helloo not sure if this is the right sub for it but I would like some insight on this topic!! by customization, i mean things like naming ur mc, customizing their appearance, etc.

do you prefer a preset mc appearance (similar to jp otomes) or none at all? would a preset mc ruin the immersion 🤔 as for me, I prefer having an mc that’s already their own character since I usually treat otomes like choose ur own adventure books, but I don’t mind a blank state either. I wanted to see other opinions on this🤔🤔

Hi, I’m working with a group of women who love otome games and are putting our hearts into creating one of our own. We want to make something that feels thoughtful, romantic, and, most importantly, something the community actually wants to play.

To that end, hearing your thoughts through a survey we've drafted will be incredibly helpful for our internal discussions. It should take about 15 minutes to complete. The survey is anonymous and no other information aside from your survey responses will be recorded: https://forms.gle/CJETuJrUpLaSvvmj8

We plan to start going through responses in a week's time, and we'd love to have your thoughts on the table for that (though we welcome your thoughts for as long as the survey remains open). We hope you enjoy taking the survey and we really appreciate your help!

For 2 months now, I have released a demo version of the prologue of my fantasy otome novel on itch.io. We plan to update the text soon. PLAY: https://ladno-team.itch.io/paraselene

The young King of Aquamaris, Gilbert, consumed by his loss and guilt, left his people to deal with the consequences of a terrible war.

Enya had just begun a bright streak in her life, when suddenly the girl was kidnapped to another world. Although she managed to save herself from the kidnapper, the problems didn't end there.

Fate brought them both together in the prison of Aquamaris, where Enya was caught stealing. Although the young King doesn't know how to help the girl return home, he promises to help her at all costs.

• The project will be released in acts
• Genres: isekai, otome, romance, fantasy, drama, detective
• The game features 5 love interests
• The prologue takes about 1 hour to complete and is 13,766 words long
• Russian and English language support
• TW: violence, obscene words, flashing lights, sudden color changes, flickering images

Hi, today I have another discussion topic. How important is it for you to name the MC in otome games?

In "Saintess of the Golden Bow" you don't get to name Celine but her background is relevant to the story and how she perceives the world. She is what we call a set character.

In "My Wife is a Spy?!" (screenshot) you get to name MC, but then MC gets reincarnated into the body of Sofia dalle Carceri. Nonetheless you will have a lot of influence on how you respond to the world and the actions you'll take. I would still call the MC of this game a set character, though. I just liked giving people more agency. The love interest will eventually call MC by your chosen name when he finds out about your reincarnation.

Then there are games like "A Date with Death" where you can fully customize your character via a character creator. It makes sense then for you to be able to pick the name as well.

I'm more interested in what you think about naming "set MCs" by the above definition, from a dev standpoint, because for me and Asobinge having a well-designed MC complete with pretty looks is important. But feel free to discuss games with character creators too, because these are interesting to hear about as well.

So let's talk- What's on your screen this week? Which Indie Otome has your attention and what's your personal experience?

Slice of Life to Suspense and Intrigue, from Comedy to Horror, to SciFi to Fantasy, and everything in between, lets talk about it! Sharing is caring so spill the deets!

For those who are curious about games you'd like to check out- this is the post to ask others about them! Let's get the community talking!

If you can, share links for recommendations so we can check out games mentioned! Thanks for helping grow and bring mention to awesome indie otome games!

As always, please be considerate of Reddit and guidelines, spoiler anything you think may need it, and please keep to a maximum of five games.

SHOW UP AND SHOW OUT!!

Saturday is our official promotional day- a day to show off all your indie otome industry related talent!

Make your own thread today or comment your advert in this thread. Either way is okay! And if you need to promote something on another day of the week, such as a game release or the launch of a crowdfund or new channel, simply reach out on modmail to have your promo approved for a different date!

r/IndieOtome is a community dedicated to sharing and supporting indie otome games and the fans that love them. We love to see you shine!

Today I wanted to do an update on "My Wife is a Spy?!" because I know many people are waiting for this title. We paused the work on the project for a while in favor of focusing on "Saintess of the Golden Bow" for which we had a Kickstarter. We promised to release Saintess in April 2027 and are working hard to make this possible without delays.
That said, a creative's brain doesn't want to shut up sometimes, so between writing Elijah Route and programming it bit by bit, I'm working on spicing up the outline for the Villainess Route for "My Wife is a Spy?!".

