A downloadable kinetic-novel for Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android

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With nothing good keeping them on their home planet, Dawn embarks on across galactic flight to start a new life.  They are attending their best friends wedding, when suddenly one of the Galaxy's most dangerous criminals attacks. From here on out, They are wrapped up in the chase to find and stop the mind shattering criminal known only as the Scrambler. How will Dawn cope with the pressure of their new life in space?

Hearts Faster Than Light is a space opera with romantic elements, and frequently very adult subject matter. This work is only suitable for readers 18 years old and up.

TESTIMONIALS:

"This project is hopelessly queer, which is a great thing.The art is good if a little exploitative with all those bulges (which is not exactly a demerit hehe)."  ~cardigan

"Space Opera with an extremely ambitious approach to the VN format"  ~Spagok

"oh god no, way too much LGBTQIA+ for me, don't want to play as a "they" like this + your fashion sense is TERRIBLE"  ~Damuzen

"Good Story" ~Leoce

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**Support me and this project on Patreon!**

https://www.patreon.com/dracoarcadia

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Thanks to Gatr for editing the script from the prologue to chapter 12!

Latest version has got 16 chapters!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

special thanks to Patricia Taxxon, who makes her incredible music free to use. Without it, Hearts Faster Than Light would likely not exist.

Please visit her page and support her @ https://patriciataxxon.bandcamp.com/

Updated 11 days ago
StatusIn development
PlatformsWindows, macOS, Linux, Android
Rating
Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars
(114 total ratings)
AuthorArcadia Adair
GenreVisual Novel
Made withRen'Py
TagsBara, Furry, Gay, LGBT, nonbinary, NSFW, Romance, Sci-fi
Average sessionAbout a half-hour
LanguagesEnglish
InputsKeyboard, Mouse

Download

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Click download now to get access to the following files:

Hearts_Faster_Than_Light-pc.zip 709 MB
hftl.wow-release.apk 741 MB
Hearts_Faster_Than_Light-linux.tar.bz2 673 MB
Hearts_Faster_Than_Light-mac.zip 695 MB

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Viewing most recent comments 1 to 40 of 45 · Next page · Last page

Gotta give it a try, it looks nice!

(+3)

This game is incredible, so let me start with its flaws—honestly, there aren’t many.

The first part has a slight pacing issue, which fortunately gets resolved in the second half. It’s not immediately obvious, but the story moves so quickly at the beginning that it feels almost like a summary. The style is unique and unconventional, which might not appeal to everyone, but it adds a distinct flavor to the experience.

Now, onto the qualities.

How is this even possible? The production value is astounding! The animations are remarkable, with each drawing being unique and no noticeable repetitions. It’s visually stunning. The characters are highly expressive, and the vibrant colors are everywhere, perfectly complementing the pulp science fiction and space opera vibe. There are so many visuals that will leave you in awe. The entire presentation feels expertly crafted while maintaining a strong sense of originality.

The characters, too, break away from classic archetypes, which is really impressive. Although the story's structure is somewhat predictable, it’s clear that the author prioritized a solid framework, even if it meant sacrificing a bit of surprise. This isn’t a significant issue, though, as the experience remains thoroughly engaging.

I love this game, and I can’t wait to see how it ends.

(+1)

Thank you for the kind words! It's taken a lot of work to get this far with Hearts Faster Than Light, and I've still got a lot left to do. So I'm always grateful when people appreciate all that I've put into this.

(+1)

Just looked at it, looks like a damn good story

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This is sooo good! Hope there'll be many fanarts for now & the future. And the cliffhanger at the last Chapter, its so good! Can't wait for the spicy part next 


The Synthwave & the eerieness of picture segues makes this a unique experience :3

(1 edit) (+2)

Spoiler alert Finished it in one day can't wait for more I do have to say though I wish there was a little more color to it that's my only gripe otherwise five stars I know the technically s l e e p together the main character Dawn and Darlow but I would like to see a little more intimacy I know that the me never happen but I can wish

(1 edit)

I'm glad you are enjoying it, and I'm also glad you are yearning for more intimacy between the leading couple uwu that's how I know I'm doing my job right!

