Matchaa Studio

We’re a team from Manila brought together by our love of video games and driven by shared confidence in the potential of the medium.

[matchaastudio]

Hi everyone!

It’s been radio silence here on the website but we’re here to rise from the ashes! We’re happy to announce that the Rui and Kouya routes of Golden Hour are officially out of beta! The game is now available for download at the Play Store and App Store.

This release wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our backers and the beta testing communities on Itch and Discord, so a big thank you to everyone! 

For those just learning about the game, or those who have only played through the 2-day demo, what does this mean?

10 full days of story EACH for dutiful delinquent Kouya and football captain Rui

Dynamic camera and character transitions (if this causes any motion sickness, just turn off Character Motion in the settings!)

A save system that allows for easy backtracking - without the hassles of a time paradox or your favorite boy’s hurt feelings

Optimized VN performance so you don’t have to wait too long in-between scenes!

And to those who have been with us since the beginning (and have played through the routes during beta), there are still surprises in store for you!

Updated chapter names

New ASL CG’s and Content! 

A brand new CG for Kouya’s route (featuring a certain student council boy...shhh)!

I’ve finished both routes! Now what?

We’ve got another route coming up in the next couple of months, so please stay tuned - you can follow us on Discord to get the latest updates and get beta access to upcoming routes! 

[matchaastudio]

Golden Hour’s Kickstarter Campaign has ended!

We're officially funded! A big thank you from the Matchaa Studio team to all our supporters, and most especially to our backers!

What started out as a crazy idea to make our own mobile otome game from scratch will soon become a reality. We've spent entire weekends trying to piece together the game in its current demo state - so the entire team is gearing up for longer sprints now that we're actually making a full game!

What's Next?

Receiving the funding. We are currently waiting for the pledges to clear - in 2 weeks, we will know if we really have achieved all our stretch goals (*fingers crossed*)!  

Planning all the future features. The Matchaa Team will be having several meetings over the next few days to finalize our features list and how they will be developed into making the game a better experience!

Releasing the special extended demo for our backers! We're currently working on creating the special Sir San chapter that our backers will have access to. Watch out for it in the next few weeks!

Monthly Updates. Our current project timeline spans 10 months - our backers will receive regular updates every start of the month to show how the team is achieving milestones within that time frame, as well as get updates on how their respective rewards will be delivered.

Didn't get the chance to back our campaign?

If there's enough demand, we're planning to open up some of our rewards on Paypal/Gumroad for a limited time. Let the team know if you're interested over at Twitter!

Or, if you just wanted to support the team by feeding us during our overnight hacking sessions,you can donate a matcha latte over at our Ko-Fi!

See you in the first monthly update on July 2!

Cheers,

The Matchaa Team

[matchaastudio]

It's the last 24 hours of the Kickstarter campaign!

It's been an exhausting journey (having to make both the game and the campaign) but the support we've gotten over the past few days has been more than worth it! Fingers crossed for the last few hours—we're less than AU$500 away from the Bonus Sprites stretch goal!

Also, the team has been working on the expanded demo (with the Sir San special chapter) - so please watch out for it in the coming weeks :> The chapter is available to all our regular tier backers :) See you guys at the finish line!

Cheers, The Matchaa Team

Kickstarter  |  Play Store  |  App Store

[matchaastudio]

We have entered the last 72 hours of the Golden Hour Kickstarter campaign!

Thanks to our generous backers, we have also hit our second stretch goal, so everyone will get a lot more story when we get to the full game. The second stretch goal features character routes for the Golden Hour girls - so if you want to become their BFF, or pursue them as a romantic interest, you're in luck!

We're still some pledges away from bonus character sprites (see Nagi in Armani and see Kouya in...knock-off street wear) and the mysterious Sir San route (oooh).

Can we still reach our remaining stretch goals in the next few hours? Let's see!

Early Reviews!

We have received some very kind words from otome review blogs - and we're very thankful for the feedback and the constructive comments!

Check out what they have to say, and send some love their way: A New Life & A Chance for Romance by Two Happy Cats (https://twohappycats.com/2018/06/02/golden-hour-demo-review/)

Review: Golden Hour Demo by Otome Sweetheart (https://otomesweetheart.wordpress.com/2018/06/15/review-golden-hour-demo/)

Wrote a review or posted fan works? Let us know by dropping us a tweet or slide into our DMs at twitter.com/matchaastudio!

Cheers,

The Matchaa Team

[matchaastudio]

The Last Stretch!

We're entering the last few days of our Kickstarter campaign! We are currently at 130% funding, and AUD 650 away from our second stretch goal.

We've also hit 5,000 downloads on Play Store! We didn't expect to get this many downloads in less than a month, and we're glad for the mostly positive feedback we've gotten so far.

Progress Report on the Game

We’ve got some great updates for Golden Hour’s Story and Art! The entire 10 days has been mapped out, and we have some adorable new stickers from our team’s junior artist, @thedailymushroom! 

