If you enjoy cute, lighthearted romance visual novels, then roseVeRte’s Story of Eroolia series are well worth a look. Set in a fantasy world were humans and cat people coexist—not always peacefully—each Story of Eroolia follows a different heroine on a tale of adventure and budding romance. There have been two so far: How to Take Off Your Mask, and How to Fool a Liar King
Earlier this month, roseVeRTe launched a Kickstarter campaign for the third game in the series, How to Sing to Open Your Heart. It will follow Princess Myana, leader of the catlike luccretias, as she travels to the human country of Eroolia to see how a newfound alliance is working out. However, being caught in the crossfire of a skirmish between luccretias and humans causes her to question the alliance she’d agreed to.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlgIdYV-3hA[/embedyt]As with the previous Eroolia games, How to Sing to Open Your Heart focuses on a single love interest, rather than the harem of bachelors more typically seen in otome games, with your choices affecting how that romance plays out. The lucky guy this time is Ludovic, captain of the human Imperial Guards, a man who “has a frosty demeanour and doesn’t talk much, but actually loves cute things and is good at cooking.”
He’s also incredibly handsome; with his long black hair and steely gaze, he makes me think of Hijikata from Hakuoki, and that’s no bad thing. The plan is to have two main routes, a side story from Ludovic’s perspective, a full Japanese voice track, an original opening movie, and at least 11 CGs (“computer graphics”—the artwork used for special scenes in visual novels). Here’s hoping that at least one of them captures the magic of the iconic fishing scene from Liar King:
The Kickstarter campaign is looking to raise 600,000 yen (around USD $5,500), which isn’t a huge amount as far as campaigns for games go. Even so, every bit counts, so if you want to see How to Sing to Open Your Heart get made, be sure to back it. Reward tiers start at 1,100 yen (about USD $10), which includes a Steam key for the game when it launches in November. Higher tiers include things like copies of the previous games, plushies, posters, and key chains.
If you’re curious about the series, both the previous games are available directly through roseVeRTe, or on Steam, Amazon, Android, or iOS. They’re well worth a look for anyone who enjoys cute, lighthearted, romantic adventure visual novels.