(+1)

Must say I really like it. The characters, the setting, the among of queer! Not to mention the great artstyle and wonderful choice of music. 
I'm curious though. That remix of Neon Stars of Piano Concerto No.1. Who a Neon Stars and is there any place they publish their work? I really liked the remix but couldn't find anything about it on web.

(+1)

Neon Stars is a friend of mine who put some spacey instruments on a midi file for me. he does not make or upload music anywhere. sorry! I am glad you are enjoying HFTL tho :3

(+1)

Huge fan of comics, fvns, and sci-fi, and this is all those things wrapped into one. I'm still in the middle of reading it, but I just wanted to say that I love this SOOO much!

wee! im so glad! hope you have fun with it, and check back in later this month for the update ;3

(+3)

Will start by saying this. Im not usually a fan of Sci-Fi as a genre so I dont have a lot of experince with it. But i will say that this VN is AMAZING. Its up there with some of my favorites. This VN is just as good as some of the other top VNs. Ive never been hooked on a Sci-Fi story until now. I loved it from the beginning all the way to the current build. The art is amazing, the sound effects and music are amazing, and the story is just amazing. I dont normally write reviews, but felt i had to with this one because of how amazing this VN is. Love what has happened so far and can't wait to keep reading more!!!

(+3)

Happy i could get you hooked even though scifi isnt ur fav :3 I'll keep working hard to make it as good as i can!

(+3)

Omw. Just finished my first playthrough and I've got two things to say. 1) My brain almost broke reading this. 2) That was one of my top 5 reads so far, trumping even established publishers I've read from. Like seriously, even though my brain almost exploded from trying to keep up I couldn't stop reading until I finished the whole this, which only a rare few things can do mind you, so cudos to you for making a new fan of me in ONE sitting. I've thoroughly enjoyed reading through what you've presented, and the art, designs, music and writing melds together so well to create such a defined yet mysterious picture that I'm now about almost obsessed with. Please, keep doing what you've been doing for my sake, cuz I might have withdrawals waiting too long. Also, please take good care of yourself and happy belated birthday. I know I'm late to congratulate you but I will regardless. 

Also, just btw. To come to a point, thank you for publishing this gem in the rough. I can't wait to see what you'll present to us in the future, and thank you for your efforts. I'd donate cash If I could but my funds are tied up. 

(+2)

I'm happy to hear you are enjoying my work so much! I'll do my best to keep it coming in a timely manner! :3

i sadly can't download the new chapter using the itch app, you need to select a plateform for each build to fix that

(+1)

sorry about that! i fixed it now

(+2)

thank you :D Can't wait to play :)

(1 edit) (+1)

Only read the prologue so far, but damn the music is SOOO good!!! Im now 40 minutes deep down in Patricia's albums and im so grateful to have found this masterpiece of an artist

(+2)

I'm glad I was able to introduce you to her work! some of my favorite music of all time :3

(+2)

Xou're really quite the amazing character creator ^___^ every1ne is so well contrived that even a few lines of dialogue are enough to invoke what type of character they are UwU

I love where the story is going and am really happy with how the romance is being delivered:3 Xou're pacing it really well and making it feel natural, and as a writer, I really do appreciate that :)

I ADORE the art and style~ ^^_ it truly makes xour VN stand out amidst the rest. At 1ne point, all the panels kinda started merging together as I read. It gave me the same kind of feeling I get from becoming absorbed in a really good comic n///n

Xou're doing a great job, so please keep up all the good work! >_</

(+2)

I'm glad you are enjoying it :3 I'll def keep up my end and make the rest of this the best I can!

I'm having a problem with the Android edition. Whenever I try and read the Prologue, I can't go past the "Ten years ago" text without the entire app suddenly freezing up and crashing. I've tried uninstalling and reinstalling the app several times but it keeps crashing. 

