Seventh Circle [Urban Fantasy & Romance VN, AllxAll] [Currently crowdfunding; Demo available!]

A place for game announcements, and for people to discuss games being made.
Forum rules
Please read the sticky before creating a new topic. Linking to Kickstarter/Crowdfunded games requires a demo. Updates to Patreon-backed games may be posted once every 2 months. Adult content should not be posted in this forum.
Post Reply
Message
Author
rockcandy
Newbie
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Mar 14, 2018 5:19 pm
Tumblr: rockcandygames
itch: rockcandygames
Contact:

Seventh Circle [Urban Fantasy & Romance VN, AllxAll] [Currently crowdfunding; Demo available!]

#1 Post by rockcandy »

Hi everyone!

My name is Anne and I'm a writer posting on behalf of Rock Candy Games, which is a collaboration between me and my illustrator pal Becca Farrow. We've created a demo for our game, Seventh Circle, and we want to share it with you all.

Our demo is up on itch.io and we are crowdfunding the full game on Kickstarter until April 12th.

Here's the kind of teaser/pitch for the game:
Congratulations: you're a mage.

Fresh out of college with a degree in the arcane, you've made your childhood dream come true by gaining admittance to the Trillian, a renowned league of arena battle mages, where the brightest young magical talents duke it out every week for money, fame, and bragging rights.

As you tangle with the Trillian’s big personalities--an uptight genius, a hot-headed would-be rival, a handsome haloed jock, and more--you’ll uncover a mystery stretching back decades, and you might just find love while you’re at it.
It's going to be fun and funny and a little bit dark, all of which you can pick up from our demo. Our biggest focus is having characters who really stick with you.

Here's some caps from our demo:

Image

Image

Image

There's a ton more info on the Kickstarter page.

I've been lurking on Lemmasoft for months but this is my first actual post and our first VN (though not our first big creative project). Becca and I are looking to spread the word about the game and would love any feedback on the demo anyone has to offer.

Also, any suggestions about places to share our demo would be great -- I didn't think of posting it here until a backer suggested it, so I want to make sure we're not missing out on any huge opportunities!

Thank you all so much!!!!
Last edited by rockcandy on Thu Mar 15, 2018 3:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

gekiganwing
Lemma-Class Veteran
Posts: 2473
Joined: Wed Sep 29, 2004 1:38 pm
Contact:

Re: Seventh Circle [Urban Fantasy & Romance VN, AllxAll]

#2 Post by gekiganwing »

I learned about this project thanks to a post on r/visualnovels. I'm kinda different from other people who post there. I've tried about seven of their recommended titles (most of which are OJLVNs), but only finished reading a route in two of them.

Two things I already like about Seventh Circle:

1. Reasonably distinct art. It doesn't remind me of any specific illustrator or published work, but it stands out.
2. The people at Rock Candy already have a portfolio of work. Therefore, you should be prepared to finish your VN. I often worry when people talking about creating a complex or lengthy visual novel meant to change fandom forever... but they haven't finished creating stories or other creative endeavors.
...it represents just the kind of content we’re looking to bring you through our partnership: fun, romantic, exciting, and inclusive stories through gaming. We want to make Seventh Circle for people like us, because if you think there are enough queer- and trans-friendly games in the world, you haven’t been paying attention.
A couple of concerns...

* How to make sure the characters don't come across as tokens. I think it's wise if they don't exist just to check off a box. They shouldn't be defined by their ethnic group, current relationship, or career. They need motivations, hobbies, and conflicts.
* "Inclusive" should be a positive word. (I say this admitting that I grew up learning from evangelicals, nontheist free thinkers, and people in between those two extremes.) However, it might make your project an easy target for trolls.

rockcandy
Newbie
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Mar 14, 2018 5:19 pm
Tumblr: rockcandygames
itch: rockcandygames
Contact:

Re: Seventh Circle [Urban Fantasy & Romance VN, AllxAll]

#3 Post by rockcandy »

Thank you for the response and the positivity!
I learned about this project thanks to a post on r/visualnovels.
So I didn't even know we'd been mentioned here, haha. Thanks for the heads up.
A couple of concerns...

