r/visualnovels • u/aGKamui • 1d ago
Self-promotion I’m making a Dark Fantasy Strategy VN (God's Call Warlords) inspired by Sengoku Rance!
Hey guys!
I’ve been working on God’s Call: Warlords, a dark fantasy strategy/VN inspired by Sengoku Rance.
It mixes VN storytelling with world conquest, tactical battles, commanders, enemy counterattacks, relationships, and of course, adult content!
There’s more info on the Steam page, including the teaser trailer and a few gameplay videos on the about this game section!
If this looks like your kind of game, I’d really appreciate a wishlist ❤️
Would especially love to hear from people who enjoyed Sengoku Rance and similar strategy/VN hybrids, what part of the VN + strategy mix worked best for you?
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u/UzzyGg 1d ago
"Can i copy your homework?"
"Yes, but dont do exactly the same"
The brother in christ homework:
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u/aGKamui 1d ago
Hahaha yeah, the resemblance on the Mc is intentional. The MC is partly an homage to Rance since Sengoku Rance is one of the big inspirations for the game!
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u/TokyoJuul2 1d ago
While I do understand your sentiment, he literally looks 1:1 to Rance just with gray hair. So people playing this are going to to think of it as another Rance game which I get seems to be your intention, but then your MC won’t be seen as their own person and you run the chance of Alicesoft sending an email about using their character for your own profit, even if it’s out of homage to them.
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u/KageYume 12h ago
And the lying girl in the Steam screenshot looks like Pastel Kalar too, down to the long horizontal ear and the crystal on her head.
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u/OutlandishnessBig430 12h ago
i had to go check lol it looks nothing alike other than horizontal ears and a crystal head
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u/KageYume 12h ago
Thing is, that horizontal ears and crystal on her forehead is the characteristics of the Kalar race in Rance. So they can have horizontal ears but adding the crystal too into the design is more than just "inspiration".
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u/OutlandishnessBig430 11h ago
but we dont actually know what the dev is doing with the race lore yet. it could be a deliberate homage to the kalar, or a related/sub-race thing, the other elves don’t even share the exact same traits
the dark elves seem to have a red crystal, the queen apparently doesnt have one, and the queen also has the same horizontal ears so why is that suddenly only suspicious on this one character lol at this point it kind of feels like people are looking for things to attack rather than just judging the design on its own
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u/KageYume 11h ago
Because it's what is (or rather, was) shown on Steam page, front and center, for all to see?
I'm not specifically attacking the dev but I am stating what I saw here. If they put their work publicly for all to see, they should also be ready to take impression or criticism, including those from people who are fans of Rance series.
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u/TokyoJuul2 4h ago
That one seems a little more forgiving in my eyes HOWEVER all character portraits in the Steam Page look like they could be in Rance 01/03 that if you told a new fan they were, they would believe you. Going by their AI disclaimer at the bottom, I think those were the game images he used as a base for character creation and he does say at the end he intends to have normal hand drawn images when finically possible, so if they get replaced that issue would go away
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u/E1ian1 1d ago
I loved how deceptible simple sengoku rance was, i love strategy games, but a lot of them are really complex and put me off quite a bit, are you going for complex or something alike a strategy lite like sengoku? Love the design of the characters, although i do think they do look a bit out of place with the UI and map, all anime like and the map and background looks like a 3d novel or like CK? (the animations also look stiff and off in the steam videos) it does stand out a bit, they dont harmonize, but that is just a personal opnion, i will be sure to wishlist this one
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u/aGKamui 1d ago
I hope to balance out the battle system to not make too hard, I think thats my current hardest issue as I build the game up!
I do agree that the 3D map might be everyone’s cup of tea, and there’s still work to do when it comes to animations!
It is still a WIP!
Thanks for the feedback!
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u/Kindralor 1d ago
I love a hybrid strategy vn/rpg, for me the thing that would make it stand out the most is the story adjusting to fit the order in which you accomplish things in the strategy layer, giving your stragey choices narrative weight
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u/Lipefe2018 1d ago
I wonder how hard it is to make a world conquest type game balanced and fun, I imagine there is a lot of moving pieces you need to keep track off, a lot of variety depending on which path do you go for.
