#2: Oct 9th 2018 at 10:40:20 AM
In response to beta-tester feedback, the developers have reworded their description somewhat.
To quote their blog post (emphasis theirs):
Hero routes are now being called “stories.” E.g. “Beckett’s Story,” “Halt’s Story.” In short, this is because the routes are exactly that: the stories of and behind the characters.
Heroes are no longer referred to as romanceable. There’s quite a bit of romance, but the term “romanceable” carries certain expectations that doesn’t quite match up with what Zodiac Axis is going for, like player agency, a multi-canon approach, and more.
I’ve clarified on our demo platforms that the game offers four branching routes, which unlock one true path.
Speaking for myself, the game actually sounds more intriguing to me now! ^_^
Edited by ArsThaumaturgis on Oct 9th 2018 at 7:40:07 PM
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#3: May 24th 2019 at 6:36:49 PM
The second main route (if I'm not much mistaken), Leaf's route, is now available to beta-access players!
https://twitter.com/studiotheoph/status/1131419025190211584
Total posts: 3
This is a western visual novel that I discovered via Twitter.
Trope page: Zodiac Axis
There's a demo available, and having played it, I'm enthused about this game.
I found the setting and backstory (which draw from the Chinese zodiac, I believe) to be rather interesting, and the characters engaging and amusing. (I particularly liked the portrayal of a particular character, who initially comes off as potentially antagonistic, but is later shown in a rather different light. Of course, I don't know how things may play out beyond the demo's limits...)
Each of the main romancable characters seems to get a nicely dramatic (and occasionally ominous) introductory screen. Specifically, this screen indicates the Zodiac animal with which they are associated, and gives a brief list of presumably-foreshadowing traits—positive and negative—associated with that animal.
Mechanically, I like that the game presents choices relatively frequently.
One thing that I found quite neat was the use of chains of standard visual-novel choices to produce an "article-writing" mechanic:
Every so often, the protagonist is required to write an article for the tabloid website for which she works. When this happens, the player is shown a view of the character's word-processor, where the article takes form piece by piece.
And at several points throughout the article, the player is given a choice of how to report a specific incident or piece of information—in particular, to what degree she sensationalises it, or sticks to the facts.
Once the article is posted, you then get to hear how it was received by the magazine's readership.
Edited by ArsThaumaturgis on Sep 4th 2018 at 3:14:13 PM
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