Check out the full update here.

Interested in supporting the game, getting your name in the credits, and signing up for some awesome rewards? 

Check out our Kickstarter - only 4 more days to go!

[matchaastudio]

Only 9 days left for the Kickstarter! 

At 118% of our funding goal, there is still more to look forward to:

Physical Rewards tier has been unlocked! Upgrade your pledge and receive official Golden Hour merch!

Our Demo Update centered on everyone’s favourite teacher will be released this month for all our backers from Ayara Freshman tier to Model Student tier! 

Spread the word!

Enjoyed the demo or think you need to drag people into playing with you? Help us spread the word about Golden Hour by tagging people you think would be interested! Post screenshots, fanart, or memes  and tag us using #GoldenHourVN We especially love getting reviews - let us know if you do post feedback about us!

Already pledged?

Hop on over to our Kickstarter updates for our backer-exclusive ASL-focused survey. Get a vote on which student you want to see more of.

Stay tuned for the next update!

Cheers, The Matchaa Team

Kickstarter  |  Play Store  |  App Store

[matchaastudio]

We have entered the second half, with 13 days to go before the end of the campaign!  

So far we’re at 112% of our funding goal, meaning:

We’ve hit our first stretch goal! Whoo! Curious to know what happens in your chosen route after the 10-day storyline? This stretch goal unlocks the epilogues after the cast has graduated from Ayara High!

Physical Rewards Tier (AUD 164 | USD 130) is now available. Receive a package of postcards, polaroid prints, sticker sets, washi tapes, your very own Ayara High ID, and much more! Previews coming soon so sit tight ;)

What’s Next?

1. Next Stretch Goal: Girl’s Special Chapters

Reina, King, and Mayumi each get a mini-route of their own, complete with branching options and full CGs! Are you targeting to be their frenemy, BFF, or something more?

2. Extended Demo will be released this month!

Don’t forget, all our backers from Ayara Freshman tier to Model Student tier get a Sir San special demo chapter coming out this month! Pledge this week and get to decide what kind of story plays out in the backer forums.

We’ve also gotten some questions regarding gameplay, so we decided to make use of our KS FAQ section! Check it out for some details on what the full game will look like when it’s released next year.

Stay tuned for the next update!

Cheers!

The Matchaa Team

[matchaastudio]

We’re 100% Funded on Kickstarter!

We’re floored by the support we’ve gotten over just 12 days and we’re extremely grateful to everyone who’s tried out and shared about the game (especially those who have backed us!) Fingers crossed that all pledges stay with us until the end of the campaign *u* We’re now attempting to reach our stretch goals in the coming days/weeks.

Check out the campaign here and help us get there!

As a thank you to our current backers, we’re creating extra content for the demo! We’re hoping to release it within June, and it will be available to all our backers (pledging 1AUD or more gets you access to the backer community!) It’s a special scene that revolves around everyone’s favorite teacher ;)

Note: $1 pledge for the special chapter is only available until June 2 11:59PM UTC+8! After that only regular tier backers will receive the special DLC.

See you in the next update~! 

Cheers,

The Matchaa Team

[matchaastudio]

We’re halfway there! Check out our Kickstarter

This morning we each found a curious email in our inboxes telling us we’d hit the 50% of our Kickstarter campaign goal (we’re now at $4,607 out of $8,000).

Wait, what??

Not only that, but we’ve hit 1,000 downloads on Google Play! It was great news to wake up to and, to be honest, it still feels a bit surreal.

So again, a huge thank you to everyone who’s backed us so far! You can look forward to more updates and features in the days and weeks to come—and as always, if you’ve got specific questions, just drop us a line on Twitter or Discord.

Additional Demo Content?!

There’s still the other half of the way left to go (and more, for those sweet, sweet stretch goals)! If you enjoyed the demo, keep spreading the word: every re-blog, tweet, review, and share brings us a little closer to our goal.

To get everyone excited, we’re releasing additional demo content for all of our backers! Get a special chapter featuring Sir San, Reina, King, and Mayumi - and interact with the ASL cast.

Watch out for more details in our backer survey coming soon ;)

Cheers!

The Matchaa Team

Back us on Kickstarter

[matchaastudio]

First Week Kickstarter Update!

After one week of the Kickstarter, we are now at 34% of our AUD$ 8,000 funding goal! Thank you so much to everyone for the support so far, especially to our early backers :) 

Here’s a sneak peek of SOME of the rewards for our backers:

Digital Artbook. 40-pages of Golden Hour concept art, CGs, backgrounds, character sprite sheets, and more. It also comes with character and story notes so you get to know more about our characters, Ayara High, and the City of Haraya!  (Part of the USD $23+ tier)

Original Sound Track. Get all the full MP3 files of the game’s soundtrack! Featuring the calming acoustic music featuring Interstices, Looking Back, and Escalation. (Part of the USD $15+ tier)

Character Cards. Comes in the physical rewards tier, get to know your Ayara High classmates in detail! 

