Hey👋 You're doing an incredible job with helping the community stay organized and promoting all these wonderful games that the authors are making😊.
With that said,I wanted to request your help in finding an IF I used to play a while ago but sadly forgot its title😑.It was about MC who tried to kill themselves but didn't because a demon appeared and took them to the other demons and MC was supposed to be their contractor. I remember something mentioned about the sins too.
I'd appreciate it if you helped me with finding it.Again thanks for the hard work you put into this community.
Hi Anon!
You seem to be looking for Vespertines by @mondaysandwich. You can play the demo here!
Play This is a place for me to tell you about games or game demos that I love and want everyone to play! Right. Now.
Vespertines is an urban fantasy/romance interactive fiction about demons and found family. You play as a human working at a bar for demons, getting to know your customers and collecting their stories. Play the demo!
What first attracted me to this game as I browsed through the interactive fiction tag on itch was the banner art. It's dynamic--the color palette is sumptuous, excellent composition, killer style and a person engaging in the oft-taboo act of smoking. (I adore cigarettes, aesthetically and actually. If they didn't destroy my meatsack I'd engage them like a hobby. Fictional characters aren't burdened meatsacks. Smoke 'em if ya got 'em!)
"But Laurie," the fictional audience in my head says. "Isn't this a text-based IF game? What does great art have to do with anything?" And to that I tip my sunglasses down my nose, light a fictional cigarette and say, "Vibes."
This game has a great start, setting the player in a clear time and place that guides, but does not stifle, the imagination. You play as a fully customizable PC on the run from a nebulous past. Details unfold in this story gently and enticingly, inviting you to invest more of your imagination in exchange for a rich story. A fair trade.
"Skyscrapers loom like cold cliffs around you, riddled with fluorescence, hemming you in and stealing real-estate from the stars." *chef kiss*
This was the first IF game I played that allowed for gender-selectable ROs. I wasn't sure how I felt about the concept at first--I worried that it would affect the authenticity of the characters if they weren't written with a specific gender lens in mind. Then, the more I thought about my thoughts, it seemed like they were generated by some old, baked-in terfy nonsense from my conservative upbringing. The customization empowers the player to have more control over their experience of the narrative and further invest themselves in the story. That's a positive for everyone.
Vespertines allows for what I think of as "personality tone" for the playable character. There's a couple of binary gauges to help give you a sense of the mechanics being checked in-game. I'm really enjoying these games that let me play as a softer, more vulnerable character. When I was younger, all I wanted were characters that were bad-ass, take on the world, chew their problems and spit them at their enemies type of heroes. I wanted to play as someone confident and disgustingly capable because I wanted to believe I could be those things. Lately, I find myself drawn to characters that have space to feel, that are frightened because the world is frightening, that can cry and still face the challenge ahead of them because I want to believe I can be those things. And I love Vespertines because in my heart there's a frightened girl waiting for the monsters to save her from humanity.
(Edit: I forgot to talk about another thing I loved. I got to be a vegetarian in the game. <3 Little ties to my real life add such specialness to a game)
Chapter One is available now and the game is actively being developed. Play the demo and tell me how much you love it! There are some content warnings for the game--please treat yourself with care if you choose to engage. Thank you for letting me ramble about a thing I love 🥰
A short from an AU where Ciel is the MC of Vespertines (by the incredible @mondaysandwich)
Minor spoilers
"You look cold." Ash observes.
Ciel nods, shrugging, somewhat surprised Ash is looking at them instead of the silhouette of Bareport at their feet, its distant buildings glittering in the twilight. From this vantage point, the city manages to appear harmless. Ciel has been sitting in awe, studying the movements of the traffic like an astronomer watches the stars, imagining the lives of the people crawling like ants through labyrinthine streets, and toying with the tassels along the edge of the blanket Ash laid out. They'd assumed Ash was doing the same. The whole point of coming here was to admire the view.
"I'm always cold," Ciel mumbles, shifting slightly, searching for a position that puts less weight on their lower back.
"Right.” Incredulity elongates Ash's words. "But your hands almost look dead."
"You're one to talk." Ciel turns, eyes drifting to Ash's hands before meeting their eye-line with a mischievous head tilt.
"Yeah," Ash laughs. "But you're human—or, mortal at least—so, aren't dead hands something to be concerned about?"
One of Ciel's eyebrows raises, their lips twisting into a smirk. "Wow. Ashheart, are you concerned for my well being?"
Their nose scrunches up—a flare of annoyance. "Maybe. So what? I think it’s pretty clear that I'm invested in you," their hand raises to Ciel's back, hovering over their left shoulder blade—over the tattoo Ash inked into them. Their touch is gentle, almost delicate, the antithesis of what Ciel expects. They fight the desperate urge to lean back or shrug off their long velvet coat. Thankfully, Ash pulls their hand away rather quickly, ending the internal debate. Their smile shifts to the side, dark eyes twinkling with the lights of the distant city. "Besides, I find you mildly amusing. I want you to stick around… for now."
