Steam news

Sigh of the Abyss: Shadow Bonds news & patch notes

Full Steam announcements and update articles for this title.

Rascal Devworkssteam_community_announcements

180d ago

Hello everyone! I'm beyond excited to announce that the Steam page of my next project, fulgor, is now live ːsotaloveː https://store.steampowered.com/app/3927060/fulgor_i_hate_therefore_i_am/

What is fulgor?

The game is a dark romance visual novel set during the Roman Republic's invasion of Etruria in 299 BC. With Hatred dead, no one can oppose the legions of the She-Wolf; they roam the countryside, a horde of men and violence, razing any settlements they encounter and leaving no prisoners. Only you can stop them. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41591093/6e06616a6e3947ea3b2c300d3c5077876e7769b5.png The protagonist, Thanchvil, has a fixed name and backstory, but you'll be able to customize her personality and romantic preferences. The two love interests are Lucius, a Roman soldier, and Tuchulcha, a fearsome guide of the dead. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41591093/ed379a25313ac16ca06a214b0908b337ed8cba15.png

Is fulgor different from Sigh of the Abyss?

Yes, it is! fulgor's scope is more compact and features a streamlined story and a smaller cast. I needed to work on a smaller project after two massive ones back-to-back ːfoxintroubleː {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41591093/18f25b20f5562eb5efe74b0eaaff23cfd18a120c.jpg

What is the progress so far?

The game is fully written, with original art and music on the way! A demo will release later this year with the full common route. I hope you look forward to it ːsotawinkː {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41591093/c8a3fcc52f8308cddb2bd1cbd68d251e8c14f3cf.jpg

Why is the title like that?

The Etruscans didn't use any capitalization, and their writing is usually transcribed in lowercase. It felt thematic (if controversial)! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41591093/20753804d167d7156dabd1fc74943f834422838f.jpg

Where can I learn more about the game?

I will be sharing more about it in the game's Steam announcements! Wishlist and follow the game to see the latest news in your library. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41591093/417a548769b41aa3ea89d5f5ef4b9faa9bb4aa0f.gif If you want the latest sneak peeks delivered straight to your inbox, you can subscribe to my newsletter! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41591093/2e8598ff18edee6dc29e46ec244f2939d0bd21a4.jpg I hope you look forward to fulgor! I can't wait to share more about the project ːsweetelfː https://store.steampowered.com/app/3927060/fulgor_i_hate_therefore_i_am/

Sigh of the Abyss: Shadow Bonds News & Patch Notes | SteamScope

Steam news

Sigh of the Abyss: Shadow Bonds news & patch notes

Full Steam announcements and update articles for this title.

Announcing 「fulgor」

Rascal Devworkssteam_community_announcements

180d ago

Hello everyone! I'm beyond excited to announce that the Steam page of my next project, fulgor, is now live ːsotaloveː https://store.steampowered.com/app/3927060/fulgor_i_hate_therefore_i_am/

What is fulgor?

Is fulgor different from Sigh of the Abyss?

What is the progress so far?

Why is the title like that?

Where can I learn more about the game?

NEW voiced demo ✨

Rascal Devworkssteam_community_announcements

778d ago

Surprise! Sigh of the Abyss joins the Steam Next Fest with a voiced demo! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41591093/ef26b0c93b6127f67892faaa45de106e0b223e47.png The Steam Next Fest is an event centered around upcoming games and their demos. It's a treasure trove of incredible gems, and every year I have a blast discovering new games to look forward to ✨ I'm really excited to join this year—it's my first Next Fest as a developer! You can download the demo from the main page of Sigh of the Abyss: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2025310/Sigh_of_the_Abyss/

The demo

The demo is meant to be concise & accessible to players who are not acquainted with the cast. It features a ton of voice acting—around 70% is voiced! Ascanio makes his first official appearance in there. He's the only love interest not featured in Shadow Bonds, and I wanted everyone to meet him, especially because he became a love interest thanks to the support of the Kickstarter backers. The demo is somewhat representative of the full game, but it's also... not.

Character creation has been simplified.

You can customize the name of the Envoy and determine her personality in the demo, but her powers have been pre-determined since they are only featured in one minor choice. This will not be the case in the full game—she will be fully customizable there, and her powers will have more impact!

Choices, branches and lines had to be cut to streamline the experience.

