#harlevin

[blerdyotome]

Harlevin Relaunches Kickstarter for 18+ Amare Visual Novel, Celestial Crowns

Update 9/12: Indie studio, Harlevin has relaunched the Kickstarter campaign for their upcoming 18+ amare visual novel, Celestial Crowns. The team launched their first crowd funding campaign in May 2023, however, they failed to make their initial campaign goal. They have relaunched with a new goal of $10,000 USD which they hope to meet by the campaign end date, October 12, 2023. Customize your…

[crescencestudio]

☆ Falling Star Release ☆

Heavy, isn't it? The weight of our memories. The shackles of our promises.

"Whatever it takes..."

Willow is at a crossroads in their career. The band they've thrown their entire life into is crashing and burning before their eyes. The person they once loved is gone, with the fame Willow has always strived for. 

Everything comes to a head one night when a stranger interrupts their songwriting to give them an offer they can't refuse.

Inspired by the Power of Rock and Anime comes our visual novel made in FOUR DAYS for Velox Turbo!

Team:

Writing and Programming: Crescence Studio

Backgrounds and CGs: @saffein-e

Sprites, CGs, and Game Trailer: @harlevin

Music and Lyrics: Faefield Productions

[arenacircusvn]

New Aldrich x Lilie content on Patreon

Hey guys! I know it's been forever, but I just posted a short Aldrich/Lilie AU fic on Patreon! It's free for everyone to read. Check it out here:

[dreamkeeperjeri]

The wait is over! I am now happy to announce that I will be the voice of Andrea in the upcoming indie otome/bl/romance visual novel, Celestial Crowns! Please take a look at the kickstarter and consider donating to the project! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/harlevin/celestial-crowns

[lawrichai]

[conversationpoint]

Harlevin launches Kickstarter Campaign for its Fantasy Visual Novel Game

http://dlvr.it/SnxqK1

[thepretendersguild]

Ch 1 is now voiced!

Hello TPG fans! Long time no see. I’m so sorry this took forEVER but TPG chapter 1 is now fully voiced! 

And there is a BRAND SPANKING NEW CG in Rafael’s route!

The voiced files are currently in beta, so a couple lines might be missing here and there and there may be a few sound issues. I will be keeping a master list and fixing these small problems once the lines for every chapter are in.

Go forth and play!

https://harlevin.itch.io/thepretendersguild

[harlevin]

Rebranding!

🎉 Hey all~

Minyan Studios will be rebranding to harlevin! 

My little studio of one will now be known as "harlevin," or HARLEVIsual Novels. 

What does this mean? 😯

Not much, really! Link names will change, banners will change, my splash screens will change, but you guys will still get the same awesome 🎪 circus-y content you want. At least, I hope you want.

Unfortunately, I had to take down this awesome AC themed patreon banner, but I might draw a new one in the near future! For the time being, I'll drop it here so you guys can enjoy the shenanigans:

Why are you doing this?🤔

I'm just finally finding my stride as a dev and working to make everything more polished for you guys. You can read more about why I chose this name on my patreon page, which has also been revamped, so give it a look!

 https://www.patreon.com/harlevin

Why now? 🥳

Because August 5th is the 1 year anniversary of my patreon! It’s been a more productive year than I ever could have hoped for and I’m super stoked to celebrate it with you guys. I’m doing a special anniversary offer, where all patrons will get Arena Circus Golden, the Arena Circus walkthrough, and a limited edition outfit for Lilié. Read more information here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/1-year-special-28267096

And here’s a sneak peak of the outfit, as voted for by fans...

[interact-if]

Sorry if it’s too narrow, but any IF’s where YOU play as a robot/cyborg?

[ID: an ask banner featuring Tumblr on Dark Mode with the following highlighted blue question asked by Anonymous: “do you know of any games with artificial mcs? like robots, AIs, clones, ect..” /end ID]

Hi Anons.

Play as a robot or cyborg in the following games:

1870: CYBERPUNK FOREVER by satandaddy

Belle Automata (VN) by @jelpiparade

Mnemonic Devices by @harlevin

Pirated Code (VN) by @hollowmend

I, Cyborg by Tracy Canfield

The robo-tea series (VN) by robohaven

[blerdyotome]

Indie Spotlight: Celestial Crowns

[celestialcrownsvn]

8/13/24 Update

Hi guys, made some good progress this week!

