Heart Sigil Elchemia Demo - First Impressions

Heart Sigil Elchemia is an upcoming fantasy indie otome game developed by ShibaList. Set within the same world as their Otome Jam submission Yrsa Major this brand new adventure takes players deeper into the world of Elesse, a place where alchemists and elemental beings live and work side by side. When strange occurrences threaten the balance, travelling alchemist Risu is called upon to uncover the truth.

Game Details

Fantasy | Romance| Action
Demo Length: 1 hour (Common route Ch. 1)
Where to Play: itch.io

The Story

In a world of alchemy, where elementals called ishim live alongside humans, something has begun turning ishim into maddened monsters.
Fighting to uncover the truth, the alchemist Risu finds herself with four odd partners – an old friend, a respected professor, an ice-cold soldier, and an incorrigible ishim. But the closer Risu gets to the truth and to her chosen partner, the nearer the past looms for everyone, and some truths cannot be faced alone…

Meet the Characters of Heart Sigil Elchemia

The base game will allow players to romance or befriend characters Risu meets on her journey. Currently there are four romanceable characters: Soma, a wealthy merchant and old friend; Lin, a unassuming professor; Frey, a stoic soldier; and Eguze, Risu’s ishim partner.

The Heroine – Risu

Romanceable Characters

Heart Sigil Elchemia Demo Review

I played a bit of ShibaList’s first game Yrsa Major last year and I remember being extremely impressed with the scope depth of the fantasy world they created, so I am happy to see the team expanding on the world in Heart Sigil. Also, fans of their first game will be happy to see a few characters from Yrsa Major make small appearances in the demo. Elesse is a rich high fantasy world where humans and elemental beings called Ishim live side by side and occasionally must fight against animal/monster hybrids called daimon. The high fantasy genre can be daunting at first due to its reliance on highly stylized worlds and lore, but thankfully Heart Sigil Elchemia does occasionally take the time to explain major plot points (usually through Risu’s internal dialogue). And trust me, it is a fascinating world, one that players will definitely want to learn more about.

Follow traveling alchemist, Risu as she embarks on a journey to uncover the truth behind a series of strange goings on; the usually benevolent ishim are succumbing to madness, become more and more like the beastly daimon they fight. To solve the case, Risu will need to team up with an odd group of allies: Soma, a wealthy merchant and old friend; Lin, a unassuming professor with a vast knowledge of alchemy; Frey, a stoic soldier who seems fixed on Risu; and Eguze, Risu’s carefree ishim partner.

My megane bias has my heart doki doki-ing over Lin (I am a sucker for bookish bespectacled LIs), but childhood friend and shade queen, Soma also caught my eye as well—the chemistry between him and Risu is perfection. Though my fave character is leading lady, Risu. She is a bit different from the usual romance heroine, a serious, no nonsense kind of gal who does not shy away from a fight. And y’all know we stan a strong heroine here!

The current build features about an hour of game play covering the first chapter of the common route and romantic scenes with each of the main love interests. The art is gorgeous! The character designs are beautiful, even the side characters and NPCs have sprites—which is a plus. There are also at least 10 CGs in the demo, each one more beautiful than the last. The writing is sharp and witty and I love the banter between the characters and there is a nice balance between action and worldbuilding. There’s so much more to Heart Sigil Elchemia–ShibaList really goes all out bringing this high fantasy world to life and I can’t wait to explore more in the final build.