Desservir [Medieval Fantasy][Adventure] Dessert Themed VN

[Kofi Daze]

INTRODUCTION:

Hi guys! I'm Dazeant, but you can call me Daze. I'm the studio manager of KofiDaze Studio.
I wanted to finally put a post out about a project that I'm super excited about! Let me start by
saying this, who doesn't love desserts? And who doesn't love kingdom girls? A very small few
people whose opinions I still respect lol. I've been working on this game concept for about three
years now, so the story itself and the world are pretty much done. I'm about 40% done with the
writing aspect of things, but still have a ways to go in terms of collecting art.

I greatly encourage taking a look at the Facebook Page and Patreon!

SYNOPSIS:

You'll play the game as an MC named Shugu Hagomori, a college student just trying
to make her way through the adult world of responsibilities and money troubles. As if
that wasn't bad enough, the unexpected occurs when the female is summoned to another
world, the medieval land of Desservir, where the inhabitants are made of different desserts
and candies. But this world is anything but sweet. As if getting home were a struggle enough,
a horde of unholy cavity creatures look to turn her and the world into fodder for their dark delights.

THEMES:

A lot of the themes in this game revolve around females, not necessarily with the MC being in a
relationship, but mending the relationships of those around her. Mother and daughter relationships
are prevalent throughout the story, as is abortion and child raising (by a single mother). Relationships
that involve an abusive partner, unhealthy relationships, and such. The themes aren't shoved down
the player's throat, but integrated in a way that makes you feel a part of the hustle in the drama.
There are different types of relationships for the MC to involve themselves in, such as platonic relationships
or more family oriented ones. Romance is obtainable, but not entirely the focus of the game. The end goal
is not to walk away with a partner, like most otome / dating sims.

CHARACTERS:

This list of character will eventually grow as I acquire more sprite art.
There will be around 30 characters created for the story of this vn.



BACKGROUND WIPS:

First Sketch


Second Sketch


Basic Color Sketch


CHARACTER WIPS:

Character Design Sketch




QUESTIONS:

1) What is your general impression of this game idea?
2) Of the themes that I mentioned, which would you be the most excited to see executed?
3) This game isn't romance heavy - it's not an otome where you try to find a partner by the end. Is that a turn off?
4) Gentlemen, would you still be interested in this game even though there are a lot of female heavy themes?
5) I might have forgotten something, but if you have ANY questions just hit me up!

[Zelan]

1) What is your general impression of this game idea?: I like it, and it seems interesting that a candy/sweets theme (usually associated with more lighthearted media) is going to be used here.
2) Of the themes that I mentioned, which would you be the most excited to see executed?: Mother/daughter relationships. Anything like that is usually either omitted or pushed to the side in romance games.
3) What themes would YOU like to see explored that have not been done in a traditional GxG game yet?: I don't think I've played many 'traditional' GxG games, so I don't think I can really answer this question.
4) Gentlemen, would you still be interested in this game even though there are a lot of female heavy themes?: Doesn't apply to me. c:

[Kofi Daze]

1) What is your general impression of this game idea?: I like it, and it seems interesting that a candy/sweets theme (usually associated with more lighthearted media) is going to be used here.
2) Of the themes that I mentioned, which would you be the most excited to see executed?: Mother/daughter relationships. Anything like that is usually either omitted or pushed to the side in romance games.
3) What themes would YOU like to see explored that have not been done in a traditional GxG game yet?: I don't think I've played many 'traditional' GxG games, so I don't think I can really answer this question.
4) Gentlemen, would you still be interested in this game even though there are a lot of female heavy themes?: Doesn't apply to me. c:

Thank you for getting back to me ^ . ^

Haha, I should've clarified what I mean with the 'traditional GxG' stuff. I'll actually go edit that now so it isn't confusing.
What I meant was, for most GxG game I've played the romance element has been pretty heavy. But for this game
I'm really focusing more on platonic relationships with a diverse personality set and trying to capture relationships
between females that are very strong aside from romantic ones (eg. You're not related by blood, but you're practically sisters.
You're not mother and daughter by blood but the loyalty and devotion is there.)
The game isn't a very "Get this partner by the end of the route!" or "Focus on this romantic relationship!" type of game lol

[Mammon]

1) What is your general impression of this game idea?
Liking it thus far. Candy girls, what's not to like? And from what you said it's not going to be all silly either.

2) Of the themes that I mentioned, which would you be the most excited to see executed?
If it works, the sexual confusion&body image issues, which I think would be a good emotional development for the protag if done right. But I usually prefer stories that focus on what the writer wants to focus on than being forced some main theme, so if it's more in the background then also good.