Backgrounds

The BG artist is hard at work! I don't have anything I can show you yet, but the next few bgs are gonna be gorgeous!

Writing

I'm still working on that new Aalam scene!

I had to take a little break to fulfill some other commitments I haven't had time to work on, such as my Patreon stories, and Beauty Kills the Beast. Speaking of...

Beauty Kills the Beast

BKB is a spinoff of Celestial Crowns that I'm updating weekly on Dorian. It's a lot of fun and expands upon the CC world with three new love interests! It's a freemium game but I always make sure the free content is still enjoyable. And any money spent on the game goes straight to supporting Harlevin Studios. ...Which is my studio name.

I created a new tumblr for BKB (@beautykillsthebeastvn), so you probably won't see much about it here except for major updates.

Weekly Drawing Stream

It's today! In just a few minutes! come join me at https://twitch.tv/harlevinvns

[celestialcrownsvn]

March 23 Update

It’s been a while since I did a long form update on tumblr, so here you go!

Writing

Aalam’s route is 50K in and going strong! 💪🏾 I will definitely hit my 60K goal but the word count will expand in the second draft, as I have not written out all the choice branches.

Most of the choice branches are at least 300 words to both help set Terra’s personality the way you’d like it to be, and boost replayablity. ✨ I want to create the best roleplaying experience possible for the story!

There are about 70 choices in Aalam’s route right now 🫢, I don’t expect that to increase much with the remaining scenes. Many of the choices in Celestial Crowns are there to set the tone of a scene, though of course there are choices that increase a character’s points, or branch the story.

BGs

It looks like Stef will have time for 1 more background before the release of the demo! 🤗This one is the council room, and it’s featured in a lot of scenes. This means I can release more screenshots! There are some gems that take place in that scene I haven’t showed off because of the placeholder BG in there now.

Isn’t it beautiful? I love the purple of Lauté castle.

CGs

3 CGs were planned for the demo, and those are all complete! 🎉The full game is planned to have 18 CGs in this prologue section, so hopefully the Kickstarter will get funded so we can bring all of these great moments to life!

The CG artist is currently working on posters for the Kickstarter. Those won’t be revealed until May.

Kickstarter

Our Kickstarter has over 200 followers! It’s super exciting. Please even if you don't plan on backing, share the link around to increase our chances, so that we can make the game best it can be: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/harlevin/celestial-crowns

The trailer is nearly complete! I just saw the first draft from the video editor @foxdriftstudios​, and it’s gorgeous! We will be dropping the trailer at the beginning of April.

Updates

Questions?? What sort of content would YOU like to see in future updates? What are you curious about? Want to know more about the nsfw scenes? The routes? The personalities? How choices work? Let me know!

Conclusion & Next Steps

Everything is going according to plan 👍🏾 I hope to finish the first draft of Aalam’s route by the end of March and work on Sahi’s through April. I don’t want to do any editing or further drafts until all the routes are done, not only in the interest of time, but to make sure everything lines up in the overall story.

And in case you don't follow me on Twitter (@Capminyan) here are a few of the screenshots that have been released so far!

[celestialcrownsvn]

February 26 Update

Hello all! Above you'll see a teaser for one of the images that'll be in the Celestial Crowns trailer. Ice sculpting is a common event in Andromeda. But what's King Aalam so upset about??

 In case you missed it, the pre-launch page for our Kickstarter is live! Check it out here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/harlevin/celestial-crowns​

Art

Check out this teaser of the third CG.

What is Aalam doing that has Terra so shocked??

There are 2 BGs to show, one in progress and one complete. The garden and the training grounds, respectively. Terra loves walking around the gardens!

​​Writing

SPOILER ALERT! Here's a little scene with Andrea. This is from a naive choice.

