Starlight Games

hi! Starlight games is home to game developer Sereen H, creating interactive stories and games. Her currently project, Broken Kingdom, is currently in development.

[starlightgames]

A New Interactive Novel

Broken Kingdom is a high fantasy interactive game with intrigue, politics, and betrayal. You play as Milan or Miklan Alde, a diplomatic envoy from a country rife with magic and turmoil and you are tasked to brokering unity between two tense nations.

Broken Kingdom is in development with the prologue beta set to release on April 26, 2023.

THE STORY

You play as Alde, a diplomatic envoy from the country of Veruna, set with the task of brokering peace with Agral, a country with tense relations with most of the neighboring countries. Under the surface, however, you are to collect and gather evidence of militaristic efforts from Agral to prevent another war against magic.

When you find Agral has more secrets than you could've imagined, you soon find more than you bargained for and fending yourself in a world that hates magic users and any of their kind. You find some unlikely – as well as likely – allies through your adventures as you traverse and decide the fate of these two countries.

FEATURES

Choice

✵ Choose whether or not to engage with magic in a country where magic is outlawed

✵ Multiple endings to each chapter

✵ Changing personality traits that change how characters interact, or not interact, with you

✵ Gain or lose the approval of companions and side characters as well as different groups throughout the game

✵ Combat can determine different results and abstaining from combat also yield varied results

✵ Invite or decline companions to join you on your journey

Interactivity

✵ Timed choices that lead to different results, or not choosing is also an option

✵ A codex and journal that you can always access during gameplay, providing insight and context to the vast world of Broken Kingdom

✵ Characters will react to your approval with different groups depending on where you are

CHARACTER CUSTOMIZATION

At the start of the game, you will choose between two protagonists in which you will play as they for the duration of the game. This choice does not affect gameplay or how characters treat you, other than how characters refer to you. Customization occurs through gameplay, your character traits are being considered through the many different choices you make. Once these characterizations made, how other characters see your character will show during the end chapter screen. These personality attributes are not locked in. You can change how characters perceive you and change how your character interacts throughout the story.

There are also approval systems for different characters and different factions throughout the game, and reaching below a certain threshold or reaching very high on a threshold will present you with different options.

✵PLAY BROKEN KINGDOM ✵FAQ ✵MEET THE CHARACTERS

CREDITS

Writing, designing, coding and creation by Starlight Games.

@starlightgames

Character Art by @al-norton.

[starlightgames]

DEV LOG 06

​Hey folks!

I have a few updates and organizational things happening for Broken Kingdom and since it has been two months since the beta has released (where did the time go!), I wanted to hop on here and tell you guys!

First off, I am still working on full release of the prologue and have not decided on a date and most likely will not soon. Broken Kingdom is a passion project and it is very near and dear to my heart! That being said, I don't have the time to fully focus on Broken Kingdom, especially with a change in routine in my life. I have been focused on writing and structurally making Broken Kingdom a better story and feasible for long term project, nothing from the beta has changed story-wise (other than the prologue becoming longer and some minor continuity changes). 

I've mapped out the story and I currently have 11 chapters for Broken Kingdom, with a divergence around chapter six/seven. I am very excited to keep making Broken Kingdom and I am so thrilled you are enjoying it! As a developer, your feedback is very important to me and I love hearing what works and what you would enjoy seeing in Broken Kingdom.

Bug fixes and small form changes to the character selector will be implemented next month and, as always, you can follow what changes happen on here or if you are itching for more lore, have questions or comments, you can also send them here!

Love y'all <3 — Sereen

[starlightgames]

Let's talk world-building!

World-building is one of the (if not the most) important aspect of any fantasy and fictional story you are trying to tell. World-building is such a vast and broad topic that can't be described in a single post nor contained to a single post but I will try to give the long and short of it.

First, Don't fall into the world-building sinkhole. I know that probably sounds antithetical to what this post is about, but bear with me. World-building is absolutely important and developed your world and where the player is going to be playing, but one of the most dangerous things for a writer is to get stuck in their own mind and not end up writing. As a long time writer in the fantasy genre, world-building would be the first thing on my list to start and the problem with that is I would get overwhelmed in trying to create every square inch of the world that I would never start actually writing the plot, characters, dialogue, nothing. The most important part of the story is the story.

