Gilded Shadows Demo
Content Update - Gilded Shadows
Hi Everyone!
This is just a quick notice to let you know we've pushed out a small update for Gilded Shadows Demo:
- A new scene that introduces Quill. This is sort of the precursor to the start of his route. Scene includes a new CG.
- A new scene with Reuben. This is sort of the precursor to the start of his route.
- The Endgame interlude - which includes a joint scene, then individual scenes for Ari, Caleb, Magnus, and Yuu. These are the precursors to their routes. Yuu's scene includes a new CG.
- The Crimson interlude - which includes a joint scene, the individual scenes for Caissa and Jack. These are the precursors to their routes.
- Two new introductory CGs (one for Quill and one for Yuu)
- There are also a few other minor changes/fixes such as the addition of personality tags to the choices and a "key" for the flow charts.
- No, you still don't get to meet Lance yet. He remains Mr. Mysterious.
- Fix for an error related to one particular eye colour which was reported some time ago.
Please do not pay much mind to the confirmation screens for the LI routes. *NO* route is released yet even though only three of the confirmation screens have a warning about it. These are the three LIs whose routes will not be included in the full release of the game but will be updated later.
This now means the entire common route of Gilded Shadows is available to play. There will be no further updates to the demo going forward (unless there are some hidden errors we need to fix.)
That's it for now! If you want to keep up on development, please follow us on tumblr where we post pretty regular bi-weekly updates.
~Esh
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Gilded Shadows Demo
A cyberpunk and solarpunk adventure-romance that explores a world where one side is forever day and the other, night.
| Status | In development |
| Author | Steamberry Studio |
| Genre | Visual Novel, Adventure, Interactive Fiction |
| Tags | Amare, Cyberpunk, Female Protagonist, gxb, Otome, Romance, Sci-fi, solarpunk |
| Languages | English |
More posts
- Release Date - May 13thMay 08, 2022
- Development UpdateMar 19, 2022
- Demo Update! Chapter Four + Other StuffMay 21, 2020
- 100% FundedFeb 04, 2020
- Gilded Shadows KickstarterFeb 04, 2020
- Demo - Part Three ReleasedJan 14, 2020
- Demo - Part Two ReleasedNov 25, 2019
- Demo is up!Sep 24, 2019
Comments
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looks like the project is dead?
Hello! This in inaccurate. A quick look at the forum here on itch.io should tell you that I've stated recently the project is in the final stages of development and that I post more frequently on tumblr.
Even if you don't want to check tumblr, this post - which is visible on the main project page- is one I posted in 30 days ago, stating the project is around 95% completion.
https://itch.io/t/1798673/more
I do not often post devlogs here on Gilded Shadows unless there is a major update to the content on this site - not just a brief and general development progress report. I have three other places with more active communities that I update on a more regular basis
Thank you!
~Esh
ah my bad. The “more posts” tab on this page shows the last post is from may 21 2020. And I could not find anything else
No worries. It's always good to check the main game page for updates, comments, or posts before assuming the worst. OwO
As I mentioned, I only post a development log when there is an actual content update. Which there hasn't been since 2020, as I have been deep in game development and there's really no reason to further update the demo. But that doesn't mean there aren't more recent posts outside of the devlogs so it never hurts to look a little deeper! ^_^
I first came by this demo in December of 2020, and since then I've fallen in love with your writing, bought Changeling, completely loved that too and now I'm just waiting and devouring any updates you guys put out, lol.
In a way I'm glad I took that long to discover this because if I came by any earlier when the demo was still "incomplete" I would be dying of impatience in a ditch somewhere.
It's no joke to say Gilded Shadows is possibly my most anticipated release of this year. Not just otome release, but videogames in general. I can't wait for the full game!
PS: I love Ari and Reuben so much already akdjhasikd send help
Haha. I'm glad you didn't have to die of impatience alone in a gross ditch somewhere!
Thank you so much for this comment. It was such a sweet post to find and brought a smile to my face. O///w///O
I'm really trying to focus on getting the original six love interests complete (their writing is done but I'm finishing up the editing then focusing on art) but Reuben keeps poking me with ideas for his route. Honestly, that man is so impatient. LoL
Ari's was the first route I completed but I replayed it recently to prep it for alpha testing and....OwO I still love him so much. He's my secret favourite. (Don't tell the others!) I hope he lives up to expectations when the game is out. It's both awesome and terrifying to have people anticipating Gilded Shadows so I really, really hope I can produce a game that is worth the wait!
