Back in November Naive Sprites launched their first Kickstarter campaign for their Alice in Wonderland inspired English otome game, A Very Important Date. However, they were not able to meet their original funding goal by the end of the campaign… Well, I am excited to write that they have not given up on the project and are back with a second revamped campaign!! This time around the team is looking to raise funding for the main game and a spin-off game featuring a male protagonist! Plus there is a ton of new content and features that expand on the original concept.
I have been following this game’s development for a long time now and I absolutely adored the demo!! I really want to see this project become a reality! So when Naive Sprites announced that they were giving Kickstarter another go, I knew I had to show my support!
Story
A Very Important Date is a modern slice of life fantasy English otome game with a Lewis Carroll twist! Take another trip down the rabbit hole in this creative take on the literary classic that has captivated audiences for generations!
Alison Sunderlund considers herself to be an average girl from a small Ohio town. By day she can be found working as a server in a local café and by night she takes care of her house and family: her dad and younger brother. Though she doesn’t have a lot on her plate, the life she has gives her very little free time. But Alison’s life changes one night when she decides to play a game before falling asleep, and wakes up the next morning sitting under a tree in a strange new world.
As she explores her new surroundings, Alison is accosted by two hoodlums. She runs away from them throughout the unrecognizable town stopping to hide in the garden of a large mansion. As she makes her way to the mansion’s front door for help, she trips its security system, and plunges into a sudden hole, knocking herself unconscious. She is found by the mansion’s kind owner, Gwyn Arkwright, who takes care of her wound and, after hearing her tale, offers her a place to stay and a job at his café, The Looking Glass. She takes him up on his offer, but now she must choose which of the five café employees will train her. Will Alison wait to change herself and remain a server, will she a cut a new path as a cook’s assistant, or will she wipe away her past burdens by being a low-level dishwasher? Will Alison ever figure out what strange world she is in? Is she even on Earth anymore? Will she ever return to her old life? Will she want to?
Characters
The guys at the Looking Glass Cafe are loosely based on characters from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland novels. An exciting new world awaits our displaced heroine, Alison Sunderlund! Choose to work side by side with one of eight dynamic characters from the Looking Glass Cafe as she settles into her new life….
- Gwyn Arkwright is the owner of the Looking Glass Cafe and the first person Alison meets in Mimsboro. He offers her a job at his cafe at least until she can figure out a way to get back home. Gwyn is a very kind man, but his eccentric behavior tends to rub people the wrong way.
- Emil Vasil is the heir to a distinguished and wealthy family in Mimsboro. He has been groomed since birth to take over his family’s banking business. But, Emil’s pedigree lifestyle has left him with a stick up his butt.
- Rory MacClellan is a shameless flirt and a server at the Looking Glass. He’s also a college student and an aspiring stylist. Rory’s flamboyant lifestyle is very different from his rather traditional family’s background.
- Harlan Leclair is the laid back head chef at the Looking Glass Cafe. Harlan is an easy going guy with an upbeat personality. But, when his father’s expectations become too much, Harlan will reveal a much more serious side.
- Sven Bergstrom is a quiet and socially awkward guy and the Looking Glass’s busser. Sven is the youngest of the potential love interests with a flair for art and bit of a rocky home life…
- Connor Vincent is the easygoing bartender at The Looking Glass. he’s always on the look out for information that will help him and his brother uncover the secrets of their past.
- Julianna Cerise is Emil’s cousin and VP of the watch manufacturer, CRoWNS. At work she’s a serious and ambitious executive, but in her personal life, she’s flirtatious and energetic… the complete opposite of her uptight cousin.
- Lowell Vincent is the head of security at The Looking Glass. Unlike his brother, Lowell is a bit rough around the edges with a penchant for confrontation.
Features
- An expansive visual novel experience with over 40 HOURS of gameplay and features!!
- A main game with EIGHT potential love interests (seven male, one female)
- Each love interest comes with their own 12 chapter Main Story
- Each Main Story has THREE possible endings
- There will also be an additional 3 chapter Epilogue for each love interest.
- A spin-off game with a new male protagonist and new love interests.
- Features FOUR romance options (2 male, 2 female)
- SIX – TEN chapters per route with FOUR endings per character.
- A main game with EIGHT potential love interests (seven male, one female)
- The game will feature original artwork and soundtrack
- At least SIX CGs per Main Story
- Choose to toggle between two different CG style; either have Alison’s eyes visible or removed!
- 14 musical tracks from composer Geoff Moore
- Over 60 beautiful backgrounds
- At least SIX CGs per Main Story
- Expressive character animation for each character sprite
- Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux
- Available for iOS and Android
There are a set of Stretch Goals that will expand the scope of the game if met. Some of the expanded features include additional love interests, a special boys love side story, additional character poses and expressions, and much more… Upon it’s release the game will be available for Windows, Mac, and Linux! Naive Sprites is considering an Android and IOS mobile release as well! The tentative release date is set for 2018! The Campaign Goal is $3,500 and the KS will run until July 21st 2017!
There are download links for the PC version of the demo, HERE! The demo covers the prologue and the start of Gwyn Arkwright and Emil Vasile’s routes (there are also plans to release an updated demo very soon), so if you are still on the fence about the game or just want to see what A Very Important Date has to offer give it a try.
So PLEASE check out the Kickstarter campaign, HERE, and lend your support. There is still time left in the campaign and every little bit helps! I can’t wait for the finished project when it is released. The various price tiers come with some nice goodies so definitely check them out!
You can also contact them on Social Media through the following channels:
If you can’t help out monetarily, SHARE this post or the Kickstarter page on social media and spread the word! As always THANK YOU for reading!!!