A downloadable combat butler for Windows, macOS, and Linux

Our project for NaNoRenO 2020 ! Please look at the install instructions for recommended  volume setting for the Voice Acted version of the game.

SYNOPSIS

Annelise is a seemingly normal high school student with the convenient oddity of her parents never being home. In fact, it's been an entire year since she last saw them in person.  But after receiving a mysterious locket that her friend Sora found, things start to take a bizarre turn when a shota-looking butler pledging his unwavering loyalty appears on Annelise's doorstep!

Oh, and evidently (according to him anyway) she's not really called Annelise, but Lady Valance.... from another world. Yup....

FEATURES:
- 16,000+ words
- Voice acted dialogue
- 7 event CGs
- 3 endings
- OP & ED video
- Music, CG, Ending Galleries + Character Notes
- A butler that can cook, clean, and wield a katana
- Battles end swiftly

Lemmasoft WiP thread; https://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=58219

TEAMMATES:
Kokoro Hane - Writing/Direction/OP&ED Videos
Liam Winterdale - Event CGs
EmbraceOfDestiny - Menu Chibi
Sayumi101 - GUI
komehara - Opening Theme Translator

VOICE CAST:
Trina Deuhart 
Shakyra Dunn
Dexter Hackley 
Paige Martin
Will Engel
Kat A Peterson
Samuel Parish
Nick Chang
Elizabeth Novotny
Xuan Vinh Huynh
Patrick Mealey 
Kayla Ott
Katie Otten

RESOURCE CREDITS
This game uses many free-to-use/Creative Commons resources for art and music! 

SPRITE ASSETS USED---

Kainico
https://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=51594

Crescent Moon Arpeggio
http://roughsketch.en-grey.com/

Ran
https://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=34081

MUSIC ASSETS USED---

SENTiVE
http://sentive.net/

*CAMeLIA*
http://agnello-pecora.chu.jp/CAMeLIA/

Timeless Berry
https://timelessberry.com/

H/MIX
http://www.hmix.net/

Alcaknight
https://soundcloud.com/alcaknight

Kevin MacLeod
https://incompetech.com/

Souichi Sakagami (Trial and Error)
https://www.tandess.com/en/music/

Jin=Rokudo
http://www.j-rokudo.jp/

TAM Music Factory
https://www.tam-music.com/

BACKGROUNDS USED---

Uncle Mugen
https://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=17302

maospace
http://mao.sub.jp/index.htm

Kaikei Sozai Mise
(site down)

Wikimedia Commons
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

OTHER---

Pixabay
https://pixabay.com/

cooltext
https://cooltext.com/

SFX FROM---
https://freesound.org/
(all users will be listed in the in-game credits)

StatusReleased
PlatformsWindows, macOS, Linux
Rating
Rated 4.1 out of 5 stars
(34 total ratings)
AuthorTofu Sheets Visual
GenreVisual Novel, Action
Made withRen'Py
TagsFantasy, Female Protagonist, highschool, Ren'Py, Romance, Voice Acting

Download

Download
SWDiHaCB-2.0-all.zip (Voice Acted) 284 MB
Download
SWDiHaCB-2.0-mac.zip (Voiced Acted) 265 MB
Download
SWDiHaCB_(Unvoiced)-1.0-all.zip 174 MB

Install instructions

!! IMPORTANT !! Inside the voice acted version's folder, you will see a file called "Settings recommended.png". Please use this as reference to how much you need to lower the Music and Sound channels in the game's internal settings before starting the game (this allows you to hear the voice acting better).

CAUTION: Sometimes, especially since this game is new, it may freak out some people's firewalls. It is recommended to add the game to your firewall's exception list (I myself had to do that, and I made the thing lol). 

TWO VERSIONS: The first version, with "(Unvoiced)" in its title has no voice acting for those that prefer to just read. The second version, with "Voice Acted" in the title has all the dialogue fully voice acted!

Development log

View all posts

Comments

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(+1)

I loved the voices and the story! Short but a detailed story and I quite loved it. My favourite part was the voices of the villians, really gave them the vibes of evil!

