Hello, thank you for the kind word! It's true I tend to make games with a "fighting against women discrimination" vibe on mind and thus strongly affirmed female lead characters, but I understand it must be annoying to not have a more neutral option or NB representation. I might consider that for my next project if it's doable.
I found this game downloaded in a folder on my computer, but I was sure I'd never played it.
Lo and behold, it was a game about a hot vampire.
I knew I downloaded it for a reason. I also cackled at the sneaky "some absurd tangent about how he thought snails were effervescent." I haven't finished it yet but I am loving it so far!
I binge played this game. It was beautiful; the mystery, the characters and their personalities, their backgrounds... I simply have no words.
The first ending I got was "Freedom end" and I'm so glad that was my first one XD I went back to play the "Bliss end" and oh boy... I'm not sure how to write down my thoughts without leaving any spoilers, but I absolutely hated it - in all good ways, ofc, it was amazingly done, but that took such unexpected turn that I was left gaping XD
The Freedom end was simply beautiful. I love that Abigail didn't become overcome with hatred and revenge, and that the two of them of them found their happiness :) <3
This story is emotional, in pure defenition. This story made my laugh, cry, and also think. I love that the choices were there as an interaction with the reader/player, to get them thinking and choosing what path to make. The romance is bittersweet with Lucious, both of the characters having a damaged part to be healed. I like that he chooses to keep the vampire side of him as well, because he would not know how to live without it. Aside from that, I do like the voice acting, it is very good. I also loved the chase in the beginning, the description of it made me FEEL the chase, not just witness it. Thank you so much.
Thank you very much for this lovely comment, our writers really did well to convey the emotions and the characters, I am happy other people think the same <3
Any chance, Synstoria? There will be a sequel? I got the freedom/vampire ending and want to see them take out the evil queen!
The romance was sweet as well, I had named my oc Kiara in this and she was not only sassy/sarcastic but also kind to Lucius which fit perfectly I thought :)
Kiara, what a lovely name! Unfortunately, I don't think a sequel will ever happen because all the creative team is busy with other projects, but I am very happy if you liked it!
Even though this visual novel is relatively short, I think it still delivers a very good story. Lucius is charming, and Abigal is funny and witty. Their backstories are also quite sad and depressing
This visual novel has some of the most attractive UI I've ever seen. I like the elaborate frame that is shown throughout the game. Although I think this game could use a CG or two. I would be nice to show some of their most tender moments in a full glory that is CG~
Hi, thank you so much for your nice comment, I am so happy you liked Lucius and Abi! It's true some CG would have been great but the game was made in a very short time frame and the artist is super busy with other projects now, so we don't really have the possibility to add some :v
I love this game. Lucius is such well written character. He is gentle and his personality is awesome. I love the freedom ending. They deserve to be happy and free. This game had me glued to my screen. I did not want to put it down. Could not stop reading! I highly recommend!
*My unfiltered take on this wonderful game, spoiler free*
If I had to choose a few words to describe Ballads at Midnight, I would use these: absolutely delightful and downright magical. I am shocked at how thoroughly this game kept me completely immersed throughout the story! Despite the game not being too long, I still felt and understood the connection that grew between the two characters. Absolutely divine, truly! And the fact that it was free...Words cannot convey how pleased I am with this game. Thank you, to all of you who made this story come to life! I will most definitely be coming back to this game to replay simply to feel the magic of the story all over again. To anyone and everyone looking for a lovely not-too-long but not-too-short enemies to lovers vampire VN, this is an absolute must play.
That being said, on another note and despite my absolute 10/10 rating, I do have maybe a few comments of potential improvements for future projects, or maybe a future continuation of this splendid game. :)
1.) It would be quite nice to have a few different, or even one or two, different outfits to choose from in game. Maybe that's just my ostentatious side speaking- although I did truly appreciate the art, it would've been cool to see some different outfits/ designs for the characters.
2.) Potentially a few more choice decisions to make it more immersive. Though I must sincerely compliment how, despite there not being tons of choices, the game still felt as if the player was still in control.
3.) A finale cutscene after the conclusion. I would've loved to see the characters one last time. Maybe even with an open ending, where it ends with the characters taking some sort of small action against the antagonist (who shall not be named to avoid potential spoilers). Or maybe they live happily ever after and we get to see them marry, orrr....adventures of a sort. They are both so lovely.