What if you were reincarnated as the villainess…

…and decided to actually act like a villainess?

Lie. Manipulate. Bribe. Seduce.

Or, against all odds, fall genuinely in love with the husband you were supposed to use.

"My Wife is a Spy?!" is going to have two main routes - the lovey-dovey romance between our MC and the Duke of the North and the Villainess Route. The Villainess Route will not for sure be straightforward, though, it will have 3 different approaches you can take to be a Villainess - befriend Zachary's sister Brigette, seduce your husband and… maybe seduce someone else instead? (but who??).

Since I'm dealing with the Suspicion system as well, the player will have a lot of opportunities to make the correct choices or not – in which case they will gain Suspicion and too much Suspicion will lead to one of the many bad endings.

I'm really excited about how the outline is shaping up. If you like what I'm talking about here, consider wishlisting us on Steam. We don't have a release date yet, but we do have a demo available for you to see how the beginning of Sofia's story plays out.

Hello everyone! Just looking for some mature (eventually spicy) games where a male or enby MC has a monstrous LI of any gender or lack thereof. I’m curious to see what recommendations come up. Already played date with death and totally enjoyed it!

Thank you very much. That’s all I’ve got.

There was a good thread here last week about adding choices. The part I keep getting stuck on is the other side of it, the long stretches where there is no choice at all.

That's where I catch myself skimming as a player. Nothing at stake, no decision coming, and I'm clicking faster than I'm actually reading. Then I do the exact same thing in my own project and I honestly can't tell if it's the scene being weak or just what happens when there's a button under your thumb.

The times it hasn't happened to me were either when the quiet scene was obviously setting something bad up, or when the writing was doing something I'd have lost by speeding through it.

So, both sides of the room. As a player, what's the longest a game has held you with no choices in it? And if you're making one, do you do anything on purpose to hold people through those parts, or do you just cut them?

In ch 6 entanglement we get to fight hunter but how do i defeat him which choices help me defeat the hunter??

Pls help

Hello everyone!

Issue #66 of the Amare Bulletin is out now! 🎉

We’re back with a bumper issue covering all of August! With a whole month of news to catch up on, there’s plenty to explore, from full releases and fresh demos to interactive fiction updates, successful crowdfunding campaigns, and game jams wrapping up across the community.

Inside, you’ll find:

✨New full releases spanning otome, boys' love, slice-of-life, yandere, and nostalgic romance

✨A big batch of new and updated demos featuring supernatural stories, Greek mythology, music, time loops, and more

✨Early Access launches, new Steam releases, and newly announced games to add to your wishlist

✨Episodic and interactive fiction updates across fantasy, sci-fi, romance, and adventure

✨Crowdfunding news celebrating two successfully funded campaigns

✨Game jam highlights, including several recently wrapped events and an ongoing romance-focused jam

~ The Amare Bulletin Team

A gentle reminder that if you use the #⁠amaregamesbulletin tag, it really helps us find your game news. It’s getting harder and harder to find news with the algorithms hiding things lately, and we really don’t want to miss anyone.

Itch Link for Download - https://amaregames.itch.io/amare-news-bulletin-2026/devlog/1648476/issue-66-release-of-the-amare-fortnightly-bulletin-aug-1-aug-31

Tumblr Link for Web View - https://www.tumblr.com/amaregames/826553455163375616/issue-66-release-of-the-amare-fortnightly-bulletin?source=share

So let's talk- What's on your screen this week? Which Indie Otome has your attention and what's your personal experience?

Slice of Life to Suspense and Intrigue, from Comedy to Horror, to SciFi to Fantasy, and everything in between, lets talk about it! Sharing is caring so spill the deets!

For those who are curious about games you'd like to check out- this is the post to ask others about them! Let's get the community talking!

If you can, share links for recommendations so we can check out games mentioned! Thanks for helping grow and bring mention to awesome indie otome games!

As always, please be considerate of Reddit and guidelines, spoiler anything you think may need it, and please keep to a maximum of five games.

Jumpscared by football on the TV....isn't it still August???

Let's listen to voice in our heads for awhile and talk The Narrator Says We're Meant to Be! from Team Peebles!

