We recently discovered a most interesting game that’s currently looking for funding on Kickstarter entitled LoveSick Darlings. It’s a visual novel that’s attempting to give a nice, new, and realistic twist to the usual romantic/dating sim genre.
We were so enthralled by the look and idea of the game that we decided to interview its developer, Dimitri Adoniou, to find out even more about it. Here’s what this first-time game designer had to say.
1. Tell us a bit about yourself and why/how you got into game development.
My name is Dimitri Adoniou. I am a recent college graduate with a Bachelor in Creative Writing and am the solo developer behind LoveSick Darlings.
I got into game development, out of the blue, about midway through 2018. I had been workshopping the idea of a visual novel on my own and was looking for a programmer/colleague to produce it with, when a friend told me about Ren’Py.
Ren’Py is a visual novel engine that even people unfamiliar with programming, can learn to use.
{Suddenly}, I didn’t need to find anybody else. Ren’Py let me do everything myself. So, I started making my little visual novel.
At the beginning, LoveSick Darlings was a side project, I worked on in my spare time. But, eventually I got invested. I kept expanding the story, adding more to it, and falling in love with the group of characters I had created.
And, now here I am, with a team of freelance artists, a composer, over 2000 downloads of the game’s demo, and a Kickstarter that’s 60% funded. It’s been a whirlwind of a time, especially as this is the first real game I’ve ever produced. But, I’ve loved every second of it.
2. Tell us about the inspiration for LoveSick Darlings, and how it’s a new twist on the usual visual novel/dating sim.
LoveSick Darlings came from a single idea:
what if a visual novel/romance game’s love interests actually interacted with each other?
This might sound obvious, but the sheer amount of visual novels (& romance games) that have their heroines and heroes {only} interact with the player one-on-one is staggering.
For example, when I played Persona 4, I was kind of confused and frustrated that literally no one in the group of friends talked about how the character Rise and my player character were obviously dating. I know it’s inferred that it’s a secret, but I really felt like the game missed out on some fun interactions by not letting the characters talk about my character’s relationships. Which is why I decided to put a focus on “group dynamics” and make it one of my game’s central mechanics.
In LoveSick Darlings, the three main heroines are all reacting to your decisions as the player and adjusting what they think of you as a result.
Take Maisy for instance.
Maisy gets jealous when you spend more time with Jayda. When this happens, she acts mean to Jayda and berates you (the player) for spending time with her.
Or, in Steph’s case, if you’re especially kind to Jayda and spend time with her, Steph gets the impression that you may have a crush on Jayda.
Because of this, Steph chooses to turn down any requests to hang out in order to be sensitive to Jayda’s feelings.
Simply put, I’ve made my characters very human. There are all kinds of modifiers including jealousy, support, spite, and everything in between that the heroines feel and act on according to/based off the player’s actions. They don’t dote on the player’s every word and action. And, they live fully, independent lives away from the player.
3. The game will include some scenarios of hoarding and emotional/verbal abuse. Can you expand on how these themes will be experienced in the game and why it was important to you to include them?
So, yeah, LoveSick Darlings can get heavy. Depending on certain choices, characters can feel crushing feelings of guilt, pain, dejection, and sadness. The game has a lot of hope, happiness, and joy too. It all depends on the player’s choices.
But things get especially real with one character in particular. I won’t spoil who they are, but one character is shown to be living in a “hoarder house” with their single mother.
The player stumbles into this reality by chance, and witnesses direct verbal abuse from the parent to the heroine in question. It’s a traumatic encounter for both the victim and the player character. It’s designed to be a shock, and it’s not an easy topic to talk about.
The character who is the victim of the abuse is very vulnerable, and the player ends up getting the choice of how they handle dealing with this intense situation later in the game.
It was important to include this experience because, unfortunately, parental abuse is a part of the world. And, LoveSick Darlings tackles real issues. Because, as mentioned before, I wanted to make the characters as human as possible.
Being stuck in a hoarder house while growing up is a terrible circumstance, and one that is not often fully addressed in fiction. This is important to showcase, like any form of abuse, to spread awareness. Of course, I have fully consulted survivors of this kind of upbringing and made sure to write sensitively about the topic too. It’s important that I represent this issue correctly, more than anything else.
4. How important will decision making be in the game?
Decision making is EVERYTHING in LoveSick Darlings.
There are at least five different endings planned, all with dozens of variables.
For example, the “Maisy ending” has at least three major modifiers that will decide things like:
– How long the relationship lasts after the game ends (in the epilogue)
– Whether the player stays in contact with the other characters (that aren’t Maisy) after the game’s events
– Whether they move out of their small city or not
There are all kinds of even tinier modifiers applied to each ending just like this.
Each playthrough of the game is designed to feel like a unique experience that is crafted by each and every one of the player’s decisions.
So, to everyone reading… choose carefully when you play!
5. Tell us about the “free time events” included in the game.
In {games such as} Danganronpa and Persona, the player is given the opportunity to choose who they’d like to spend time with, from among the cast of characters. This choice is then proceeded with a special scene between just the player and the character they choose.
Often, there is new information or characterization that takes place within this interaction. At the end of the “free time,” the player and character part ways with their relationship having grown or leveled up in some way.
This continues until the chosen character’s storyline is concluded/reaches its climax. Then, the relationship is “maxed out.” This can then lead to alternate endings, new dialogue, stat bonuses, and all kinds of rewards depending on the game.
LoveSick Darlings follows a similar approach.
