Birds of Paradise | First Impressions | Demo Review | Sweet & Spicy

Birds of Paradise | First Impressions | Demo Review

Posted on August 6, 2022 by Oona Tempest「ウーナ」 Leave a comment

You’re the new manager of the up-and-coming boy band ‘Birds of Paradise’ and you’re convinced you’ve finally landed your dream job; however, it doesn’t take long to realise that this dream gig may be a little more complicated than you thought…

You’ll need to juggle a combination of sibling drama, ex-drama, and a whole host of disharmonious, eccentric personalities… and that’s just to get band practice started.

But, who knows? Maybe you’re exactly what ‘Birds of Paradise’ needs right now. And, if you can be the one to turn this show around, maybe you’ll even meet someone special along the way…

☆ Game Name: Birds of Paradise
☆ Developer: Fiendish Fiction
☆ Publisher: Fiendish Fiction
☆ Platforms: Steam, itch.io
☆ Release Date: TBA, 2023
☆ Price: $19.99 USD (Or make a pledge via Kickstarter)
☆ Age Rating: 16+ for suggestive sexual content, alcohol, recreational drugs, and swearing.
☆ More information: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok.

First Impressions

“Fresh out of college, Robin thinks she’s hit the jackpot after landing a position as assistant manager to the Birds of Paradise; an upcoming boy band with dreams of making it big. Robin is thrilled to be working with such high-profile clients… though not everything is as glamorous as it first seems.”
– Birds of Paradise (Kickstarter)

At the time of writing, ‘Birds of Paradise’ has a free demo available on both itch.io and Steam, and an active Kickstarter campaign to get this upcoming game funded. I’ve played the demo – which took about 20 minutes to play through once – and I definitely recommend checking it out for yourself if you’re interested in the game.

Currently, the demo includes the first chapter of the story, which provides an opportunity to experience the general style and tone of the game before deciding whether or not to back the Kickstarter.

I do think the demo works well as an initial introduction to the band members, as well as MC (Robin), and Vega; however, one of the love interests, Mavis, and all the other major characters listed on the Kickstarter page don’t actually appear in the demo at all.

Since players are essentially choosing whether or not to invest in the game before it’s finished, I would have preferred a slightly longer demo, or at least some bonus scenes to fully introduce the wider cast.

Still, the first chapter available in the demo has certainly peaked my interest (Lonan, in particular — I’m always keen for an LI with tattoos and piercings!) and the general premise has a lot of potential. Plus, I really like the colourful, vibrant art style and how it complements the comedic tone of the story.

I also love that the characters are inspired by birds! It’s fun to see how each of them resemble their namesakes, and it shows that a lot of thought went into the themes of this game.

If you’re interested in a modern romantic comedy made by a passionate team of indie developers, I recommend checking out the ‘Birds of Paradise’ Kickstarter page for more details!

Your dream job may have just turned into a nightmare…

Game Features

Full Game Features:

120,000+ words
10 – 15 backgrounds
Broad original soundtrack
One friendship route (Callum)
One female romance option (Mavis)
Four male romance options (Jay, Lonan, Lark, Wren)
Updated character sprites with multiple outfits
Multiple endings (both good and bad)
Over 10 unlockable illustrations
Steamy, sexy romance
A whole lot of hilarity

Demo Features:

8,000+ words
Two backgrounds
Original soundtrack
Six beta character sprites
One unlockable illustration

Game Trailer

Characters

Currently, ‘Birds of Paradise’ features five love interests and one platonic interest; however, if the Kickstarter campaign receives enough funding, Peregrine (a member of your rival band, Birds of Prey), will become a romanceable character, bringing the total number of love interests to six: four male, and two female.

In my playthrough of the demo, the blue-haired punk, Lonan, was easily my favourite, but I have to admit I’m also curious about the bold and fashionable Wren, and Lark is just such a sweetheart that he seems impossible to dislike!

Robin (MC)

☆ Name: Robin (not customisable)
☆ Voice Actor: N/A – Not voiced

Jay

☆ Name: Jay
☆ Voice Actor: TBA (Adding voice actors is a stretch goal for the Kickstarter campaign)
☆ Potential relationship(s) with MC: Romantic

Callum

☆ Name: Callum
☆ Voice Actor: TBA (Adding voice actors is a stretch goal for the Kickstarter campaign)
☆ Potential relationship(s) with MC: Friendship

Lonan

☆ Name: Lonan
☆ Voice Actor: TBA (Adding voice actors is a stretch goal for the Kickstarter campaign)
☆ Potential relationship(s) with MC: Romantic

Lark

☆ Name: Lark
☆ Voice Actor: TBA (Adding voice actors is a stretch goal for the Kickstarter campaign)
☆ Potential relationship(s) with MC: Romantic

Wren

☆ Name: Wren
☆ Voice Actor: TBA (Adding voice actors is a stretch goal for the Kickstarter campaign)
☆ Potential relationship(s) with MC: Romantic

Birds of Prey

About the Devs

Fiendish Fiction is an indie game dev studio founded by lifelong friends Terra Babcock and Johan Faulstich. The partnership was formally established as a business in 2020, though the duo has been developing stories together since kindergarten.

Team Credits: