Hope~ Symphony of Tomorrow[BxG][Romance,Comedy,Drama]

[Takanashi]

If life could be summarized in a word, I think it would be best described as a song.

It can make you smile...
It can make you cry...
It can be calm...
It can be violent…
It can be exciting…
It can be depressing…
It can fill your heart with happiness…
It can fill your heart with sadness…

Each person composes his own melody. You could say that we are the own maestros and composers of our own melody.

The music will have a start and... it will also undoubtly have an end.

The duration of the piece is uncertain. But sooner or later it will end…

… and it will be nothing more than a memory.

That is what I believe.

Synopsis

Hope's story revolves around Aikawa Yusuke, a second year high school student at Shikaido High.
Until three years ago he never thought about leaving the place where he grow up and a house he had so far called home. Even if sometimes co-existing with is control maniac father wasn’t an easy task it was nothing that he could not bare. However one fatidic day everything changed, an event that would happen that would affect everyone’s lives at the Aikawa residence.

A dying wish. A promise made. A light that would fade out. A dream that would never come through.

That lake where once two close siblings shared their hopes and dreams would be the point where a page of Yusuke life would be torn apart. That tiny creature he held tightly on his back, was thanking him just a moment ago… but now she just remained motionless without making as much as a sound … he could not even feel the warmth of her breath on his neck anymore. The only thing he could feel was his own tears running down his face, those tears that could not wash away the guilt that weighted on his chest.

“Goodbye Karen…”

One year ago, Yusuke entered High School, joining Shikaido High leaving behind his town and family behind looking to start anew. He moved to a small apartment where he currently resides and that he currently pays by juggling part time jobs. Yusuke personality could be described as a laid back type of person, with a witty sense of humor, cynical and sarcastic at times.
A new journey will begin for him signaled by the start of a new school year. Crossing paths with other unique individuals, he will get into a crossroad and face hard decisions that might change not only his own future but of those whose life he will touch.

Will Yusuke be able to keep the promise he made to his sister three years ago, regaining something he lost in his past?

Characters

*Note the images depicted here are only sketches

Minagi Miyazawa

Height: 154 cm
Weight: 41 kg
Blood: Type A
Hair Color: honey brown
Eye Color: brown
Minagi is a shy freshman attending Shikaido High. She has some difficulties expressing herself, specially in front of Yusuke that she meets in the first day of the active school year. Her inability to express herself clearly to Yusuke gives rise to several funny misunderstandings along the story. She has a passion for reading and has the dream of becoming a novelist.
Pure hearted and honest she can be find lurking near a bookshelf or in the Literary club room.

Hitomi Fujimura

Height: 160 cm
Weight: 46 kg
Blood: Type A
Hair Color: dark blue
Eye Color: blue
Hitomi is the only daughter of the Fujimuras, a very wealthy and renowned family. On the outside she is a elegantly beautiful, refined lady, and one of the most popular girls of Shikaido High. Currently she is the active student council president. Hitomi is soft-spoken and usually always very calm and collected.

Rumours however tell a different story, behind her calm personality lies an entirely different person, sadistic and possessive are some of the words that are used to describe her among a few students.

Haruka Shimada

Height: 159 cm
Weight: 46 kg
Blood: Type O
Hair Color: dark brown
Eye Color: brown
Haruka is a second year, athletic and cheery student in Shikado High. She is currently a member of the school's track-and-field team. When she joined in the first year the track team she broke all the school records and is currently idolized by the first and second years of the track team.

She has a side that only the closest friends to her know: short-tempered, prideful and quite tomboyish.

Ayano Sakurada

Height: 158 cm
Weight: 42 kg
Blood: Type B
Hair Color: pink
Eye Color: pink
Ayano is the school idol. Cheerful, energetic and proud, this would be the words that describe her the best. She is quite straightforward and mischievous at times, specially when towards someone she empathizes with. She is currently the lead vocal for a indie band and has done some modeling jobs in the past leaving her with a image as someone who is unreachable for the rest of the school. In reality she is quite approachable and pretty honest when dealing with people.

Her grades are not the most famous since she often has to skip classes for band practice or modeling.

Eri Hinaga

Height: 155 cm
Weight: 44 kg
Blood: Type AB
Hair Color: blonde
Eye Color: gold
Eri is a classmate of Yusuke. She wears a customized version of the school uniform with a gothic style and lots of cute ribbons. She is very found of teasing and seducing, making use of her charm and sexy looks. She often makes a pass at Yusuke, doing various scandalous propositions which Yusuke rejects every single time.
Most of her old classmates still don't believe how much Eri personality has changed in the last two years, she was usually described as a shy and reserved girl.

