//a GR33N-SCHEMA Production//
[COMING 2025 on ITCH.IO]
Be Vernon’s salvation or his spectacular downfall! (´･ω･`)
Omake Captive is an upcoming free 17+ yandere visual novel featuring a troubled otaku with a dark past who has far too much time and money on his hands.
For as long as he can remember, Vernon has been utterly captivated by Arquebus 2, a forgotten and underrated JRPG from the late 90s. He’s obsessed with the game down to the last pixel and game mechanic. He owns almost every single piece of officially released merchandise. But now, there’s something even more intriguing–the newest member of his forum, you! |ω・`)
One day, while on the way home from an anime convention, you decide to impulsively attend a video game forum meetup at a lofty mansion tucked away in the mountains of Colorado. Little do you know, he’s been waiting patiently for this moment…
Play as Naomi (name customizable), a college student who has no idea what she wants to do in life as she finds herself suddenly caught up in Vernon’s obsessive, unpredictable tendencies and isolated, eccentric way of life.
Features:
One perfectly deranged love interest
Projected 50,000+ Words (Subject to increase)
10 unique poses for Vernon's sprite (Also subject to increase)
A plethora of endings– good, bad, and terrible.
Female MC with customizable name and username
Complete control over Vernon’s fate
Warnings:
Stalking
Abduction
On-screen murder
Torture
Gore
Violence
Drugging
And more! ♥
(Full TW list will be disclosed closer to game's release date)
Be Vernon’s Salvation or His Spectacular Downfall! (´･ω･`)
Fianna is an upcoming historical otome based loosely on Irish mythology. There will be 3 routes:
Finn Mac Cumhaill is the young captain of the Fianna. He may not look like much of a threat, but underneath his lackadaisical exterior beats the heart of a true leader. Because his reputation often precedes him, the men he commands might admit to following him just to see what feats the legendary boy warrior will pull off next. Blessed with near-omnipotence that he uses his advantage, Finn plunges headfirst into dire situations and always comes out on top some way or another.
Kveldulf is a berserker from Norge who was banished from his homeland. As Finn’s lieutenant, he oversees the management and discipline of the Fianna. Kveldulf keeps his past a closely guarded secret, which has led to a series of rumors spreading among the men. In truth, he is the descendant of a troll, giving him unnatural strength and resilience. When the sun sets, Kveldulf becomes a slave to his temper, and even the smallest slight can set him off.
Decurio Nerva Cantius Esquilinius is a true son of Rome. His upbringing in the heart of the Empire instilled in him its many virtues: courage, justice, and efficient brutality, all of which are reflected in his exemplary military service. Despite his past triumphs in the Alps, his father’s enemies conspired to send him to Britannia. Stuck at the very edge of civilization, he finds himself questioning what he truly believes in.
That's right! For the past month I've been working on a game for NaNoRenO 2025, and I'm happy to announce that you can play it now for free!
Link to the Itchio Page
Madame Ro's Curiosity Quiz is a pseudo-personality quiz-type game (I say pseudo because it isn't really about assigning you a personality). The key features of the gameare:
3k+ words (about 15-25 minutes per playthrough)
12 questions to answer(6 chosen at random)
5 possible results, showcasing past visitors of Madame Ro's you can learn about
and of course,a strange woman who wants to learn more about you
I'd like to give a special shoutout to my beta readers (who are credited on the page), as this game wouldn't be as polished as it is without their extremely helpful input and criticisms!
I'd also like to thank Stella from Make Visual Novels, as their quiz code essentially kickstarted my idea of making a quiz game in the first place.
I hope everyone has fun playing this game, and feel free to leave a comment saying what visitor you got on your first playthrough.
🍀Happy St. Patricks Day! We'd like to announce Fianna, our upcoming submission to NaNoReno 2025.🍀
Fianna is a historical fantasy otome visual novel loosely based around Irish mythology. Our heroine, Una, must play the role of a Witch when her fate intertwines with a band of mercenaries known as the Fianna.
When you can't even say my name
Has the memory gone? Are you feeling numb?
Go and call my name
I can't play this game, so I ask again
Will you say my name?
Has the memory gone? Are you feeling numb?
Or have I become invisible?
It’s been a while. During this time we’ve cooked up…
Animated backgrounds!
Aaaand a couple of other static backgrounds that we can’t show off due to them being mega spoilers.
We’ve also gotten started on the CGs. At the moment, two of them are done! Not really sure how many we’ll need overall but the projected estimate at the moment is ~15.
The CG at the top of this post is what you see the very first time you meet Vernon. As you can see, he is a well-adjusted individual.
Writing-wise, we’ve been doing a lot of editing and re-writing. There were some parts of the script that needed major revision for both quality and continuity, and we’re almost done tightening up Act 1. The current word count for Act 1 is 23,000 words….and based on the flowchart, we’ve only made a dent in the story. Everything in green is completed, and red squares are endings. Writing is going a bit slower than we’d like, but we intend to pick up the pace! Especially because Act 2 is where things start to get batshit insane.
"I want to make a visual novel but don't know how"
visual novels are one of the most diverse and varied mediums out there and can be so much fun to make. if you've ever wanted to make one, it's pretty easy to get started!!
Overall Guide
this is a lengthy guide I made going over different parts of visual novels and how people make them! now let's go over some parts~
A quick overview on how to make visual novels including terms, engines, communities and more. You can get started making your own visual nov
What Are Visual Novels?
Visual novels are a medium of video games focused on storytelling through the use of static or low-gameplay mechanics. Most can be considered a subsection of interactive fiction. A lot of visual novels have no gameplay or minigames, but some do feature light gameplay. The important aspect is that the gameplay in visual novels is never the focus, and instead the game focuses on a story delivered through dialogue & narration in textboxes on the screen.
Some visual novels are romance, some are fantasy, some are mystery, some are NSFW, some are cutesy, some are kiddie. Visual novels come in all shapes and sizes.
Visual Novel Misconceptions
Visual novels have been around for several decades now, but parts of them are still misunderstood by wider audiences. Here’s some frequent misconceptions about visual novels.
"Every visual novel has sexual content."
Visual novels come in all shapes and sizes, which includes content. Not every visual novel has sexual content, nor is it required to sell well. Visual novels are a medium for storytelling rather than a genre, so they can be anything you want them to be.
"Every visual novel is a dating sim."
Similar to the last one, some people think every visual novel is a romance game or a dating sim. Not every visual novel has romance in it, nor is it required to sell well.
"Every visual novel has choices and multiple endings."
Some of the most popular visual novels out there like Umineko When they Cry don’t have choices. Choices and multiple endings aren’t required to make a visual novel—completely linear experiences are fine.
"Visual novels need to be long."
Some of the top visual novels on itch.io right now are under 25k words, which puts them under 2 hours of playtime. Visual novels don’t have to be a certain length—they can be as long or as short as the story needs them to be. There’s even an annual visual novel jam, O2A2, that focuses on making a visual novel under 1k words with limited assets.
"Visual novels don’t sell well."
This is very much your mileage may vary. Some visual novels sell very, very well, such as how the recent Our Life: Now and Forever Kickstarter gained almost $300k. Marketing is an entire field just like art and writing and isn’t something you can skimp on or push to the end.
"Visual novel players hate reading."
A vast, vast majority of visual novel readers want a visual novel—they want a game that is light on gameplay and heavy on reading. You don’t have to add gameplay to a visual novel to keep people interested. Rather, minigames added at random can deter players. Visual novel players want an engaging story—if you’re worried of losing their attention, then focus on a tighter script or cinematography.
"Visual novels need to be anime style."
Visual novels originated in Japan and most do have an anime style, but visual novels do not need an anime style to sell well. The art style for a game will change the audience for the game—players who want something anime style probably won’t be interested in a semi-realistic style, but other people will be. It’s all about finding the right style for your story and finding the audience who responds well to it.
Visual Novel Terms
Here’s a list of terms you might encounter in visual novel and game dev communities.
EVN / OELVN – stands for English Visual Novel and Original English Language Visual Novel. Two terms used for describing Western VNs that are made in English, although EVN is used more frequently nowadays. An EVN/OELVN is specifically a visual novel made in English first, not a visual novel that has an English translation (and was made in a different language first). There are several variations of this, such as JVN meaning Japanese Visual Novel and RVN meaning Russian Visual Novel.
Kinetic novel – a visual novel that’s linear with few or no choices. Has only one ending. Also called a linear visual novel, linear game, etc.
Game jams – an event where developers have a set amount of time to make a game, ranging from a weekend to several months. Some jams have themes that the games must follow as well as other restrictions while others are more freeform. Nowadays, most jams are hosted on itchio. You can find a list of visual novel game jams here.
Game engine – a piece of software used for developing video games. The most popular ones for making indie VNs in English-speaking areas are Ren’Py and Unity, though Tyranobuilder is very popular in Japan for indies.
Text/code editor – when programming, you’ll need another piece of software to edit and write code that works with the game engine. Some popular text editors are Visual Studio Code, Sublime, Atom, Notepad, and more.
Character sprite – the individual character art that changes expressions and can move around the screen. Can include multiple outfits, pose changes, and more.
CGs – although it typically stands for Computer Generated, CGs in visual novels typically means the cut scene art where no sprites are shown (unless there's a side sprite on the textbox). CGs are usually reserved for special scenes and are the type of artwork you’d see in a CG Gallery or as promotional artwork.
UI / GUI – the User Interface / Graphical User Interface. This is what the player interacts with such as the textbox, main menu, save / load screen, settings, and more.
ADV mode – the standard reading mode for visual novels, short for Adventure mode. The textbox is located at the bottom of the screen. Popular examples of this are Steins;Gate, AI: The Somnium Files, and Amnesia.
NVL mode – a different reading mode for visual novels, short for Novel mode. The textbox covers most of the screen. Popular examples of this are Fate/stay night, Tsukihime, and Umineko When they Cry.
Dating simulator – dating sims are some of the oldest forms of visual novels and are essentially stat raisers where you spend time with various characters with the goal being to romance them by getting your stats high enough. In Western spheres dating sim has become synonymous with a romance game, where stat raising is not involved, but it’s important to note that dating sims refer to stat raisers a lot of the time. Unlike otome, a dating sim doesn’t refer to a specific sexual orientation.
Otome / Otoge – roughly translates to “maiden’s love” and is used to describe games with a female demographic, usually dating sims & romance games which feature male love interests and a female protagonist. Some otome games feature female and other gendered LIs, but male LIs are still the primary focus.
Eroge – an erotic game. If a game has sexual content in it, it’s an eroge. The original Fate/stay night (not the remastered version on Steam) is a popular example of an eroge.
Resources
And now, let's look at some tools and links for actually making visual novels.
Engines & Programming
Ren’Py – free visual novel engine
Twine – free text-based game engine (usually used for interactive fiction)
Feniks Ren’Py resources – various add-ons and tutorials by Feniks
Game Jam & Short Dev Advice
Game Jam Survival Guide - Essential Tips and Tricks
Releasing 8+ games (ft. game jams) and when to take a break
making game development backup plans
Advice for Leading VN Game Jam Teams
How to Make a Visual Novel Solo
How to Finish Your Visual Novel
Design
How to Make Visual Novels
Visual Novel Conference Talks
Visual Novel Cinematography & Design
Art Direction & Execution in Visual Novels
Making Impactful, Impressive Character Sprites
Post-production Techniques for VNs
Vimi’s Visual Novel Design
Writing
Writing Interactive – guides for narrative games writers
Visual Novel Conference Talks
Writing Mystery Visual Novels
How to Design Interesting Choices in VNs
The Intrigue of Ambiguity
Artwork
Clip Studio Paint
Krita
FireAlpaca
Medibang
GIMP
FastStone Photo Resizer – batch photo resizer and editor
FotoSketcher – various settings to apply artistic filters to photos
Marketing
How to Market Visual Novels
Marketing Visual Novels FAQ
Marketing Fundamentals for Indie Game Developers
Marketing your first indie game – What we learned from releasing the same game twice
The stairstep approach to indie game marketing
Marketing your Visual Novel for Kickstarter
Visual Novel Press-Kits
Audio
Eric Matyas music & SFX
Vita-chi SFX & graphics
Free Music Archive
Free Sound
dova-syndrome
Misc.
Lemmasoft Creative Commons Forum
itch.io visual novel resources
Google Fonts – free fonts
Uncle Mugen backgrounds
Canva – browser & desktop graphic design tool
Unsplash – free photos
Wrapping Up
all in all, visual novels are a fun medium to explore and play around with. if you want to make something short as a test run, try joining a game jam! if you want to see how varied visual novels can be, try playing some indies from itchio! at the end of the day there's no bad way to start making your own visual novel. hit the ground running and go for it!!
I've been developing visual novels for over 10 years now, blogging about them on my own blog and releasing visual novels through my studio Crystal Game Works. I hope this guide helped shed light on how to get into the medium!
In the third screenshot, we introduce Samuel, Vernon's unpleasant and nosy neighbor. These two are the only ones who live up on this isolated mountain in Breckenridge, Colorado, and Samuel has decided to make that Vernon's problem. Samuel also has some secrets of his own that you'll be able to uncover. Not much is known about him at first, but he definitely throws a wrench into some of Vernon's plans. Even so, if you wish to escape from Vernon's affection, don't count on Samuel to help you out.
We'd like to apologize for the delay in the third devlog. Between family visiting and both of us getting sick, progress has been slow over the holidays.
We've settled on around 11 endings for Omake Captive (including secret ones!) though this is subject to increase. We're working on mapping these different paths out onto the outline, then making a flowchart to visualize where the story diverges. This has definitely been a challenge!
M3NTICID3 only has two endings, and the story diverges at the very end based on a single choice, so it was easy to keep track of the two paths. Omake Captive not only has ~11 endings, but multiple different story threads and tons of choices that need to be accounted for depending on the path. Keeping the pacing satisfying while keeping track of each story thread through wildly different paths is..surprisingly difficult. It's coming together though, and when the final piece fits, think it'll be very rewarding.
We've finished writing Act 1 and inserting it into Ren'Py with the appropriate sprites, backgrounds, and animations. ദ്ദി ( ᵔ ᗜ ᵔ ) Next comes Act 2, where things start to get crazy.
Art assets are coming along steadily. There are only a few more indoor backgrounds that need to be done, then we can move onto the outdoor ones. I suppose I should mention that a good chunk of this story will take place outside in the great outdoors. Even though Vernon touches grass quite frequently, he certainly doesn't act like it.