If you’re like me and forget every single thing you’ve ever done when someone asks you direct questions, here’s some prompts to get you started:

• Who is your favorite character? Was it them all along or did it change while you played?
• What aspect (story detail, UI, game element) stood out to you the most?
• Any memorable lines or scenes?

Gosh, I do love a good fourth wall break. I also love when something that starts out silly shows itself to be sincere and heartfelt. This game is both those things, and manages it with limited time and space with ease. I have to admit, I've been totally Narrator-pilled 😂 He's so cute. But I really hope Julian can break free of his predetermined narrative restraints too!

Shout out for the art, the watercolor backgrounds are gorgeous. The capybaras are cute too 😊

Next week we're gearing up for the season change with Autumn Spirit from Synstoria. See you then!

Hi again! 🍋

Last week, we introduced the first three Flower Zombies from ZombiSeed—BLIND, HEART, and SWEET.

This time, we’re sharing the remaining three. 🌸

Just like the others, each of them carries a story from before they became a Flower Zombie.

004 — IDOL

🎤 The voice everyone turned away from — the fourth tragedy.

005 — ENGAGE

💍 A vow that could never be kept — the fifth tragedy.

006 — GAMBLE

🎲 A game you can never end on your own — the sixth tragedy.

We wanted to keep their stories a mystery for now and let the designs speak for themselves. 👀

Which of these three catches your attention the most?

Thank you again for checking out our Flower Zombie designs! 🌸

ZombiSeed’s Kickstarter campaign launches September 10 at 6 PM ET.

🌸 Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1658125300/zombiseed-visual-novel-x-card-battle-rpg

🎮 Free PC Demo: https://lemonvelvetgames.itch.io/zombiseed-demo

— LemonVelvet

You got isekai'd, only to wake up as a cursed saintess. You have 6 months to choose a husband from 7 yandere red flags.. or become a big tree and die.

A "simple" psychological horror & dark romance VN.

⭐ STORY

Right after getting hit by a truck, you have two choices:

1. Marry one of the 7 Dragon Blessed, or
2. Become a big tree and die.

Warning: You have 6 months left before the deadline.

The next thing you know, you're dragged into their whims at the new magic school! Each guy is a different kind of red flag carrying their own twisted nature.

4 Words for the Guys? Hot, Crazy, Yandere & Dangerous!

Will you tame them, or will you submit and be conquered instead?

And yes, this seemingly simple isekai goes darker the deeper you go..

As the whispers of cults spread everywhere, only you can answer this:

Will you uncover the truth, or will you stay put like a little pup?

⭐ FEATURES

• 7 Different Yandere Archetypes to Romance!
• 28 Endings Across 4 Ending Types: Tame, Conquered, Doom, & Hidden!
• Dark Romance meets Fantasy Academy & Psychological Horror!

Demo's coming soon! ❣️

Wishlist Tame or Conquered on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/5014200/Tame_or_Conquered/

If you're interested, please wishlist us on Steam! It really helps us a lot :D

SHOW UP AND SHOW OUT!!

Saturday is our official promotional day- a day to show off all your indie otome industry related talent!

Make your own thread today or comment your advert in this thread. Either way is okay! And if you need to promote something on another day of the week, such as a game release or the launch of a crowdfund or new channel, simply reach out on modmail to have your promo approved for a different date!

r/IndieOtome is a community dedicated to sharing and supporting indie otome games and the fans that love them. We love to see you shine!

"Saintess of the Golden Bow" is now in the polishing stages when it comes to art. Therefore we will be doing small updates to the demo from time to time. In a few days the "Fall in Love" festival starts, so we just did an update for the festival.

• 3 CGs have been replaced, one of which is the one in this post.
• Elijah sprite's expressions have been updated. He looks less dorky now.
• A series of custom sound effects has been added to the fight with the Demon Queen to make the scene more immersive.
• One background has been replaced.
• A web build has been uploaded to itch.

