Sigh of the Abyss: Shadow Bonds
A downloadable visual novel for Windows
Shadow Bonds is the free, non-canonical standalone introduction to the world and characters of Sigh of the Abyss. Play the full game to get the whole story!
You have been chained to a stranger, a boy foolish—or brave—enough to flee the gilded cage where magi are kept docile and pliant.
The curse will kill you both unless you find a way to break it. Anyone else would already be dead, but not you—for you hear the ancient voice of the Abyss, and have been blessed—or cursed—with powers dark and terrible.
Did the Abyss bestow upon you supernatural strength and agility? Do you have the power to manipulate the shadows and see what they see? Perhaps your dark gift is prying open the minds of others only to break them and have them do your bidding.
The four humors color the tone of your responses and your personality: will you be the carefree sanguine, the thoughtful phlegmatic, the anxious melancholic or the fiery choleric?
Will you stay friends or seek something more? Learn more about your companions, see how they react to the curse placed upon you, accept or reject their aid. Shadow Bonds will give you a glimpse into the friendship and romance system of Sigh of the Abyss.
- A self-contained introduction to the world and characters of Sigh of the Abyss
- Customize the protagonist's name and skills
- A branching narrative with hard choices and terrible consequences
- Three endings with several variations each
- Sample what the romance interests have to offer, or stay friends
- Learn more about the rich setting of Sigh of the Abyss through codex entries
Intrigued? Get the full story in Sigh of the Abyss!
Download
Install instructions
Unzip the folder and double click the Sigh of the Abyss Shadow Bonds executable inside to run the game.
Development log
- Sigh of the Abyss is available NOW!58 days ago
- Mark your calendar ✨94 days ago
- Progress & important newsAug 01, 2024
- Heaps of progress ✨Jul 12, 2024
- Sigh of the Abyss joins the GAMES WITH WINGS showcase 📣Feb 29, 2024
- New year update ✨Jan 16, 2024
- June/July updateJul 06, 2023
- FULLY FUNDED! And... stretch goals?Apr 11, 2023
Comments
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I just wanted to give a heads-up that the game, for some reason, seems to give the wrong price when posted as a link to the Steam page (at least on Discord). This might discourage uninformed players. I'm not sure how or why it does this, but I thought you might want to know.
Good luck with the release! <3
Edit: someone tried posting it again and it now looks correct, might have been a discord bug! So sorry to bother you--ignore this!
I even looked at the regional pricing to see if perhaps it was another currency 😂
Weird bug! Thank you for letting me know—I appreciate it 😊
Do you also planning to make male mc?
Hello! The game will only have a female main character 😄
Wow, OK!!! This is honestly everything I could want in a visual novel. Magic, fantasy, romance, consequences in choices, beautifully presented art, etc. And female romanceable characters!! As a lesbian, that makes me so happy!! There are other great visual novel demos I've tried, but they had mostly/all male options. The writing was still lovely, and I'm still pumped to try out the full versions of those games, but it's not as relatable, y'know?
I also just saw that the full game has a demo out NOW?? And it's VOICE ACTED??? Wowieeee!! I've never fallen in love with a game SO fast!!
I only have one note and that is that I wished the MC had more customization (in terms of appearance & pronouns). However, after checking out the studio's website and based off of the trailer for the full game, it probably won't happen (a girl can still dream, though)!
Regardless, I still think the character design for everyone, let alone MC, is peak. Heck, practically a fifth of me playing was just checking out the "status" to look at the MC lolll! Also the dialogues of said characters and the writing was pure bliss to read. I especially loved the line said by Marane "Well it's a good thing you don't have to deal with blood every month" (or something along those lines).
I have no doubt the full game will live up to the standards set in this prologue. After I unlock the rest of the CGs (for my first run I went with my shawty bae Marane), I'll definitely have to check out the voiced demo!
And last but not least, if you end up reading this whole thing: thank you. Hug yourself, pat yourself on the back, etc... because you deserve it! This goes for the whole team, and all the contributors as well! Happy late pride, as well! I wish anyone who reads this a safe & happy life :)
" Be gay; Do witchcraft ", - Dana Terrace.
Hello, and thank you so much for the kind words ✨of course I read the whole thing, comments like these make my day!
It's really important for me to make a game that does not alienate sapphics, especially after Ascanio's late inclusion skewed the love-interest ratio, with him being male-presenting and all.
The full game will indeed be voiced ❤️not fully, since the script is massive (more than 400k words), but important scenes will get to shine!
I would have loved to add pronoun/visual customization for the MC! Since she is always on screen and in illustrations, it was sadly out of my budget. For the next game, maybe 😄
Oh no! I ended up deactivating the demo after the Next Fest. It did have a bunch of caveats that made it representative of the full game only in some aspects (I built it around an important scene with Marané some hours into the full game, so I had to edit around information, remove choices and change things... I did write a pretty long devlog outlining those design choices).
