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One of the things I really like about this game is the premise. The premise brings to mind a lot of classic and well established horror movie themes and tropes, and if this were the premise of a movie, it probably wouldn't stand out to me as particularly unique, or grab my attention immediately. But it's not the premise of a movie.

I've always been of the opinion that every entertainment medium has its own unique strengths and weaknesses, its own way of telling a story, and so certain premises and ideas that may be tired or even cliche in one medium can be given new life if brought into a different medium that tells the story in a unique way.

There are so, so many horror movies that focus on a group of teens getting involved in some weird supernatural horror/slasher thing, and slowly dying off one by one. And so many of these movies are full of characters acting like idiots. Indeed, I can't think of any other type of movie that causes more people to shout out at the TV "You idiot! Don't do that, you're just going to die!" than horror movies, especially the Freddy/Jason/I know what you did/etc type of movies.

Well, video games offer the potential for player choice, and visual novels in particular tend to focus on player choice. So now, instead of helplessly shouting out about how a character is behaving stupidly and being unable to do anything about it, and just watching the character die... now, we actually can change what the character does. Now we get to see if we really are all that smart, if we can survive a horror movie like that, and more than just survive ourselves, maybe even keep our friends alive too. Simply adding the element of player choice completely changes things from the standard teen horror movie.

It seems like such an obvious idea that I'm shocked it hasn't been done more before. But when I think of various horror themed video games, the ones that come up are all survival horror style games, such as zombie games like Resident Evil, or psychological horror/creepy games that focus heavily an atmosphere and slowly unsettling the player. I can't think of any that use the "group of teens/young adults caught in a horror situation" premise, despite that being super common in movies. And again, it seems like such an obvious choice that I'm baffled by the fact that I can't think of any.

So that's one of the things I really like about this game, because it takes a classic premise common to movies, but puts it in a different medium that has the potential to completely shake up that premise and put a new spin on it. I really hope (no pun intended, haha) you pull it off, and I'm very excited to see what you have done so far.

Last CG reveal for Lovely Little Thieves! Demo release in less than a week! (Sometime this weekend, depending on the amount of work that needs be done.)



This is just a peekaboo, of course. To see the full version of the image, click here. It's a little spoiler-y (?) and a little grody, just a heads up.

I was going to do a "beta testing" round, but because of the conflicting real-life schedules of some of my most eager beta testers, and the fact that the game's mechanics are pretty simple and I've been raking through the game as I code it with a fine-tooth comb, I don't think the demo needs a beta stage, I'm just going to get it as good as I can possibly get it and then just release the demo to all, and I guess that'll make everybody beta testers!

Fingers crossed this thread'll be updated with "DEMO COMPLETE!" just a few days from now.

Horror and romance O.O I'm so definitely going to play this game when it comes out. The characters are so stunning, bright, lovely, and very, very unique and fresh sounding. Makes me feel like there will be a lot of promise and fun happening in this game. I'm so excited and will be eagerly waiting for the release

Fantastic art on the character designs. Very nice halfway house between a more typical anime style and a kind of... Saturday morning cartoon feel? you have here. I like it a lot. Very polished, too - some great use of colour, nice proportions, good expressions, costumes are nicely done - if I found a webcomic that looked like this, say, I'd start reading it like a shot.

The one downside for me is I felt the backgrounds you posted were a lot weaker than the character artwork, and it partly stood out because the characters were so good. I know that's probably not too helpful, sorry, but it was my initial reaction, for what it's worth. They're not bad, but they didn't strike me as anywhere near as professional-looking as your cast. It might be the contrast between the detail that's gone into the characters and how relatively simple the rest of the images are. But it might be just me.

It's a perfectly good setup for a VN - it's been done already to some extent (Corpse Party and 999 don't seem like a million miles away from this) but that's no reason not to do it, obviously. You seem to have a handle on how this kind of thing ought to go - the character archetypes that work in this kind of situation and that people expect - and I thought the bios were actually pretty well done. I could argue they still sound like types at this stage but the writing was clear and concise and eloquent enough to suggest your team's got what it takes to flesh them out and make them more like people.

...You got me when you mentioned Zero Escape I'm crying. I LOVE ZERO ESCAPE ONE OF THE BEST GAMES FOR THE DS HANDS DOWN.