* How to make sure the characters don't come across as tokens. I think it's wise if they don't exist just to check off a box. They shouldn't be defined by their ethnic group, current relationship, or career. They need motivations, hobbies, and conflicts.
* "Inclusive" should be a positive word. (I say this admitting that I grew up learning from evangelicals, nontheist free thinkers, and people in between those two extremes.) However, it might make your project an easy target for trolls.
These are great points and ones we've considered. As a writer I'm hyper aware of tokenism in fiction and it's something I actively work against... I'd like to think that you can already tell our characters have distinct personalities and interesting lives from the demo, but if not, I can assure you that the routes we have planned dig into their development. They're gonna be three-dimensional. I'm hoping it'll be one of the game's strengths!

Re: trolls, yeah, that's definitely a possibility. We've been creating content for a long time, like you mentioned, and we've both dealt with our share of trolls before. I guess my feeling is that we'd rather call our game what it is and deal with troll-y backlash than pretend we're not trying to be inclusive... is there anything that could save a LGBTQ+ friendly VN from trolls? I don't know.

Again, thanks for the thoughts.

User avatar
poorlyformed
Regular
Posts: 53
Joined: Mon Jan 22, 2018 11:43 am
Projects: Shadowburg
Tumblr: poorlyformed
itch: poorlyformed
Location: NYC
Contact:

Re: Seventh Circle [Urban Fantasy & Romance VN, AllxAll] [Currently crowdfunding; Demo available!]

#4 Post by poorlyformed »

I wasn't expecting the demo to be so short, but I really love the art and the concept.
Image

User avatar
ParrotWatcher
Regular
Posts: 79
Joined: Sun Sep 17, 2017 11:28 am
Completed: Unearth your Gays
Projects: Lovecraft Academy
Tumblr: parrotwatcher
itch: parrotwatcher
Contact:

Re: Seventh Circle [Urban Fantasy & Romance VN, AllxAll]

#5 Post by ParrotWatcher »

rockcandy wrote: Thu Mar 15, 2018 3:44 pm These are great points and ones we've considered. As a writer I'm hyper aware of tokenism in fiction and it's something I actively work against... I'd like to think that you can already tell our characters have distinct personalities and interesting lives from the demo, but if not, I can assure you that the routes we have planned dig into their development. They're gonna be three-dimensional. I'm hoping it'll be one of the game's strengths!
Just to say: I didn't think any of the characters felt like tokens. Admittedly, we didn't really get much time to get to know them, but it certainly felt like we were seeing fully realised characters. Plus it didn't hurt that most of the cast were pretty cute... (especially Will's insecure wannabe-tough guy act...) Looking forward to finding out more about them. :)
Please check out my BL WiP, Lovecraft Academy!

rockcandy
Newbie
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Mar 14, 2018 5:19 pm
Tumblr: rockcandygames
itch: rockcandygames
Contact:

Re: Seventh Circle [Urban Fantasy & Romance VN, AllxAll] [Currently crowdfunding; Demo available!]

#6 Post by rockcandy »

poorlyformed wrote: Thu Mar 15, 2018 11:30 pm I wasn't expecting the demo to be so short, but I really love the art and the concept.
Thank you! Yeah, it's definitely not a lot of gameplay, but our main goal was to introduce the characters, aesthetics, and tone of the game. Glad you feel it has promise!
ParrotWatcher wrote: Fri Mar 16, 2018 1:31 pm Just to say: I didn't think any of the characters felt like tokens. Admittedly, we didn't really get much time to get to know them, but it certainly felt like we were seeing fully realised characters. Plus it didn't hurt that most of the cast were pretty cute... (especially Will's insecure wannabe-tough guy act...) Looking forward to finding out more about them. :)

I'm delighted to hear this!! We're going to be releasing more info about the characters via social media if you're looking for more content sooner rather than later.

rockcandy
Newbie
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Mar 14, 2018 5:19 pm
Tumblr: rockcandygames
itch: rockcandygames
Contact:

Re: Seventh Circle [Urban Fantasy & Romance VN, AllxAll] [Currently crowdfunding; Demo available!]

#7 Post by rockcandy »

I wanted to share the first three character bios, which are now up on our social media!

Image
Image

Image
Image

Image
Image

More to come in the next week!

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users