ZodiaX: 18+ VN - UPDATED [B/GxB] [Yaoi & Otome] [Sci-Fi]/Fantasy

[ZodiaX]

ZodiaX is still in early development! Currently we're looking for honest feedback, critiques, and support from the community! Please note that ALL art is in an early concept stage, and has yet to be cleaned up and refined.

Please follow our TUMBLR. ALL game updates, progress, character and story information will be posted on the site.

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ZodiaX is a dark and gritty Visual Novel game that takes place in a world steeped in eldritch horrors. For the last ten years, the world has been corrupted by malignant spirits and beasts, prowling around in the mist-shrouded darkness to prey on anyone who gets close enough. Possession, death, and unending pain have shadowed humanity for the last decade. Cities and towns have taken precautions, but ultimately, no one is safe.

But something FAR more sinister works within Elune's high walls, and only you can choose your own destiny. Love can be your only salvation when life relentlessly stabs you with nothing but bad or worse choices, heartbreaking tragedy, and a decaying world shrouded in despair and darkness as each day passes.

How you choose to survive your homecoming is entirely up to you. You may reach out to find love, to find friendship and safety. Or you could rally the most influential people of the city, knowing that the clock is running out but that you must do something to fight. Perhaps you'd rather let the world rot, and laugh while it does. But be warned... No matter what decision you make, thing you say, or action you take, everything can change.

You're the only one capable of uniting the True Zodiacs, to show the people that they can rise up and fight for their lives and the light once more. But just because you have this power...does that give you the right to use it?

Now, without knowledge of who you are, or what you can do, you meet 12 companions, entirely ignorant that each one of them is a Sign of the Zodiac. You set out seeking to save the city of Elune, but will gain so much more: love, friendship, knowledge, power...and the ultimate choice. When forced to unite the 12 Zodiacs, will you decide to save the world from the rapidly-spreading fear, pain and chaos the Voidwalkers bring? Or side with those who seek a rebirth, and destroy reality as you know it in order to start the world over completely?

NOTE:: The threat of the Voidwalkers simply provides a common backstory for each of the routes; the main focus of ZodiaX will be the bond between the characters, their development, and how Aster / Asteria grows as a person depending on who you're with. The choices the player makes will influence not only the outcome of each character’s route, but also the ending to the main storyline as well. With 3 routes per character, absolutely none will be the same. There will be a myriad of unique choices, CGs, and different soundtrack themes for each character.

• Player can be Male or Female! NEW!!
• 12 Romantic Pairings to Choose From!
• 3 Routes for each Character! Romantic, Lust, and Violent.
• Over 36 Different Endings!
• High-Def Still CGs!
• CG Gallery & Scene Replay!
• Gorgeous Original Character Models, Backgrounds, and Soundtrack!
• Expansive Decision Making.
• Your Choices Determine Relationship Status, Dialogue, Consequences, and the Outcome of the Main Story!

For now, please see our CHARACTER PAGE until we finalize designs.

Your choices will play an absolutely integral role in the story. This game is a huge undertaking, and as there are over 36 different endings, we want to make each route as different as possible, so there's little to no repetition. We want to keep the replay value high, and offer our players the most interaction possible between characters. There will be an in-game meter that will keep track of your relationship status with each character, whether negative or positive. Each choice you make will cause that meter to rise or fall, depending on said character's preferences and feelings towards Aster.

ZodiaX will have many different branches, and each character's route will intertwine with one to three others, so that the player gets to see different sides and facets of each character depending on who they choose to pursue. Not only will players make romantic choices, but they'll also be making big decisions that affect the world around them. Do you save a little boy, and let Voidwalkers destroy and kill a family-run shop? Do you sacrifice one of your friends to keep the Barrier up and Elune safe? Do you side with the Company and figure the world needs a reset, or do you simply choose to wash your hands of your hometown and run away with your lover?

With a myriad of different decisions, we want to keep our players as engaged as possible.

Character Design:: 9O%
Character Sprites:: 20%
CG's:: 5%
Backgrounds:: 5%
Routes:: WIP
BGM:: 10%
Story:: 50%
Demo:: Early-early-early Alpha.

Since there's some confusion because of a post on our Tumblr, I should clarify. We plan to release ZodiaX on multiple platforms [ Windows, Android, Linux, possibly iOS ], and it will be $3O or under. For the mobile platforms, we'll likely charge under $1O for the base game, and then each route will cost a set amount to unlock. This way it's affordable for everyone. ❤ We'll be looking for Alpha testers likely within the next 12 - 14 months, as well.

