Sins of Night Preview: Release 1 Cast!

Sins of Night’s first release is rapidly approaching! I did say I wanted it out for Halloween, but unfortunately I just wasn’t able to get everything completed in time. I’ll talk more about when to expect it towards the end of this post.

For now, and long overdue, I thought I’d share with you the main cast you’ll meet in the first release. I do have a whole bunch more planned, but this should serve as an overview for those coming soon.

A brief synopsis

Sins of Night takes place in a contemporary setting, but with a paranormal/supernatural twist. A world in which vampires, demons, and all manner of dark creatures exist. Forgotten by, or hidden from the human populace.

You’ll take on the role of someone who has the veil lifted. Journeying through the new world as a freshly turned vampire. Combating the dangers, and indulging in new pleasures. Above all, just trying to survive.

The Main Character (you?)

In this game, I’m hoping to have the MC act as more of a “real” character rather than just a pov. Give him a real arc and development. You’ll take control of this journey on the very night he is turned.

Being thrown into a whole new side of the world, expect him to be quite ignorant and uncertain in his early nights. But over time, you’ll have plenty of chances to mould him into someone to be respected, or feared.

Aside from interacting with the other characters, the MC will have his own set of content. In release 1, this consists of getting a new job. Even a vampire has to pay rent! But in the future expect a whole bunch more ways to progress your character. New jobs, skills, quests and (mostly optional) combat.

Hugh

One of the very first NPCs you’ll meet.

Without going into too much detail, Hugh is going to be playing a huge role in your new life. Over the course of the main story, it’ll be up to you to set the course of your relationship.

You may find your interests do not always align, and his “methods” questionable at best. Regardless of opinion, you’re stuck with him, bonded in a way that may be a curse or boon.

For release 1, his appearance is entirely based in the story. But as I’m able to expand the sandbox elements of the game, you’ll be able to interact with him in a less restricted manner. Something I intend to do with as many characters as possible.

A Note about the MC & Hugh

Now there’s one thing I have to acknowledge about these two. Given it’s an adult game, I (regrettably…)  didn’t put nearly as much effort into customising the appearance of these two dudes as I should have. Unfortunately I’m in too deep to really do much about it now (I’d have to go back and redo a tonne of renders if I changed them).

So if they look a little familiar, you aren’t going crazy. It’s a mistake I’ll try to avoid going forward. Rest assured, I put a lot more work into the girls ;)

Kate

One you’ve (hopefully) already seen, but I’ll just give you another shot.

Again, someone you are going to meet right away, a fact she’s not exactly thrilled about. But over time you should be able to break through that shell.

Kate’s progression as a romantic interest is going be heavily tied into the main story. Most of those that don’t live with the MC will work that way in fact. You’ll eventually be able to forge a loving or corrupted relationship of course, but you’ll have to establish yourself before you have that kind of influence.

A true “main” (best) girl. Expect this one to get as much content as I can reasonably manage. Even if it takes a while for us to get there.

Matron Valeria

The de facto ruler of the local vampire community.

She’ll also serve as your employer early on. Despite that, she’ll spare you little attention in Release 1. However, things should heat up very quickly as the game progresses, for better or worse.

Though an important figure in the world, romantically she’s more of a side girl. Hence the aforementioned rapid progression. She’s not going to be shy in subjecting you to her “preferences”.

Vampires and Humans

So those four consist of the main vampire cast you’ll meet in the first release. Of course there’s more to come, both to serve as regular NPCs and as romantic interests.

But we can’t forget about the humans! Being transformed brings with it a multitude of new advantages and strange temptations. The existence of the supernatural is a strict secret, so you’re going to have to get creative when it comes to your old human ties.

Evelyn [Renamable]

Again I did a preview of this one already, but here’s another shot of the (old…) head of the MC’s household.

Naturally, it’s unbecoming of a vampire to be subservient to a human. Even one as domineering as Evelyn. It’ll take a lot of work, but you’ll be asserting yourself into a more equitable relationship, or outright taking over completely, depending on your route!