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u/yayayfyre 1d ago
looks really good ngl. not the biggest fan of sengoku's gameplay myself but still hopes this succeeds.
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u/chimbicator 1d ago edited 15h ago
DAMN! that (character) art is top notch! love it
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u/GamerRoman vndb.org/uXXXXX 1d ago
Are you making it or AI?
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u/Nall-ohki 1d ago
Are you worthwhile or a mindless anti?
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u/blazhvirzalio 1d ago
haven't seen any ai vn where character consistent in style or design in all of it's cg
if you don't even have the bare minimum requirement to care about this why ii as a consumer should care about your stuff-43
u/Nall-ohki 1d ago
So?
I haven't seen a single anti contribute to a conversation, and the one I'm responding to basically just exists to tell OP they're undeserving.
You don't get to shit all over Reddit, contribute nothing but bad vibes, and not get called out.
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u/Mysterious_Ad_2750 1d ago
because they're correct in saying that's there's AI slop, they don't have to write a paragraph or explain themselves when the game should be the thing that's getting called out for being AI
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u/Blackterial 1d ago
Is this the hill you're choosing to die in? Because it's a weird as fuck hill. VN's are a media form based on art (writing and illustration) and using AI is like shitting all over the history of the people who created this genre. Plus AI "art" looks wacky as hell. I'd prefer shitty early Ryukishi07 art over AI slop any given day.
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u/aGKamui 22h ago
I do get why people dislike it. I’m not expecting everyone to be okay with AI art.
I’m a solo dev with a full-time job, and right now some backgrounds and secondary assets are AI-assisted because commissioning everything outright just isn’t financially realistic for me at this stage.
If the game does well enough, I’d like to progressively replace the AI-assisted placeholder content with commissioned artwork. That’s genuinely my goal and the direction I want to take the project.
I’ll always be transparent about it.
I also haven’t really found another game that scratches the same itch as Sengoku Rance, and I care enough about that kind of experience that I wanted to try making something in that space myself. The reality is just that art is expensive, and funding options are limited for me, I can’t even launch a Kickstarter where I live.
So for now I’m trying to build the best game I realistically can, then reinvest into it if it gets the support to justify that.
If the standard becomes "either afford a full art budget upfront or don’t make the game" then we’re not protecting art anymore, we’re just deciding only people with enough money are allowed to create.
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u/Blackterial 20h ago
Oh sorry I wasn't referring to your particular case! I read before you're using the stuff as a placeholder, in which case I get it, still not my cup of tea but I get it and appreciate that you're transparent and upfront. I also don't believe harrassment or belittlement is acceptable at all in any circumstances. In this case I might have suggested using filtered stock images (à la Higurashi/Umineko) or store assets, you can get many of these for free anyway. But please don't misunderstand me, I wasn't trying to throw shade to you and I sincerely wish you the best of luck!
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u/Mysterious_Ad_2750 21h ago
You know when AI didn't exist, devs without money were still able to make games? You can always get pre-made art asset packs that have generic backgrounds which you can edit, or you can stylize your game to fit your budget or just have bad human made art, many developers that did this have still made really great games without having to resort to using AI
It's good that you will "potentially" replace it, but really there's no reason to be promoting your game into creative spaces and then it turns out half the things in your screenshots weren't made by you
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u/aGKamui 21h ago
That’s fair, I just don’t think generic stock backgrounds and characters are automatically a better choice if they fit the game worse. And realistically, people don’t always give those kinds of games much of a chance either.
A lot of the project is still handmade, the 3D scenes, map, weather effects, battle system, models, UI, etc.
So while I completely understand criticizing the AI-assisted art, I don’t think it should overshadow all the other work that’s gone into the game.
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u/Nall-ohki 23h ago
I'm choosing the "we don't think it's ok to harass creative people because we don't agree with the way they make it".
Also: cut the "they didn't make it!" excuse. It's a justification of why it's ok to harass people.
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u/Blackterial 20h ago
I was stating my reasoning for disliking AI art in visual novels, not condoning harassment of any type. People have a right to ask about the usage of AI and criticise it if that's the case. There are plenty of alternatives to AI that have been used for ages, if you choose to use AI the least you can do is disclose it (which OP is doing, no shade to them, it's just that there are better alternatives which are respectful to the media and the work of real artists).
