VN Ren'Py Companion of Darkness [S2 Ch.11] [Berkili4]

[Daermon420]

Having Gabe step away permanently (basically writing him out) would work on the condition that it is made clear that he can never come back. Otherwise, you run into the same issue. I personally believe doing that would be a missed opportunity though. The volume of primal hate that Zero would receive in the event that Gabe dies is enormous. Zero will have been personally responsible for the death of a well liked character. That fact alone makes him a fantastic villain.

Gabe is still overshaddowing, just in a different way. The fact that we have discussed this topic as much as we have is evidence of that fact. Gabe is unbelieveiably important to the progression of the story. If he dies then the entire universe has a possibility of ending. You can't get more important than that. I will put it this way, having Gabe die makes sense to me from a storytelling perspective. It adds alot to the story in my opinion. However, anything is possible and we will just haave to wait and see what happens!

Gab gets FAR less screen time than the MC and his primary crew. Right now Gab is powerless, being tortured and needs to be rescued. Claiming that he "overshadows" the MC in any way shape or form is entirely in your own mind. Yes, Nael thinks Gab is more important than the MC and, being as powerful as she is, that makes his possible death a big thing in this games world. Claiming that makes him overshadow the MC in any way is silly because of how the narrative is structured. We see this game through the eyes of the MC, other than the occasional cut to show what's going on elsewhere, making the MC by default the most important character to us, the players.

The primary reason Gab is discussed here a lot recently is because since the end of chapter 10 we've been left with a cliffhanger looking like it's possible he is dying. So his possible death gets discussed a lot. It's that simple. Not because he overshadows the MC.

 

[Krytax123]

Having Gabe step away permanently (basically writing him out) would work on the condition that it is made clear that he can never come back. Otherwise, you run into the same issue. I personally believe doing that would be a missed opportunity though. The volume of primal hate that Zero would receive in the event that Gabe dies is enormous. Zero will have been personally responsible for the death of a well liked character. That fact alone makes him a fantastic villain.

Gabe is still overshaddowing, just in a different way. The fact that we have discussed this topic as much as we have is evidence of that fact. Gabe is unbelieveiably important to the progression of the story. If he dies then the entire universe has a possibility of ending. You can't get more important than that. I will put it this way, having Gabe die makes sense to me from a storytelling perspective. It adds alot to the story in my opinion. However, anything is possible and we will just haave to wait and see what happens!

I give up, you guys are kinda delusional imo. To me it sounds like you guys would gladly sacrifice the whole story and any kind of logic and meaning just for the mc to fuck nael

We already have the "problem" that the MC is VERY powerful already and his enemies mostly already inferior to him but if Nael would become the MC's companion, the whole story would equate to cheating, there is nothing on earth as powerful as nael.

There would be no danger anymore, now achievements, its like being bound to god and everything you want happens, its just really stupid to assume and want that lol.

Im just mentioning that because you guys always make it sound like youre arguing from a story perspective, but no, it would utterly ruin the story and make everything boring.

Zero doesnt seem to be intended as the ultra evil villain, i think he would be way more sinister if that was the intention, but hes more of a grey area guy as it seems

the other user replied already to your "overshadow" statement which is agree with.

Sometimes it kinda feels like you guys cant stand other guys in a avn, dont be so greedy lol

 

[Daermon420]

We already have the "problem" that the MC is VERY powerful already and his enemies mostly already inferior to him but if Nael would become the MC's companion, the whole story would equate to cheating, there is nothing on earth as powerful as nael.

There would be no danger anymore, now achievements, its like being bound to god and everything you want happens, its just really stupid to assume and want that lol.

Im just mentioning that because you guys always make it sound like youre arguing from a story perspective, but no, it would utterly ruin the story and make everything boring.

Another great point and I agree completely.

Naels only weakness is her perception. But if she was bound to the MC, and he has Cia who is said to be the dark one with the best perception also bound, it'd completely nullify the one weakness Nael has.

Making the MC stupidly overpowered with the highest strength, best perception skills and innate cloaking due to the interference of having multiple dark ones.

It would make the game flat out boring, and all the villains would suddenly become joke characters that are easily dealt with.

