Lemma Soft Forums

Check out the demo here!
Check out the Kickstarter pre-launch page!

Ikimashou!/Let's Go! is a visual novel set in the wonderful land of Canada, more specifically in the cities of Montréal, Toronto, & Vancouver! Set off on the ultimate journey across the North, and make lots of friends along the way! It'll be a blast!

You play as a determined & hardworking person residing in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, who moved here around 1 year ago. Life is good, adventures are plenty, friends are few but close, and your job is great! Things keep getting in your way, though. School, parents, curfews (*cough cough*), who knows?! Longing for a happy and independent life, you head out to explore the rest of Canada and what it has to offer. Maybe make some friends along the way?

Combining Japanese visual novel features such as voice acting, a cute anime art style alongside beautiful backgrounds, with a familiar Canadian setting. Recommended for people unfamiliar with the visual novel medium, or those who want a lighter, feel-good story.






Features

• Explore the cities of Montréal, Toronto, & Vancouver!

• Full 1920x1080 HD resolution!

• Mainly kinetic novel, with minor branches at times.

• Beautiful backgrounds made from actual, real-life photographs! Maybe you'd even be able to tell where it is?

• A sugar-sweet story about the power of friendship!

• Super-duper adorable kemomimi characters!

• Partial Japanese voice acting!

• Full Japanese translations (To be worked on at a later date)

Montréal's Characters
The character section is under construction! Descriptions & concept art for some characters are present, but may change entirely as I develop this game.

Zinnia Jackson ・ ジャクソン ジニア | Protagonist | CV: 夢前 黎
Height: 160 cm
Birthday: ???
Blood Type: O-
Animal Type: Arctic Fox
Occupation: Various
Hometown: Anywhere!
"An energetic & carefree, but hardworking person who cares about the first impressions in life and doesn't mind a bit of turbulence in her journey. Highly adaptable to any situation, and won't hesitate to jump on the bandwagon."

Employment Description
Third-year at a public junior high school. Zinnia's grades are good, but mostly because she cheats on every exam, because she can. The same "I can do it and you can't stop me" mindset extends to her "job" outside of school, and anything she likes. Despite lacking a social insurance number (and an identity, for that reason), she is still able to do gig & contract work. From mystery shopping, to shoveling snow, she'll take it on! She uses the funds from her career to fund her nomadic lifestyle.

Voice Example
https://sndup.net/w5p2/d Zinnia's remarks: "Look, it's me! Yes, I'm the person you play as, silly."
Minori ・ みのり | Main Character
Height: 158 cm
Birthday: 4/12
Blood Type: O+
Animal Type: Dog
Breed: Alaskan Malamute
Occupation: Student
Hometown: ???
"Your typical teacher's pet (quite literally). Invests heavily in her studies while still maintaining a good relationship between her friends.. She and Zinnia have been together since Zinnia's first day at their school."

Employment Description
A second-year at a public junior high school. Minori focuses hard on her studies and aces every quiz. She's enrolled in the school's gifted program, which places her in many classes one grade above her.
Zinnia's remarks: "I've known Minori since my very first day at our school, it's a godsend that we've been together throughout the year. What I find funny is that we're essentially polar opposites. Minori focuses really hard on her academic stuff and aces all her quizzes, while I just sleep and cram everything in at the last second. She's actually in a grade lower than me, but she shares most of my classes, probably for her giftedness. Yeah, I have no idea why she chooses to be my friend. Something along the words of "The Fox and the Hound", maybe?"
Vincent MacKenzie ・ マッケンジー ヴィンセント | Main Character
Height: 160 cm
Birthday: 6/30
Blood Type: B+
Animal Type: Dog
Breed: Jack Russell Terrier
Occupation: Student & Athlete
Hometown: Pembroke, Ontario, Canada
"A top performer in the school Track & Field Team, Vincent is enthusiastic about sports both in & out of school.
Despite his competitiveness, he has a good sense of sportsmanship and is often the one to take the lead when nobody else is willing to. Zinnia knows his full name, as it is listed on their school's Track & Field website."

