Starlight Shores
A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, and Linux
Starlight Shores launched on October 30th, 2020!
The Story:
After your childhood friend Theo wins a weekend getaway to the town of Seaside, you prepare to spend your birthday in paradise. It's been months since you last saw Theo, and she's incredibly excited to spend the weekend together.
She invites her roommate Lena to join the group, and Theo extends an invitation to your friend Alec. After parting ways to attend different colleges, it's just the get-together that you need to reconnect.
Everything seems to be coming together perfectly... until Alec insists on driving by himself. You arrive at the cottage before him, certain that he's ditched the group. A short while later, he calls to announce that he's bringing along an uninvited guest.
Although Erika may be from the same small-town as most of the group, that's about the only thing you share in common...
Will you enjoy your night with Theo and wish on a star?
The Cast:
Theo
Theo is your childhood friend. Although initially shy with strangers, Theo has a great sense of humour and loves to joke around with her friends. She prefers to have a tight-knit group and doesn’t open up to just anyone. She studies photography at the same college as her roommate Lena and loves spending time with her. Theo won a draw for a cottage getaway in the town of Seaside and is your host for the weekend.
Lena
Lena is Theo’s roommate… and replacement best friend. You don’t know much about her, or even what she’s studying. From what you’ve seen on Friendex, Lena is a vibrant and outgoing person. She’s always dyeing her hair different colours and wearing cute clothes. According to her online bio, in her spare time she enjoys hiking and playing piano.
Alec
Alec is a friend from your hometown who is attending the same college. You both have similar hobbies like gaming, eating out, and playing soccer. Naturally, renting a student house with Alec seemed like a great idea… until he started dating. He jumps from girl to girl, never committing despite constantly whining that he wants a serious relationship. His latest date, Erika, tagged along to the cottage without an invitation. Lately, Alec has been pissing you off.
Erika
A year younger than you, Erika is from the same hometown. You don’t remember much about her, or ever talking to her…
Our Team-
Sam Kerr- Creative Director and Lead Developer
Nanae Lia- Creative Director, CG & Character Artist
Tanuma San- CG & Background Artist
Alcaknight- Lead Composer
BackgroundTK- Outdoor Background Artist
Re.Alice- Logo Designer
A special thanks to Uncle Mugen, CC backgrounds were from his lemmasoft page!
Join our Discord today! https://t.co/yIcm7mq9m7?amp=1
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $4 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Download demo
Development log
- Starlight Shores 1.3 Major Update Out Now!May 07, 2021
- Starlight Shores 1.3 Sneak Preview + Steam Release InfoApr 23, 2021
- Starlight Shores 1.3 Release Date + Steam LaunchMar 31, 2021
- A Holiday Gift - Free Copy of Starlight Shores!Dec 23, 2020
- Starlight Shores Version 1.2 + DLC PlansNov 12, 2020
- Starlight Shores Version 1.1Nov 03, 2020
- Starlight Shores Launch Day!Oct 30, 2020
- Starlight Shores Release Date Trailer is live!Oct 24, 2020
Comments
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ah, i'm the fade-in text issue when the text speed is set to maximum that another person mentioned below. i barely started the game, but this is annoying enough to drop it, sorry.
I really enjoyed that game... one of the best VNs for me so far.
Why is there a giraffe for a human on the cover art
This was a really lovely read, and hit me right in the feels 💙 The dynamic between the characters feels very real and pulls you into the story. Short, sweet and with plenty of impactful choices to make! Very replayable too, given that the night can end in many different ways...
I highly recommend getting this game if the premise of a night on the beach under the stars appeals to you! I look forward to more games from this developer 🌠
I have many thoughts about this visual novel, more than I care to write down anyway. So, I'll stick to the short and positive version.
My first impression wasn't good at all. But then I kept reading, and when I reached my first ending I was like: "Alright game, I want to see what making different choices near the end does to that ending." And then something clicked. I didn't just make some minor adjustments close to that ending I got, I went back to the start and went through it all multiple times because I wanted to see and learn more of these characters (thank god for the (quick) save and load buttons, and the skip text key). It's a flawed game, but I promise that if you stick around and make an effort, this short and sweet VN will handsomely reward you. I am so glad I read this. Consider me a fan!
Cute little game, filled with truths and dares and jello shots.
Heya, I bought the game through the Ukraine bundle, but when I try to open it, I encounter an error like the screenshot I posted above. My PC is 64-bit, any tips on how to fix that? Thanks
Hi! I'm sorry to hear that you've encounter this problem. Do you have Discord? It would be easier for me to help resolve the issue through there.
Here's a link to the Starlight Shores community Discord:
https://discord.com/invite/6X2DECj
Hello again,
I believe the issue has to do with the .ico (desktop icon) files on Windows 7.
If you go into the game directory and remove the .ico files, the game may generate an error report but should otherwise run smoothly.
Apologies for the delayed response, I hope this helps
It was good (〃'▽'〃)
A heartwarming yet bittersweet story that will make you re-evaluate the importance of shared bonds and mutual support.
While the story does proceed smoothly and does bring a relaxing feeling to the experience, you will come upon a short bittersweet and nostalgic story where you will get to listen and empathize with some of the dark memories of your cherished friends.
You can read more about it in my review (https://gyepitypes.wordpress.com/2021/07/08/gyepi-reviews-starlight-shores/)
Quick question before I make any decision about whether to download/play: Is this game aro/ace friendly? I really like the concept of visual novels, but I can almost never play them because they all require you to be romantic and/or sexual with other characters and it just makes me really uncomfortable. Can I get through this whole game with only platonic relationships?
Hi there!
The answer to this question isn't a perfect one, and I apologize if it is unclear.
Will, the main character, harbours romantic feelings for his friend Theo and can be romantic with other characters as well.