 

[Meiri]

Another great point and I agree completely.

Naels only weakness is her perception. But if she was bound to the MC, and he has Cia who is said to be the dark one with the best perception also bound, it'd completely nullify the one weakness Nael has.

Making the MC stupidly overpowered with the highest strength, best perception skills and innate cloaking due to the interference of having multiple dark ones.

It would make the game flat out boring, and all the villains would suddenly become joke characters that are easily dealt with.

Yeah, personally I was a bit disappointed back in the first arc when it was Nael that stopped Matt and Tessa it would feel too cheap for the story to give him Nael as well it's like he will never beat any big guy by himself if she keeps stepping in to save him.

Let him continue build up naturally, besides by the time this story ends I am pretty sure he will be already OP with no need for Nael.

 

[Gamer9999]

Gab gets FAR less screen time than the MC and his primary crew. Right now Gab is powerless, being tortured and needs to be rescued. Claiming that he "overshadows" the MC in any way shape or form is entirely in your own mind. Yes, Nael thinks Gab is more important than the MC and, being as powerful as she is, that makes his possible death a big thing in this games world. Claiming that makes him overshadow the MC in any way is silly because of how the narrative is structured. We see this game through the eyes of the MC, other than the occasional cut to show what's going on elsewhere, making the MC by default the most important character to us, the players.

The primary reason Gab is discussed here a lot recently is because since the end of chapter 10 we've been left with a cliffhanger looking like it's possible he is dying. So his possible death gets discussed a lot. It's that simple. Not because he overshadows the MC.

Gabe is never powerless as long as Nael is around and knows what is going on. That isn't even the point though. My point is simply that as long as Gabe is around, there is always going to be someone more important than the MC. The MC will never be able to take that leadership role with him there. He will only ever be a middle manager at best. To me, that is overshaddowing the MC.

Someone who outclasses the MC in every way is the definition of overshaddowing. With one word to Nael, Gabe had the opportunity to undo the pact (during the fight with Tessah) and if Gabe so much as uttered the wrong phrase to Zero, the entire universe was destroyed. Now, perhaps we don't agree on where the story is heading and that is fine. We can simply agree to disagree in that case and then wait to see what happens. However, I have no idea how you can claim that the MC hasn't been overshaddowed by his brother up to this point. The only reason it feels like that is changing is because him and Nael are seperated right now. If Gabe were to survive, it would go right back to the way things were because nothing has really changed about the underlying power structure. With Gabe around, everyone, including the MC, is just competing for second place.

I give up, you guys are kinda delusional imo. To me it sounds like you guys would gladly sacrifice the whole story and any kind of logic and meaning just for the mc to fuck nael

We already have the "problem" that the MC is VERY powerful already and his enemies mostly already inferior to him but if Nael would become the MC's companion, the whole story would equate to cheating, there is nothing on earth as powerful as nael.

There would be no danger anymore, now achievements, its like being bound to god and everything you want happens, its just really stupid to assume and want that lol.

Im just mentioning that because you guys always make it sound like youre arguing from a story perspective, but no, it would utterly ruin the story and make everything boring.

Zero doesnt seem to be intended as the ultra evil villain, i think he would be way more sinister if that was the intention, but hes more of a grey area guy as it seems

the other user replied already to your "overshadow" statement which is agree with.

Sometimes it kinda feels like you guys cant stand other guys in a avn, dont be so greedy lol

I feel like you are responding to a point that I never made, because I agree with you 100%. If the MC is going to bond with Nael at all, it should only happen at the very end of the story for all of the reasons you expressed in your response. I know you don't believe that they should bond at all and I respect that, and we can agree to disagree on that aspect (pun intended).

As far as Zero existing within a grey area, I have to disagree with you on that. Zero attempts to kill Emma and is responsible for Gabe's imprisonment. His motivation is a selfish lust for power, influence, and a desire to be a god. From what we have seen, he is a ruthless sociopath who would do absolutely anything to further his own ambitions. The only good thing we have seen him do is save Two from the high order. However, from what I can remember, we are never given his motivations for doing that.