ZodiaX was created by Noxius and Binary. The idea was formed in mid 2015, and they officially began working on the project in August of this year. They both came up with the concept, characters, and story. All art, music, and other media belongs to their respective artists and ZodiaX. We will be needing people to help spread the word, as well as Beta testers to give us feedback.

Character Art:: Noxius
Programmer / Social Media:: Binary
Background Art:: Spocar
Original Soundtrack:: Glitch Nix

I. Is the art style appealing? As a VN, our game will ride primarily on the quality / style of our work.
II. How do you feel about the story? About the choice of playing as a male or a female?
III. 12 characters. It's a lot. Do you think this is a good or a bad thing? How can we be sure to make each interesting? We plan to put in the same amount of time and effort into each route, but aside from that?
IV. What do you think of the world building / story setting? We want the game to have an eerie feel to it the majority of the time as the Void creeps slowly closer to Elune.
V. Have any general thoughts / questions? We'd be happy to answer and converse with you!

[Emilily]

I. Is the art style appealing? As a VN, our game will ride primarily on the quality / style of our work. Taking this into personal account, I can't say that I hate the art style, but I also don't find it especially appealing as some other games. I really like the anime scheme with the art though. Overall though, I think the art style has no problem that would need to be addressed. I do really like Aster's character art though. I also really love the boy who has blue hair and blue eyes (under the concepts section).

II. How do you feel about the story? We get that the whole 'mysterious company' crap has been done before. Cliche? Could it work with a spin? Should we rework that part of the concept entirely? I think that as long as the various endings and unique storylines are clearly visible, then I believe the 'mysterious company' gist could be left alone, since compared to the general story otherwise, it doesn't seem as prominent as the development of the characters themselves and maintaining a relationship. For the general story, I do find it interesting. The 12 signs of the Zodiac has always fascinated me. Although I refuse to say so myself that I have an unhealthy obsession towards the topic, I've done quite a bit of research on it.

III. 12 characters. It's a lot. Do you think this is a good or a bad thing? How can we be sure to make each interesting? We plan to put in the same amount of time and effort into each route, but aside from that? Indeed, 12 characters is a lot, but I've seen games where they have more than 12, or the same amount as well (for example, Star-Crossed Myth by Voltage Inc., Brothers Conflict by Idea Factory, Diabolik Lovers ~Lost Eden~ by Idea Factory, etc.), so it's definitely doable. It's definitely a challenge. . .As to how to make it interesting, I suppose I'll leave it up to your imagination. I'd only come up with ideas by idea bouncing for you. In other words, I'd best tell you how to make it interesting if I knew more about the characters and their routes, so I'll just leave it to you (unless you actually want that. . .? ).

IV. What do you think of the world building / story setting? We want the game to have an eerie feel to it the majority of the time as the Void creeps slowly closer to Elune. Hmm, I do believe the term "Voidwalkers" do evoke a sense of eeriness, and Elune sort of suggests a nocturnal but powerful feel, so I'd say in regards to name, you've accomplished that. I don't know much about the actual world though. . .Therefore, I can't provide very good feedback on that aspect.

V. Have any general thoughts / questions? We'd be happy to answer and converse with you! I also really like dark and gritty stories, so this storyline has gotten me strangely hooked, especially because I have never been an avid fan of boy love (not that I hate it, of course. I'm just not extremely passionate and scream, etc. whenever I see those types games). This may be the game where everything changes for me though. Of course, it is not my intention to put pressure on you, but this is the first boy love game to have me pondering about it. I would love to buy it when it's available, though. . .$38-40 is a lot for me, so I think I will stick to try and getting a spot for beta testing. What else. . .? Oh, yeah. The 18+ aspect. Also, the CG. I already feel weak, and my knees are like Jell-O. However, I guess I am fit for this game, since I'm a masochist anyways. (I should certainly hope it's not a bad thing).

[ZodiaX]

Oh, man! Thank you SO much for the detailed feedback. You have no idea how helpful it is for me, not only in terms of what the community thinks, but it also helps get ideas flowing! So you kinda just made my night when you said that ZodiaX may change the way you view Yaoi VNs. ❤

And ah, I just edited this and posted it above, but I need to clarify about the pricing thing. Nox lives in the UK so he's used to pounds, which are higher than the dollar currently. After talking it over with him on the day someone asked about pricing, we both agreed that the most we would charge for ZodiaX would be $3O for the desktop versions. For mobile distributions, we plan to have a base cost of around 10$ and under, and then the player would pay for whichever routes they wish to pursue.

