It's going well, thank you for asking. Word count is about 33,000 words and I have a little treat for Leopold fans coming at the end of Feb/beginning of March. ^_^
Well, I am hoping to get them both done this year, but outside of that I am not yet sure. I'll keep players updates as to my progress via dev logs though. ^_^
Waiting for Frederique before I buy it. He was my favourite in the original, and I'm really proud of the creators for having the guts to 'go there' and not cheap out.
i just want to come in here and say how much i am in love with chesaré and leopold clearly i have a thing for playful flirts
(ALSO I AM IN THE MIDDLE OF BASTIENS ROUTE AND HOLY SHIT I AM ACTUALLY TEARING UP guillaumes route was bad but i didnt really like him that much so it was nothing to me BUT BASTIEN JFC my heart is tearing itself apart and im using it as tissues)
I waited for Leopold's route to be released before playing the game and it was so worth it!
(SPOILERS BELOW FOR LEOPOLD'S ROUTE)
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For me, the difficulty level in terms of getting the best ending was just right. I had to backtrack at some parts, but the story and characters give enough hints at the theme of the choices you should be taking, e.g. Leopold telling Iolanthe to be discreet in the second half, or Iolanthe mentioning Francesca's easily wounded pride when dealing with her. (I do plan to use the guide to try and complete the endings though.)
The story! I like how the route follows up on Leopold's plans and the issues that would arise in his and Iolanthe's relationship considering that a significant part of his motivation is revenge. Reading about the political intrigue is fascinating, especially with how cunning Leopold is (and Iolanthe too, if she succeeds at the game's tasks). I love, love how the twist at the end of Act 1 was executed! The slow build up of dread, Leo's admission, Iolanthe's outburst! The raised stakes! And then you have to use your allies' help from Act 1 to succeed at the plot in the second half of the game, which is a really nice way of bringing everything together!
Next, Leopold and Iolanthe and their romance! I'll keep this short, otherwise I'll start quoting entire lines haha. Let me tell you, I was giggling and kicking my feet throughout the whole route. Their banter was so cute and sweet! (Lmao @ Duchess Parisi catching them flirting outside the ballroom.) And the way Leopold made sure to make it very clear to everyone that Iolanthe was his equal and was very much in on the plan as he was!!!!!!!! And he will not tolerate any disrespect to her!!!! I also love those snippets about their life in Tremaine, like them drawing and painting together awwwww. And there's Iolanthe. Iolanthe!!!! When she declared she would save Leopold and Segunda!! And then she did!! The best ending was so deserved. Co-rulers in name and deed!! Holding hands together on their twin thrones!! Being very much in love all over the place while advancing their plans for Segunda. *chef's kiss*
(Pardon my exclamation marks. Ahem.)
Also,the question posed repeatedly: how far would Leopold go for revenge? Luckily, Iolanthe saves him before he has to find out on his best ending. So I tried doing the others, and I felt like I had to peek through my fingers picking all the wrong choices hahaha. The answer: definitely far, but not without remorse.
Onwards to playing the rest of Leopold's endings!! Even if they will break my heart. Also looking forward to playing the other routes and the eventual TTOW LI POVs! Thank you for this story!
So, I finished all of Leopold's bad endings this time. *screaming internally*
(The guide helped a lot btw!)
(MORE SPOILERS)
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Whew, those really put my heart through a wringer. (I was not kidding about peeking through my fingers while picking the wrong choices deliberately.) But!! I very much appreciated how each ending reveals a bit more about Leopold and Iolanthe (especially Leopold), in a way that you wouldn't be able to see if you just read the best ending (aka The Stolen Crown).
*clears throat* I conclude that there are 3 main things that can break Leo's spirit:
1. Crossing a moral line, in his case, murder or war. The game gave me the impression that while Leopold had prepared mentally and logistically for both outcomes in pursuit of revenge, he had not considered the emotional toll it would take on him until said outcomes had occurred. A part of him really hoped it would not have to come to that. This makes the best ending even sweeter in retrospect-- Iolanthe really did save him.
2. Iolanthe's betrayal. Like, if there was ANY doubt at all that underneath all of Leopold's charm and cunning, he really did love her, his reaction to her lying to him really dispels all of that! Like, he can be disappointed if she doesn't agree with his course of action but he will still trust Iolanthe to cash in the Silversmith bonds without thinking to ask to see the receipt right after. But Iolanthe straight up either telling him that he cannot trust her or going behind his back to the Council is where he draws the line! 'The Cruellest Cut' ending is so aptly named!! He is unable to carry out his revenge through any means because of his once dearest love!!! (Leopold returning all her letters unanswered was just an extra knife in the heart when he brought all of her love letters with him to Garllucio in the beginning 🥹🥹🥹)
3. Losing his revenge. He does take it somewhat badly in 'A Bitter Defeat', but that ending was more bittersweet than I expected instead of outright tragic or sad. In 'The Cruellest Cut' or 'Murderer' endings though...
Honestly, what a fascinating character in a fascinating story! Now I'm even more curious about his POV but I shall wait patiently. Until then, I will be figuratively spinning him around in my head like in a microwave for quite a while.
(On a side note, I started playing Guillaume's route and I was pleasantly surprised that Leopold interacts with Iolanthe more than once, which makes sense. Anyways, I took a hard left into the 'Betrayal' ending because Leopold is my favorite and now I'm imagining how a Leopold/Iolanthe romance would look like after a case where Iolanthe divorces Guillaume hahahaha.)
Thank you for the update! I loved the game! So much drama and politics! Really great to see that aside from the romance. I've only played Guillaume and Leopold. I got both of their good endings! First I played Guillaume and then Leopold.
(MINOR SPOILERS)
For Guillaume, he really annoyed me how loyal he was to his Father when he had complained so much on the previous game but because of their Father-son relationship I somewhat understood. What really grilled me was how he dared to snub her in front of his allies. (God, I almost chose to change tactics and divorce the fool after that instant but I calmed down) I didn't like how Frederique abandonded the MC especially when she mostly needed him as she had no true allies. I wished there had been a way to reconcile them but was not given the option. I was happy that Mariette was there for the MC as her brother had left her, she had no real relationship to her Mom and she was often at odds with Guillaume. Mariette was a great friend! Ehem, back to Guillaume, while playing his route, although frustrating at times with how stubborn and naive he was made me think of my real life relationships and how the game captures the feeling of being hurt but still loving the person. (Especially when they don't appreciate all the work one does for them) So although he was flawed, he felt like a real person and like a real person he admitted his mistakes and did his best to change for the MC which I appreciated. (I would have appreciated more if he would have gotten her, her own throne but alas he's no Leopold)
Now into Leopold! I was much more eager to play his route after seeing how much cunning and smarter he was than Guillaume. I was not disappointed as unlike Guillaume he realized that the peace talks were nothing but stalling for time after only a day or two of them. Leopold (unlike Guillaume) knew how important MC's job was from the start and admired and thanked her for it. He did keep a secret from her which put a dent into their relationship but he soon confessed and only became true parters in crime! I loved his romantic and mischievous personality, and how his high position in court did not detract from his affections to the MC. I also liked how there was a small scene where he calls Frederique his brother which I liked. (As Guillaume never had a scene like that with MC's brother.) Although not as flawed as Guillaume, he did make mistakes but never any so bad as to break MC's heart so for that I am thankful. I did think it was sad how bad Francesca's marriage to Guillaume was, (Much worse than MC's for a long shot) so although at first I disliked her, I was happy to help her later in the story. It did make me sad that in Leopold's route, Guillaume keeps being loyal to his Dad and has an unhappy marriage with Francesca, sticking with his Dad until the bitter end. I wish Mariette and the MC could have been friends in this storyline but I understood as Mariette house was allied with the King. Thankfully, MC had her share of allies with Count Pietro and Duchess La Fouch. I couldn't stand Franchelli but even that fool had his uses towards the end.
The writing was exceptional! Bravo to all the writers for being able to be able to write so beautifully and come up with such a captivating story! I have been playing nonstop!
I want to keep playing but I'm not interested on the girls, and I don't want to play Bastien as I keep reading about how angsty and sad his route is. I may play Frederique, though first I have to play his route on Rose of Segunda and see how that can even happen, them being siblings and all. (But I'm guessing one of them is adopted or something of the sort.)
I'm one of the backers of the kickstarters and I have a question, is Sir Mathyl's route going to come out with the Single route the Dev is working on? I'm excited to play his route! Was happy to catch a glimpse of him on Leopold's route! Also what exactly is the loveless route?
Love the game! Can't wait for all your future games! You can be sure I'll buy them! I have already played all of your other games! Still waiting for the BFF game, will buy it the second it comes out!
Hey! another reader here. For Bastien's route, I just want to advocate his route and say if you were able to play Guillame's route then you should be able to pull through Bastien's route. Guiilly's route was heavier IMO than Bastien's.
Also, Sir Mathys' route is indeed gonna be on the single route. For the loveless route? it's basically the continuation on the ending in Rose of Segunda where Iolanthe does not romance anyone at Guill's celebration party and basically gets chosen to be the princess by the King in the end.
Oh really? That's good! I thought that it was more angsty than Guillaume and phew that was a rollercoaster on its own. So good to hear! I'll play Bastien's route as well then! Thank you for answering my questions!
I can vouch for Bastien's route! I just played Leopold, Guillaume, and Bastien in that order...
Leopold was amazing and everything I wanted
Guillaume I really disliked for 90 percent of his route and it was painful to get through with everyone else being mean/unfriendly
Bastien was sad but way more believable as an actual romance as well. He really starts resolving and working on difficulties he has while communicating with you in a very sweet way. And not in the end of the route like Guillaume but about halfway through. He is no where near as mean and annoying as Guillaume and your brother is with you for support and hilarity.
Yes, I loved Leopold's route! For me I did like Guillaume just hated how he didn't always give the MC priority over his Father. I'd probably give him a 7/10 as a character/route. (Leopold is a 10/10 of course!)
Glad to see that Bastien is way sweeter! And the MC has her brother's support!
I'm glad you're willing to give Bastien a shot! He was much better paced and so sympathetic <3
I really felt like Guillaume was toxic... The MC sounded scared when waiting for him one evening, he constantly was yelling and then saying he loved her, felt like walking on eggshells all the time, and then he does acknowledge he was wrong but they both just laugh it off. His "getting better" happens practically overnight at the very end too so IDK. I would not be able to laugh off verbal abuse that has lasted for months and just go forward being happy like it's fixed now...
I'm looking forward to Bastien's route! I know that him not being a noble is going to be a struggle for him but I hope he can still have the MC's back and defend her and stand up to others.
(Spoilers ahead) Yeah, Guillaume was bipolar, being sweet and a few scenes later he yells at her and expecting her to be his pretty wife to be at his beck and call (As if the MC doesn't have better things to do) God, and when he didn't put her name down to be under the Vilquine and was refused entry like WTF, how humiliating. I was looking forward for a scene in Leopold's route where she needs to come in the room and see that Leo more than likely did note her name down on the Stavizzi side (but alas she didn't have to enter the room.) Though Leo did invite her on his ally meetings which Guillaume didn't.
As for Guillaume getting better I did feel like it was a progressive, because MC had told him many times (or at least in my playthrough) that she didn't like him talking to her like that or pointed out that his Father was in the wrong. So when he had his breakdown, he spent some time being quiet and thinking about what he learned and about his mistakes. before talking to the MC and deciding to be King and apologizing for his behavior. The MC did forgive him quickly, I would have let him repent more and to beg for her forgiveness but well just agreeing to be King was a milestone for him and time was of the essence so it wasn't so. I wish he would have found out way sooner so he would have 'changed' sooner and they could have been more partners in crime like Leopold and the MC in Leo's route. Since I felt the MC had her hidden agenda (making Guillaume king) way longer than I would have liked since he took forever to decide to fight for the throne.
I also would have demanded to have my own throne, like wth, she did way more than him and she can't even sit in the damn chair.
She forgave him way too fast yes! They were literally laughing about it the next day... I would not be able to move on from him ignoring me in public, yelling at me every day, and treating me like a servant after one heart to heart and maybe 24 hours... He was such a turd! And yeah!! Even if you're pregnant, he doesn't get a chair for you... You just stand there and say to yourself that you know you'll have to be out of commission while you're in your last trimester and for a while after birth but "I'm ok with that". Probably worse that I played Leopold right before Guillaume because dang. Leopold is even kinder to you in Guillaume's route!
Many thanks for your feedback - I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the routes you played. I think the other posters answered the questions you had, so I'll finish with the hope that you enjoy Bastien's route if you get around to playing it. ^_^
Yes, they did! And I will definitely play Bastien's route now! I'm eagerly waiting for Sir Mathyl's route! I will also play Frederique's route on the prequel and will wait for his route to be finished in the sequel!
Thanks for the update and the route is as interessent as other routes :-), That’s good, congratulation.
I see you have publish a guide : thanks. I really do recommend to **not **use this kind of guide for the 1st play as this is really doable to get a “good ending” without the guide, but once the 1st play is done it’s very nice to have.
I think somehow, it can help to have a list of the endings ( without ?????? once we have done a playthrough for a route with a name that allow to search what to do differently the get the ending without the guide. ( Thanks for the ending list guide, when missing some, it was hard to guess what to do.
A minor remark for the game, I think it will be better to have a page ending by route rather then global ( there is quite a lot of endings now :-) ).
And then I really think your game is not an early access but a finished game with new content still in progress. I don’t have any bug visible and lot of finished game have some. It’s just that new content are still in progress.
For example, The game “https://steamberry.itch.io/gildedshadows” (also on steam ) has been out with a set of initial routes and other routes are still in production. In this game, when selecting a “not yet available” route there is just a dialog that it will be available in an update. I don’t see complains about it in the comment and I’m happy ( and not at all disapointed )the same way when a new route is available in your game ( It’s just I think people may not buy the game because of the early access
and that’s sad, it worth it )
Keep the good work, have fun ( I hope ) doing it !
I purposefully haven't replayed The Rose of Segunda since January of last year just because I wanted to wait to replay it once The Thorns of War came out, but seeing TRoS has that update with the LI POVs, I feel reaaally tempted to! I'm not 100% sure yet but given that I have basically no impulse control once I get excited about something, I probably will end up replaying them all soon haha I'm really looking forward to getting TToW once the full game releases! And remember to please take breaks now and then if you feel like you need it :)
Maybe it's weird to write a follow-up message so long after the original, but I wanted to ask something and since my comment was the latest one, I thought it'd be weird if I just made a new one
So anyway, when I played the original, when playing Charlotte's route I immediately picked up on som ~vibes~. Basically, I'm autistic, and I really, really felt able to relate to Charlotte on certain things, such as her having interests that could be percieved as childish, having trouble understanding that everyone doesn't always mean what they say, being kinda gullible and also learning in a different way. And in the way that she wants to be part of and contribute to conversations in some way, but her contributions can often be seen by others as only tangentially related to the topic, and she might not be able to read a room well to recognize what is and isn't deemed appropriate to say or ask. That moment where she comments on the blancmange and Francesca and Albertine look at her weirdly before continuing as though she never said anything is something I'm very familiar with happening when I try to contribute to conversations.
So, my question was, did you write Charlotte with the intention of making her neurodivergent? :)
Thanks for your message, I’m really glad to hear you found aspects of Charlotte character you could relate to.
To answer your question, I did not set out to do so consciously, but when writing Charlotte I had an idea of what characteristics I wanted to give her and how I wanted her to be different from her peers in the way she perceives and interacts with the world – specifically in the ways you mention.
I suppose I always look at the characters through a lens of how they would be perceived in that time-period in that world.
Characters in Segunda just view Charlotte as ‘different’ (some even think her stupid, though they are wrong), but I can certainly see a more modern mindset seeing her characteristics as indicative of neurodivergence. ^_^
It certainly will! I believe her route will be worked on after Frederique's (which will be worked on after the route I am writing now - Leopold's) so though I cannot say it will be soon, it is definitely coming.
I'm glad to hear you liked TROS and I hope you can hold out for more Charlotte ^_^
Hello! I'm a big fan of tros so when I first saw there was a sequel I was on cloud nine! I always buy games after they're finished though so I wanted to hold on until then but when I played the demo I just couldn't even though my favourite characters are leo, charlotte and fredrique who aren't released yet. So I went ahead and bought the Early Access, Lol! I just have one question though since I've never done this, I'm not sure how this work. will I have to buy it again to play the other routes when it's finished?
ps. thank you for being born and making such a gem!
Ah, thank you for your kind feedback - I'm very glad to hear you enjoyed TROS and I hope you find this game as entertaining.
And to answer your question, you will only need to buy the game once. Once you have purchased it, all future updates (be they bug fixes or new routes) will be available to you. All you will need to do is re-download the updated copy of the game when it has been released.
Many thanks for your interest and I hope you enjoy the routes released so far (Leopold is next!)
Not outside of the Endings screen within the game that can be accessed from the main menu, but if you would like a list of the possible endings for any of the routes, I can provide that. But to avoid spoilers here, please message me at support@blackcross-taylor.com and I will reply there. ^_^
Hi, thanks for checking in. Leo's route is at day 8/9 of 16, so about the halfway mark (game-wise, not word count-wise. I think the second half of the game will be longer) and the word count is approx. 65,000.
I am waiting on some artwork before I do my next official update, but it shouldn't be long.
I'm still on Guillaume's route, and I'm just stressed. I'm just over here thinking "am I....Am I playing this right?" Everything feels like it's going to hell! I love it! XD
Reading the comment on Guillaume route, I was doubtful. But I Find it very interesting and even Guillaume “behavior” can be understand on the light of the story.
I have read several VNs with lot of choices and consequences and quite often I was disapointed on how blind the choices are. In Thorns of war you do a great job to provide choices with consequences but by being “attentive”, you can do the “right” choice ( maybe not the perfect but still ). That’s quite rewarding and immersive. ( I have currently reach I think the best end with Guillaume on my first play ( the last one in ending list ) and stil have to discover the “alternative” that I suspect :-) ).
For those who discover the game, playing Rose of Segunda, then the extra with the Love Interest selected and then Thorn of wars do a great job of providing a “mariage and politic” story with a great MC with a strong character.
I highly recommend it. ( Even in early access, routes already done are complete ).
Thank you for your kind feedback – I’m glad to hear you are enjoying the game, and that the choices aren’t too opaque. I hope you enjoy the coming routes as well. ^_^
I have reached two endings for Guillaume now but it’s hard to figure what to change to get the others ( and don’t want to provide more detail to avoid any spoiler to reader :-/ ).
Are there still plans for Sir Mathys Aurele or Ambassador Vesela Brovik LIs? Also, when you do get to Charlotte (I find it disturbing that people would rather see her with her brother over Charlotte), can you have more involved in the plot to overthrow the king than Sophia was? That part was very disappointing when it came to Sophia's storyline.
Yes, Mathys and Vesela will be the LIs in the Single route. I suspect with how the voting has been so far, the Single route will be worked on after Charlotte's is completed.
I am not sure what the plot with Charlotte will involve as yet, since I have only sketched it out so far - I will bear your feedback in mind when I work on the route.
Oh, it's free if you already have Thorns - I will update the game file on Sunday and it will be found under the Extras menu.
It's just a small collection of scenes (totals about 20,000 words) from the POV of the TROS love interests that was promised as part of the Kickstarter.
As I recall, each character has a minimum of two, with some backers kindly pledging so they could request certain extra scenes (that everyone then gets to enjoy). Those characters with extra TROS scenes are Sofia, Frederique, and Guillaume.
The TTOW ones will be released once the rest of the game routes are complete. ^_^
I loved onii-chan's route in the Rose of Segunda and I'm looking forward to its continuation in the Thorns of War!! It's so rare to find a romance like this in otome so a million thanks to the creators X3 Do you guys know when his route will be released?
Thanks for the reply! And kudos for all the options that allow us to shape MC's personality X3 I like to relate when I read a story. This VN is unique in so many ways<3
I've finally gotten around to playing Bastien and Sofia's routes, and holy moly, why did I wait this long to play this masterpice? I love it. Love how we can actively participate in the politics, and love how there's conflict around the romances too, and the option to change :D
The stakes are so much higher than in TRoS with the politicking. It was already great in Bastien's route, but Sofia's route seemed like a step up from even there, you guys keep outdoing yourselves.
I really appreciate how the morals are explicitly questioned in universe, yet we are allowed to do questionable things, in both politics and romance! That poly, my heart, that's everything I needed ;; From the first option leaning there, I was getting overexcited for it! Thank you so much for inlcuding that!
Game mechanics wise, I am amazed by the amount of branches there are, I have yet to explore all of them. Not even talking about the custom personality of the MC and how that must affect dialogue and choices. Tipping my imaginary hat for you!
I really can't believe Duchess di Parisi and her double dealings and intricate web of lies. I wanted to hate her, but I do get where she is coming from. She is so well-written. My favorite character is still Frederique though, he is just so loveable! Also his disguises :D He had me laughing more than once.
I'm excited for the routes to come! Thank you for your hard work in bringing us this game, because it is amazing!
Hello and thank you for your kind feedback. I'm happy to hear you enjoyed the first two routes and I hope that continues with Guillaume's and the others to come. ^_^
Hello and thank you for your feedback - I am glad to hear you enjoyed the first game.
As for having a child, it is possible in many of the routes, but it requires you to select certain options during the game (they are obvious). My basic idea was, I wanted the option to be there, but didn't want to force any players into having children if they did not think their character would do so. ^_^
Thank you so much for bringing us Rose of Segunda and now this! I made an account literally just to ask this question hahaha - is Guillaume still on track for this November? I'm planning on getting this as soon as his route is out (my heart <333).
I could be wrong, but based on the Oct 1st update post on their kickstarter, the plan was to release Guillaume's route to beta backers during October (which I think the locked Nov 1st post could be), and release to all backers (and presumably to us purchasers as well?) during December.
1/Bastien was my least favourite character in "Rose of Secunda" but seeing him becoming a partner worthy of MC (when she relentlessly expresses her faithfull love and patience)... I was so proud of him !
Pietro is an awsome addition to this sequel !
2/I usually don't play yuri games, but I was curious about Sophia's sequel. Reading this story, I had a twinge for all the lovers who had/have to hide themself because not "straight". Thank you for giving a slight idea of what these people has/had to do to have a bit of hapiness.