I don't mind other males in novels like these. In fact, some of my favorite supporting characters are male. Off the top of my head, I really like Gabe's character from this novel. I also really like Chang from Eternum (fantastic novel, highly recommend).

 

[Daermon420]

That isn't even the point though. My point is simply that as long as Gabe is around, there is always going to be someone more important than the MC. The MC will never be able to take that leadership role with him there. He will only ever be a middle manager at best. To me, that is overshaddowing the MC

This is absolutely wrong because Gab did step back, almost completely and lost his powers. It's why he needs saving in the first place. Plus there's been zero indication that the MC even wants a leadership role. Claire fills that spot atm, and the MC has had disagreements with her but shown no desire to overthrow her and take her place.

Someone who outclasses the MC in every way is the definition of overshaddowing. With one word to Nael, Gabe had the opportunity to undo the pact (during the fight with Tessah) and if Gabe so much as uttered the wrong phrase to Zero, the entire universe was destroyed. Now, perhaps we don't agree on where the story is heading and that is fine. We can simply agree to disagree in that case and then wait to see what happens. However, I have no idea how you can claim that the MC hasn't been overshaddowed by his brother up to this point. The only reason it feels like that is changing is because him and Nael are seperated right now. If Gabe were to survive, it would go right back to the way things were because nothing has really changed about the underlying power structure. With Gabe around, everyone, including the MC, is just competing for second place.

By this logic anyone stronger than the MC overshadows him and becomes problematic to the story. So Nael should also be written out completely then? Actually without Nael, Gab is just another guy, so it'd make more sense to remove her by your logic than him. And all the other characters that happen to also be stronger I guess, of which there are a fair few. After all, as long as Nael and the others way stronger are around, the "MC, is just competing for second place." (which is outright false anyway since the MC isn't even competing for 5th place right now in power rankings, even if Gab wasn't around.)

Should the rest of the Fellowship have been deleted from The Lord of the Rings because most of them were stronger and outclassed Frodo, even though he was clearly the main protagonist? I mean just look at how many more kills that Legolas guy gets than Frodo, what a problematic character. And then you have Aragorn and Gandalf, clearly taking that leadership role away from him in the group while also outclassing him in every possible way.

My obvious point being it's okay to have characters that are stronger than the protagonist around. And it's more satisfying to, rather than remove characters that are stronger and "overshadow" the MC, have the MC grow and earn that spot among the strongest.

Also there's been no indication that even if Nael saves Gab that she'd re-bond with him and stay on Earth. Most likely she'll take him with her and retreat back to her own little dimension if she manages to save him, because she did acknowledge that she's too powerful to remain on the planet without endangering everything there.

 

[Krytax123]

Gabe is never powerless as long as Nael is around and knows what is going on. That isn't even the point though. My point is simply that as long as Gabe is around, there is always going to be someone more important than the MC. The MC will never be able to take that leadership role with him there. He will only ever be a middle manager at best. To me, that is overshaddowing the MC.

Someone who outclasses the MC in every way is the definition of overshaddowing. With one word to Nael, Gabe had the opportunity to undo the pact (during the fight with Tessah) and if Gabe so much as uttered the wrong phrase to Zero, the entire universe was destroyed. Now, perhaps we don't agree on where the story is heading and that is fine. We can simply agree to disagree in that case and then wait to see what happens. However, I have no idea how you can claim that the MC hasn't been overshaddowed by his brother up to this point. The only reason it feels like that is changing is because him and Nael are seperated right now. If Gabe were to survive, it would go right back to the way things were because nothing has really changed about the underlying power structure. With Gabe around, everyone, including the MC, is just competing for second place.



I feel like you are responding to a point that I never made, because I agree with you 100%. If the MC is going to bond with Nael at all, it should only happen at the very end of the story for all of the reasons you expressed in your response. I know you don't believe that they should bond at all and I respect that, and we can agree to disagree on that aspect (pun intended).

Yeah lets put a pin on that.

As far as Zero existing within a grey area, I have to disagree with you on that. Zero attempts to kill Emma and is responsible for Gabe's imprisonment. His motivation is a selfish lust for power, influence, and a desire to be a god. From what we have seen, he is a ruthless sociopath who would do absolutely anything to further his own ambitions. The only good thing we have seen him do is save Two from the high order. However, from what I can remember, we are never given his motivations for doing that.

