Blog

On My Love of Key, and the Problem with Magical Illness

On My Love of Key, and the Problem with Magical Illness

My first real meeting with Key and Kyoto Animation was watching Air when it was first released. I had been reading the webcomic Megatokyo, and the main character and author both were often mentioning their love of the previous Key game Kanon, as well as watching this show based on their newest game. I was intrigued and still new to the medium of visual novels, and gave it a watch.

Air very much suffered from being a long multi-route visual novel adapted to only 13 episodes. The last half felt rushed and confusing, and upon my first watch I had no certain grasp of what had truly happened when it was over. But it was the first anime of its kind that I watched, and together with the incredible animation from Kyoto Animation, it made a huge impact on me. I remember being quite stunned with it the evening when I watched the last episode. I had trouble sleeping, and even woke up during the night and couldn’t fall asleep again because I simply felt too sad, still thinking of that ending. 

Air instantly became one of my new favourite things, and fostered a long love for both Key and Kyoto Animation. And yet, even from that first watching, it had one big issue that would forever bug me.

It was a trait that would continue to be part of their stories, and even was all the way back from Kanon. The “magical illness” = a strange ailment that a heroine suffers from, that doesn’t ever really get explained with a real world equivalent. In some stories like Air it is explained literally through magic, while in others the real nature of the illness is skirted around and mystified forever. 

Though it still nagged at me, by the time I moved on to the rest of their stories, I was making my peace with it as it continued to show up. None of them had it in a way that bothered me as much as it did in Air, not until I very recently made it to Summer Pockets. And then it was there again, grating against the little immersion I had managed for the story.

The problem with Air and Summer Pockets was that the predicament the heroines found themselves in because their ailments were very close to my heart. I felt I knew them, that the description of their issues and the consequences thereof were so familiar and understood to me. I suppose some would call it, “to be seen”. My own pain in relation to these things were recognised and acknowledged with feeling, and it made me feel connected to these stories and characters so much more. Even though, in the end, I guess that wasn’t the intent.

Because then it turns out to just be magic. It’s not real. These kinds of ailments and consequences don’t really exist, unless you’re cursed or maybe just a ghost from somewhere. Now cry, because it’s very sad.

It was like watching someone get so close to speak about something real and important, and then lose their courage and throw it all on the floor at the very last second. It was disappointing

In the case of Summer Pockets, it’s a game I was generally not impressed by. Recent Key just hasn’t “done it for me”, likely due to the change of authors – which maybe makes it even more bothersome. Just one route made me feel this connection and interest in the story once more, for a different reason than what Misuzu brought to the table, but it was again quickly tossed to the side for the sake of a supernatural solution that felt too similar to what they had already done before. The one thing that felt like it might set it apart was nothing at all. In the end, what was meant to be an emotional finale and catharsis felt lacking. It didn’t hit as hard as Air, but still left me with a big sigh. 

I still love Air very much, and keep Misuzu and her predicament close to my heart. Her story is still good, magic and tropes and all, and I have my own personal connection to it that I try to keep in spite of how some of it is handled. For some, these are just sugary stories with big-eyed infantile girls meant to manipulate you into crying (and for the most part they’re right). To me, stepping so close to hit something real, they are more than that, in spite of their flaws.

Now, everyone remember to go play Little Busters, the best Key visual novel out there, in spite of the many pitfalls of its own. You can thank me later.

Burrow Tales is out!

Burrow Tales is out!

Burrow Tales, my small, rules-light TTRPG about adventurous bunnies digging too deep, has now been released!

Find it here:

In Burrow Tales the players take the roles of brave adventurer bunnies and Burrowardens, going underground into the vast networks below their kingdom. Make your bunny and go deeper, keeping your people safe from the dangers unearthed below… or perhaps you dare brave the world above the safety of your home?

Burrow Tales is a stand-alone game based on Nate Treme’s Tunnel Goons, and includes a small intro adventure that can be played in a few hours.

I hope you’ll give it a look!

Introducing Burrow Tales!

Introducing Burrow Tales!

