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Romance in Tales of Seikyu - Part #1

Hello Seikyuians!

Welcome to the first instalment of our two-part series on Romance in Tales of Seikyu! Join us as we dive into the personalities of the many NPCs just waiting to steal your hearts. 💞

Romancing is a delightful journey of discovering each character's unique quirks and supporting them through life’s ups and downs. It’s about helping the object of your affection pursue their dreams, boosting their confidence, encouraging them to develop special skills — and so much more!

Romance also involves thoughtful gestures, like gifting favourite items or foods (especially on birthdays!) and sharing meaningful conversations. 💬

We'll have 14 different characters to choose from at 1.0, meaning there'll be someone for everyone! From the elegant and charming to the quirky and cheerful, let's take a look at the first seven villagers.

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[h2]🐈 Musashi[/h2]

Charming and mysterious, with a humble upbringing, this cat-Yokai merchant has a shady backstory; peddling black-market goods in order to put food on the table. He hopes to redeem himself in Seikyu and start with a clean slate, but those he wronged seem intent on reminding him of his dark past. For the time being, he’s concealing his cat form to avoid detection.

As you get closer to Musashi, you’ll notice that he’s a little guarded. It will take some time and effort to earn his trust and get him to open up to you. It remains to be seen if Musashi can escape his past and achieve the prosperous life he’s always dreamed of.

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[h2]🌺Yui Oda [/h2]

Part of the prestigious Oda family, Yui comes from a long line of elected officials. The elegant yet resilient mayor of Seikyu, she feels an immense responsibility towards the town. She has dreams of appearing on television – in particular, showcasing her delicious baked goods – but there is something holding her back from pursuing this.

Yui is nervous to share her Yokai form with the rest of Seikyu, worried that it might impact how they perceive her. Can you help her relax into her role as mayor and help her achieve her dreams? Yui Oda will need an understanding and supportive confidant to help her work through her anxieties about her identity and love her for all of what she is, not just what people see.

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[h2]💪🏻Hephaestus[/h2]

Hephaestus is a bull Yokai Blacksmith who seems to retain the size, strength and persistence of a bull in his human form! Don’t be fooled by appearances; despite his size, he is a kind and sensitive soul at heart.

It’s rumoured that Heph was once the apprentice of a famous swordsmith and that his talents extend far beyond his craft – making him a formidable foe in battle. That being said, his dreams are far less violent, with the goal of opening his own shop and making a name for himself as an artisan. Above all however, his life’s purpose is to find someone worthy of wielding his master’s blade. As a firm believer of destiny, Heph is confident that a special person like that will appear soon.

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[h2]🍶Shuten [/h2]

Shuten is a wise and tough tavern owner and mother to two adopted children, Kinntarou & Ritsuryo, from a previous romance. It wasn’t all roses and rainbows, so the pain still lingers. She can often be found pouring drinks and offering advice or a listening ear to her troubled customers. With an indulgent personality, she’s known to enjoy a drink to two, and she loves the rush of gambling!

There’s more to Shuten than meets the eye, however, and her indulgence has gotten her into trouble on more than one occasion in the past. Get to know her, and you might just find she’s harbouring some troubles of her own. Despite her worries, she seems happy with her small family and with her life, but she longs to move on from her past and, perhaps, to find a new love?

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[h2]🦦Torleone[/h2]

Torleone is an otter Yokai with a chequered past, which has left him with the nickname ‘godfather of the sea’ – it’s probably best you don’t ask too many questions about that. He keeps his history private from the villagers of Seikyu, who simply see him as the headstrong fish-shop owner and protective uncle of Seabert.

The only thing that seems to shake this otter’s stalwart constitution is the elegant charm of a particular bird Yokai. It seems as though Tolerone is still grappling with an unfinished job from his past – one he took a lot of risks to carry out. It’s been years, but he’s determined to see it through. Perhaps someone can help Torleone with his unfinished business and help him look to the future!

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[h2]🖤Nyotengu[/h2]

A warrior from the winged Tengu clan, peace-keepers of the Yokai world. Seikyu is a tad too peaceful for this brazen and battle-hungry woman. It appears that the only thing keeping her in the countryside is clan loyalty, and she spends her days savouring delicious drink, wandering the streets, and dealing with small-fry Yokai troublemakers.

She wields a special blade with a dark secret that weighs heavily on her heart. Nyotengu plans to leave Seikyu soon, seeking greener, more exciting pastures. She might just find a renewed sense of purpose and a reason to stay if someone could bring a little excitement to this sleepy village.