I have some spare keys that should override the deactivation; if you have Twitter/X I can send one to you over there!
(I have 10 in total, so if anyone else would like to try the voiced demo, feel free to get in touch!)
Happy late pride, and thank you again for the wonderful comment!
Ah, thank you so much for replying!! I sadly don't have X (I got wrongfully banned years ago, but after seeing all the drama that happens on the site all the time, I decided that fate was doing me a favor). I do have discord though (Hollxzee), but I wouldn't want you going out of your way to send the key. And either way, it gives more anticipation y'know?
I really hope that the full game is a success, so that way you & team can include whatever options you'd like without the worries about budgets and whatnot! It's always a shame when a creative's biggest boundary is budget. I can relate as an artist/singer myself. I took choir as an alternative to singing lessons cause they're so expensive! I don't regret that decision, but I think that if I had singing lessons I could definitely improve even further. But sadly money doesn't grow on trees, and that's how the world works :(
Again, the work put into this whole project is just absolutely stunning!! Other than "TOUCHSTARVED" and "Love At The Milky Way Diner", this will be a game I'm looking most forward to for its release! I'm hoping to get a job soon, so hopefully I'll be able to purchase it once it releases ^^
Have a wonderful day/afternoon/evening, and again thank you so much <3
Do we know what the release date will be? The new year update says 26th of June but it isn't out yet
Hello! I had to push back the release to September due to several factors. No exact date yet!
I'll soon publish a post with more up-to-date information :D
I hope they make a download for apple soon T_T
Hello! I'd love to release on Mac, but I don't own any Apple devices, so it'd be impossible for me to do any testing, bugfixing or quality control, unfortunately :(
I can't get enough of this game the artwork is incredible and so is the story.
Thank you so much ✨ so glad you like it!!
I choose to kill the kid and I have no regrets long ago🤣 Great story. Looking forward for some more
Thank you! I have some exciting news coming VERY SOON ✨
i LOOOOVED this demo!! the art style is so beautiful, i love the setting, and i can't wait to kiss alpheon on the face
Thank you so much ✨ ✨
WOAHHH IM INVESTED AND OMG MARANE ILY
🤩🤩🤩
Gorgeous game, and intriguing. I'm very much looking forward to the full version!
Thank you so much ✨
I've been checking this game on Steam since 2022.
First, the game was supposed to appear in 2023, then
it was changed to 2024. Finally, a more approximate date appeared - the second quarter of 2024, I'm checking now because it's already May, it was changed once again to the third quarter of 2024. How many times will you change it like this?
Hello there! I am a solo developer working on the game with the help of freelancers. The game has seen massive progress in the past years, evolving from Shadow Bonds into the full version, but not everything is going to be ready for the intended release date, thus the delay.
When I release Sigh of the Abyss, I want it to look & play at its best, without compromises on quality.
I hope this answered your question 😃
Will the full version be free?
Hello! The full version of the game will be paid :)
Great work, I really liked it. Good luck with the development of the full version ;)
Thank you so much!! ✨
So glad you liked it ✨ more should come later this year!
I ran a Kickstarter campaign to fund the full game, so also opening a Patreon would not be something I'm comfortable doing.
This was AMAZIIIIIIING! I was so invested I got disappointed when it was over! I appreciated that we could choose if we were interested in men or women at the beginning, as a lesbian it's so frustrating trying to find engaging VNs that don't force male characters on you 😓 Can't wait for the full release!
Question though, in the game will there be ways to increase our stat/abilities that we set at the beginning, or are they always static?
P.S. Can we get more hints as to who the fifth romance will be 👀? Is it a character we've met already in the demo?
Hello!! I'm so glad you liked the game ✨
Yes, in the full game there will be ways to increase the abilities selected at the beginning! There will also be thresholds that unlock special powers, like the ability to wipe someone's mind, or merging with the shadows much like Atri does.
As for the fifth romance...
😉
OMG THEY ARE PRETTYYYYYYY
Wow, you stated my thoughts & questions EXACTLY. As a lesbian, the most appealing visual novels I see tend to only have male options for everything, or only female options for the DLC but not the main game. I also wanted to ask about the stats too, lol! Happy late pride! ^^
MOREEE THIS WAS GOOD
Soon!! 😁✨
Believe or not.i saw yahnefn
This is the best demo I've played in my history of playing demos in this site. Kudos to the work and lotsa love! <3
Aaaah, thank you 😭😭 I'm so happy to hear you liked it!!
This game looks amazing, I was wondering if you will consider having it available for Mac and Linux computers?
Hello there!