LOVE THE BACKGROUNDS. Hella amazing and so detailed, it looks freaking real. Though I feel as if the sprites look weird with the backgrounds (probably because I'm just super freaking picky when it comes to art, being an artist myself). Damn, I honestly can't wait for this if this is going to be very Zero Escape-ish. And since you mentioned that game, will it include a part where specific endings can only be achieved after seeing another one? That's how it was for VLR when I played it, and goddammit it got me jumping everywhere just to figure out which goes with which, but I loved it still.

Anyways, honestly wish I could help out with the art at least, but it seems you've got it all down. If you ever do need an artist for this game, I'd love to help out. Or maybe I can just sign up as a beta tester *wink wink*

Big Update! Video Trailer! \ ^O^ /



Hopefully this gives you an even more detailed picture of the game's tone and style.

Update on the demo progress as well: I lost two days over the weekend that I was hoping to spend finishing the coding, so it's still a couple days off yet. It’s sitting at about 25,000 words and around 40 choices, so by “demo” standards, you’ll be getting a lot of VN. Thank you for being so patient!

Goodness me! Why on earth didn't I post in this thread sooner?

I'm no doubt echoing many other people by now, but I'm really looking forward to this---it's got horror, truly colorful characters that sound like they're going to be multifaceted, and choices that should make me fret over the cast's ultimate fate.

I'm also happy that the romance isn't necessarily going to be steering the action or the group dynamic.

I can't wait for this to come out ;-;

The trailer turned out great! ^_^

I've been following this project ever since you posted it and I decided to comment on it hehe. My thoughts are that I like the game after seeing the updates. I love the Cg's and OMG the backgrounds! I mean I like horror where you could romance and even have friendship routines! But you said you could romance them all, but in the characters they are saying that Russel is your boyfriend. Do we have to cheat on him?
After seeing the trailer , I normally don't play demo's but I do play demo's if the games are worth it and that I'm soo excited about it. And your game is one of them.
Can't wait for your demo!!! Have fun on your vacation too! (though I have to start in 22 sept >.<)

but in the characters they are saying that Russel is your boyfriend. Do we have to cheat on him?

Oh no, he might just die on you. Basically, there might be some tension over Russell realizing you don't have the same feelings you have for him as someone else, but there isn't really a scenario in which you'll be cheating on him. Because of the fight-for-survival aspect of the story, the romances are more Hunger-Games-y-against-all-odds sorts of situations than cutesy-flirting-messing-around, although there is some of that. Just not enough to where you're two-timing anyone.

Anyways, honestly wish I could help out with the art at least, but it seems you've got it all down. If you ever do need an artist for this game, I'd love to help out.

You might! I'll be expanding the artist team for the full version, so I'll be looking to hire more people who can do CGs and other assets so the game can be completed within a year. But that (along with music and VA) is for later, not just yet.

PangoDango wrote:Oh no, he might just die on you. Basically, there might be some tension over Russell realizing you don't have the same feelings you have for him as someone else, but there isn't really a scenario in which you'll be cheating on him. Because of the fight-for-survival aspect of the story, the romances are more Hunger-Games-y-against-all-odds sorts of situations than cutesy-flirting-messing-around, although there is some of that. Just not enough to where you're two-timing anyone.

I still expect to feel terrible for breaking his heart.

Amazing. I typically don't sway into the otome/GxB area, but this just looks so ridiculously good I want to play it too. Looking forward to it!

I am totally in love with the background and sprite art!!!! And the premise has me chilled already. I can't wait for this. I'm half afraid to play it if it turns out as scary as it sounds... but it would definitely be worth trying. Despite the fact that I'm a terrible chicken.

I saw the trailer bouncing around tumblr, and instantly fell in love with this game. I may or may not have watched said trailer five or six times now. I'm really excited for this - the art assets are stunning, the suspense and horror aspects look like they're going to be executed well, and your passion for the project is tangible. I am seriously wow'd by the amount of art that's going into this game.

The one thing I'm worried about is that for a first project it almost seems too ambitious. That's a lot of choices to code, a lot of art, a lot of writing, for a team that's never worked together before or seen a finished product. I'm totally excited and will be backing your Kickstarter when it surfaces with all my heart and a sizable chunk of my wallet, but I'm still cautious that this game may end up in development limbo.

Either way, I look forward to seeing where this goes.