2026/08/25
This time, I'm sharing a development post about "Shameless Alchemist Sio".
I initially used "Hello! Chibi Mana!" as a working title, but eventually decided to go with the title above.
I originally started this project because I had a fun dream about my old free game, SIO, being remade.
Though now that I think about it, I'm like "What was so fun about it? I don't even remember." 😅
Still, I've managed to establish the overall framework I wanted,
so development has been moving forward smoothly. :)
* Title: Shameless Alchemist Sio
* Genre: Relationship-building RPG
* Main Director / Story / Illustration: Rei
* System Director / Translation / Additional Support: Catspam
[Shameless Alchemist Sio: Animation Samples & Costumes]
I've applied about 19 costumes to the animations and other standing CGs.
To be honest, I originally picked out 19 costumes because I didn't think I'd be making animations for them,
so I couldn't help but wonder how this somehow turned into animation work in the first place.
I mean, animating all 19 costumes was my own doing, but it was still pretty painful. Haha...
Still, if I leave it to today's me, tomorrow's me will take care of it,
and then the me after that will take care of it, and then the me after that...
And just like that, my present self ended up receiving a gift from my past self.
Now I kind of want to give myself another gift. It does look pretty nice, after all. 😋
[Shameless Alchemist Sio: CG Samples]
These are CGs of the male character cooking meals for Sio, his apprentice, along with some other event CGs.
For about 49 days, the blue haired guy will cook for the protagonist every day, without repeating a single dish.
(I guess cooking is his hobby)
And apparently, it's my fate to draw all of that. I still have 36 more to go.
By the time we get to around Day 49, there'll probably be a whole bunch of weird little creatures swarming around, right?
Looks like I'll have no choice but to draw them, too.
Because seeing all those goofy faced little things happily eating will make my artistic soul very happy.
I guess I'll be receiving a whole lot of gifts while I'm still alive. :)
[Shameless Alchemist Sio: Gameplay Systems]
Honestly, this is what I wanted to work on even more than the costumes.
The story itself isn't particularly serious or complicated. It's actually pretty straightforward:
A magic student named Sio, born with very little mana, spends time with NPCs,
learns skills from them, solves problems, and eventually graduates.
Originally, I planned a pretty standard story with a traditional turn-based battle system,
but I guess I'm just naturally pretty impulsive.
"What happens if you rub up against an enemy's shin?"
"What if you kiss them?"
"What if you start twerking?"
"What if you suddenly summon an ally who's in the middle of eating? How would they react?"
"Could you even do a double twerk with an ally?"
I love the classic kind of game where you clear quests and build up your reputation,
but sometimes I just get the urge to do something weird.
Because in real life, even if you want to rub someone's shin,
you really shouldn't. You can't just suddenly kiss someone either.
But what if the character is shameless enough to get away with it?
What if it's a remote little fantasy village where people are a bit more easygoing?
What if the monsters are a little weird themselves?
And what if that's just the kind of world this is?
Then you can rub shins. You can kiss. You can twerk. You can create all kinds of situations and see how everyone reacts.
(...To be honest, I actually wanted to do stuff like this in Catspam's game,
"Luna Plena", but I couldn't exactly do that there.
So I thought 'Maybe I can do that in a world like this', and that's where the idea grew from.)
That's roughly how development is going.
I wonder what kind of players I'll get to meet through this game.
Up until now, I've mostly made games about ripping things apart and killing enemies,
so I'm curious what kind of audience this one will attract.
I hope our longtime players will enjoy this different flavor too if it's to their taste.
And once it's finished, I want to try all sorts of things myself, too. :)
As always, thank you so much to everyone. 😊