No Honour Among Thieves is an upcoming LGBT crime-thriller visual novel developed by Tris Ravens—the project was on Kickstarter, however the team working on it was unable to reach their funding goal by the campaigns conclusion. Though, there are still plans to continue working on the project!
“Be gay, do crimes, break hearts and ruin lives” is a fitting tagline for No Honour Among Thieves, a gritty crime thriller/romance visual novel that takes players on a deep dive in to the less than savory underworld as you attempt to pull off the biggest con of your life!
The Story
Step into the shadows, taking up the role of an infamous underground contractor – a hard-working master of all trades that would get you sent to hell. No Honour Among Thieves is a queer, crime thriller visual novel that takes you on a suspenseful journey to con your way into the heart of a Mafia boss; what you do from there is up to you. Do you fulfill your contract and rip his heart into pieces, or do you find they’ve wormed their way into your heart instead…?
The journey won’t be a simple one, that’s for sure. The boss is guarded by a biker gang leader with her own agenda, heart locked behind equally sturdy doors – and a one-way ticket to death’s door if you make the wrong move. Everyone has their eyes on you, from the man you work for to the dealer of secrets, and everything comes at a price.
Where will your choices lead?
-Official Game Synopsis
Features
- Suspicion and Affection Levels: The game will track not just how much each character likes you (which doesn’t necessarily have to be reciprocated!) but also how close they are to discovering your mission. Keep under the radar to avoid a dead-end!
- Intricate Choices System: Nearly all of your choices will have meaning and be remembered by the game, which could either greatly benefit you later or bite you in the ass, adding a whole new element of strategy to your regular visual novel playthrough!
- LGBT+ Options: The whole cast is unabashedly queer, so your MC can be too! Pick your pronouns (even if you use multiple!), your honourific, nicknames, what you wear – the only part of the MC shown visually is their gloved arms and hands.
- Dynamic Endings: There’s no “set” endings based on one singular choice you make or a stat you have to max out – endings will vary drastically depending on the many choices you make throughout the game!
Characters
- Navin Devraj, at a glance, is the sweetest man in the scene, but only until he gets his claws dug in. No one knows exactly what he does – only what happens to those who cross him. The one who crossed him this time is none other than his ex-partner Xanthe Wilde, and for that, he’s hiring to take them down, with the specially-plotted method on how to hurt them the most.
- Mercury Jackson is the thrill-seeking, risk-taking bad boy of every teenager’s wet dreams and leader of the Cardinal Riders. She’s loud, she’s proud, and she’s rowdy – but she’s not out to sweep some goody-two-shoes off their feet. No, he has his eyes set on Mxr. Wilde, and no-one gets in the way of what this absolute bulldozer of a woman wants, even if no-one knows why. There’s a lot more beneath her blunt and ballsy exterior than meets the eye, and dancing with this daredevil might prove to be too hot to handle.
- Mafia Boss Xanthe Wilde is a themme-fatale extraordinaire, who sits at the top of the underground food chain, playing with their food and watching it squirm. Despite his countless enemies, no-one has been able to knock him off his throne – and for good reason. Their guard is never down and their wits are always on; masked by a multitude of pet names, pretty words, and hefty amounts of the shiniest things money and power can afford.
- The Siren, a.k.a Siren Lewis, has eyes just about everywhere. She’s sassy, savvy, and full of secrets – all of which are available at the right price, naturally. She doesn’t work for anyone but herself, so while her information makes her a powerful ally – there’s always something in return, making her just as much of a formidable foe.
Be gay, do crimes, break hearts and ruin lives
Take on the role of an infamous underworld contractor hired to seduce a well known Mafia boss. A simple gig for someone with your skills, but things get more complicated when feelings are thrown into the mix—do you stick to the plan and break his heart or do you let them steal your heart instead? Along the way you meet various other folks from their inner circle, like, a tough as nails genderfluid biker; a sassy fashion forward information broker; and the mysterious ex of your current target. Every choice you make could spell success or failure, so watch your step!
The game kicks off when Navin Devraj approaches you with a proposition for a job, help him take down his former partner, notorious Mafia boss, Xanthe Wilde and follows through your first encounter with the alluring (and dangerous) “themme-fatale extraordinaire”. With it’s smart, fun writing and colorful cast of characters, No Honour Among Thieves is a welcome addition to the LGBTQIA indie scene. Not only do you determine your own gender pronouns, but the game goes a step further by allowing players to choose their own honorifics (Mrs, Mxr, Mr, etc.) and nicknames as well.
Tris Ravens, the creator of No Honour Among Thieves identifies as queer and BIPOC, so you know there is a lot of great representation in this game. All of the characters in the game are from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds, some of which aren’t often explored in video games, like Mercury Jackson who is Native American and Cambodian. Each of the love interests identify as members of the LGBTQIA community and there is also the potential for single and polyamorous romance options and if you’re not the “relationship type” you can also enter into a no strings attached relationship with either Navin or Siren.
It’s a shame that the Kickstarter campaign for No Honour Among Thieves wasn’t successful, because all around this is a fun concept for a game and I sincerely hope that Tris Ravens and their team give it another go in the future!
More Info on the Team
- Twitter: @NoHonourVN
- Play the Demo: No Honour Among Thieves Demo
- The Kickstarter Campaign
- Patreon Page