Employment Description
A third-year at a public junior high school. Vincent is also a student athlete, with him being on the school's track & field and basketball team. He also does chores for his parents at home, but does that really count as "employment?" Zinnia's remarks: "Vincent is a cool dude. He's one of the top performers on the school track & field team. I was once on the team, but I left on my own accord. You 'know, cause I need more time for myself. Outside of anything sports-related, he's your typical student. A bit annoying when it's convenient for him, but a nice guy overall."
Taya ・ タヤ | Side Character
Height: 150 cm
Birthday: 11/16
Blood Type: O-
Animal Type: Cat
Breed: Ragdoll
Occupation: Student
Hometown: Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
"A first-year at Zinnia's school, Taya thinks she hasn't fit in with the new crowd yet. She's woefully underprepared for the tornado that is known as junior high, and still cherishes her time back in her old school. "

Employment Description
First-year at a public junior high school. Taya's grades are okay. Obviously can't have a job yet, but wishes to work in the fashion industry when she grows up. Zinnia's remarks: "Taya doesn't share most of my classes as it's apparently her first year in our school. I typically only see her in the cafeteria and gym. Despite the obvious lack of time together, we're still good friends. If she hadn't wandered into my friend circle during the beginning of the year, who knows what might've happened. "
Toronto's Characters
Claire Hashimoto・橋本 クレール | Main Character
Height: 165 cm
Birthday: 7/1
Blood Type: AB+
Animal Type: Dog
Breed: Labrador Retriever
Occupation: Communications Centre Agent
Hometown: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
"A cheerful and surprisingly patient girl, Claire loves to help others with public transit! She is employed as a communications centre agent, and also handles the marketing for the company she works for. She moved to Ontario from British Columbia to search for better employment opportunities, although she wishes to return to Vancouver someday with experience from her job to use in other career paths."

Employment Description
Employed as a communications centre agent, and also handles the marketing and advertising for Ontario's regional transit system. She lives in Oakville, where her old office was, but now commutes to Toronto due to her involvement in the marketing department.

Zinnia's remarks: "I first 'met' Claire on the phone while I was trying to get public transit schedules. After we ended up meeting out of pure luck on the bus, I can say that she's very cheerful and affectionate towards me, but she seems to shy away from being my 'best friend', instead directing me towards Chiyomi. I wonder why..."
Chiyomi Hinazuki・雛月 千代美 | Main Character
Height: 162 cm
Birthday: 2/23
Blood Type: AB-
Animal Type: Cat
Breed: Mixed
Occupation: Bus Driver
Hometown: Kariya, Aichi, Japan
"A cat that drives the bus. Chiyomi is a new hire as a regional transit bus operator, and she's determined to get you where you want to go! Caring, charismatic, and empathetic at times, she works to support her family back in Japan, consisting of her parents, grandparents, and cousin. Her brother went missing a long time ago."

Employment Description
A relatively new hire as a bus driver, she previously worked at a café. She changed career paths to take advantage of her "hidden talent" and a hefty hiring bonus. Works out of the Western Division based in Mississauga, where she also lives. Zinnia's remarks: "Cat + bus. Catbus? The cat that drives the bus? Either way, she's the best bus-related person out there! I frequently see her throughout my adventures while on public transit. She's very kind and caring towards me and the rest of the passengers, and is a good friend. Oh, wait! Did I say good friend? I meant best friend! I'm still looking for ways to make our friendship go a bit further, though. Not sure who'll come up with the best ideas at this point."
Charles 'Charlie' Beauchamp・ チャールズ ボーシャンプ | Main Character | CV: イヲリ & 青山 龍星
Height: 173 cm
Birthday: 12/9
Blood Type: A+
Animal Type: Eastern Gray Squirrel
Occupation: Bus Driver
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois, United States
"A refined and observant man. Charles has been behind the wheel ever since graduating from high school. He is well-spoken, never holds a grudge, and cares deeply for his friends and family. Although he has an impressive investment portfolio and plenty of savings, he still chooses to work as a bus operator to supplement his income so that he may retire early. Really early. That's so he may spend more time with his extended family, which he hasn't done often. Perhaps that includes friends, as well?!"

Employment Description
Veteran bus operator based out of the Central Division in Toronto. He was once was a driving instructor for Chiyomi and various others at his division, but has recently stepped down from the position, citing no new hires to train. He also invests in the stock market, and has plenty of retirement savings built up in his bank account. He still chooses to work as a bus driver for he loves the job. and to further build up his nest egg.

