A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, and Linux

Gameplay GIF of Seamus Chapter 2 CG


Synopsis

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.

Gameplay GIF from Seamus Chapter 2

About

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.

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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. 

Planned Features

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

Gameplay GIF from Seamus Chapter 4

The OSAS Extended Demo contains...

  • The prologue and a little over half of Act 1, featuring a total of 5 main game chapters selected from both routes.
  • 20,000+ words of story, comprising 1.5-2.5 hours of gameplay (2.5-4 hours if streaming)
  • 3 scene illustrations/CGs
  • 15 soundtracks
  • Partial Voice Acting, including two fully voiced scenes.
Gameplay GIF from Hugo Chapter 3

Credits

Of Sense and Soul  is a passion project by Forsythia Productions, created by Ingrid Yiu and Rowan York.

Lead Developer and Artist, Co-writer: Ingrid Yiu (ingthing)

Lead Writer: Rowan York

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 BrooksShaun Mendum as Seamus Charkham
Olivia Vidas as Camilla BrooksOliver Smith as James Ashburne
Chidumebi Njoku-Browne as
Everett Lewis
Richard Gibson as Mr. Coulston
Nick Eriksen as Mr. BentleyVinay P. Nariani as Mr. Hammond
Su Ling Chan as Miss LeeMateo Ervin as Cornelius
Steven Kelly as Mr. EvansVikram 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 :)

Divider

Looking for more OSAS? 

Confluence is a free-to-play spin-off game we made for O2A2 Queer Edition 2023! 

It's a short, sweet, fully voiced snapshot of the happy ending in store for Hugo in OSAS, so give it a go if you've got 10 minutes to spare!

Confluence (noun): a coming or flowing together, meeting, or gathering at one point; the joining of two rivers. In the epilogue of his happy ending, Hugo waxes poetic on the scale of his life and love and how, wondrously, the littlest of things can also be the most precious.

 Facts & Questions

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,  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?

The game has already been funded through Kickstarter! We couldn't have done it without you :) 

Will there be voice acting?

Partial voice acting will feature in OSAS, consisting of vocalisations for regular gameplay and some fully voiced scenes.

How can I share my thoughts on the demo?

Visit us over on Discord or leave a comment/review on this page! We'd love to hear from you!

Updated 5 days ago
StatusIn development
PlatformsWindows, macOS, Linux
Rating
Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars
(32 total ratings)
AuthorsForsythia Productions, ingthing
GenreVisual Novel, Interactive Fiction
Made withRen'Py
TagsBara, Boys' Love, Dating Sim, Gay, Historical, LGBT, Period Piece, Romance, victorian
Average sessionAbout an hour
LanguagesEnglish
InputsKeyboard, Mouse
AccessibilityHigh-contrast
LinksSteam, Homepage, Steam, Twitter, Patreon, Blog

Download

Download
OSAS Extended Demo Ver. 3.1 for Mac 509 MB
Download
OSAS Extended Demo Ver. 3.1 for PC 536 MB

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.

(This game is largely developed on a Mac computer, so it definitely works!)

Development log

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Comments

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(+2)

Your demo is so beautiful and charming that I am blown away, and the main characters are so earnest and sweet that I'm in love with them! I'm so very glad to have the chance to grab it via Backerkit, and I'll give the demo a review when I have the chance.

No android version on the demo😭

(+1)

Stunningly well crafted, this demo hits every note perfectly and then some. The camera movement, the art style, the writing, the cohesiveness, the balance of emotion and humor, and so so much more- this demo is an utter joy to play, and I want so badly to see more of Hugo and Seamus (and everyone else)!

(+2)

Love it! Can't wait for when it's released

(+3)

Oh my, this is amazing

(+3)

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/

(+3)

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.

(+3)

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

(+4)

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!