[T] SYNOPSIS RELEASED! Athena Cykes ~ Locks on the Heart (game unfinished, full-length synopsis released)

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risefromtheashes
Posts: 367
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[T] SYNOPSIS RELEASED! Athena Cykes ~ Locks on the Heart (game unfinished, full-length synopsis released)

Post by risefromtheashes »

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LotH for short. Logo by SuperAj3.

SPOILER WARNING: LotH contains spoilers and plot details relevant to AA1-5 ("Rise from the Ashes") and AA3 through AA6.
Spoiler : Project Description - mild spoilers! :
LotH takes place in 2029, after the events of Spirit of Justice.
Athena Cykes takes on a case where a double murder has been committed at VideoVention, an online video convention, and one of her close friends is suspected of being the culprit. Shortly after taking her friend's defense, Athena gets wind of a case involving an evasive serial killer named the Executioner, who has been at large for a very long time and seems to be uncatchable.
During her chase after the Executioner, Athena's abilities as both a lawyer and psychologist are pushed to the limit, and her trust, values, and belief questioned. She meets a great number of people, all with varying experiences and creeds, and she will have to weed out a killer among them while still being compassionate to all of them. Her competence and resolve will be questioned, and she will have to prove that she can stand on her own, practice what she preaches, and find the truth, without falling back on her promises.
Will Athena help find the Executioner and bring them to justice? And how will she change as a result? Will she stick to her guns, or change her beliefs, or both?
LotH has been cancelled since 2020. However, I've finally finished a full synopsis - 90 pages long - describing what LotH would've been like in its entirety. Please read it below, and feel free to share your thoughts!

SYNOPSIS HERE

The old LotH Case 1 demo is also available to play! Click here to play!

Spoiler : Demo Walkthrough :
No Penalty: Do whatever you want for the opening statement.

Testimony 1
(Optional/No Penalty: Present the knife on statement 2.)
Press statement 2.
Press statement 3. Select the first option.
Present the Knife on statement 2.

Select the third option.

Testimony 2
(Optional/No Penalty: Press statement 2. Select the first or second option.)
Press statement 2. Select the fourth option.
Press statement 3. Select the third option.
Press statement 3. Select the fourth option.

Select the first option.
Present the Security Footage.
Spoiler : Demo Art Credits (case 1 spoilers) :
Athena Cykes sprites by Rajin, mercurialSK, SuperAj3, ShiroForever, Hesseldahl, and Silver Glas.
Athena Cykes profile icon by Anyare.
Widget profile icon by Anyare.
Nina Phan is Porsha Posh by DragonTrainer.
Elle Braxton is Gretta Danllo by Hesseldahl.
Vincent Pulliam is Dypo Tarch by Singidava.
Lydon Case is Tori Labbe by DragonTrainer.
Additional Judge sprites by SuperAj3 and DarwinThe100.
Credits for the full project are listed in the synopsis. The above is only for the demo.

Please share this project with your friends! We put in over three years of work, with a LOT of people's help, and this is by far the biggest creative project we've ever accomplished anything with.

Thank you so much for reading! Any and all feedback, thoughts, and theories you have while reading/playing are appreciated -- so please leave a reply if you have anything to share! I would love to talk more about this project and pick your brains about it.
Last edited by risefromtheashes on Sun Dec 10, 2023 2:02 am, edited 40 times in total.
The Mindcastle System
(Don't know what a system is? Play 6-4, and take a look here.)
----------
OUR CASES:
- Athena Cykes ~ Locks on the Heart (synopsis)
- May Your Memory Be a Blessing
- A Little Piece of Healing
- The Killer Turnabout (~70% complete!)
- I guess we made the Looking Back case comp ceremony with Super legenda, but that's not an actual case

----------
Check out our music & art thread here!
Gamer2002
Posts: 559
Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2009 10:51 pm

Re: [T] Athena Cykes: Ace Attorney ~ Locks on the Heart ○○○○

Post by Gamer2002 »

Spoiler : :
>Serial killer "The Executioner"

Well, here goes that idea for the sequel of Angela Light ;P
Dibs on Garroter.
Anyway, good luck with your project!
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risefromtheashes
Posts: 367
Joined: Wed Apr 04, 2018 2:33 am
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Re: [T] Athena Cykes: Ace Attorney ~ Locks on the Heart ○○○○

Post by risefromtheashes »

Gamer2002 wrote:
Spoiler : :
>Serial killer "The Executioner"