Ciel clears their throat, taking a moment to remember what the Hell they were talking about. "Right. Still, look at you: being nice, caring even. Grem would be proud."
"Yeah. I guess," they snort, absent-mindedly playing with a lighter. "Don't tell anybody—especially Grem. I have an image to uphold." Ash falls silent, averting their eyes. The concern hasn't left their face, and though their gaze lies on Bareport's skyline, their focus remains elsewhere.
"It's normal for my hands to do this," Ciel assures them. "My arteries are weird. Basically, when I get cold or anxious or scared my blood doesn't flow properly." They extend their fingers, turning their hands over to display the full extent of the discoloration. "Makes my hands look dead—amongst other things."
"Is that because of—"
"No," Ciel flinches, a shiver running down their spine. They tuck a lock of graying hair behind their pointed ear. "It's from before."
"So, that’s just because it's cold?" Ash asks, pointing at Ciel's hands. There's something stiff in their smoky voice and a hollowness in their unfading grin. Ash seems worried.
"Yeah, it's just from the cold," Ciel responds, curiosity sparked.
Ash nods, a shadow of relief flitting across their expression. Playfulness returning to their smile, they look at Ciel once more. "Would this help?" they ask, leaning in and placing their hand over Ciel's.
Heat radiates from Ash's palm like a crackling fire. Ciel's skin burns, intense—but for once, not unpleasant—pain jolts through them. Their body quickly adjusts to the temperature and the pain fades, not just the searing burn, but a dull ache they've become so used to they barely even notice it. All the pain trickles away. The only thing they feel is Ash.
Giddy butterflies flutter in Ciel's stomach. They turn away, grimacing and rolling their eyes instinctively, mortified by this sudden burst of glee. A short, clipped laugh escapes their throat. "Yeah, that helps." Blushing deeply, they can't help but add, "But I mean—if you're really looking to help—it's not just my hands that are cold."
Ciel doesn't look over at Ash. They instantly know they'll be embarrassed by whatever reaction they might have. Ciel's lips part, moments away from saying, "Câlice, forget it, that was a bad joke," when Ash sits down behind them.
Ash envelops Ciel—arms wrapping around them, fingers interlacing with theirs, chin nestling into the crook of their neck. Ciel can feel Ash's heart beating against their back, right over Ash's gift. They relax into Ash’s embrace, wiry muscles releasing, even more pain seeping away. But Ciel doesn’t notice any of that. Not at this moment. Right now their attention is focused solely on their back, on Ash’s chest, on Ash's pulse. They smile—truly smile—for the first time in years. Ciel didn't realize a demon could have a heart.
"Is that better?" Ash murmurs. Their breath, like the rest of them, hot on Ciel's ear.
Vespertines is an urban fantasy/romance interactive fiction about demons and found family. You play as a human working at a bar for demons, getting to know your customers and collecting their stories.
The story: On the run from your past, you find yourself in a new city with no plan and nowhere to go. A mysterious individual called Ashheart appears before you and refers you to a bar called ‘Vespertines’. You expect the usual; cleaning up spills and handling drunk customers. What you do not expect is for your new boss to be a horned demon known as Gremory who collects stories as payment instead of money.
Heyyy I stumbled over your game, and omg, i love the setting so much. I really love games like Coffee Talk and The Red Strings Club. And this hits the itch just right. I also live the comfort. I can't wait for chapter two. I wish you all the best. Love the idea, excited where you lead us.
Thank you so much! Sorry for not getting to your ask for so long 🙏 I’m happy you got the comfort vibes so strong already from chapter 1!
Hello everyone! Apologies for missing last week’s devlog, I’ve been very busy! I’m entering a couple of game jams over the next few months and I’ve been chipping away at them this past week.
We’re also coming up on the 1 year anniversary of the Vespertines demo release so I want to do something special for that!
New projects!!
1. Anti-Romance Game Jam! I am working with a small team (including Jasper of @townofcrosshollow fame on art duties 👀) on a little cyberpunk game. We have a wonderful composer who has already done amazing work on the main theme of the game, which you can listen to here! (It’s beautiful and atmospheric and I love it ❤️❤️)
I’m working primarily on the story and dialogue and directing the team which has been extremely cool and nerve wracking at the same time.
2. The Neo Twiny Game Jam! I haven’t decided what I’m doing for this yet but I’m really looking forward to it—I love microfiction.
Things I achieved since last update
🌸 Developed the premise and overall theme of the Anti-Romance submission, as well as organised the team a bit
🌸 26,714 words total for Vespertines. Chapter 2 word count is a bit confusing as there is a heap of stuff there that I might actually push to chapter 3 …
🌸 Worked more on the visuals for Lady Knights VN
I might be a bit busy over the next few weeks so if I don’t update, that’s why, but here’s what I plan to be working on:
