I've actually been working on a devlog addressing just this and giving a general update on the game. Please feel free to check it out if you are interested ^_^
I really liked the 1st part... It's a pity that this part is so long in development (of course I understand everyone has their own circumstances), but it's pretty sad to see the game in development for 5 years with only 60 percent progress.
Even at 60% complete it's a MASSIVE game: I'm pretty sure each of the completed routes is at least as long as The Rose of Segunda is in its entirety. Honestly, I'm super impressed by how many routes we already have considering the sheer amount of work that must have gone into them and it's already one of my all-time favourite VNs.
There are games out there that take a LOT longer in development that aren't nearly as detailed as this one is. If you want to play a completed product then the only options you have are to wait for it to release or forget about it entirely.
"Current game word count 763,000 words"
A quick google search for average word count for a novel
"Between 70,000 to 120,000 words"
That's anywhere between 6 to 10 Novels worth of content in its incomplete status. Just some food for thought.
Sorry, I somehow missed this - I hope you had a nice new year. ^_^
I have no eta right now, sadly. I was having some trouble with the route and put it on hold while I worked out why I was not happy with it. I know Frederique is very popular and I did not want to risk producing something that might disappoint players.
So I moved my attention over to the Loveless route and the word count there is just over 100,000 words as of this evening. I am hoping to complete the Loveless route this spring and then return to working on Frederique's route, but I will know more at the end of the month when I plan to publish a devlog with more details.
Hello, I really enjoyed The Rose of Segunda and the routes that are currently out for The Thorns of War. I really like the MC and the character development that she can go through between those games and possibilities depending on the routes you choose to take. I don't mean to sound pushy, but can I ask how it's going for what you're working on right now? Thank you for making these games
Hello and thanks for the feedback - I'm glad you're enjoying the game so far. As for progress, I am currently working on the Loveless route and the word count is approx 68,000 words.
I just completed the Leopold route, and I have to say it was oddly relaxing.
With Sofia, I felt like she was the voice of morality, and I was the one doing ugly things for the sake of survival. When I was working with Leopold, I could be the angel on his shoulder holding back his worst nature.
I think I'll go back to try Sofia again at some point. I probably won't attempt the Guillaume route; Sofia and Leopold are both very wholesome, despite the difficult situation we're in, while Guillaume's treatment of his wife is just awful.
Leo's route is so cute! I played his after Guill's, and there such a huge difference in the love, affection, and respect Leo shows MC throughout as compared to Guill.
Frederique's route is on hold at the moment. I wasn't happy with certain aspects of it, and since I know how much people are looking forward to it, I didn't want to rush things. I am working on the Loveless route in the meantime and it is going well.
I'm impatient for Frédérique's route! I've had a lot of fun playing the previous ones so far, especially Leopold's first as he is my favorite from the first game, and has been the first route I played on both games, but the other routes and options were fantastical to experience as well, this game is very complete with so many options to explore, especially if you're a bit of perfectionist, managing all our choices to get to our goals is made in an intuitive way that I think is just the right difficulty, and makes playing pretty pleasant, not to mention the character designs and sprites, and the impeccable writing.
With my summer break starting not too long ago, I think I should have had played the game now rather than right before my final exams, thankfully I still got satisfactory grades lol
This chain of games has been a gem to me amongst other otome games for how indescribably good it is, so thank you, devs!
Thank you for your kind feedback – I’m glad to hear you’ve enjoyed the routes so far.
And your predicament sounds like something I would do. I am not very good at resisting temptation, even when it would be to my benefit.
I remember once I had an 18 hour layover in an airport coming up, so I ordered a book I wanted to read to occupy me. It arrived, I read it straight away in the comfort of my house - despite there being many other things there to entertain me - and then got to spend 18 hours bored in the airport. >_<
I am happy to hear, though, that you did well in your exams. Many thanks for playing and I hope Frederique's route is worth the wait. ^_^
I recently finished Sofia's route, and I appreciate your relationship writing.
Even with the best intentions in the world, there are real problems with marrying outside your class. In a traditional society where duty to your family is considered sacred, it isn't easy to go against expectations. And the people who love you are not always willing to listen.
Also, you are a monster. I didn't overthrow the king, and I suspect that I wasn't ruthless enough. I didn't want to destroy reputations to save myself, and I kept trying to go for the lesser evil. Even people who are genuinely awful, like the Princess, had moments of real vulnerability. You had me earn their trust, and then you asked me to betray them!
I went back and got the best ending for the Sofia route!
It didn't require nearly as many horrible things as I expected. I made some pretty significant mistakes in my first run, and simply fixing them was enough to bring me very close to victory. There was one choice that hurt, because I almost certainly could have won without compromising my ethics. But when I thought about it, would my character have been willing to take that chance? Would I want to sacrifice my happiness, and the happiness of the people I love, for a stranger?
It was not pleasant, but I don't regret my decision. And while the Sofia route could be difficult and painful at times, that only made the ending more satisfying. Thank you!
I made this account specifically to leave a review for this game. I love The Rose of Segunda too, but this game is on another level. Already, it's one of my favourite VNs of all time.
It's honestly hard for me to decide what my favourite route is: they're all excellent. Ultimately, I think it might be Sofia's: I've always had a soft spot for her. Guillaume's was honestly painful to read at times, but in a good way where it's really stuck with me. I loved exploring the different outcomes on his route in particular. Overall, I'm really impressed by how smoothly you continue each of the stories from RoS.
Finally, I'd like to say your prose is excellent: wonderfully descriptive without ever feeling like too much. You imbue the characters with so much personality!
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful work with us. All the best in the future.
So far I've completed the game 3 times, and by the seasons of my body, you outdid yourselves, truly. Leopold's route is amazing. It's loving, it's heartbreaking at one point and it just feels so satisfying. MC really have power and impact. I probably won't be able to complete his other endings, apart from good, but it's ok. That one was enough for me. I'm also so glad that I got to know Pieto and LaFouch more - they truly were amazing friends to MC and at one point I was even wondering if Pieto will find love, for he deserves it. :> So far I feel Leo's route is the most precious.
I've started the game with Guillaume and Sofia, but lost interest at some point - I need to get back to them again, and get through the struggles. Especially with Sofia, because she's a lovely woman and was my first choice.
When it comes to Bastien's route I was heartbroken from the start. In the beginning I thought that surely Mother told Bastien that he can have MC for some time, and that she plots to marry her off to either Leo or the Prince. Then it came to me, that she possibly changed her target and made some propositions towards one precious old man, but I would NEVER guessed that sure, she did some things, but it was Bastien's father who was such a dick. FML, if MC could kill him again - she would. And again and again.
Bastien's route was difficult, and in the end I splitted my saves and simultaneously completed it with both him and Pieto, because I couldn't bear just breaking Bastien's heart (the moment he hears that MC wants a divorce :'))))) ). I just wanted him to be happy, to treasure life and speak up for himself. I laughed soooo hard when he snapped back at Francesca. I wasn't his fan in the Rose of Segunda, but in this game his character got fuller and deeper.
Pieto, dear Pieto. He's a very well written character and he treats MC with kindness and respect. And not only in his route, I may add. He's caring and basically all that she needs at this difficult point in her life. He's also very different from her other possible love interests and I think that's what makes him stand out to me. Also I'm a sucker when it comes to characters (and people, lol) that speak languages resembling German or Dutch.
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After Charlotte's route, will you folks start working on the two new characters route?
I've actually been working on a devlog addressing just this and giving a general update on the game. Please feel free to check it out if you are interested ^_^
https://blackcrosstaylor.itch.io/ttow/devlog/681929/the-thorns-of-war-update-32
I really liked the 1st part... It's a pity that this part is so long in development (of course I understand everyone has their own circumstances), but it's pretty sad to see the game in development for 5 years with only 60 percent progress.
Even at 60% complete it's a MASSIVE game: I'm pretty sure each of the completed routes is at least as long as The Rose of Segunda is in its entirety. Honestly, I'm super impressed by how many routes we already have considering the sheer amount of work that must have gone into them and it's already one of my all-time favourite VNs.
Thats all good and all, but there are people who prefer to play completed products...
There are games out there that take a LOT longer in development that aren't nearly as detailed as this one is. If you want to play a completed product then the only options you have are to wait for it to release or forget about it entirely.
"Current game word count 763,000 words"
A quick google search for average word count for a novel
"Between 70,000 to 120,000 words"
That's anywhere between 6 to 10 Novels worth of content in its incomplete status. Just some food for thought.
Hi do we have an eta on frederique yet
Sorry, I somehow missed this - I hope you had a nice new year. ^_^
I have no eta right now, sadly. I was having some trouble with the route and put it on hold while I worked out why I was not happy with it. I know Frederique is very popular and I did not want to risk producing something that might disappoint players.
So I moved my attention over to the Loveless route and the word count there is just over 100,000 words as of this evening. I am hoping to complete the Loveless route this spring and then return to working on Frederique's route, but I will know more at the end of the month when I plan to publish a devlog with more details.
Many thanks for your patience
Oh, that's encouraging to hear! I've been looking forward to that one! Or maybe more specifically getting to know Vesela in it...
Omg! How did I miss this after playing the first game?! Onwards to Sofia's route again! 🤣 Thank you for making a sequel!! ✨
No problem - I hope you enjoy the game. ^_^
Many thanks for playing
Just leaving a quick comment to say I hope you're doing well and that I still think about this game all the time. Thank you so much. ❤
Aw, thank you - that is very sweet of you to say. I am hoping to have an update for players soon, so thank you for your on-going patience and support.
Hello, I really enjoyed The Rose of Segunda and the routes that are currently out for The Thorns of War. I really like the MC and the character development that she can go through between those games and possibilities depending on the routes you choose to take. I don't mean to sound pushy, but can I ask how it's going for what you're working on right now? Thank you for making these games
Hello and thanks for the feedback - I'm glad you're enjoying the game so far. As for progress, I am currently working on the Loveless route and the word count is approx 68,000 words.
Many thanks for playing
I just completed the Leopold route, and I have to say it was oddly relaxing.
With Sofia, I felt like she was the voice of morality, and I was the one doing ugly things for the sake of survival. When I was working with Leopold, I could be the angel on his shoulder holding back his worst nature.
I think I'll go back to try Sofia again at some point. I probably won't attempt the Guillaume route; Sofia and Leopold are both very wholesome, despite the difficult situation we're in, while Guillaume's treatment of his wife is just awful.
Many thanks for the feedback. I'm glad you enjoyed Leo's route and Sofia's too - I was happy to hear in your other post you got her best ending.
Thanks for playing
Leo's route is so cute! I played his after Guill's, and there such a huge difference in the love, affection, and respect Leo shows MC throughout as compared to Guill.
Thank you for the feedback - Leopold seems to be a big favourite with players so I am glad you liked his route.
Many thanks for playing ^_^
Thanks for making these games, you are genius :)
I love how the main character is so clever and self confident.
Thanks for the extra scenes, it was good to see what happened after the birthday celebration!
My favourite route is Leopold's (the good end, haven't played the bad ones)
I'm curious about the single route, Mathys will be interesting i think :)
+ My favourite part in the first game was when she was playing as the prince and did not follow the script :D she was so funny xD
Many thanks for your kind feedback - I'm happy you're enjoying the game and extra scenes.
Ah, yes, the play scene in 'Rose' was very fun to write - I'm glad to hear you found it amusing. ^_^
Hello again :) how is progress with frederique coming along
Frederique's route is on hold at the moment. I wasn't happy with certain aspects of it, and since I know how much people are looking forward to it, I didn't want to rush things. I am working on the Loveless route in the meantime and it is going well.
Many thanks for your interest
Many thanks for you kind feedback - I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the routes so far, especially Sofia's.
Thank you for playing
Just want to show my appreciation for Frederique's route! I so appreciate this dynamic and can't wait to play his route when it's released!
Ah, thank you. I really hope it's worth the wait ^_^
I'm impatient for Frédérique's route! I've had a lot of fun playing the previous ones so far, especially Leopold's first as he is my favorite from the first game, and has been the first route I played on both games, but the other routes and options were fantastical to experience as well, this game is very complete with so many options to explore, especially if you're a bit of perfectionist, managing all our choices to get to our goals is made in an intuitive way that I think is just the right difficulty, and makes playing pretty pleasant, not to mention the character designs and sprites, and the impeccable writing.
With my summer break starting not too long ago, I think I should have had played the game now rather than right before my final exams, thankfully I still got satisfactory grades lol
This chain of games has been a gem to me amongst other otome games for how indescribably good it is, so thank you, devs!
Thank you for your kind feedback – I’m glad to hear you’ve enjoyed the routes so far.
And your predicament sounds like something I would do. I am not very good at resisting temptation, even when it would be to my benefit.
I remember once I had an 18 hour layover in an airport coming up, so I ordered a book I wanted to read to occupy me. It arrived, I read it straight away in the comfort of my house - despite there being many other things there to entertain me - and then got to spend 18 hours bored in the airport. >_<
I am happy to hear, though, that you did well in your exams. Many thanks for playing and I hope Frederique's route is worth the wait. ^_^
I recently finished Sofia's route, and I appreciate your relationship writing.
Even with the best intentions in the world, there are real problems with marrying outside your class. In a traditional society where duty to your family is considered sacred, it isn't easy to go against expectations. And the people who love you are not always willing to listen.