Altough she hides it in her overly cute created persona, Eri is quite intelligent and manipulative.

Yusuke Aikawa


Height: 176 cm
Weight: 65 kg
Blood: Type B
Hair Color: dark brown
Eye Color: dark brown
Hope's story revolves around Yusuke Aikawa, a second year high school student at Shikaido High.

One year ago he entered high school and moved to a rental apartment to live on his own terms.Now going to the second year at Shikaido High, he still hasn't found it yet... the thing he lost in the past. That very important thing...

Souta Hiraka


Height: 177 cm
Weight: 70 kg
Blood: Type B
Hair Color: purple
Eye Color: purple
Yusuke best friend and classmate. Self-proclaimed saviour of mankind, Souta creates the golden duo with Yusuke(self-proclaimed). Souta is a pretty cheerful and energetic type of guy, but also quite irresponsible and lazy, often sleeping through classes. His complete inability to read moods make him prone to various bizarre situations, wich most of the time Yusuke takes his time enjoying and making the situation worse.

Game Features

-Hope~ is a romance visual novel in which the player assumes the role of Yusuke Aikawa. The game features 5 main storylines that the player can experience and a few more sub-storylines.
-Packed with a lot of comedy, and heart-warming stories, expect also a lot of drama and "heavy content", since after all this is a cry game. (nothing adult sorry)
-Beautiful character artwork and CGs done by Deji
-Multiple CGs and Chibi CGs to be expected
-Beautiful soundtrack and backgrounds
-This will be a comercial release!

Screenshots

This is the first game we are going release. Artwork is pretty much completed, and main stories are defined and planned, but the actual script is still beeing written, so a release date is still not certain, but hopefully by the end of the year! Stay tuned on our website and twitter!

For more information and news you can check our website:
https://tatamivisual.wordpress.com/
The site will be updated on a frequently basis together with the Dev blog, and most news of the development will be posted there.
You can also follow us on twitter to find the latest news and gossip on Hope~! Please follow us and spread the word:)
http://www.twitter.com/tatamiVA

Also if you want please like us and Hope~on facebook and help us grow!:)
http://www.facebook.com/tatamivisualarts
(will update it this weekend, since it's still recent and incomplete)

Any questions feel free to pose them here, on our twitter or sending us a mail:)

[DaFool]

Oh...that game.

Art is already completed, by one person?

[Taleweaver]

*Note the images depicted here are only sketches

You. Are kidding. Me. Right?

Dayum! That's some beautiful art there! Woo Deji! The story seems a little cookie-cutter to me, but that's only my very first impression. I sure hope you're not biting off more than you can chew with a project of that scale, so good luck to you all!

[gekiganwing]

I remember seeing Deji's post thanks to Planet EVN.

Anyway, it looks like Hope will be a slice of life story, focused on the characters and their routes. As you said, there will be both comedy and drama, and strictly worksafe content. I suspect it will only have BxG pairings. It's not groundbreaking or unusual, but I'm okay with that. And since your intention is to make a commercial game, it's probably best to play it safe.

* Will you include any complex gameplay?

* How/where will you sell your game? Will you make a demo, and make pay-to-download Windows/Mac/Linux versions available through BMT Micro? What about alternatives such as iTunes or Android Marketplace? Will you sell your content in a different way?

* About the relationships... If Yusuke chooses just one girl, then how will the others be affected? In many harem games, the main character does not have any serious competition. Is there a chance that his friend Souta is trying to get together with a girl or two? Is there a chance that one or more girls has a current significant other, or a failed relationship?

[teacup]

Wow, this game looks right up my alley. Super cute art by Deji, romantic school life, and BxG... this is too good to be true!
Was Ayano Sakurada inspired by Nanaka Shirakawa from the Da Capo franchise by chance? They've both got pink hair, are school idles and singers of a band! [I'm not complaining or anything, girls with pink hair always end up being my favorite characters].
I can't afford to play many commercial games, but I'd definitely shell out some money for this one. I hope to see a demo in the future. (*´ﾟωﾟ`)

[Takanashi]

Thanks for the feedback guys!

@DaFool
Character sprite work/designs and CGs were done by Deji. I won't say it's 100% finished, but it's definitely >90%.
GUI, menus and BGs are beeing done by different artists.