I don't own a Mac, so testing macOS builds is impossible for me. If there's enough demand, it's something I would definitely look into it, but the price point makes it tricky. An emulator like Wine should work for Shadow Bonds 😊
And for Linux, Proton should work as well—Shadow Bonds runs on Steam Deck without any issues (or so I have been told, I don't own one 😅)
Alright, Thank you for the reply!
This is incredible, definitely one of the best I've ever played. The graphics are impeccable, the characters are charismatic and the story is magnificent. Please continue, I'm looking forward to the full version <
Thank you so much for the lovely words 😭 they mean a lot to me!
I had to take a small break from development while I was moving (it was a nightmare) but I'm back actively working on the game now ✨
So cute, thanks!! Excited for this world.~
✨✨Thank you so much!!
omg this might be not one of but THE best demos i've ever played. I'M SO HYPED FOR THE FULL VERSION!!
Aaah✨ thank you so much! I'm so glad you liked it!!
I'm hard at work on the full version 💪
When is the full version coming?
June this year 😊
Okay thx for letting me know. I look forward to playing the full version of it!
CANNOT WAIT 😭😭😭
Aw, thank you ✨😊
I ABSOLUTELY ADORE THIS IM SO HAPPY TO HAVE FOUND IT AGAIN AHHAHSAD
😁✨
SOOO GOOD, I love Sylas so much 😭😭😭
So glad you liked it ✨✨
omg I forgot this was in demo! until The Warden was in my ROOM!! like OMG, CANNOT WAIT!!
So glad to hear you liked it ✨
Thank you!!
reminds me of ebon light. can't wait to play the entire game!
That's a huge compliment, thank you 😭✨
Will there be a version compatible with Mac?
Hey there :)
I don't own a Mac, so testing macOS builds is impossible for me. If there's enough demand, it's something I would definitely look into it, but the price point makes it tricky...
For Shadow Bonds, an emulator like Wine should work :)
This is a really lovely demo! The art is *chef's kiss* and I love the worldbuilding y'all have done so far. Can't wait to see more of it!
Also...Ornell is so cute, so babie. He must be protected. I just couldn't kill him or have him kill me lol I hope we get to see how he's doin later.
Thank you so much, I'm happy you liked the demo 😄
I can confirm that Ornell will show up in the main game as well!
The only part that sucked about this was that I didn't realize it was a demo until it ended. Fantastic artwork and story, and the characters are all so easy to like and fall for. Great work! I can't wait to play more!
Thank you! I'm glad to hear you liked it ✨
I tried to make it as standalone & self-contained as possible despite it being a demo!
loved the demo and i especially adore sylas. going to buy the game on steam and support on kickstarter! (made an acc on itch.io just for this)
Thank you so much for the kind words ✨✨
Hello! An Android release is highly unlikely & bordering on impossible, I'm afraid 😅
awww, "They have dream!!" -the little duckling from Repunzul
I quite enjoyed this demo. Well-written, amazing art and intriguing story. The relationship between the MC and Ornell was cute. As another poster said, like having a little brother-- one you can't get rid of, lol! I actually wanted them to be stuck together a little longer. It's fun to be able to choose your skills, and great to be able to opt out of the type of romances you're not comfortable with. Well done, and I look forward to the full release!
The dynamic with Ornell is indeed very sibling-like, I wanted it to be wholesome 😄
Thank you so much for the kind words!!
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS DEMO!!!! everything abt this game is truly wonderful. you can see how well made it is, and im really excited for the whole game to be released!!
Thank you for the kind words!! I'm happy you liked it 😄
Omg!
This is so interesting! And Ornell is so cute! I can't be mean to him. It's like the protagonist has a little brother now.
But I wonder what will happen next. This kind of reminds me of Dragon Age.
Thank you for the kind words 😄 I'm glad you liked the prologue!
I love Dragon Age—the series is a very big influence of mine (2 especially, despite how controversial it is even among fans)!
I really enjoyed playing this and can't wait to play more as it grows! I love the ace representation and the variety of characters! I wonder if the protagonist will have non-sexual romance choices for the other routes as well? Amazing job!
Thank you for the kind words :D I'm happy you liked it!
The other non-Sylas romances will always prompt a choice when it comes to exploring the sexual side of the relationship. How much that weight also depends on the character—Alpheon and Marané will take things slowly as opposed to Malec.
This looks awesome! I can't wait to see it develop :) Is there any chance it could be available for macOS in the future?
Hey there :) thank you for the kind words!
I don't own a mac, so testing macOS builds is impossible for me. If there's enough demand, it's something I would definitely look into it, but the price point makes it tricky...
For Shadow Bonds, an emulator like Wine should work :)
Thank you!
So glad you like it :D
Amazing cant wait for more
Thank you! Happy you liked the game :D