I wanted to take the time to touch on some major differences between Cyberpunk Casanova and other visual novels. The obvious one is our use of Unity instead of ren’py. We simply need a different engine to make the type of game we wanted. This will become apparent as you continue reading. If you have not played the demo, then please take some time and read this as it should prove helpful. If you have, this should alleviate any confusion you may have had and also, explain certain things that you may not have been aware of. 

The narrative of Cyberpunk Casanova is not linear. You choose when the main character speaks to certain characters which in turn influences when events occur. Our game will have a similar feel to older Hideo Kojima titles such as Policenauts and Snatcher. There are only a few mandatory events. One of them is the opening event which leads to the tutorial. [See image 1]

The only thing you know at this point is that you are placed on restriction by your parents and that they will return in 30 days. The ultimatum Enzo is placed in creates a situation that is similar to games in the Persona series. You will need to manage your time effectively in order to see everything and talk to everyone in one play through.  Sitting at home is boring so it’s up to you to spice things up. A lot of things are happening. There is a huge merger occurring between 2 corporations and, this is affecting people’s lives in different ways. Enzo doesn’t have to get involved at all (you could do absolutely nothing for 30 days but what’s the fun in that) but, given his family’s status he can accomplish a lot or get himself into major trouble.

The tutorial goes over the means of interacting with the world. This is done via the Action menu. [See image 2]  

You will need to travel to different locations by using the world map function. [See image 3]

In the demo, there are a number of people to talk to but the choices you make in regards to Nina [See image 4] will determine what resolution you get (There are 4 different resolutions). The demo will end when you successfully resolve Nina’s problem. You also get a brief peek into other characters issues such as Camelia and Siri. In the full title, many of these problems connect in interesting ways to one another. There are also connections between characters and the world issues such as the impending merger which feels more like a hostile takeover and, the growing resistance that calls themselves the Infinite Brigade.

In order to solve some of the issues in the game, Enzo may need to place himself in harm’s way. [See image 5]

It is important to make sure you improve Enzo’s 3 statistics: composure, precision, and athletics. Doing this will help Enzo when things get complicated as you will need a certain level of aptitude in these statistics to successfully accomplish certain options or choices. You can spot choices that require statistical scores by looking at the left and right sides of a given choice box. Green requires precision, red requires athletics, and blue requires composure. If you do not have the hidden required score in these statistics, you will not go as intended. [See image 6]

The three stats can be improved by performing actions in certain locations (Glitch’s Playground and Tritus Medical).This is explained in detail by the tutorial in game. You can always view your statistical scores by accessing the status function located in the action menu. [See image 7]

Lastly, I wanted to talk about how this came does cut scenes. Originally Cyberpunk Casanova was going to be a webcomic series. Staying true to those roots, the in-game cut scenes will be comic panels. I wanted these to be distinct, therefore, the art style is drastically different from the regular game (more exaggeration/dynamic). [See image 8]

We hope that you take the time and explore the Cyberpunk Casanova demo. Remember that this is just a small sampling as there are many places and many characters not shown. If you are a visual novel enthusiast and are looking for something fresh, Cyberpunk Casanova will appeal to you. We are definitely hard at work creating a visual novel experience that not just heavy on the narrative but, also the action and interactivity.