Anyway! It's quite a good thing you're a masochist, actually. -grins- As of right now, a little less than half of the characters have a controlling or sadistic side to them. Ideally, we want player choice to determine Aster's standing in the relationship as far as dominance goes, but with some characters [ most notably our Gemini twins, Lock & Thorn, ] Aster will be left kind of helpless hahah.

As far as our art goes, thank you for the honesty. Nox is still trying to nail down a specific feel and style, which is why several of the characters look so totally different from others at this point. However we're getting close to the point where we've got a set style nailed down, so soon it'll just be a matter of polishing and cleaning things up to make them pristine. I'm glad to hear you like Aster's appearance, as we thought long and hard about his design, and poor Nox absolutely struggled with Reon [ our Pisces, our lovely little blue-haired street rat trap ]. I had to throw references at him, as he's used to drawing characters with a commanding presence.

As far as the character routes and such goes, I would actually be open to speaking one on one with you if you're interested. There will of course be some things I can't talk about, but I have no problem bouncing ideas around or explaining about the personalities and possible growth of some of our boys. And I actually had no idea that there were that many games that had 12+ pairings! That's actually quite reliving to know; I'll have to put them on my 'to-play' list so I can research how they handle the routes and branches and such.

Thank you again for your feedback, and please feel free to send me a PM on here or ask questions in the thread!

--Binary

[quote="Emilily"][/quote]

[ZodiaX]

Updating to show our cast of characters!


From the left: Alpha, Lock & Thorn [ top ], Beast [ bottom ], Azra, Darian


From the left: Aster [ Main ], Cypher [ bottom ], Reon [ bottom ], Lumeon [ mid ], Cassius [ top ], Kilandris [ mid ], Severin [ top ], Quint [ bottom ]

[Emilily]

Yay, another update!

This time is the characters too, which tends to be the most exciting part for me, especially when they are first concealed and silhouetted when they are introduced. I know just by the looks that I'd go for the Gemini twins, even though I do realize they may leave Aster helpless (poor Aster; hopefully he will be alright). If Azra is holding a fan, then he will be my number 1 .

Yes, although I hate to admit it myself, I may be unhealthily obsessed with characters who hold fans and umbrellas. I would also definitely pursue Cypher and Reon as well. All in all, all of the characters are my favorite at this point. I'll keep looking out for more; each update you post keeps adding on to the excitement I already have!

[MilanaWalters]

wow! i really love the art and characters' appearances! and 12 romance options!! i cant wait to romance them all, though ill always end up having a fave and romancing only one that character over and over:P but it might not be a case here, they all look interesting!!

[ZodiaX]

@Emilily:: Hahah, I'm so glad the characters meet your standards! And ahhh I know, Lock and Thorn are the definitive sadists in the game hahah. But don't worry! Aster's not the type to back down without a fight. ;D As far as Azra goes, he is indeed holding a fan! Cypher is my personal favorite by far, and Reon's definitely up there as well. Gaaahh. I love these boys more and more with every line of dialogue I write and every sketch Nox does. -grins-

We actually hope to do a Character Q&A relatively soon on our Tumblr or Twitter, so keep an eye out!

@MilanaWalters:: Ahh, thank you! As far as romancing one multiple times, we have three totally different routes per choice, so have at it! Hahah.

Thanks for your guys' continued support, and we hope to be posting some updates soon!

--Binary

[Emilily]

@Emilily:: Hahah, I'm so glad the characters meet your standards! And ahhh I know, Lock and Thorn are the definitive sadists in the game hahah. But don't worry! Aster's not the type to back down without a fight. ;D As far as Azra goes, he is indeed holding a fan! Cypher is my personal favorite by far, and Reon's definitely up there as well. Gaaahh. I love these boys more and more with every line of dialogue I write and every sketch Nox does. -grins-

We actually hope to do a Character Q&A relatively soon on our Tumblr or Twitter, so keep an eye out!

--Binary

They do, so no worries! That's great to hear; whenever I see those rebellious characters, I always feel my heartbeat accelerate slightly, so I look forward to it! Hmm, okay. Azra is my favorite now; I'll make sure to treasure him .

I like Cypher's personality, but I feel like there's something more to him than meets the eye hehe~ Reon is definitely my type, a rat trap and a thief? Dang, count me in on it. I don't know how the dialogue is, but I think it's something to be proud of in the end in my view. I don't know: possibly post some short teasers of those funny moments where there aren't even any spoilers. . .if there are any, that is. But I have a feeling there is, especially with Reon coughs loudly and hopefully everyone, haha.

A Q&A? That's pretty cool! I participated as an inquirer for Cinderella Phenomenon's Q&A, and I can tell that it's definitely an opportunity not only for your fans to have fun and get to know your characters, but also for you as a writer to get to know your character in different scopes and perspectives. I am in 100%!