I'm playing on mac and i've tried downloading all versions of the game but it always say that i 'don't have permission to open the application'. How can i fix it?

(1 edit)

Hi! I do not have a mac, but my friend does and when we made a game together she put instructions on how to run on mac, so it should apply here too. So with the Mac version; "For Mac users, you might need to go to system preferences and allow the app to run." I hope this helps!

(1 edit) (+1)

I've just started this, finally, but am loving it. I did want to let you guys know on the well, Noah close up/reflecting bullets thing, though...?
You gave him 2 left hands. >w>Still, loving this so far, the VAing is pretty great overall, esp for an indie but even if not it's good. <3 I am loving it.
*ETA* Well 100%ed it and I squealed a few times when I'd called/realized stuff. Also went past the 3 endings to.. y'know.
I like it, I sip it. xD But nah, it's great and everyone rocked.
Mad props to you all on creating this!

(+1)

So when I looked at the music room, there was one of them that had "???" , on top of "Target - H/MIX" I got endings 1, 2 and 3... is there anyway to find that missing music? I don't really know how I could have missed something hahaha.

By the way...I TOTALLY LOVED THIS GAME!!! I JUST LOVED NOAH AND SORA SO MUCH. The thing that stood out to me the most was the music and the sound design. In all my days of playing visual novels, this is the game that has a 11/10 for sound design, I loved it, even in details such as falling from a tree, windows crashing, remembering something, gosh I liked it so much, and the music fits so well.  I do wish too that we would be able to see more of Noah and Annelise, in their former life and in the new. 

Also, loved the little easter egg with Dark Nights haha. I loved that game too. 

(+1)

I also loved the music that played in every scene, really they fit so well, especially with the tone of the story. The plot twist definitely caught me off guard too, I never would have suspected it from a mile away.

(3 edits)

Hi! I am so pleased you enjoy this game! It was a blast to write. I do hope to write some more material about these characters (especially a prequel) but whether or not I will be able to remains to be seen. I am especially happy you liked the sound design. I went all out with this VN and hunted down as many of the best sounds as I could, which I normally don't do. But sound is important! And happy you liked the music selection as well, I am very particular. 

To unlock that one track, you need to get it on the secret ending. Yes, there is a secret ending. To get it, do the choices in this order: Don't say anything, Tell him about the mysterious figure, Don't say anything, Summon Noah Anyway, Keep Trying. You will get a different variant of Ending 3! (And yes, its name will show up in the end gallery too). 

(+1)

I FOUND THE ENDING HAHAHA and WOOOOOOWWW I LOVED IT TOO. I still love this game even after playing it days after. 

I'm very pleased you enjoyed it! Thank you for playing ^^

im gonna play this game just because a certain someone is voicing in it

WHO WAS I FUCKING TALKING ABOUT, I DONT RECOGNIZE ANY OF THEM

(+2)

I was not expecting this visual novel to be good at all. The story and setting seemed really generic and similar to a lot of romance visual novels. I gave it a chance though, and I'm so happy I did because its concept was unique and the story was written super well. I like how each fight scene added more to the plot during and after each. I don't wont to spoil this visual novel so I really recommend reading it, its nontraditional, witty and put together so beautifully that it'll influence a lasting impression on you.

(+1)

question? I managed to find endings 2 and 3, but how do we get ending 1?

(1 edit) (+4)

Actually, never mind- just figured out how to get ending 1 one and loved it!! Not gonna lie, I really enjoyed this visual novel! I wish we could have gotten to know more about the other world, but maybe in the future in a sequel? I'm happy to say im very satisfied, and now I wish I had a combat butler to be in love with

(+3)

There's just something about a good VN that really sucks me in and grabs a hold of me. This is an example of a good VN! The voice acting is great, the story is really well put-together and the sprinkling of decision-making that you have to make as the main character adds just the right amount of interactivity to proceedings.