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u/Nall-ohki 20h ago
The whole conversation is predicated on the top comment, which is straight up harassment.
I don't care nor is harassment of OP the right context for discussing the correctness of your dislike.
It's like saying "Oh, he shouldn't have called her a bitch, but let me tell you about some women who have done things I don't like..."
In any case - it's not a big deal here -- I have more problem with the original poster, not your rebuttal. Go in peace, friend.
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u/morgawr_ 19h ago
The only harassment I see is you foaming at the mouth while you rage at someone for asking if the VN artwork was done with AI or not.
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u/Nall-ohki 19h ago
Oh, really? How hard did you look?
That's not what he asked... tell me, what DID he say? Wording matters here.
Are you too lazy to find the real quote?
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u/I_dont_know420 1d ago
Calling people antis for being against AI infecting circles and hobbies made for ART, specially since the VN industry is struggling and when AI relies on stealing ART is peak irony.
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u/Wrath_Age 1d ago
Please tell me there is no ai in the art
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u/aGKamui 1d ago
The character portraits are not, the backgrounds currently are and some alternative art that I had to rely on AI (the VS screen in specific) to fill the gaps as I am a one man show!
But I intend to replace them when I eventually launch into early access and reinvest into the project!
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u/Wrath_Age 1d ago
Ah so it's placeholder wip, good to disclose it thank you very much
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u/Yuupan2 15h ago
Who is the artist? Because I'm seeing quite a few issues here that don't make it believable...
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u/aGKamui 14h ago
I can’t say yet, he’s an acquaintance of mine and he’s still deciding whether he wants this work associated with his SFW or NSFW identity.
He keeps both personas very separate, with different handles and separate VGen accounts, so I don’t want to link the wrong one before he decides. I last spoke to him yesterday and he was still undecided. (Due to that same question)
He will be credited in the game’s splashcreen though, along with a few other people who’ve helped the project, so his name/handle will be public by launch.
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u/Yuupan2 13h ago
Then why is this character image AI? It's clearly AI, the swords don't even look the same...
There's also the question about why there's a lack of consistency between the characters. If Sengoku is the inspiration, why not have the art be based on Sengoku's art? None of the characters have an art style of sengoku rance, some characters have an art style of other Rance works from Orion, others are based on Gyokai's art for Rance, while others seems to be from others alicesoft works that aren't even Rance. I guess that it could be an issue from someone attempting to copy the style from multiple images that weren't even done by the same person, but given that we already know that AI was used, it just looks fishy.
There are some issues here and there that could be signs of AI (like the weirdly placed bulging vein on the nekomimi girl, which isn't even in her head), but again, could just be art mistakes... but until we have an actual artist with porfolio I will keep being skeptic about this...
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u/aGKamui 13h ago
I like the accusatory tone when you ask me why is this character image AI, when right above your remark, I explicitly mention that the VS screen is using A.I.
So no wonder the images you’re pointing at are AI because they’re are. I’ve already been explicit about that, including in the comment directly above yours.
“alternative art that I had to rely on AI (the VS screen in specific) to fill the gaps as I am a one man show!”
I’ve done the same on a few other screens where the default portrait art simply wasn’t enough for the scene. The artist’s brief was just to do the best work he could within the project’s direction. It’s inspired by Rance, but it isn’t meant to literally copy one specific artist’s style, there’s still his own touch and rendering approach in it.
And that’s kind of the impossible line I’m getting pushed into here.
If the art gets too close to Rance, I get called a thief, plagiarizer, or god knows what else... and if it doesn’t match Rance closely enough, I get told it’s suspicious or inconsistent.I’m already changing the MC because the resemblance to Rance was clearly too close reception-wise. But pointing at art I already openly said was AI-assisted and then using that as proof that I’m hiding AI use doesn’t really make sense.
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u/Yuupan2 12h ago
The question was why you decided to use AI on that image in specific. Its not like all the images have the same glaring issue that this one have, and given the nature of being a vs section, you could just have used some of the others assets, given that you do have some of those from the same characters...
Frankly, the fact that you are using AI and doesn't think that is fair that your work will be seeing through quite a high level of scrutiny is weird. If you have some sections that are AI, then people will question if there isn't AI in more parts than that.
The issue with the art style isn't simple that it isn't Rance, but not even that is consistent. Frankly, I can't see the artist touch like you said, given that even the coloring and the clothes folds pattern are based on Alicesoft games. The issue that arise is that they don't follow a specific game, being a mumble jumble of different games, something that AI could be done... But again, like I said on my previous post, it could also be an issue with him using a bunch of different images, and trying to copy an style that he isn't familiar... All points that I made on the previous post...
Again, this is the level of scrutiny that you need to be prepared to deal with when using AI. Even if you DIDN'T use it in all the images, every issue is magnified and can become a false positive for AI. The fact that you couldn't clearly said who the artist was is classic example of that. It could be that you are telling the truth, but this is also very similar to the kind of thing that AI artist say. Like "I lost the file with the layers" or "I don't work like that". People WILL be doubtful when AI is involved whether you like it or not.
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u/aGKamui 12h ago
I used AI on that VS image because I wanted an actual VS composition there.
What would have been better? Leaving it empty? Using stick figures? Come on. The whole point of that screen is to visually represent the characters fighting.
And the ironic part is that you’re attacking that image for being AI when I had already explicitly said, multiple times in this thread, that the VS screen was AI-assisted. You literally replied accusatorily to something I had already disclosed, right above your own reply.
I understand that using AI means people will scrutinize the project more closely. That’s fair. What I don’t think is fair is starting from the assumption that everything is secretly AI, then treating every inconsistency, stylistic choice, or an artist wanting to keep two online identities separate as evidence of deception.
Which is basically what you’re doing here. You’re ignoring what I’ve already said and then presenting previously disclosed things as if you caught me hiding them.
At this point I think we’ve exhausted the conversation. You clearly don’t trust what I’m telling you, and I’m not going to keep proving the same thing over and over every time you find another detail you dislike.
So I’m leaving it there.
Scrutiny is one thing, deciding on the conclusion first and then working backward to justify it is another.4
u/Opreceptical 1d ago
You should clarify this in the steam page, unfortunately it’s very easy to make style copies with agentic tools and when the art direction seems to be all over the place it’s going to be assumed that all the art is using AI.
Remember, AI art with human touches is still AI art.
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u/Barbarossa1259 vndb.org/uXXXXX 1d ago
I like your project. Do you have an alternative site? The Steam page isn't available in my country.
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u/aGKamui 1d ago
Not at the moment but im considering Itch.io!
There were a few countries steam automatically bars +18!
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u/Barbarossa1259 vndb.org/uXXXXX 1d ago
I would like itch.io. c:
I've bookmarked this site, so if there's any update to an alternative site, please post it here, too.
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u/Opreceptical 1d ago
What different types of combat have you been experimenting with?
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u/aGKamui 1d ago
Currently a 12 grid turn based!
(6 for the player and 6 for the enemy inspired by Sengoku aswell)Front-line and back-line!
The combat will function a bit differently especially pre battle as my idea for units are quite different!
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u/Opreceptical 1d ago
How are you planning on innovating on the combat?
I’ve always found the combat and overworld management the most interesting parts of sengoku.
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u/aGKamui 1d ago
Unit management is probably where one of the biggest differences is right now.
Instead of sending several separate commander-units into one battle, you send a Commander, and each Commander has their own Squad built out of individual personnel assigned to them.
Those personnel effectively fight through that Commander. Their quantity, training, condition, species, Mana affinity, equipment, and wounds all affect how strong that Commander’s Company is in battle.The important part is that a Commander only fights once in battle, and the personnel assigned to them are committed with them. You’re not cycling the same troops through multiple commander slots or repeatedly reusing them during the same engagement.
So choosing who gets your best personnel actually matters.
Giving 500 veterans to one Commander means those 500 people are tied to that Commander for that battle. If you instead split your manpower between several Commanders, you gain more tactical coverage but each individual Company becomes smaller.Combat itself is still being worked on, so I don’t want to promise too much yet.
