Reanimation Scheme (DEMO)
A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, and Linux
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When a disillusioned, tired anti-hero discovers with dismay that she's been forced into the role of heroine to save the day... well, at least one thing is for sure: neither she nor the world will be the same at the end of it all.
As a necromancer, Raenelle Talisko's job is to reanimate the corpses of the recently deceased to help them fulfill their last wishes. Between the never-ending workload and the myriad of angry or distraught spirits she has to deal with, Raenelle longs for a vacation — and more importantly, a transfer to a different position.
As though the Twelve Deities have heard Raenelle’s prayers, all the spirits somehow vanish overnight, giving her the break she’s been asking for. That is until Raenelle is summoned to the Headquarters of the Imperial Necromancy Authority along with all death mages, tasked with resolving this crisis that has thrown the kingdom into panic.
Unfortunately, there is no time for Raenelle to rest — not when she finds herself becoming increasingly entangled in the mystery of the missing spirits, discovering much more than she asked for.
Content Warning: This game may include content or themes that may not be suitable for all ages, such as mild swearing, suggestive content, death, alcohol, blood and violence. Player discretion is advised.
- Pursue and fall in love with 5 interesting characters, each with their unique route
- Experience a branching narrative that totals at an estimate of 500,000 words
- Discover your fate among the 20 possible endings
- Escape to a rich fantasy world full of magic — and secrets — illustrated by 35 detailed backgrounds
- Meet over 15 supporting characters who will play a role in your journey, each with their own sprite
- Enjoy key romantic moments with around 25 beautifully drawn CGs
- Hear the cast of 6 main characters come to life, partially voiced by a team of talented voice actors
- Immerse yourself in the atmosphere, enhanced by an original soundtrack of over 20 background music tracks
- Conclude your adventure with 6 moving character theme songs with vocals
* The above list is the features of the full game. The current demo will only include a portion of these features.
* Please note that the assets of this demo may not be final.
Download
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Development log
- Beta Phase + Q3 Full Release12 days ago
- Aldrias' Route Beta + Demo Update 3.0Jun 11, 2022
- Demo Update 2.0 - New Art, Scenes, Music...etc.Jul 03, 2020
- Kickstarter Campaign Now Live!Oct 04, 2019
Comments
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Played this demo a while ago during a Steam NEXT Fest and really enjoyed it. Still thinking about it and looking forward to it. The art is lovely and the worldbuilding is compelling. One of my favorite little things about this game is how the protagonist seems to reflect on and rationalize a lot of your major choices after you make them. It feels great to know that the game and I are on the same page about what I'm trying to accomplish. Even in just the scope of the demo, I felt like I had a lot of options to explore and that the world and characters were really responding to me, and I definitely felt the tension of the circumstances.
The art, the music, the characters....I mean, exquisite...!
I can't wait till this comes out. I will buy it for sure.
I kept coming back even though i know it's not out yet just to listen to the trailer song. It's so good!
is this the full game?
It's just a demo
i like the game but could u pls add more badass female characters as love intrests
IM SO EXCITEDDD
When will the full game be released?
Is this full version of the game out yet?
is this game still being developed?
yes they're still developing it! they update their kickstarter fairly frequently if you want updates :)
Found this game on an itch.io collection and downloaded. Blew any expectations I had out of the water! Love it, can't wait for the full game
It's a really nice game, the art is beautiful, the story is intriguing, and some characters already won me over. But I must say, the weakest part of the game for me is the protagonist. I wanted to like her, I really, really wanted. But she simply is boring, do nothing, it feels like if she wasn't there wouldn't make any difference. Because things keep happening and since we don't have much of a choice to intervene when said things happen around her, her natural personality is as interesting as a wall.