Add to that the fact the whole experience is like watching an episode of a cracking anime and this one definitely gets a thumbs up from me! Anyone who wants to dive into a fun, and yet really deep, VN needs to make sure they give this one a go!

Keep up the awesome work TSV =D

(+3)

the concept (a bit cheesy and overdone, but one i am fond of regardless), and my vast experience with otome games(my standards are quite high) had my expectations for this one rather low, but i was pretty pleasantly surprised! i enjoyed it, got a good ending on my first try.... not bad, not bad at all. glad i gave it a  shot, and am interested in seeing more!

(+1)

Kokoro, you are an AMAZING project leader and game developer! You put the game together so well, I can see myself playing it again and again in the future ( and that's coming from someone with a high standard for VNs! Be proud! >w^)b )! I'm so attached to the characters, damn! The story is just that good! I demand a sequel to Ending 1!! xDD

Aside from the things I told you already, I have no complaints~ Fantastic job! >w<)/

But for the voices, I'll say it again; they're all fabulous! They truly brought the characters to life! I'm seriously amazed! My fave is Annelise's, for sure! Trina Deuhart~ bravo! >w<)/ *claps claps*

And~ I've collected all the CGs and endings, woohoo! I can't say much cuz SPOILER! But yes, the endings are executed awesomely ^w^)b I'm not sure which one I like more, Ending 1 or 2? I have a soft spot for Sora, but... I like CG 3 best and it's not in his route, so I AM TORN :'D

As for the CGs~ Some... some could be better ;w; They were a learning experience for me, that's for sure~ Oh for anyone wondering, yes, I'm the CG artist of this game and I wholly encourage you to play it! It's awesome~ >w^)b Anyways, overall~ I'm really proud of the work I do for this game. Fanboying over your own work showing up and nodding at them proudly should be a good indicator, right? xDDD 

Thank you so much once again for the wonderful opportunity, Kokoro! I'm genuinely proud to be a part of the team making this amazing game! I sincerely hope we can work together again in the future~ with a much better, improved version of me! Hehhe~ never hesitate to hit me up! Cheers ^w^)/

(1 edit) (+1)

It was a pleasure working with you! I'm pleased you liked the final result! Even more pleased you find it replayable--it is my hope in all games I make that they are replayable, like watching a favorite movie!

(+1)

It's replayable, for sure! ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿปโค๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿป๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿป

(+2)

Thank you for making this visual novel. I like stories with butler main characters, and this did not disappoint. I laughed a few times at the jokes you wrote. The voice acting added to the characters, and the main menu's music is really high-energy. The edited OP and ED videos were also a nice touch. 

I've saved VOD recordings of my playthrough on Twitch: Part 1 | Part 2

(+1)

Very pleased you enjoyed it, and thank you for the streams~

(+3)

Really impressed with the size and scope of this as a NaNo game! 

Just played through with a couple of friends on stream and had a great time.

We really liked how you played with tropes to create a story that was unique but fit into the genre and didn't take itself too seriously. 

Overall really enjoyed this! :) 

Pleased you enjoyed it! ^^

(+2)

I got ending 2! It felt like a really well tied up ending, so I'm interested to see what the others are like. 

All the voice acting was great! I particularly liked Jason's VA. I was sad to see he wasn't datable in one of your updates, because he looked to be my type... well now I see why he isn't xD

Something about this game just feels super nostalgic! I don't know if it's the aspect ratio, or the gui/art style, or a combo of everything, but it feels like a game I would have played (and been obsessed with) as a teenager.

Congrats on finishing NaNo! 

(+2)

Ahh thank you so much for playing! I am happy you liked Ending 2, it's personally my favorite ending, and hope you enjoy the others too!

It pleases me you liked the voice acting. Haha Jason's VA would be thrilled to know that! Hahaha, yeah, many hearts were broken upon learning Jason is datable, but yup, you know why xD

I'm glad it brings a feeling of nostalgia. I personally do have a fondness for 4:3 in a way since it feels really classic. I went with this for 2 reasons; biggest reason was some of the assets I were using worked best in a 4:3 format, and second, as I mentioned I have a fondness for 4:3 due to its really classic feel! 