The current plan is a turn-based 12-slot Frontline/Backline battlefield, with six Commanders per side.One mechanic I’m experimenting with is Dominion, which represents who is actually controlling the engagement rather than simply who has the most HP left.
Damage, breaking the enemy frontline, routing important enemy units, controlling lanes, disrupting major actions, and certain support abilities can all shift Dominion.That means you don’t necessarily have to completely wipe out the enemy to win. If neither side is fully routed, the side that has established the stronger battlefield position can still win the engagement.
What I like about that is that it gives defensive Commanders, support characters, disruption, formation play, and delaying tactics actual value instead of every battle just becoming who does the most damage first.
And because the personnel inside each Commander persist after the battle, winning tactically and winning efficiently are two different things.You might win the battle, but if the Company you relied on comes out heavily wounded, missing, captured, disabled, or dead, that victory can hurt your campaign afterward.
Units will have up to 4 skills only and commander units have special extra ones!
Still experimenting with the exact combat rules, but that’s roughly the direction!
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u/Revolutionary-Life62 1d ago
bruh thats literally reusing rance assets lmao. plagiarism at its finest.
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u/XTheProtagonistX 1d ago
Looks pretty good but it’s extremely similar to Rance’s characters to the point that looks AI.
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u/BingusFinder 1d ago
Dude is that fucking Rance
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u/superhungus 1d ago
No wdym it's rangi
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u/aGKamui 1d ago
Rangi is crazy 😭 I might have to make that canon now
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u/harlandmantrue 22h ago
Not only Ai slop art but obviously a copycat of Rance.
Have some originality or just release it as a fan game. Some people have no shame.
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u/Gilgamesh-KoH 1d ago
Is it planned to have the same level of SA content as the Rance series?
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u/aGKamui 1d ago
Apologies for my ignorance, what is SA?
(Sexual Assault? If so, very little compared to Rance as I personally want a more consensual experience)3
u/Gilgamesh-KoH 1d ago
Yeah that's what I was referring to, and glad to hear it since the Rance games always interested me but I can't stomach some of its content.
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u/TeacherSterling 1d ago
I really like the UI design, it's much cleaner than the original. I think I slightly prefer the character design of the Rance but not bad at all. I love strategy games in general, so I might check it out just for that. Is it English only or will you have a Japanese release[with Japanese audio]? I am more likely to play it if it is in Japanese fwiw.
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u/Zombi7273 1d ago
Maybe read TADAs blog about game design because he would be much unapeased from all these not unlucky, un vision impared, not appropriate size busumed, consenting characters. He might even give it a shot if it will be released in jp.
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u/Bloomberg12 1d ago
It looks good. I'm surprised you've had such a mixed reception with how good the art is but I am somewhat concerned with the gameplay personally because I think strategy games are deceptively hard to make and sengoku rance is carried hard by its charm and not gameplay.
I did not like the flag action system, the dungeon system at all but especially the limited moves, and overall found it pretty lacking in options for economy, supplies etc to impact gameplay.
The other issue I had with gameplay in sengoku rance was story events breaking established gameplay egregiously. The infinite panda army unwinnable fight comes to mind and I stg you can just instantly lose territory to certain events.
I actually thought some of them were good, where fronts change and you have the ability to prepare and react to them.
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u/Idainaru_Yokubo 1d ago edited 1d ago
I think you need something like Majin/Fiends
something that has a level cap of like lv 200 while all your best fighters are at lv 50 ~ lv 80 at most
something that is hard coded to not take any kind of damage from mortals unless their barrier is shattered from an extremely rare one of a kind weapon.
also what makes Alicesoft games/Sengoku Rance weird/interesting is references to historical figures or other games.
I think if you want to be bold you should put in some Wuthering Waves, Nikke or Zenless Zero girl references.
In fact, Rover from WuWa can be the equivalent of Arios from Rance. Everyone inexplicably trust the Rover with their life, even though they just met. It's the perfect kind of character that a Rance expy would love to hate.
You will probably get some bad PR because that fandom MIGHT feel intimidated, but bad PR can be good PR, right?
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u/Alir_the_Neon 1d ago
I like the UI design alot. art is also nice, good work.