3/ I love Frederic as a character but... Are Frederic and the MC biological siblings ?
No, I am afraid not. The route ended up being more complex than I originally anticipated. I've updated the page information, but I'll be doing a devlog sometime this week with more information.
Hi! I loved the original Rose of Segunda. I'm wondering, because my favorite route is perhaps not the most conventional one, if a Frederique route will be available in the sequel? (please don't judge me lmao i just loved the dynamics between the characters and he was my preferred love interest) Thank you in advance for your response!
Hello and thank you for your interest. I can confirm that all available romances from Rose are continued in Thorns and that includes Frederique (no judgement ^_^)
I have just finished the current content ( Bastien / Sofia ) and I think this is a really good visual novel. Interesting story and the way the characters are described is well done. I was sometimes lost around all the countess but that just meant there were a lot of them :-). Choices are also interesting to do and really contribute to the ambiance. I do recommend the game ( as a visual novel ).
And congratulations by providing complete routes ( without game issue or feeling something is missing ) while the full game is still in development. I will be pleased to start a new game on each route release :-).
I think I am looking forward to Charlotte's route more than I've ever looked forward to any game, EVER. Died a little inside when I saw her while with Sofia :'(. One day...keep up the good work, guys!
Guillaume's upcoming release include the loveless marraige route? (is that still a thing? I haven't played the demo for so long) I was very intrigued since I know that's bound to be filled with angst especially with the tension between the di parisi siblings. Will there also be a thing between them in this?
My sister got me the first game as a birthday gift and I was especially in love with Leopold, Frederique and Charlotte!
No, the loveless route is not included as part of Guillaume's route. I think it will be different enough to require a whole route of its own, so it will be worked on at a later date. Since I have yet to start properly planning the loveless route, I don't know currently what the relationships will be, but Frederique will definitely feature.
I'm glad to hear you liked the first game - Leopold's route will be worked on after Guillaume's, so not long to wait now.
I was waiting until I got paid/had some spare money to get this but I heard about the Itch Creator's day so I had to buy it today! Super excited to play Bastien + Sofia's routes! <3
Hmm, I don't think you need to play the first game to understand the events in Thorns of War, but as a test you could try downloading the Thorns of War demo. If everything mentioned in the demo feels like it is enough to bring you up to speed and you are comfortable in who your MC is by the end of it, then I don't think the rest of the route will prove a problem.
I just finished Sofia's route, and to be honest it's one of the best visuals novels I've ever played. I really loved the first game too, but this improved on pretty much every aspect of it.
I absolutely love the MC in these games. She's genuinely intelligent, witty, and a bit devious. I love of much freedom is given to the character too. I felt like I was able to really express how I thought she would react to various situations.
The way the relationship between Sofia and the MC is written is also excellently handled. You can't help but fall in love with this pairing. It's so rare to see a game where you get to play after the relationship has started. Even rarer to see a game where a continued relationship between characters feels like the characters have actually grown together. The witty banter between them is super adorable. When they argue it doesn't feel like plot contrivance or drama as it often does in VNs. It makes sense why each character would have the perspectives they do, and it's great watching them try to work through that. It's believable regardless of how things turn out for them.
Also worth noting how well the same-sex angle of the relationship is handled here. As a lover of yuri games, it's refreshing to see a game tackle some of the deeper emotional and social aspects of the relationship, and the struggles the characters face.
And of course the rest of the cast is amazing too. Frederique is one of my all time favorites. Same goes for the Duchess. She's a genuinely intimidating foil to the MC.
Thanks so much for this game! Can't wait for the rest of the routes.
Thank you for your kind feedback. I’m very happy you enjoyed Sofia’s route – the points you raised regarding their relationship and how they interact as a couple are things I was really trying to get across as I wrote the route, so it is always lovely to hear that I managed in that regard.
Hi, I came to the sequel page because I have another question (last one, I swear): would you consider putting the early access game on steam? In truth, i would love to accompany the game episodically but buying on itch would mean buying in dollars, which is significantly more expensive because of my country's currency, so I would like to know if you thought of that option. But, if that isn't possible, I will try to be patient for the full release or save money ~
Also, for the full release on steam, do you plan on putting achievements? It's something I missed on the first game :) again, love your game and thanks for your time
Hello and thank you for your interest. I won't be putting the early access game on steam, I am afraid. Sorry, but it appears you will have to wait until the full release.
As for achievements, that is something I will look into closer to the time, but I am not opposed to it. I will have to see what interesting ones I can think of before I can commit to the idea though.
ahh im so excited for the full release!! i cant wait for Leopold's route lol. i've replayed the demo like a million times. thank you for all the work you're doing on this!! =)
Yay, i can't wait for a full game, or at least my fav route is released. Tried out the demo, any game that is allow me customize the MC personality is a plus.
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hi there how is progress going with frederique? :)
It's going well, thank you for asking. Word count is about 33,000 words and I have a little treat for Leopold fans coming at the end of Feb/beginning of March. ^_^
ooooh that's interesting, can't wait to see this treat!
Also really glad to see the progress for Frederique, it's a bit of an understatement for me to say that I'm looking forward to his route ^^
So excited for this treat!!!
I hope you like it ^_^
Hi hi :) Is there an update on the treat?
I just posted a devlog about it. ^_^
Hi! Is there a release date for Frederique and Charlotte's routes?
Well, I am hoping to get them both done this year, but outside of that I am not yet sure. I'll keep players updates as to my progress via dev logs though. ^_^
Many thanks for your interest
Waiting for Frederique before I buy it. He was my favourite in the original, and I'm really proud of the creators for having the guts to 'go there' and not cheap out.
Glad to hear you're looking forward to it!
Many thanks for your patience. ^_^
I'm glad to hear you're excited - I hope you will not have much longer to wait for him. ^_^
Many thanks for playing
i just want to come in here and say how much i am in love with chesaré and leopold clearly i have a thing for playful flirts
(ALSO I AM IN THE MIDDLE OF BASTIENS ROUTE AND HOLY SHIT I AM ACTUALLY TEARING UP guillaumes route was bad but i didnt really like him that much so it was nothing to me BUT BASTIEN JFC my heart is tearing itself apart and im using it as tissues)
Ah, poor Bastien - I hope you're feeling better now and still enjoying the route.
There will be a lot more of Chesaré in the Single route, so I am glad you like her as a character.
Many thanks for playing
I waited for Leopold's route to be released before playing the game and it was so worth it!
(SPOILERS BELOW FOR LEOPOLD'S ROUTE)
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For me, the difficulty level in terms of getting the best ending was just right. I had to backtrack at some parts, but the story and characters give enough hints at the theme of the choices you should be taking, e.g. Leopold telling Iolanthe to be discreet in the second half, or Iolanthe mentioning Francesca's easily wounded pride when dealing with her. (I do plan to use the guide to try and complete the endings though.)
The story! I like how the route follows up on Leopold's plans and the issues that would arise in his and Iolanthe's relationship considering that a significant part of his motivation is revenge. Reading about the political intrigue is fascinating, especially with how cunning Leopold is (and Iolanthe too, if she succeeds at the game's tasks). I love, love how the twist at the end of Act 1 was executed! The slow build up of dread, Leo's admission, Iolanthe's outburst! The raised stakes! And then you have to use your allies' help from Act 1 to succeed at the plot in the second half of the game, which is a really nice way of bringing everything together!
