Hello, everyone, and welcome … to the first episode of CGS presents: High School Heroes!
Everything you’ll see below is original art from High School Heroes, a new indie visual novel under development at Chainbreaker Game Studios. To share some of the game’s amazing anime-style art in a positive community, I chose Steemit as the platform for the world premiere reveal.
That’s right — this is the very first look at a project that no one outside the dev team has seen. Your support is deeply appreciated, so please let us know what you think. Help shine a spotlight on the indie visual novel scene!
And now, to kick things off, allow me to introduce one of the main characters of High School Heroes:
Jennifer Rogers - an earnest girl with a hidden past
“Hey, y’all. How’s everyone today?”
Jen was born in the American south, but due to her father’s … special occupation, the entire family was always traveling. As a consequence of that perpetually unsettled existence, Jen was often left with nowhere to truly call “home”— a loneliness she became quite skilled at suppressing.
After a tragic event took thousands of lives, including those of Jen’s parents, Jen endured some serious hardships. But the experience of growing up on the move helped keep her strong. Always persevering, she eventually landed on campus at a unique west coast high school: Eastvale Academy.
In her daily life at Eastvale, Jen’s a member of the student council. She pushes herself hard, staying busy in an attempt to keep her mind from wandering back to the difficult days behind her. Often, it works.
Not often enough, maybe. But she’s getting there.
Her secret goal is to make friends, as a way of compensating for all the ones she couldn’t make before. It’s slow going. But no way is she giving up.
She’s got a playful side
“Race ya ‘round the park. But just so ya know, I don’t hold back!”
Jen’s favorite hobby is running. She’s been doing it for as long as she can remember, thanks to the influence of her late mother, a world class marathoner. When things get tough, nothing’s better than a hard run to clear the mind.
Jen’s lifelong training and natural physical prowess mean that if she somehow talks you into a race, it often ends with her running actual circles around you.
And no, she’s not sorry.
Did I mention she’s a hero?
“Don’t make me do this…”
Jen thinks of herself as a normal girl, and tries with all her might to act like one. If you didn’t know her, you might even be fooled.
But Eastvale isn’t a normal school. It’s a Hero Association academy, and the Association has changed since the days when Jen traveled freely with her father. Thanks to the Hero Control Act, Eastvale and its sister academies are now government institutes; secure facilities that all children carrying the hero gene are required by law to attend.
The curriculum is heroism. The training is trial by fire. And the academies, along with the Hero Association itself, have come to embody survival of the fittest in the literal sense: the unfit may not survive.
Yet even at Eastvale, and despite all her attempts to blend in, Jen stands out. She is the daughter of Will Rogers, after all — Iron Will Rogers, earth’s former greatest hero. Jen has a special power … and a hero name of her own to uphold.
Jen Paladin Rogers.
Practicing … to save the world
“Hey, come on now. It ain’t that big a deal…”
Unlike some of the other student heroes, Jen isn’t eager to leap into battle. She prefers to avoid conflict when possible, and hates to see others hurt.
But even after what happened to her parents — or maybe, because of what happened — in hidden places where no one can see, Jen is constantly training both body and mind. Perfecting her mastery of the martial arts she learned at the knee of Iron Will. Preparing, in case the day ever comes.
The day when she’ll finally have to fight with all her strength.
That’s all for today!
I hope you enjoyed Jen’s introduction as much as she and I did. It ended too fast! But other inhabitants of the High School Heroes universe will be making their own appearances soon, and Jen may be back for more as well…
What are visual novels, anyway?
As mentioned, every piece of art you’ve just seen is from High School Heroes, an original visual novel in development at Chainbreaker Game Studios, my indie game company. If you don’t know what visual novels are, but are finding yourself interested after seeing this, that’s exactly our intention!
Visual novels are popular in Japan, but are a relatively new medium in the west. They’re like a hybrid of a novel and a movie, or a sort of digital comic book; the focus is on story and text, with every scene taking place against a backdrop of art. Most projects include sound effects, music, and minor animations, and some even have voice work. Often, there’s an element of user agency in the story, where making different choices in the game results in different outcomes.
Cool – where can I get one?
Visual novels are generally available on platforms that distribute games — platforms like Steam for example. Search for the “visual novel” tag and you’ll find hundreds of listings.
I want to know more!
There are a ton of great resources on the web for learning about visual novels. Places like Fuwanovel and Lemma Soft are working hard to popularize visual novels in the west. Check them out, join the community, and discover a whole world of interactive fiction with a narrative and artistic focus.
Of course, if you want to be the first to know more about High School Heroes in particular … follow along in the coming days as I post more details!
And with one last word from both Jen and myself:
Nice! She sounds like a promising character. The description is very well written. The only thing I would say is to be careful of not saying too much, and showing more. For instance with "Did I mention she's a hero?" and the illustration shows she can use fire, but it's not said literally in the text. That's the best part. It's telling, it's interesting, and I'm intrigued!
I hope it helps at all! I'm looking forward to more, cheers :)