Taking Over Her Heart! has officially hit 150+ downloads on itchio!

This project's concept was something I was unsure I could pull off, so I'm really grateful that it resonated well with so many people! This was my third game ever, and it's one that represented quite the turning point in my game development journey. I'd like to talk a bit about the inspirations that went into this game, as well as what's on the horizon.

The initial concept of this game was actually not going to be a yuri, if you can believe it. The only real concrete idea I had was 'I want to give an anime girl attachment issues'. Honestly the player character was going to be a simple Self-Insert initially. See, I had just recently been in a situation myself where I had an aching desperation and was forced to beg and plead for what was essentially my freedom, and writing this game was a way of working through the emotions that I felt during that time. It wasn't until the Yuri Game Jam 2025 rolled around that I finally considered adapting this concept into something with a happier ending. (+ girls kissing)

As far as inspirations, I would say the strongest connection was definitely 'You, Me, and Her'.  See, the main trait that really inspired me when I did decide to make it a Yuri VN was that I wanted the player character to have their own personality, thoughts, and feelings during the events of the game. Other 'meta-narrative' style games like Needy Streamer Overload and Doki Doki Literature Club tend to leave the MC as a vessel for the player, but in this game I really wanted there to be a divide in personality between you and the MC. This also meant that despite being a kinetic vn, there were multiple 'choices' representing you the player rather than the MC's own thoughts and feelings. I really wanted the game to feel suspenseful without immediately providing you with the reason why, although when you download the game there's definitely a few hints to the true nature of your relationship with the MC.(Notice how the page refers to [YOU] several times, that was very intentional) The decision to make what was essentially a body snatcher style horror with you as the possessor took a lot of intricate writing, trying to keep the player and MC in the dark while still dropping various hints and creating a balance between 'cute dating sim' and 'unease'. It was really challenging, after all I'm predominantly an artist and have only written for VNs one month prior.

The other main inspiration was actually pretty simple: I wanted to make a couple that had a huge 'gap' in styles, yet still harbored some similarities. Amelia's Jirai-Kei clothing comes from a subculture most commonly associated with mental instability and cute-yet-dark girls. Michi(The Main Character) wears much more 'western' style grunge/punk clothing. Both of their styles are more common amongst 'edgy' communities, yet still creates that 'gap' between a super girly femme style and more masculine lesbian style. I was really glad that people seemed drawn to Ame's design, as even before production I was obsessed with how cute she looked.

Finally, the future of the game:

I'm pleased to announce that Taking Over Her Heart! will be getting an Android release on February 14th 2025(Aka. Valentines Day!) This will also include a complete overhaul of the GUI to work better on mobile, as well as a few revisions to many of the CGs in the game. I'll also be working on a CG Gallery function at a later date, for both PC and Mobile versions.

Thank you for all your support, and for continuing to watch over my girls. ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧

-Porksbun