I don't mind other males in novels like these. In fact, some of my favorite supporting characters are male. Off the top of my head, I really like Gabe's character from this novel. I also really like Chang from Eternum (fantastic novel, highly recommend).

Nah bro, here i really have to disagree and its more like the other way around: Zero does not kill Emma, just because of gab's talking he waives the immense power he would have gotten if he would have killed her. He is a mercenary so to speak which surely isnt a morally upstanding guy but not the worst kind of evil either.

It was gab's own fault for sacrificing himself, Zero would have done nothing to him if gab didnt played a charade (not that our mc should care about these details, we still have to put him to rest for it), Zero was after Claire and Claire honestly had it coming. Its not really evil to accept a mission capturing/killing a mini hitler like claire at this point.

And i feel like you kinda forgot in which kind of universe we are? Him being ambitious and intending to become stronger is literally what ALL companions are after (gab doesnt count), even our MC. Its what they are supposed to do, the difference between Zero and most other (usa) companions is only that he has a primordial dark one and doesnt submit to any kind of cult/sect/order/whatever. The MC himself states "Its a companies life to kill our adversaries".

You could even argue the MC is worse morally than Zero lol, the mc only cares about people close to him while zero may at least cares about his employes/numbers.

Imo its great that this isnt the typical superhero story where the mc is always morally upstanding and every single antagonist is pure evil.

The dev showed us how his really evil antagonists look like (look at aubere), Zero isnt at all at his level and imo grey area as i said.

That said i still cant wait to put him down.

 

[Gamer9999]

This is absolutely wrong because Gab did step back, almost completely and lost his powers. It's why he needs saving in the first place. Plus there's been zero indication that the MC even wants a leadership role. Claire fills that spot atm, and the MC has had disagreements with her but shown no desire to overthrow her and take her place.

At no point did Gabe step aside for the sole purpose of letting the MC take the lead. He sacraficed his bond with Nael to save Amy and he sacraficed himself to save Claire which is admirable to say the very least. Claire only leads the high order and there are far bigger fish than the high order. The real leaders right now are Nael and Gabe. Did you ever see Claire coming to the MC for any type of help before Gabe was imprisioned? That is probably because Gabe is the character that holds the power through his relationship with Nael, he is the leader. Yes, they are no longer bonded, that is true. But if Gabe were to ask, Nael would do absolutely anything for him. There is still a significant amount of power in that.

Truthfully, I think we just want different outcomes for the story and that is okay with me. You seem to prefer a ending where the MC is a medium sized fish in a big pond. In your outcome he will be one of the most powerful beings but not the most powerful. I respect that but I prefer an outcome where he is top dog. Only one of us will get what we want and I will personally think this is a great novel regardless of which path it takes.

As for the other point you made, yes, they in fact do overshaddow the MC. Whether someone is being overshaddowed or not really depends on competition and comparison. If two people are competing for the same thing and when you compare the two people, one is vastly superior to the other, then that is overshaddowing. The reason the rest of the fellowship was not overshaddowing Frodo is because they were not competing for anything. Now if the Fellowship had split into two teams, raced to see who could make it to Mordor the fastest, and one of the two teams had pulled vastly ahead, then yes one team is overshaddowing the other. Again, I think this just comes down to the fact we want two differnt outcomes for the story which is totally cool with me. I respect it.

Nah bro, here i really have to disagree and its more like the other way around: Zero does not kill Emma, just because of gab's talking he waives the immense power he would have gotten if he would have killed her. He is a mercenary so to speak which surely isnt a morally upstanding guy but not the worst kind of evil either.

It was gab's own fault for sacrificing himself, Zero would have done nothing to him if gab didnt played a charade (not that our mc should care about these details, we still have to put him to rest for it), Zero was after Claire and Claire honestly had it coming. Its not really evil to accept a mission capturing/killing a mini hitler like claire at this point.

