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LoveSick Darlings Demo - An Actually Realistic Dating Sim/Romance Visual Novel

A topic by Dimitri created May 05, 2019 Views: 1,515 Replies: 8

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Hey there itch community!

I'd love to talk about and share my game with you all, LoveSick Darlings! The game's public demo that launched just earlier today.

LoveSick Darlings is a visual novel focused on character relationships and player choice. Syd is in his last semester of 10th grade. At this time, his friends are bugging him to ask the girl he likes out after months of trying and failing. With the school dance and the end of the year approaching, it feels like now or never for Syd. But will his feelings hold up and stay the same as school wraps up? Will he find he has feelings for someone else in his life? All of this is up to you, the player, as you decide the fate of Syd and his friends at this crucial developing stage of their lives.

As Syd, the player builds relationships with three separate distinct girls - along with a handful of other classmates - as the protagonist lives out his daily high school life. Choose who you spend time with, with a

Key points:
- The game has a FREE 6 hour-long demo available
- Game features Danganronpa/Persona-like "free time events" where players choose how Syd (the protagonist) spends his time
- Art by amazing artists like Ippers and PhiPhi Au Thon (look em up on Twitter!)
- All written and directed by one developer (me)

Find out more here! You can find the demo here too.
https://biolizard.itch.io/lovesickdarlings

I'd love to hear any and ALL thoughts, opinions, feedback, ANYTHING. I am very open to any and all discussion and want nothing more than to establish a positive communicative relationship with this community and audience here :)

Azurazel4 years ago

so far i have played up to the art competition and have enjoyed it a lot. Really interested in how the story plays out but knowing that it is not finished is making me want to wait for a full release before continuing.

Sprites look good but some facial expressions could use some work (especially Maisy's laugh kinda feels weird). CGs also looked too different from their sprites.

Music and backgrounds were ok but the music choice for emotional scenes could use some work.

Overall i enjoyed my first few hours and i hope to play the full game someday.

Dimitri4 years ago

Thanks so much for the feedback!
I will keep you feedback about the art and music in mind as asset production continues.

I would recommend playing a few more hours, not only to finish the demo, but also because the game really opens up a bit before the art competition! There's a lot of player choice, and I'd like to hear your thoughts on that too.

That said, don't feel obligated. Only if you want to and have the time.

Thanks so much for your feedback and for playing my game in any case :)

Azurazel4 years ago

Just finished both Maisy and Steph's events and i am liking both of them so far. I haven't played Jayda's events yet because she feels like the least likable character of the three. Finishing it really confirmed my fears, that i will have to wait until the game is finished to see how it goes for Steph and Maisy :(

Overall i really enjoyed the demo and i hope to play the full game soon. I also saw a few exceptions while playing (one while i was having tea with Steph and another while skipping the last few text while going on Maisy's events)

Dimitri4 years ago

I'm glad to hear that you liked it so much! Steph and Maisy are pretty cool hey? I like how diverse the takes and opinions of each of the girls everyone has. It's really great to hear. I'm only sorry I don't have more of the game to have you and everyone else play!

Oh, what kind of exceptions were they? I know the game gets a bit glitchy sometimes with the skip command - is it possible to take a screenshot and share it with me? If not, that's all good. I will investigate myself too :)

Thanks so much for the kind words in any case!

Xenagibb4 years ago

Hi can you date best friend from the beginning?

Dimitri4 years ago

Hey there! My game is a bit unlike most dating sims, and tries to use a bit more of a realistic setting and style of relationships.

Syd (the protagonist) CAN date Maisy. Eventually. But not right off the bat, it's a relationship the player has to build to the point in which they can start dating. Syd can definitely flirt and get Maisy to like him though. You'll know if you did well if Maisy acts extra jealous or clingy with Syd and if at the end the "results" screen say she is growing feelings for the player and losing them for her "current boyfriend."

Thanks for the question, and let me know if you need any more clarification.

Xenagibb4 years ago

So if I start building a relationship with her will she still have sex with her boyfriend?

Dimitri4 years ago

Sadly, yes. You can make a good impression with her, and maybe decide how she feels around you - stronger or weaker. But, no matter what, she does have sex with her boyfriend no matter what.