CONTENT WARNING: The following game contains discussions of... Anxiety, Depression, Character Death, Grief, Homo/Bi/Transphobia, Mental/Emotional/Physical Abuse, Racism, Religious Extremism, Self-Harm, Suicide / Suicidal Ideation, Violence
While we do our best to handle these topics with respect and care, please engage with caution according to your needs
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________While we do our best to handle these topics with respect and care, please engage with caution according to your needs
I don’t believe in “soulmates” or “love at first sight.”
But I do believe that sometimes meeting someone can change your life.
Even if they’re just a pebble cast into a pond, sending ripples through everything you thought you knew…
Four men who want to live, one man who doesn’t. THAROS, an enigmatic government-sponsored research facility, has just unveiled the revolutionary Life Switch technology…there’s just 1 teeny problem. They need human subjects to test it. Thus a one-of-a-kind experiment is born wherein a suicidally depressed NEET is asked to make the ultimate sacrifice for a total stranger: Exchange the life he no longer wants to save another’s that is about to end. All that’s left is to answer the question who, if anyone, will he pick? 5 characters. 5 stories. But by the end only 1 will make it to a happy [?] end.
That choice is up to you…
Perchance to Dream (P2D) is an upcoming visual novel that is part “dating sim,” part depression simulator, part pseudo-philosophical tangents, and all fun! (Well, except the fact that everyone dies… but that’s fine!) (it’s not fine). Gameplay is character-focused and, like a dating sim, structured around spending time with the 4 Life Switch candidates (and the helpful “Ultimate AI Therapist” who runs the THAROS facility), allowing the player to get to know them all just in time to decide which lucky winner gets to live~ That’s the script set out by THAROS, anyways. But you know what they say! Scripts are written so you can go off them! …That is the saying, right?
|► Rating: Your mileage may vary, but just know there is some strong language, discussion of mature themes (see: content warnings), and mildly suggestive humor.
|► Genre: Near-future science fiction. Romance. Dark humor. Dips its fingers into mystery and horror.
|► Tone: Surreal and contemplative. Somewhat dark. Bittersweet.
|► Themes: LGBT+ ∙ AI ∙ Government Conspiracy ∙ Cults ∙ Medical Experimentation ∙ Surfing ∙ Classical Music ∙ Art ∙ Crime Drama ∙ Living with Depression ∙ and More!+
- ▇||YOU WILL GET||・
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꒰✿ 6 rich, fully-realized characters with unique sprites (and some alternate outfits if things go as planned) stunningly rendered by our artist, Tea
꒰❀ Hundreds of beautiful background CG thanks to Creative Commons
꒰✿ Personalized music for each character and route thanks to Creative Commons
꒰❀ 30+ endings!
꒰✿ All completely FREE!
- ▇||LEARN MORE||・
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Against his will Z is dropped into a realm of cults, crime, and conspiracy. It’s not his job to solve the world’s problems, but when they turn up on his doorstep, can he really turn a blind eye?
(Click to enlarge)
(Development may not match final product)
・||► “Mix-and-Match” routes - You choose how you play
Players can spend time with any character or no characters and can "switch routes" at any time! Chancing upon the right combination will lead to special scenarios and secret ends. Speaking of endings…
・||► Over 30 unique endings planned!
Admittedly this may be trimmed down (or expanded) over the course of development, but currently each character will have at least 5 specialized endings and there are several “secret” ones to discover as well. Some sad, some happy, some dark, some very dark, some romantic, some hopeful, and some completely random! (Yes, please forgive me, there are a few endings triggered entirely by RNG).
And, of course, in each ending most of the cast dies~
・||► Will there be romance?
While the structure is dating-sim adjacent and the game is "implicitly" romantic (with an emphasis on relationship building and having the exploration of attraction and queer identities be an integral part of every route), only one route will be "explicitly" romantic. Otherwise it is up to the player's interpretation. Since the story takes place over just 5 days and the focus is on a mental health journey, this option felt the best to me. But I don't think anyone looking for romance will be disappointed.
(Click to enlarge)
(Development may not match final product)
∙||► Secret stats will influence your journey
There are 3 stats to keep in mind as you play: “Exposure" (how much time is spent with each character),” “Companionship" (how well the characters get along), and “Mental Health" (how Z is faring on his mental wellness journey). The way these stats interact will influence certain scenes and options.
- Note: Originally I planned to have these stats be invisible, but I'm considering giving "hints" about the player's progress at the end of each day. I don't want stat-building to take over the game's enjoyment, so this seemed like a fair compromise to those who don't like invisible stats. Please let me know which you prefer!
∙||► A “unique” approach to CG gives a dream-like cinematic effect…
In lieu of traditional CG
(Click to enlarge)
(Development may not match final product)
∙||► Mental health resources
We want people to enjoy this game but do so as safely as possible and at their own pace. It is being made following recommendations for reporting on suic*de by the National Su*cide Prevention Lifeline and will have an in-game menu with resources to seek help. Release will also include an accompanying walkthrough with clearly labeled triggers so you can see which route paths work best for your needs. This game will get heavy! It explores difficult, complex topics and aims to be at least a somewhat realistic portrayal of mental health struggles. Please keep this in mind as you play.
- ▇||DEMO STATUS REPORT||・
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▇|▪︎ ✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✧✧
Programming: 70%
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Sprites: 60%
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Backgrounds: 80%
▇|▪︎ ✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✧✧
Audio: 90%
▇|▪︎ ✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✧
GUI: 10%
▇|▪︎ ✦✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧
~Demo Version 1.0 (consisting of Day 1 for all routes) is set to release by March 2023, exact date TBU~
- ▇||MEET THE TEAM||・
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꒰✿ EriPiO (myself), who is in charge of writing, programming, visual design, and sound design
꒰✿ Tea (my dear friend), who is in charge of sprite art, key visuals, consulting on character design (especially with App), and being a bouncing-board for ideas
꒰✿ BNSP (a kind cousin), who consulted on logo design and conceptualized the THAROS logo
꒰✿ And finally...
A very, very grateful thanks to countless contributors who have released their work Royalty Free or under Creative Commons, each of whom will be fully credited in the game's release.
In the future...
I am potentially interested in expanding our team to include:
✦ Composers for 1-3 custom tracks (including an experimental remix)
✦ Trailer Editor to promote the game once the demo is complete
✦ GUI Designer / Programmer to make Tea's amazing art and the CC contributions look even better
✦ Beta Readers to point out the 9192819th time I misspelled decision
...If this is something in which you might be interested please feel free to DM or e-mail me, or keep up-to-date with game development on our socials for any recruitment announcements. Whether your services are free or paid, please keep in mind I am just 1 working lad so my budget reflects thusly.
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Get the Inside Scoop!: ✦ ✦ ✦
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I will be posting regular updates in this thread as well so please feel free to follow along, give feedback, or ask anything on your mind.
Thanks for reading! We hope to meet you soon~ ✦✧✦