Progress
Updated as of 6/8/18
Plot outline: 100%
Rough draft of script: 100%
Editing: --
Sprite sets: 100%
Backgrounds: 100%
CGs: 95%
Programming: 80%
Demo clean-up: Finished
~Preface~
"There is a legend among our people--That if one were to swim through the deepest, blackest, most crushing depths of the sea, on the other side of all that darkness...there is light."
Long ago, the goddess of the sea drowned the world in her tears, but took pity upon the mortals that walked its surface. The four faces of the goddess became four separate peoples, but from that day they have scarcely met, each knowing the other races exist only from legend.
Far in the north live the Nenet, the representation of the sea's storms and unfathomable wrath and power.
In the shallow kelp beds live the Mu'etti, the representation of the bounty of life to be found in the ocean.
Deep deep below the water's surface are the Loremna'tat, the representation of the sea's mysteries and how no mere mortal can ever hope to comprehend it.
And among the warm tropical islands live the nomadic Ame'sol, the representation of the winds of change and that only those attuned to the winds may ever even get an inkling of what the sea might do next.
But for as different and spread apart as these peoples may be, they all share a common foe: the Pena--creatures that have been corrupted by the essence of fear itself. In these dark times, four runaways find themselves thrown together. Each has a personal reason for wanting to see the Pena menace done away with for good, and fueled by the belief that they were divinely chosen to end these monsters once and for all, they head out into the deep unknown to save the Four Peoples from the shadows that haunt them.
But before these four strangers can ever hope to defeat a monster, they'll have to figure out how to just get along with one another first. Though they all speak the same language, there seems to be an awful lot lost in translation going on around here.
The winds of change are upon us. Let the hunt begin.
Our lovely Protagonist!
Makani Layn
"I don't want to take the easy way out of this curse. If anything is going to save me it’s going to be me.”
Race: Ame’sol
Height: 5’11” Length to tail: 6’5”
The bearer of a family curse, Makani has always wished to solve her problems by herself rather than rely on others. She loves helping others, she just would rather never see the other side of the coin. Unfortunately she’s more than a little out of her depth out here in the middle of the sea, and learning that it’s okay to be saved from time to time, especially from herself, is something she will have to accept.
And her three
Groriu
"There’s not much to do at the bottom of the ocean but debate philosophy and murder the ever loving lights out of others. I happen to be very skilled at both so either way this conversation goes is fine by me!"
Race: Loremna’tat
Length: 21 ft.
Groriu is a large and powerful Loremna'tat of the deep, who's definition of 'polite' doesn't seem to match up with everyone else's. He is perceptive, condescending, and unafraid of speaking his mind-particularly when he deems the actions of others to be foolish. Though not easily rattled, he doesn’t act particularly brave either, so it’s unclear why he’s sticking with the group if he’s already so convinced they will fail. Has the kind of smirk that makes people want to punch him in the face.
Kameckt
"It means the Voiceless Goddess has chosen ME to be her champion! Haha! YES! Retribution is at hand!!”
Race: Nenet
Length: 8’6”
A warrior of great esteem of the Nenet People, Kameckt is never lacking in confidence, especially in the belief that he is the bearer of some great destiny. He fancies himself the leader of this assembly. A never ceasing fount of optimism, he tries to flip the faults he sees in his allies into something positive. Perhaps that is why he has so much trouble seeing his own shortcomings, or is he just very good at ignoring them?
Vane
“No place is safe. The Pena can be anywhere. And where there aren’t monsters, there are people, and those are just as bad.”
Race: Mu’etti
Height: 5'9”
A timid youth of the typically peaceful and highly sheltered Mu’etti, Vane is convinced that just about everything in the ocean is out to kill him. Easily spooked and a little paranoid, he takes a lot of patience to talk to until one earns his scarcely given trust. In stressful situations he can sometimes keep himself calm by breaking people and creatures down into sets of biological parts and behavioral patterns. This has garnered him a vast knowledge of sea life and how it all relates to one another-knowledge that could greatly help the cause if he feels comfortable enough to share it.
-It'll be free! And you get a bonus internet hug from me for taking the time to play it!
-Very simple stat system for relationships and survival skill points
-7 Bonus scenes complete with CGs for maxing these stats.
-Completely optional romantic 'love confession' scenes that can be added onto any 'good' ending should the player opt for it--Because why not? Or everyone can just stay friends and there will be a scene and CG for that too!
-No 'one right way' to get the best ending, there are lots of combinations to get you there, every person will have a different experience playing through.
-Should be ridiculously easy to 'win'--This is my first game, I don't want to give myself a headache so I won't give you one either.
-Nine chapters long, the first two chapters are what comprise the demo.
"Well that's all great, but who are you exactly?"
You can call me ST-Trinket, but I've got a lot of unrelated random internet handles honestly :P I've posted announcements of this project in some capacity to most of them by now. But I haven't been around here because I feel like I have to prove I can do something before I can even talk about doing it. So though I've been working on this for about two months now, this is the first time I've posted anything about it to these forums. It's nice to meet you all!
I'm not a terrific artist, nor a great writer, but I love both of these things and visual novels seemed like a good way to pull the two together. I hope that despite the flaws people can enjoy my work anyway. And yes, I know, I don't make pretty forum posts. Sorry about that...
->-> Onto the Demo! <-<-
After playing this demo, I'd love to pick your brains some!
For best results, please write down your initial thoughts before you look at/answer my questions below.
Done? Okay!
--Anything unclear that you wish had been better explained or would expect to be explained as the story goes along?
--What expectations do you have based on the premise, description, and demo?
--Do you like Makani? Is she a protagonist you're willing to root for?
--Got a favorite character?
--Would you want to play through the rest of the story?
--Anything that just needs fixing?
Thank you for your time! And let me know if you have any questions!