Lucid9: Inciting Incident

Overview

Lucid 9: Inciting Incident is the first part of a non-commercial, free to play OELVN (Original English Language Visual Novel) developed by Fallen Snow Studios for both Windows and Linux on PC. Development started in March 2014, and the game was first released for Windows via Steam and itch.io on April 14 2016, with a Linux version being released a few days after. Additionally, Lucid9: Inciting Incident is scheduled to receive patches with English voice acting in 2017 from Yin Yang Voices and the remaining parts of Lucid9 are also currently in development.

Story

Inciting Incident is the common route of Lucid9, and is set in a near future fictional Japan. The player follows the perspective of the main character Yama Ishimito, an intelligent but cynical high school student of Isamu Imperial Boarding Academy, who wishes to live an easy-going life. However, the real world around him is not nearly as idyllic, a fact he soon discovers. With a series of disturbing murder cases around him, Yama becomes involved in a series of murder cases and the calm of his ordinary high school life is quickly shattered, leaving danger, uncertainty and mystery in its wake.

Main Characters

Yama Ishimoto is the protagonist of Lucid9 who starts off being in his 3rd year at Isamu Imperial Boarding Academy. A cynical, witty individual who often acts independently with his impressive deductive capabilities, Yama is shown to distance himself from others out of his lack of self confidence and respect, possibly a result of past psychological trauma. Despite this, he maintains cordial relationships with a small select group of friends, for example Rui Hayata, a childhood friend who is a second year at the same school.

Rui Hayata

Elizabeth Oshiro

Misaki Kazehaya

Airi Hiraga

Akira Karube

Gameplay

Inciting Incident offers multiple choices and puzzles through which user interaction is mandatory. Like many other Visual Novels, the choices that the player makes not only determine whether certain scenes are seen or not, but change the ending of the story. There are multiple 'bad endings' and one 'true ending', which is the plot line that the developers will further progress in the future. The choices made also dictate which heroine's routes the player will be able to access once they are released; Lucid9 as a whole offers an interactive branching plot line based on the heroine chosen, and the true ending route of Inciting Incident is the section of the story that is common to all different plot lines.