This is the direct result of the new context behind some scenes! A major choice has also been cut. In the full game, infiltrating the Halls is not mandatory! You can also heed Sylas' pleas, let the matter rest & find a subtler way to find out what happened. This slow-burn approach spans multiple days and is not voiced, so it was cut from the demo. When you play the full game, events will play differently!

Three romance options are available in the demo.

You'll be able to enjoy the company of Sylas, Alpheon and Malec. Their scenes have been taken from early in the game, before committing yourself to your beloved, and feature variations based on your romantic preferences ✨ {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41591093/e4c0fed1a4e3e8fb13cbc8e5a972cba1d43df654.gif

What does it mean for Shadow Bonds?

A lot has changed between the first draft and the final script of the game, so Shadow Bonds is now non-canonical. You can call it a side story / what-if of Sigh of the Abyss! I hope you will enjoy the demo! I would love to know what you think ːcharmwitchː I have created a new section in the forums to collect feedback—you can find it in the game's main hub. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2025310/Sigh_of_the_Abyss/ Have a lovely day! ✨

Who will you be?

Rascal Devworkssteam_community_announcements

1581d ago

Greetings, envoys! Shadow Bonds will release in 6 days. We're really excited about it and can't wait to have you play the game! In the meanwhile, we're keeping up with our weekly devlogs. Today's post is all about you, the protagonist! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41591093/47ead48bee0dcc1a03223b3021a51ca968d41f58.png The protagonist has a fixed appearance, but you can customize her in several ways:

Who are you?

She does not have a set name, so you can pick whichever one you like! We know first-hand that it's hard to come up with a name out of the blue, that's why we included a list of lore-friendly pre-generated names. Click on the button next to the name field to cycle through them! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41591093/3d1fbdda829de3be9bcc371ae874378b3ddb47cf.gif

How did the Abyss bless you?

There are three main powers in Sigh of the Abyss:

Physical prowess determines how strong your punches are, how fast your reflexes are, and how much damage you can endure;
Shadow magic allows you to commune with shadows and have them do your bidding;
Mind control lets you bend the will of others within certain limits;

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41591093/722618160ed635ef8e87d5e0ac29f1cb143c8781.gif You'll be able to allocate seven points at the start of the game!

What makes you tick?

The four humors of Hippocratic medicine color the tone of your answers and let the protagonist embrace her emotions. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41591093/f47bd13ca338356866c6200938b9d1c335f0995d.gif

Sanguine answers are usually happy and carefree;
Phlegmatic responses are thoughtful, but tend towards inaction;
Melancholic answers are driven by fear;
Choleric responses are curt and sarcastic;

As the decisions you make shape the dominant personality of the main character, she will behave accordingly in certain scenes!

Who do you like?

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41591093/1b9a4b2320816067fd8b665f2dffbaaf7c860eb9.gif You'll also be able to determine the protagonist's romantic preference, and you can change those at any time during play! Sigh of the Abyss: Shadow Bonds releases on April 5! Join us next week for more about the game. You can also check out the shiny new voiced trailer!

More about the romances in Shadow Bonds!

Rascal Devworkssteam_community_announcements

1595d ago

Greetings, envoys! We'll be posting something every week leading up to the release of Shadow Bonds. Today we want to introduce you to the romance system of the game! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41591093/ac7770b3a27dd65c85f256398fa2e6653fd5111a.gif

A taste of the full game

Despite being an introduction to the characters and setting of Sigh of the Abyss, Shadow Bonds is a side-story that can be enjoyed on its own. Because of that, the characters you'll meet already have a relationship with the protagonist—so you skip the guarded 'getting to know each other' phase to experience a bond already formed. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41591093/443b12d29a137f4b735938920009d2ac414bca6e.gif

Romance your way

At the start of the game you can pick the romantic preferences of your protagonist: you can select an interest in men, women, both or neither. You can change this at any time during play as well! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41591093/1b9a4b2320816067fd8b665f2dffbaaf7c860eb9.gif Showing interest in a specific gender will let the corresponding characters be more forward and flirty towards you, and will open up additional dialogue options. Here's an example in action! If you show interest in women, you have the option to compliment Sylas: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41591093/9102c03e9945f2f264abe5231a0dc333a4445c23.gif If you're not interested in women, the game will auto-pick the friendly response instead: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41591093/7e7e96539b232d74019571ace0b53a8167fdb09b.gif Even if you're into a specific gender, you always get the option to pick the friendly response instead: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41591093/df19c415eb8cfda17a3ef4c516ef7ae7f400910f.gif

What a treat!

