Under the Skies of Ikarus
A downloadable game
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For as long as the gutsy, no nonsense mechanic Nova can recall, they have lived a rather uneventful life in a mining facility on the planet Ikarus.
The best part of their day is the arrival of Mining Team A after their own long, grueling shift, where they finally have the opportunity to see the person that makes their heart beat just a bit faster:
The enormous mechanized humanoid that houses an advanced AI known as MARC.
The two share a deep bond with one another, and dream of leaving the facility one day to travel across the stars.
But when a sudden disruption forces the two to temporarily part, they decide to take matters into their own hands to make their last night together something special and memorable.
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- Submitted for Amare Game Festival 2023
- ~25k words
- Linear story with choices (3 short bad ends, 1 full ending)
- Ace non-binary protagonist
- Mostly chill, good vibes
- Partial voice acting
Content Warnings:
- Mild swearing
- Slight screenshake
- Made with Ren'Py
- Writing, Coding and Miscellaneous Art by:
- Sprite Art by:
- Background Art by:
- Voice Acting
- Nova: Mac Fowler https://www.macattackvo.com/
- MARC: Andrew LaRiviere https://www.andrewlariviere.com/
- Ion: Alexis Campbell https://twitter.com/alexisdoesvo
- Rosco: Ryan Hoyle https://twitter.com/hoyleryan
- Sparc: Adam Woolley https://www.adamwoolleyvo.com/
- Jenkins: Austin Hively https://twitter.com/NikoCrucio
- Zellard: Charles Nguyen https://twitter.com/CharlesNguyenVA
- Elio: Eric Wheeldon https://twitter.com/ERockWheelman
- Security Guard: Hayden Davis https://twitter.com/HaydenDavisVA
- Intercom: (uncredited upon request)
- Casting Services
- Very Berry Studios https://veryberrystudios.com/
- Music Obtained from:
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
- Partial Voice Acting Update!Apr 26, 2024
Comments
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Absolutely adorable! I was giggling the whole way through. I was afraid I was going to stumble into a bad ending, but thankfully I could reach the true ending the first playthrough.
By the way, you probably have read it (and it may actually be one of the inspirations for this story, I don't know) but if you haven't, you have to read The Murderbot Diaries. It also has a cute ace sci-fi romance in it and I love it.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
And no, I have not! =O That sounds like something I should definitely check out. Thank you for the recommendation!
Aaah! You’ll love it! Looking forward to play more games from you too! 🌻
Wholesome and satisfying. Great job!
Thank you! I'm glad you liked it =)
Hey Bri!! I finally got around to finishing your game and I could really see the love and care you guys put into it.
Although somewhat bittersweet, I loved to see Nova and MARC's plan come into fruition. Their relationship was so cute and I was kinda shocked they'd been dating for 5 years!! I wish I could see more glimpses into their relationship and also the world of Ikarus. It's clear Nova is an introvert but the bond they share with the rest of the mining group really gives the world a sense of community. I'm always a big fan of VN's that utilize an established setting with a history, and sense of the people who live there. Oddly enough I was kinda invested in what seemed like the development of a big corporation/gentrification happening on this planet, and what Nova would be doing underground but I'm sure that wouldn't be as wholesome of story haha.
My favorite parts of this VN was the worldbuilding and Rosco, I'm not even going to lie. The banter between him and Nova and his friendship with Marc added some context to their existing relationship (past mechanics etc.) which unexpectedly made me really appreciate his character! Although Nova and Marc's story is sweet, I think because their relationship is already stable I was more interested in Nova's relationships with the other characters. Overall, I had a fun time playing your game and learning about Ikarus, nice job making such a complete game in time!!
Thank you so much for such a thoughtful comment! ;A;
I'm glad you enjoyed the world building! It's something I'm pretty passionate about that I often have to temper, lest I end up with tons of dry exposition, haha. Not sure if this little tidbit of history is common knowledge, but the mining corp was actually based off old US coal mining towns, which would sometimes pay employees in a company scrip that could only be used at company owned stores!
As for Nova and MARC, I thought it would be interesting if they already had a stable, established relationship, and it was Nova's other relationships that would grow and strengthen through the story (if you choose to be invested in them), which would help them achieve their goals at the end.
And I'm sure Hollowmend/Milo is thrilled you liked Rosco, haha. He's admittedly a favorite of both of ours. An unexpectedly sweet and earnest boy. (Milo very much wants him to get his own boyfriend)
Hi Brii :)
Very sweet and beautiful visual novel, the bond between all of them is heartwarming ❤️ 🥰 🤖 🌌🚀
Hello Anwynn, and thank you so much!
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Your support is always super appreciated ^_^