Currently on Kickstarter.
Grand Old Academy is a high school dating sim that allegorically retells the story of the 2016 American Republican primary election. All of the candidates are students at the school, and are vying for the title of debate club champion. The player character, America, is a new transfer student from Japan who enters the school at the height of the debate season. Just as the country of America chose a candidate, your character America will choose a suitor.
The game is a comedy, but the jokes are subtle, and the emphasis is more on telling a real story with these absurd characters rather than just making broad jokes at their expense. The plot will obviously be most enjoyable to people familiar with American politics, but it's intended to be accessible to everyone.
Download the demo (via Mediafire) by clicking here!
Demo features:
18 unique endings (4 good ends, 7 neutral ends, 4 bad ends, 3 secret ends)
9 unlockable trophies
~2 hours of gameplay (covering your protagonist's first two weeks at the Academy)
Planned features for full game:
25 endings
7 full romance routes (up to 10, depending on stretch goals)
more complex trophy/achievement system
Screenshots:
Characters:
It’s you! Mori America is a new transfer student from Japan, just trying to fit in and make friends at Grand Old Academy. She starts out shy and worried what others will think of her, but once she succeeds in her struggle to overcome her anxiety, she reveals just how strong-willed and compassionate she is. Unbeknownst to her, her first day at the school coincides with the first round of the debate club championships. Depending on the choices she makes, she might even engage one lucky debate club member in the greatest debate of all: love.
Megyn is your bubbly and mercurial roommate. She’s almost always cheerful and optimistic, but she can flash to anger or indignation and back at the drop of a hat. Megyn is one of the moderators of the school debates, and she takes them extremely seriously. The way she sees it, Donald has made a mockery of this year’s debates, and she has a real bone to pick with him.
Jeb is caring and generous, quick to open himself up to other people, but also quick to be hurt by them, making him an easy target for bullies. He comes from a prominent family with a long history at the Academy, and the pressure of living up to their reputation weighs on him. Jeb has many acquaintances, but few close friends other than Marco, his protégée and closest confidant. While he may be a bit oblivious and bumbling, he has a kind heart.
Ben is a pre-med student who is warm and gentle above all else. He speaks slowly and softly, and always seems like he’s on the verge of falling asleep. Ben is deeply religious, and sees almost everything through the prism of his faith, which gives him strength, but also leaves him with blind spots. His mild-mannered nature makes him seem out of place on the debate stage, especially in this year of extreme personalities.
Marco is the heartthrob of the Academy. He has a dazzling smile, perfect hair, and a witty quip prepared for every situation. He’s young, popular, and ambitious. If anything, Marco is too perfect. If you dig underneath the memorized soundbites and smiles, there’s not much substance there. Dig even further, though, and you’ll find an earnest person who wants to make a difference, and who thinks that the only way to do that is by faking this glittery personality.
Rand is quiet and serious, bordering on dour. He’s a nerd who takes his studies seriously (well, even more seriously than he takes everything else), and he doesn’t have many friends. Rand is a very private person, and doesn’t reveal much about himself without significant prying. Those who look through the Academy yearbooks may find that his father was also a debate club member back in the day, although Rand doesn’t volunteer this information. Despite Rand’s usually reserved nature, he’s passionate about politics, and this intensity shines through when he has an attentive audience.
There’s something innately creepy and offputting about Ted. Nobody else at the Academy seems to like him, probably for good reason. Ted comes across as slimy and deceitful; he’ll try to win your sympathy by acting pathetic one moment, and then double cross you the next moment if it’ll benefit him. Whenever he tries to smile, it almost looks more like he’s grimacing in pain. It seems like he’s hiding something, deep, deep inside himself. Is it a heart of gold, or a terrible secret?
John is blandness incarnate. He’s utterly forgettable, average in the worst way. The very definition of “literally who?”. His persona is folksy and congenial: lots of dad jokes, and phrases like “golly,” “shucks,” and “gee whiz.” But rumor has it that this might just be an act that he’s putting on to charm the debate audience. The only real reason people vote for him in the debates is if they absolutely can’t stand anyone else on the stage.
Donald is a mystery. Nobody can figure out whether he’s a fool, or a mastermind disguising himself as a fool. Many of the students seem drawn to him, but just as many are repulsed by him. He’s almost a force of nature more than a person. How much of Donald’s debate persona is an act, and how much is genuine? Does he really want to win, or is this all just a game to him? Is he brilliant? A fraud? Or a brilliant fraud?
Team:
Sprites: ehcs
CGs: Redd
Backgrounds: Badriel
Logo design: ds-sans
Music: Calypso and TyberAlyx
So that's the long and short of it. As for the purpose of this thread, there are two main things I want to get out of it.
1. Advice on my writing, particularly the pacing. Most of my writing experience has been with less dialogue-heavy media. I know that I can be quite wordy, and I've tried to cut the fat in this game, but I'm wondering if I need to do more to keep the game moving along at a good pace. Is my ratio of dialogue to exposition okay? Am I giving the characters distinct enough voices? That sort of thing.
2. Tips on crowdfunding, and how to help my campaign get traction. If anyone who's run a successful (or unsuccessful) kickstarter campaign has tips on what worked or didn't work for them, I'd really appreciate hearing them.
And any other comments, suggestions, criticisms, etc. are welcome.
One last time, here's the links to the Kickstarter. and the demo. Thanks!
And, wow, you sure made Romney seem sinister (I'm guessing he isn't a Mormon in this game, what with the cussing and cigars?). I have to say, an ending with America ending up as the debate winner would be very satisfying, if historically inaccurate.