Ballads at Midnight
A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, and Linux
When a sarcastic bard is arrested and exiled to an abandoned castle, she expected to be at the mercy of a hungry, blood-thirsty vampire. She soon discovers that the vampire, Lucius, is not starving: he is gravely bored. She may just survive on borrowed time, one ballad each midnight.
(The name can be changed)
A well-traveled and gifted bard. Abigail is quick-witted and quick to act, though not necessarily in that order. Sarcasm coats her words like calluses, formed through years of undergoing difficult journeys and indulging difficult people. While she has a strong sense of insight and genuine interest in others, she has a dogged impulse of announcing her observations. This is seldom appreciated, and at worst has led to face grave consequences.
Still, no one can deny that she has a flair and talent for entertainment. Not even a centuries-old vampire.
(Love interest)
One's first impression of Lucius is that he's menacing at worst, and witheringly unyielding at best. However, his coarse exterior is a thin veil for his impressively dry wit - which he's more than happy to reveal if he thinks his sense of humor will be heard. It's rather hard to share one's wit when your guests generally scream and run at the sight of you though.
♦ Enemies to lovers, found family, bonding through shared trauma, and even more of your favorite relationship tropes!
♦ A dark fantasy romance that seamlessly blends lighthearted moments and hidden depths, with believable dialogue and an abundance of banter. (Boy, they love to argue. ;p )
♦ Beautiful sprite and original music
♦ Three clearly-marked endings - abandon him as early as possible, remain in eternal bliss or discover gruesome secrets about the world around you.
♦ Flavor line choices: be an unabashed flirt or have a razor sharp tongue. The choice is yours, no consequences.
♦ More than 42 000 words (around 3-4h per playthrough)
♦ Partial voice acting & two original bard songs!
Ballads at Midnight is rated T for suggestive material, strong language, alcohol use, and allusions to trauma, child abuse, and fantasy violence.
Ayael (Director, UI designer & programmer, scripter) - Arrapso (Sprite, background artist), Wudgeous (Lead writer, narrative designer), Notafish (Writer), Jeneara (Editor), Rowanty (scripter), Eliana Zebro (Audio & voice director), Shar Joyner (composer), Megan Youmans (Voice actor - MC), Eric Navarro (Voice actor - Lucius), Kimi (Trailer creator)
This game was created in one month during the NaNoReNo 2022 jam.
Download
Development log
- Final version of the game is here!Jul 15, 2022
- Some newsMay 26, 2022
- Release with a locked endingApr 01, 2022
Comments
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Does this game have a walkthrough?
Hello, our writer did one! You can check it there https://wudgeous.itch.io/bam-extras <3
Thank you!
wow, this was such a wonderful experience
It pleases me to see people discovery the game years later and still enjoying it, I am glad you enjoyed it! Don't hesitate to check our other games <3
I loved this so much I started making my own game and holy hell it's hard, you've made an amazing freakin game man. Also the uh vampire? hot damn, his voice is amazing. AND THE ART????? Don't even get me started on that I'd give you 6 stars if I could.
Aww thank you so much, I am glad you liked the game
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 played it on steam and loved it! I just want to say that I'm all for your female lead stories. In fact, the number of female protagonists in games is still relatively small, although there has been a big increase in recent years. We're still looking forward to having independent, confident, strong female protagonists. Of course, I support your game whether it's a female protagonist or not, great story and characters, great job done! Look forward to your next work, do what you want! (I am not a native English speaker, so I am sorry for any misunderstanding.)
Hi Maylyn I definitely understand you, if you like games with female lead being independent and badass in their own way you can definitely dig into our account as we make only that :p
Thanks for your nice comment, I hope you will enjoy our other projects too! <3
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.
I LOVE THIS SO MUCH! THE ART WAS AMAZING, THEIR VOICES WAS TOO AND THE PLOT WAS INTRIGUING! I LOVE ABIGAIL AND LUCIUS'S PERSONALITY AND RELATIONSHIP! THIS GAME IS SO AMAZING
THANK YOU SO MUCH WE ARE SUPER HAPPY YOU ENJOYED THE GAME <3
IM SUPER HAPPY THAT I GOT TO PLAY SUCH MASTERPIECE!!! I LOOK FORWARD FOR UR FUTURE GAMES
Thank you <3 Have you try the demo of Imperial Grace?
ah, i don't really play demos because i get too immerse and want to know the end. BUT, i read about it and saw the comments and i'm excited to play it when it becomes a full game! i already added it to my library
I feel you, I rarely play demo myself. I pratically only binge play games ^^"
I absolutely adored this game!! I literally have brainrot over them ahaha. I can't wait for any future content :)
Thank you for your kind message! I am super happy you liked the game!