I’m making a TTRPG zine!

“Burrow Tales” is a small TTRPG in the making, based on Tunnel Goons and taking the players underground into the wast burrows of the bunny kingdom. Make your bunny and go deeper, keeping your people safe from the dangers unearthed below…

This is a concept that has been knocking about in my head for a little while now, mixing a little bit of Watership Down and the idea of dwarves digging too deep. The world above ground is full of danger, but who knows what truly lurks below?

A bunny’s life comes cheap, and your inborn instinct may be all that saves you.

I’m aiming to finish the majority of it here in April. It has already been tested once, and looks promising! Some more testing and polish ahead as well some artwork, and then hopefully I can release it into the wilds before long.

More updates to come!

Off to market!

Off to market!

This weekend I’ll be going to a nearby city to set up a stall at a craft fair. 

During October last year I was meant to do something similar, at a retro game festival, advertising my own little game and some of my illustration work. Unfortunately that didn’t happen, as I got stranded that weekend by the biggest storm in 100 years. Typical. 

It made me eager to try something similar elsewhere without having to wait another year though, so when I saw tables available for this fair, I went for it and bought a spot just before they all sold out.

Running stalls and artist alley tables is something I’ve always wanted to do more of, so it will be good to dip my toes in and get some practice. On the other hand this is a craft fair, and not a gaming or art event, so many of my products are going to be a bit hit and miss with the general theme. I’ll be bringing some newly made sticker sheets that I hope will fill that gap, as well as my colouring pages and illustration prints. 

The retro game festival was also going to feature some neat handmade things for my digital products, such as little game boxes and flyers, and I had a lot of fun with making those – so hopefully that still counts… more or less. If anything, this has been a nice excuse to mess with making more physical products again, and I’m generally approaching it as a training exercise, whether it finds much success or not.

For now, I’ll be going back to my rush of last-minute preparations that I of course put off for far too long, and we’ll see how it goes! See you on the other side!

Eye of D’akess has been released!

Eye of D’akess has been released!

A short-story RPG about a lovecraftian treasure hunt, now available for purchase! Please check it out!

The story centers around two people: Ricki Alena, the girl who has come across the map and begins the search for its secrets, and Edmund Willis, a local young man who decides to help her find her way there.

As the journey takes them from Edmund’s home town and into the untamed wilderness beyond its borders, old secrets long forgotten are uncovered once more. To the depths of the ruins of D’akess…

Check it out on Steam and Itch:

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2220040/Eye_of_Dakess/

Itch: https://whitecat.itch.io/eye-of-dakess

Trailer:

Eye of D’akess store pages are up!

Eye of D’akess store pages are up!

You can find them on Steam:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2220040/Eye_of_Dakess/

And Itch.io:

https://whitecat.itch.io/eye-of-dakess

Go give them a wishlist and a follow! 

The finishing touches are now being worked on, with most of the graphics finished and ready. Some final polish on a few maps and some of the menus, as well as effects and sounds in combat are still to be done. But it won’t be long now…

What is Eye of D’akess?

What is Eye of D’akess?

“Do you hear it….?”
“Do you feel it… pulling you ever closer.”
“Calling you towards the one thing… that you must find.”

Eye of D’akess is a small “short story” RPG, focused on letting the player play through a self-contained story in a few hours. 

The Story:

The story centers around two people: Ricki Alena, the girl who has come across the map and begins the search for its secrets, and Edmund Willis, a local young man who decides to help her find her way there.

As the journey takes them from Edmund’s home town and into the untamed wilderness beyond its borders, old secrets long forgotten are uncovered once more. To the depths of the ruins of D’akess…

Gameplay:

A 2D rpg with turn based combat, Eye of D’akess takes the players through level 1 to a maximum of 20 as the characters traverse through the different areas of the game, fighting monsters and navigating their surroundings to reach the end.

When is it out?

Some time this year, 2022!

All the other stuff:

Eye of D’akess is intended as a small rpg story experience that can be played through without spending 10+ hours, and forgetting where you even got to last session. There is no endgame to grind for, nothing that changes on a second playthrough. What you see when you play it to the end the first time is the full and finished experience.

