Public Updates (CogDemos, Itchio and VNs)

[Knightstorm]

Update: Untitled Street Race

A/N: Long time no update! this one is incredibly small, I'm sorry to say. Mainly because it's the initial release of the port to twine. You'll have to forgive me for any errors both on the itch.io page and the game itself. No fancy looks or graphics yet. That'll come either after I finish porting or decide I need a break from looking at the same thing over and over lol. Current port: Entirety of the intro.

 

[Glitch]

Update: Wolfsbane (Chapter 5)

This is still alive ? Wow. Also, thanks for keeping this thread updated.

Update: The Brightest Stars

Hunting Branch Out Now​

Hi everyone! Just popping in to say that the hunting branch of the royal hunt is written and edited, and it's out now. It clocks in at 10.7k words. The demo now sits at 81k words total. Massive thank you to my beta testers who helped me polish it!
The update, as its name might suggest, comprises of the MC going with the hunting party to chase after game in the woods. In it, you:

• Arrive at the hunting grounds
• Reunite briefly with your family
• Spend time with the king
• Chase after a deer

 

[Knightstorm]

Update: 1966

Update 4: 20/08/26 +73k words = 481k words

Update 4 includes:

- Hang out with your RO;
- Watch a film at the cinema;
- Go to a discotheque;
- Make a present;
- Get a pep talk from your landlady;
- Experience horrors;
- Fight monsters;
- Face the truth;
- Outsmart, humiliate, and banish the biggest ******* in the universe (NB! must have very high Mind/Rot!);
- Or don't banish them, and make more questionable decisions (this time, not in bed);
- Optionally, make them answer all your questions;
- Also, in the ghoul’s romance, the sarcophagus scene was extended, adding context to the Messenger.

 

[Knightstorm]

Update: Directive



This update is 95k words, bringing the total word count of the demo to 157k words!

Some features include:

- Infiltrate a gala disguised as either a guest or servant.
- Speak with your rival, the investigator, and others.
- Acquire key cards.
- Share a dance with a variety of characters.
- See if you can find this heist's souvenir.
- Reconnect with someone you'd rather not see.
- Choose a calling card to leave in the place of your target.
- Celebrate with your crew.

 

[Knightstorm]

New IF: Sleeping Blood, Beautiful Throne

Sleeping Blood, Beautiful Throne is an interactive romance fantasy novel based on the story of Sleeping Beauty, where you are the evil fae; or NOT so evil.

Summary:

After your mother, the Fae Queen, tried to take revenge on the human monarch, King Basile. She left behind not only his bloodline with a curse but also more ammunition for the war that the two kingdoms have been dragging on for generations.

As her successor, you've been training to become the monarch she wanted you to be. However, your father has exhausted all his options against this war and wants to take drastic measures. Between that and the fact that he still doesn't see you as worthy to succeed him, you seek a solution by consulting Knower, who gives you a clue:

"In the human world, there is a tower where a ray of hope is kept. The bloodline of the monarchs, at least, has faith in it."

However, you would never have imagined that what was in that tower would change your life. And your heart.

Features:

- Play as man, woman, or nonbinary; gay, straight, or bi.
- Choose your personality and appearance.
- Find a solution to this senseless war.
- Have a romance with Sleeping Beauty and choose from three types of romance, and fill it with as much spice as you want with other cast members.

Disclaimer: This work is based on several versions of Sleeping Beauty; you will find small references throughout the game.

 

[Knightstorm]

Update: Vertex Fall (Prologue+ Full Chapter 1)

It's 40K words without code. A bit branchy. With some surprises along the way! So go take your amnesiac for a ride!

What's in there for the truly impatient: (SPOILERS!!!)

- leave the hospital… finally.
- spend a not creepy at all night with Cam, Karla, or alone in a hotel.
- have more disturbing (or nice?) dreams.
eat (or be disgusted by perfectly normal food) at the diner.
- possibly hurt someone…
- meet the roommates! (cat included)
- settle into your new place.
- have your first hookup.

 

[Knightstorm]

Update: After Dark

This update adds about 11, 000 words.

