Saintess of the Golden Bow is an upcoming otome game where you’re reborn as the Saintess of the Golden Bow in your favorite fantasy novel, you must rewrite fate to survive. Forge bonds, outwit destiny, and face the Demon Queen in this immersive, choice-driven story. It’s developed by Transparent Games for PC (Windows, Linux, Mac) and downloadable from itch.io and Steam. There’s a kickstarter page here.
Game Overview
Celine thought her life as an American office worker was mundane, but after a fatal accident, she wakes up as an extra character in her favorite web novel a BL tragedy fantasy. Expected to die early as part of the protagonist's backstory, Celine defies fate and survives her death event, causing a butterfly effect that catapults her into the role of the Saintess of the Golden Bow.
Joined by an unforgettable cast of characters including the valiant knight Levi, the enigmatic Mad Prince Noah, and the devout High Priest Elijah you must lead a quest to defeat the Demon Queen and bring peace to the realm. Each choice you make weaves a complex web of romance, friendship, and sacrifice, offering a deeply personal and replayable journey.
Characters
Celeste (CV: V. Laux) is our heroine who was originally an office worker named Celine that died in a car crash — now she’s in a BL web novel as a side character that was supposed to die. I like that she’s not your ‘typical’ royal and can be both awkward and blunt about her feelings. I also like how realistic she is about what she says or does even if there are repercussions. One particular scene that stuck with me was when it was addressed that she is now the ‘saintess’ so she can’t just ‘do as she pleases’ which makes sense! She’s strategic in what she says or does and you can feel that in the choices you make. I also like that her weapon is a bow (being a saintess makes me think of priestess and then I start thinking of Kagome from Inuyasha LOL) even though heroines with weapons in most otome isn’t really that common, a bow is a wonderful choice in my opinion — it has refinement. Her dynamic with each character is fun and I’m interested to see where it goes. Lastly, it was nice to hear she had voice acting along with the other characters.
Levi (CV: N. Chang) is your childhood crush I suppose!! But the fun twist about his story is that he’s the original protagonist of this BL novel and even though he crushes hard on Celeste — it was always one-sided until she died. But because Celine isekai’d into this world, she’s alive and well as Celeste while Levi still harbors feelings for her. I don’t have a full opinion on Levi yet but I can tell he’s got that sweet boy charm; I also love knights and how they strive to protect the one they serve — definitely a trope I’m all for. I think his voice actor also suited him nicely — it was definitely the type of voice I imagined him with.
Elijah (CV: N. Contreras) is interesting to me because for a priest who can’t be romantically involved he’s sure got a lot of game LMAO. I can tell this guy has a lot of secrets because he gives off sus vibes — maybe thats because he’s a priest so you know it’s not just angels and rainbows with him (lol). It was interesting to see Celeste confide in him a lot and I like that he’s a healer too (I don’t feel like we see that a lot with male characters).
Noah (CV: J. Portillo) is so much more likable than I thought he would be — he’s chaotic but in a good way! I actually love how sassy he is and how much he teases Celeste; it makes for an interesting dynamic between the two. But it is clear there is more to him than meets the eye; he tends to reveal more about himself in more serious situations so I definitely want to know more about him. And his voice actor does a great job too! I loved his introduction scene — super obnoxious but very funny.
George (CV: X. M. Grant) is apparently a former general despite being so young and he is clearly a seasoned fighter. Much like the other characters this man has secrets and I can already tell he’s itching to be my fave!! His attitude and demeanor kind of remind me of Dimitri from Fire Emblem. Not only because of his personality but the fact there was darkness in his eyes at one point (maybe I’m reading into this!!) but I hope this guy has some baggage cause I love that in a man (lol). I didn’t realize he was a DLC route so here’s to hoping its funded!
System / Features
Three Romantic Routes: Explore deep, emotionally driven romances with three distinct characters, each with their own backstories, personalities, and challenges. Your choices define your relationship, from tender moments to heart-wrenching conflicts.
Over 30 Hours of Gameplay: Immerse yourself in an epic narrative packed with twists, character development, and surprises. With its expansive story, this visual novel guarantees hours of thrilling content and a world worth revisiting.
Ten Unique Endings: Every decision matters, leading you to a variety of possible conclusions. Whether your story ends in love, loss, or triumph depends on the paths you choose and the bonds you form along the way.
Affection System: Build meaningful relationships with the cast through carefully crafted dialogue and actions. Monitor your affection levels to influence the story and unlock special events or CGs.
Stunning CG Artwork: Discover beautifully illustrated scenes that capture pivotal and intimate moments in your journey. Each CG adds emotional depth and serves as a keepsake of your choices.
The UI overall is very nice and I really love the design of the textbox and choices (very clean and well presented). There’s a lot of CGs for a demo which was a pleasant surprise — so that meant quite a few scenes had voice over (which as a voice actress myself I love to see).
Overall Thoughts
I’m still sort of new to playing indie visual novels (better to start later than never though!) and I’m really impressed so far by what this game has to offer. The story is your typical isekai plot in terms of setting (girl gets hit by car is now a side character) BUT I like that it’s unique in its own right. The fact that this is a web novel that was original a BL is not something I would’ve expected; it adds a unique dynamic.
Even though it’s partial, I’m glad this game has voice acting because it adds an immersion I find hard to get sometimes with unvoiced games. And even though the characters aren’t always voiced, I can always imagine the character’s voice and what they sound like without always hearing them. Overall, I felt all the characters’ voices suited them well. The art is also very nice! It pops out a lot because of the bold colors.
The biggest praise I have for this game is it’s story building!! It’s unfortunate when games don’t build their story very well and you’re thrown into random scenes with random characters that don’t have a proper introduction. I can see a lot of care was put into writing each character (even the side characters). It’s also interesting that we have a heroine who knows about the plot of this BL web novel she’s in so I like that self-awareness aspect about her.
Obviously I can’t speak too much for how the characters are — there’s clearly still a lot we don’t know so definitely check out the demo if you want to get a feel for the game.
yuscake.com 