[Konoi]

I've stumbled upon this page while looking for new BxB games, and woah, I'm impressed! I'm really curious about this project, and I'll follow the progress closely!

Now, for the questions!
I. Is the art style appealing? As a VN, our game will ride primarily on the quality / style of our work.
In my opinion... YES! I think it's gorgeous! I can't really say anything else - I really love it.
II. How do you feel about the story? We get that the whole 'mysterious company' crap has been done before. Cliche? Could it work with a spin? Should we rework that part of the concept entirely?
The story seems interesting so far! The company thing is cliché, but that's okay since I don't have the feeling it's the main aspect of the story, only a possible ending/route to follow, so that's okay. I don't think it needs a full rework of the concept, but a spin may be interesting if you want to make the company a very important part of the story.
III. 12 characters. It's a lot. Do you think this is a good or a bad thing? How can we be sure to make each interesting? We plan to put in the same amount of time and effort into each route, but aside from that?
I like games with 10+ characters, so I fully support that! I think the most important about dealing with so many characters is to choose the global personality of each one, their unique aspects, and abilities, and be careful about each of them developing in a different way than the others. Also, making some of them quite unusual is a good idea. But I believe you'll do fine with that, since the beast is a very unusual character, for example!
IV. What do you think of the world building / story setting? We want the game to have an eerie feel to it the majority of the time as the Void creeps slowly closer to Elune.
Well, it seems like an eerie and creepy world with very few safe havens that actually aren't really that safe, so I think you'll achieve your goal. I like dark visual novels, so again, I fully support the kind of setting you choose to do!
V. Have any general thoughts / questions? We'd be happy to answer and converse with you!
Well, the project is in a very early stage, so I don't really have things to ask... As for the thoughts, well, I like the characters so far. The beast and Lumeon are very interesting. The beast for obvious reasons (and I like characters like him!) and Lumeon... Well, if you have 12 romantic routes, and he's Aster's brother, I take it means this is an incest route? That's a bold and interesting choice, and I'm quite curious about that! Same goes for the brothers - it's unusual to have a "two in one" route. Basically, what I mean here, is that I like the ideas you put in your game!

[CosmicFan]

I. Is the art style appealing? As a VN, our game will ride primarily on the quality / style of our work.

Yes, very. It's right up my alley.


II. How do you feel about the story? We get that the whole 'mysterious company' crap has been done before. Cliche? Could it work with a spin? Should we rework that part of the concept entirely?

You should definitely NOT REDO IT. Nothing is new under sun. You should not worry if you think one element of your story is overused, it's about how it'll help create the whole that matters. Every trope is like a lego that is used to build the story.



III. 12 characters. It's a lot. Do you think this is a good or a bad thing? How can we be sure to make each interesting? We plan to put in the same amount of time and effort into each route, but aside from that?

It's definitely ambitious, but you seem to have a very clear and solid concept for the game you want to create. I trust that you'll deliver.



IV. What do you think of the world building / story setting? We want the game to have an eerie feel to it the majority of the time as the Void creeps slowly closer to Elune.

I like the concept so far, but I think I'd have to play at least a demo to know how the game fells.


V. Have any general thoughts / questions? We'd be happy to answer and converse with you!

Release date?

[shadowkazaki]

I. Is the art style appealing? As a VN, our game will ride primarily on the quality / style of our work.
The art style is quite appealing to me. I really like it. ^^

II. How do you feel about the story? We get that the whole 'mysterious company' crap has been done before. Cliche? Could it work with a spin? Should we rework that part of the concept entirely?
I think the story is quite unique with the vast amounts of character routes. The company thing is something that can be seen as a common enemy, just like if it were a king or such.

III. 12 characters. It's a lot. Do you think this is a good or a bad thing? How can we be sure to make each interesting? We plan to put in the same amount of time and effort into each route, but aside from that?
I thinks it's good to have several different characters. You could even make references to other routes or links to make interest in the other characters. For each story, I suggest having a central connection that possibly links to their Zodiac maybe? Maybe even have special items or something they have with them that represents their roles.

IV. What do you think of the world building / story setting? We want the game to have an eerie feel to it the majority of the time as the Void creeps slowly closer to Elune.
The setting in a post-apocalyptic world, where only few havens are left standing. I believe it is good for the story plot.

V. Have any general thoughts / questions? We'd be happy to answer and converse with you!
Where did you get your ideas for this? It's utterly stunning and detailed! Thank you so much for sharing it!