I chose a game randomly to install but I really ended up liking it. The story is great and the plot has a lot to offer. I'm curious about what happens next. Also liked the choices you can make and the way they lead you to different stuff xD
Something that jumped to my attention were the phrases like "In the name of Zianna" that were added to Sebastien,Jori and Lyrissa. I suppose they are meant to give the characters more personality and something the reader can tie to them, but at least in the first part, from what I think, they were used too often. It's a fine line, because, since all these characters have them, even tho they are different, it can also make them seem more like one. They tend to repeat those rather often.
For example, if we look at Aldrias, the "sorry' that he says does add more image to his personality. There are indeed people like this, but it felt more natural coming from him. Not saying you have to change what I spoke about, but said I'll leave it here. Some kind of random opinion, i guess :)
Looking forward to the full game ^_^
Playing the demo now and am loving it and the sheer number of side characters and options per choice is so fun! I don't think I've ever played a VN before with more than three or four options per choice!
Also love the casual diversity of characters, especially the cousin and her gf.
sidenote, does our MC have narcolepsy?! i am interested to see how her character grows beyond only sleeping and eating (though I very much relate to that lol)!
The demo was great, with things that I both liked and disliked. The BG music, art style, story and the characters are great. I really liked them all, I think they fit with the story well and are beautifully drawn. I especially love the art, it's crisp and neat and so good.
The only two things I don't like is the MC and her choices. Maybe it's coz it was just the demo but all the MC seems to do is sleep and eat and laze about. She seems a bit ungrateful and spoilt like she wants a promotion but is unwilling to work for it. Maybe this can explained in the full game(some character development and past experiences explained maybe) but for now she seems like a really obnoxious person. I know the developer's went for a realistic, flawed character but she comes off as really annoying. The second thing is that there were very few choices throughout the demo, but on the bright side, there were multiple options for each choice and each of them made a significant difference. I feel like if you add a few more choices, however small their impact on the story be, it'll be more interactive.
All that aside, I really like this game and am looking forward to playing the full game when it comes out.
FYI: I have Catalina V. 10.15+ and was able to play the demo without any issues!
Speaking of the demo! I would've liked a few more choices, I think (Part I (or Ch. 1 or however we're labeling these lol) only had two choices, if I'm remembering correctly). Having so few choices makes it feels more visual novel than game, but the story itself is interesting enough that it mostly kept my attention and when there are choices, the options are pretty plentiful, and it seemed like toward the end of the demo, more choices were coming up, so maybe I and II were just lacking choices because they were "setting the stage" for the rest of the story.
As far as characters go, I have a soft spot for broody characters, so I was surprised to that I actually like Jori most lol. Then again, no character really seems to fit the "broody" category. But back to Jori - His personality reminds me of a puppy in a way. It's endearing. Rae herself is... interesting. Even reading her with the understanding that she's meant to be seen as a flawed character, I find her somewhat frustrating/off-putting at times, and I'm not sure if that'll ultimately end up being a problem for me. But I look forward to seeing how this continues and I really liked the art/animations.
i cannot wait to play the demo!
this looks promising
You should totally play it, the demo itself is already out!
Hehehe!
i will
Wow, okay, so I like all LIs so far, except for the main character. :) I know you tried to make her to be a strong female protagonist, and I can't quite agree with that. She can be lazy, and hate her job all she wants, but I wish she thinks before saying or doing something, and maybe do something on her own instead of let Sebastien handle everything for her? :) She just looks like a stupid spoiled child to me. :) I really really hope that there will be some character development in the official release, if not, well I feel bad for all the LIs to be honest. :)
Edit: forgot to mention, love the art and bgm so much, very detailed and handled with care. <3
Hi! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!
I'm sorry to hear that you didn't like Raenelle, but I'm glad you at least liked the love interests and the art and music! Raenelle is intended to be a realistic, if a bit flawed, character, with reasons and past events that shaped who she is today. She will go through her own character development and overcome her struggles over the course of the story, and I'm hopeful that her arc will be satisfying to those who stay with her till the end.
In any case, thank you for trying the demo anyway!
Show post...
O-M-G LET'S GET MARRIED! Your opinion EXACTLY like mine!!!!