Help us make Golden Hour a reality sooner: back us on Kickstarter or share about us!

Haven’t tried out the game yet? Playing our demo is free for everyone!

Play Store | App Store

[matchaastudio]

We’ve hit 1/4 of our target goal on Kickstarter! 

Well...almost. We really hope we can meet our target goal so we can get the ball rolling (faster) and even throw in some much-requested features!     

Also, a big thank you to our early backers—we’re hoping to post some exclusive previews for you very soon, including some upcoming CGs, planned features, and a look at the game’s behind the scenes!  Also, we got a couple of asks, so some answers!

Golden Hour will be a free-to-play game in full release. (Our backers get a lot of exclusive content like special event chapters, an artbook, and sneak peeks though!)

More gameplay details to follow. What will the full game be like (are chapters available based on time elapsed)? Stay tuned for our next update on this!

(For faster responses to your questions, shoot us a message over at Twitter!)

Lastly, we need your help: please spread the word!

If you enjoyed the game or you think it’s something a friend would like - please do share about us :) Every share or reblog counts; and will help us get one step closer to our goal of having a definite release date for the full game (we don’t want to be stuck with just the demo forever)! Cheers! The Matchaa Team Kickstarter Link

[matchaastudio]

Golden Hour Otome demo is finally out on iOS!

If you’re on iPhone and iPad, welcome to your first two days at Ayara High! Give it a download and please do give us your feedback over at

Discord

or

Twitter

:D (We reply quicker there hihi)

Also, please do take a look at our Kickstarter! 

Get kickstarter-exclusive game content, a physical rewards pack, or even get your own cameo at Ayara High (complete with your own sprite)!  Please cheer us on and enjoy the demo! :D (If you’re on Android download it over at the Play Store!) MatchaaStudio.com | Twitter | Facebook 

[matchaastudio]

Golden Hour Otome Kickstarter is now LIVE!

Golden Hour is a free-to-play otome game for Android and iOS developed by an indie team from Manila!

Here's what we hope to bring to the table:

Unique cultural influences expressed in art and story,

A truly mobile experience (attend classes through the calendar, keep your contacts on your phone, and access CGs through your gallery),

Crack humor from your schoolmates on the social media mode,

Friends/rivals per route (you’re not the only one after the bachelors - ala Harvest Moon)

And much more!

Please help spread the word (reblogs are much appreciated) and support us on this journey to releasing a visual novel! 

Get the demo on Google Play!

(iOS version coming in the next few days)

Love,

The Matchaa Team

CHECK US OUT ON KICKSTARTER

MatchaaStudio.com | Twitter | Facebook 

[matchaastudio]

Kickstarter tomorrow!

We’ve got everything ready and we’re excited/nervous to launch the campaign! We’re hoping to get the iOS demo out within the next few days as well - fingers crossed that App Store doesn’t reject our app!

Please cheer us on :D

=== You may download the Play Store demo or join the Discord community as we wait for the App Store demo to be approved :3 More details to be revealed in the coming days! Questions to the team/feedback on the game? You can drop us a message!

[matchaastudio]

Two days to go until Kickstarter!

We’ve prepared some sweet stretch goals (stuff we want to try out if we had more hands working on the project!): 

An after-hours epilogue per route

Routes with Reina, Mayumi, and King (!) 

Bonus costumes for all the sprites

A Sir San full route (GASP) 

...and more!

We’re excited to finally launch the campaign!

=== You may download the Play Store demo or join the Discord community as we wait for the App Store demo to be approved :3 More details to be revealed in the coming days! Questions to the team/feedback on the game? You can drop us a message!

[matchaastudio]

Three days to go before Kickstarter! 

We’ve prepared some sweet rewards for backers - from the full game OST, to the digital artbook with concept sketches and a CG collection, to Kickstarter-exclusive game chapters and side stories, to having your very own character on ASL or in the story itself! 

=== You may download the Play Store demo or join the Discord community as we wait for the App Store demo to be approved :3 More details to be revealed in the coming days! Questions to the team/feedback on the game? You can drop us a message!

[matchaastudio]

Four days to go until Kickstarter! 

Did you know that Golden Hour features a mix of different cultures? The setting mixes Filipino and Japanese influences, and Ayara High has exchange students from Brazil (Rui) and Korea (Sol and some boys over at the in-game social media app)! Get to know all the characters through 10 days per route! 

Right now, the demo is at 2 full days: the eight other days still need to be written, new characters and costumes need to be designed, new features on the app need to be developed, and new music needs to be composed. 

We’re hoping the Kickstarter will help us push the game out within the next few months - so you can romance the character of your choice at the Ayara High Lights Festival ;)  === You may download the Play Store demo or join the Discord community as we wait for the App Store demo to be approved :3 More details to be revealed in the coming days! Questions to the team/feedback on the game? You can drop us a message!