4.) I would love to see more art of the characters in the future, such as when they were dancing, maybe spliced between conversation. Such a lovely sequence, by the way.
5.) I would also love to see more romance between the two characters. Maybe a finale scene where they profess their *undying* (see what I did there) love for each other, kind of similar to a finale cutscene like I mentioned before. Or really anything. I just love them so much. I kind of want to know what Lucien's favorite color is. Or maybe they just frolic around all cute together. Oh man, that's how I know I've been entranced by a story- suddenly all of the little details become utterly fascinating.
Overall, I am shocked by the absolute wonder of this game and can't wait to see more from you and your team! Certainly a game and story that I will not be forgetting anytime soon, especially with the riveting plot that had me quite literally gasping aloud. I would highly recommend to anyone with a love for fantasy- a short but shockingly sweet take on a dark fantasy romance between two wondrous individuals that were truly made for each other. Thank you, to you and your team, for creating such a phenomenal work of art!
Thank you for leaving such a delightful and detailed review, I am so happy you liked the game! I don't know if we will ever come back to it, as I am working full time on another project (currently on Kickstarter), but I agree a couple of CG could have been great. Maybe some day o/
Even if you don’t end up coming back to it, it will still always be one of my favorite games I’ve played on itchio :) I can’t wait to check out your other games!!!!
I would like to thank you for spending your time, love, and energy to create this game, and then making it free without asking for anything in return. But there are no adequate words! Thanks, thanks... THANKS.
This story was so captivating that I started and finished the game all in one breath, barely remembering to save.
The drawings, the music, the dialogues... It was all a beautiful journey.
THANK YOU.
I work as a video game translator from English to Italian. If you ever need me, please call me, I am willing to find a way to give those who don't know English well the chance to play it.
No problem, my offer is general and applies to anything in the future because I'm sure whatever you do will be just as good :)
And, in any case, I wrote to you because I wanted to compliment you, so everything else is just a side dish. You have created an amazing game! Well done! Thanks for sharing it with us. <3
I love this game. I think voice acting is amazing. The most important is the story, length is ideal, not too short not too long. I really liked how characters are slowly learning about each other and their meeting influance their future. Also art is simply beautiful and very accurate. One of best vampire VN!
This VN was amazing! The story, the dialogue and the characters were so well written and the artwork is gorgeous. Highly recommend this one, it became one of my favorites I found on this platform so far, 5/5 <3
Oh I am super happy to hear that! Totally different story but don't hesitate to look at our other free game "Autumn Spirit", it was made with love too <3
AAAAAA This visual novel was soooo good! Both the story and the artwork were amazing! All the twists in the plot kept me thoroughly consumed in the story... and I especially loved the dynamic between our two main characters. Excellent work!!
Loved everything, and I mean EVERYTHING about this! Immersive artwork and writing, the story might seem predictable, but it actually went in scuh different directions than I imagined. The voice acting though... I wish every game has voice acting as accurate and fitting as this game had. And this was all done in a month! :o
I'm not much of a reader, more of a film/more or less action kind of games liker, so there aren't many of this kind of games (ones rather fixed on story than other aspects) I've played, but I like this one. Enthralling story.
Not me crying at 1am T_T I was so happy with the freedom ending I got. Thank you for making it that way - I feel these stories always end up heavily on the 'bitter' in 'bittersweet' but this was really beautiful and lifted my spirits.
*EDIT* omg I just realized this was voice acted. I have to go back and replay again with sound!
I am happy you had a good time! And yes we wanted nice endings <3 Unfortunately since it's a free game it's not full voice acted but yeah our two voice actor did an amazing job to bring those characters to life !
Loving it so far. Only issue I'm having, which I wasn't earlier oddly enough, is that the History is only showing things that happened a while while back and takes quite a bit to catch up. I can never look and see what was said like, a line ago.
I played a lot on my laptop without mouse too so I def understand why it should be working (it's the purpose of history message after all), I am very sorry for the inconvenience, I hope the little tip can help you tho
I am going to repost what I say after your first post:
"I am not very fond of "no commentary" playthrough tbh, I don't mind streamer and youtuber playing our games and I love to see their reactions and comments, but no commentary is kinda just spoiling the story :s Especially for a short game like that where there isn't too many choices."