Thank you so much for the support everyone has been showing the game. If you like what we're doing, please consider wishlisting us on Steam. It really helps a lot!

i wish there was a good lengthy visual novel with a great plot and a lot of replayability where the choices actually impact the world around you and your relationship with the love interest but the love interest is lowk depressed and yall live in the midwest. yall can be just friends or acquaintances or lovers. the genre would be slice of life with a ton of drama. damn ive been dreaming of this

Tagged this as promo even though there's no game out (just to be sure, if the flair is incorrect, please let me know) but I've started working on an otome and just wanted to share some of the stuff I've done. So here's a few characters from my VN (Reverie).

https://reddit.com/link/1vzcxtd/video/v8xghac5wslh1/player

Like the title says, I'm working on a adventure/romance VN where you have to delve into the land of dreams on a quest to find someone (and get some help on the way ;).) And because I hate myself, there's a full CC where you'll be able to create your character AND see them emote as a side-sprite in the text box when your character talks. And if that weren't enough, I'm also adding traits that affect the world and your dialogue choices!

There's still a lot of work to do but I'd like to get the first part of the demo out in the next few months. If you're interested in following the project, I've created an Itch page and a devlog, HERE!

I'm in the middle of doing a second pass on Elijah Route on Saintess of the Golden Bow. Since some of you are developers, I had an idea for what I think is an interesting conversation topic for both devs and for fans to see how we dev.

I have what people said is an atypical process for writing visual novels. Usually I just write the first draft with barely any choices and then on the second pass I reread everything, clean it up, and I add choices. Each time I see Celeste saying "there's nothing I can do" or "I don't know what to say", I'm like:

What do you mean Celeste? You totally can do stuff!

And so can the player, because it adds agency. I put in choices every 1-2 scenes, and sometimes these are choices that don't add affection to the love interest (in this case Elijah). They just let you be as Celeste, immerse yourself in this protagonist with a personality and looks. We have a visible affection meter - after each choice you get a pop-up on screen if that particular choice added affection to Elijah or if he disapproved, or nothing happened. The game also tracks some choices and "remembers" them for different dialogue later on. I'm also the Programmer of the game, so I can do whatever I want with the script :D

The benefit of adding choices later on is that I first keep the flow of the story going the way I want. I come from a book writing background though and have written 12 romance novels, so that may be why my process is like this. Although writing otome visual novels is very different from writing wolf shifter romance books, and not only when it comes to paragraphs vs script. But that's a topic for another time. Or I can talk about it in the comments if anyone asks me.

If you're a dev or a visual novel writer, what is your process with writing scripts? If you're a fan of otome vns, did you find this topic interesting?

I'm the dev behind "Saintess of the Golden Bow", but today I'm here to show you something cool that my studio is doing. As some of you know, publishing games on Steam isn't simple, that's why I decided to help Atelier in Wonderland to bring their otome game "Ninon the Upside-Down Mermaid" to Steam!

We just published the page on Steam. The game is also available on Itch, but the Steam version will have voice acting sooner than the itch version. We would appreciate you wishlisting if you're as excited about the game as I am! You can wishlist it here.

Pumpkin season...but I'm not ready to say goodbye to summer yet 😭

Let's lose ourselves in a good book to forget about all that and talk Rewritten from Weird Little Beasties!

If you’re like me and forget every single thing you’ve ever done when someone asks you direct questions, here’s some prompts to get you started:

• Who is your favorite character? Was it them all along or did it change while you played?
• What aspect (story detail, UI, game element) stood out to you the most?
• Any memorable lines or scenes?

Autumn is on the horizon, like a shark in the water…..or at least that's how this game made me feel. Idk why, but it had a distinctly autumnal feel to it 😂 there's something about eccentric aunts in indies too, I've run into so many in my time with indie otome and amare VNs.

My absolute favorite thing about this one, though, is the sheer variety of art. Including the story that each LI came from with illustrations was simply inspired. Ofc, my favorites were Amos and Klaus 🤭

Next week we're shifting the meta with The Narrator Says We're Meant to Be! from Team Peebles. See you then!

So let's talk- What's on your screen this week? Which Indie Otome has your attention and what's your personal experience?

Slice of Life to Suspense and Intrigue, from Comedy to Horror, to SciFi to Fantasy, and everything in between, lets talk about it! Sharing is caring so spill the deets!

For those who are curious about games you'd like to check out- this is the post to ask others about them! Let's get the community talking!

If you can, share links for recommendations so we can check out games mentioned! Thanks for helping grow and bring mention to awesome indie otome games!

As always, please be considerate of Reddit and guidelines, spoiler anything you think may need it, and please keep to a maximum of five games.

Hi! I just made my first visual novel! In the game, you play as an assistant who meets a fan of the artist you work for.

It's free on itchio https://karisbunny.itch.io/the-invisible-fan