Saintess of the Golden Bow News

[p]Hi everyone![/p][p]Today will be a public update and it will also be cross-posted from Kickstarter to itch.io and Steam. Tomorrow will be a year since Kickstarter started. Throughout this year we updated the backers every month with information about the writing and art progress. Now we want to make a sum-up of what we have presented throughout this year, so everyone can be on the same page. This of course won't be all the art the backers have been privy to, but we hope the update will still be fun and informative.[/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h2]Writing[/h2][p]During the last year around 125k words (routes+common route rewrites) have been written on Saintess of the Golden Bow. That means we're halfway done with the first drafts for the game (which will go through a number of revisions, but such is the life of a writer).[/p][p][/p][p]Levi's route is fully written at 70k words. Around 10k of it has been implemented into Unity. We will continue with the programming in the next months.[/p][p][/p][p]Elijah's route is halfway written at 35k words. It still needs to be expanded and finished. Anna has taken a break from it in favor of a few revision rounds on the demo.[/p][p][/p][p]Noah's route has been started and is sitting at 10k words, but there have been some changes to what we know about his relationship with the Empress so these will be revised when it's time to write his route. Noah's route will be the last from the main game that will be written.[/p][p][/p][p]George DLC will follow after Saintess release.[/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h2]The New Demo/Common Route[/h2][p]The Common Route has been rewritten what Anna thinks now is a million times and Anna has just finished what they hope is the final pass yesterday. [/p][p][/p][p]The Common Route which was included almost fully in the Kickstarter demo used to be around 50k words and now it's 40k words, which means it will be around 40 minutes shorter. We removed a lot of redundant things towards the end, and some of Celeste's too long monologues. Those two things led to some real tightening of the demo. We think it should now be around 3 hours of playtime max. [/p][p][/p][p]Also, half of the Common Route has been completely rewritten, with new scenes and new choices. Yes, half of the demo will be a fresh experience to you.[/p][p][/p][p]We finally have a release date for the new demo – it will come out with Otome Fest on 4th of May! It will be missing some additional art – right now we still don't have 3 sprites Lidia wants to add to the Common Route as a result of the rewrites as well as all the cut-ins we decided to do to increase the visual experience. Lidia is also working on improving some of the backgrounds to make them all match better visually. [/p][p][/p][p]There will be a final update before we release the full game where we'll add all the visual stuff we'd like to include. But the demo in May will be fully playable and definitely an improved experience from the Kickstarter version![/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h2]Backgrounds[/h2][p]Transparent Games has teamed up with Jihed, Lana and Vlad to bring you beautiful backgrounds for Saintess of the Golden Bow. Around twelve backgrounds have also been redone from their pre-Kickstarter versions.[/p][p][/p][p]With that all the backgrounds for the game are done, and are just missing some improvements Lidia wants to make for them. Below you can see just some of the backgrounds we have created for the game.[/p][p]
[/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h2]Sprites[/h2][p]We came into the Kickstarter with all sprites for all characters done and we were just missing outfits. Since then we have decided to expand the cast by 3 characters needed for the demo and to breathe more life into the guys by giving them second poses.[/p][p][/p][p]Below are some of the outfits we can show spoiler-free as well as a second pose sketch for Elijah.[/p][p]
[/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h2]CGs[/h2][p]We have finished all but one CG for the whole game. Below are two less spoilery examples of CGs you have not seen during the Kickstarter.[/p][p] [/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h2]Cut-ins[/h2][p]These are new additions to the game, which will mostly appear in the demo. The cut-ins are small CGs which will enhance the visual fidelity of the game. These moments will not be voiced.[/p][p]
[/p][hr][/hr][p] [/p][h2]Programming[/h2][p]Robin is still working on transferring the user interface to Unity and we will be able to code and test the game properly in-engine then. Not much progress has been made on implementation so far – we've been focusing on writing and art the past year. Programming should hit off more in the second half of 2026.[/p][hr][/hr][p] [/p][h2]Voice Acting[/h2][p]Voice acting recording has not started yet. This will be the last step before release, alongside the final polish for the game.[/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h2]The Release Date for the Full Game[/h2][p]We still believe the release date of April 2027 is achievable. For now we're not announcing an exact date yet, but we're keeping ourselves accountable to complete the game by then. All booklets and the artbook have been pushed to after the game ships though, so we can focus fully on the experience of delivering the best game to you.[/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h2]My Wife is a Spy?![/h2][p]As some of you are aware we have a second project going on alongside Saintess of the Golden Bow, My Wife is a Spy?! We currently have ⅔ of the art done for this project and scripts are in progress as well. Our plan is to release this game till the end of 2026. The work on this project won't make us miss the April 2027 promised release date for Saintess. [/p][p][/p][p]Feel free to check out My Wife is a Spy?! on steam and itch. The demo is currently down as we're updating some of the code, but should be up again in 3 weeks to a month.[/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h2]Thank you for tuning in to the update[/h2][p]I hope you enjoyed looking at all our progress on the game. We hope to bring you more and more interesting updates throughout the months as we work towards the April 2027 release.[/p][p]
[/p][p]With love,[/p][p]The Transparent Games Team[/p][p]
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[p]Hi everyone! [/p][p][/p][p]We're up to 3500+ wishlists on Steam for "Saintess of the Golden Bow"! [/p][p][/p][p]If you haven't wishlisted yet, do it now! It means the world to us to see your interest in the game. [/p][p][/p][p]Here's some guest art of Levi by Seii to celebrate! [/p][p][/p][p]With love, [/p][p]The Transparent Games Team[/p]