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[h2]🎩Yohji Shibata[/h2]

Yohji is the diplomat of Seikyu, equal parts gentleman and swordsman. He’s always longed for the human utopia described in Tales of Glory and he uses his political power to push Seikyu toward that ideal.

Reticent by nature, he’s sometimes misunderstood, and he lost a lot of favour amongst the townsfolk when he allowed Kababa to set up the casino in town. He explores the Fox ruins as much as he can in hopes of being able to discover more about humans, and about the history of Seikyu. Could someone with an enquiring mind help him in his pursuit of knowledge and win his heart?

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And there you have it, the first 7 villagers in Tales of Seikyu who would love to get to know you better!😉 Did any of these bachelors and bachelorettes catch your eye?

Keep your eyes peeled for the second and final part of the Romance in Seikyu series to meet the remaining NPCS!

Tales of Seikyu is Coming to Steam Early Access in Spring 2025!

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for…our Early Access launch announcement! We’re delighted to reveal that Tales of Seikyu is coming to Steam Early Access in Spring 2025. It’s not long now until you’ll be able to settle into your new life in the magical world of Yokai. Don’t forget to wishlist via our Steam store page in the meantime.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]About Early Access[/h2]

Start a brand-new life in Seikyu with your sister, Kon, and explore an enchanting countryside full of magic and mystery. There’ll be plenty to do from day one, whether you want to go off on an adventure, get to know the locals, fix up your farmhouse, uncover the mystery of your fox spirit ancestry, make friends, or even find love (っ´ω`c)♡

Early Access is a development journey, and the story of Seikyu will grow and unfold as we update the game alongside direct input from our community – we’re excited to hear your thoughts! The Early Access version won’t reflect the full and final product, but it’s the perfect time to start your Seikyu story since grabbing the game at Early Access means you’ll own Tales of Seikyu forever with no further purchase required at launch. We’d love to have you by our side as we bring our vision for Seikyu to life!

[h2]How Can I Support the Devs?[/h2]

We’re so grateful for all your support so far and can’t wait to show you more in the future. For now, the single best way you can support the development of Tales of Seikyu is by wishlisting the game on Steam. This tells the folk over at Steam HQ that you’re interested in the game and will allow us to reach more people in the long run!

It’s been an absolute joy watching the Seikyu community grow so, if you haven’t already, please make sure to follow us over on X, BlueSky, Facebook, and TikTok. Oh! And make sure you’re part of the official Tales of Seikyu Discord.

Working On Your Playtest Feedback!

We want to say a big thank you to everyone who participated in the Tales of Seikyu playtest this month. We received a lot of great feedback from the community, so much so that we actually extended the playtest to give you more time with the game!

You shared all kinds of thoughts with us, including what you loved and what you felt needed a little work in order to make Seikyu a truly wonderful experience. Now that we’ve had some time to review your feedback, we wanted to go through some of the areas we’re aiming to show a little love to ahead of our Early Access launch (date TBA).

Please bear in mind that Tales of Seikyu is still under development and that the areas outlined below are intended to give you an idea of what we’re taking a look at as a result of the playtest feedback. These may be subject to change and are not the only parts of the game we’re working on.

[h3]Tour of the Town:[/h3]
It seems that the kind-hearted mayor of Seikyu, Yui Oda, needs to work on her tour-guide skills! We’re aiming to update the introductory tour of the town to make onboarding more enjoyable for players.

[h3]Days Last Longer:[/h3]
We get it, when every day is magical, you never want them to end! There’s plenty to do in Seikyu, so we agree that there could be a little more time allocated to each day.

[h3]Farming Updates:[/h3]
We’re looking into ways to ensure farming is straightforward and rewarding (without demanding too much time and attention).

[h3]Key Remapping and Updated Gamepad Keys:[/h3]
It’s important to us that our controls feel as natural and intuitive as possible.

[h3]Fox Shrine Portraits of Fox Ancestors:[/h3]
Meet the family! ≽ܫ≼

[h3]In-World Signs to Help You Navigate Seikyu:[/h3]
You’re new in town, after all.

[h3]Updated Map:[/h3]
You’ll have to wait and see on this one 👀

[h3]More Foraging Variety:[/h3]
Making Seikyu a treasure trove of plants, minerals, and more. Collectors, rejoice!

