Factory Of Souls

[FactoryOfSouls]

Hi guys!
I'm a young author and I created "Factory of Souls", a sci-fi visual novel set in a world beyond death.

What is the Factory of the Souls?
The Factory of Souls (FoS) is a science fiction visual novel game based on the novel of the same name published in Italy.

A visual novel based on a novel?
That’s right! FoS is a science fiction novel set in a world beyond death and it’s inspired by the science fiction masterpieces of the golden years of the genre. It is an original book, in that it is raw and uncensored, but at the same time profound in its philosophical reflections and in the issues it tackles. I have tried to create a work that is both atmospheric and profound, exploring in depth the human and psychological facets of the various characters.

What is FoS not?
FoS is not a visual novel for children, nor a commercial story aimed at teens. Neither is it a shallow work made up purely of dialogues: indeed, as well as fast-moving parts, with plenty of action, it contains slower, more descriptive passages, intended to be thought provoking. FoS contains some violence and nudity because, although the genre is science fiction, the aim is to present the situations realistically, but it is not a pornographic work, and these aspects are not central to the plot.

Where is it set?
FoS is set in a world after death that is neither heaven nor hell. It is an insidious and mysterious place, in which an artificial underground complex, with no known purpose, extends over thousands of square miles. The novel’s various characters move though this dark world of metallic machinery, where humanity is regenerated, striving to understand the meaning of this new world and their part in it.

And the illustrations?
I have opted for illustrations with a high level of detail, produced in an original style that differs from that of classic Japanese visual novels.
It takes a long time to produce the illustrations, and your support through Patreon is crucial if we are to go on producing quality material. In addition, supporters will have access to uncensored versions of some of the illustrations.

What is the current project status?
The novel in the original language (Italian) is complete. We are now in the process of translating it into English and creating the illustrations and the sprites for the visual novel. As soon as each step is complete, we will release a new version of the visual novel. The version currently online contains the Prologue and Chapters 1-2. Your feedback is very much appreciated to improve the quality of the work.

How to play?
You can play the game online for free at the website:
www.factoryofsouls.com

[gekiganwing]

Looking at your website, it sounds like you have already finished writing Factory of Souls as a prose novel, and that it's already been published. That is encouraging. I often worry when I see a person talking about creating a complex / lengthy / fandom-changing visual novel, but they haven't already finished creating a work of fiction.

I'm sure you've seen many movies that did not adapt a book or a comic. I'm sure you can think of many licensed video games that didn't do justice to their source material. Therefore, as you adapt your work to a visual novel format, consider reading TV Tropes' article So You Want to Make a Visual Novel. Take notes, and think about it.

...as well as fast-moving parts, with plenty of action, it contains slower, more descriptive passages, intended to be thought provoking...

I've always liked external conflict in fiction, so I think these are admirable goals. Consider writing several story pitches. Boil your story's conflict down to one or two sentences. Avoid using proper names when creating your story pitch.

I have opted for illustrations with a high level of detail, produced in an original style that differs from that of classic Japanese visual novels.

I looked at your browser-compatible demo. Right now, I'd describe the art as 2D drawings, not too exaggerated, and not too realistic. Somewhere around the middle bottom of Scott McCloud's pyramid of comics art.

I want to see increasing numbers of visual novels which stand out in a crowd. Distinct art is a plus. I find it encouraging to see stories that can't be categorized as love polygons or contemporary school tales. Finally, I like seeing VNs that do not seem like a hand-me-down version (low budget and low effort version) of the author's favorite pop culture media.

Two off-topic thoughts in spoilers:

Your blog mentioned your five favorite Italian comics. I'm embarrassed to realize that I have not heard of any of them. It's probably because of my limited perspective. As a person growing up near Chicago, most of my pop culture media originated from only four or five nations. I didn't know that there was a comics industry in Europe until I did research in my late teen years.

I get kinda defensive about VNs that I like, but at the same time, I can usually notice their flaws. For instance, I started reading Code Realize last year. I liked it because I found the socially isolated protagonist to be sympathetic, and because the story had a decent amount of external conflict. However, I haven't finished it because I thought the story seemed to meander. It also took characters from public domain stories and tried to blend them together, but I'm not sure if the combination worked.

[FactoryOfSouls]

Thank you very much for your reply, i've appreciated it a lot