@Taleweaver
ahah xD. The sketches are already really pretty, but the final art is completely polished and much more detailed.
I understand what you are saying but it was really hard to write any type of description without getting too much on the details and avoiding any kind of spoilers at the same time since most of the game is based on character development and story^^;

@gekiganwing
Yes that's absolutely correct!
*I'm still working on some of the aspects, but I'm working on a *job system* and some mini-games. I don't want to enter in to much depth about that part, since not everything is set in stone on this chapter.
This system won't have that much impact story wise though, this part will be mainly influenced by choices you make through the game.

*First I plan to bring it as a pay-to-download Windows/Mac/Linux version and I will make a demo available upon release. I admit I would love to see the game making to the iPhone and Android market^^, but for now it's just an idea floating in the air.

*There are some characters that interfere with the others path. If you end up hovering a lot between two different characters you might end having an unexpected path leading to a different ending. All the characters have a very different route but that doesn't mean that some stories don't overlap at times. Hitomi and Haruka for example interwine a lot in both their arcs(those killer eyes!) and in different game endings, and they might end up sharing some funny/different endings.
As for Souta he plays a major role in one of the character arcs, but I can't really enter on it too much without spoiling
All I can say about the significant/failed relationships is that some of the characters have a really complicated past/problems, so what you are saying is possible!

@teacup
Thanks for the feedback!!
Ahah, I never played that Da Capo version, but funny enough I was playing the original(I think?) Da Capo at the time I designed Ayano, and I was following the Kotori route pink haired characters are usually my favourite too
She wasn't my inspiration for Ayano though. Ayano was a character I've been wanting to give life since a long time ago, and her persona is the completele opposite from Kotori for example. I guess most pink haired characters are associated to school idol even in anime(Yuzuriha Inori in Guilty crown and Nakagawa Kanon in TWOGK are pink haired school idols examples), so it's hard not to find comparing grounds and similar traits in some other character, but personality wise she is completely distinct and original
I'm kinda interested now in playing that Da Capo game though^^

[Asterisk]

This looks so amazing!!
Amazing artwork but for the story, I'll wait for more progress/info/demo.
Very cookie-cutter however I welcome this with open arms anywho~
Totally stalking 8D Good luck!

[Takanashi]

@Asterisk

thnks! I'll keep this thread updated^^

[Takanashi]

Just to keep this thread as updated as possible and since I had yet to show any kind of CG of Hope~, just leaked one out on tatami website
Here's the CG sketch in question:



At the moment I'm writing Haruka path and felt the need to share this one since it's one of my fav CGs^^
Feedback greatly appreciated guys!

[Gear]

That CG looks hilarious! And the artwork looks fantastic. I look forward to seeing more of this.

[Asterisk]

Wow that looks so awesome!!
Good luck with the writing, I seriously can't wait until it's out now ^^;

[redeyesblackpanda]

I'm secretly hoping this comes out later so that I'll have money to buy it and not spend a couple months crying over how I can't buy this yet. :'D

Seriously though, good luck with this! I'm really excited!

[Auro-Cyanide]

Hmmm, I'm curious about a couple things.

-What is the overarching plot of the game? What is the most major (possibly selling) point?

-What is your hook or point of differentiation? What makes this different from say, a longer variation of Memo?

-What makes the main character interesting? Why would I enjoy playing as him?

[Takanashi]

@Gear @Asterisk @redeyesblackpanda
Thanks for the feedback guys! Really appreciate it!!!!

@redeyesblackpanda
Best case scenario, It's comming out on the end of the year, so don't worry!^_^

Don't forget guys to add me on twitter and facebook and helping spreading the word! (: every little help counts! Onegai!



@Auro-Cyanide
Sorry about the delay, this week has been infernal on work and only now I've had the time to come here and answer^^;
Those are some pretty good questions, I'll try to answer them to the best of my ability.


-What is the overarching plot of the game? What is the most major (possibly selling) point?

-What is your hook or point of differentiation? What makes this different from say, a longer variation of Memo?

I’ll try to answer both these questions in the same reply since I think they have some common ground.

Generally there is a trend to describe romance/drama types as a “dating game” or “dating simulator”, because I believe that many games fitting into that label are just like that, especially most of the VNs that are originally made in Japan and get themselves a official translation. Boy chases girl, boy gets one of the girls, the game shows you some CGs and you see “Good ending #3” or something along those lines. I’m not saying all of them are made this way, but that the majority of them are (in my opinion).

