Hearts Under Blades - Teaser Wallpaper

Proudly introducing Hearts Under Blades: A Tale of Love and Honor!  The project is a visual novel featuring all-original characters, story, and art.  

For those unfamiliar with the genre, Wikipedia describes a visual novel as "a form of interactive fiction that typically features static graphics, background music, sound effects and a story with multiple paths and numerous possible endings. Gameplay involves clicking to advance the dialogue and graphics with choices that cumulatively determine your path." It's kind of like a multimedia Choose-Your-Own Adventure book with more depth and characterization; from a gaming perspective, it plays like a dating sim, but with more focus on story.

The player will have the opportunity to forge lasting relationships with a planned selection of TEN characters. These relationships can be romantic, platonic, or even political, depending on who you chose and the actions you take.  But be careful, the life of a samurai is filled with risks, and every choice carries consequences. Not every ending is a happy ending, and the honor guiding your actions can mean the difference between life and death!

Fun Fact: The title is a visual pun based on the kanji for "shinobu" or "shinobi."  It is written with the kanji for "heart" beneath the kanji for "blade!

Next Week: Meet the Main Character!

For more info on what goes into the game, check out my journal post here:
Game Promo Day 1! Introducing Hearts Under BladesProudly introducing Hearts Under Blades: A Tale of Love and Honor!  The project is a visual novel featuring all-original characters, story, and art.  This project is very near and dear to my heart, as I've had a hand in all aspects of it, and for the first time I have complete creative control over the look of the game!  For more info on visual novels, and a synopsis of the game itself, please check out the promo wallpaper here:

The technical side:  The game is being made with Ren'Py, a free but powerful visual novel engine allowing for professional quality output.  Right now we are only planning to release the game for PC, but we are looking into ports for the Mac and even Android.  We are developing the game in HD (at 1080p), but may also add lower resolution versions for people with slower PCs.  Other Ren'Py games have been greenlit on Steam, so we are hoping to get there someday as