So, how do you start world-building? The million dollar question — but it isn't as hard as it seems. World-building is simply the rules that apply to your world, what it does and doesn't have, and what happens and what doesn't happen. For me, I start my world-building with taking a certain notion or belief and making that a worldly focus.

For example, if your story had vampires in it, make vampirism the focus. Where did vampirism start? Who were the first vampires? Are there regular humans/people amongst the vampires? Do the regular people know about the vampires? If a certain region is home to the origin of vampires, perhaps other species worship those specific vampires because of their strength, wisdom, etc. And maybe a neighboring or opposing region or country hates vampires and thus they have a specific yearly ritual to drive out the vampires from the lands or worship a deity that is a warrior and hunts vampires — thus creating tensions between two groups.

Starting to think in this way does multiple things, it gets you thinking about the history and past of your world, the people who reside in your world and the relationships of those people.

What to keep in mind about world-building is that it is almost never completely finished as well as, the reader or player will not learn every single piece of lore and history of a certain place simply due to the nature of video games and the wide berth of people who play them.

That being said, world-building is a great way to develop your fictional world and if you hit a block in your story writing, developing your world can help you circumvent a writing obstacle and get you to think in a different way than you were before.

— Sereen :>

[starlightgames]

The Races of Cein

In the world of Broken Kingdom, you will interact with a very diverse group of people. With as wide and vast place such as Cein, there are many races with all their own customs, culture, religions, and views. You will learn more about each of them the more you interact with them throughout the course of the game.

Humans

Humans are one of the more populace of all the races, tied for first along with elves and Celine. Humans are very diverse, both land and culture wise, as there are humans on most of the countries of Cein. To speak of humans could take more pages than I have, but if you are reading this, I assume you have many interactions with said humans simply reaching this tome, assuming this still resides in the Winter Academy.

-From a scroll in The Winter Academy in Agral

Elves

Elves are nearly identical to humans, except for their religion and views of creation. They live in almost all countries of Cein, coexisting peacefully with other races and are renown for their beautifully crafted finesse weapons. Elves are one of the youngest races in Cein, second to youngest from the dwarves and humans.

-From a scroll in The Winter Academy in Agral

Dwarves

Notable in their resistance to both Plaxovin and magic, Dwarves are sturdy and stout folk. There's always been dwarves, some even say dwarves resided here before the Creator even touched this planet and some say dwarves will still be here even after He destroys it.

-From The Old Hinterlands Discovered, Felra, by Miriam Soith, Historian for University of Felra.

Gine

Gine live amongst many different races and make use of their large stature for some of their livelihoods whilst some of the most notable Gine are merchants and philosophers. Mainly residing in The Old Hinterlands, the Gine lived on Felra before the land was called Felra. Natives to the eastern continent, the Gine were nomadic tribes that traded and hunted among the other native races to Ancient Felra.

They are the only remaining species from the Ancient races of the Old Hinterlands, one of the oldest races alongside The Celine.

-From The Old Hinterlands Discovered, Felra, by Miriam Soith, Historian for University of Felra.

Howai

Howai are akin to aerial species, with some people believing that the Howai originated from a breeding of humans and an ancient race that resembled humanoids with wings as large as eagles. But to believe this would erase the Howai's true nature, which is they are simply their own race.

The first known Howai was noted around the same time humans had appeared in Cein, which makes the myth more plausible but Howai claim they resided in Cein before humans appeared. Howai are known diplomats across Cein, the land south of the Old Hinterlands were once all claimed for the Howai by simply negotiating with the ancient tribes and providing services — not by bloodshed. The Howai can be found in almost every country in Cein, as citizens, diplomats, or merchants.

-From Studies of our World, by Ser Salah Xene of Agral.

The Celine

Not much is known of The Celine, by the design of The Celine themselves. What we do know is that they keep to themselves and do not interact nor care for any visitors to their lands of Zargara and Kornes. These two places have very two different kinds of The Celine, but because of their self-placed isolation, we may not ever know the differences or why The Celine define themselves as the blood of the Old Gods.

From what little knowledge we have, we know not to call on The Celine's aid or vie for their favor because they will give neither.

-From The Celine: Celestial Descendants, by Wren Thalin.

[starlightgames]

Broken Kingdom beta is out now!

I'm so excited to share with you all the first comings of my passion project, Broken Kingdom! There are currently two betas available to play, The Prologue and The Chase. I hope you enjoy playing it half as much as I've enjoyed making it because I've had an absolute blast working on this project and will absolutely be continuing work on this.

