Samurai of Hyuga has been released! Check out it’s page here!
At the risk of getting introspective, I want to go into why I created SoH in the first place. My main hope and goal is that it feels unlike any interactive story you’ve played before. I want it to hit you deeper and touch depths nothing in this genre has quite been able to reach. I threw out a few conventions and put in some of my own, and this is the result.
Inspiration? Rurouni Kenshin, Samurai Champloo, Afro Samurai! Hell, even Ninja Scroll deserves a mention. I wanted to create something of a tribute to the too-cool-for-school samurai that occupied my after-school days growing up. I wanted to give a feeling of power and badassness to the player at a personal level, one beyond what awkward choose-your-own-adventure games had done before. “You” became “I”, as I forced the reader inside the mind of the toughest ronin around.
Complex, worldly, pragmatic. Rough around the edges—both inside and out. How will this type of character react to a good-natured person? Will a ronin let down his/her guard, or sharpen it? And what if the ronin’s job was to keep that person alive, in a world filled with evils both of the supernatural and human kind? And what if that corruption was eating at the ronin’s mind? What then?
Well, hours of oriental-flavored epicness is what you get! I sincerely hope you enjoy the story, and that you stick around the website for blog posts and updates on the next!
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I feel like a lot of choose-your-own-adventure games have a “right” path you have to go down, where mistakes and character flaws only lead to a bad end without much chance of recovery. I didn’t get that feeling with this one. Quite the contrary, this story takes a flawed character and develops them in a way that feels natural and interesting. For a change, it feels like who the MC is actually matters, and that’s so much better than the standard empty fill-in role so many CYOA stories go for. The character is forged by the player but is not hollow. It’s a breath of fresh air and I eagerly await the story’s continuation.
I really loved this game. The best game of choice à played. Write it with the first person instead of a “you” was really a great idea. I really loved my character (Yuko) who was a real character of this world. Not just the MC who save the day but a woman (I prefer) who try to survive in this cruel world.
Even play as a good person is really interesting. The MC was a murderer, not necesseraly an evil one, but she or he killed for money in order to survive. And to actually care about someone else, to put her live in risk for the sake of a kid, to try to save a life instead of take one… she doesn’t understand.
We can play a real good person, but because of her past, she doesn’t like it. It dangerous if she want to stay alive.
Trying to be a better person is really interesting and I can’t wait to continue this adventure.
It’s not just for the story, like most of the other choice of game, but because of the MC and her (or his) evolution.
The story is great so far, the univers well writing, mature and realist, but it is the MC who is truly the most better part of this game.
Thank you for this first part.
PS: the ost of cloud atlas is good with this game.
i have to say that this is the best interactive novel I have ever played. I usually never pay for games but because of the game’s plot and characters, I literally booked it to the nearest store after playing the demo. Not only is the plot engaging but each character has such an intricate personality it’s unbelievable. I really hope that SoH volume 2 is already in the works and will blow us away!
First game I bought ! ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. Like Shiori, I hope for updates on that Book 2 😀
(but I really didn’t want to kill that koi D: , an accident could have happened tho LOL Gill-san was my sensei’s name )
I absolutely loved this game. I almost wish I didn’t buy it when I did, because waiting for updates is going to be so hard. Here are some of the things I liked in the game:
– Great plot
– Memorable characters that work with tropes without falling into tired cliches
– The player’s choices having an impact on how the main character acts, despite the MC already having his own personality to a degree.
– Very interesting and original use of character stats and how they affect the game
My only complaint is that there doesn’t seem to be a way to save everything you’ve done after finishing book one, which means when the next books come out, I’ll have to reply everything. However, since the game is so good, it’s not like replaying the game will be a chore when future books do come out. Still, it would be nice to be able to have multiple save files.
I can’t wait for the rest of this story. I’ll be checking in for more updates.
Thank you. This was the Greatest interactive Story I have ever read. It touched me in a way that I thought only a award winning novel could do. It brought me to the edge of tears. I thank you again. I can’t wait for it’s sequel…
I loved playing the game. I found it very amusing how I got the one who I was protecting killed at the end xD
Damn you cute red panda, being all cute and fluffy and stuff, damn you! xD I only picked it because it was a red panda I actually didn’t connect the dots till my character did xD
[Spoiler below]
I really can’t wait for the next part to come out, I must know more of this Wolf that I apparently once loved. Thanks for throwing that at me xD
Game: Oh hay you just started the game here’s a crazy ex-boyfriend, have fun…
Me: Wait what?! O.O
Game: Oh yeah by the way you dated like so long ago and stuff he’s like so crazy about you… so yeah, good luck 😀
Me: BAKA! >..> Really?
