Forbidden Romance at the Monastery (Gay Romance Visual Novel)

If you've ever dreamt about a gay romance visual novel in the style of historical, far eastern dramas, here it is! 

“Forbidden romance at the monastery” is a sweet, slow-paced, gay romance visual novel narrating the secret love affair of two young men living in a secluded mountain monastery.

\When the monks bring Ryu into the monastery, Isamu begs his grandfather to let him help the wounded man.

The elderly master agrees, and now, Isamu is the one responsible for taking care of Ryu, and teaching him martial arts.

With time, their brotherhood matures into love. However, romantic relationships between monks are strictly forbidden. Will the two have to hide their feelings forever?...

In the meantime, Duke Ozuru plots to burn Mayu’s Monastery to the ground.

Will Isamu and Ryu make it out alive and avenge the elderly master?

Player's Age: 18+ (touches on some adult topics, as it was based on a short story solely for adult audiences)

Trigger Warnings: missing animal, minor character death, grandparent death, war, soft-core yaoi moments.

This game was made with the help of AI - but still with much love and effort. 

Isamu is the future heir of Mayu's Monastery. He was born outside of the temple, in the village. His parents didn't want him to become a monk, but his grandfather, the elderly master, insisted. Isamu is a quiet, obedient and dutiful young man, who loves calligraphy.

Ryu is a soldier who deserted from Duke Ozuru's troops. Being a skilled warrior from the Southern Province, he's excellent at martial arts. Highly self confident, he never stops flirting with Isamu, but what's really in his heart?

There are 4 more mystery gherkins and 3 tigers, out of which one stirs drama.

• ~8500 words of professionally written and edited text.
• Linear storyline, no choices, one ending (happy ending).
• Major themes: 1. Quest for power leading to destruction, 2. Conflict: romantic love vs spiritual detachment, 3. The importance of fulfilling one's own obligations, and others, such as devotion to family members (mother, grandfather).
• 2 main characters: Isamu (moutain monastery's heir) and Ryu (warrior turned monk), 4 side characters and 3 tigers (out of which one stirs drama).
• Game interface made from wood, bamboo, and paper, with a calligraphy motif.
• A far eastern theme of the story, combining motifs from various eastern cultures (mostly Chinese and Japanese).
  
• 47 atmospheric, oil painting backgrounds showing the monastery complex and the surrounding village, painted in the style of classical artist Rembrandt.
• A soundtrack consisting of 20+ music tracks by Sergei Chetvertnykh, Leigh Robinson, Kevin Horizon, Samuel Francis Johnson and others: Asian folk music, temple gongs, meditative chants, calming ambients, battle tunes, etc. 
• Sound effects featuring natural sounds (mountain wind, crickets, village sounds) as well as battle sounds (swords, guns) etc.

The game is controlled by mouse and keyboard. Beyond you can find information about keyboard shortcuts:

• A - Auto mode
• B - Backlog
• Space - Progress the game
• S - Save Screen
• L - Load Screen
• M - Main Menu
• Esc - Return to Title Screen

Hasalynx Games is an indie game gig that doesn't have any external funding, and mostly relies on unpaid human effort to keep producing its games. We use mostly free resources and create scenarios from ready short stories and novels published by our people. If these games spark your curiosity, please buy them (they're so cheap!), comment, and spread positive word. Also, don't forget to add this game to your collections and follow Hasalynx Games on itch.io, so as to receive updates when a new game is up!

If you want to support our studio, you can do so by buying the game together with the official printable postcards.

Apart from the game, you'll also receive a PDF with a set of 14 printable postcards showcasing the most stunning artwork from the game. Each postcard is accompanied by a classical poem (belonging to the public domain, in case you're wondering).

The poems mostly focus on the beauty of nature, seasons and feelings, especially yearning. We picked those that are relatable to the main characters, so reading them will further enrich your playing experience. 

For best effect, print these postcards on high quality paper. The PDF format is A5.

After printing, you can put these in your diary, attach them to your corkboard or hang them on a string. You can also gift them to a friend who loves this game just much as you do!