[Evy]

I. Is the art style appealing? As a VN, our game will ride primarily on the quality / style of our work.
The style itself might take some getting used to (proportions, cleanliness), but the designs look solid so far!

II. How do you feel about the story? We get that the whole 'mysterious company' crap has been done before. Cliche? Could it work with a spin? Should we rework that part of the concept entirely?
Echoing what other people have said: nothing is original anymore, so go for it!

III. 12 characters. It's a lot. Do you think this is a good or a bad thing? How can we be sure to make each interesting? We plan to put in the same amount of time and effort into each route, but aside from that?
I mean. My own project also has 12 routes including the unlockable option, so I'd hardly be in any position to judge lmao

IV. What do you think of the world building / story setting? We want the game to have an eerie feel to it the majority of the time as the Void creeps slowly closer to Elune.
I like it! Are you guys familiar with Warcraft, by any chance? haha

V. Have any general thoughts / questions? We'd be happy to answer and converse with you!
Sooo... which one is the Aries boy?

[ZodiaX]

Hey guys!

Apologies about the long absence! It's been a crazy few months for us, but we've been working hard totally reworking big plot points and pairings and such!

Also, we'd love feedback on our updated plot idea:

Elune is a city that at first glance, is like any other. Perhaps a bit cleaner, more upscale and more orderly than its neighbors, but that was what drew people to move there. Founded by the upper echelon of a cult by the name of simply The Company [ for now hah ]. They claimed it to be a perfect utopia for its citizens to live in, but in reality, something far more sinister was going on.

Aster, the main character, had returned to his birthplace of Elune in order to inherit the Shrine that has been in his family for countless generations. He didn't realize it before he left, but now that Aster is once again living within Elune's high walls, he begins to notice strange occurrences happening to the city's inhabitants. Not only that, but the city has fallen from its lofty height; rife with corruption, gang violence, and street crime, Aster is shocked at what his hometown has become. But Elune wasn't the only thing that had changed. When Aster passed beneath the walls of the city, a wave of pain in his mind struck Aster back on his heels, making him fall unconscious. What he didn't know was that with his return, all 12 Zodiacs were in Elune...and as the Celestial, he has just set turning the wheels of fate.

A prophecy made centuries ago told of 12 individuals who would come to inhabit the city, that when brought together would bring great power [ control free will? rule by persuasion? create some artifact of unlimited energy? a weapon of some sort? ]. Because of this, the Company wanted to ensure that once someone moved to Elune, that they would be unable to leave. As time went on, only the keenest eyes noticed that whenever anyone tried to leave Elune, they would suffer acute memory loss, disappear, or simply return a day later with no recollection of ever having left the city to begin with.

But there was a second part to the prophecy that was far more important. It stated that there would be one person who was drawn to the Zodiacs, and only they had the ability to harness their combined power. Because of this, many have claimed to be the Celestial, able to wield the ability needed to bring "true peace to the human race", leading to the fanatic following the Company has surreptitiously gathered over the years. Despite all claims, however, not a single person has been found in Elune that could even remotely be the one from the Prophecy...until the day a red star burns across the sky, signalling that the ability has awakened within the Celestial... And The Company wants nothing more than to bend him to their will in order to control the Zodiacs and obtain the ultimate power.

Here's an updated image of our protagonist, Aster!


Please follow us on TWITTER, TUMBLR, or FACEBOOK for updates and art!

[Ertal77]

I. Is the art style appealing? As a VN, our game will ride primarily on the quality / style of our work.

Yes, very! The style is really attractive, and I'm going to follow your tumblr right now! I need to see those 12 guys for myself!

II. How do you feel about the story? We get that the whole 'mysterious company' crap has been done before. Cliche? Could it work with a spin? Should we rework that part of the concept entirely?

Hmmm... As long as it's well done, it will work, although a spin is always desirable.

III. 12 characters. It's a lot. Do you think this is a good or a bad thing? How can we be sure to make each interesting? We plan to put in the same amount of time and effort into each route, but aside from that?

...They are really a lot. I know that's the additional value of the game, but I have never played a game with so many love interests. I'm sure there will be someone for all tastes, right? Plus 12 backstories to explore... Definitely something good. Just try that the player has the chance to get to know all of them a bit before choosing.

IV. What do you think of the world building / story setting? We want the game to have an eerie feel to it the majority of the time as the Void creeps slowly closer to Elune.

Honestly, fantasy settings are the ones that less interest me, apart from typical high schools. But the plot per se it's good (although this Void of course reminds me a lot of Lamento XD )

Good job so far! I'm looking forward to seeing more of this game!

[shadowkazaki]

I love the updated plot! It's so mysterious and full of so much potential! Keep up the great work!