Evelyn’s first content stage makes up the majority of the sandbox content in Release 1. It’s all very similar to L&V in that respect. Do events, progress the stats, unlock the story!

One thing that’s making a fresh return is the ability to interact with the world in ways that can affect the content. It’s mostly small things, but something I want to do more with in the future. Peer into Evelyn’s secret thoughts, or just find lecherous ways for a cheap thrill, hopefully you’ll be encouraged to explore a little.

One thing that I’ve had to cut for release 1 was the start of her NTR content. But I’ll be looking to address that right away, so hopefully that side of things should have some representation soon afterwards.

Harley [Renamable]

The younger member of the MC’s household. Again I already did a preview, but have some more anyway.

Harley is another that will fall under your “protection”. Still in the early stages of being a young adult, you’re going to have plenty of opportunities to guide her.

Harley will be my first priority after release 1, so expect release 2 to be focused around her first content stage. I don’t want to get too ahead of myself, but I felt I had to make my intentions clear since I originally wanted her content stage to be in release 1 alongside Evelyn’s. For now, she makes some short appearances in the story.

House… humans?

So those are the two main human romantic interests. Given that both are immediately accessible to the MC, you can expect me to take full advantage of that freedom, while others might have more initial linearity to their progression before opening up.

Now some real talk. I do have to be honest, I think it’s going to take a fairly long time to make their full content available. My current plan is each will have about ~3 content stages (about the same as a L&V character). So that’s multiple sets of sandbox events, upwards of a dozen story events, and any other extras I add in spite of good sense. It’s a lot to do, and I have a number of other characters to introduce as well.

I only say this so you know what to expect. I don’t want to blueball you all with long waits between these characters getting updated. But it’s probably going to be unavoidable without the game becoming weirdly lopsided. I’d like to tie the characters into the MC’s long term overall progression, and also get some practice in with some of the side girls so that the good stuff is as good as it can be when it finally comes about ;)

A bonus character – Grace [Renamable]

Another human, the MC’s best friend.

Now I say this is a bonus, because she only makes a tiny appearance in Release 1 (this is the only render in fact). I’m still working out the details of this character, but the current idea is she’ll serve as a connection to the MC’s human days, and a frame work for bringing all the humans together for some shenanigans. Also because I needed to shoehorn in a tomboy… just because.

That’s not to say you won’t be able to romance her. But it’ll probably be on a smaller scale than the main girls. Given the setting, I figure it will be good to have something a bit more grounded to serve as a break between all the death and depravity.

Release 1: What’s left to do

Since the last preview, I’ve largely been focused on MC oriented content. Chiefly a main story event and all the extras that it demanded. I’ve been devoting a fair amount of time to customising various pre-made environments so they are a little more unique. Time consuming, but it’s something I hope will make this game stand out from the crowd a little.

On top of that, I’ve been pivoting more into implementing the renpy side of things. Given this is a sandbox, I have a substantial amount of UI work to do. Quest log, map, character profiles… It all adds up! I’m trying to streamline the sandbox as much as possible, to avoid the dreaded need to click a thousand times to get anywhere. I have a nifty “hub” screen of sort that will lay out a lot of the options in one place, quite similar to Atonia and Fiona’s sandbox content in L&V.

Once the UI and main game code is finished, all that will be left is the main sex scene for Release 1. I didn’t want to do some throw away “hook” scene, so I’ve got an idea that will hopefully feel substantial without compromising the pacing of the main cast. Should also serve as a nice showcase for what to expect in the future.

So… when???

When it’s ready! Really it drives me nuts that it’s not done. But realistically I’m thinking I need about a month to get things into a nice place. I could cut down the time by compromising on some of those UI elements I talked about, but it makes a lot more sense to get as much of that done pre release. A solid foundation should hopefully mean all the more time for ~content~ post release.

So yeah, that’s the story. Maybe pre release I’ll put out some screenshots of the UI and such. This project was only possible because of your support, so thank you! I hope you’ll enjoy it once it’s finally available.