Zinnia's remarks:"What a kind gentleman! You can count on Charlie being the chauffeur for your party! 10/10 best chauffeur would pick again. Oh, and he really seems to keep an eye out for me. I always feel at place whenever he's around. Although it's worth mentioning that he tries to keep his distance and avoids looking like he's associated with me. Not sure why exactly that is, although I believe his past may have something to do with it."
Amaya ・あま屋 | Side Character
Height: 160 cm
Birthday: 3/16
Blood Type: O-
Animal Type: Dog
Breed: Samoyed
Occupation: Café Worker & University Student
Hometown: Châteauguay, Quebec, Canada
"Currently in an domestic exchange school program. Normally attends a university in Longueuil, but has transferred to a Toronto-based institution for the fall term. Juggling her time between studies at her university, aiming for a degree in Arts & Design, and working at a Café nearby. '

Employment Description
Currently in a domestic exchange student program. Outside of her studies, she works at a café off-campus. It's apparently the same one Chiyomi worked at a long time ago.

Zinnia's remarks:"A visitor from Longueuil, here in Toronto?! I feel that somebody's told me about Amaya, but I'm not sure who.
Vancouver's Characters
Chosuke Nishimura・西村 長介 | Main Character
Height: 166 cm
Birthday: 2/23
Blood Type: AB-
Animal Type: Cat
Breed: Mixed
Occupation: IT Support Person
Hometown: Kariya, Aichi, Japan
Employment Description Zinnia's remarks: Screenshots and Backgrounds
Progress

GUI - 99%
Background Images - 30% (there'll be a ton of background images to detail Zinnia's journey across Canada. Good thing I'm making them all.)
Character Art - 10%
Writing - 20%
Movie Production - 25% (I learned Adobe After Effects just to make the trailer for the game! That's how dedicated I am!)
Programming - 50%
Voice Acting - 10% (Only Zinnia's and Charlie's voices are set in the stone. I am working to get more voice lines for them!)
Music - 75% (I am using royalty-free music from Audiostock and BGM Dova-Syndrome.)

Credits

Writing - umineko-chan

Programming - umineko-chan

Character Art- 53C

GUI - umineko-chan, with additional elements by OKUMONO

BGM Production - solfa/luminouscore & BGM DOVA-SYNDROME

OP/ED Theme Songs - Losstime Life

SE Production - 効果音ラボ (Sound Effect Lab) & BGM DOVA-SYNDROME

Movie Production: umineko-chan & OKUMONO + V

Backgrounds - umineko-chan & various photographers, a full list can be found in the downloaded game's credits.

Zinnia Voice Acting - Rei Yumesaki (https://145.rei-yumesaki.net/)

On the topic of characters, I am looking for a super moe, anime-style look to my characters, complete with animal ears and tails! I've made some trial characters in the V-katsu character maker, but they don't seem to fit with the theme of the visual novel. I'd prefer 2d, hand-drawn art. Still posting them so you can get an idea of what I'm looking for!

A demo of the first chapter has been published on my itch.io page ! This chapter doesn't feature any character sprites, as it is mostly there to set the general mood/tone of the novel and to give the player an idea of what kind of person the protagonist is. In short, you'll be viewing everything from their eyes!

Everything is in a draft state, and is most definitely NOT final! Feel free to leave feedback here, or on the itch.io page. https://umineko-chan.itch.io/lets-go


P.S. We're searching for an artist to draw our characters! If you know of anyone who can draw cute, moe characters with animal ears/tails, give me a ring!

The game's been looking real sus lately...

I'm in the process of adding sprites to the game, with amogus (yes) being the placeholder image. I'm very eager to recruit an artist who can draw cute & moe characters with animal ears/tails

One quick question for you all, should I release Chapter 2, which does have character sprites (albeit rather sussy at the moment), immediately? Or perhaps hold off on releasing it until actual sprites are in place?

Updated the page with some WIP character info and Vancouver's story! I am making concept art using V-Katsu, but I'm still searching for an artist to draw my characters!

Yes, I'm setting a really high standard for my visual novel. This'll take quite some time to develop, but rest assured! I'm working hard!

Hotfix out! Here are some of the features:

- Zinnia (The protagonist) now voices User Interface interactions! The characters will generally remain silent until Chapter 5, however.
- Fixed some non-working links in the About section
- Added Skip and Auto mode indicators
- Lots more backgrounds in the game's files! These aren't visible yet as they will appear in later chapters, but I will include some of them below.
- Slightly more content in Chapter 1
- Something secret... I suggest you slam your face into your computer's keyboard to find out! Wait, that doesn't make it very secret-ish...