And i feel like you kinda forgot in which kind of universe we are? Him being ambitious and intending to become stronger is literally what ALL companions are after (gab doesnt count), even our MC. Its what they are supposed to do, the difference between Zero and most other (usa) companions is only that he has a primordial dark one and doesnt submit to any kind of cult/sect/order/whatever. The MC himself states "Its a companies life to kill our adversaries".

You could even argue the MC is worse morally than Zero lol, the mc only cares about people close to him while zero may at least cares about his employes/numbers.

Imo its great that this isnt the typical superhero story where the mc is always morally upstanding and every single antagonist is pure evil.

The dev showed us how his really evil antagonists look like (look at aubere), Zero isnt at all at his level and imo grey area as i said.

That said i still cant wait to put him down.

He doesn't give up that power out of the goodness of his heart though, he does it because Gabe convinces him that it is in his best interest to do so. In fact, if you make the moral argument in that moment and tell him, and im paraphrasing here, that killing a defenceless woman is wrong and you can get the bad end where Gabe dies.

Personally, I don't think the universe matters. Killing for personal gain is wrong regardless. Plus, I don't think the fact that companions go at each other is ever presented as a moral good. It is presented more like an unfortunate aspect of life as a companion. You will always have to deal with power hungry and blood thursty companions out for your scalp.

I agree with you on basically everything else you say here. An ambitious mercinary is a fantastic description of Zero.

 

[Daermon420]

At no point did Gabe step aside for the sole purpose of letting the MC take the lead. He sacraficed his bond with Nael to save Amy and he sacraficed himself to save Claire which is admirable to say the very least. Claire only leads the high order and there are far bigger fish than the high order. The real leaders right now are Nael and Gabe. Did you ever see Claire coming to the MC for any type of help before Gabe was imprisioned? That is probably because Gabe is the character that holds the power through his relationship with Nael, he is the leader. Yes, they are no longer bonded, that is true. But if Gabe were to ask, Nael would do absolutely anything for him. There is still a significant amount of power in that.

Truthfully, I think we just want different outcomes for the story and that is okay with me. You seem to prefer a ending where the MC is a medium sized fish in a big pond. In your outcome he will be one of the most powerful beings but not the most powerful. I respect that but I prefer an outcome where he is top dog. Only one of us will get what we want and I will personally think this is a great novel regardless of which path it takes.

As for the other point you made, yes, they in fact do overshaddow the MC. Whether someone is being overshaddowed or not really depends on competition and comparison. If two people are competing for the same thing and when you compare the two people, one is vastly superior to the other, then that is overshaddowing. The reason the rest of the fellowship was not overshaddowing Frodo is because they were not competing for anything. Now if the Fellowship had split into two teams, raced to see who could make it to Mordor the fastest, and one of the two teams had pulled vastly ahead, then yes one team is overshaddowing the other. Again, I think this just comes down to the fact we want two differnt outcomes for the story which is totally cool with me. I respect it.



He doesn't give up that power out of the goodness of his heart though, he does it because Gabe convinces him that it is in his best interest to do so. In fact, if you make the moral argument in that moment and tell him, and im paraphrasing here, that killing a defenceless woman is wrong and you can get the bad end where Gabe dies.

Personally, I don't think the universe matters. Killing for personal gain is wrong regardless. Plus, I don't think the fact that companions go at each other is ever presented as a moral good. It is presented more like an unfortunate aspect of life as a companion. You will always have to deal with power hungry and blood thursty companions out for your scalp.

I agree with you on basically everything else you say here. An ambitious mercinary is a fantastic description of Zero.

It doesn't matter one bit why Gab lost his power. The fact is, that he did. I'm well aware of why and how he lost his abilities.

Where did you ever get the idea I want the MC to end up some medium fish in a large pond. Where the flying fuck did I ever say anything like that? Point it out to me, I'd love to see it.

I specifically said, it'd be more satisfying for the MC to rise up and earn a spot among the top, than to have it fucking handed to him by the author removing other characters because they "outclass" the protagonist. You know, growth and triumph vs just having the top spot handed to him on a silver platter because everyone else just conveniently retires or something. And I say among the top instead of the top dog because as long as Nael exists the MC will never be the absolute top dog. Even if she bonds with him for whatever reason, she's still the top. He'd just be borrowing her power.