Next, Leopold and Iolanthe and their romance! I'll keep this short, otherwise I'll start quoting entire lines haha. Let me tell you, I was giggling and kicking my feet throughout the whole route. Their banter was so cute and sweet! (Lmao @ Duchess Parisi catching them flirting outside the ballroom.) And the way Leopold made sure to make it very clear to everyone that Iolanthe was his equal and was very much in on the plan as he was!!!!!!!! And he will not tolerate any disrespect to her!!!! I also love those snippets about their life in Tremaine, like them drawing and painting together awwwww. And there's Iolanthe. Iolanthe!!!! When she declared she would save Leopold and Segunda!! And then she did!! The best ending was so deserved. Co-rulers in name and deed!! Holding hands together on their twin thrones!! Being very much in love all over the place while advancing their plans for Segunda. *chef's kiss*
(Pardon my exclamation marks. Ahem.)
Also,the question posed repeatedly: how far would Leopold go for revenge? Luckily, Iolanthe saves him before he has to find out on his best ending. So I tried doing the others, and I felt like I had to peek through my fingers picking all the wrong choices hahaha. The answer: definitely far, but not without remorse.
Onwards to playing the rest of Leopold's endings!! Even if they will break my heart. Also looking forward to playing the other routes and the eventual TTOW LI POVs! Thank you for this story!
So, I finished all of Leopold's bad endings this time. *screaming internally*
(The guide helped a lot btw!)
(MORE SPOILERS)
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Whew, those really put my heart through a wringer. (I was not kidding about peeking through my fingers while picking the wrong choices deliberately.) But!! I very much appreciated how each ending reveals a bit more about Leopold and Iolanthe (especially Leopold), in a way that you wouldn't be able to see if you just read the best ending (aka The Stolen Crown).
*clears throat* I conclude that there are 3 main things that can break Leo's spirit:
1. Crossing a moral line, in his case, murder or war. The game gave me the impression that while Leopold had prepared mentally and logistically for both outcomes in pursuit of revenge, he had not considered the emotional toll it would take on him until said outcomes had occurred. A part of him really hoped it would not have to come to that. This makes the best ending even sweeter in retrospect-- Iolanthe really did save him.
2. Iolanthe's betrayal. Like, if there was ANY doubt at all that underneath all of Leopold's charm and cunning, he really did love her, his reaction to her lying to him really dispels all of that! Like, he can be disappointed if she doesn't agree with his course of action but he will still trust Iolanthe to cash in the Silversmith bonds without thinking to ask to see the receipt right after. But Iolanthe straight up either telling him that he cannot trust her or going behind his back to the Council is where he draws the line! 'The Cruellest Cut' ending is so aptly named!! He is unable to carry out his revenge through any means because of his once dearest love!!! (Leopold returning all her letters unanswered was just an extra knife in the heart when he brought all of her love letters with him to Garllucio in the beginning 🥹🥹🥹)
3. Losing his revenge. He does take it somewhat badly in 'A Bitter Defeat', but that ending was more bittersweet than I expected instead of outright tragic or sad. In 'The Cruellest Cut' or 'Murderer' endings though...
Honestly, what a fascinating character in a fascinating story! Now I'm even more curious about his POV but I shall wait patiently. Until then, I will be figuratively spinning him around in my head like in a microwave for quite a while.
(On a side note, I started playing Guillaume's route and I was pleasantly surprised that Leopold interacts with Iolanthe more than once, which makes sense. Anyways, I took a hard left into the 'Betrayal' ending because Leopold is my favorite and now I'm imagining how a Leopold/Iolanthe romance would look like after a case where Iolanthe divorces Guillaume hahahaha.)
Many thanks for your feedback. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the route and found something interesting in each of the endings.
"I was giggling and kicking my feet throughout the whole route" - the image of this made me smile. ^_^
Many thanks for playing.
Thank you for the update! I loved the game! So much drama and politics! Really great to see that aside from the romance. I've only played Guillaume and Leopold. I got both of their good endings! First I played Guillaume and then Leopold.
(MINOR SPOILERS)
For Guillaume, he really annoyed me how loyal he was to his Father when he had complained so much on the previous game but because of their Father-son relationship I somewhat understood. What really grilled me was how he dared to snub her in front of his allies. (God, I almost chose to change tactics and divorce the fool after that instant but I calmed down) I didn't like how Frederique abandonded the MC especially when she mostly needed him as she had no true allies. I wished there had been a way to reconcile them but was not given the option. I was happy that Mariette was there for the MC as her brother had left her, she had no real relationship to her Mom and she was often at odds with Guillaume. Mariette was a great friend! Ehem, back to Guillaume, while playing his route, although frustrating at times with how stubborn and naive he was made me think of my real life relationships and how the game captures the feeling of being hurt but still loving the person. (Especially when they don't appreciate all the work one does for them) So although he was flawed, he felt like a real person and like a real person he admitted his mistakes and did his best to change for the MC which I appreciated. (I would have appreciated more if he would have gotten her, her own throne but alas he's no Leopold)
Now into Leopold! I was much more eager to play his route after seeing how much cunning and smarter he was than Guillaume. I was not disappointed as unlike Guillaume he realized that the peace talks were nothing but stalling for time after only a day or two of them. Leopold (unlike Guillaume) knew how important MC's job was from the start and admired and thanked her for it. He did keep a secret from her which put a dent into their relationship but he soon confessed and only became true parters in crime! I loved his romantic and mischievous personality, and how his high position in court did not detract from his affections to the MC. I also liked how there was a small scene where he calls Frederique his brother which I liked. (As Guillaume never had a scene like that with MC's brother.) Although not as flawed as Guillaume, he did make mistakes but never any so bad as to break MC's heart so for that I am thankful. I did think it was sad how bad Francesca's marriage to Guillaume was, (Much worse than MC's for a long shot) so although at first I disliked her, I was happy to help her later in the story. It did make me sad that in Leopold's route, Guillaume keeps being loyal to his Dad and has an unhappy marriage with Francesca, sticking with his Dad until the bitter end. I wish Mariette and the MC could have been friends in this storyline but I understood as Mariette house was allied with the King. Thankfully, MC had her share of allies with Count Pietro and Duchess La Fouch. I couldn't stand Franchelli but even that fool had his uses towards the end.
The writing was exceptional! Bravo to all the writers for being able to be able to write so beautifully and come up with such a captivating story! I have been playing nonstop!
I want to keep playing but I'm not interested on the girls, and I don't want to play Bastien as I keep reading about how angsty and sad his route is. I may play Frederique, though first I have to play his route on Rose of Segunda and see how that can even happen, them being siblings and all. (But I'm guessing one of them is adopted or something of the sort.)
I'm one of the backers of the kickstarters and I have a question, is Sir Mathyl's route going to come out with the Single route the Dev is working on? I'm excited to play his route! Was happy to catch a glimpse of him on Leopold's route! Also what exactly is the loveless route?
Love the game! Can't wait for all your future games! You can be sure I'll buy them! I have already played all of your other games! Still waiting for the BFF game, will buy it the second it comes out!
Hey! another reader here. For Bastien's route, I just want to advocate his route and say if you were able to play Guillame's route then you should be able to pull through Bastien's route. Guiilly's route was heavier IMO than Bastien's.
Also, Sir Mathys' route is indeed gonna be on the single route. For the loveless route? it's basically the continuation on the ending in Rose of Segunda where Iolanthe does not romance anyone at Guill's celebration party and basically gets chosen to be the princess by the King in the end.
Oh really? That's good! I thought that it was more angsty than Guillaume and phew that was a rollercoaster on its own. So good to hear! I'll play Bastien's route as well then! Thank you for answering my questions!