Thank you so much for your interest! I'm happy to hear you enjoyed the demo :) There's no set date yet for the full release, but my current goal is to finish the game by mid-2021. Apologies for the delay, but I'm working as hard as I can to bring the full game to you guys as soon as possible!
Do you have any plans on Steam release when the game is 100% complete?
Hi there! Thanks for your interest in Reanimation Scheme. I'm definitely planning to put the game on Steam when it's complete! I've just opted for Itch.io only for the demo currently, since the process for putting a game on Steam is a lot more complicated.
Yay! That's a great news! Can't wait for the full version on Steam)
Is the demon with the 500,000 words or will that be full vers?
Hi there! Thank you for your interest. The full game will consist of 500k words, but the demo only includes the firs 50k words of the story.
Is the full version gonna be free? :)
Hi! I apologize, but the full version will not be free. The price of the full game has not be finalized yet, but I expect it to be within the US$25 to US$30 range. Thank you again for your interest!
When will the game be released?
i finished playing the demo
againand i honestly like it so much. the art and backroundsand the charactersare honestly so beautiful and you can really tell a lot of effort went into this game. im super interested in the game, and in love with it. i think i've already fallen in love with Kierdan even though he's a complete jerk right now, but i am looking forward to the point where he's only mildly a jerk. im very excited for the full release, great job on the everything so far !Hi! Thank you so much for playing the demo and leaving a comment!
I'm really lucky for sure to have the opportunity to work with such talented artists! I'm sure the artists will be happy to hear your compliment about the art :D
Haha, Kierdan is certainly not making himself very likeable right now, but somehow we can't help but fall for him ;) He'll definitely redeem himself and be less of a jerk in his route, don't worry!
I finished playing the updated demo, and enjoyed it very much! :) I like how each choice branch gives you more time and interaction with a different LI, like a nudge in that direction. ;) I also like there was a sprite for MC's old flame...I find him rather interesting, and it made me laugh how it seemed Sebastien was jealous of him. :D (BTW, is the magic items shopkeeper a potential LI? ;) ) I also like the MC a lot: she's sassy and snarky but without being obnoxious or conceited or full of herself, and I also like how she's honest and worldly and isn't afraid to speak her mind, but also savvy enough to know when to try and push something and when to keep her mouth shut. She's strong and smart and at the same time very real. I'm even more excited for this game now and very much looking forward to when it comes out! <3
Hi there! Thank you so much for playing the demo! :D I'm really glad you enjoyed it!
Magic store shopkeeper isn't a love interest unfortunately. I've found that 5 love interests is already a lot for me to handle as the sole writer, especially since I intend on giving each route around 100k words long of branching narrative, not to mention the costs of the extra art required for another route :( Sorry about any disappointment!
I'm very pleased that you like the MC! She's definitely got a strong character of her own, and I was worried players may not be able to identify with her, so I'm happy to hear she's at least an enjoyable playable character for you! :)
Again, thank you so much, and I'll definitely keep working hard on the game to hopefully bring the full release as soon as possible!
This game is so gorgeous and interesting! The story, characters, art, GUI, soundtrack, and voice acting are all so great! I'm super excited for the full release. Jori is my fave LI so far. (Definitely glad he was able to get a route!) I'm interested in and loving the somewhat off-putting vibes he's giving off.
Hi! Thank you so much for playing the demo! Your compliments mean a lot to me, and I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed the game so far!
Jori has been one of the more controversial LIs, so I'm glad to see him receiving some love from fans like you :D I'm excited to be able to write his route too! Really grateful that the Kickstarter stretch goal for his route was reached.
Again, thank you so much for the support! I'll keep working hard to finish the full game as soon as possible!
The characters are like able all around (except for Wavern who by the end of chapter three I wish I could just say go fuck yourself). The music is lovely the art is well done. I have never had so many good things to say about a demo. The fact that you can make a save point rather than run out of luck and have to run through and remember right before where to stop skipping to save is icing on this all to sweet cake. The demo was long enough for me to be drawn in and groan where as others are too short and leave me with no attachment I will await development though gleefully. I hope staff is fairing well, thank you for the demo be well.
