If you enjoy visual novels, then you might be interested in Once More, a romantic story about love and loss which is being developed by Avery Howell and his team at Malheur Games.
Although the game is not quite ready for full release, its demo is receiving rave reviews from those who’ve played it.
We decided to ask Mr. Howell a few questions about his currently in development title.
Here’s what he had to say.
Tell us about Malheur Games and how it came about.
Malheur Games is something like a blanket that covers everyone that’s done something for our project, Once More.
I wanted a name to tie together all the games I want to create. While I certainly consider anyone who’s worked on this project a part of it, Malheur Games is more of a game circle than an official company.
I guess I’m both, Malheur Games itself and its sole member.
Tell us about your upcoming title, Once More.
Once More is a love story I’ve been fleshing out for a while now.
The story is about the main character, Felix, and his quest to fulfill the contract he’s made with the reaper, Shifa.
If he can show authentic romance to the girl who’s only ever read fiction, he can add his late girlfriend’s diary to the magic library where you don’t read books, you live them.
I thought it would be interesting to have the cruel requirement of falling for someone else as part of the requirement to reclaim someone you already fell for.
You describe Once More as an ADV visual novel. Can you explain what that means and how your game fits that description?
An ADV visual novel is basically a “choose-your-own-adventure” game with branching narratives shaped by the player’s choices. The ADV is the style/format of the VN where the textbook is located on the bottom of the screen as opposed to being an overlay (which is what we’ve done with our GUI).
What have been some of the biggest challenges/rewards of creating Once More, up to this point?
One of the biggest challenges is the fact that we’re not a visual novel that’s made in Japan. We’re an EVN or English Visual Novel. On top of that, instead of Japanese voice acting, we offer English voice acting.
The only really negative feedback I’ve gotten so far is “Ew, English voice actors.” Regardless of what anyone thinks of English Dubs, I know those who’re in this project are talented.
Once More also has a lot of inspiration and references from the popular visual novels I’ve played. Because of this, I think Once More will feel {similar} to a Japanese VN, while also having a western aspect to it.
Despite the challenges, there’s been a lot of rewarding aspects as well.
Fans have been {very} supportive and encouraging. Having others be just as excited as I am to see where the story goes is something special.
People who don’t even play visual novels, that have tried the demo, have given positive feedback.
So, while there’s a lot of pressure, everything has been worth it.
You’re getting a lot of positive reviews from players who’ve tried the demo. They seem especially excited about the story/script. Can you tell us a bit about your writing process?
There are currently 4 writers working on this project. I’m the lead writer. The other 3 are responsible for a single route each.
I came up with the plot hook, setting, characters, and general outlines. I had two friends assist me with 2 of the outlines, and then developed those with other writers.
While I don’t write every scene, I do edit them and add details to make the experience cohesive.
One thing I don’t like are filler scenes. (Visual Novels are long enough). Any scenes that are approved serve a clear purpose, even if it’s just a simple characterization.
Once scenes are written out, I like to go back through them and see if I can add something foreshadowing or find spots to improve.
So far, I’m really proud of what everyone has written.
Speaking of the demo, you have one available on Itch.io. What can players do in the demo?
Our demo gives players a look at the characters and their motivations. It serves as an explanation for the main plot and sets up little details for the rest of the game.
We’ve also made sure that the GUI was as polished as possible, giving players a look at some nice quality of life features such as scene jumping and a music room.
We’re planning on offering an expanded demo where we’ll try to implement a calendar system as well as the full common route.
You’re currently looking for funding on Kickstarter. What are some of your big goals for the campaign?
The base amount will cover the art, whereas the stretch goals will cover voice acting and additional development.
There are two VA stretch goals:
- One for partial VA where important scenes are prioritized
- One for full VA where even side characters get voiced
The development goal is mostly for implementing a calendar system to give players more agency in the story.
If you hit the goal for voice acting, will you be doing an open call for additional actors/actresses?
Yep! Casting so far has been a mix of open calls and my personal selections.
One thing I want to do is have side character endings similar to the Atelier series, that explore side characters and their lives. This will allow these characters to have their own spotlight without being forgotten about.
This is part of the reason for wanting to have a calendar system.
How many possible endings do you have planned for the full game? Will there be one perfect ending?
Each route will have a good and bad ending, with the exception of Nia. There will be an ending without her, but it’s not necessarily bad.
There’s no set number of {possible endings} yet, but I’d say expect {around} 15, between all the routes and side character endings.
There won’t be a “perfect ending” so to speak, but there is a true route that has two different endings.
It’s possible that in the true route some other endings will become canon as well, as is common in VN formats. The plans for the true ending will include a Shifa End and a Mima End. Which one is canon will be up for debate.
You’re planning to release the game in about a year on Steam and Itch.io. Any plans for a release on other platforms, at a later date? Will you be doing Early Access on Steam?
If possible I’d love to release on other platforms, but Steam & Itch.io will be the first two to shoot for.
I haven’t decided on whether or not I’ll do Early Access yet, but since there’ll be an expanded demo, it might be in the works.
What’s your best piece of advice to fellow indie developers creating their own visual novel?
Have a completed script before anything else.
The advantages of having a completed script is that it makes it much easier to figure out what assets you’ll need.
Without a finished script, it’s doable but certainly requires a lot more managing.
What’s next for Malheur Games?
After Once More, there are currently two games I’d like to make.
One will be another VN with some café management gameplay that explores current social issues. The other will have more of an action focus.
The stories for those are on the back burner for now, but I’m working on them here and there without compromising Once More.
Last question. What are some visual novels you’d recommend to our readers?
Oh boy… it’s hard not to recommend everything I’ve ever read.
I think the biggest inspirations so far have been Higurashi, Rewrite, Fata Morgana, Grisaia, Baldr Sky, Katawa Shoujo, Muv Luv, HoshiMemo, Sharin no Kuni, and Subahibi. That’s a few hundred hours of content already.
There’s probably a few I’m forgetting but I think those give a good idea of the kind of quality I’m chasing after. Each of these have helped shape the way I view the world and how I write.
End Interview
Thanks, Avery for answering our questions. We wish you and your team the best with the release of Once More.
If you’d like to help support Once More, you can do so through the game’s currently running Kickstarter campaign.
Check out the free demo on Itch.io.
Wishlist the game on Steam.