Going by the demo and past record with Changeling, I'm pretty sure you'll do more than fine! :D You got this <3 And you bet I'll be here for GS day one x) *Cheers*
I love the demo and I eagerly await the full game!
I just want to say that you somehow looked inside my brain and allowed for the reactions I would have chosen. I would have pitied the homeless dude-check. I would have fought against the kidnappers- check. You just nailed it, I don't even know if it had to do with the personality questions at the start or not. Just, KUDOS, will absolutely buy upon release, will happily pay $20-$30 for such quality. Absolutely fell for Quill based on looks alone, he looks like a Tsundere I want to crack XD
The personality options at the start do lock/unlock some choices (for instance, you can only pick up a weapon in the dark hallway if you have the right trait). But mostly, the personality choices will lead to what I consider "hidden" branches - basically places where the story branches outside a choice menu and the player wouldn't normally know there was a branch there. That's the main reason I included flowcharts in the game - so you can see where those personality branches are hiding.
In the common route it's really easy to include choices that are hyper relevant to what's going on. It gets a little more difficult in the character routes where I need to have more control over the story flow to keep the branching from getting totally out of hand. But I do try to make sure the choices are significant - even if there are places I know I have to force the MC into a certain reaction to keep the story manageable and headed where it needs to go. LoL
(Having pity on Rory is significant, though, since it has an impact on whether he shows up again in certain routes or not).
Anyway! I'm happy to hear you like Quill. I haven't started his route yet because he was added into the game as a Kickstarter stretch goal and I'm focusing on the original six intended LIs first. But I'm looking forward to it. I think he's going to be a fun character to write. He doesn't do much in his brief introduction besides complain that the MC is passing out in the street - but his personality is fun and I can't wait to introduce him more fully. OwO
I know but him complaining like that is like Ridiculous grouch, it intrigued me immediately. He's like "hey, you can't die here." XD I was like, omg, who would even say that, must know. I'm glad you're making these games.
Well, you know...street cleaners just aren't equipped to deal with corpses. Gotta look out for those city workers! LoL
Cool!!! Can't wait for the full game!!! When is it gonna release btw??? Any rough estimates???
P.S. I simply LOOOOOOOVED Caleb~~~ Can't wait for the full route...
P.S.S No I'm not a masochist!!! He's just really cute... And even though he acts tough.... He has a really cute soft side...❤
This is a quote from me for another comment:
"I'm hesitant to post exact dates because, unfortunately, there's just a lot going on that can cause delays.
I'm still holding to 3rd Quarter next year at the earliest for the first six routes. Three routes (Reuben, Quill, and Yuu) were added during Kickstarter and will be added to the game after release as a free expansion - not as DLC. The routes are about 100,000 words each and four of the six are currently complete, one is in progress and one hasn't been started yet. Writing is the most time consuming part so once I have the routes complete I'll probably be able to give a much clearer estimate on a release time frame and I work on the writing daily, trying to get it done. Each route is the equivalent on a fairly long novel so it just takes time!"
And you are right - Caleb definitely has a cute, soft side despite the outward grumpiness! 8D
Oh... So how about releasing the routes one by one... There's this game "Tailor Tales" which I played and it does the same.... It has 3 released routes and 4th will be released this year... 2 more will be released next year... This helps to keep interest in the game and buy some time for the next routes...
Just a suggestion though... I'll still be waiting for the game eagerly!!
I've definitely considered that!! I actually surveyed my community about it in June of 2020 because we added three love interests to the project due to Kickstarter and I was debating how best to integrate them into the game and release everything. OwO
Overwhelmingly, the community voted for a full, complete release rather than a route-by-route release. (Route by route was the least popular option and only got about 2% of the total vote).