Game: The end hope you had fun! 😀 *leaves*
Me:……..What….?
xD I felt like that Koi fish at first, I was beaten and confused. xD
The one thing that has driven me up the wall though is the “sword that cuts the heavens” thing where did you get this? Did you just make it up? If so you my good man are a genius, because you are driving me insane when I’m trying to find out where its from xD
Anyway, good game. Can’t wait for the rest. Keep up the good job 😀
this is definitely one of the best cyoa games i’ve ever played! i love how each stat can contribute to forming the reader’s character and how the reader can manipulate these stats with the choices given, and how that can impact the progression of the story as well as the main character’s interactions with the other characters; it gives more meaning to the choices than just a simple increase in some number.
the casual and humorous narration really drew me in, just like in Fatehaven (really enjoyed that one as well! though i suppose i love Samurai of Hyuga a little bit more because it’s longer and more epic :3) i really like how the plot is going, with more focus on the adventure than romance, it makes me focus more on the story for the story itself and not just how i can snatch the heart of a potential love interest. that’s not to say i don’t enjoy making other characters fall madly in love with me (which i admit is my main goal when playing most of these cyoa games which involve romance lol), but playing a game where u don’t have to rush and make painfully obvious choices that will get u into someone’s pants (or forgo the choice and get the “forever alone” ending) is a very refreshing and welcomed change. the development of the relationships between characters seem more real and more well-paced, and very fitting for this story’s setting. the main character is a hardcore ronin after all, it’s gonna take more than just a few clicks and flirting to really make them fall in love with someone while making the relationship seem believable. i’m sure it’s gonna feel a heck of a lot more rewarding when my character finally gets together with that special someone.
speaking of which, i wonder how things will work out if masashi, that adorable chibi shugensha, were that “special someone”. hmm, i really look forward to how u will write this…if what is about to happen at the end of book 1 doesn’t really happen…man, that’s one cruel cliffhanger TAT and it’s a very effective cliffhanger. i’m dying to know how the plot and relationships will develop and how this spirit-hunting quest will unfold. i am eagerly waiting for the next installment!!
p.s. how many books do u plan to write for this series?? (i shall buy them all!)
Absolutely adored this game, can’t wait for sequel. I do hope you’ll release it, right?! No way it’s going to be one game, you left cliffhanger and everything.
Well damn. This story got me completely hooked and left me with that mildly hollow feeling I normally only get after finishing a good anime/manga. Best CYOA game I’ve played to date. I’m going to wait with bated breath for the next book lol, because that. Was. Just. Awesome. I’ll admit it’s actually better than a lot of novels I’ve read xD you’ve got talent as an author.
The plot is great, btw, loving the tropes, loving the characters, loving the setting, just love everything. Hell, I even love the *spoiler* crazy-f**king-yandere psychopath I have for an ex lol (made more interesting because yaoi. Thank you for that option *^*)
I’ll just mention that the cliffhanger destroyed me, my poor friend ;-;
I’ll be destroyed if you end up dropping this, so here’s hoping the inspiration doesn’t stop and you continue making however many books this’ll end up being.
10/10 perfect balance of badassery, characters, action, and not in-your-face romance.
PS- love the way your choices seem to actually shape the main character as a whole, as opposed to the usual somewhat personality-less characters you find in these games. Love it
I loved this CYOA. Ive played a few and this is my favourite so far. It was the only one where I actually screamed at the ending where it said about book two. Nooooo. I need to know what happened.
I hope you don’t drop this, and that you do continue on to a second one. I need to know what happens!
I love it.
Mr. Devon. You. Have. To. Make. Book. Two. THIS GAME WAS FREAKING AMAZING. Like woaaaah. 🙁 So sad it was left on a cliffhanger. I want to know what happens next!! 😀
I finished this first book yesterday. I’m disappointed.
First five chapter in the trailer version had geat momentum, was overwhelming. Calloused personality of our own antihero, promising signs of a future romance, complexity of the situation of being a cruel murderer and bodygard of an unmature kid. Than nothing but shallow. The whole story became an adolescent anime clisché, with tentacle monsters, big bad soldiers beating poor old women injustice, tongue darting/whining stupid boys and such. I played a heroine (since I’m a woman) and waited for the evolution of ANY romance (I’m an unashamed big girl), but hey, you forgot masculinize our noncombatant ninja (wich is ridiculous and boring by itself) so he just blushes sometimes like a virgin bride. Frustrating.
We are in the feudalistic Japan (one of my favorite scene), in its cities and country region also, and what are we doing? Chatting. Having dialogue with undeveloped characters. “Hey, can I speak with you?”; “Oh, XY want to talk to you”. I sighed every time I read these opening sentences.
You’re a veteran ronin, cruel, tough and cynic, and everybody else talks to you with kindness, intimacy and disrespect. Way no authentic. I’m sorry, I expected more, players praise these games, have good critics. Your blog posts refer an intelligent, sophisticated, experienced writer. Sytax you use is brilliant, I admire the beauty of your language from your high level text structure.
Sorry for the tough words, but I expected something more mature from you, with your quality.
Sorry that you are disappointed, Stella. I wasn’t aware that the first five chapters could present such a different impression than the remainder of the book. If you could tell me of any interactive or non-interactive stories that held your interest throughout, I’d appreciate it.
Thank you for your response.
There are two series of “fantasy” novels I read with pleasure, amazed, obsessed. One from the men’s section, namely Dan Abnett’s Gaunt’s Ghosts series, which is a WH40k story, gory war with every kind of fight, heroism, betrayal and, drama and hunky, adorable males. And one from the ladie’s section, Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series of erotic fantasy novels, with its own naivety and silly picture of the romantic female world order, but still gives the thrill of a good action, fantasy or erotic novel.
These twenty-something books “held my interest throughout”.
From the interactive area, the text adventure called “Magium” was memorable, but left some emptiness behind, since I didn’t read the second book.
My apologies for my rough post. I have a quick and bad temper. I’d like the thought of writing a text rpg, but lack of enough fantasy and commitment. You’d have an immesurable amount of work in these stories.