The announcement may be late, but the update was on time, and that's what matters. ;) The Valentines day update introduced some new scenes heavy on romance, a new good ending, and generally added more pleasantness to the otherwise vile world of Sickness. The additions and changes include: -1 new route, which results in a “good end”, and covers a new romance -10,000 words added, bringing the total word count to 138,500 words -3 new CGs, 2 of which have variations -1 new variation of an existing CG -1 CG (and its variation) have been updated -5 new music tracks -8 existing backgrounds (+ daytime variations) have been replaced Replacement backgrounds will be added incrementally from this point on, as there are still a few inconsistent backgrounds that need replacing. That was the plan from the beginning, but since this update was ready so soon after release, the new backgrounds were instead packed into the update. There are also 3 more big updates planned. They will each take longer than this update, however, so it will likely be a few months before the next route is added. I haven't decided on the order yet, but most likely: -Update 1 will be an unlockable extra. Rather than adding new content to the main game, it will essentially be a side story, covering many events for which Suoh is not present, and revealing information he never becomes privy to. -Update 2 will include a new route, and at least 2 new endings. It will also change certain important events early on. It's difficult to elaborate any further without providing spoilers. -Update 3 will include 2 new characters, and will have a very big focus on the back stories of Sara & Suoh, answering many questions about their past. This update will once again contain at least 1 new route, with at least 1 new ending. It's also a bit bigger on romance, so... perhaps Valentines Day 2017?

[ 2016-02-24 14:16:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

The announcement may be late, but the update was on time, and that's what matters. ;) The Valentines day update introduced some new scenes heavy on romance, a new good ending, and generally added more pleasantness to the otherwise vile world of Sickness. The additions and changes include: -1 new route, which results in a good end, and covers a new romance -10,000 words added, bringing the total word count to 138,500 words -3 new CGs, 2 of which have variations -1 new variation of an existing CG -1 CG (and its variation) have been updated -5 new music tracks -8 existing backgrounds (+ daytime variations) have been replaced Replacement backgrounds will be added incrementally from this point on, as there are still a few inconsistent backgrounds that need replacing. That was the plan from the beginning, but since this update was ready so soon after release, the new backgrounds were instead packed into the update. There are also 3 more big updates planned. They will each take longer than this update, however, so it will likely be a few months before the next route is added. I haven't decided on the order yet, but most likely: -Update 1 will be an unlockable extra. Rather than adding new content to the main game, it will essentially be a side story, covering many events for which Suoh is not present, and revealing information he never becomes privy to. -Update 2 will include a new route, and at least 2 new endings. It will also change certain important events early on. It's difficult to elaborate any further without providing spoilers. -Update 3 will include 2 new characters, and will have a very big focus on the back stories of Sara & Suoh, answering many questions about their past. This update will once again contain at least 1 new route, with at least 1 new ending. It's also a bit bigger on romance, so... perhaps Valentines Day 2017?

[ 2016-02-24 14:16:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

Stats (Feb 15th 2016)
Word count: 138,500 words
Number of CGs: 69 (plus variations of several)
Number of sprites: 30 (mostly minor characters)
31 original music tracks, + 5 CCA-by tracks



Summary/Plot

Sickness is a Visual Novel following the life of Suoh, a high school student turned violent criminal.

Following the deaths of his parents, Suoh is left without a home or source of income. All he has is his twin sister, Sara, who he promises to provide for, even if doing so means throwing his life away.

Using the entirety of their savings, the two move to another city, wherein Suoh quickly finds work. Sara commutes to her old school, Suoh works long, physically-demanding hours, and the two survive off instant food, barely scraping by. It isn't a happy life, but they make it work.

Or at least they did, until a violent outburst set into motion a rapid descent.

Amid a physical altercation with his boss, Suoh blacks out, waking up to find a corpse laying at his feet. His knuckles bloody, his muscles aching, he realizes that he has just murdered his boss, the person responsible for his continued well-being. But rather than lament the loss of life, all Suoh can think of is how badly he needed the money, and what he'll do next to get it.

Drawn by the scent of blood, one of Suoh's coworkers, a young man with criminal connections, offers him a not so legal revenue stream, one encouraging violent behavior and rewarding the capable.

And from there, everything spirals out of control.

As it turns out, Suoh has a knack for crime, and the petty reservations he had about such acts don't last long. For the well-being of his sister, as well as his own self-interest, he becomes a killer for hire, taking out people anybody his new boss tells him to. He quickly adapts to life as a killer, adopting a double life his sister can never know about.

But his new life is not without trouble. Facing death on a weekly basis is only the beginning; between avoiding police detection, eyewitnesses, and even the malice of his fellow professional killers, Suoh's new life looks to be the death of him.

Will Suoh manage to survive long enough to keep his promise to his sister? Will he turn tail and escape from this life of crime, finding solace in the company of someone or something else? Or will he be hunted down and killed before he ever gets the chance?


Main Characters

Sara Tesla - Suoh's twin sister

Sara is a high school student who harbors complex feelings. To her brother, Sara is an angelic sister with a loving nature and endless affection; an image she cultivates and builds on daily. To everyone else, however, Sara is narcissistic and thoroughly two-faced.
Family aside, Sara doesn't care for other people in the slightest, and as a result of her desperately trying to hide this fact, her family mistakenly believe Sara to be bipolar.


Karasu - An up and coming crimelord

Karasu builds his wealth through a variety of "services", including, but not limited to, gambling, corporate espionage, and organ trafficking. Above all, however, Karasu is most famous for providing "waste disposal" for neighboring towns, whether they request his services or not.
His ultimate goal is to build an empire he can share with his beloved "children"; interesting individuals he has taken under his wing and granted a new lease on life.
Though many view him as a sadistic narcissist who will stop at nothing to obtain what he wants, Karasu is ultimately a simple businessman who displays affection only for a chosen few.


Sai - Karasu's right-hand man

Sai is Karasu's most trusted and capable employee, responsible for overseeing his most lucrative business ventures, despite always working in the shadows. He is also responsible for “breaking in” new recruits, and as such becomes Suoh's teacher.
Unrivaled in what he does, Sai is a ruthless killer who feels no remorse; those who get on his bad side seldom live long enough to realize it.
The only things more important to Sai than his work are his daughter's well-being and happiness.


Misa - Sai's daughter

Misa is a teenage girl who wishes for a normal life.
Being the daughter of a professional killer (and protective father), however, Misa has trained from a young age in order to protect herself from the dangers of the world, and in doing so inevitably became aware of her father's line of work.
As her father's work absorbed her life, Misa adapted her skillset to match those of a killer, using her youth and small figure to become the youngest and most discreet killer among her peers.
Outside of work, Misa is still just a young girl. She's very friendly, once she warms up to someone, and is protective of those close to her.