For me a good a game isn’t like that, we all play Visual Novels for some reason. In my case I play them to enjoy a good story with good characters as if I was reading an interactive book where I can really immerse myself into. I want to watch the characters I’ve met along the game to “grow” as individuals and have my part in doing so, I want them to surprise me along the game and keep it interesting in order for me to keep wanting to go back to it. To sum it, I want them to be interesting and that I can see the character develop along the story.

That’s what I hope to do in Hope~(I couldn’t resist this one^^). I want to present to the player an interesting enough story that would entertain him until the very end. I’m not reinventing the wheel, It was never my purpose. I’m a big fan of Key’s work for example; It would be naïve of me to say that the “nakige” style didn’t make his mark on me as a player and as a writer. Not only them, other games/companies made an impact in me for their capacity of storytelling and world construction. I’m not saying I’m going to achieve a megalomaniac dream game, but I can say that I’m trying very hard to build a solid story/game to the best of my abilities, be it story/art wise, etc. For that kind of quality I'm investing a lot of time, effort and well, money. I'm not aiming on making a buck with the game; of course I want it to fair well, who doesn't? But making money was never my intention, I just wanted to make a good game. If I could recover part of the investment, that would be awesome, but even if I don't manage to recover it all, I'll still be happy enough to complete the game as a personal goal and I'll be thrilled if the people who play it, truly enjoy it and remember it for the years to come. ^_^

In short the major point is the package on its all; I cannot see it without seeing it as a whole. It’s the compelling story, the beautiful art, the music, etc. Going in more specifically about the game itself, you’ll be accompanied through the game by the witty and sarcastic humor of Yusuke; the game will be loaded with humor, that is one of the trademarks of this game, it will be present in the interaction with the other characters and the choices you make. Even joining different bizarre clubs will lead to some parodies, or maybe making a stake out trying to find out who’s been vandalizing the school at night, to find out a unlikely culprit etc. There is a lot you can do on this game. On the other side of the coin, Hope~ also explores more heavy thematic: angst, isolation, parental abandonment, traumatic experiences, lack of ambitions and the fear of growing up, etc. It’s not a “cup of everything nice with sugar on the top”, I don’t want that type of game. I’m aiming to build something more interesting and deep, that the player would truly enjoy playing.

Regarding the Memo question, I don’t remember that much of it, I’ve played it a long time ago, I remember enjoying it even if it was a short game, but from what I remember I can’t really find any similarities or common ground between both games, at all, except for being set on a school setting, This doesn’t mean necessarily that they have that much in common, the similiraties start and end there. As I already pointed, I see Hope~ as much more than a dating game, even if romance plays obviously a big part, but there’s much more to it than that. I can assure you that both games are nothing alike, from the characters to the story, themes they adress, game length, etc etc.

-What makes the main character interesting? Why would I enjoy playing as him?
For me one of the most important things in a story, be it a book or a game, it’s the main character. In order for someone truly enjoy a story he has to empathize with the main character, I’ve played many games where I couldn’t force myself to like the character and ended up giving up the game midway, even if the supporting characters and story was great.

That said, I’m investing a lot of time on the MC and trying to make him interesting. Yusuke is the type of character that doesn’t stand out in a crowd, but that if you watch closely there is something special about him. You will control him, a barely-above-average student, with a sharp sense of humor and a cynical view of the world, that will not be sparse in sharing is thoughts to you, but someone watching him closely from the outside can see that there is more than that, there’s something tormenting him that prevents him from connecting properly to another, something tormeting him, for example how he always seems to put some kind of distance between him and other individuals, even if that distance is not clearly evident. Maybe something related with his mysterious past that no one seems to know much …
He will discover along his personal path, hardships, but also some of the things he thought he lost in the past and some things he didn’t know he had.

To sum it up, I think Yusuke has his fair share of charisma and humor, that will entertain the player, but that has much more than that to offer the player.



If you want me to focus on a specific point or make other questions don’t hesitate to ask me! I’ll try to answer it to the best of my abilities and I hope you'll keep following this game!

[yukipon]

This project looks interesting~.

Two questions!

(1) How many visual novels have you played? And what's your favorite brand/company, aside from Key?

(2) Using other visual novels and/or companies, how would you describe Hope ~A Symphony of Tomorrow~ as?

An example of this would be: " It's like ef but with a touch of Key," or "It's the evil twin sister of Circus," or "It's Clannad, Ever17, and Hakuouki put together!"