Thanks again for playing it ^^

(+2)

Oooooh, it looks so fun and cute, I will try it right away !

I hope you will enjoy it ^^

(+2)

I really love this game, especially the fight scenes! They're done really well. The voice acting was splendid and it really fits the characters too. I didn't expect the ending at all! Gotta love the plot twist!

(1 edit) (+1)

Thank you!! I felt really proud of the fight scenes. I did my best to keep them interesting. Glad you liked the voices, and that the ending was not expected! ^^

(2 edits) (+2)

First, congrats for the release!

I enjoyed the game! :D The voice acting is amazing as always, you could say that it was the thing that drives me towards playing it. Since you are using pre-made art so I won't comment much of them, I have to say that the changing styles bothers me a bit but I got used to it. 

FIGHTS DO END FAST! XDDDD

That twist with Noah I was surprised, it was a welcome one! I wished Annelise had cared about him more, though. It seemed like she's just 'OH, OK' when he is injured and is less concerned about him like he was to her. JASON on the other hand, I saw that coming but it was a good feeling when I saw it confirmed.

I also like Lilian a lot, because MOSTLY her voice as well, but man she is awesome XD Too bad she disappeared fast, but Lilian you shall be remembered.

This NaNo seems to be an amazing entry! I can see a lot of heart and hard work is put out into this, and it shows. Congratulations again!


>> you are not a doppelganger, are you?

OMG A REFERENCE TO ZHUANG IS WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY.

But thanks for the reference XD It was a nice little touch

(2 edits)

I am pleased you really enjoyed the game!! Did you get all the endings? And even if you did you might have missed one hehe ;)

Glad you liked the voice acting!

Hehehe yup, very quick encounters! I've always wanted to do something more action-y, but since I chose a jam to try it, I had to do a battles end quickly concept to make it doable lol.

Very happy you liked the little twists! Ann does really care about Noah when he is injured (especially since she feels to blame for him getting hurt in the first place), but perhaps I didn't write it as well as I thought haha. Something I shall keep in mind for the future!

Ah yes Lillian! I wish we could've spent time with her more too. Actually you probably will... I am planning to write a Kinetic prequel for the Summer Novel Festival! Can't promise if it'll have any voicing--it's up to my team if they're available, buuut, I'll finally be able to cover content I had to cut that I wanted to have flashbacks of or explain about, but couldn't. One of those things is the tale of Devin & Lillian!

Thank you for all your kind words and feedback! It really means a lot to me to know what you enjoyed and maybe not enjoyed as much! 

... also I could not resist referencing Zhuang. It had to be done! Hehe. 

Ah yeah, I got the fourth bad ending! (My favorite one was ending 1) And yes, your team has done a splendid job with the voice acting.

Battles were always my weakness, haha, and since there are a lot of battles in Fantasia  I have to write that.

She did care about Noah, but she didn't seem to rush in trying to heal him and just accept that he is a badass. Maybe it's just me so don't worry too much about it! Can't wait for the Lilian side story! 

(1 edit)

I am pleased you liked Ending 1!

Good luck with the battles in Fantasia! I do look forward to reading them still ^^

Haha alright then. I will say Ann did try, but Noah wouldn't really let her due to his fears xD

I plan to start writing in May (since SuNoFes you can start whenever you want lol) so hope you will enjoy the Lillian side story! Her encounter was my favorite to write!

(1 edit) (+2)

You can actually set the default volume in the code to make it easier. I found some code here; it's old but worked when I tested it. Paste the following at the start of the script.rpy file (make sure to preserve indents):

label splashscreen:
    python:
        if not persistent.set_volumes:
            persistent.set_volumes = True
        
            _preferences.volumes['music'] *= .45
            _preferences.volumes['sfx'] *= .67
return
(1 edit)

Ah thank you!!! I'll consider this in an update with some testing~ I'm gonna wait a bit though to hear if there's any issues with the game, so I can compile all needed fixes in one go for an update ^^