I've added a littttlllee extra piece very last minute to the project and that is having two betas for you all to play.

If you've enjoyed Broken Kingdom keeping up with Broken Kingdom and you want more, please go play it on itch.io right here! If you've enjoyed, please consider leaving a review or adding it to a collection. thank you!

-Sereen <3

[starlightgames]

Broken Kingdom beta is out now!

I'm so excited to share with you all the first comings of my passion project, Broken Kingdom! There are currently two betas available to play, The Prologue and The Chase. I hope you enjoy playing it half as much as I've enjoyed making it because I've had an absolute blast working on this project and will absolutely be continuing work on this.

I've added a littttlllee extra piece very last minute to the project and that is having two betas for you all to play.

If you've enjoyed Broken Kingdom keeping up with Broken Kingdom and you want more, please go play it on itch.io right here! If you've enjoyed, please consider leaving a review or adding it to a collection. thank you!

-Sereen <3

[starlightgames]

DEV LOG 05

The beta prologue release date is almost here! one more day and the beta will be out for the public! with this, I want to give a small overview of what to expect from the build

apr. 26 prologue beta

✵ the complete story/written section of the prologue

✵ basic character selector

✵ access to the profile

✵ end of chapter screen with chapter stats of how the player reacted/is seen by others

✵ accessibility with text size, font, etc.

these are the bare bones! I will be updating and fixing any and all bugs as I work on chapter 1, which release date is tentative.

i can't wait for you all to play this!

-Sereen :>

[starlightgames]

LILLANA IKZA

The Jewel of the Crown, Lillana Ikza. One part of the five leaders, Lillana plays a very important role in the governing of entirety of Agral. With the benefit of being a part of the nobility her entire life, Lillana knows how to navigate and play politics to her benefit.

character portrait by fantastic @al-norton!

[starlightgames]

JORIN SOREAI

An advisor and tactician for General Edmond, Jorin is as deadly with his wit as he is with his sword. Trained in the ways of the sword, Jorin is also adept with the power of the stars and knows Alde very well.

character portrait by the wonderful @al-norton!

[starlightgames]

Let's talk magic systems!

Magic systems are the bread and butter of fantasy settings and choosing how your magic system interacts with the characters and the world could change a lot of things.

Broken Kingdom went through a few different iterations with vastly different magic systems before Starlight became its magic system.

What made me iffy about the past magic systems was that they weren't a) developed enough and b) were simply not interesting enough for the audience to stay with it. For example, Broken Kingdom's past magic system was that of the moons.

Scarlet Moon was that of external magic, mainly fire, heat, earth, and other offensive/outward magic. This magic came from the largest moon in Cein which was a red moon.

Blue Moon was that of internal magic, mainly water, air, and emotional magic, being able to affect your and other people's emotions. This magic came from the second largest moon in Cein, which shadow of the red moon made it look blue.

Lavender Moon was another off-shoot of these two, by the time I developed this section, I became uninterested in this magic system and I wanted magic to be a core tenet, but not the absolute end-all be-all.

Scrapping it, I ended up starting anew again and, after a few iterations, landed on starlight as a magic system. Starlight draws a few inspirations from the moon's magic system — starlight comes from, as in the name, the stars. Veruna is very interested in astronomy and stars, studying them, but they are also very interested in using Starlight offensively if need be.

Magic affects a lot of aspects of everyday life as well as in a much larger scope. Showing or even just thinking about how magic plays in a certain setting and how it affects the player/main character as they move through the world they're in.

[starlightgames]

ALDE

A diplomat, soldier, or traitor — Alde can be all or none of these things. Alde is blessed with the power of the stars, manipulating and using the energy of the one's above to their own ends. What happens to Alde's future rests within your hands

character portraits by the amazing @al-norton!

[starlightgames]

DEV LOG 04

A little sneak peak at the character selector.

✵ The title screen and character creator are complete! The idea of the standard selection screen for your character has been, I don't want to say scrapped but, for the time being it is not going to be in the beta for Broken Kingdom. Next thing to be worked on is the end chapter screen and that should not take up as much time.

✵ In the time before the beta releases, I want to fix the in-game menu and how it looks because the profile in the menu does not work as I want it to as well as the different icons and screens I want it to show.

✵ The character portraits are also complete! a post of the characters in the prologue as well as one other will be posted here!

IMPORTANT!