[p]Hello everyone! [/p][p]Welcome to our first devlog outside of Kickstarter in a while! ✨ Today we’re thrilled to share a summary of what we’ve been working on over the past few months. The demo rewrite is complete, Levi’s first draft is done, and Anna is now deep into Elijah’s route. Let’s dive in!💛[/p][hr][/hr][h3]🌟 Demo Rewrite Complete![/h3][p][/p][p]Around 40% of the demo has been rewritten with brand-new scenes, polished writing, and stronger characterization—especially for Elijah 👀✨ The rewrite is currently with our editor, Jenna Rose, and will be implemented into the build afterward. We don’t have a release date yet, but progress is going smoothly![/p][hr][/hr][h3]What’s been improved? 🛠️[/h3]

• [p]Elijah’s personality has been refined: moody, thoughtful, mysterious… yet selfless when it counts. 💫[/p]
• [p]Celeste no longer knows everything about Noah and the Empress—his secrets will unravel in his own route.[/p]
• [p]Combat scenes got a big boost in tension, clarity, and pacing. ⚔️[/p]
• [p]Several show-don’t-tell issues were fixed.[/p]
• [p]The refugee storyline has been rewritten with additional care, sensitivity, and a brand-new background to illustrate the situation more vividly.[/p]
• [p]Many smaller dialogue enhancements throughout the script.[/p]

[hr][/hr][h3]🎨 Cut-ins for the Demo[/h3][p]We’re adding more expressive art to the game in the form of cut-ins! Roeru and Lidia are working hard on these. Here’s one of Roeru’s rendered cut-ins:[/p][p][/p][p]They add so much emotion to key scenes – can't wait to show you more soon! 💕[/p][hr][/hr][h3]💙 Levi Route – First Draft Complete![/h3][p]Levi’s route is now fully drafted at around 7 hours of standard reading time. 🎉 Choices and bad endings still need to be added, so it’ll grow by about another hour during the expansion phase.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h3]🖋️ Elijah Route – First Draft 40% Done[/h3][p]Elijah’s route currently sits at 20k / ~50k words and is shaping up beautifully. Just like Levi’s, this route will be expanded and polished after drafting.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][h3]🎨 Most of the Art Is Completed![/h3][p]Our artists – Lidia, Cat, and Sekku – have been absolute powerhouses. 💪✨[/p]

• [p]Lidia is coloring the final wedding ending CG (the other two are complete!).[/p]
• [p]Cat has one more CG left to draw.[/p]
• [p]Lidia has two more CGs to color.[/p]
• [p]Sekku is done with their CGs.[/p]
• [p]Only two backgrounds remain, and then the BG set is done![/p]
• [p]All character sprites and outfits are finished!! 👗🎉[/p]
• [p]After that, we’ll be focusing mainly on cut-in art.[/p]

[p][/p][p]We are SO excited to see the visuals of Saintess of the Golden Bow coming together so beautifully. 🌟[/p][hr][/hr][h3]💛 Thank You for Tuning In[/h3][p]That’s all for today’s devlog![/p][p]We’re incredibly grateful for your interest and support. Thank you for joining us on this journey! 💛[/p][p]With love, [/p][p]Transparent Games 💛🎮[/p]

Hi everyone,

We are absolutely over the moon to announce that in just five days, Saintess of the Golden Bow has reached its base funding goal! 🥳 After four years of dedicated development and a whirlwind three-month lead-up to this Kickstarter, your incredible support has officially secured the completion of the game.

We’re beyond grateful and thrilled to have such an amazing community rallying behind us. Let’s take a moment to celebrate this milestone and give credit where it’s due!

[h2]🌟 A Heartfelt Thanks[/h2]
This wouldn’t have been possible without:

• Backers: We're grateful for each and every one of you. Without you realizing our dream of completing the game wouldn't be possible! No matter how big the pledge, we're excited to see each and every one of you adding your contribution to Kickstarter. THANK YOU for being here with us!
  