I can vouch for Bastien's route! I just played Leopold, Guillaume, and Bastien in that order...
Leopold was amazing and everything I wanted
Guillaume I really disliked for 90 percent of his route and it was painful to get through with everyone else being mean/unfriendly
Bastien was sad but way more believable as an actual romance as well. He really starts resolving and working on difficulties he has while communicating with you in a very sweet way. And not in the end of the route like Guillaume but about halfway through. He is no where near as mean and annoying as Guillaume and your brother is with you for support and hilarity.
Def play Bastien's route <3
Yes, I loved Leopold's route! For me I did like Guillaume just hated how he didn't always give the MC priority over his Father. I'd probably give him a 7/10 as a character/route. (Leopold is a 10/10 of course!)
Glad to see that Bastien is way sweeter! And the MC has her brother's support!
I will definitely play it!
I'm glad you're willing to give Bastien a shot! He was much better paced and so sympathetic <3
I really felt like Guillaume was toxic... The MC sounded scared when waiting for him one evening, he constantly was yelling and then saying he loved her, felt like walking on eggshells all the time, and then he does acknowledge he was wrong but they both just laugh it off. His "getting better" happens practically overnight at the very end too so IDK. I would not be able to laugh off verbal abuse that has lasted for months and just go forward being happy like it's fixed now...
I'm looking forward to Bastien's route! I know that him not being a noble is going to be a struggle for him but I hope he can still have the MC's back and defend her and stand up to others.
(Spoilers ahead) Yeah, Guillaume was bipolar, being sweet and a few scenes later he yells at her and expecting her to be his pretty wife to be at his beck and call (As if the MC doesn't have better things to do) God, and when he didn't put her name down to be under the Vilquine and was refused entry like WTF, how humiliating. I was looking forward for a scene in Leopold's route where she needs to come in the room and see that Leo more than likely did note her name down on the Stavizzi side (but alas she didn't have to enter the room.) Though Leo did invite her on his ally meetings which Guillaume didn't.
As for Guillaume getting better I did feel like it was a progressive, because MC had told him many times (or at least in my playthrough) that she didn't like him talking to her like that or pointed out that his Father was in the wrong. So when he had his breakdown, he spent some time being quiet and thinking about what he learned and about his mistakes. before talking to the MC and deciding to be King and apologizing for his behavior. The MC did forgive him quickly, I would have let him repent more and to beg for her forgiveness but well just agreeing to be King was a milestone for him and time was of the essence so it wasn't so. I wish he would have found out way sooner so he would have 'changed' sooner and they could have been more partners in crime like Leopold and the MC in Leo's route. Since I felt the MC had her hidden agenda (making Guillaume king) way longer than I would have liked since he took forever to decide to fight for the throne.
I also would have demanded to have my own throne, like wth, she did way more than him and she can't even sit in the damn chair.
She forgave him way too fast yes! They were literally laughing about it the next day... I would not be able to move on from him ignoring me in public, yelling at me every day, and treating me like a servant after one heart to heart and maybe 24 hours... He was such a turd! And yeah!! Even if you're pregnant, he doesn't get a chair for you... You just stand there and say to yourself that you know you'll have to be out of commission while you're in your last trimester and for a while after birth but "I'm ok with that". Probably worse that I played Leopold right before Guillaume because dang. Leopold is even kinder to you in Guillaume's route!
Many thanks for your feedback - I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the routes you played. I think the other posters answered the questions you had, so I'll finish with the hope that you enjoy Bastien's route if you get around to playing it. ^_^
Yes, they did! And I will definitely play Bastien's route now! I'm eagerly waiting for Sir Mathyl's route! I will also play Frederique's route on the prequel and will wait for his route to be finished in the sequel!
Yesss! I remember! How sweet~! I can't wait for their POV's to come out so I can see more of what Leopold felt in the story.
Thanks for the update and the route is as interessent as other routes :-), That’s good, congratulation.
I see you have publish a guide : thanks. I really do recommend to **not **use this kind of guide for the 1st play as this is really doable to get a “good ending” without the guide, but once the 1st play is done it’s very nice to have.
I think somehow, it can help to have a list of the endings ( without ?????? once we have done a playthrough for a route with a name that allow to search what to do differently the get the ending without the guide. ( Thanks for the ending list guide, when missing some, it was hard to guess what to do.
A minor remark for the game, I think it will be better to have a page ending by route rather then global ( there is quite a lot of endings now :-) ).
And then I really think your game is not an early access but a finished game with new content still in progress. I don’t have any bug visible and lot of finished game have some. It’s just that new content are still in progress.
For example, The game “https://steamberry.itch.io/gildedshadows” (also on steam ) has been out with a set of initial routes and other routes are still in production. In this game, when selecting a “not yet available” route there is just a dialog that it will be available in an update. I don’t see complains about it in the comment and I’m happy ( and not at all disapointed )the same way when a new route is available in your game ( It’s just I think people may not buy the game because of the early access and that’s sad, it worth it )
Keep the good work, have fun ( I hope ) doing it !
Many thanks for your feedback - I am glad you found this route as enjoyable as the others and the guides are helpful.
Yay!!🤩 I've been looking forward to this day for a while now!☺ I'm going to play it now, thanks for your hard work!!!👏🏻👏🏻🥳
Ah, thank you. I really hope the route was worth the wait ^_^
So excited for the new route! Will the guide for it be released tomorrow as well?
Yes, I'm working on it now the game is up.
What timezone will the new release be dropped in? :3
GMT and I'd guess some time between 7am and 10am, unless something unexpected happens to delay things.
Thank you!
I'm really excited for Leopolds route <3 Just a couple more days!!!
I know - I'm getting nervous! I really hope you enjoy the route ^_^
I purposefully haven't replayed The Rose of Segunda since January of last year just because I wanted to wait to replay it once The Thorns of War came out, but seeing TRoS has that update with the LI POVs, I feel reaaally tempted to!
I'm not 100% sure yet but given that I have basically no impulse control once I get excited about something, I probably will end up replaying them all soon haha
I'm really looking forward to getting TToW once the full game releases! And remember to please take breaks now and then if you feel like you need it :)
Ah, I understand your conflict - I am the same when it comes to impulse control as well, so I don't have much advice to offer ^_^
Whatever you decided to do, I hope you enjoy TTOW once it is fully released.
Many thanks for playing
Maybe it's weird to write a follow-up message so long after the original, but I wanted to ask something and since my comment was the latest one, I thought it'd be weird if I just made a new one
So anyway, when I played the original, when playing Charlotte's route I immediately picked up on som ~vibes~. Basically, I'm autistic, and I really, really felt able to relate to Charlotte on certain things, such as her having interests that could be percieved as childish, having trouble understanding that everyone doesn't always mean what they say, being kinda gullible and also learning in a different way. And in the way that she wants to be part of and contribute to conversations in some way, but her contributions can often be seen by others as only tangentially related to the topic, and she might not be able to read a room well to recognize what is and isn't deemed appropriate to say or ask. That moment where she comments on the blancmange and Francesca and Albertine look at her weirdly before continuing as though she never said anything is something I'm very familiar with happening when I try to contribute to conversations.
So, my question was, did you write Charlotte with the intention of making her neurodivergent? :)
Thanks for your message, I’m really glad to hear you found aspects of Charlotte character you could relate to.
To answer your question, I did not set out to do so consciously, but when writing Charlotte I had an idea of what characteristics I wanted to give her and how I wanted her to be different from her peers in the way she perceives and interacts with the world – specifically in the ways you mention.
I suppose I always look at the characters through a lens of how they would be perceived in that time-period in that world.