✵ I am looking for beta testers for Broken Kingdom! The prologue beta will release on April 26th to the public but I will continue to work on it and publish a refined version of it in the future. With this, I want to state that Broken Kingdom is a passion project and I work on it in between studying in university and getting ready for graduating and working. Any and all help in beta testing or any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

love y'all – Sereen <3

[starlightgames]

A New Interactive Novel

Broken Kingdom is a high fantasy interactive game with intrigue, politics, and betrayal. You play as Milan or Miklan Alde, a diplomatic envoy from a country rife with magic and turmoil and you are tasked to brokering unity between two tense nations.

Broken Kingdom is in development with the prologue beta set to release on April 26, 2023.

THE STORY

You play as Alde, a diplomatic envoy from the country of Veruna, set with the task of brokering peace with Agral, a country with tense relations with most of the neighboring countries. Under the surface, however, you are to collect and gather evidence of militaristic efforts from Agral to prevent another war against magic.

When you find Agral has more secrets than you could've imagined, you soon find more than you bargained for and fending yourself in a world that hates magic users and any of their kind. You find some unlikely – as well as likely – allies through your adventures as you traverse and decide the fate of these two countries.

FEATURES

Choice

✵ Choose whether or not to engage with magic in a country where magic is outlawed

✵ Multiple endings to each chapter

✵ Changing personality traits that change how characters interact, or not interact, with you

✵ Gain or lose the approval of companions and side characters as well as different groups throughout the game

✵ Combat can determine different results and abstaining from combat also yield varied results

✵ Invite or decline companions to join you on your journey

Interactivity

✵ Timed choices that lead to different results, or not choosing is also an option

✵ A codex and journal that you can always access during gameplay, providing insight and context to the vast world of Broken Kingdom

✵ Characters will react to your approval with different groups depending on where you are

CHARACTER CUSTOMIZATION

At the start of the game, you will choose between two protagonists in which you will play as they for the duration of the game. This choice does not affect gameplay or how characters treat you, other than how characters refer to you. Customization occurs through gameplay, your character traits are being considered through the many different choices you make. Once these characterizations made, how other characters see your character will show during the end chapter screen. These personality attributes are not locked in. You can change how characters perceive you and change how your character interacts throughout the story.

There are also approval systems for different characters and different factions throughout the game, and reaching below a certain threshold or reaching very high on a threshold will present you with different options.

✵PLAY BROKEN KINGDOM ✵FAQ ✵MEET THE CHARACTERS

CREDITS

Writing, designing, coding and creation by Starlight Games.

@starlightgames

[starlightgames]

DEV LOG 03

I am currently working on the title screen, picking the title font and aesthetic choices for the landing page. following this, the character 'selection' screen for Alde, the player character.

This was the first iteration of what I wanted the title screen to look like, rip the bloody temple

there's also been more outlining of the prologue but mostly of chapter 1 and the choices within that.

– Sereen

[starlightgames]

DEV LOG 02

The first bit of chapter one is fully written and completed! I am now (unfortunately) focusing on the coding aspect and making sure the bells and whistles are getting added to the game and to really polish it out. We are currently at 17,122 words for just the first part of chapter one, without the prologue included, ahhh!

So, features that are going to be added into the game, which I’m working on right now are:

Character selection/creation (the reason I hesitate to say creation is because some things are pre-set for the main character to have but there is things the player can choose)

A codex/journal which you can access at anytime

Background music that changes depending at where you are at in the story

An end chapter screen with the players choices displayed

I’m sure im missing some things but these are the main ones that have my attention so far. With the time I have left, these goals are feasible and show be implemented before the beta releases. (im putting this here so I can hold myself accountable (*^^*))

A full game description as well as character descriptions are going to be added here soon so keep an eye out!

– Sereen :>

[starlightgames]

DEV LOG 01

I’ve been working on the foundations of the world, getting the world building and different races, cities, and countries within the world of Broken Kingdom. I’ve been looking into Campfire and World Anvil, but haven’t settled on if or which one I would like to use.

But we have (the workings of) a map! Here’s a little sneak peek of where the first chapter will take place. The land of Agral, populated with mostly human and elves, is industrial, choosing science and machinery over magic and that reflects onto their way of life and society in Agral.

Over the course of the next weeks, I will be introducing some of the characters you will be meeting in the game and some of the artwork for them! The Broken Kingdom itch.io will also be getting updates and will have a more in-depth description and front page.

– S :)