And clearly the point of my LotR reference went completely over your head. It wasn't that they don't overshadow Frodo. They very clearly fucking do. It's that it's not necessary for the protagonist to outshine all of their allies to have a damn good story.

This spot in particular is goddamn hilarious

The reason the rest of the fellowship was not overshaddowing Frodo is because they were not competing for anything.

Because guess what? Gab and the MC aren't in fucking competition for anything. They are brothers and allies. Not rivals. Not enemies. Not on opposing teams or factions.

 

[Gamer9999]

It doesn't matter one bit why Gab lost his power. The fact is, that he did. I'm well aware of why and how he lost his abilities.

Where did you ever get the idea I want the MC to end up some medium fish in a large pond. Where the flying fuck did I ever say anything like that? Point it out to me, I'd love to see it.

I specifically said, it'd be more satisfying for the MC to rise up and earn a spot among the top, than to have it fucking handed to him by the author removing other characters because they "outclass" the protagonist. You know, growth and triumph vs just having the top spot handed to him on a silver platter because everyone else just conveniently retires or something.

And clearly the point of my LotR reference went completely over your head. It wasn't that they don't overshadow Frodo. They very clearly fucking do. It's that it's not necessary for the protagonist to outshine all of their allies to have a damn good story.

This spot in particular is goddamn hilarious


Because guess what? Gab and the MC aren't in fucking competition for anything. They are brothers and allies. Not rivals. Not enemies. Not on opposing teams or factions.

I'm halfway convinced you're just a troll at this point. A clever one though if so, so kudos for that.

No need to be rude man. I am simply giving my personal opinion on the story just like you. You said in your post just now that you want him to be "among" the top. That is the difference in opinion I was referencing right there, a medium fish in a big pond so to speak. I don't want him to be one of the top dogs, I wan't him to be the top dog. That is also where the competition between him and his brother comes from in my view. There can't be two top dogs. That can only happen by either killing off Gabe or writing his character out in some other way because nobody, myself included, would want the MC to fight his brother for that top spot. Again, the fact we disagree on the outcome is okay and I respect your view on the story. However, please don't resort to name calling. I enjoy descussion and debate among other fans like myself. If that makes me a troll, so be it I suppose.

 

[Krytax123]

No need to be rude man. I am simply giving my personal opinion on the story just like you. You said in your post just now that you want him to be "among" the top. That is the difference in opinion I was referencing right there, a medium fish in a big pond so to speak. I don't want him to be one of the top dogs, I wan't him to be the top dog. That is also where the competition between him and his brother comes from in my view. There can't be two top dogs. That can only happen by either killing off Gabe or writing his character out in some other way because nobody, myself included, would want the MC to fight his brother for that top spot. Again, the fact we disagree on the outcome is okay and I respect your view on the story. However, please don't resort to name calling. I enjoy descussion and debate among other fans like myself. If that makes me a troll, so be it I suppose.

But gabe has abdicated, how would he even be supposed to fight MC at this point? Do we have to kill nael too to get the top spot? You didnt replied to the other posters point about even when being bonded to Nael, it would still be her whos on top.

Gab is supporting MC's rise to the top and gave him everything he had, his powers, his name and his armor but he still isnt allowed to just be a supportive ally?

What about Emma? Do we have to kill her too? She arguably still has more raw power than mc. And we have to kill Samuel too for you to be happy with the story i guess, otherwise we couldnt be really on top and would just be the middle management.

We can be happy that Nael doesnt have your attitude/beliefs or everyone in this story would be dead lol

 

[Eternamite]

Important Update: What Comes Next?

Hey everyone,

Unfortunately, I have some bad news today. As some of you may have already heard, Mastercard and Visa have started pressuring distributors to restrict certain types of content, specifically NSFW material.

This has directly impacted platforms like Itch.io, and sadly, that includes my game as well.

Itch.io is where I’ve been distributing my game and where most new players discover it. Patreon is where people can support my work and keep the game alive, but most patrons only find my Patreon after discovering the game on Itch.io. In short, without visibility on Itch.io, it becomes incredibly difficult for new supporters to find their way to Patreon.