A/N: Please note that this update is very horizontal. About 90% of the content is split across mutually exclusive choices, so there's no way to see everything in a single playthrough, and it's going to feel quite short. I'm sorry, I know that's not always the most exciting way to play, but the alternative would be either forcing everyone down the same path just to move the story along faster, or releasing only a couple of updates a year.

DEVLOG:

- Reworked the item discard system.
- Reworked the weapon equip system.
- Energy recovered at the start of Day 7 is no longer fixed and now depends on multiple factors.
- Made it mandatory to go look for Michael and Kay after a certain time on Day 7.
- Rebalanced how Michael evaluates MC on Day 5 by adjusting the weight of several personality traits.
- During the storage room trade with Kay, the charger can now actually be traded, and giving - Kay a lighter will correctly unlock the discount.
- Tweaked some of Michael's dialogue on Day 6 depending on whether the woman outside was found.
- Added 15-minute increments to several timed choices, allowing for more possible actions.
- Added a simple day counter to the Stats screen.
- Added a message to the Stats screen when MC has no useful skills.
- Replaced several uses of "zombie" with the player's chosen term for the infects.
- Added page breaks to improve the pacing of longer scenes.
- Added missing line breaks throughout scenes.
- Fixed broken line breaks in the Quick Notes and Stats screens.
- Fixed a bug where Abigail could incorrectly refer to an imaginary relationship between MC and Max on Day 7.
- Fixed a bug where backpack weight was calculated differently in two sections of the Stats screen.
- Fixed a bug that could cause an actual game over while playing one of the phone games.
- Fixed a bug that allowed MC to kiss Divya even if they aren't attracted to women.

 

[Knightstorm]

New IF: The Life And Death Of A Showgirl (Prologue)



In 1974, you arrive in Las Vegas at twenty-three years old with a suitcase, little money, and no firm plan for what comes next.

You enter The Sweet Escape looking for a telephone and walk straight into an open audition. At the end of the day, you have a job as a showgirl.

For a while, it feels like luck.

The Sweet Escape is an aging hotel-casino built during the early years of Las Vegas and expanded during the city’s golden age. Its showroom is known for feathers, rhinestones, beautiful women, and a fantasy that continues long after the curtain closes.

But under its new owners, that fantasy has become increasingly dangerous.

At The Sweet Escape, every woman is replaceable.

And you may be next.



- Play as a 23-year-old female MC with a customizable appearance.
- Choose the MC’s race, ethnicity, skin tone, home region, state, family circumstances, and reason for leaving home.
- Develop a dynamic personality through your choices.
- Rise or fall in popularity as a performer.
- Build friendships, rivalries, and hostile relationships with the women and employees of The Sweet Escape.
- Navigate the club’s fees, appearance rules, backstage hierarchy, private customer arrangements, and performer housing.
- Explore consensual relationships, casual encounters, toxic romances, and a polyamorous route.
- Reach good, bad, and deadly endings.




Donna or Daniel — The Journalist
A gender-selectable, twenty-five-year-old journalist from New York who comes to Las Vegas to write a feature about the Strip.

Serious, snarky, adaptable, and skilled at lying, Donna/Daniel wants to become an investigative journalist. They are willing to cross lines for the story that could finally establish their career.

Dante — The Mobster
A thirty-year-old Italian mobster who acts as a liaison between The Sweet Escape and the men who secretly own it.

Dante is violent, ambitious, possessive, and genuinely romantic. He believes the casino’s current owners are mismanaging it and plans to take control one way or another.

Jacqueline — The Choreographer
The forty-six-year-old French choreographer responsible for The Sweet Escape’s revue.

Jacqueline is a former ballet dancer and showgirl who has worked at the casino for decades. Guarded, demanding, and closely tied to the club, she has several reasons for keeping the MC at a distance.

Marcia and Franklin — The Forbidden Poly Route
Marcia is a twenty-three-year-old Las Vegas native and the estranged daughter of a wealthy man. She is determined to become a showgirl despite having other options available to her.

Franklin is a twenty-five-year-old security guard who has worked at The Sweet Escape for five years. He and Marcia share a relationship they cannot allow management to discover.

Then they both begin falling for you.

None of you know what to do about it.

Prologue (Current) Features:
In this chapter you can:

- Arrive in Las Vegas.
- Create your MC.
- Decide your background.
- Become a showgirl.
- Go shopping.
- Get ready for the show.
- Find a body.