So I will delete both comments. I am not going to start a war on youtube, but advertising your playthrough on the page itself after I said it wasn't cool to do that, is really not nice. >.>
This game has everything I love, great voice-acting, wonderful narrative, fun banter between the main character and her handsome vampire and incredible story-writing. You've weaved a tale of such intrigue I couldn't stop playing till the very end.
Loved our saucy bard Abigail though I did re-name her Selene. I hope you enjoy my playthrough and that I added to your marvelous games appeal to attract more audience. I truly can't wait to playthrough Imperial Grace. I tried it already without a video and absolutely adored it. I hope you finish it soon. 😍
I am not very fond of "no commentary" playthrough tbh, I don't mind streamer and youtuber playing our games and I love to see their reactions and comments, but no commentary is kinda just spoiling the story :s Especially for a short game like that where there isn't too many choices.
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Hello, thank you for the kind word! It's true I tend to make games with a "fighting against women discrimination" vibe on mind and thus strongly affirmed female lead characters, but I understand it must be annoying to not have a more neutral option or NB representation. I might consider that for my next project if it's doable.
I found this game downloaded in a folder on my computer, but I was sure I'd never played it.
Lo and behold, it was a game about a hot vampire.
I knew I downloaded it for a reason. I also cackled at the sneaky "some absurd tangent about how he thought snails were effervescent." I haven't finished it yet but I am loving it so far!
Aw beans, your vampire made me tear up a little bit. It was a lovely story, thank you!
I am very happy you enjoyed it! Also if this one made you cry, don't try our other free game Autumn Spirit as it's much more feels. :p
Oh don't worry, I definitely will, and I'll let you know if I weep like a child!
I am also eagerly awaiting Spring for Imperial Grace :3c
aww can't wait to know what you thought about both!
I binge played this game. It was beautiful; the mystery, the characters and their personalities, their backgrounds... I simply have no words.
The first ending I got was "Freedom end" and I'm so glad that was my first one XD I went back to play the "Bliss end" and oh boy... I'm not sure how to write down my thoughts without leaving any spoilers, but I absolutely hated it - in all good ways, ofc, it was amazingly done, but that took such unexpected turn that I was left gaping XD
The Freedom end was simply beautiful. I love that Abigail didn't become overcome with hatred and revenge, and that the two of them of them found their happiness :) <3
Eheh, very happy you had a good time with the game <3
This story is emotional, in pure defenition. This story made my laugh, cry, and also think. I love that the choices were there as an interaction with the reader/player, to get them thinking and choosing what path to make. The romance is bittersweet with Lucious, both of the characters having a damaged part to be healed. I like that he chooses to keep the vampire side of him as well, because he would not know how to live without it. Aside from that, I do like the voice acting, it is very good. I also loved the chase in the beginning, the description of it made me FEEL the chase, not just witness it. Thank you so much.
Thank you very much for this lovely comment, our writers really did well to convey the emotions and the characters, I am happy other people think the same <3
Any chance, Synstoria? There will be a sequel? I got the freedom/vampire ending and want to see them take out the evil queen!
The romance was sweet as well, I had named my oc Kiara in this and she was not only sassy/sarcastic but also kind to Lucius which fit perfectly I thought :)
Kiara, what a lovely name! Unfortunately, I don't think a sequel will ever happen because all the creative team is busy with other projects, but I am very happy if you liked it!
Ohh I loved it and hope at some point there will be one ooo lol they could make a vamp army and use it against that rotten queen! Lol :)
Even though this visual novel is relatively short, I think it still delivers a very good story. Lucius is charming, and Abigal is funny and witty. Their backstories are also quite sad and depressing
This visual novel has some of the most attractive UI I've ever seen. I like the elaborate frame that is shown throughout the game. Although I think this game could use a CG or two. I would be nice to show some of their most tender moments in a full glory that is CG~
Hi, thank you so much for your nice comment, I am so happy you liked Lucius and Abi! It's true some CG would have been great but the game was made in a very short time frame and the artist is super busy with other projects now, so we don't really have the possibility to add some :v
I love this game. Lucius is such well written character. He is gentle and his personality is awesome. I love the freedom ending. They deserve to be happy and free. This game had me glued to my screen. I did not want to put it down. Could not stop reading! I highly recommend!