Right now, my NSFW game is still technically online on Itch.io, but it has been shadowbanned. That means it no longer shows up in search or on my creator page. You can only access it via a direct link. And that puts the future of the project at serious risk.

According to a survey I ran a while back, about 80% of my current patrons found the game through Itch.io. I've spoken with other adult game developers, and they’ve seen the same pattern. Games that do well on Itch.io tend to also do well on Patreon. And unfortunately, since the shadowban, I’ve already noticed a decline in Patreon support, which was honestly expected, since most people discover the game through Itch.io.

So, what can I do?

Actually, I’ve been quietly preparing for this situation. Since releasing Chapter 11, I’ve been working during my off-time on a SFW version of Season 1 of Companion of Darkness. It was clear that the NSFW space was becoming increasingly targeted, so I wanted to be ready.

And when the shadowban hit, I took action. I’ve spent the last few days polishing and finalizing this new SFW version. I even called in sick for two days just to push it over the finish line, please don’t tell my boss

Today, I’m officially releasing this version under the name "Companion of the Darkness". Yes, I know, very creative

This is NOT a request for more support.
Please do not increase your pledge or join Patreon just because of this post.
It’s my job to make sure the game survives, not yours.Why this SFW version mattersIt allows me to reach new players who might not be interested in NSFW content at all.
It helps reestablish visibility on Itch.io. While the original game remains shadowbanned, my account (berkili4) now has a title that is fully visible again.
It serves as a kind of “free demo” or entry point for the full NSFW version. Only Season 1 is available in SFW format, to play Season 2, players will need to download the full version.

So, I need your help.

If you have a minute, please check out the SFW version on Itch.io:

You must be registered to see the links

Leave a nice comment or a good rating, it really helps signal to the algorithm that this project (and my work in general) is worth surfacing beyond just the NSFW niche.

And if you’re interested in staying up-to-date with Companion of Darkness, including the NSFW version, following me on Itch.io (as berkili4) is a great way to get updates. Of course, Patreon supporters will continue to get all news and updates as well, so no worries there.

Thank you for your time, and I’m sorry for the ping. I just wanted to be transparent about what’s going on.

Much love,
berkili4

P.S. For those of you on Patreon wondering,
"Hey, when is the playable teaser for Chapter 12 coming out?"
Very, very soon. This whole situation set me back a bit, but the teaser is now about 90% done, just one more animation left.

Fun fact, the teaser already includes more animations than Chapter 1 in total (and no, not NSFW ones, these are combat animations).
It picks up immediately after the end of Chapter 11 and includes one of the most intense battle sequences I’ve ever created. It also resolves part of the cliffhanger from Chapter 11.

 

[Gamer9999]

Important Update: What Comes Next?

Hey everyone,

Unfortunately, I have some bad news today. As some of you may have already heard, Mastercard and Visa have started pressuring distributors to restrict certain types of content, specifically NSFW material.

This has directly impacted platforms like Itch.io, and sadly, that includes my game as well.

Itch.io is where I’ve been distributing my game and where most new players discover it. Patreon is where people can support my work and keep the game alive, but most patrons only find my Patreon after discovering the game on Itch.io. In short, without visibility on Itch.io, it becomes incredibly difficult for new supporters to find their way to Patreon.

Right now, my NSFW game is still technically online on Itch.io, but it has been shadowbanned. That means it no longer shows up in search or on my creator page. You can only access it via a direct link. And that puts the future of the project at serious risk.

According to a survey I ran a while back, about 80% of my current patrons found the game through Itch.io. I've spoken with other adult game developers, and they’ve seen the same pattern. Games that do well on Itch.io tend to also do well on Patreon. And unfortunately, since the shadowban, I’ve already noticed a decline in Patreon support, which was honestly expected, since most people discover the game through Itch.io.

So, what can I do?

Actually, I’ve been quietly preparing for this situation. Since releasing Chapter 11, I’ve been working during my off-time on a SFW version of Season 1 of Companion of Darkness. It was clear that the NSFW space was becoming increasingly targeted, so I wanted to be ready.

