Act II of WW1-era otome visual novel Because We're Here is now on Steam!

This second act follows Elfriede through the next few months of the First Lassallian War, and a large amount of the story takes place in the trenches this time around. Against the backdrop of an upcoming spring offensive, she meets several new characters (many of whom are from enemy nations) and struggles with the emotional fallout of Act I's events. Because We're Here Act II has been in development for quite a long time! I really had the chance to work on it properly this year, but the plot and the new characters originated with the first draft in 2016-17. A lot of love has gone into it! It's full of twists and turns, and its the longest act by far at 220k words~ So! I won't overstay my welcome with this blog post. I hope you enjoy Act II. https://store.steampowered.com/app/869390

Act I is Currently Reduced!

Act I is also 45% off at the moment! What better time to dive into the world of the First Lassallian War and get started on this sprawling, narrative-driven trench opera? https://store.steampowered.com/app/869350 And of course, Act II is on a 15% off launch discount for the next week! (There was a small delay in Act II's launch due to problems with getting it on Steam as DLC - it was initially meant to be the 26th, but here we are. Thanks for your patience!)

[ 2019-09-28 16:50:53 CET ] [ Original post ]

Release Date Announcement - 26th September

Because Were Here Act II has an official release date! Its arriving on 26th September 2019. There have been a few different provisional and/or estimated release dates over the past few months, so Im happy that Im finally in a position to announce something more concrete. Act II follows Elfriede through the next few months of the First Lassallian War, and a large amount of the story takes place in the trenches this time around. Against the backdrop of an upcoming spring offensive, she meets several new characters (many of whom are from enemy nations) and struggles with the emotional fallout of Act I's events. https://store.steampowered.com/app/869390

Bonus Rambling

If you were waiting for a summer release: apologies! If you're not aware, I'm essentially a solo dev, and I chose the 26th September after spending July and half of August trying to crunch out Act II's final layer of polish (as well as making some significant tweaks to certain important scenes and the episodes overall pacing). But health became a factor, so I've slowed it down. There's still a bunch of polish needed, but it's an eminently manageable amount for the date I've chosen. I also have just over a month in which I can start the marketing and try to build on (and/or revive) some of the interest people had in Act I. Which is daunting but exciting! Obviously any word-of-mouth is appreciated - this is an extremely DIY launch and marketing isn't my strong suit just yet. (I'm thinking of maybe biting the bullet and getting some help with publicity in future acts, ha.) Needless to say, planning a release schedule is still a bit of a learning curve for me! (Act I was basically finished before I announced anything.) But it feels good to be getting more of a handle on the process. Thanks for bearing with me, everyone who's been following this since the first act. And of course, I'm getting very excited about people finally playing Act II! A huge amount of time and effort and love [strike]and anxiety[/strike] has gone into it, and it really is shaping up to be a release that I'm quietly extremely happy with. I hope you'll find it a worthy continuation of Private Rauss' story.

[ 2019-08-17 22:37:16 CET ] [ Original post ]

The store page for Because We're Here Act II is now up, meaning it's available to wishlist! (LINK) Act II is titled Live and Let Live, and is the longest of BWH's four acts, at an estimated 6-7 hours. It's scheduled for release in June - Im working off the provisional release date of the 20th.

[ 2019-04-30 19:35:29 CET ] [ Original post ]