Hong Kong-based indie game studio Zoomob joined HKACG with the playable demo of otome visual novel game ALigneD. QooApp has a sneak peek at this otome game and you may be surprised by its features!
The AVG, which will be available on Steam and Nintendo Switch, will provide multiple languages including English and Chinese. It is expected to launch next year spring.
▍A Sci-fi Suspense Story
The game follows a sci-fi story in the 21st century when the world undergoes vast technological advancements. The virtual world, Aaru, has become an integral part of our daily lives. People now can enter the virtual world with their virtual identity. The protagonist, Spica, is a famous Aaru streamer, who tries to find her lost brother.
Her adventure starts when she received an invitation to the VR Artist Award Ceremony in the virtual world. However, the event is disrupted by a malicious virus attack. Spica and her best friend Lyra immediately log out to avoid the attack, but the moments before they do, Spica sees a dark shadow behind Lyra.
After logging out, Spica finds that her friend was unable to wake up in reality. She is then sucked into a conspiracy plotted by a group of cyber terrorists, who abducted people in the virtual world.
The storyline is quite tense and interesting. As the story sets in the virtual world, it gives players much room for imagination. Although the demo only showcases the prologue of the story, the suspense environment successfully intrigues you into its world and you can’t help but wonder what will happen next.
▍A Unique Calendar Features
There are currently two characters (Izar and Arctic) available for players to develop a romantic relationship with them. More characters will also be available later on. As the characters have different identities in the real and virtual world, players can enjoy the visual differences of the characters. The contrast of their personalities in two different worlds is also a highlight.
Just as many otome games, multiple routes are provided in the game and players can alter the course of the story by making decisions in the form of dialogue choices that appear at regular intervals throughout the story. You can also collect stunning CG in different routes and endings.
One unique feature is that players can affect the character’s affection level by arranging appointments, work and investigation in your calendar. Depending on your arrangement, you can unlock exclusive scenes of your chosen love interest when the level of affection reaches a certain point.
On special days like Valentine’s Day, special story will be unlocked and you can boost up the affection level with the character.
The calendar feature is kind of new in otome game. It provides more routes for players to try on and special CG can also be obtained in the exclusive scenes. As the schedule follows the actual time of the story, if you choose to spend more time with the love interest, your investigation time will be lost. The ending of the main story will be altered.
▍A little-bit Hong Kong elements
Some Hong Kong elements can be found in the game as the background arts portray the iconic places of Hong Kong. For instance, you can find the beautiful Victoria Harbour and the busy streets of Causeway Bay as the game goes on.
The game also surprises players with several hidden features. The name of the characters indeed follows the name of stars and constellations. The placement of the characters on the screen also signifies the actual position of the characters.
▍Editor’s Comment
It is nice to know that Hong Kong is finally having their own otome game. The sci-fi settings of the story is quite special and I would love to know how the story ends. As you have to follow the protagonist to solve the crime, it will be perfect if there are some puzzle-solving mini-game in the story. The lack of character’s voice is also a weakness as it makes a crucial part for an otome game. But all in all, the intriguing plot and Japanese-like CGs can still win many otome hearts!
If you have interest to play the demo of the game, you are welcome to access the following: English Demo