Support & download the journey here:
https://umineko-chan.itch.io/lets-go

Our developer (Bagel Poutine) has a website now! Check it out here:
https://bagel.mystrikingly.com/

Some progress this week:


Wrote some more dialogue, mostly for the chapters in Toronto.

I've made even more backgrounds! There'll be more than 100 in the finished product!

I'd like to share our novel's OP/ED songs, タイフーンパレード (Typhoon Parade) & 流星コネクト (Meteor Connect)!




Big thanks to Losstime Life for these songs! https://www.losstime-life.com/

I'm also making the OP/ED movies! Man, I'm doing everything here... We really need a character artist...

Frequently asked questions???

I've been asked some questions (both by others and by myself) over the course of development, thought it would be nice to share the answers to some of them below.

Once you finish the game, will it be free or paid?

I plan on releasing both a free and paid version. The paid version would contain extra stuff such as CG/BG galleries, scenes, a replay room, etc...

Are there going to be h-scenes (adult content)?

No! Never!!! The fluffiest you'll get is the health teacher talking about periods and the characters sleeping in the same bed. Nothing else. I literally can't place adult content due to my music/sfx composers disallowing use of their works in R18 content. Besides, I want to market my game to a wider audience.

How old is Zinnia?

We're not sure. Maybe take a look at Minori & Taya's concept art and take a guess.

What are you using to make the backgrounds?

I use Adobe Photoshop. The photographs are sourced from Creative Commons images and my own photographs.

Minori is cute!

damn right she is. Wait till we find an artist...

What's this? My photobashing skills on photographs of Japan, rather than Canada? Yes! And it'll be part of the story, too!

In the story, Chiyomi lives in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Her hometown is Kariya, Aichi, Japan. What do those two cities have in common?

If you answered: "They're sister cities", you're correct! This will play an integral part of the later chapters. This is also a fantastic way to present the friendship between these two cities!

https://www.mississauga.ca/our-organiza ... ster-city/

https://www.city.kariya.lg.jp/shisei/pr ... 04375.html

I'm a little confused as to why the game's title is in Japanese and features Japanese (but not English or French) voice acting when it's set in Canada. Obviously you have some characters who are Japanese, but otherwise it just seems..... idk, misleading isn't the right word and I can't figure out what is, but it's a little odd to me.

Regarding your search for an artist, have you tried posting in the Recruitment and Services Offered section of the forum?

Zelan wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 18, 2022 1:31 am

I'm a little confused as to why the game's title is in Japanese and features Japanese (but not English or French) voice acting when it's set in Canada. Obviously you have some characters who are Japanese, but otherwise it just seems..... idk, misleading isn't the right word and I can't figure out what is, but it's a little odd to me.

Regarding your search for an artist, have you tried posting in the Recruitment and Services Offered section of the forum?

Thanks for your feedback! I'll give my explanation regarding your concerns here:

Yes, I am not seeking English voice talent as I've gotten a good roundup of Japanese voice talent that fit my visions of the characters very well. The novel has anime-esque backgrounds in a different, Western setting, cute characters, and essentially a very soft and fluffy story that is light on the soul & unique! Combined with a pretty swell Canadian otaku fanbase as potential customers, this will surely be a breakthrough in the OELVN market! I am also planning Japanese translations, with the voiced portions already being translated as of now.


I am still holding off on hiring an artist as I want to gather a big talent pool that suits my needs and budget. Thanks for suggesting that I post there, though

Makes sense, best of luck with your project!

(The Recruitment and Services Offered does have sections for people who are looking for volunteer team members rather than hiring, if I'm understanding your meaning correctly.)

Worked on the trailer, lots of stuff is missing but it's coming together now! The song fits soooooo well, too!

Some doings this month...

Updated the game's Renpy version 7.4.11! I will be releasing the updated version soon, along with more chapters!
Made more backgrounds, mostly of indoor areas. Also improved my character-making skills, and I'm now experimenting with making sprites out of my characters. Not sure what their names are yet, or what they do. They're super cute, though! Despite this, I am still looking for an artist to draw my characters.