WHAT.A.GAME. I am telling everyone I know about it, I loved it that much.
I love that the entire game is all about the interactions between Abigail and Lucius, giving them more than enough time to develop their relationship. I love the resolution to the mystery sorrounding their pasts. I love how beautiful the art, and especially the character design, is. I love the friendship. I love the romance. I love the vulnerability. I love the voice acting. I love the writing in general.
You guys did a wonderful job with this game. I fell in love with these characters (ngl, I would love to see Abigail and Lucius cameo in other games) and I cannot wait to see your next works!
Thank you so much for your kind words! It's unlikely they happen in other game (not the same universe), but I know the writer had plans for some extra, in the futur don't hesitate to take a look!
Hi I am having some issues with entering the name as when I press enter it does not move to the next screen Is there something I can do to fix this as this is a truly lovely game and I would love to experience the rest of the story. Thank you!
Hi there, sorry to learn you have trouble with the game, it's very strange.
What name are you trying to type? (If it's not the default one), some stuff like bracket [] can break the code so I had a security, they wouldn't work and prevent you from going further. Maybe it's that?
If you have a controller on, it could also break it hmm... If the problem persist I will make a build with no name just for you because I really can't figure out what else it could be x)
Hi! I have been trying to enter the default name on my laptop. Also thank you so much! It's absolutely wonderful that your offering a different build considering the effort. Your dedication to making sure everyone enjoys your game is amazing!
Hey, I would be really annoyed someone can't play the game because of a bug like that, I must have done something wrong when programing it, but I really don't see what^^
Anyway, here is a link to a special version with no input, it should be save compatible with your previous version, sorry for the inconvenience!
Have fun <3
No problem! And thank you so so so much again for the effort and how quickly you helped me!
Omg, the update was perfect! Like 11/10! I know you've heard it a thousand times but seriously, the writing is truly impeccable! I look forward to your next project!! <3
Thank you for this kind words! It's true our writer is super talented! Don't hesitate to check out their game (Herotome) too!
great game:)!! i really enjoyed getting to know the characters, and I appreciated your teams eye for detail
Thank you!!!
this was SUCH a delight to play! a wonderful game that is beautifully executed. I adore Abigail so much, she's so wonderful. the writing + pacing is just -- chefs kiss.
I'm super excited for the completed game, I already know it's gonna be so good!! I really hope all the devs are taking care of themselves <3 don't work too hard, I will wait patiently till however long it takes! :)
Thank you for your kind word, I am glad you liked Abi, she deserves love huhuhu
Hello,
my name is Micol and I’m a professional video game freelance translator.
I was wondering if you would be interested in an Italian localization of your games.
I work by myself or together with a small team of people (4 translators + 1 proofreader), and we have recently localized a video game during a Jam here: https://phoenix-team.itch.io/intergalactic-wizard-force-ita-locjam5
We have studied at the same academy and since we are new in this industry, you will find that our rates are very interesting.
Since we understand that the cost of localization could be hard to afford, we are open to discuss other forms of agreements. In any case, I’ll look forward to working with you, I love visual novels :) and I think we can really help each other.
Please, consider the possibility of discussing the matter with us. I’m sure we can find a win-win deal for both of us.
Kind regards,
Micol
Hello Micol! We thank you for your offer and consideration but we are not interested in translated Ballads at Midnight in italian for the moment. Moreover, it’s a 100 % free game, we don’t even allow donation considering the size of our team so it would really be a loss for us.
That said, I am very happy that your team is trying to localise more indie game in italian, visual novel deserve more recognition worldwide! Feel free to recontact me when Imperial Grace is done, I might be more willing to pay for a translation for this game^^
Have a lovely day,
Ayael
Hi there,
We appreciate your words! And yes, we are totally trying to make indie games available for Italian gamers. So, it'll be a pleasure for us to contact you about "Imperial Grace" when it'll be done. :)
Feel free to save our contact if you need it, we'll look forward to working with you :)
E-mail: phoenixteam.localization@gmail.com
See you soon and thanks :)
Micol
it made my heart sing .10/10, and for free?! Download now!
Thank youuuuu <3
the story is a little brief. might be too short production cycle to unable create a step-by -step story. happily,this also makes the whole woke as beautiful as a fairy tale.<3 <3
<3
Oh my, it was well written. I also like the art
Glad you liked it <3