3) This game isn't romance heavy - it's not an otome where you try to find a partner by the end. Is that a turn off?
Not really. Just because most games around here are otaku/otome doesn't mean they all have to be.

4) Gentlemen, would you still be interested in this game even though there are a lot of female heavy themes?
That's my favorite kind of VN, and yes I'm a gentleman. A strong female protagonist is my favorite trope.

[SupersizeMyHeart]

I like it. Sounds like a sweet concept.

Eh? Ehhhh??

[Zelan]

Haha, I should've clarified what I mean with the 'traditional GxG' stuff. I'll actually go edit that now so it isn't confusing.
What I meant was, for most GxG game I've played the romance element has been pretty heavy. But for this game
I'm really focusing more on platonic relationships with a diverse personality set and trying to capture relationships
between females that are very strong aside from romantic ones (eg. You're not related by blood, but you're practically sisters.
You're not mother and daughter by blood but the loyalty and devotion is there.)
The game isn't a very "Get this partner by the end of the route!" or "Focus on this romantic relationship!" type of game lol

Oh, okay, I see. ^_^ In that case, you may want to add [Friendship] to the tags in the titles, to avoid confusion. Also, now that I know that, I'll put in my two cents and say that I'd like to see some bona fide blood relations as well - Those are so often looked over in VNs. It doesn't necessarily have to be between the protagonist and another character, it could be between any characters and I'd love it.

[pigionsdeliver]

1) What is your general impression of this game idea?
I would play this game in a heartbeat. Like no kidding. I've always loved anthro food pictures and from what I can see your characters don't disappoint. Even the names are delightful.

2) Of the themes that I mentioned, which would you be the most excited to see executed?
Well, considering the themes you mentioned a lot of the story will be based around character development and exploring some mature themes which I'm thrilled to see play through. The one I am most excited about is the mother-daughter relationship as I want to see what angle you are taking with that. Whether it to promote a good wholesome relationship or a more stifling one. Both would be absolutely super. Also strong female cast FTW.

3) This game isn't romance heavy - it's not an otome where you try to find a partner by the end. Is that a turn off?
Yes and no. Mainly because I just simply enjoy romance stories. However, by what you have told us about your project I feel like romance might actually be unnecessary and would overshadow some of your main themes. So I am excited how you "compensate" for the lack of romance with some interesting story lines and characterisation.
If the lack of romance is something that concerns you as being a turn off then perhaps incorporating a romantic development between subsidiary characters could make up for it. It's hard to tell without more details on your plot but not all stories have to have romances just strong relationships.

4) Gentlemen, would you still be interested in this game even though there are a lot of female heavy themes?
I suppose this question isn't for myself but I am sure you shouldn't have to worry about this not appealing to men. I find that as long as it's well put together it will have a universal appeal to it. One thing is you should not be worried about alienating men with female themes as communicating matters that concern women are how people can be better informed about them, both men and women. So, don't be afraid to write something that truly explores the themes you set out to write. Stay true to your idea and I am sure success will follow.

5) I might have forgotten something, but if you have ANY questions just hit me up!
Mostly just please keep updating on your progress. I am super excited about this. From the themes to the art it's just hit all my soft spots. I am just really curious about the characters and story since not much information has been given on those aspects of it yet.

sorry for the typo. My phone hates me.

[Zelan]

If the lack of romance is something that concerns you as being a turn off then perhaps incorporating a romantic development between subsidiary characters could make up for it. It's hard to tell without more details on your plot but not all stories have to have romances just strong relationships.

This is a cool idea, and I definitely would not mind seeing it implemented in some way in this game. One game that did this was The Lady's Choice by Seraphinite, with a romance between the main character's best friend, Arabella, and a military man, Colonel Foxley. The pairing ("Foxabella") proved to be very popular with a lot of the game's player's, as you can easily see by taking a brief foray into the dev's Tumblr.

[Kofi Daze]

1) What is your general impression of this game idea?
Liking it thus far. Candy girls, what's not to like? And from what you said it's not going to be all silly either.

2) Of the themes that I mentioned, which would you be the most excited to see executed?
If it works, the sexual confusion&body image issues, which I think would be a good emotional development for the protag if done right. But I usually prefer stories that focus on what the writer wants to focus on than being forced some main theme, so if it's more in the background then also good.

3) This game isn't romance heavy - it's not an otome where you try to find a partner by the end. Is that a turn off?
Not really. Just because most games around here are otaku/otome doesn't mean they all have to be.

4) Gentlemen, would you still be interested in this game even though there are a lot of female heavy themes?
That's my favorite kind of VN, and yes I'm a gentleman. A strong female protagonist is my favorite trope.