"Overwhelmed, I burst into tears." "I just want to go home...but I can't. I'm stuck here, in this horrible, cold place filled with horrible, cold people." "By the time I manage to wade through my melodramatic thoughts and gain a little clarity, I'm shivering." "I should get up and go back into the castle, but I just can't bring myself to. As if staying out here will delay my future at all." "A sigh slides past my lips. In my next breath, warmth comes around my shoulders." "I look up, startled at the thick blanket settled on me." Terra "Huh?" Andrea "Next time, inform me when you want to remain outside for an extended period of time. I will get you something more suitable." Terra "O-oh..." "I try to wipe my face and hope Andrea doesn't notice my tears. The last thing I want is them thinking even worse of me." Terra​ "Thank you. It's warm." Andrea "Yes, one has to know how to keep warm in Andromeda." "Andrea sits next to me and crosses their legs. I stare ahead at the ice sculpture before us, a beautiful depiction of a panther, or something like it." Andrea​"Did Ishaya say something to you?" Terra "What?" Andrea​"I saw him looking self-satisfied. Now I find you crying." "I wince. I suppose hoping they wouldn't notice was too much to ask." Terra "I'm fine. Sorry for...sorry." Andrea​"Do not apologize. You are soon to be Queen of Andromeda. Whatever he said to you, it is not right. I could have him executed, if you'd like." Terra "What?!" "Andrea turns to me, straight-faced." Andrea​"It was a joke." Terra "Oh...I—I didn't...you sounded so serious." Andrea​"I was. But your reaction tells me that is an unusual suggestion in Lauté, so I thought to offer you a more comfortable way of thinking about it." Terra "Th-then why did you tell me?" Andrea​"Distraction." "Andrea stands." Andrea​"Come, let us get back inside. It is too cold outside for those flimsy things you're wearing." "I wrap the blanket tighter around myself and follow Andrea back to the castle."

[interact-if]

Any VN’s with gender selectable mcs? I’ve played a few so I was wondering for more recs!

Here’s some visual novels with gender selectable MCs we found, but you can also take a peek at our itch.io collections to see if anything else catches your interest!

If anyone has further suggestions, please feel free to leave a reply and we’ll add it to the list!  

Completed VNs

//todo: Today by @boyslaughplus

A Pinch of Magic by Crystal Game Works

Arcade Spirits by @arcadespirits

Last Minute Love by Philip Cal

LongStory by Bloom Digital

Lovewood by ladyicepaw

Mnemonic Devices by @mnemonicdevicesnano2019

Monster Hunting... For Love! by dynewulf

NEBULA by @nebulathegame

Our Life by @gb-patch

Red Embrace: Hollywood by Argent Games

Royal Alchemist by @niftyvisuals

The Pretenders Guild by harlevin

Were|House by @sadghoststudios

In development VNs

A Cottage Story by @ladymeowsithdev​​

Andromeda Six by @wanderlust-games​

Battle Royale: For Your Heart!   by @legendexgames​​​

Cryptid Crush by Drowsy Drake Studios

Defaction  by @boyslaughplus​  

Drops of Death by Crystal Game Works

Fated by @vowtogether

Hustle Cat by datenighto

Later Daters by Bloom Digital

Love Shore by @loveshoregame  

Love the Guard, Be the King by @ligiawrites​

Manor Hill by @heart-forge​

Monstra City Bakery by edgebug

Monstrate Fracture by @astraloregames

Na Daoine Maithe by @moiraimyths​

Nevergrove by fulmen  

Paths Taken by Crystal Game Works

Perfumare by @pdrrook​  

Pride or Prejudice by Spiral Atlas

Repurpose by Eros  

Strange New Bodies by ThinkingExperiment

Super/human identity by Rock a Role games

The Immortal Kingdom by @vouxie-studio  

The Inn Crowd (on hiatus) by Golden Apple Games

The Neptune Diaries (on hiatus) by @meduzagames  

Trouble Comes Twice by @troublecomestwice

Twin Coves by @twincovesgame​  

ValiDate by ValiDate Game

Very Scary Gays by Goose&Quail

[interact-if]

do you have any sci-fi or post-apocalyptic themed IF recommendations? thank you!!

