led the Royal Guard in the Sealed World. She's loud, brash, and loves to tease just as much as she enjoys throwing disproportionately heavy objects around. She loves Esci very much and tends to slather on the affectionate gestures, much to Esci's embarrassment. Engaged to Esci.
(I know Esci and Dynah aren't shaded. I'll fix that eventually.)
Still to come: The Parents. Includes Melia's mother and father and Arciel's parents.
Screenshots:
Waiting a bit before I post these. They'll come, though, don't worry.
Current questions for discussion:
With that done, I've got some questions to kick off discussion. General comments are, of course, welcome, but here's a few things to get everyone started:
- Does anything in particular catch your eye about this project? If so, what did? If not, what do you think is missing?
- Is there any kind of story element you would like to see in a story like this (whether you define "stories like these" as ones involving monsters, fantasy stories, etc.)?
- What questions do you have about the setting or the characters? (Some may be answered when the brief demo comes out.)
-New-
- When playing visual novels, do you like to be locked onto a character's route quickly, and then have lots of variations within that route? Or do you prefer to explore and then have your route determined by what you did after a set period of time?
Updates:
9/30: Edited the first post to clarify some elements. Added a discussion question about routes.
Thanks for stopping by!