 

[Knightstorm]

New IF: Herald Of Verenai

Welcome to Herald of Verenai, a dark fantasy interactive fiction game written in ChoiceScript.

Summary:

You are dead.

Or you should be.

After fleeing enslavement on the island of Codurum, you plunge into Abzuf—an endless sea of oil and souls—and encounter Verenai, a forgotten goddess imprisoned beneath the mortal world.

She consumes your soul.

Then she sends you back.

Now, as her Herald, you must restore the faith that was stripped from her name if you ever hope to reclaim what she took from you.

Herald of Verenai will feature:

- A choice-driven dark fantasy story.
- A customizable protagonist.
- Multiple paths and endings shaped by the kind of Herald you become.
- Four planned romance options.

Romance Options:

Amzelenn T’unkaahl — A sharp-tongued half-elf deserter with cropped ears, too many secrets, and a deeply personal distrust of gods.

Simaya Ka’thyphor — A dark elf trapped in Gararalisto by debt, navigating the city’s underbelly with equal parts pragmatism, charm, and self-preservation.

Finnian “Finn” Coulway — An exiled scholar, rebellious mage, and relentless troublemaker who believes magic should belong to everyone.

Evelise “Evy” Rothsbrand — The tightly wound daughter of a powerful coastal noble, desperate to escape courtly expectations and finally see the world beyond them.

 

[Knightstorm]

New IF: Salt & Ash

Summary:

Growing up in a tiny fishing village, you only knew peace. Hectic nights involved the occasional fist fight, brought on by too many drinks at the local tavern, or a bad business deal between the fisherman and the merchant. Problems were always put to rest before they could make a muck of things until that night. When your village comes under attack, and everything you knew is taken from you, will you be ready to embark on a high-seas journey to claim what was once yours or will you find yourself drowning in your destiny?

Across the stormy seas, every choice you make shapes who you are and who you want to become as you join the crew of a ragtag team of pirates and answer the call of the ocean. Befriend and learn about the crew that offered you a safe haven, and possibly find love along the way.

When you finally corner the enemy ship, will you let revenge burn it all down or will you be the one to rebuild the bonds once broken? Steer through political intrigue and magic as you define your legacy and discover exactly how much you're willing to sacrifice for family.

Romance Options:

The Captain: The one who offered you safe passage. Ruthless, pragmatic and protective, Sol rules her ship with an iron fist. She's willing to burn the world to keep what's hers.

The Navigator: The one to teach you. Eccentric, intelligent and hot-headed, Juno seems eager to meet you when she learns of your bloodline. Why is she so invested?

The Healer: The one who saved your life. Gentle, reassuring, and always willing to offer a helping hand, Kaito sticks out among the pirates. It makes anyone wonder why he surrounds himself with so much death.

The Rival: The one who helped ruin your life. Calculating, smooth and sarcastic, Gideon is always near by when your life goes to ****. Will he become the front face to blame for it?

 

[Knightstorm]

Update: Soulbound: A Ghost Story

A/N: The latest update is now publicly available. As stated before, it runs ~49,000 words and covers Chapter IV-1, returning to the present day as the MC and their companions venture to the Cortez manor in an attempt to revive and question Andrei Malikov.

 

[Knightstorm]

Update: O Your Heavenly Stars (Chapter 1)

Total wordcount: c. 115K

In Chapter One:

- Get to know about your death.
- Who is your mother?
- Who is your father?
- Live through your school years (more or less intact).
- Learn how to act (maybe...).
- Have a gay romance (?)
- Make it through a Hollywood party.
- Meet adults that might have your best interests at heart.
- Try to handle your mother's legacy.

 

[Knightstorm]

Update: Villains Leave No Graves (Chapter 1.2)

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we welcome you to La Commedia dell'Aura!"

The story returns, for better or for worse--you'll have to decide that part yourself.

The Chapter 1.2 Update Includes:

- Approximately 34k additional words, totaling to a now 51k word demo.
- Small adjustments made to previously present content (Most notable change is how original reader's gender works--See bottom of post for additional notes).
- A chance to attend the Comedy of the Season! Indulge in stories, socializing, and (not-so-minor) scandal.
- More time spent with your lovely family. Exactly what everyone has been asking for!
- The first official RO introduction. Love her, hate her, either way she's your only ticket back to your seat.
- Lots of tortured pondering to figure out your thoughts on certain matters.