However, there is a very special and what I would consider "canon" route which leaves you in a platonic place with your previous love interests.
It is important that I warn you that this story is open about romantic and sexual relationships and depicts what it's like the be a young adult who is exploring the world of interpersonal relationships for the first time.
There is a long drinking game where characters speak about their relationships, sexualities, insecurities, and curiosities with their friends.
In the end, it is possible to finish things in a platonic way during several routes, but the themes that precede those endings could very well be uncomfy for aro/ace individuals.
The demo is a great example of what I mean about the discussion of sexual and romantic themes.
I'd love to send you a guide on how to achieve platonic endings privately if you do end up playing to prevent a negative experience!
We have a discord that is linked on this page, you can reach me there for a guide :)
There are also some in-depth reviews about the variety of endings, but they have a lot of story details, so I can send them if you don't mind spoilers.
Even if you don't end up finding Starlight Shores is right for you, I encourage you to keep exploring the indie visual novel community.
I'm certain there's a game you'll enjoy :)
I hope this helps!
-Sam
I have one technical complaint: When the text speed is set to maximum, each line of text still takes a while to fade in.
That is annoying IMO. It's fine to have this for those who want it, but when text speed is set to maximum, I would want each line of text to appear immediately without any fade (barring the occasional scene transition or effect).
Are you referring to your experience playing the demo, or do you own the full game?
I ask because this issue was addressed in the most recent update to the full game! :)
Hi! I am running StarlightShores-1.3-linux (not demo).
Thanks! I will look into this as soon as possible :)
Hi there!
Unfortunately, Itch owners won’t be getting Steam keys.
Everything available in the Steam version is also included on Itch, so no one will be missing out if they own it on a single platform. We do not have Steam achievements integrated, it's the exact same user experience.
I hope this clears things up :)
Nice game so far. But I am having trouble getting all endings. Can you provide a guide?
Hello!
I can provide a guide :) If you have Discord, please join our official server and comment in the Starlight Shores channel.
Here's a link: https://discord.com/invite/6X2DECj
If you don't have Discord, you can also reach out on Twitter or Instagram @TidalBlossoms.
Very nice game. I really enjoyed it, especially Theo's good ending.
Thank you for leaving a comment and rating :) we appreciate it!
GOD DAMN I played the demo back in June and was so excited but then was reminded of the game today to find its 1$ for this masterpiece had to download cant wait to play
Thank you so much, this comment is so appreciated :) Honestly, these kinds of messages are what motivates our team to develop games! We hope you have a wonderful holiday season.
1$ for the whole game?!
THIS IS A MUST BUY.
:) We hope you enjoy!
I liked the graphics and the atmosphere, but I feel like this game is much sadder than the "look" suggests. Maybe I just got a bad ending on first try, although not sure how, because there aren't that many choices in the game (which was another thing I missed)... but it felt like it was just conflict after conflict, and that made it difficult to enjoy the sweet moments because I was already in a bad mood.
I'll replay eventually and try to get a more positive ending, but yeah.
I agree--I thought it was a bit of a rough ride. Maybe I went down a bad path too? The choices also came across as a bit ambiguous as to how they would influence the story.
That being said, I'll probably go back and replay it as well one of these days.
Hi there! If either of you would like a guide to help find the endings you're looking for, feel free to reach out on Discord :) There is a link on the project page.
Hi there!
To answer your question, Lena is also an option for romancing :) if you'd like help with a guide or to join our community, we have a Discord channel! You can click here to join: https://t.co/yIcm7mq9m7?amp=1
DLC is still in the making, so more information will be shared regarding pricing down the road.
First 2 hours of the full game to Starlight Shores, encourage everyone to purchase & check out the game for yourselves! Still on the fence? There's also the demo for free that's also available to play. <3
Part 2 <3
I really enjoyed the demo for this game! The art is really nice and appealing, the story is fun and the conversation is pretty natural too. Can't wait to see the full release!
When I saw the bio for Lena I thought her hobbies said Killing and playing the piano not hikinh
This made me laugh :P Maybe I should add that as an... alternate hobby? Haha.
Murder is allowed in here you just have to imagine the results in your head XD MWA AHHAHAHAHA JK
But... I wanted to see what happens to the hot dog! :D
The fate of the hot dog will be revealed when our full version launches! :)
I read the novel and I see that it's something cool and interesting. With your permission I would like to translate the demo version into Russian to share it with my country audience. Please, if you mind, let me know here or email me at Floyd@Galanos.Ru. Thank you.
Hi,
Thank you for playing Starlight Shores :)
You have my full permission to translate this game demo. Please let me know when it's translated so I can help people find the Russian version!
This is amazing. The art is so freakin' good, and the dialogue feels natural and fluid. I'll be obsessively checking to see when the full game comes out now.
Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to review our game and leave this encouraging comment! :)
We'll be launching the full game during Summer 2020. A more concrete date and devlog updates are coming soon.
I really enjoyed it, the story flows nicely and the whole game seems to be very well done, keep up the good work, can't wait to play the whole game!
Thank you so much for this feedback! :) We'll be launching the full game during Summer 2020 so you won't have to wait very long.
Nice job, keep it up!
Thank you! Our team is working tirelessly to complete Starlight Shores, we will be launching the full game during Summer 2020 :)
I liked that, their party also feels real, and they all are smart to forgive and just have fun that is nice :)
Thanks for playing and leaving us some feedback, it's very appreciated :) We are so excited to launch the full game this summer, it's coming soon!
cool, i am waiting :)
I started the game today. The current story looks good. Apart from that, the voices and characters fit well. A game I can recommend. Achievements :)
We are so happy to hear that you're enjoying Starlight Shores! Sending a big thank you from our entire team :)