Sigh of the Abyss News

Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well 😃
Today's announcement is jam-packed with information—let's dive right in!
[h2]Release date[/h2]
Sigh of the Abyss has a release date! Mark your calendars, the game will become available June 26!
A new voiced demo will release some weeks prior as well, and I will try to make save files compatible between the main game & the new demo!

Sigh of the Abyss will be priced at $17.99 / € 17.49 / £ 14.99 £ / A$ 26.50 / CDN$ 23.49 (and make use of Steam's regional pricing tool 😃).
[h2]Progress[/h2]
All the backgrounds of the game are complete, and so is the soundtrack!
Have a taste of both in this video about the sights and sounds of Carolise:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
I am currently editing the script, which is also being looked at by the proofreader. It's... 396k words in total?! 😳

Once the script is ready, coding will begin in earnest, and selected scenes will be given to the VAs to receive voiced lines ✨
[h2]The Storyteller's Festival[/h2]
Sigh of the Abyss has been invited to the Storyteller's Festival! If you enjoy narrative games, you can't miss this event! Head over to the festival's Steam page to discover amazing new games, demos & more ✨

[h2]Have you played Shadow Bonds yet?[/h2]
Shadow Bonds is the standalone prologue of Sigh of the Abyss—a self-contained experience that will introduce you to the characters & setting of the main game. Best of all, it's free!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1829640/Sigh_of_the_Abyss_Shadow_Bonds__Prologue/

I'll be sharing more about the game as the release date approaches. A wishlist not only helps a ton, it also ensures the game's announcements will show up in your library hub ✨
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2025310/Sigh_of_the_Abyss/

Thank you so much for reading until here.
Toodles~

Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well😄
I recently posted this update on Kickstarter; since it's public, I thought of sharing it on Steam as well!

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The Summer Solstice passed by in a flash, and sweltering July arrived in a blaze.

In their starlit chambers, astronomers study the sky to announce the exact date of the aphelion—the point of our planet's orbit that is farthest away from the Sun. Rumor has it that on that day, the influence of the Triune Goddess wanes; the nobility revels in luxury without putting on a pious façade, leaving the Citadel for the shade of the Forester's Hide.

Stretching between the river Valse and the city, the Forester's Hide is a vast woodland dotted with natural springs and pools. Its canopies give shelter to the rowdy boar, the laughing fox and the nocturnal dormouse—beasts to the peasant, but quarries to the nobles. The Hide is where they compete to prove their hunting prowess, returning with trophies to be devoured over a glass of wine or mounted on the wall.

Those that turn their eyes away from the hunt prefer to dance instead, with flowers in their hair and fur trimmed fineries; some chase love, others chase powerful alliances and political marriage.

What might bring the protagonist into this verdant realm of scheming and diplomacy?
The reeds that surround the creek shield you from sight with their gentle dance.

If you have romanced Alpheon in Shadow Bonds you might find the illustration above familiar, but there are some differences in the angle of his head and in the hand that cups his face, which brings me to...

[h2]Development progress[/h2]
After a short break, character art and illustrations have picked up the pace again! Alongside new art, updates are being made to old pieces to have them fit the full game, like in the example above.

Most of the OST is done, with only some arrangements left, and the majority of the background art pieces have been completed as well. Woot woot 🎉

When it comes to writing, this "Forester's Hide chapter" is a massive, branching monster of choices, consequences and some points of no return. I'm having a lot of fun working on it! The challenge is to keep the scope of this asset-heavy portion manageable (she says, already resigned to the fact that several characters will need a costume change).

[h2]Updated content warnings[/h2]
The content warnings here and on the Steam page will have to be updated to reflect the previous chapters and the den of debauchery I'm currently writing. Here they are:

• On screen: murder, suicide, blood, consensual discussion of sex, coarse language, legal prostitution, implied nudity, mind control;
  
• Text only: consensual sex, public execution, gore, legal alcohol consumption, stalking, poisoning, torture, infanticide;
  
• Mentioned/implied: kidnapping, domestic abuse, animal cruelty;
  

The game will not include sexual assault.

I wonder if a list like this would be enough, or perhaps it'd be better to be more detailed while still trying to keep spoilers to a minimum. Let me know if you have a strong preference for either way!

[h2]And now, a palate cleanser...[/h2]
...in the form of a sneak peek~

Alpheon, June's golden child, is featured in two of them this month 😉 I had to share more than one expression, so I turned it into a GIF (which looks better here than on Kickstarter!)

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Thank you for reading thus far! I'm so excited to share more of this world with you 😄

I'll see you in two months with the next public update which will be all about the game's sapphic options—Sylas and Marané!
For now, toodles ✨

Hello everyone! It's time to celebrate...
🥳THE CAMPAIGN IS FULLY FUNDED!! 🎉
Thank you so much for the outpour of support and kind words! I'm stoked to bring voice acting to Sigh of the Abyss, and can't wait to show you what the voiced game will be like. I'm so excited!!

Let's talk about stretch goals!

If the campaign reaches €15k, a fifth romance option will become available in the game! Who might this mysterious suitor be? Even big spoilers get small hints...

40% of the stretch goal funds will be used to commission illustrations for the romance and modify the above illustration to give it a romantic spin. The remaining 60% will be used to voice act the romance-specific scenes and add more voiced scenes in general to the game!
[h3]Thank you all once again![/h3]
Let's make the stretch goal happen!

Greetings, Envoys!
In the world of Sigh of the Abyss, tea is a rarity known only to Marané and a handful more.

In Kabaret, however...
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1525580/Kabaret/
Fellow WINGS-funded game Kabaret releases on April 5th! This visual novel is steeped into Southeast Asian myths and folklore, and is the story of a boy turned into a monster. You will:
📖 Talk to monsters & learn their stories
🍵 Brew tea
🕹️ Play minigames

To celebrate its release, write in the comments the name of your favorite tea blend to have a chance to win a key! You can do this in this post or in the Shadow Bonds one (or both, to double your chances)!
[h3]Kickstarter progress[/h3]
We're halfway through the campaign and over 70% funded!
Backers have access to exclusive posts like the making of Malec & Alpheon, and OST previews, with more behind-the-scenes coming!
[h3]So... what's your favorite tea blend?[/h3]
Mine is dragonwell tea!

Greetings, Envoys! I hope you've been well.

I'm thrilled to show you two previews of what voice acting would sound like in Sigh of the Abyss!

Listen to Malec, Marané, Ascanio and the protagonist:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Listen to Sylas, Alpheon, Atri and the protagonist:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Having the character talk truly makes a game feel more alive, more engaging and immersive, don't you think? That's why I launched a Kickstarter campaign to bring voice acting to Sigh of the Abyss!

I would love your support—even just sharing the link helps a ton :D
Thank you!!