Frontwing and Bushiroad Games have announced that their upcoming fantasy visual novel Lilac will launch for Windows via Steam, DMM Games, and DLsite on March 31. The game’s scenario was penned by Yuka Kono, based on one of her original stage plays, and will feature designs by Oyari Ashito (Quartett!, Machine Child).
Lilac stars Emil, a young human who hates mages on account of being treated badly by one in their youth. One day, Emil receives an acceptance letter to Hog… I mean, Lilac Academy, a prestigious magic school where humans and mages are allowed to enroll. After learning that academy graduates receive a hefty monetary reward, Emil decides to enroll for the sake of helping their sick mother.
Emil soon runs into Henri, a mage from a prestigious family and Lilac Academy’s only repeat student. Thanks to their familial connections, Henri is allowed to repeat a year, despite not being well-versed in magic. While Emil sees Henri as a sworn enemy, their tenure at the academy might help them see that not all magic users are bad.
Lilac is unique in that you can play it with either an all-female or all-male cast. While all of the characters’ names are the same, Lilac -side Witch- and Lilac -side Wizard- feature different character artwork and voice actors. Some minor details in the story are also different. Those who buy -side Witch- can purchase -side Wizard- as DLC and vice versa, allowing you to experience both versions without having to pay for two full-priced games.
Despite the developers’ pedigrees (Frontwing is known for adult bishojo games like Canary and Time Leap, while Oyari Ashito has directed and designed characters for several eroges), it does not look like Lilac is a mature-rated title. Time will tell, though, and there must be a reason why the game has two versions available.
Lilac is set to release on March 31 for Windows (Steam, DMM Games, and DLsite).
