When cornered, villains always show their true colours, their desperate side. In the stories where the hero is right, we boo for them and cheer for the obvious side, the winning side destined to win against their villainous counterpart. Yet…what if it wasn’t all black and white? What if there were more to the story than the author tells you? What if these stories…evolved from their original focus?
What if you could enter these stories?
What if you could see what happened with your eyes?
That’s your job. As an agent of CHAOS, you are allowed to see what is always hidden, what was never told. Have you ever thought about the side characters that get screwed over by fate? The characters who are unjustifiable villainized by the plot? This is where you come in. Those sad souls who desperately cling onto hopes of revenge summon you to grant their wish for them. The only price for this to happen? Their death.
But they need not worry about that when you’ll get them justice in their own body.
Features
Different protagonists each chapter with their own abilities and appearances. Don't worry though! There will also be full customization for you, the MC, including gender, pronouns, appearance, sexuality, etc etc.
Each chapter, different genre. Fantasy, sci-fi, modern romance, pirates, cyberpunk, film noir!
Casts change each chapter! This includes the target, the contacts, the side characters...everyone. That said, there may be a few persistent characters on the loose...make sure to keep an eye out for them.
Have a rival! They'll be appearing during your jobs...will you work together, or will you try to take each other down?
You'll also have an AI partner to help you with your vengeful duties. Do you make them more bitter towards humanity? Or do you teach them empathy? It's up to you!
Choose how to defeat your targets! Will you focus on seduction? (totally cool if you don't!) Or will it be intrigue? Maybe you'll focus on more straightforward means to get your way? It's all up to you!
Be ruthless or gentle with the NPC-I mean, side characters. How you act towards them will effect how people in your world see you. Are you heartless? Or are you too caring?
Romantic Interests
HUGO (NB)
An Artificial Intelligence assigned to you by the Agency, HUGO stands for Human Utility Gathering Operator and they're like your inside man when you enter the world, giving you all the information you need. They're personality is seemingly professional at first, but they hide an energetic quality to them and see each world with such awe. They're devoted to you utterly, but they can be argumentative.
"I...I hope to stick by your side forever, dearest host!"
Appearance: Tis spoilers for now!
Eve (M/F/NB) (Gender Selectable)
Your rival and potential ex lover if you so choose. They're arrogant, smug and perhaps even a touch annoying, but damn if they're not good at their job. Skilled at seduction, they've certainly turned many targets heads at not only their skills, but also their beauty. Underneath their cocky facade however, lays an intricate person who's been hurt too many times before. Do you think you can get them to open up?
"I've always looked in your direction, but when will you look my way?"
Appearance: Sandy blonde hair that reaches their chin, with baby blue eyes and tan skin. They have a casual style of wear and are almost always seen with their signature sunglasses. Yes, even indoors. Height wise, they stand at 5'7.
Note: Eve is a code name and not their real name.
Antony (M)
If Eve is your rival, then Antony is your villain. Everything about him is shrouded in mystery and not much can be said about, but he is extremely intelligent. Suave and affable, you wouldn't realize just how ambitious and despicable he actually is. Yet...his soft side for you is undeniable genuine. What sort of person is he actually? Is there more to the picture than it seems?
"There's only eternity waiting for us out there. Won't you take my hand?"
Appearance: Dark, burnt red hair with russet eyes and beige skin. His hair is kept neatly short, with his bangs being side swept. He dresses mostly professionally, suits and the like filling his wardrobe almost completely. However, when in a more casual mood, he's more willing to...strip down.
Note: Antony is more a late game RO, but he does appear early in the story, as is the case with all of the ROs. This route won't be for everyone so I'd advise only going for it if you like bastard ROs.
Anri (F)
Your next door neighbour with a hidden hobby. She's only moved in recently, but she can be considered your connection to the world you live in. Playing games in her past time, she's an avid fan of fantasy and plays TTRPGs a lot! Maybe you'll even catch her playing? Her other hobby includes fashion and sewing. On her day offs, she can be find at the local wall, looking for supplies to make cosplays with. However, she also wishes to be part of your world...will you let her?
