Soulcreek
Build 5: The Negative One
This update marks the end of what I would consider to be ‘book one’ of the whole story. This is the halfway point.
So many things change with this update. Questions are answered, but more take their place. We’ll finally see what truly waits in the darkness of the Blackzones. It’s time to learn about Soulcreek.
This is easily the most significant update so far, perhaps with the exception of what will eventually be the final release. It’s a massive turning point in the story, and everything will change after this.
- Days 6 and 7 added. Both new days round up to 45k words, bringing the total to 180k.
- Re-written introduction. The opening sequence has been revamped completely. Some lines have been kept or moved around and some parts have been totally redone. You can meet Loken and Byte all over again, with an added CG! After Drevonia and Takhi enter the scene, things play out mostly the same.
- 2 new CGs. One is present in the re-vamped introduction, and another appears on day 6.
- 2 new character sprites. Both Barrow and Miya, two minor characters that were previously only described in text, now have sprites with expressions. Miya’s dialogue is mostly the same with a few additions. Barrow’s scene has been totally re-written, and there is now much more to his story!
- Expressions for Orion. It was criminal that the leader of the Mating Troupe only had one face! Now, he has expressions! These have been added to all his scenes.
- Tweaks to the original script. Small additions or edits have been made throughout. In particular, the pacing in which Alex realises he is attracted to Loken has been dialled back. Now, it isn’t introduced until the very end of day 1.
- All sprites re-sized. This is to improve their quality when they’re zoomed in and reduce the file size of the game.
Some extra things to note!
- Day 7 contains 496 sound effects! Remember, don’t play Soulcreek without sound! You will miss out on half the experience!
- There is no NSFW content or nudity on days 6 and 7. So streamers shouldn’t have to worry about censoring anything on the new days!
- Unfortunately, due to the sprite re-works and the huge rehaul of previous content, save games will result in MASSIVE sprites and odd behaviours in the script. For this reason, saves from previous builds won’t work for build 5. Use the chapter select function after starting a new game to get back to where you previously were.
And finally...
I can’t thank everyone enough for all the support you’ve been giving just by being there, drawing fanart or just telling about about the VN. In particular, thank you so much to everyone who has donated on KoFi to help fund the project! Thanks to you guys, we were able to get Miya and Barrow’s sprites, Orion’s expressions, an extra CG and better backgrounds in just this build alone. It all really does make a difference!
As always, if you want to keep an eye on the project then the best way is to follow me on twitter!
You can also join the discord server here! I'm pretty active there, and I'll be doing a few Q&A streams on there this coming month if you want to ask any questions about Soulcreek, hear my rambling thoughts about the story or just hang out! Come and say hey!
That's all from me. I hope you guys enjoy this major turning point in the story, and I can't wait to share what comes next!
Take care of yourselves!
-Ryuo
Comments
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SPOOILERSSSSS!!!!!!!
Oh my god, i am FLABBERGASTED
I did NOT think a Gay furry vn could have THIS MUCH plot twist and intense moment!
It could prob surpass every other vn there is
So I'm really confused here... I downloaded the update, but after opening it, it's not showing any of my save files. How do I fix this?
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
Well, I just have to say... HOLY F***!!! Like wow! I can't tell you how intense that experience was, I'm a very visual person and when I read something I become part of that word. With this style of reading, being able to see and hear, it let me actually FEEL the story more. The pain, the frustration, the sense of hopelessness... It hit hard, when we found the... the crematorium, I'm assuming that's what it was. I felt the pain, the loss, I cried creaking out a soft little, "Genocide" I cried when we had to use our hate of them, of the bi peds, to break through and kill *REDACTED* Sorry not spoiling that one! You'll have to read it and find out for yourself. ;) It hit me hard... I wasn't expecting that honestly! I'm just happy everyone turned out relatively okay, and not dead! I was terrified that Loken had been killed multiple times! I was just screaming, "NO! NOT OUR SWEET HUSKY HUSBANDO!!!!!" It really is an amazing horror novel.
I'll admit, I downloaded this story initially for the, eh-hem, naughty bits, but I've come to love the story in it's entirety! Can't wait for more!
That being said... I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say, I'd love for us to find out what out what Takhi meant by Loken and us being "stuck together" 😈
Keep up the amazing, high quality work! Really excited for the next part! ❤❤❤❤
!!!WARNING: SPOILERS, POTENTIAL NEW PLAYERS DON'T READ!!!
Ok ladies and gentlemen, hear me out.
This VN is a MASTERPIECE, if not even better. The world building, the atmosphere, the characters, all of them blended together to create this deliciously terrifying story. I am a big big sucker for post-apocalyptic horror stories but this one was just, WOW!
---SPOILER ZONE---
this VN really makes me think of the movie BIRDBOX because every time a demon is seen (apart from the blackrunners), everyone goes mad. You never actually SEE the threat, but the way Ryuo describe it is so vivid, so realistically well made that you actually see IT without even having to make sprites for them. And the audio, oh my lord in heaven the audio... it's just.on.point.
I love horror VNs and movies relying almost exclusively on their SFX and story-telling skills to allow the watcher/reader to fully immerse in the world without actually having to explicitly show us the danger to make us peepee our pants. I'm really sensitive to sounds, and for me, the ones in soulcreek are so fitting for the horrors who lurks in the woods that you don't need to directly show me a demon to make me poopoo my pants. Just the sound they make and the way you describe it to us Ryuo is enough, because our imagination will create something that WE personally think is scary. I think it's important to let the reader/watcher imagine their own monsters with just the description. because, if you make sprites for them, some people may find it scary while some others may not.
And that, Ryuo and your team, is you guys biggest strength IMO. Y'all take us into this world you created with brio. All the work you guys have put into this VN is just astoundingly good. I really hope you will not stop in your track, you and your team.
Can't wait for the next update to drop.
-A big fan
MAJOR SPOILERS DONT READ IF YOU HAVENT PLAYED!!!
I've just finished this update, Let me start with this, This feels completely masterful, after this update almost all of the story just clicks together and weather this was intended from the start doesn't even matter because it being the way it is is amazing. Like from the speaking human scene, Alex grasp the language really fast having to repeat far fewer times which is easily explained if he actually knew the language but was subconsciously repressing it. The scenes where Alex is being overwhelmed by his rage his "mental voice" getting smaller and smaller while the primal feeling only get bigger and bolder until they take control. The Glitch torture scenes highlighting the repetitive nature of it slowly whittling away at Alex's will, even after it was all over I was still cautious not trusting the world in just the same way Alex asks Loken if he was real and if it were a dream. The foresight to inform us that the story continues on because despite having the full arc of a story you knew we weren't satisfied and that we won't be satisfied until we get a true resolution to this, till Alex and Loken can be together happily without the imminent threat of demons. I've never been good at fully grasping my thoughts but I wanted to say something OH and don't get me started on sound design, I'm a very sound sensitive person as in not necessary that i have good hearing but I rely on it a lot by an extent creepy images are just worse than horrible sounds, I'm often driven to the point of tears by sounds out of fear and this was no exception but the tension and adrenaline i had going through that section made me power through like if this were those old reading comprehension test I'd of done super well because the sheer speed at which i was clicking though reading needing more rambling aside I'm saying I was so invested i was reading much faster than i usually do which fit the tone of the scene which id say is indicative of good writing. I stayed up all night just to play through this and let me say it was not a disappointment, I thought i was hooked earlier? well now I'm literally fused with it and i cannot wait for more,
OH AND RYUO IF YOU SEE THIS
STICK TO LONGER DEVELOPMENT LONGER CHAPTERS! the wait doesn't compare to the quality of the story we get and its so much more immersive having so much time in the story
Good Hound.
BRO THIS SHOULD BE A MOVIE WTF
I always know that this vn has potential since its first release, AND I AM RIGHT. THIS SHOULD BE DESERVE ATTENTION MORE CUZ THE STORY IS JSJXUEJDIAJ
Now to re-read it the 4th time hehe...
holy fuck man.
just wow
10/10 writing out of this recent update
that as sick, i am excited for the next update, and yes he as a realy good hound
i just did start to finish and i need more so badly ;-;
"With the extra labour, you could clean this place right up. I'd start with the infestations. Do you realize how many spiders i found in my boots this morning?"
"God damnit Mylo"
I love Mylo
(After finishing the update)
NOOOOOO how is Mylo dealing with all that???? I NEED TO KNOW AAA 😭😭😭
Holy shit. Okey, I usually never comment under anything, but I hope Ryuo reads this. I'm not a big fan of Adastra or Fbtw, because their World and their Character doesn't feel believable with how they just accept things.
But you managed to write this Story in a way that feels relatable and logical. I really really love the Story building, the World it happens in and the Characters all feel unique. I love how you hide little Mysteries and overall play with the Situation and overall feeling of it.
I'm mostly just rambling and not really able to find the right Words Probably, butyou really did an outstandingly Amazing job, and I wanted to tell you that!
Sure, there are some Situations that feel a bit sudden from the mood Change, but thats Natural and Human. Something that most of the other big VNs didn't manage to Capture.
I really hope you read this, and if you do. Thank you a lot for Writing this VN, I'm looking forward what else you'll do with it!
SOOO. FUUUUUCKING. GOOD! Loved the update and the story! I look forward to what comes next but damn was that satisfying. Had me on the edge of me seat the whole time! Like... DAMN!
That was legit so fucking cool. You did a great job with this update, I'm truly amazed. It's great to finally have answers, even if they hurt.
Already excited for the next chapter.
Days 6 and 7 were the best chp ever. Really did an amazing job with them, they were just perfect gods. wish I could read it all over again. As well, nacho must have been a good dog :)
Hey! I wanna report that, during the stitching scene, there's a moment where the dialogue uses "Loken" instead of "???" for a few lines of speech. It's before Alex decides that maybe he should stfu btw.
lets gooo <3
hm it doesnt have a download link for me on pc version anyone know how to fix?
Apologies, it should work now! I had to upload a quick fix!
ah thank you i see it now!
HOLY FUCK this drop was awesome, i love this vn, has such good levels of lore, horni, wholesome, and badass all mixed together
Oh nice,Ryuo upgrading his writing X3.