It is also very much a passion project starring one of my own favourite, personal characters going on an adventure – an adventure I can only hope that others will also enjoy taking her on. 

The game is made in RPGmaker MZ, with many of its graphical assets created ground-up by myself. If you ever wonder how such a small game can take a good while to put together, this is why! Don’t try this at home, kids! (Actually, please do. You’ll learn a lot!)

While Eye of D’akess is still under development, you will often find me working on parts of the game live on Twitch, most often on fridays. If you’re curious in any way, feel free to stop by and say hello, and ask any questions you might have!

Until then, please look forward to Ricki and Edmund’s little journey.

End of Mini-RPG January

End of Mini-RPG January

January ended a little while ago, and that meant the end of my little self-imposed deadline to try and knock out a prototype of a mini-rpg in a month! So, how did it go?

Success, more or less? The prototype exists. I ended up spending the last week of December+January on this, simply since I couldn’t wait, and now have a game where the story can be played from start to finish, with an easy boss to punch in the face for the victory screen. It’s an ugly skeleton, it has nothing resembling balance in it, but the story is there with functioning cutscenes, and the combat system and monster encounters are in place as well, along with a few pieces of graphics even. And that’s pretty much what I was aiming for!

Also, it has a name! “Eye of D’akess.”

So what’s up next? The skeleton is in need of a skin, as well as some serious grease in its joints. Hopefully I can sort those last bits out in the very near future, and have my little “rpg short story” ready for the world. And during that time I will also be slowly returning to work on Angelic Orbs as it has been entirely ignored for this past month, and we can’t have that!

Placeholder graphics are great….

All in all taking some time off to work on this has been fun, and I learned a lot. That first week in the holidays was mostly spent on re-acquainting myself with the RPGmaker engine, getting grips on how to make all the little gears turn. During the rest of it I’ve gotten a greater sense of how to approach the parts of a project like this in general, something I’d very much like to make use of again in the future, after this one is done. So I’d say it was generally time well spent – not to mention that I’m excited to actually finish this little story and send it out into the world! I hope you will all enjoy meeting Ricki and playing through her and Edmund’s adventure.

I’ll keep sending out little updates on twitter and the like when some worthwhile progress on this game happens, and there will likely be many streams dedicated to adding said skin to this skeleton as well.

And that’s it for now!

Blue Rose ~Reprise~

Blue Rose ~Reprise~

It’s announcement time!

Blue Rose Reprise, an updated version of the fantasy otome visual novel, is coming soon!

It has been quite some time since Blue Rose first saw the light of day (2013, time flies!), and so I have recently been working on creating an updated version of the game for new and old players alike.

This new version will include the following:

  • Higher resolution (1920×1080)
  • Updated script
  • Tweaks and polishes to the artwork
  • A whole new UI
An example of one of the art updates.

Especially the script was in need of some dire first-aid, and it is the hope that this update will raise the game as a whole to the level it deserves.

One part that has especially been on my mind since its original release, is the somewhat disappointing and unclear resolution of Erin’s route. While the changes in this version are not major, I hope that they will at least help solidify the feelings and intents of the route, and give Erin the ending she deserved all along.

Upon release of Reprise, the updated version will be available for free for those who already own the game. There is no release date yet, but stay tuned for more updates and possibly other exciting news about this upcoming re-release!

Character Introduction: Kiyoshi

Character Introduction: Kiyoshi

Name: Kiyoshi
Age: 18
Human

“Anyone else could be doing what I do… many could do it better. But I’m what she got, so I have to try. I have to do better this time.”

Kiyoshi is the second of the four protagonists in Angelic Orbs. After a devastating event a couple of months prior he has been a lone traveller, going from place to place in search for answers. Until, one day, he comes across a strange girl who fell from the sky.

With calm and friendly mannerisms, Kiyoshi prefers to keep words sparse about his own circumstances and objectives. Nevertheless, he will always be there to fight for his friends if needed.

Theme: Overlay by Kaira