Characters in Segunda just view Charlotte as ‘different’ (some even think her stupid, though they are wrong), but I can certainly see a more modern mindset seeing her characteristics as indicative of neurodivergence. ^_^
oh my god i absolutely love tros and my darling charlotte <3 was wondering if this will also have her route?
It certainly will! I believe her route will be worked on after Frederique's (which will be worked on after the route I am writing now - Leopold's) so though I cannot say it will be soon, it is definitely coming.
I'm glad to hear you liked TROS and I hope you can hold out for more Charlotte ^_^
Many thanks for playing
Hello! I'm a big fan of tros so when I first saw there was a sequel I was on cloud nine! I always buy games after they're finished though so I wanted to hold on until then but when I played the demo I just couldn't even though my favourite characters are leo, charlotte and fredrique who aren't released yet. So I went ahead and bought the Early Access, Lol! I just have one question though since I've never done this, I'm not sure how this work. will I have to buy it again to play the other routes when it's finished?
ps. thank you for being born and making such a gem!
Ah, thank you for your kind feedback - I'm very glad to hear you enjoyed TROS and I hope you find this game as entertaining.
And to answer your question, you will only need to buy the game once. Once you have purchased it, all future updates (be they bug fixes or new routes) will be available to you. All you will need to do is re-download the updated copy of the game when it has been released.
Many thanks for your interest and I hope you enjoy the routes released so far (Leopold is next!)
PS I will pass your thanks on to Mum ^_~
Is there a list of available endings anywhere?
Not outside of the Endings screen within the game that can be accessed from the main menu, but if you would like a list of the possible endings for any of the routes, I can provide that. But to avoid spoilers here, please message me at support@blackcross-taylor.com and I will reply there. ^_^
Hi how's everything going :)
It's going well, thank you. Leo's route is about halfway done and at 65,000 words.
I hope things are going well with you, too.
Hi there, are there any updates regarding Leo's route? :))
Hi, thanks for checking in. Leo's route is at day 8/9 of 16, so about the halfway mark (game-wise, not word count-wise. I think the second half of the game will be longer) and the word count is approx. 65,000.
I am waiting on some artwork before I do my next official update, but it shouldn't be long.
Many thanks for your interest
Great, thanks so much for the update!
I'm still on Guillaume's route, and I'm just stressed. I'm just over here thinking "am I....Am I playing this right?" Everything feels like it's going to hell! I love it! XD
Ah, sorry Guillaume's route it getting you stressed - I'm glad you're still finding a way to enjoy it. ^_^
Many thanks for playing
Reading the comment on Guillaume route, I was doubtful. But I Find it very interesting and even Guillaume “behavior” can be understand on the light of the story.
I have read several VNs with lot of choices and consequences and quite often I was disapointed on how blind the choices are. In Thorns of war you do a great job to provide choices with consequences but by being “attentive”, you can do the “right” choice ( maybe not the perfect but still ). That’s quite rewarding and immersive. ( I have currently reach I think the best end with Guillaume on my first play ( the last one in ending list ) and stil have to discover the “alternative” that I suspect :-) ).
For those who discover the game, playing Rose of Segunda, then the extra with the Love Interest selected and then Thorn of wars do a great job of providing a “mariage and politic” story with a great MC with a strong character.
I highly recommend it. ( Even in early access, routes already done are complete ).
Thank you for your kind feedback – I’m glad to hear you are enjoying the game, and that the choices aren’t too opaque. I hope you enjoy the coming routes as well. ^_^
Many thanks for playing.
Hello,
I have reached two endings for Guillaume now but it’s hard to figure what to change to get the others ( and don’t want to provide more detail to avoid any spoiler to reader :-/ ).
Is there any guide/tips available somehow ?
Sure, and thank you for being mindful of spoilers. ^_^
If you send me an email at support@blackcross-taylor.com we can get you what you need.
Many thanks for playing
are you sending walkthroughs?
I can do. Do you want to email me what you would like? ^_^
support@blackcross-taylor.com
You know what they say about young husbands - they want the flowers of marriage and none of the fruit. Pure gold A+ !!!
lol, yes, I remember that scene ^_^
Many thanks for playing
Are there still plans for Sir Mathys Aurele or Ambassador Vesela Brovik LIs? Also, when you do get to Charlotte (I find it disturbing that people would rather see her with her brother over Charlotte), can you have more involved in the plot to overthrow the king than Sophia was? That part was very disappointing when it came to Sophia's storyline.
Yes, Mathys and Vesela will be the LIs in the Single route. I suspect with how the voting has been so far, the Single route will be worked on after Charlotte's is completed.
I am not sure what the plot with Charlotte will involve as yet, since I have only sketched it out so far - I will bear your feedback in mind when I work on the route.
Many thanks for your interest.
hi hi, how are things going :)
They're going well, thank you. Leo's route is about 40,000 words now and the TROS POV scenes will be available from next Sunday (8th).
Many thanks for your interest
gaaasp POV for the first game? I can't wait omg
quick question will it be free or have a price? just want to know so I can save for it :)
Oh, it's free if you already have Thorns - I will update the game file on Sunday and it will be found under the Extras menu.
It's just a small collection of scenes (totals about 20,000 words) from the POV of the TROS love interests that was promised as part of the Kickstarter.
As I recall, each character has a minimum of two, with some backers kindly pledging so they could request certain extra scenes (that everyone then gets to enjoy). Those characters with extra TROS scenes are Sofia, Frederique, and Guillaume.
The TTOW ones will be released once the rest of the game routes are complete. ^_^
Oh my oh my I'm definitely looking forward to this Sunday!
I'm glad to hear it ^_^
Show post...
I just wonder... will this game also available on Steam once it finish like TROS?
Yes, that's right ^_^
I loved onii-chan's route in the Rose of Segunda and I'm looking forward to its continuation in the Thorns of War!! It's so rare to find a romance like this in otome so a million thanks to the creators X3 Do you guys know when his route will be released?
It would be after Leo's route is out, I'd say.
Thanks! :)
Littlegal is right. Leo is next and then Frederique, though I don't have any time frames for that as yet.
Many thanks for your interest
Thanks for the reply! And kudos for all the options that allow us to shape MC's personality X3 I like to relate when I read a story. This VN is unique in so many ways<3
I've finally gotten around to playing Bastien and Sofia's routes, and holy moly, why did I wait this long to play this masterpice? I love it. Love how we can actively participate in the politics, and love how there's conflict around the romances too, and the option to change :D
The stakes are so much higher than in TRoS with the politicking. It was already great in Bastien's route, but Sofia's route seemed like a step up from even there, you guys keep outdoing yourselves.
I really appreciate how the morals are explicitly questioned in universe, yet we are allowed to do questionable things, in both politics and romance! That poly, my heart, that's everything I needed ;; From the first option leaning there, I was getting overexcited for it! Thank you so much for inlcuding that!
Game mechanics wise, I am amazed by the amount of branches there are, I have yet to explore all of them. Not even talking about the custom personality of the MC and how that must affect dialogue and choices. Tipping my imaginary hat for you!
I really can't believe Duchess di Parisi and her double dealings and intricate web of lies. I wanted to hate her, but I do get where she is coming from. She is so well-written. My favorite character is still Frederique though, he is just so loveable! Also his disguises :D He had me laughing more than once.
I'm excited for the routes to come! Thank you for your hard work in bringing us this game, because it is amazing!
Hello and thank you for your kind feedback. I'm happy to hear you enjoyed the first two routes and I hope that continues with Guillaume's and the others to come. ^_^
Many thanks for playing
I loved the Rose of Segunda and can’t wait for the squeal, but I kind of hope that we could have a child at the end.