Hi! Thank you so much for the compliments! I'm really happy to hear you enjoyed the demo! :) Haha, I'm sure Raenelle shared your thoughts on Lord Waven, but unfortunately, she had to resist because of his rank.
Funny timing, because I just uploaded a new build for the demo today which adds a lot of new content (especially scenes for Jori and Sebastien, our two new love interests). Apologies for the inconvenience, but you can check out the new demo if you are interested! :D
I hope you're faring well as well in these trying times in the real world out there. Thank you once again for the comment! Take care! :)
Hello there! I am really interested in this game, the art is amazing!
Hi! Thank you so much for your interest! <3 I'm definitely lucky to have such amazing artists working on this project :) I'll keep working hard on the game!
Yay! Thank you so much! :D
i always love visual novel games, and i must say this game is one of my favorite game! even though i only played the demo. i love the characters personality, the flawless art, the beautiful voice acting, and the plot. im really excited and totally looking forward for the full release. keep up the good work!
Hi! Thank you for the high praise! I'm absolutely thrilled to hear you like the game so much. Kind support like this really encourages me to keep going. I'm really lucky to have such a talented team working on the project with me. I'll continue working hard on the game and hopefully won't make you wait too long for the full release!
I love the art, the music, and the voice acting!
Thank you so much! I'm super grateful for my amazing team bringing such quality work to the project. We'll continue working hard on the game!
any updates???
https://twitter.com/WindChimesGames
Check their Twitter.
ah thank you
Hi! Thanks for the comment. As the other commenter kindly replied, you can keep up to date with the game's development on either Twitter (https://twitter.com/WindChimesGames) or Tumblr (https://windchimesgames.tumblr.com/)! I only really post on Itch.io when there's big release updates (e.g. an update to the demo, beta build, full release, etc.) So following the studio on social media is the best bet if you want to follow the development! :)
Thank you so much for your interest!
I've just tried the demo and I must say I was extremely captivated by this game.
The art style is gorgeous, and considering how much I love being able to customize the main character as much as I can, being able to at least partially rename her was a big positive point for me.
The cast is intriguing, even though I have to say my favorite character so far is Sebastian and I really hope you'll be able to implement his own route!
The narrative was simply excellent, and considering the peculiar setting and the necromancy theme all I can add is that the story is captivating from the very beginning.
All considered I'm looking forward for the next updates, keep up the good work and congratulations!
Hi! Thank you for trying the demo! I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed it.
I'll be making a public announcement tomorrow, but I can probably let the news slip slightly in advance here. ;) Sebastien's route will be added after all, so you can look forward to romancing him in the full game in the future!
Thank you so much for the support! I'll keep working hard on the game :)
Tried it! Loved everything about the game: art style, music, plot. It's so good. Can't wait for a full release to happen :3
Hi there! Thank you so much for trying the demo! I'm glad to hear you liked the game. I'll work hard to hopefully bring the full release to everyone within this year! :)
I like the artstyle - beautiful artstyle, well-designed characters, well-drawn sprites, very good backgrounds.
well-written, interesting characters with unique personalities and styles, LyrissA is my favourite so far! And of course Raenelle is cool, too.
I like side characters. They are good source of funny situations.
intersiting lore with magic. and very good plot.
I'm waiting for next chapters
Hi! Thank you so much for the compliments! I'm really happy to hear that you enjoyed the game :) I'll keep working hard on the new chapters!
I am looking forward for the full game! But I am very sorry if I cant support the kickstarter campaign as my parents are strictly funding and handling my account for my college tuition fee.
Hi! Thank you so much for the kind comment :) Don't worry, there's no need to apologize for not being able to pledge to the Kickstarter campaign! I totally understand that not everyone is financially able to, and I really appreciate you checking out Reanimation Scheme! Thank you!
