There will be spoilers here.
Read at your own risk.
UPDATE: Merry Christmas! Alpha release date is December 25th.
Right now, right this moment, the moment you begin reading this -
Humanity is devastated by an alien attack from the edges of our understanding.
Seven years later, armed with a device that you cannot comprehend,
that you can barely operate,
you will strike back.
This is how.
Bliss Stage: Love Is Our Weapon
Concept art of the entire main cast, save Archer Lin and Colonel Preston.
Love is literally your weapon, but who will you wield, and why?
Innocent Sara Smith, a rookie pilot desperate to prove her courage?
Comforting Meredith Baker, a kind and mature young girl that serves as your Anchor to the waking world?
Eager young Gabriel Invierno, your only friend from Before to survive, now dedicated to fighting the aliens tooth and claw?
Experienced Derek Smith, Sara's brother and Anchor, who has seen too well the costs of the war?
Or Veteran Anna Lin - the cool and collected wing commander, mother, and the last of the first pilots?
Love Is Our Weapon is a licensed adaptation of the tabletop game Bliss Stage, by Ben Lehman of These Are Our Games, also the author of Polaris, the award winning RPG of 'Chivalric tragedy at the utmost North'; The Drifters Escape, an RPG about rootless wanderers trying to get by in America, and the world's first yaoi-themed tabletop game, Hot Guys Making Out.
...No, really. Ben is awesome and if you're a fan of ren'ai Visual Novels, you should definitely check out tabletop Bliss Stage.
The game alternates between visual novel Interludes between Joshua and the other members of his Resistance and turn-based missions fighting the war machines of the alien Nightmares. The better your relationships are to your friends and allies, the more powerful your weaponry gets: indeed, the most powerful weaponry in the game comes from committed sexual relationships. But weapons are only reliable as the trust they draw on, and dream combat erodes that trust with every battle. Betray your friends, or your lovers, and the spectacular misfires of your weaponry will seal your fate.
After bouncing between roughly 108 artists, out of sheer frustration with retaining them, I developed my own drawing skills so that I could illustrate this damn game myself. This thread will mainly be to discuss the game, post the demo (when it's complete), and post art for critique.
This game has been a long time coming, and we've experienced several setbacks. Ironically, we might get this post-apoc tale of growing up, young love and giant robots out in... 2012. The first of several rolling alpha releases is this Christmas, with a public demo this January.
Ask me your questions, rip apart my art, and tell me what you think! I'll be updating this as often as I can with new in-game art by yours truly.