I'm actually really happy to be working on these themes, they aren't overbearing when I incorporate them since the story is the main focus. But if people read between the lines and do some analysis of the situation and the characters they'll find that there's more than meets the eye going on. Thank you so much for your input ^ . ^ ! I dunno why I was just nervous that because it was an all female cast that some guys might not want to give it a go. Silly me xD

I like it. Sounds like a sweet concept.

Eh? Ehhhh??

You won pun of the day yesterday, here, have a dancing cookie lol

[Kofi Daze]

Thank you so much for the good feedback o u o !

I'm starting to feel a lot more comfortable with my game. I mean I really love it and I love working on it, but I don't know why I had this misconception that I was going to get blown away by negative comments like "No it should have more romance!" and stuff like that orz I will definitely be updating this post, I know I didn't give much away but I wanted to make sure I had the corresponding images to go with what I was saying, that way people had the same visuals that I did :3 When the character art comes rolling in, the relationships between them and the issues going on will also be put up, I think you'd be able to get a good feel for things once that happens. If you want, each time I update this post (which will probably be once a month to add images), I could quote you to let you know ヽ(*・ω・)ﾉ

[Zelan]

I'm starting to feel a lot more comfortable with my game. I mean I really love it and I love working on it, but I don't know why I had this misconception that I was going to get blown away by negative comments like "No it should have more romance!" and stuff like that orz I will definitely be updating this post, I know I didn't give much away but I wanted to make sure I had the corresponding images to go with what I was saying, that way people had the same visuals that I did :3 When the character art comes rolling in, the relationships between them and the issues going on will also be put up, I think you'd be able to get a good feel for things once that happens. If you want, each time I update this post (which will probably be once a month to add images), I could quote you to let you know ヽ(*・ω・)ﾉ

That's a perfectly understandable fear. c: Up until not too long ago, the majority of the visual novels, by triple A companies and by indie devs, were romance games. In fact, that's probably still true. However, this has been changing a bit. It's starting to become more of a standard practice (at least in the indie community) for romance VNs to also include friendship endings - not as endings that are "worse" than the romance endings, but as endings that are fulfilling by themselves. There are even more and more VNs focused solely on friendship, not on romance. (In fact, a good deal of this year's NaNoRenO projects are friendship-based! I'd definitely recommend checking out the NaNo section if you'd like to see some. ^_^)

I can't wait to see the character art! S'morella is gorgeous, so I know everyone else will be just as amazing.

[pigionsdeliver]

Thank you so much for the good feedback o u o !

I'm starting to feel a lot more comfortable with my game. I mean I really love it and I love working on it, but I don't know why I had this misconception that I was going to get blown away by negative comments like "No it should have more romance!" and stuff like that orz I will definitely be updating this post, I know I didn't give much away but I wanted to make sure I had the corresponding images to go with what I was saying, that way people had the same visuals that I did:3 When the character art comes rolling in, the relationships between them and the issues going on will also be put up, I think you'd be able to get a good feel for things once that happens. If you want, each time I update this post (which will probably be once a month to add images), I could quote you to let you know ヽ(*・ω・)ﾉ

Oh yes, please. That would be fantastic.
And you shouldn't let things like that worry you if you aim to make something that you would want to play then you can assume there is someone else out there is this big ol' world who will also love it.
You should only worry about deviations away from the genre if you plan on making something to appeal to a larger more commercial audience. Even then. Innovation doesn't come without a couple of risk takers.
There will always be negative views, but it would be a worst situation if you didn't believe in your project or made something you felt was untrue to your initial vision. It's hard to defend something if you don't feel passionate about it. So put your whole heart into your vision for this.
Keep going, and I can't wait to see your vision unfold.

[Kofi Daze]

Very happy to announce that I've found a BG artist for my game! I'm very happy with his work ^^ Here are a few sketches.

First Sketch


Second Sketch

[Kofi Daze]

Color update for the throne room.

[bluepuzzlebox]

WOW! The background art looks amazing. The sprite art is really cute too.

1) What is your general impression of this game idea?
- I love stories set in the medieval times. I love story-driven VNs. Once more of the plot is rolled out, I'd love to see where this goes.

2) Of the themes that I mentioned, which would you be the most excited to see executed?
- Mother/Daughter relationship, usually media always portrays a mother's love as unending and unconditional.... but I'd love to see something a little different.

3) This game isn't romance heavy - it's not an otome where you try to find a partner by the end. Is that a turn off?
- Nope, not at all.

4) Gentlemen, would you still be interested in this game even though there are a lot of female heavy themes?
- Pass, I'm female

5) I might have forgotten something, but if you have ANY questions just hit me up!
- Please keep us updated! I have a lot of respect for people who work on one project for a long time, and over 3 years is amazing.