• Our Transparent Games Team: From our core team to contractors and our wonderful Art Interns/Assistants, everyone poured their hearts into making the demo and Kickstarter page shine. 💖
  
• Influencers & Press: Your enthusiasm helped spread the word far and wide! Check out the amazing playlist of YouTube streamers who played the demo and supported us: YouTube Playlist (sorted from oldest to newest). Twitch also came alive with streams, and a special shoutout goes to Sammi from OtomeAddicted for championing our game to her community. 🌸
  
• Everyone who shared news about the game: We know not everyone has the money to back our game, but sharing our social media posts and spreading the word about it helps us tremendously too. We appreciate every single one of you!
  
• The Digital Dragons Grant: We were one of only seven teams selected out of more than 100 applicants to receive this grant for international marketing. This enabled us to work with incredible talents like Hubert Nosek from Consek Marketing and Andrew Moers, who crafted the amazing trailer. The grant couldn’t be used for production, but it allowed us to explore marketing strategies that have been pivotal to our success.
  

[h2]🚀 What’s Next?[/h2]
Now that the base game is fully funded, it’s time to focus on our Stretch Goals!

🎙️ Stretch Goal #1: Partial Voice Acting for CGs
Bring Saintess of the Golden Bow to life with partial English voice acting for 30 CGs. We want you to feel every heartfelt confession, dramatic moment, and emotional turning point in full voice!

❄️ Stretch Goal #2: George DLC
Explore the story of George, the Duke of the North and fan-favorite ice mage, in an 8-10 hour DLC packed with intrigue, romance, and unforgettable moments.

These are just the first two stretch goals, with even more exciting enhancements and DLCs waiting to be revealed. With 27 days left, we’re confident that together, we can take Saintess to new heights!
You can read up more about the stretch goals in this post.

[h2]🖼️ George Merch Update[/h2]
Good news for George fans! Our mahwa-style Garden Series promo art by Seii is almost complete! We just received a work-in-progress sketch with base coloring for the Celeste & George wallpaper/A4 print walking through the palace garden Bridgerton-style, and it’s shaping up beautifully.


This piece will join the merch lineup, including:

• George Dakimakura
  George Keychain
  Celeste & George Wallpaper/A4 Print

Backers in eligible tiers will receive this stunning Wallpaper/A4 Print art at no extra charge (unless you want additional prints – those are be available too!).

[h2]🎯 What This Means[/h2]
Thanks to your support, the base game is now a reality. No matter what happens with the rest of the campaign, the base game of Saintess of the Golden Bow is officially on track for a 2026 release! With 70% of the art complete, the finish line is closer than ever.
We’ll keep you updated on the status of stretch goals, rewards, and everything else as the campaign progresses.

[h2]🌟 Accessibility Update: Small Demo Change 🌟[/h2]
We wanted to address a valuable piece of feedback we recently received. One of our players mentioned that the spinning reincarnation whirlpool animation, combined with reading text, caused motion sickness. Your comfort is incredibly important to us, so we’ve taken steps to resolve this issue in the current demo.

For now, we’ve replaced the whirlpool animation with a static image. This change ensures no one has to worry about discomfort while playing.


In the full game, we’re planning to include an Accessibility Menu where you’ll be able to toggle animations like this on or off as needed. Since the game will be ported to Unity post-Kickstarter (we have plans for the game we're not ready to announce yet, and for them the game needs to be in Unity), we’ve chosen not to implement the toggle in the demo right now but opted for a simpler solution.

A huge thank you to the player who reached out and shared their experience. It helps us create a better game for everyone. Please don’t hesitate to let us know if you have additional feedback!
This change was pushed to the Steam build and uploaded on Itch on Saturday the 22nd of March.

Thank you for believing in Saintess of the Golden Bow. Your support has turned our dream into a reality, and we can’t wait to bring this story to life for you. Let’s continue to build on this momentum and make Saintess the best it can possibly be!

Stay tuned for more exciting updates and surprises ahead!

With love,
The Transparent Games Team 🌟

Hi everyone,


The wait is finally over! We’ve officially launched the Kickstarter for Saintess of the Golden Bow! 🏹💛
Your incredible support has brought us to this exciting moment, and now we’re aiming for our first goal: 40,000 PLN (around 10,500 USD) to fund the game. Once we hit this milestone, we’ll reveal our first stretch goal!

Check out the Kickstarter page here!

✨ Kickstarter Demo Update ✨

To celebrate, we’ve updated the demo with even more to explore:

• 🕒 4 hours of content (depending on reading speed).
  
• ⚡️ The main twist – we can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
  
• 💘 Path choices: Will you choose Levi, Noah, or Elijah?
  
• 🎨 3 brand-new CGs with partial voice acting.
  
• 👑 Meet the Demon Queen, brought to life by Savy des-Etages!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

We’re thrilled to begin this Kickstarter journey with you. Thank you for being part of Saintess of the Golden Bow! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out on Kickstarter or social media.

💕 With love,
The Transparent Games Team