Thank you so much for your kind words! If you want more awesome character, don't hesitate to check out our other games ! <3
*My unfiltered take on this wonderful game, spoiler free*
If I had to choose a few words to describe Ballads at Midnight, I would use these: absolutely delightful and downright magical. I am shocked at how thoroughly this game kept me completely immersed throughout the story! Despite the game not being too long, I still felt and understood the connection that grew between the two characters. Absolutely divine, truly! And the fact that it was free...Words cannot convey how pleased I am with this game. Thank you, to all of you who made this story come to life! I will most definitely be coming back to this game to replay simply to feel the magic of the story all over again. To anyone and everyone looking for a lovely not-too-long but not-too-short enemies to lovers vampire VN, this is an absolute must play.
That being said, on another note and despite my absolute 10/10 rating, I do have maybe a few comments of potential improvements for future projects, or maybe a future continuation of this splendid game. :)
1.) It would be quite nice to have a few different, or even one or two, different outfits to choose from in game. Maybe that's just my ostentatious side speaking- although I did truly appreciate the art, it would've been cool to see some different outfits/ designs for the characters.
2.) Potentially a few more choice decisions to make it more immersive. Though I must sincerely compliment how, despite there not being tons of choices, the game still felt as if the player was still in control.
3.) A finale cutscene after the conclusion. I would've loved to see the characters one last time. Maybe even with an open ending, where it ends with the characters taking some sort of small action against the antagonist (who shall not be named to avoid potential spoilers). Or maybe they live happily ever after and we get to see them marry, orrr....adventures of a sort. They are both so lovely.
4.) I would love to see more art of the characters in the future, such as when they were dancing, maybe spliced between conversation. Such a lovely sequence, by the way.
5.) I would also love to see more romance between the two characters. Maybe a finale scene where they profess their *undying* (see what I did there) love for each other, kind of similar to a finale cutscene like I mentioned before. Or really anything. I just love them so much. I kind of want to know what Lucien's favorite color is. Or maybe they just frolic around all cute together. Oh man, that's how I know I've been entranced by a story- suddenly all of the little details become utterly fascinating.
Overall, I am shocked by the absolute wonder of this game and can't wait to see more from you and your team! Certainly a game and story that I will not be forgetting anytime soon, especially with the riveting plot that had me quite literally gasping aloud. I would highly recommend to anyone with a love for fantasy- a short but shockingly sweet take on a dark fantasy romance between two wondrous individuals that were truly made for each other. Thank you, to you and your team, for creating such a phenomenal work of art!
Thank you for leaving such a delightful and detailed review, I am so happy you liked the game! I don't know if we will ever come back to it, as I am working full time on another project (currently on Kickstarter), but I agree a couple of CG could have been great. Maybe some day o/
Even if you don’t end up coming back to it, it will still always be one of my favorite games I’ve played on itchio :) I can’t wait to check out your other games!!!!
Thanks I hope you will enjoy them as much <3
I would like to thank you for spending your time, love, and energy to create this game, and then making it free without asking for anything in return. But there are no adequate words! Thanks, thanks... THANKS.
This story was so captivating that I started and finished the game all in one breath, barely remembering to save.
The drawings, the music, the dialogues... It was all a beautiful journey.
THANK YOU.
I work as a video game translator from English to Italian. If you ever need me, please call me, I am willing to find a way to give those who don't know English well the chance to play it.
Thank you.
Hello, thank you for those very kind words, they are truly appreciated, I am very happy you had a nice time <3
Also unfortunately the main writer doesn't want any translation of their work, so the game will stay in English only, but thanks for your offer!
No problem, my offer is general and applies to anything in the future because I'm sure whatever you do will be just as good :)
And, in any case, I wrote to you because I wanted to compliment you, so everything else is just a side dish. You have created an amazing game! Well done! Thanks for sharing it with us. <3
That's very sweet thank you! We have another free game if you want to check, it's Autumn Spirit and it has an italian translation!
Gosh this was amazing. I finished the whole thing in one sitting; it was seriously addicting. Massive kudos to the team:)
Thank you I am glad you enjoyed it <3 If you like sassy MC you can also try our other small game Autumn Spirit, feels guarantee :p
I loved the story so much, thank you for the work you and your team put into it.
Thank you for your kind comment, I am glad you had a nice time <3
I love this game. I think voice acting is amazing. The most important is the story, length is ideal, not too short not too long. I really liked how characters are slowly learning about each other and their meeting influance their future. Also art is simply beautiful and very accurate. One of best vampire VN!