Well, here goes that idea for the sequel of Angela Light ;P
Dibs on Garroter.
Anyway, good luck with your project!
Spoiler : wow :
AHAHAHAHA I never expected that! go for it - it's not changing
Thank you!
The Mindcastle System
(Don't know what a system is? Play 6-4, and take a look here.)
----------
OUR CASES:
- Athena Cykes ~ Locks on the Heart (synopsis)
- May Your Memory Be a Blessing
- A Little Piece of Healing
- The Killer Turnabout (~70% complete!)
- I guess we made the Looking Back case comp ceremony with Super legenda, but that's not an actual case

----------
Check out our music & art thread here!
User avatar
risefromtheashes
Posts: 367
Joined: Wed Apr 04, 2018 2:33 am
Spoken languages: English, Russian, Armenian, Spanish

Re: [T] Athena Cykes: Ace Attorney ~ Locks on the Heart ○○○○

Post by risefromtheashes »

Justifiable double post (in my opinion).

We now have a solid team!
Composers: MBr (SuperCykes), FanFreak247, and iKiwed!
Co-Editors: clcman, FanFreak247, and Ropfa!
Artists: Ropfa, Sandal (Puchi), and iKiwed!
Betatesters: Spybreak001 and Ropfa!

Of course, if you'd like to help out, feel free! Any and all help is appreciated and useful.
The Mindcastle System
(Don't know what a system is? Play 6-4, and take a look here.)
----------
OUR CASES:
- Athena Cykes ~ Locks on the Heart (synopsis)
- May Your Memory Be a Blessing
- A Little Piece of Healing
- The Killer Turnabout (~70% complete!)
- I guess we made the Looking Back case comp ceremony with Super legenda, but that's not an actual case

----------
Check out our music & art thread here!
Super legenda
Posts: 860
Joined: Mon Sep 11, 2017 8:10 pm
Gender: Male
Spoken languages: Español e Ingles

Re: [T] Athena Cykes: Ace Attorney ~ Locks on the Heart ○○○○

Post by Super legenda »

I can't wait for this, i love Athena and a fan series with her as protagonist would be perfect.
User avatar
risefromtheashes
Posts: 367
Joined: Wed Apr 04, 2018 2:33 am
Spoken languages: English, Russian, Armenian, Spanish

Re: [T] Athena Cykes: Ace Attorney ~ Locks on the Heart ○○○○

Post by risefromtheashes »

Super legenda wrote:I can't wait for this, i love Athena and a fan series with her as protagonist would be perfect.
Hey, it's you again!
I'm glad you're excited about this! I've always wanted to see more than a fancase with Athena as the protagonist, especially if she's better written than in the main series. This is my unofficial Athena storyline. Hope you like it!
Also, if you'd like to help out, please let me know!
The Mindcastle System
(Don't know what a system is? Play 6-4, and take a look here.)
----------
OUR CASES:
- Athena Cykes ~ Locks on the Heart (synopsis)
- May Your Memory Be a Blessing
- A Little Piece of Healing
- The Killer Turnabout (~70% complete!)
- I guess we made the Looking Back case comp ceremony with Super legenda, but that's not an actual case

----------
Check out our music & art thread here!
Super legenda
Posts: 860
Joined: Mon Sep 11, 2017 8:10 pm
Gender: Male
Spoken languages: Español e Ingles

Re: [T] Athena Cykes: Ace Attorney ~ Locks on the Heart ○○○○

Post by Super legenda »

I wonder why there aren't more Athena's cases, she is fun, has good back story and Mood Matrix is one of the coolest gimmicks in the franchise.
Maybe I would help as beta tester, I have experience with that job
User avatar
risefromtheashes
Posts: 367
Joined: Wed Apr 04, 2018 2:33 am
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Re: [T] Athena Cykes: Ace Attorney ~ Locks on the Heart ○○○○

Post by risefromtheashes »

Super legenda wrote:I wonder why there aren't more Athena's cases, she is fun, has good back story and Mood Matrix is one of the coolest gimmicks in the franchise.
Maybe I would help as beta tester, I have experience with that job
Sure! I'll DM you an invite link on Discord.
Also, if you know anyone who can help with cutscenes and such, please let me know!
The Mindcastle System
(Don't know what a system is? Play 6-4, and take a look here.)
----------
OUR CASES:
- Athena Cykes ~ Locks on the Heart (synopsis)
- May Your Memory Be a Blessing
- A Little Piece of Healing
- The Killer Turnabout (~70% complete!)
- I guess we made the Looking Back case comp ceremony with Super legenda, but that's not an actual case

----------
Check out our music & art thread here!
Super legenda
Posts: 860
Joined: Mon Sep 11, 2017 8:10 pm
Gender: Male
Spoken languages: Español e Ingles

