oelvn project Zodiac✼Axis: A Fantasy-Fusion Visual Novel [Suspense | Romance] KICKSTARTER + DEMO

[melelisun]

 

TRAILER:

 

 

Check out the demo!

We've developed a pre-alpha demo for a brief look at the project. It features two backgrounds, one pose per main sprite, and a brief selection of music and story. While there are some placeholders and limited features, we hope it provides a glimpse of our vision! The main goal of the demo is to convey the overall atmosphere of the game in how we handle visuals and music.

The demo is 2500 words long (around 7 minutes of material).

We'd like to shoutout Youngha Hwang for programming the demo via the Ren'Py engine, and putting truckloads of work into custom functionalities!

 

 

 

 

S T O R Y

Here's the rundown: you play as Alison Hart, a fresh-out-of-college journalism graduate who is desperate for a job. In fact, you're so desperate that you're willing to apply for an infamous (yet successful) online tabloid that specializes in "supernatural events"—though, really, it's just a collection of tinfoil hat conspiracies.

So, when you're assigned to investigate six people who are rumored carry the Spirits of the Zodiacs—whatever that means—you're not worried. After all, the whole idea is just sheer nonsense. Right?

A light and fluffy adventure ensues in which you:

• Are almost crushed by a chandelier.
• Find yourself in a burning house.
• Witness an execution.
• And somewhere along the lines, you start to think that journalism is a lot more complicated than you expected.

 

A B O U T

Zodiac•Axis is a commercial visual novel game that will be developed in Ren'Py and released for Mac, PC, and Linux. It is a fusion of suspense, romance, and supernatural fiction with a splash of psychological horror. With a thoroughly developed worldlore, it mixes a contemporary environment with whimsical Asian fantasy. 

• Romance five guys! (Not simultaneously.)
• Pick from an array of choices. Feign insanity, write a cheesy love song, and assimilate with cardboard boxes.
• Choices shape Alison’s skillset and allow her to stay alive. Er, that is to say, write good articles.
• Experience a narrative begins with humor and intrigue, then evolves into heartwarming depth.

 

 

C H A R A C T E R S

 

L I N K S

Dev Blog / Tumblr
Twitter

 

Edited January 22, 2017 by melelisun

[haruki]

I like this! Aesthetically, from those pictures, my favorite characters would be the Cat and Leaf. I like the way his hair curls up at the top to look like actual leaves, was that intentional? The art looks good. None of the character designs really stand out to me except for the Cat's, but that's not to say they're bad. The backgrounds and UI look great, and it really looks like you're setting a coherent, overarching tone for the game with your music and art styles.

The only thing that bothered me were the character's names. (Dexter Ardent? Really?)

[Hayashi]

Loving the art, especially the masked character. Would there be a Japanese release? 

[DarkZedge]

The art is pretty damn nice I must say, best of luck  

[melelisun]

18 hours ago, haruki said:

I like this! Aesthetically, from those pictures, my favorite characters would be the Cat and Leaf. I like the way his hair curls up at the top to look like actual leaves, was that intentional? The art looks good. None of the character designs really stand out to me except for the Cat's, but that's not to say they're bad. The backgrounds and UI look great, and it really looks like you're setting a coherent, overarching tone for the game with your music and art styles.

The only thing that bothered me were the character's names. (Dexter Ardent? Really?)

Really glad to hear about the coherent tone! It's actually my top priority in this game; I'm hoping that every little piece of the game will holistically contribute to an immersive atmosphere that's easily felt, but difficult to describe. I'm very happy you noticed it.

Regarding the names, it's totally understandable, but I picked the names off of their harmonic value (how does it sound, and does it "sound like" the character) more than synchronizing their meanings with the character. "Ardent" is a word that carries a lot of cultural baggage, but it's not going to be a pun that reflects his personality  

Leaf's ahoge was actually meant to resemble rabbit ears! Every character has one physical trait that is related to their Zodiac. For example, Zax's ahoge resembles bull horns tilted at a perspective, and Halt's white hair was selected because of white tigers.

17 hours ago, Kiso said:

Loving the art, especially the masked character. Would there be a Japanese release? 

Thank you so much for the support! Only English is planned at the moment.

17 hours ago, DarkZedge said:

The art is pretty damn nice I must say, best of luck  

Thank you! <3

[melelisun]

Popping in for a really exciting update: we're thrilled to announce the amazingly talented voice cast for Zodiac•Axis! If our Kickstarter is funded to its first stretch goal, we will be able to hire them for partial voice acting. Huge shoutout to John Wesley Go from Yin Yang Voices for being our voice casting consultant. He offered invaluable time, wisdom, and experience, and helped us make some very difficult decisions! 

Take a listen below:

 

[melelisun]

Our pre-alpha demo is up and the Kickstarter is live!