 

[Knightstorm]

Update: College Tennis: Origin Story



A/N: This update is "the Halfway Point Interlude" that wraps up the Fall Semester (including Finals Week, Winter Break) and ends right before the Spring Semester.

As mentioned previously, it's a quieter, more reflective chapter where you get your Fall Term grades, make some choices that will change your character-build for the upcoming semester.

Features (69k words):

- Finals week preparation.
- Midnight pancakes / All-nighter.
- Exam results for fall semester.
- Christmas with Sam & your dad.
- Winter break visit with G, Tobin, or Rayyan.
- Pop by to see your mother/D in NYC.

 

[Knightstorm]

New IF: The Worlds Of One Man (Prologue)

Summary:

You are the firstborn child of the king of Burkats. Like every other kingdom, Burkats is ruled by Zezmar — the ultimate source of law. You are destined to inherit the throne, a fate you have never wanted— but perhaps one day will? A free spirit and a scout, you travel the world far and wide, most often in the company of your friend Ainiki, an Athanin of the long-lived Athan race. Your younger sibling dreams of the crown, but as the second-born and burdened with fragile bones, they stand no chance.

The game begins with you returning from one of your solitary expeditions, a journey that lasted a year and a half. Needless to say, everyone is likely to have something to say about your prolonged absence. Ainiki most certainly will. But something else has brought you home: disturbing reports from the neighbouring Dunghaj lands, where mounds of corpses have begun to appear.

And this is where your adventure begins.

In the end it may become a struggle for power… or a fight for freedom. What you do with your life is entirely up to you. Along the way you will also have to decide where your heart belongs. Will it be Ainiki, your longtime friend and trusted companion? Or Waro, one of the four immortal brothers — an enigmatic envoy and instrument of Zezmar? Perhaps Serfina, currently training to become a military commander at the Stamp Academy? Or Zaidor the Bold, the mercenary commander who recently seized Atha'liles Island? Or someone you have yet to meet.

The road ahead will be long and arduous.

A/N: I managed to finish the prologue, and the game is now up on CoG Demos! I think there's enough there to give you a pretty good idea of what to expect from my writing. You'll also meet the first RO.

 

[Knightstorm]

New IF: But You Lived (Prologue + Chapter 1)

"Am I supposed to be grateful, to have survived this?"
—Brenna Twohy

Summary:

Same story.

Same words repeated like a broken record.

You're alive. You're here.

How lucky you are.

You want to believe them, you wish they were right.

Because how can you proceed with your life knowing something was taken from you one way or another back in those woods.

Something that you can't remember because your mind is but endless static surrounding that night you fell.

A miracle is what it's called, but miracles aren't supposed to leave you afraid of your own reflection. They're not supposed to make shadows linger where there shouldn't be any. Or leave your skin prickling moments before something unseen slips just beyond your peripheral vision.

No one else notices; life in Willmore carries on as though nothing has changed.

Nestled in the heart of the Pacific Northwest, Willmore is the kind of town where there's quiet lakes, mist-covered forests, weekend tourist hikers disappearing into the Rocking-Jay Woods for pleasure, a picturesque town that's peaceful, comforting, although for everyone but you.

And you're no longer certain surviving was the fortunate outcome everyone insists it was. Because of something much more [ REDACTED ].

Features:

- Create and customize your character (27y) by choosing your name, gender, pronouns, appearance, and personality as the way you approach conversations affect the way you perceive and are perceived.
- Build—or destroy— your relationships. cultivate friendships, strengthen familial bonds, pursue romance against all odds. or allow grief, and fear push the people closest to you away.
- Reject the notion of "survival" as you aim to piece together what happened the night everything changed. every answer opens another question, and every decision carries consequences as you realize [ REDACTED ].
- Attend therapy at your mother's insistence. open up, remain guarded, cooperate or resist entirely. Yet keep in mind that those choices aren't without repercussions.

A/N: There's a slight issue with the title screen in portrait mode, although everything else is fine.