[ID: An anonymous ask that reads: “hello! do you, perhaps, have sci-fi focused recs? i only found out about event horizon awhile ago, and loved it!” /end ID]

[ID: An anonymous ask that reads: “Hello 👋 thank you for your work for this community. I have a question. I really like sci-fi, do you have any recs for sci-fi IFs? (I wouldn't mind science fantasy too :) I'm specifically looking for works set in a world where civilization managed to master space travel, but anything would do, really” /end ID]

[ID: An anonymous ask that reads: “hello! so i don't know if anyone has asked about this yet, but i'm wondering if you have any games to recommend that are apocalyptic IFs, but I think those will be interesting! Also, thank you for the hard work in maintaining this blog! It really helps the whole community. ✨” /end ID]

As per popular request, Sci-Fi and Apocalyptic games coming right up! 

If you have any recommendations for either of these genres, please feel free to let us know and we’ll add it! 

Sci-Fi - Completed

Andromeda Six by Wanderlust Games

Belle Automata by @jelpiparade

Choice of Robots [Steam] [Apple] [Android] by Kevin Gold

Creatures Such as We by Lynnea Glasser

DOL-OS by @manonamora-if

Heaven Will Be Mine by pillowfight

I, Cyborg by Kevin Warnick

Lifeline (app) [Apple] [Samsung] by 3 Minute Games 

Love Shore by Perfect Garbage Studios

Mnemonic Devices by @harlevin

Nebula by @nebulathegame 

Pirated Coded by @hollowmend

PROTOCOL by @thirtybythirty

Reclamation by @groggydog

SPS Iron Hammer by @manonamora-if

VA-11 Hall-A by Sukeban Games

Sci-Fi - Demo

Abyss by @abyss-if

Attollo by @attollogame

CLOSELOOP by @if-closedloop

Event horizon by @if-eventhorizon (hiatus)

Mirror Mine by @if-mirrormine

Infinite Stars by InfiniteStarsVN

Project Hadea by @nyehilismwriting

P-Rix - Space Trucker by @manonamora-if

Remember, You Will Die by @vapolis

Solid Ground by @solidgroundif

Supernova: Renegade by @jupitergames-if

Valhalla by @palette-jack

Up & Coming (no demo yet!)

All Paths Lead to the Underground by @pol-writes (demo unavailable)

Novus by @novusgame

Unmourned by @unmourned

The Everheart Thief by @everheart-if (discontinued)

What Remains of the Cosmic Dream by @fizmowrites

(Post) Apoc

Aloners (Redux) (VN) by @sonnet009games

As We Know It by Jaime Scribbles Games

Creatures’ Cradle by @thecuriouseye

Hybrid by @heart-forge

Scout: An Apocalypse Story by @anya-dev

Two Sides of a Robot War by @tsoarw-if

Virtue’s End (fantasy post-apoc) by @crimsiswrites​

[arenacircusvn]

AC Devlog 11/9

​Hello all! 😊

I'm going to try and start doing weekly develops to keep everyone appraised of my progress and hold myself accountable for my goals. Mondays seem to be a good day because I get the  most done over the weekend.

So here's my report!

🎪🎪🎪

Scenes

2 Natalia x LIlie scenes

1 Lilie x Aldrich scene

CGs

None /2

BGs

None / 0

I've hired a BG artist to help me with future AC backgrounds—meaning backgrounds for chapters 5 and 6. Afterwards, I'll have them redo the original backgrounds .I know that some people like the backgrounds and they do have their own charm, but they were my first attempts at background art and they don't fit my dream for the finished game.

The original backgrounds will still be in the free version of Arena Circus, so don't worry!

This week's plan

I'll be adding one scene every day this week, which will finish up the freedom scenes for chapter 4. I usually do polls on twitter to decide what scenes to add, so follow me on @capminyan if you'd like to vote!

By the way! Lilith Hall is out! This prequel follows Natalia and reveals more of her backstory. Get it here: https://harlevin.itch.io/lilith-hall

By the way! Did you know that patrons of Harlevin have been able to play the chapter 4 beta for months now? Become a patron  for as low as $1 a month and instantly get access to the most recent build of Arena Circus, which includes:

40 days of chapter 4

101,000 words

9 CGs

5 new quests

https://www.patreon.com/harlevin

All the money I receive from Patreon goes straight back into my VN development. Currently it's being used to pay a composer to create a brand new OST for Arena Circus.

Also, as the new sprites are completed, higher tier patrons will get access to exclusive bonus outfit packs!

That's all for this week, folks! Thanks for your continued support.