Of Sense and Soul Extended Demo
A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, and Linux
The Extended Demo
Voice Update has arrived!
Read the full list of changes for Version 2.0 of the Extended Demo here!
In 1875 London, an editorialist and a gentleman have an unusual first meeting through a misconstrued personal ad. Their paths intertwine as they struggle against their own regrets and ways, and they must decide which to follow: their hearts, or the status quo.
Of Sense and Soul is a story lost to time, centred on two men navigating the smog-covered streets of Victorian London: Hugo Brooks, a reserved editorialist who never adventures far outside the written word, or Seamus Charkham, a confirmed bachelor who would sooner move forward blindfolded than look to the past.
Both are set in their ways, and both are in desperate need of a change, though loath to admit it. Despite wanting to believe they’re satisfied with continuing on as they have been, they find that sometimes, things can change for the better — and that the marks we leave on the lives of those around us are so much greater than we realise.
Of Sense and Soul is a late-Victorian character-driven slice of life romance visual novel and the first game by Forsythia Productions. It will be available for PC, Windows, and Linux.
The full release date is to be announced.
Website | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Patreon | Press Kit
Disclaimers and Content Warnings
Of Sense and Soul will be rated 15+, with mentions of alcohol consumption and smoking. No graphic themes or imagery will be included.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the developers' imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
The full game is planned to contain...
- A researched, robust Victorian England setting
- Detailed watercolour-inspired visuals
- 2 player routes with multiple endings
- 100,000+ words of story in three acts, comprising about 8-12 hours of gameplay
- 18 scene illustrations/CGs
- Timed choice menus and writing composition menus
- Multiple accessibility options
- Fully original soundtrack
- Partial voice acting
- A lot of gay pining and introspection
The OSAS Extended Demo contains...
- The prologue and half of Act 1, featuring content from both routes
- 15,000+ words of story, comprising 1-1.5 hours of gameplay
- 3 scene illustrations/CGs
- 11 soundtracks
- Partial Voice Acting
Of Sense and Soul is a passion project by Forsythia Productions, created by ingthing and akaparalian.
Lead Developer and Artist, Co-writer: ingthing
Lead Writer: akaparalian
Background Artists: Joseph, Luciam, and Ebbasuke
Programmers: Ende, Justinn, and Fen
Composers: Martin Johansson and Henri Tikkala, with jingles by Bell Kalengar
Casting Director: Eamonn Leighton
Voice Director: MAHO!Cody
Audio Engineer: Xuan Vinh Huynh
VOICE CAST
| Max Herzfeld as Hugo Brooks | Shaun Mendum as Seamus Charkham |
| Olivia Vidas as Camilla Brooks | Oliver Smith as James Ashburne |
| Chidumebi Njoku-Browne as Everett Lewis | Richard Gibson as Mr. Coulston |
| Nick Eriksen as Mr. Bentley | Vinay P. Nariani as Mr. Hammond |
| Su Ling Chan as Miss Lee | Mateo Ervin as Cornelius |
| Steven Kelly as Mr. Evans | Vikram Rajan as Mr. Rahim |
Special thanks to our friends and fellow devs who have helped provide feedback on OSAS! We couldn't have done it without you :)
Looking for more OSAS? Subscribe to our newsletter, The Illustrated OSAS News, and have monthly updates with introductions written by Hugo himself delivered right to your inbox!
Click on the arrow to the left of each question to open the dropdown.
I've found a bug/issue, what can I do about it?
For visual glitches, try restarting the game first--but if all else fails, we have a bugs and fixes thread on our Discord or you can fill out our Demo Feedback form!
When will the game be released?
There is no release date determined as of yet. To find out as soon as we announce it, check out our Patreon and subscribe to our newsletter!
How will negative "period-typical" social attitudes be handled in the story?
Of Sense and Soul is written with the intention of portraying queer individuals and voices in history in a positive, heartfelt way. Although the setting is intended to be believably historic, our narrative does not display or provide a platform for discrimination of marginalised peoples, moralistic perspectives, or other prejudices of the time.
Will the game be crowdfunded?
We have a Patreon you can join to support development of OSAS, and a Kickstarter is planned for later in 2023 to fund the full game! Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified when we make the announcement!
Will there be voice acting?
Partial voice acting is planned for OSAS, consisting of vocalisations for regular gameplay and some fully voiced scenes. Partial VA for the demo will be included in a future update!
How can I share my thoughts on the demo?
Visit us over on Discord or fill out our Demo Feedback form! We'd love to hear from you!
We'd love to hear your thoughts on OSAS:
Head to our feedback form to share them!
Download
Install instructions
Choose the file that's labeled for your computer's operating system, unzip, and click the icon labeled OSASExtendedDemo to start the game!
If you're on MacOS, you may get a warning that reads:
'OSASExtendedDemo' cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified.
Instead of moving the file to trash as the pop-up window suggests, you can allow the app to run in the General tab of your Security & Privacy settings. More on how to do this here under the "How to open an app that hasn’t been notarized or is from an unidentified developer" header.
Development log
- Extended Demo Ver 2.0 - The Voice Update5 days ago
- OSAS Dev Update: February 202322 days ago
- Sprites, Camera, Action!: VN Cinematography in Of Sense and Soul32 days ago
- Extended Demo Ver 1.1 - Game Crashing Bug Squashed!57 days ago
- The OSAS Extended Demo: Here at Last! + Upcoming Update #158 days ago
Comments
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Oh my, this is amazing
What a charming VN! It's so carefully crafted: it was an absolute delight to read. I wish you good luck with the rest of the development! \o/
This is one of the highest quality VNs made using Ren'py currently out there. It's a must-play for queer VN and classic literature enthusiasts filled with lovable characters, amazing art and music. I would highly recommend people play this demo.
I saw the email you've sent me and I've played the first chapter so far. I've been patiently waiting on more of this game to come out. It has been amazing so far and I look forward to chapter 2 when I have the time to play it further. 10/10
This is absolutely a must-read for fans of precious, slow-burn, queer men's romance! A genuinely well-crafted, well-directed, and well-researched visual novel. It's just the right amount of yearning, sweetness, and poetic angst, with a fun sense of humor in not just the words, but the scene direction too! It's so endearing, I can't stop gushing, I want to pamper Hugo lol, and I'm so excited to see where this story goes! More people should play and share it; the team and this project have come a long way since the 2020 demo and it was worth the wait!