Also, you are a monster. I didn't overthrow the king, and I suspect that I wasn't ruthless enough. I didn't want to destroy reputations to save myself, and I kept trying to go for the lesser evil. Even people who are genuinely awful, like the Princess, had moments of real vulnerability. You had me earn their trust, and then you asked me to betray them!
*laughs* Oh dear, I have put you in another bind. I hope you can be a bit more ruthless next time and get your happy ending with Sofia.
Have you tried lying to her? That's quite an interesting ride, too. ^_^
Many thanks for playing.
I went back and got the best ending for the Sofia route!
It didn't require nearly as many horrible things as I expected. I made some pretty significant mistakes in my first run, and simply fixing them was enough to bring me very close to victory. There was one choice that hurt, because I almost certainly could have won without compromising my ethics. But when I thought about it, would my character have been willing to take that chance? Would I want to sacrifice my happiness, and the happiness of the people I love, for a stranger?
It was not pleasant, but I don't regret my decision. And while the Sofia route could be difficult and painful at times, that only made the ending more satisfying. Thank you!
hello, are you guys doing well? :)
Yes, thank you. Frederique's route is slowly getting there. Just over 70,000 words now.
I hope you're doing well, too ^_^
Nice! I'm really looking forward to it :]
I'm here for Frederique. Waiting for that route to drop. Seriously, you went there and I applaud the effort.
Glad you're looking forward to the next route - I hope it's worth the wait. ^_^
I made this account specifically to leave a review for this game. I love The Rose of Segunda too, but this game is on another level. Already, it's one of my favourite VNs of all time.
It's honestly hard for me to decide what my favourite route is: they're all excellent. Ultimately, I think it might be Sofia's: I've always had a soft spot for her. Guillaume's was honestly painful to read at times, but in a good way where it's really stuck with me. I loved exploring the different outcomes on his route in particular. Overall, I'm really impressed by how smoothly you continue each of the stories from RoS.
Finally, I'd like to say your prose is excellent: wonderfully descriptive without ever feeling like too much. You imbue the characters with so much personality!
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful work with us. All the best in the future.
Ah, thank you for the kind feedback – I'm really happy to hear you’ve enjoyed the game so far (and Tros too).
I’m never confident in my prose, so it is very nice to hear that someone, at least, likes it enough to mention. ^_^
Many thanks for playing and all the best to you, as well.
SPOILERS FOR LEOPOLD & BASTIEN ROUTE
So far I've completed the game 3 times, and by the seasons of my body, you outdid yourselves, truly. Leopold's route is amazing. It's loving, it's heartbreaking at one point and it just feels so satisfying. MC really have power and impact. I probably won't be able to complete his other endings, apart from good, but it's ok. That one was enough for me. I'm also so glad that I got to know Pieto and LaFouch more - they truly were amazing friends to MC and at one point I was even wondering if Pieto will find love, for he deserves it. :> So far I feel Leo's route is the most precious.
I've started the game with Guillaume and Sofia, but lost interest at some point - I need to get back to them again, and get through the struggles. Especially with Sofia, because she's a lovely woman and was my first choice.
When it comes to Bastien's route I was heartbroken from the start. In the beginning I thought that surely Mother told Bastien that he can have MC for some time, and that she plots to marry her off to either Leo or the Prince. Then it came to me, that she possibly changed her target and made some propositions towards one precious old man, but I would NEVER guessed that sure, she did some things, but it was Bastien's father who was such a dick. FML, if MC could kill him again - she would. And again and again.
Bastien's route was difficult, and in the end I splitted my saves and simultaneously completed it with both him and Pieto, because I couldn't bear just breaking Bastien's heart (the moment he hears that MC wants a divorce :'))))) ). I just wanted him to be happy, to treasure life and speak up for himself. I laughed soooo hard when he snapped back at Francesca. I wasn't his fan in the Rose of Segunda, but in this game his character got fuller and deeper.
Pieto, dear Pieto. He's a very well written character and he treats MC with kindness and respect. And not only in his route, I may add. He's caring and basically all that she needs at this difficult point in her life. He's also very different from her other possible love interests and I think that's what makes him stand out to me. Also I'm a sucker when it comes to characters (and people, lol) that speak languages resembling German or Dutch.
It's always a treat to come back to this game.
Hello and thank you for your kind feedback. I've very glad to hear you are enjoying the game - particularly Leo, Bastien and Pieto's routes.
Many thanks for playing. ^_^