Re: [T] Athena Cykes: Ace Attorney ~ Locks on the Heart ○○○○

Post by Super legenda »

Thank you
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Blizdi
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Re: [T] Athena Cykes: Ace Attorney ~ Locks on the Heart ○○○○

Post by Blizdi »

Wow you got ropfa? Nice. He's as brutally honest of a beta tester as you could get.
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risefromtheashes
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Re: [T] Athena Cykes: Ace Attorney ~ Locks on the Heart ○○○○

Post by risefromtheashes »

Blizdi wrote:Wow you got ropfa? Nice. He's as brutally honest of a beta tester as you could get.
Hehe, I don't have a problem with it. I can handle criticism. (*whispers* Amy's Baking Company from Kitchen Nightmares)
But seriously, I'm so glad to have him help out. :D
The Mindcastle System
(Don't know what a system is? Play 6-4, and take a look here.)
----------
OUR CASES:
- Athena Cykes ~ Locks on the Heart (synopsis)
- May Your Memory Be a Blessing
- A Little Piece of Healing
- The Killer Turnabout (~70% complete!)
- I guess we made the Looking Back case comp ceremony with Super legenda, but that's not an actual case

----------
Check out our music & art thread here!
phoenix nick trite
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Oct 15, 2017 7:55 pm
Gender: Male
Spoken languages: English

Re: [T] Athena Cykes: Ace Attorney ~ Locks on the Heart ○○○○

Post by phoenix nick trite »

the.armenator wrote:
Blizdi wrote:Wow you got ropfa? Nice. He's as brutally honest of a beta tester as you could get.
Hehe, I don't have a problem with it. I can handle criticism. (*whispers* Amy's Baking Company from Kitchen Nightmares)
But seriously, I'm so glad to have him help out. :D
Nice Kitchen Nightmares reference! Anyway, I'm excited for this case series and the DLC case that comes on here later. Good luck with it
User avatar
risefromtheashes
Posts: 367
Joined: Wed Apr 04, 2018 2:33 am
Spoken languages: English, Russian, Armenian, Spanish

Re: [T] Athena Cykes: Ace Attorney ~ Locks on the Heart ○○○○

Post by risefromtheashes »

phoenix nick trite wrote:
the.armenator wrote:
Blizdi wrote:Wow you got ropfa? Nice. He's as brutally honest of a beta tester as you could get.
Hehe, I don't have a problem with it. I can handle criticism. (*whispers* Amy's Baking Company from Kitchen Nightmares)
But seriously, I'm so glad to have him help out. :D
Nice Kitchen Nightmares reference! Anyway, I'm excited for this case series and the DLC case that comes on here later. Good luck with it
:D thank you so much!
The Mindcastle System
(Don't know what a system is? Play 6-4, and take a look here.)
----------
OUR CASES:
- Athena Cykes ~ Locks on the Heart (synopsis)
- May Your Memory Be a Blessing
- A Little Piece of Healing
- The Killer Turnabout (~70% complete!)
- I guess we made the Looking Back case comp ceremony with Super legenda, but that's not an actual case

----------
Check out our music & art thread here!
User avatar
risefromtheashes
Posts: 367
Joined: Wed Apr 04, 2018 2:33 am
Spoken languages: English, Russian, Armenian, Spanish

Re: [T] Athena Cykes: Ace Attorney ~ Locks on the Heart ○○○○

Post by risefromtheashes »

OP HAS BEEN UPDATED! This project is ***NOT*** dead and has not been! Please check it out!
The Mindcastle System
(Don't know what a system is? Play 6-4, and take a look here.)
----------
OUR CASES:
- Athena Cykes ~ Locks on the Heart (synopsis)
- May Your Memory Be a Blessing
- A Little Piece of Healing
- The Killer Turnabout (~70% complete!)
- I guess we made the Looking Back case comp ceremony with Super legenda, but that's not an actual case

----------
Check out our music & art thread here!
Gamer2002
Posts: 559
Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2009 10:51 pm

Re: [T] Athena Cykes: Ace Attorney ~ Locks on the Heart ○○○○

Post by Gamer2002 »

From my experience - getting an artist involved, even when AAO was much more active, is always hard. You are fortunate enough that your main character's sprites exists, I had to learn to draw myself.

If you want an artist, you have to talk to them directly and convince them to help you. 99% nobody will answer to "help wanted", especially not if you have no released cases. Though I had yet to see anybody willing to pay.

That, or you learn to adapt to what is available. When I was planning out Angela Light, Bobby Dark was originally supposed to be a big metalhead with a black trench coat with spikes and with pink shirt with hearts under it. But when I saw sprites of crazy dark emo guy, I decided it was good as well.
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