marinist studio ⎈

sapphic narrative games rich npc dynamics mechanics with meaning coming soon: the bitter end

[mariniststudio]

Big progress lately~

[mariniststudio]

Changed my WIP Wednesday layout too~ no more fiddling in Canva. I kind of love these blob shapes and the simple math behind them. Anyway, a new snippet!

[mariniststudio]

Happy Pride 🏳️‍🌈 and here's the monthly current status for The Bitter End! A couple more playtests done with feedback addressed, more art delivered, and a big code review done for everything that is relevant for the demo~ I also did a lot of editing polish, and started outlining post-demo scenes!

[mariniststudio]

One of my favorite things so far has been implementing and writing my own little nod to CRPG (particularly classic BioWare) party banter. Little snippets of dialogue that randomly occur between pairings. It really makes the world feel so much more alive!

[mariniststudio]

I love interpersonal dynamics in my casts... especially the ones that hold a little bit of antagonism ;)

[mariniststudio]

Part of my new scheduled attempt to make sure I post updates on social media: a little WIP Wednesday!

In high school I was captivated by the Beat era. Getting to write a character of that period is super fun to me - though I'm still getting used to the slang!

[mariniststudio]

I've not been paying much attention to social media in the last month, but I'm going to try to change that with my favorite thing, ✨ structure ✨

So I'm starting with monthly reports on my work and progress for The Bitter End! This is demo-specific~

The "code" section is a bit guesstimated because everything is done and playable but I have some screens I want to redo with a little more flair!

But the other sections are calculated from concrete numbers :>

[mariniststudio]

The last LI of The Bitter End would be quite annoyed to know I'm posting her on April Fools. ⛵🌹

Wren comes from an alternate 1960s Greenwich Village, one where witches hid with the homophiles and the beatniks. But magic takes as much as it gives... and Wren had a lot to lose.

[mariniststudio]

Time for the fifth of six LIs in The Bitter End! ⛵🌹

Neruda comes from Chile in a futuristic Earth where biological enhancement and genetic optimization are the defining markers of the elite. Neruda is best of them all, but perfection is a cage with diamond bars.

[mariniststudio]

The fourth LI of The Bitter End is the first person you will meet! ⚓🌹

Kit may come from a spacefaring civilization, but those of her homeworld travel the seas as much as the stars. She's the ship's natural leader, always doing her best to help. Maybe one day she'll have done enough to be forgiven.

[mariniststudio]

The third LI of The Bitter End is the youngest and tallest~ ⚓🌹

Jiye comes from Korea, in an alternate Earth where powerful Sentinels keep the world free of malevolent spirits. She lived a joyous life: battling, traveling, charming older women. But on the ship, she's grounded. In more ways than one.

[mariniststudio]

Introducing a second character & love interest in The Bitter End~ ⛵🌹

Eshe hails from an East African-inspired fantasy world where clans bonded to spiritual entities make up a complex web of societies. While Eshe was exiled over twenty years ago, she still carries the weight of her sisters' love.

[mariniststudio]

Let's get to know the love interests of The Bitter End! ⛵🌹

Anahita comes from a Safavid Persia-inspired fantasy world, where great social mobility is possible for the clever. Yet it is also a world where a woman's transgressions may demand blood.

[mariniststudio]

⚓ ANNOUNCING The Bitter End, a sapphic dating sim aboard a liminal ship! ⚓

A beautiful place to hit rock bottom.

The Bitter End is a sapphic visual novel & dating sim about the terror and necessity of being truly known.

You awaken on the ship — masked, marked and missing pieces of yourself — and meet six passengers from different worlds. Learn their secrets, investigate your own mystery, and become one of this messy, charming crew.

The game will have:

Six love interests (5 women, 1 non-binary) of ages 25-45, each from a different world

Light life-sim mechanics in managing days over a 90-day period

An original soundtrack inspired by 19th-century sea ballads

The ability to set up certain love interests with one another...

Wishlist on Steam!

The Bitter End on Steam