A downloadable visual novel for Windows and macOS


Aimee and her family run the Starry Troupe, a world-renowned group of circus performers. When a skirmish happens onstage during one of their performances, their trusted lion Henri is accused of attacking a rich noblewoman.

 With her dad and lion arrested for a crime she knows they didn't commit, Aimee decides to get to the bottom of what exactly happened. Play as Aimee as she teams up with one of two men as she investigates in order to save her family!

This game was made for Otome Jam 2022.*



  • A haughty man you can tease
  • A big guy with a tiny baby chick on his shoulder
  • A big cuddly lion
  • 30,000  words
  • 5 CGs and 5 cut-in CGs
  • 6 unique backgrounds
  • 3 endings (one must be unlocked)

THE STARRY TROUPE TEAM

Background music is royalty-free.

*This game can ONLY be downloaded on itch.io. If this game appears on any other site, it is not a legitimate port. 

StatusReleased
PlatformsWindows, macOS
Rating
Rated 4.6 out of 5 stars
(34 total ratings)
AuthorThe Starry Troupe
GenreVisual Novel
Made withRen'Py
TagsAnime, Comedy, Dating Sim, Female Protagonist, Multiple Endings, Mystery, Narrative, Otome, Romance, Story Rich
Average sessionA few hours
LanguagesEnglish

Download

Download
ARoaringAffair-1.0-pc.zip 284 MB
Download
ARoaringAffair-1.0-mac.zip 250 MB

Development log

Comments

Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.

I ended up clearing both of the romantic routes first and now I regret it, because I want to know what happens if you choose that certain option at the beginning of your investigation WITHOUT having cleared both of the romantic routes first 😭 The completionist inside of me is crying and I even tried to uninstall and install the game again, but my progress remained (and I guess I should be happy about that, but deleting it was actually my goal- πŸ˜‚). If anyone chose that option without having completed the two romantic routes first or simply roughly knows what happens if you do that, please tell me so I'm able to sleep peacefully at night πŸ˜‚

*SPOILERS BELOW*







I mean, does she drink the tea and nothing happens? Is she even offered the tea in the first place? And then does she just give up on investing the guests and we're faced with the remaining two options (investigate the backstage or the seats of the attacked family)? I have to know! πŸ˜£πŸ˜‚

[Spoilers below] 



She does indeed drink the tea! XD 

Here's the text as for what happens if you try drinking it without seeing both endings. 

(If you haven't finished any route yet)

                $ ex = "neutralfrown"

                A "…{fast}"

                $ ex = "gone"

                M "Anything?"

                $ ex = "plz"

                A "This tastes like you dipped some grass in hot water." 

                $ ex = "gone"

                M "I’ll take that as a no." 

                $ ex = "gone"

           

(If you've finished one ending but not both)


                    sub "Something tingles at the back of my brain. I see one— two— visions swim before my eyes and then– nothing." 

                    $ ex = "confused"

                    A "Hmm." 

                    $ ex = "gone"

                    M "That’s a curious reaction. Did you remember anything? "

                    $ ex = "confused"

                    A "I… I might have? It’s not strong enough to really pick out anything concrete." 

                    $ ex = "gone"

                    M "Seems like parallel-world Aimee is a bit of a slacker." 

                    $ ex = "plz"

                    A "H-hey now…"

                    $ ex = "gone"

(1 edit)

Oooh, thank you so much! 😍 My curiosity has been satisfied and now nothing's stopping me from playing the final route! πŸ˜‚ Also, the second to last line of dialogue is so funny, just like the rest of the game! πŸ˜‚ Humour is definitely your forte! πŸ˜† Thank you so much for making this game and sharing it with us ❀️

*SPOILERS BELOW*






Edit: Wait, sorry for bugging you again, but what does she decide to do next since clearly the final route is not an option but the choice of who to investigate first has already been made as well? πŸ€”

[Spoiler]


To get the final ending you drink the tea after having finished both of the other endings!

*SPOILERS BELOW*











Ah, yes, I know that! I was just wondering what happens next if you choose that option without having completed both endings. Because, I mean, Amy fails in getting any real info out of the tea (πŸ˜‚) and then what? Do you just get a game over? Are you presented with the choice of who to investigate again (perhaps with only the remaining two options to choose from)? Or is there something like a text: "You can't proceed futher"? πŸ˜‚ I'm also curious whether it has any sort of narrative justification! Like does Amy decide investigating the guests is hopeless and decide to investigate something else (and then the player is moved to the choice of who to investigate again) or does she just give up/fail (and then the player gets a game over)? I mean, I'm a completionist, I'm interested in almost every little detail πŸ˜‚ I even tried to search for the file(s) with the code of the game 🀣 On my own computer of course (didn't try that hard tough) πŸ˜…

Ah! Now I understand, haha. 

[Spoilers] 


It loops back to the remaining two options and continues on from there as usual! 

(1 edit)

walkthrough?