[h3]More Bag Storage:[/h3]
If we’re adding more foraging variety, you’re gonna need more space in your inventories, right?

[h3]Fishing Optimization:[/h3]
Polishing the fishing mini-game to make it reel-y fun (get it?). °‧ 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 ·。

[h3]More Sound Effects:[/h3]
The ASMR possibilities are endless.

[h3]Bug Fixes:[/h3]
Self-explanatory. We’re calling the exterminators!

[h3]Safer Waters:[/h3]
On second thought…maybe going into the water shouldn’t immediately kill you? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[h3]Crafting System Updates:[/h3]
Oh, the things you’ll make!

[h3]Lighting and Texture Optimization:[/h3]
It’s all about the aesthetic, after all!

We’re really excited to implement your playtest feedback into the game, and we’re so grateful to everybody who took the time to play and share their thoughts with us. We love our community and hope you’ll join the fun over on the official Tales of Seikyu Discord.

The Tales of Seikyu Playtest is Live!

All aboard the ferry to Seikyu! We're pleased to announce that our playtest is officially live ଘ(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭* ̀ˋ

We've selected 1,000 lucky travellers to visit the wonderful world of Seikyu, so check your emails to see if you've been invited to join the fun. The Tales of Seikyu playtest will run until November 4th, giving you 10 whole days to enjoy the countryside, meet the villagers, and uncover the secrets of your fox-spirit ancestry.

As a reminder, we'd really appreciate it if you could take the time to fill out the feedback form in the title screen of the game. We'll be asking you all sorts of questions, from your experience with certain features and mechanics to which villagers you love the most!

This also feels like a good point to mention that the playtest version of the game does not represent the final product. We'll be making lots of improvements and updates based on your feedback between now and Early Access (date TBA). So, don't worry if you spot an NPC somewhere they shouldn't be; we'll wrangle 'em all in due course.

For those of you who didn't get an invitation this time 'round, we want to say thank you for signing up and that there'll still be plenty of opportunities to give feedback to the dev team on our official community Discord!

P.S. Did you know we have our very own Tales of Seikyu Facebook and X pages? Follow us for lots of Seikyu fun!

We Want Seik-YOU To Take Part in Our Playtest!

The weather is getting cooler, the leaves are changing colour, and we’re very excited for all the coziness that autumn brings. And what could be cozier than snuggling up under a blanket and exploring the enchanting countryside of Seikyu? That’s right, we’re giving YOU the opportunity to take part in an upcoming Tales of Seikyu playtest!

Those of you who watched the Convergence Showcase will have spotted our playtest announcement alongside our shiny new trailer, which we’ll share here for anybody who might have missed it 😘

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[h2]Sign up for Seikyu NOW![/h2]
The Tales of Seikyu playtest will run from October 24th to November 4th, and we’ll be selecting 1,000 people to take part. Sign ups are open right now, so make sure you visit our Steam store page to put your name down for the chance to spend 10 glorious days under the Seikyuian sun!

[h2]What to Expect[/h2]
You’ll be able to take your first steps on your very own Seikyu adventure. Retreat to the countryside and manage a farm in a world of Yokai while exploring your own shape-shifting powers and building relationships with the townsfolk. Friendship, romance, and adventure await.

[h3]New Yokai Forms[/h3]
We’ve given players a look at the boar yokai, and now it’s time to unlock the power of the Slime and Crow Tengu forms.

[h3]Love Is In the Air[/h3]
We’ve made a whole host of heart events available with every single character in Seikyu, but true romantics will have a shot at reaching a full 10 hearts with Hephaestus, Liliana, and Anji during this playtest. Think you’ve got what it takes to win your love interest’s heart and maybe even seal it with a kiss? 😳

[h3]Boss Battle[/h3]
You’ll encounter lots of different folk as you explore the world of Seikyu and delve deeper into the story of this mysterious land, but be warned…not all of them will be thrilled about your arrival. If you’re feeling brave, you’ll have the opportunity to take part in Seikyu’s first-ever boss battle.

[h2]Have Your Say[/h2]
Playtests are the opportunity for you to have your say and put your stamp on the game. We’re asking who takes part in the playtest to provide feedback via our dedicated feedback form, which will be provided to successful applicants via email. Your thoughts, feedback, and opinions will help us shape the future of the game!

That’s all from us! We can’t wait to see your sign ups and to invite 1,000 of you into the world of Seikyu come October 24th. In the meantime, have an adorable GIF of Kon 🥰