"What you do...it must take a lot of guts to do it. I admire that about you, y'know?"
Appearance: Her hair style tends to change based on what she's wearing or who she's meeting with. Due to how advanced technology is in this world, it's pretty easy to change things up. When you first meet her, her hair is a bright neon green cut in a bob style that reaches her ears. Her eyes are a natural brown and her skin is dark brown.
Rem (M/F/NB)
A mysterious RO, who at this stage can't be named or described without giving the surprise away so for now, we'll call them Rem. They appear in every chapter, but as someone different. They tend to have the same personality so they're noticeable to spot. Brave, but not dumb. Kind, but not softhearted. They know when to lend their aide and when to revoke it. While they may seem quick to believe someone, they'll always require proof first. Can you win them over? Or will they be in constant mistrust of you?
"When you go back...will you remember me?"
Appearance: Always changes so I cannot reveal without spoilering it!
Other Important Characters
Caroline
Your boss and the one who recruited you into CHAOS. She's strict and a no nonsense woman, but she does care about her employees. Less so about their AIs, however.
Irene
The student you are forced to take in. She's pretty energetic and has an inquisitive mixed with curious nature that gets her into trouble sometimes. She's also unsure if she's really up to being an agent; will you drive her away or convince her to stay?
Others will appear here in the future.
Currently, the demo will out soon. If you're interested in this project, please ask me questions and I'll do my best to answer!
I am...doing okay. I've just been and will continue to be busy in the foreseeable future. That and I have quite a few health appointments to get to 😭 You take care as well!
And as an aside, I'm in the process of porting this game over to twine because...I just prefer the twine medium.
Could you recommend some IF or VNs with AI ROs? Not robots, but specifically a disembodied AI. Thank you!
Hey! We haven’t been able to find many AI ROs, but here’s what we’ve got! In the list are some IFs that have AI characters, however they are not romance able.
If you have suggestions for any IF with AI (artificial intelligence) ROs, please feel free to let us know and we’ll add it to the list!
i LOVE cheating men must die so this is right up my alley and oh my god it sounds so fun!! currently deciding between whether i'd choose Eve or Antony and I haven't even met them yet lol
how about...playthroughs for both of them 😏 you can have both ur angel and ur devil! its a win win
I'm the one who asked about HUGO facts and I wanted to apologize!! They just seem neat and I wanted to know more about them, but I can be more specific in the future!!
no no it's fine! i think i was too rough aha. i do prefer specific questions, but i think i'm also up for these ones too!
Hope everything goes alright for you, dear author! 💕
i can tell you...it hasn't unfortunately 😔 dealing w health problems (both mental and physical), work issues, school excursions which cuts time away from working and also keeping up w other hobbies 🥴
You are the first author who says about this problem! It has annoyed me for a long time, I haven't even seen other people feel the same way.
I can understand why so many games take place in American cities or "typical" small towns similar to those I know from Stephen King's books. After all, many of the writers (especially in the CoG/HG community) are Americans. So they take inspiration from what they know, the places where they live... However I just can't help but grimace when so many of my MCs has to be Americans 😩 It would be really nice if option of choosing origin, nationality was added more often, even if story is set in the USA.
The Overtaken @theovertaken was refreshing to me, although MC is set - Portuguese who moved with their family to England - but it's interesting imao, and somehow unique.
Also I think in Novaturient @kalorphic MC did not have to be born in the UK even if they have been living and working there for years 🤔 MC's nationality can be unspecified which, in my opinion is great idea, because anyone could imagine country their MC come from.
Some people just want to be themselves in IFs and while I'm not really one of them, seeing the MC be American when there really isn't a need for it kinda bothers me. I'd say the same thing about being British, but those types of IFs don't actually come up a lot for me.
I feel like the addition of just being able to pick being not born or raised in America would solve my problem, even if it isn't all that descriptive. I genuinely think it could add a more relatable and different experience to IFs!
Also, thank you for the recs! Both sound very interesting and I'll be sure to check them out!
I personally think that most IFs are set in America because it is a “safe” choice of setting (especially if you are white) because you are not going to cause as much upset if you get something about America wrong then you might with other cultures or countries especially those that have a history of being fetishised by authors who are not of that culture.
It is a hard line to walk, but I think that as long as you are very respectful and do a lot of research and listen to people then it is okay to branch out!
yeah I totally get that and its why I don't begrudge others that do it! It's ultimately more of preference for me in the end.
As someone who isn't American either, I can understand your frustration. Like you said, people write best what they know and are comfortable with and that shouldn't be condemned in the slightest! But I just wanna read and see other countries getting representation. It's one reason why I love A Tale Of Crowns, and The Golden Rose for example. I love the fact that so many more diverse settings and cultures are coming into the IF-Community, it makes me feel less invisible and it gives me a way to experience a specific culture a bit more instead of just hearing about it💞
^^^
There are so many good diverse cultural IFs now and its great. I'd also like to recommend Eye of the Moon!
Yeah, American settings are def overdone in IF and I agree that English setting def are too (though mainly in Regency or Victorian IFs because people seem to forget that those periods happened elsewhere as well, while I can only think of like... 2 modern IFs that take place in England). Like there other places on Earth than those two countries (and the Anglosphere in general) and I'm begging for someone to make an IF that takes place in any other country, especially if someone set an IF in an African or South American country because there's literally no IFs that I know of and very few pieces of mainstream fiction in general that take place on the entirety of those two continents, which is absolutely ludicrous imo (and def has to do with racism but that's not what this discussion is about).
I also agree that there should be more diverse American settings. Pretty much all American IFs take place in NYC or California and while I've been to both of those places and enjoy them, I'm desperate for someone to write about like.... Wisconsin or something. Contrary to popular belief, the entirety of Americans don't live on either coast, so it'd be nice to just have IFs which take place in super normal towns in the midwest or something. It would at least offer some variety, especially because most Americans I know aren't from either coast and just lived in some small town in the middle of the country.
Idk, it's ultimately not a big deal, I just feel like people are missing a big opportunity here. Even a pretty common story concept can be made much more unique by a more uncommon setting, so it'd be cool if people started setting IFs in more diverse places, even if that's just a different part of the US.
modern english countryside if...modern english countryside if-ahem
But yeah, I agree and I think I wouldn't have the issue with it if I wasn't stuck playing as an American (I think foreigner perspectives would be cool?) and it mainly taking place in big cities and stuff. Maybe its just me, but I'd like to see more suburbs and the more scenic side of things. But I also know that I can't really say anything in regards to it because I...have no idea what else is in America sdfgdgdf. I think this is a problem with pop culture overall though.
I'm generally on the side of the creator when it comes to settings because if it fits your IF, then you are free to do what you want. You are free to write what you want as well! I'd never try and tell someone what to write. But it is frustrating to be in the same American city over and over again.
I'm American and I'm also sick of American settings in things tbh. Like there's over 200 countries on modern day Earth alone, much less countries in the past and fictional places that absolutely don't need to be based off of America (or England sometimes).
Also when non Americans write American settings (generally to make them more mass marketable) it tends to be uhhh really obvious, though that's really not as important as having more interesting and diverse settings imo.
It's why I generally prefer non descriptive settings in modern ifs. It can be alienating to play as the same nationality that you are not over and over again. I'm not American, I'll never know the experience of being American and it can feel...excluding, to an extent. However, I also understand people just writing what they know best and I can't condemn that either. But also it wouldn't hurt to write out of your comfort zone either!
With that last point, I think you're spot on! And this kinda why I decided to not do that, even if I acknowledge that it would just be a knock off. The other reason is because I want more Australian rep in IFs...but then I feel authors would focus a lot on the accents...that would be not cool.
At the very least, if we can't get more diverse modern settings, then give us more diverse American settings.
Do you have clear ideas as to Irina’s appearance or is that part still a work in progress?
Do you mean Irene? Yeah I have an appearance in mind for her. Short black hair worn in a layered bob, her eyes a lovely shade of brown and her skin is pale. Note: she isn't an RO.