There are six beautiful CGs/illustrations in Shadow Bonds. Two of them require specific romances: Malec and Sylas. Here's a sneak peek! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41591093/2ecf3e645f3f789dc8b95a6d8b561c23d9bcca7e.png Sigh of the Abyss: Shadow Bonds releases on April 5! Join us next week for more about the game. You can also check out the shiny new voiced trailer!

Meet the cast!

Rascal Devworkssteam_community_announcements

1602d ago

Greetings, envoys! We'll be posting something every week leading up to the release of Shadow Bonds. Today we want to introduce you to the characters that will be your friends, enemies, or perhaps lovers! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41591093/fc5c884457822ab5c15259ef35ca741cb6009186.png

A side-story as introduction

When we set out to develop Shadow Bonds, we wanted it to be an introduction to the characters and setting of Sigh of the Abyss, but we also wanted it to be a complete experience. Instead of picking the first few hours of the game, we decided to develop a brand new side-story, something self-contained that could be enjoyed on its own. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41591093/e09aa6df171008375df19c2f3ff3109d2c5e84af.png In Shadow Bonds, the characters you meet already have a relationship with the protagonist—so you skip the guarded 'getting to know each other' phase to experience a bond already formed. And if you want to bring that bond to the next level, you can! Shadow Bonds will give you a taste of the romances as well.

Malec

I don't ask questions when I know I can't handle the answers. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41591093/77130fe93679604404f56e72b44e78a3354858d3.png Malec is usually found in the pawn shop he inherited, doodling on the thick layer of dust that covers every cabinet. Torn between the business and his artistic inclinations, he does everything he can to stall making a decision. Sometimes you wonder why.

Sylas

If it's not too much of a bother, I need to borrow you for a few hours. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41591093/39646b33be02c722e51aa62443a49655a043d152.png Not many street urchins make it to adult age—Sylas is one of the lucky few. She is not afraid to get her hands dirty, or lie a bit, or steal here and there... that's how she survived. But now she's not alone anymore: she found a friend in you.

Alpheon

Make the tale epic and dramatic, and say that my hair billowing in the wind made me look particularly dashing. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41591093/e084de883e34730aafe8e2aa38fb83d4fb003f72.png Alpheon calls himself a great singer, an even better lover and an average lute player, but his true talent lies in his persuasiveness. At times his eyes show purple hues, the shadows shift, and the impossible happens.

Marané

There is untold power in the dirt we pretend not to see. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41591093/a001827bf9b519a48adc6aa78cba62e4ac415ac2.png Her blue robes indicate her allegiance to the Halls of Elevation, the place that some mages call home, others call prison. Having been granted some temporary freedom, Marané is doing everything in her power to make the time count, despite being tightlipped about her true objective. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41591093/c443e6ed6320097c9d0a5bfb6687351f90002f70.png You'll be able to meet these four (and more) soon! Join us next week for more Sigh of the Abyss. You can also check out the shiny new voiced trailer!

Sigh of the Abyss: Shadow Bonds news & patch notes

What is fulgor?

Is fulgor different from Sigh of the Abyss?

What is the progress so far?

Why is the title like that?

Where can I learn more about the game?

Sigh of the Abyss: Shadow Bonds news & patch notes

What is fulgor?

Is fulgor different from Sigh of the Abyss?

What is the progress so far?

Why is the title like that?

Where can I learn more about the game?

Enjoying Shadow Bonds?

New game?

📅 Friday, October 11th

Development progress

So close to the finish line! 🏁

The demo

Character creation has been simplified.

Choices, branches and lines had to be cut to streamline the experience.

Three romance options are available in the demo.

What does it mean for Shadow Bonds?

Have you seen the new look of the Sigh of the Abyss' Steam page?

Release date

Progress

The Storyteller's Festival

Soon, very soon!

What's next?

Thank you all once again!

Kickstarter progress

Have any questions?

Support Sigh of the Abyss on Kickstarter!

Have any questions?

More news are on the way

Sigh of the Abyss, now with voice acting!

Support Sigh of the Abyss on Kickstarter!

More news coming soon

Psst, are you looking for Valentine's Day cards?

Special discount on the artbook DLC

Who are you?

How did the Abyss bless you?

What makes you tick?

Who do you like?

Want to help us test the game?

Does it sound like your jam?

A taste of the full game

Romance your way

What a treat!

A side-story as introduction

Malec

Sylas

Alpheon

Marané

Steam news for Sigh of the Abyss: Shadow Bonds