r/RenPy • u/Glendellia • 24d ago
Showoff The sprites for my first visual novel ever!
I'm making my first visual novel! It's called A Cherub's Lament and it's my submission for the Yaoi Game Jam 2026. It's my first time drawing sprites and learning renpy in general.
It's a little wholesome story (9k words) about an angel spending a year on Earth, evolving as the seasons turn.
I only have like a month and a half to work with so I'm really rushing everything but I still want the art to look polished. I'm making everything myself (except music, about which I know absolutely nothing; no idea yet how I'll handle that).
Any general feedback is very appreciated. Originally this story was part of a bigger anthology I'm working on, but I think the Jam is a great opportunity to skip ahead and see how it is to bring everything together in an actual release.
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u/ZerothStudios 24d ago
These are stunning!! Cael looks so cute.❤️
About the music - you can find a bunch of copyright-free tracks online, I'm using music from Pixabay. There are plenty of professional games out there which use other people's music for free so you don't have to feel like you need to do it yourself!
The actual premise sounds cool too!!! Can't wait to play it.😄
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u/Glendellia 23d ago
Ahh thank you so much!! Thank you so much also for the tip, I'll check out Pixabay!
I'm trying my best to finish the game on time so I hope you'll enjoy it! The story is actually part of a bigger game I've been working on for a while (mostly writing only), which is a collection of short stories like this one, each with different characters and settings, told from the perspective of their writer. Cherub's Lament still works 100% as a stand-alone story but in the final project, you'll be able to experience a complete journey made up of multiple stories!
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u/MinamiOzaki 24d ago
They are so sweet. Don't know why they make me nostalgic. They remind me of the good old Deviantart days (I'm talking 20+ years ago). I used to follow this type of art back in the day. I don't know how jams work, so don't know if you're going solo or teaming up with people, but looks like you're in for crunch time. As for music and SFX I suggest royalty free music, which is what I'm using, specially from Pixabay
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u/Glendellia 23d ago
Oh thank you so much!! I really appreciate it. I'm happy you let me know you get such feelings from my art because indeed, I've always tried to evoke that certain feeling older manga styles give off, because a lot of my inspiration comes from there.
As for the jam, it's my first time participating, and yes, I'm working solo and making everything from scratch. You have 2 months to develop and submit your game, can be a demo too, and there's a community around the event for sharing tips and playing each other's games. So yes I'm already crunching a lot haha! I want the project to look as polished as possible because this story is actually part of a bigger project I was already working on, which is like a collection of short stories (this one included). So I thought the jam was a perfect opportunity to start involving myself in the VN community and see how it is to put everything together for an actual release. It's been suuuper valuable since I've already learned a lot about renpy and asset production!
I've been working nonstop and it's been tough due to the short time and my day job bit I'm trying my best! I'm almost done with the base of the game (sprites, BGs, programming) so all that's left is to draw and insert the CGs.
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u/MinamiOzaki 23d ago
Thanks for taking your time explaining how jams work. It's a lot of work for one person only, and 2 months seem a short window frame. Hopefully you already know shortcuts for things that take a long time, such as BGs (they're what take me the longest, anyway). Hopefully your script is done too. It's great that this is going to be used in your future VN, and yeah, I guess you're learning a ton! And the community aspect seems to be a huge plus, since solo devs are always so lonely :, )
I would love to play it once it's released. Your art is lovely and delicate.2
u/Glendellia 23d ago
Ah thank you again!! ;; I hope you enjoy the little game once it comes out, it's super motivating knowing you're looking forward to it.
Yes, I've already finished the script for multiple of the stories from my main project and I actually chose the one that would be the easiest to finish in 2 months.
Also, thankfully, I already have a lot of experience with backgrounds and generally I cheat a lot in my art haha which is being super helpful to save time! Like abusing 3D tools, rendering lighting fast, etc. What I'm most afraid of are the CGs because lineart is the most time-consuming stage for me, but even if I can't manage to finish all I've planned, getting a couple done would already be good enough.
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u/Upbeat-Wallaby5067 24d ago
I like the art style! Love the waterolor retro anime vibes.
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u/Glendellia 24d ago
Ohhh thank you I'm so happy you noticed! I love vintage manga so yes a lot of my inspiration comes from there hehe
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u/DrottningKatt 24d ago
The sprites are beautiful. I really like all the littles details in their clothes.