Here are some of their reasons:
-Quality. There is a general feeling that route by route and episodic games have lower quality story telling with inconsistencies across episodes and routes. I think Tailor Tales can bypass the inconsistency issues because the routes are entirely stand alone and aren't consistent from one to the other in terms of lore and world building. Meanwhile, Gilded Shadows has very consistent, deep lore that has to stand up to scrutiny across the routes. Releasing route by route would make this more difficult to achieve.
-Price. It's a fact that if I charge per route, the game will end up more expensive. I can justify my current planned price for nine routes if I'm considering it a bulk/unit price for the full game. But if I try to break it up per route and just divide that price by 9, the per-route price would be extremely low for the amount of content. Prices that are low for the level of content can actually impact a game's reputation because people make assumptions about the quality and hesitate to buy. I would really have to bump the price up per route, resulting in an overall increase in price (a significant one). Again, this isn't a concern for a free/freemium game like Tailor Tales.
-Fears about completion. People worry about the project not getting finished. It's not so much a concern for a free project because there's no monetary investment in the story. But for a commercial game, unfortunately, people are hesitant to buy a partial project for fear they'll never see the rest of it.
-They want to binge. Basically, people are looking forward to binge-playing the game all at once and don't want to play it as I deliver it piecemeal, route by route. They forget key details and world building elements and have to re-read to refresh themselves between routes, which they find annoying.
-They really just want to play the game at their own pace and in whatever order they want instead of being limited to the order in which I release content.
So yeah! Due to that, I decided to release Gilded Shadows as a full game. The original six LIs (on the cover art) will be released all at once, then the additional three LIs (Reuben, Yuu, and Quill) that were added during our Kickstarter will be released one at a time as they're complete as an update (not DLC or additional purchases).
I feel like this best suits our community's needs and wants. The good news is that I'm nearly done with the 5th LI route (Magnus) and will soon have only one of the original six guys remaining (Lance). Though I still have a lot of art to push through as well, the writing takes so much more time. So getting the writing out of the way is a huge step toward release. OwO
If you want to keep up to date on development, I post bi-weekly progress reports on tumblr and answer character asks and the like as well!
Gotcha!!! All the points are completely understandable (Specially the price increase one... Cuz I have to buy my games from my own pocket money which takes a lot of sacrifices... 😓😅)
Only one route to go!!!! That's definitely a good news... Best of luck then!!! Will be waiting for the full game!!✌
This is an excellent well thought out reply. Thank you for being you :) Changeling is in my top four Otome.
Thank you! So glad to hear you enjoyed Changeling. I hope the completed form of GS is as enjoyable! <3
Exciting! Really eager to play the full game when it comes out
I'm really excited so far! Magnus is so sweet.
He can be when he wants to be! LoL
I figured it's not always like that :D I like all of them, I just said Magnus because I didn't meet him the last time I played the demo. ^.^
update was soooooo awesome!!! I am so pumped for this game!!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it! OwO
Just out of curiosity. Do you have an estimation on the release date? I'd like to know when it is possible to look forward to this game. Thanks.
I'm hesitant to post exact dates because, unfortunately, there's just a lot going on that can cause delays.
I'm still holding to 3rd Quarter next year at the earliest for the first six routes. Three routes (Reuben, Quill, and Yuu) were added during Kickstarter and will be added to the game after release as a free expansion - not as DLC. The routes are about 100,000 words each and four of the six are currently complete, one is in progress and one hasn't been started yet.
Writing is the most time consuming part so once I have the routes complete I'll probably be able to give a much clearer estimate on a release time frame and I work on the writing daily, trying to get it done. Each route is the equivalent on a fairly long novel so it just takes time!
I hope this helped. It's kind of a non-answer, but I'm definitely working as fast as I can. <3
I understand. I am just looking forward to reading it when it finally comes out and it is nice to have a little bit of a hint of when that could be so thanks for what you can offer in regards to that question.
No worries! I fret a little when people ask because the answer really is "As soon as I can get it ready for release!" But I am hoping by the end of the 3rd quarter.
Writing has gone a little slower than I was hoping due to the pandemic causing me to share my workspace. Drawing, I can do with distractions. Writing is a little harder - so that's caused an unexpected slowdown. I'm really determined to get the last two routes written more quickly!
Sorry I couldn't be more specific, though!
~Esh
Yep. No worries. Stay safe and healthy!