As someone whom absolutely adores romantic visual novels I was so excited to find a circus themed period piece visual novel it was like I found that last piece of cheese cake in my fridge and nobody had taken a bite out of it yet!  

But I was sorely let down as I continued to play the game.  There are many moments of beauty in this game such as the illustrations, the entertaining music and the storyline.  

But now for the constructive criticism please take this as not trying to make fun of your game but wanting you to make something next time even better because you have incredible talent!

But the characters especially Aimee definately not 1800's but more modern time-frame due to the way the characters spoke and dressed, it kind of made the game even more less believable.  Jules was trying to be endearing but he just ended up annoying and disgusting with his snot bubble nose and his garish joker outfit even after the fact (he had servants that would have picked out his clothing and have helped him dress and that is what they did back than the filthy rich, without giving away any spoilers) and his inability to be a man in front of his mother which was not of the times either women did not run the show sadly.

Claude oh how I wanted this guard to be my dashing, strong and romantic knight in shining armour but he had as much personality as a bag of potatoes, he hated his job and was just a lowly guard even though he was decked out looking like he was commander of the Queens guard, the chick on his shoulder was just too weird and not how a chick would act in real life I know this was supposed to be a bit fantasy but it just didn't make it cute for me and how he one moment really cared for the chick and than another didn't care it fell off his shoulder and was crying in the bushes which if a real chick had fallen from a mans shoulder would have probably broke its neck, (a cat or kitten would have been so much more cute and believable.)  Godefroy was just an old grandfather like creep also so no desire to romance him or even to get to know him.  

And the more I got to know Aimee the more I didn't really like her, especially that moment of littering and not caring, also how she was so dumb during that key moment when she could have solved the mystery and caught the real culprits it made me cringe with frustration and her inability to change her outfit or take a bath, stinky Aimee her mother called her even, yuck and than even smelling her pits, ugh.

Anyways in hindsight you have real potential to make amazing games and I truly hope you take this as only feedback.  As a hot blooded woman and someone whom used to write stories myself don't forget to give your men some manners, class and personality and your mc some too. πŸ˜‰

Thank you so much for playing and thank you for the honest feedback! I know sometimes it can be a bit nerve-racking leaving comments that contain criticisms but it's really helpful, so thank you for that! 

This wasn't intended to be a period piece and the 1800's date was meant to place it in the timeline of my other games-- but I can totally see how that's very confusing and gives the wrong impression. In the future I'll try to designate it as "1800 EP" or something to try to make it more obviously fantasy world, haha. 

We did use early 1900's circus iconography as well as art nouveau buildings as visual influence but other than that it was mostly written as a "light-hearted pop circus story".  Personally, I'm not interested in portraying the more depressing aspects of that time period (racism, sexism, homophobia, etc.) when writing a more light-hearted story.   

Thank you so much for playing, for recording your playthrough and for leaving a comment! It really helps to hear feedback from all players~! 

(1 edit)

I wasn't nervous leaving my comment either. πŸ˜

As if I play something and feel it could use improvement I want to try and leave good feed-back or constructive criticism for the artist as I was an artist also and we improve by such feed-back from our audience.  

Also I was hoping you wouldn't just fixate on the comment about the period as that was just a minor detail that I added but more so about the actual characters which is the entire game is about relationships, I feel you missed that all together or ignored it.  

Anyways I wish you well in your next development and do take my feed-back to heart in your next creation. πŸ˜‰

I love Jules' sneezing sprites way too much. LOL! <3

Glad you enjoyed! :D

(1 edit)

What a charming game this was! 

I loooove love love the characters, Aimee was such a lovely protagonist and it was nice that though she was quick-witted and clever, she displayed moments of realistic hesitance in the face of the odds she was facing, and that the love interests were there to encourage her rather than save the day for her.

I love Jules and Claude almost equally, they were so cute in their own ways... but I think maybe, maybe Jules wins out a little bit hahaha, the rocky start to their friendship and the subsequent trust he showed in aimee tugged at my heartstrings. Considering the events of the story take place in a day, the pacing was super organic and felt just right. I also like how each of the routes plays out differently and that the third one fills in the rest of the story.

The animations for the sprites was so impressive!! I was blown away by the fact that you also added animation to the sneezes and the trapeze movements, beyond the blinking for the sprites themselves. 

The character designs were also lovely, I like Claude's uniform and Jules is so handsome... and Aimee is so cute!! The CGs were also gorgeous, and the banquet hall BG in particular really drew my eye, the detailing on it was stunning. 

Also lol at "this mustache is a rental" hahahah!!

Aw thank you! So glad to hear you enjoyed it! :D 

I'm glad to hear the pacing was just right! It can be hard writing a story in such a short time frame (both in universe and also as part of a jam) so glad to hear it worked out. 

Thank you so much for playing!

I adored this game! I loved all of the endings (especially the third one)! And the art is so lovely!

Thank you very much! ❀️  I'm excited to see our team's work paid off!

I absolutely LOVED this game!! I don't what I was expecting but, this was beyond my expectations. I played all 3 routes and I loved it the family the mc and claude and jules were amazing ml's everyone was so awesome unique and enjoyable! thank you so much for making this game I really enjoyed playing it! :)

You're so kind! Thank you! ❀️ I'm happy it exceeded your expectations!

(1 edit)

This was a very fun visual novel! The artwork was amazing and the story was simple yet fun, and I like how the two routes you had to play them both to understand fully what happened!


Possible spoilers ahead?



I went for Claude's route first. He's such a gentle giant, and Lulu is so freakin' adorable. Claude's speech was simple but his words genuine.

Jules route surprised me. I wasn't sure how I would end up liking the jerk that sneezed on Aimee, but he grew on me fast! I guess he's the tsundere, eh? Haha. I also loved their banter!

Final ending..... that... WAS UNEXPECTED. It was just so crazy and borderline ridiculous.... I loved it. Mom makes some really powerful green juice xD

Also I found it hilarious how Aimee would say "adult grape juice" instead of wine lol. I'm also happy the guard and the maid got their happy ending too.

Overall, 'twas a fun little experience. I only wish there was a CG Gallery, but that is an incredibly small pet peeve. Good work you guys! ^^

Hi hi! Thank you so much! The CG Gallery unfortunately wasn't originally on our list on things to complete for the jam! Maybe it will be an addition for a future build? In either case, I'm glad you enjoyed it! ❀️

THIS GAME IS SO FUN!!! 

omg I loved to go through the investigation with Aimee!! She is such an adorable, smart, cute, fun MC πŸ₯Ίβ€οΈ hagafaf i lovE HER!!!

The banter between her and Jules is just so good 😭 they are my favorite ship now πŸ₯Ίβ€οΈ


I loved how you made such a good use of the backgrounds by zooming and making me feel like we were actually moving around the place.


The story is very interesting and all the characters are so much fun! 

Sprites and CG are stunning. You got my heart in the dress CG πŸ™β€οΈ and the soundtrack was perfect for every scene.


You guys did an amazing job! Congratulations on the release πŸ€—β€οΈ


little lulu can have my soul πŸ˜”β€οΈ

Jules is so popular!! The dress CG was one of my favorite scenes to write. πŸ˜ Green-Glasses really did a fantastic job with the CGs and sprites!

And glad to hear the zooming with the bgs helped the action scenes! Since we  had limited time, I didn't want to request too many bgs and tried to use them for multiple purposes. Plus we got to show off more of z04's awesome backgrounds!

Thank you so much for playing and your lovely comment! πŸ˜„

I like the interactions between the heroine and the love interest hihi. How cute

Thank you! I loved writing their banter!

Thank you so much for playing!

T E A M J U L E S

This was really cute! The way the love interests were introduced was so charming, and the high stakes of the mystery plot made it easy to get attached to the characters quickly. Aimee is such a fun protagonist. Loved the CGs, UI, and of course, the tiny baby chick.

I had a lot of fun writing the mystery plot, so very glad to hear that it worked well to highlight the characters! πŸ˜„

Thank you so much for playing!!

this was such a fun experience! the moments of comedy made me laugh, and the sad scenes genuinely moved me. i enjoyed aimee as a protagonist so much!! i love her personality. she's ambitious and driven and intent on saving her family, which i adore. 


this is spoiler territory! 

i loved the romantic interests. i did jules' route first, and i didn't expect to love him as much as i do. he's such a sweetheart, even if he keeps sneezing on aimee. i feel so bad for him, what with his controlling mother and all. the moments of kindness made my heart warm!! agh! i love jules. and then there's claude, whose just— everything. the sprites where he smiles made my heart squeeze. how can he look so cute?? it's unfair? i love the mischievous side he has. choosing to skip work to help aimee. adorable. and i can't forget lulu. his fondness for the chick added to his cuteness. 


i'm so glad there was an ending where zephir and colette escaped. they deserve it. i found both of their personalities so endearing! they deserve their happy ending!! i just remembered— aimee got to punch godefroy in the face. that was cathartic. whoever decided that, props to them. the third route would still be my favorite for that alone, but you had to add the fact aimee's dating both of the guys! it made me so, so happy!! claude as a gardener. oh, i can imagine him having a little duck chicken pond for lulu. and jules, making clothes for aimee!! i want him to be happy. forever. 


TLDR; basically, i love this visual novel! everything about it is specifically aimed to appeal to me. stan henri. 

Awwww, we're so glad to hear you enjoyed it! πŸ˜†

I was so excited to write Aimee b/c I wanted to have a really feisty protag who would constantly get herself into (and out of) trouble. 

The punch scene was planned from the start, so very happy to hear that it was cathartic. πŸ˜‚

Thank you so much for playing and thank you for the lovely comment!