Basically, every school afternoon from the second week of gameplay onwards, Syd (the player) has the ability to spend his free time however he chooses.
It is you as the player who decides who Syd spends time with. This is the biggest way the player can affect their relationships.
Spending an afternoon with a character will always strengthen a relationship by a lot. This is the quickest and best way to grow closer to another character and have them like you.
In the events where you spend time with characters, you will explore their personal stories and find out more about whoever you hang out with. So, not only does Syd grow closer to these characters from a gameplay point-of-view but, perhaps more importantly, you as the player grow closer to these characters as well.
The idea is very much to get each player invested in these characters, so they keep learning all about them.
6. The characters in the game are very cool & eclectic. How did you/your artists come up with the look of your main characters?
We came up with them after many drafts and discussions.
The sprites you see in the current demo are actually the second rendition of these characters. Ippers (the character designer) and I talked at length about the personalities, fashion tastes, and aesthetic appeal of all of the characters. It was a lengthy but really fun process.
I did my best to get each character’s look and pose to communicate as much about them as possible when I directed their designs.
For example, Maisy has her hand on her hip, like she’s always judging the player. Jayda has her arms behind her back, like she’s holding something back at all times. Steph has her arms across the front of her, like she’s guarding herself from something.
In other artwork, characters have their feelings and personality communicated. Maisy is often winking, showing how cheeky and fun she is. Jayda is usually blushing or playing video games. Steph is usually posing elegantly or looking cold/distant.
Little touches like this really bring the characters to life. I can’t thank Ippers, Phi Phi (CG artist), and Awan (promotional artist) enough for their amazing work!
7. You’re working with composer & sound designer, Tim Reichert to help develop the soundtrack. How did that collaboration come about and how did the two of you decide on the right sound to set the mood of your visual novel?
How the collaboration came about is admittedly pretty unexciting (Laughter). I came across his music one day, loved it, asked him if he’d like to work on LoveSick Darlings, and he said, yes!”
Tim has a really impressive history with doing visual novel music, and his list of great accomplishments speak for themselves. His history with visual novels and his immense talent make him a perfect fit for LoveSick Darlings. I’m ridiculously lucky to have him on board for this project.
The main theme he composed for the game’s demo is especially incredible. It’s superb and captures the aesthetic and mood of LoveSick Darlings perfectly. When I first heard it, I knew right away, “he’s the one.”
I remember we decided on the sound with lots of keywords. Words like “nostalgia,” “love,” “innocence,” and “school memories” were exchanged frequently. I also sent him some tracks from the Persona games, and the “Scum’s Wish” anime OST (which are the two big audio inspirations for this game). Then came the aforementioned incredible theme song, and now he’s on board to do all the game’s music.
8. You’re currently looking for funding on Kickstarter. What are your big goals for your Kickstarter campaign?
Frankly speaking, even just hitting minimum funding would be amazing.
But beyond that? I really want to hit the “voice acting,” “additional CGs,” and “social media art” stretch goals. These additional targets are pretty ambitious, but all the money being raised is going directly to paying the artists for all their hard work.
I don’t want this project to just be a game I get on Steam and sell for the sake of it. I want this game’s funding to go to support all the creatives involved in this game and to generate more work for them, so they can continue to do what they love.
If my game can generate income for all these amazing people, then I have accomplished my biggest goal for this Kickstarter.
9. You have a 6+ hour game demo available on itch.io & Steam. What can players expect to see/do/enjoy in the demo?
Players can expect to:
– Build meaningful relationships with a colourful cast of characters
– Get immersed in the unique setting that is a suburban Australian high school
– Enjoy gorgeous sprite artwork
– Experience 15+ beautiful CG artworks, which can be unlocked
– Make tough choices that will affect the lives of characters in-game forever
– Choose how you spend your limited “free time”
Six hours is a pretty extensive and involved length for a demo to be, but I really want players to have the time to engage with the characters and setting of LoveSick Darlings, so they know exactly what kind of quality to expect when they support the Kickstarter and/or buy the full game.
10. When do you hope to release the game? Will Steam/Itch.io be your main platforms? Any plans for a console release down the road?
LoveSick Darlings is slated for a Q3 2020 release.
The game will launch on Steam and Itch.io.
There are no current plans to release the game on other platforms, but a Nintendo Switch release would be a dream come true. So, if things go well, I WILL try!
11. Last question — After 18 months of hard work on your first game, what’s your best piece of advice to fellow first-time developers?
My best piece of advice is this. . . make games that you want to play.
Don’t just make a game because it might seem profitable, or it cashes in on some trend.
This game has only found relatively middling success due to its niche genre, but I honestly couldn’t be happier. I have a dedicated small following of fans. I have a 5-star rating on itch.
My Kickstarter is going great so far. And, I truly think it’s because I love LoveSick Darlings.
My followers have told me that they can feel how much I love this game. If you love a game, players can tell. And they WILL love it back.
If you feel stuck or in some kind of rut, just try your best to remember why you started making games. Maybe go back to that passion project. Give it another go from a new angle. Whatever it takes, love your game or whatever it is that you make. Love is the most powerful thing in the world.
Thank you Dimitri for taking the time to answer our questions. We wish you all the best in the development of LoveSick Darlings and will look forward to its release next year!
Thanks for talking to me about my game, guys. It’s been an absolute pleasure. Keep up the amazing work!
End Interview
If you’d like to help Dimitri fund his visual novel, you can do so now via Kickstarter.
Want to give the game a try? Connect to the free, 6-hour demo of LoveSick Darlings on Itch.io and/or Steam.