And when the shadowban hit, I took action. I’ve spent the last few days polishing and finalizing this new SFW version. I even called in sick for two days just to push it over the finish line, please don’t tell my boss

Today, I’m officially releasing this version under the name "Companion of the Darkness". Yes, I know, very creative

This is NOT a request for more support.
Please do not increase your pledge or join Patreon just because of this post.
It’s my job to make sure the game survives, not yours.Why this SFW version mattersIt allows me to reach new players who might not be interested in NSFW content at all.
It helps reestablish visibility on Itch.io. While the original game remains shadowbanned, my account (berkili4) now has a title that is fully visible again.
It serves as a kind of “free demo” or entry point for the full NSFW version. Only Season 1 is available in SFW format, to play Season 2, players will need to download the full version.

So, I need your help.

If you have a minute, please check out the SFW version on Itch.io:

You must be registered to see the links

Leave a nice comment or a good rating, it really helps signal to the algorithm that this project (and my work in general) is worth surfacing beyond just the NSFW niche.

And if you’re interested in staying up-to-date with Companion of Darkness, including the NSFW version, following me on Itch.io (as berkili4) is a great way to get updates. Of course, Patreon supporters will continue to get all news and updates as well, so no worries there.

Thank you for your time, and I’m sorry for the ping. I just wanted to be transparent about what’s going on.

Much love,
berkili4

P.S. For those of you on Patreon wondering,
"Hey, when is the playable teaser for Chapter 12 coming out?"
Very, very soon. This whole situation set me back a bit, but the teaser is now about 90% done, just one more animation left.

Fun fact, the teaser already includes more animations than Chapter 1 in total (and no, not NSFW ones, these are combat animations).
It picks up immediately after the end of Chapter 11 and includes one of the most intense battle sequences I’ve ever created. It also resolves part of the cliffhanger from Chapter 11.

I have long believed that you could remove all of the explicit content from this novel and it would still be fantastic. Hopefully this change is a blessing in disguise and you are able to attract more viewers who may not be as inclined to consume spicy content.

 

[Meiri]

Well, this could be the future if those companies keep pushing their agenda, just put a black screen everytime a sexscene would occur and put that version on Patreon / Itch, then put a patch somewhere else to restore adult content.

 

[Swaginator69]

.

 

[Netao_Da_Caxixola]

.

My man, you can just click the watch button, but you do you my friend

 

[Banana3333]

i loved every moment, only sometime the skip go alone

 

[Eternamite]

You must be registered to see the links

I just wanted to say a big thank you for all your support on itch.io for the SFW version, it really means a lot!
Itch.io has partially restored visibility for all games, which is great news. But just in case, the SFW version will stay online as a backup (more options never hurt, right?).

Now, onto something exciting:
I’ve just finished the playable teaser for Chapter 12!
It’s short, but I think it turned out pretty cool, especially if you’re into action scenes, because this teaser is packed with them.

If you're on the Dark One tier over on Patreon, you can download it now.
Link:

You must be registered to see the links

And if that sounds like something you'd enjoy, feel free to check it out.

PS: What do you think of the new pic of Renclara?
PS2: I like Renclara.
PS3: Or should it be Clararen?
PS4: Reclaran? Clarena?? (Naming is hard, send help.)

 

[Andolt]

Wow, maybe we'll have it here soon

 

[vsvsx92]

You must be registered to see the links

I just wanted to say a big thank you for all your support on itch.io for the SFW version, it really means a lot!
Itch.io has partially restored visibility for all games, which is great news. But just in case, the SFW version will stay online as a backup (more options never hurt, right?).

Now, onto something exciting:
I’ve just finished the playable teaser for Chapter 12!
It’s short, but I think it turned out pretty cool, especially if you’re into action scenes, because this teaser is packed with them.

If you're on the Dark One tier over on Patreon, you can download it now.
Link:

You must be registered to see the links

And if that sounds like something you'd enjoy, feel free to check it out.

PS: What do you think of the new pic of Renclara?
PS2: I like Renclara.
PS3: Or should it be Clararen?
PS4: Reclaran? Clarena?? (Naming is hard, send help.)

McCLAR(en)A

YOu plaster CLAR(en)A's face on a McClaren and that's your combo