Have you been playing Moeroge games like Nekopara, Wanko to Kurosou, or Nekonin and thought to yourself: "Why are there slaves everyone seems okay with, and where do they come from?"
The year is 2054 and Helix Scientific is here to answer your (and my) long overdue call for cute cat people. For an exorbitant price you too can have your own Felix, a lovable (f*ckable) humanoid cat of your very own. Grown from trademarked DNA entirely within their facility, you can rest assured they will come to you ignorant and naive of their place in society. These Felixes are grown and raised with cutting edge technology and attention to detail: these are limited edition luxury products, so place your order soon.
Current Build
(This version is functional but not perfect! It has Part One of the story set up, and is mostly for people interested in deciding if they want to help out)
An advertisement from Helix Scientific for the Felixes
The story is told from within the walls of Helix Scientific through the eyes of Addison, a trans Felix who had to be taken off the sales list "so not to confuse the costumers". He is now the Staff Companion, meaning he knows a lot of people very intimately, especially Dr. Kronauer who loves to pull Addison aside and dote on him. He is happily living his life, taking care of his siblings yet to be adopted and spending down time on his art and coloring. However, not everyone likes his "companionship". The newest staff member, Dr. Moore, seems quiet and even grumpy at times. An even bigger surprise is his brother Pumpkin has been pulled off the sales list as well! Addison will have to juggle his schedule to try and open everyone's heart to healing.
Characters:
Addison:Ever since being taken off the sales list ten years ago, Addison has been comforting Helix employees as Staff Companion. That's not his only job, though – he also works with the young Felixes who have yet to be adopted, helping them learn all the things they'll need to know in the outside world.
Pumpkin: Enthusiastic, upbeat, and maybe a little over-the-top, Pumpkin is the new Brand Mascot for Helix Scientific. His new role consists mainly of hamming it up for the cameras – no problem for someone so confident and easygoing! Right?
Dr. Kronauer: He's handsome, he's charismatic, he's the lead pharmaceutical chemist at Helix Scientific: meet Dr. Lukas Kronauer, PhD. He takes his job seriously and has been spending a lot of time working lately– not that it stops him from pulling a little rank in order to get more time with Addison…
Dr. Moore: Felixes aren't Dr. Steven Moore's specialization – he started his career as a pediatrician for human children. He's quickly bonded with the kids, though, thanks to a kind demeanor and a bottomless supply of sweets and stickers. Despite this, he seems uncomfortable at Helix, particularly with Dr. Kronauer – what could he be thinking?
Themes:
I wanted the game to be overly sugary and cute to mirror the (R18) neko games of the past and to somewhat highlight the themes of abuse and sex work. I've always been captivated by these strange worlds of "catgirl" games. In these worlds a whole new species lives alongside humans as second class citizens. They are unable to live independent lives, unable to go outside alone without identification or leashes, unable to hold most jobs. They are sentient property to be owned.
Abuse, negligence, and the true nature of this dystopian system is often hinted at in these games, but never truly explored. I wanted to change that. Humans created this species to be it's plaything. To be an aesthetically pleasing and kink fueled slave. (The legal system can't call then human if there's no human DNA.)
Three acts with three routes each (25/~75k)
Planned route time of 2 hours each
[DONE] 23 backgrounds
[DONE] 8 character sprite sets
[DONE] Animated sprites for Addison, the protagonist
60+ CGs (20/60)
Custom Songs
[DONE] Calendar/Date function in GUI
[DONE] Draw pictures in-game to give to your favorite characters
3 Bad Endings
3 "Good" Endings
1 Secret "True" Ending
Team and Recruitment:
I am still looking for people to fill certain rolls.
Art Consultant or Art Director: NEEDED. As an amateur I need guidance on where I'm going wrong.
GUI Artist: My current GUI is acceptable but I would love someone with experience to come in.
Background Artist: My current backgrounds are *passable* but I would love someone with experience to join. This would be for all 23 backgrounds as well as several backgrounds for the CGs.
Sound Director: Filled by Farakk
Programming: Filled by Tanix and Baddani
Writing and Editing: Filled by HarukaNami and PruJo
To learn more about these rolls, visit our Help forum:
viewtopic.php?f=59&t=57135
Links:
Google Drive with Current Build for Windows and Mac
Ko-Fi
Audience Questions:
Do you think the premise of the game sounds interesting?
Would you want a game like this to simply explore the world, or to have a moral lesson?
If it is interesting to you, why?
What would you hope for in a game like this?
Thank you everyone for being an amazing forum! This place has already helped me so much!!!