Hello and thank you for your feedback - I am glad to hear you enjoyed the first game.
As for having a child, it is possible in many of the routes, but it requires you to select certain options during the game (they are obvious). My basic idea was, I wanted the option to be there, but didn't want to force any players into having children if they did not think their character would do so. ^_^
Many thanks for your interest
Dear Blackcross & Taylor team,
Thank you so much for bringing us Rose of Segunda and now this! I made an account literally just to ask this question hahaha - is Guillaume still on track for this November? I'm planning on getting this as soon as his route is out (my heart <333).
Much thanks ~
I could be wrong, but based on the Oct 1st update post on their kickstarter, the plan was to release Guillaume's route to beta backers during October (which I think the locked Nov 1st post could be), and release to all backers (and presumably to us purchasers as well?) during December.
Ohh I see, thank you so much catdev!
Hello lex12 and catdevpete, just to let you know a new devlog has been published which may give some insight here.
Many thanks for your interest ^_^
Dear Blackcross & Taylor team,
Thank you so much for this addictive otome !
1/Bastien was my least favourite character in "Rose of Secunda" but seeing him becoming a partner worthy of MC (when she relentlessly expresses her faithfull love and patience)... I was so proud of him !
Pietro is an awsome addition to this sequel !
2/I usually don't play yuri games, but I was curious about Sophia's sequel. Reading this story, I had a twinge for all the lovers who had/have to hide themself because not "straight". Thank you for giving a slight idea of what these people has/had to do to have a bit of hapiness.
3/ I love Frederic as a character but... Are Frederic and the MC biological siblings ?
Stay safe ! (Salutations distinguées de France)
Hello and thank you for your interest, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed Bastien's route and that you found Sofia's an interesting read. ^_^
Yes, Fred is the MC's biological sibling.
Many thanks for playing (et bien cordialement ^_^)
Is Guillaume still on track for this month?
No, I am afraid not. The route ended up being more complex than I originally anticipated. I've updated the page information, but I'll be doing a devlog sometime this week with more information.
Many thanks for your interest ^_^
Hi! I loved the original Rose of Segunda. I'm wondering, because my favorite route is perhaps not the most conventional one, if a Frederique route will be available in the sequel? (please don't judge me lmao i just loved the dynamics between the characters and he was my preferred love interest) Thank you in advance for your response!
Hello and thank you for your interest. I can confirm that all available romances from Rose are continued in Thorns and that includes Frederique (no judgement ^_^)
Many thanks for playing
Hello
I have just finished the current content ( Bastien / Sofia ) and I think this is a really good visual novel. Interesting story and the way the characters are described is well done. I was sometimes lost around all the countess but that just meant there were a lot of them :-). Choices are also interesting to do and really contribute to the ambiance. I do recommend the game ( as a visual novel ).
And congratulations by providing complete routes ( without game issue or feeling something is missing ) while the full game is still in development. I will be pleased to start a new game on each route release :-).
Thank you for your kind feedback - I'm very glad to hear you have enjoyed the game so far.
Many thanks for playing
I think I am looking forward to Charlotte's route more than I've ever looked forward to any game, EVER. Died a little inside when I saw her while with Sofia :'(. One day...keep up the good work, guys!
I'm glad to hear you are looking forward to it - thank you for the kind encouragement. ^_^
Many thanks for playing
Guillaume's upcoming release include the loveless marraige route? (is that still a thing? I haven't played the demo for so long) I was very intrigued since I know that's bound to be filled with angst especially with the tension between the di parisi siblings. Will there also be a thing between them in this?
My sister got me the first game as a birthday gift and I was especially in love with Leopold, Frederique and Charlotte!
Hello and thank you for your interest. ^_^
No, the loveless route is not included as part of Guillaume's route. I think it will be different enough to require a whole route of its own, so it will be worked on at a later date. Since I have yet to start properly planning the loveless route, I don't know currently what the relationships will be, but Frederique will definitely feature.
I'm glad to hear you liked the first game - Leopold's route will be worked on after Guillaume's, so not long to wait now.
Many thanks for playing
I was waiting until I got paid/had some spare money to get this but I heard about the Itch Creator's day so I had to buy it today! Super excited to play Bastien + Sofia's routes! <3
Ah, that's so sweet of you! I really hope you enjoy the game so far. ^_^
Many thanks for playing
Hello! I understand this is a sequel to "The Rose of Segunda," but do you need to play that to understand the events within this one? :)
Hello and thank you for your interest.
Hmm, I don't think you need to play the first game to understand the events in Thorns of War, but as a test you could try downloading the Thorns of War demo. If everything mentioned in the demo feels like it is enough to bring you up to speed and you are comfortable in who your MC is by the end of it, then I don't think the rest of the route will prove a problem.
Many thanks for playing
I just finished Sofia's route, and to be honest it's one of the best visuals novels I've ever played. I really loved the first game too, but this improved on pretty much every aspect of it.
I absolutely love the MC in these games. She's genuinely intelligent, witty, and a bit devious. I love of much freedom is given to the character too. I felt like I was able to really express how I thought she would react to various situations.
The way the relationship between Sofia and the MC is written is also excellently handled. You can't help but fall in love with this pairing. It's so rare to see a game where you get to play after the relationship has started. Even rarer to see a game where a continued relationship between characters feels like the characters have actually grown together. The witty banter between them is super adorable. When they argue it doesn't feel like plot contrivance or drama as it often does in VNs. It makes sense why each character would have the perspectives they do, and it's great watching them try to work through that. It's believable regardless of how things turn out for them.
Also worth noting how well the same-sex angle of the relationship is handled here. As a lover of yuri games, it's refreshing to see a game tackle some of the deeper emotional and social aspects of the relationship, and the struggles the characters face.
And of course the rest of the cast is amazing too. Frederique is one of my all time favorites. Same goes for the Duchess. She's a genuinely intimidating foil to the MC.
Thanks so much for this game! Can't wait for the rest of the routes.
Thank you for your kind feedback. I’m very happy you enjoyed Sofia’s route – the points you raised regarding their relationship and how they interact as a couple are things I was really trying to get across as I wrote the route, so it is always lovely to hear that I managed in that regard.
Many thanks for playing
Hi, I came to the sequel page because I have another question (last one, I swear): would you consider putting the early access game on steam? In truth, i would love to accompany the game episodically but buying on itch would mean buying in dollars, which is significantly more expensive because of my country's currency, so I would like to know if you thought of that option. But, if that isn't possible, I will try to be patient for the full release or save money ~
Also, for the full release on steam, do you plan on putting achievements? It's something I missed on the first game :) again, love your game and thanks for your time
Hello and thank you for your interest. I won't be putting the early access game on steam, I am afraid. Sorry, but it appears you will have to wait until the full release.
As for achievements, that is something I will look into closer to the time, but I am not opposed to it. I will have to see what interesting ones I can think of before I can commit to the idea though.
Many thanks for playing
ahh im so excited for the full release!! i cant wait for Leopold's route lol. i've replayed the demo like a million times. thank you for all the work you're doing on this!! =)
Ah, thank you - I am glad to hear you're excited. I hope Leo's route will be coming along soon - I am looking forward to writing it. ^_^
Many thanks for your interest.
Yay, i can't wait for a full game, or at least my fav route is released. Tried out the demo, any game that is allow me customize the MC personality is a plus.
Glad to hear you're excited - I hope you don't have too long to wait for your fav route ^_^
Many thanks for your interest