Why was my forum account accepted and then deleted? Disappointing as I am a backer.
Hi there! Thank you for supporting the Kickstarter campaign!
I have actually already sent you an email regarding this issue last night. As stated in the Kickstarter update post containing the link to the backer-exclusive forums for signing up, the forums is only open to backers of tier 6 (Adept Mage, HK$157 / US$20) or above as part of their offered rewards during the Kickstarter campaign. If you believe that there's an error with the Kickstarter records about your pledged tier, please feel free to contact me at contact@windchimesgames.com so I can look into the issue further.
I apologize for any inconvenience or confusion caused. Thank you for your support and your message!
Okay sorry. I didn't notice that and maybe because my eye condition is playing up. I am pleased to support the campaign, I wish I could have done more but time are a little tough. But I am wishing you all the best of luck and I am looking forward to the final piece of work.
Hii me again!
Wanted to ask something else.
If the stretch goals of Jori and Sebastian don't get reached are you planning to try something else to reach them or not?
Cause it would be such a waste if they don't get a route!
Anyway thanks for your hard work on the game i really appreciatie it!
Hi! Thanks for the question and the kind words.
I'm definitely hoping that a miracle happens in the last 3 days of the Kickstarter campaign, and we manage to reach Jori and Sebastien's routes. If not, I'll be considering what to do after the end of the campaign. I'll likely be opening some late pledges (with more limited variety of tiers offered but possibility of pledging via PayPal -- if I can figure out how that works) on my website to see if that can bring the funding up a bit. I'll also consider other possibilities and suggestions I've received so far about how to make Jori and Sebastien happen. Though I can't say anything for certain right now, since I'll have to make my decisions based on how much is raised in total on Kickstarter, which I guess I'll find out in 3 days!
Until then, fingers crossed that the last 3 days of the campaign goes well, and we somehow unlock Jori and/or Sebastien!
Thank you so much for the support!
Just wanted to say that I love the demo so much! Thank you for all the hard work you've put in :) How much do you estimate the full game to be?
Thank you so much for taking the time to play the demo and leaving such a nice compliment! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it :D
If you're asking about the estimated price of the full game upon release, hmm... I think it'll be around 20 to 25 USD. I don't think it'll go past that range, so the max it'll be is likely 24.99 USD. Though you can grab one of the Kickstarter tiers starting at 18 USD right now at the Kickstarter campaign for Reanimation Scheme, and you'll get a key to the full game upon release!
I really did! It's one of my ancticipated releases :) That's a decent price, and I'll definitely snap that up!
Just wanted to comment and say how much I love this game. It's so polished and pretty. It's really clear how much love, care, and effort have gone into this project. <3
Thank you so much! I'm really happy to hear you enjoyed the demo :D I'm very lucky to have such a great team of freelancers working with me on the project. I'll keep working hard to make sure the full game is just as polished! :)
Hi
i have a little problem
my norton security says that there something wrong with the game
what can i do ?
Hi! Thank you very much for your interest in the demo!
Unfortunately, the only way to get past something like that would be to add Reanimation Scheme to the list of exceptions for Norton Security. I'm afraid I've never used Norton so I'm not familiar with how the process would work, but a Google search may shed more light on the exact steps to add a program to the whitelist to allow it through the antivirus.
Thank you again, and I hope you do get the chance to try the demo some time!
Thank you so much !!!!!
I did as you told me and now i can play your game!
So once again thank youu!!
Oh and are Sebastien and Jori dateable?
Not Windchimes here, but they're at least RN Kickstarter stretch goals.
Hey! Thank you so much for trying the demo!
Sebastien and Jori are currently not love interests, but there's a chance they will become romanceable options depending on how much is raised for the Kickstarter campaign! Jori's route will be unlocked at 12.5k USD, while Sebastien's route will be unlocked at 15k USD. I'll make a devlog announcement here after the end of the Kickstarter campaign about whether Jori and/or Sebastien will be added as love interests to keep you all in the loop!