I am very happy you liked it <3 All the team did indeed a very good job!!!
This VN was amazing! The story, the dialogue and the characters were so well written and the artwork is gorgeous. Highly recommend this one, it became one of my favorites I found on this platform so far, 5/5 <3
Oh I am super happy to hear that! Totally different story but don't hesitate to look at our other free game "Autumn Spirit", it was made with love too <3
I love the finished product! Great dialogue, pacing, artwork, and background information! Really fantastic<3
<3 <3 <3
AAAAAA This visual novel was soooo good! Both the story and the artwork were amazing! All the twists in the plot kept me thoroughly consumed in the story... and I especially loved the dynamic between our two main characters. Excellent work!!
Thank youuuuu <3 I am glad you had a nice time!
Loved everything, and I mean EVERYTHING about this! Immersive artwork and writing, the story might seem predictable, but it actually went in scuh different directions than I imagined. The voice acting though... I wish every game has voice acting as accurate and fitting as this game had. And this was all done in a month! :o
Props to everyone!
THANK YOU! I am super happy to read such lovely comment on our work <3 <3 <3
This was such an enjoyable game :)
Aww, thank you! I am glad you enjoyed the game!
I'm not much of a reader, more of a film/more or less action kind of games liker, so there aren't many of this kind of games (ones rather fixed on story than other aspects) I've played, but I like this one. Enthralling story.
Oh, I am really happy to hear you spend a good time on our game despite the genre! <3
This is a fantastic game! Recommended!
Thanks <3
I LOVED IT SO SO MUCH THANK YOU
I was pleasantly surprised to see you are also the dev of Imperial Grace (Which i'm look forward to playing!)
The game is BEAUTIFUL, I got the freedom ending and it is just so wholesome, really happy with it.
Eheh, small world! I am glad you enjoyed this little game we made in one month <3
Not me crying at 1am T_T I was so happy with the freedom ending I got. Thank you for making it that way - I feel these stories always end up heavily on the 'bitter' in 'bittersweet' but this was really beautiful and lifted my spirits.
*EDIT* omg I just realized this was voice acted. I have to go back and replay again with sound!
I am happy you had a good time! And yes we wanted nice endings <3 Unfortunately since it's a free game it's not full voice acted but yeah our two voice actor did an amazing job to bring those characters to life !
Well I for one really appreciate it and am playing your other projects now <3
Happy to hear that! I hope you will enjoy them too <3
Loving it so far. Only issue I'm having, which I wasn't earlier oddly enough, is that the History is only showing things that happened a while while back and takes quite a bit to catch up. I can never look and see what was said like, a line ago.
Oh very strange, in the meanwhile you can get back with the mousewheel if you want but I will investigate this issue!
Ah, maybe that's it and I just need a mouse to scroll down. I usually just use my pad.
I played a lot on my laptop without mouse too so I def understand why it should be working (it's the purpose of history message after all), I am very sorry for the inconvenience, I hope the little tip can help you tho
No trouble at all, in the long run. It was a lovely VN!
I am going to repost what I say after your first post:
"I am not very fond of "no commentary" playthrough tbh, I don't mind streamer and youtuber playing our games and I love to see their reactions and comments, but no commentary is kinda just spoiling the story :s Especially for a short game like that where there isn't too many choices."
So I will delete both comments. I am not going to start a war on youtube, but advertising your playthrough on the page itself after I said it wasn't cool to do that, is really not nice. >.>
This game has everything I love, great voice-acting, wonderful narrative, fun banter between the main character and her handsome vampire and incredible story-writing. You've weaved a tale of such intrigue I couldn't stop playing till the very end.
Loved our saucy bard Abigail though I did re-name her Selene. I hope you enjoy my playthrough and that I added to your marvelous games appeal to attract more audience. I truly can't wait to playthrough Imperial Grace. I tried it already without a video and absolutely adored it. I hope you finish it soon. 😍
Oh you have such a lovely voice! Thank you for this kind comments and for the let's play <3 I am glad you loved the game!
Thank you so much 😊
I am not very fond of "no commentary" playthrough tbh, I don't mind streamer and youtuber playing our games and I love to see their reactions and comments, but no commentary is kinda just spoiling the story :s Especially for a short game like that where there isn't too many choices.