Thank you! :)
Thank you for telling me i really do hope that both of them get a romance route!
ive only played for 36 mins so far but i have to say that this game is amazing. I love the GUI as well as the art. Very detailed and absoultely gorgeous!!!!! Cant wait for a full release!!!
Thank you so much for playing the demo! I'm really happy to hear you like the game! I'm very lucky to have a team of amazing artists working with me on this game for sure :D I'll continue working hard on the full game. I hope you enjoy the rest of the demo!
Need the full game!!!
Amazing game,really ^^
Thank you so much for playing the demo and leaving a compliment! :D I'll keep working hard on the full game for sure and hope to bring it to you guys late next year!
oh my goddd words can't describe how much fun i was having playing this game!!! this game is absolutely beautiful beyond words; i found myself just stopping my playthrough to stare at the game and appreciate not only it's art--but the GUI that you made for this!(i checked my playtime and i spent literally a solid 30 minutes of doing just that instead of reading dialogue. i got it bad) and not to mention, the designs for the characters aren't boring at all! everyone's designs are so indicative of their character from the get go(though i have to admit my fave is sebastien so far) also everyone in this game is such a looker??? my eyeballs just felt so pleased!! when i first looked at this, i was actually quite surprised to find that you're such a small studio! the amount of effort and love you put into this game makes it feel like this made by a much bigger studio/company, it's really quite astounding! from the demo alone, you can really tell that this is--and is going to be a very high quality game!
speaking of the characters, the writing for this game is so well-done! i really found myself immersed in the lore you made for this game, and the worldbuilding you've done for it. the whole concept of necromancers being used for such a purpose is actually quite cool! i'd love to actually read more about it in something like a book? also, not only did you make me so invested in the world of the game, i'm super smitten by the characters?? like throughout the game i've really come to appreciate all of them that i honestly am going to find it hard even deciding which person's route to start with! though, i will admit, my favorite introduction out of all the characters has DEFINITELY been kierdan. there was so much already said about his character from that one scene at the front desk, and the way he handled it was so telling of his core virtues. you can absolutely tell he genuinely cares about accommodating for people who actually need it; he's a sincerely very righteous person, underneath all that coldness! that scene in particular was so impressive, and really telling of your skills as a writer. it's hard to think of a scene in other dating sims that really capture the true essence of a character in just one scene! you really have a way with bringing characters to life, it's really impressive!
unfortunately, i'm a very broke high schooler, so i don't think i can back up the kickstarter--but i will definitely be keeping my eye on this game! it's been a while since i've enjoyed a game as much as this one, sorry for going on a little rant here OTL but i really wanted to let you know my feelings on this!! i can't wait to get a hold on the full game!!
(im DESPERATELY hoping you reach your stretch goals because i would SELL my ORGANS to even be able to woo sebastian or jori ;A; we can do it guys WE CAN DO IT)
Hi there!
Thank you so much for playing the demo and taking the time to write an in-depth comment! You definitely don't have to apologize for writing too much, haha. I loved hearing your thoughts about the demo, and I'm so flattered by the positive compliments!
Yes, the studio is just one person i.e. me, but I'm lucky that I have a team of super talented and dedicated freelancers to work on various aspects of the game! So I definitely have to give credit to them for giving it their all on the creation of all the game assets!
Ahhhh I'm really happy to hear you enjoy the writing! I agonized over the script so much and kept rewriting and editing because I wasn't happy with it, and I was worried about how it would be received, haha. So I'm really glad that it turned out well in your opinion!
No worries about not being able to back the Kickstarter! I totally understand that not everyone's circumstances allow for it, and I really appreciate that you are even interested in the Kickstarter campaign! And just spreading the word about the game would help a lot already :) So thank you so much!
I definitely hope Jori's and Sebastien's routes can be unlocked too... I have such exciting things planned for them. I'm going to be really disappointed if I can't make them into reality, haha. Let's cross our fingers for luck!
When will the game come out?