(+1)

sorry, I know this is an issue but i havent figured out how to fix it yet. ill make a devlog when I figure it out cuz a few android readers have reached out to me about this.

have been on the look out for this game since last year, and I have finally thought to give it a try since it has gotten alot more lore and story work

But before I do, I would like to know if this VN provides multiple romantic routes that you can pursue, or is it a linear singular route ? Also, are all the characters on the game baner available to pursue ?

oh, and one last thing, since the MC is referred to as "they" (a non-binary if I'm correct), can I still choose if they would like to be referred to by male pronouns (he/him) ? 

(1 edit) (+1)

Hearts Faster Than Light Is a kinetic novel - Comic hybrid. There are no choices, and Dawn, the Main character, is not customizable.

(+1)

as always, such a good capter. Thank you for giving us a real slow burn romance where you can take the time to see a relationship grow

gotta stoke the romantic flames!

(+1)

I can't believe I have not read this until now. With such a unique art style too for a visual novel. This was quite the fun look and read. I can't wait to see more of this.

(+1)

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

(1 edit) (+3)

Just wow! Phenomenal story so far! 

I am totally in love with the characters you've created. They all have their own stylish elegance to them, which fits really nicely with the overall theme of the story.

The plot itself is well written and the story is paced very smoothly so as a reader, you know what's going on.

Each of the scene's artwork is off the charts fabulous!! It's not your traditional "characters staring at you" type of visual novel, it's more cinematic, which I totally love!!

I feel bad about how underrated and unknown this game is because it certainly passes the threshold of average visual novels out there.

I'm super excited for the next chapters to be released. You have me totally invested in this story and I NEEEED to know what happens next!! :D

Keep up the good work and I hope you continue to make more visual novels after this, you're amazing!!

Edit: Forgot to mention the amazing soundtrack and the use of sound effects throughout the story. Gives me those pleasurable chills, especially the main menu song. Really amazing!!

(2 edits) (+3)

I'm glad to hear Hearts Faster Than Light has got you hooked! thank you for your kind words. 

I definitely have to do more work in promoting this, as I think that's the majority of the reason its kind of unknown still, but I'm spending most of my time just bringing all my current readers the next chapter!  While this is still a work in progress, it is enough motivation to know I've got people like you around hoping for more!


Also as soon as I started this project I fell in love with this medium, so I will surely be making more VNs after this is complete. I even have a short project in the works, so be on the look out :3

(+2)

OMG! I never knew this game existed but when I saw a recommendation, I thought 'might as well give it a try' and it was worth it. The story the unique way of show the story and, of course, HUXLEY AND DARLOW!!<3 I want more of those 2 and their stories are amazing. Is Huxley Russian, cause every time I see him say "little bear" I just think Russian accent? 

Still amazing game and cant wait for more! 

Good luck!

(+1)

Thanks for the kind words! 

I Imagined Huxley has a Congo accent, but Russian also suits him well!

(+2)

Was not expecting that with Huxley... My first reaction was ohoho, then when i went back and played the scene again i giggled like a school girl. Great stuff <3

Looking forward to the next update

P.S. the ~now~ kith <3 note ended me. Love dem plushies

(+1)

school girl giggles at my space gays? (\\u\\w\\u\\) you flatter me!

(+2)

The new chapter is...(Kyaaaa!!!) It's soooo good >w< Can't wait to see what come next with Huxley ;3

(+1)

hehe! I can't wait to draw what comes next with Huxley either! lol! glad i could get a "Kyaaa!"

(+3)

I can't say enough how this game is truly a creative masterpiece. The art is purposeful to create emphasis for the plot and character growth. The writing is paced perfectly and holds only one prisoner, the reader, keeping us moving from scene to scene as we fall deeper into the well of world building and mystery. Truly well done, an inspiration for Furry VNs. 

(+1)

Ack! my heart! I'm struggling through making the art for the next chapter and your kind words are helping me gather the strength to keep pushing on!

(+2)

Of course! If it helps even more, we were talking about your VN in the furry visual novel discord and how it is unfairly underrated and unknown and those who have played it were saying the most amazing things about the art and writing!

(+1)

:'3 omg! I had no idea! haven't checked that place in a while!

(+2)

I was not sure about this VN t first but really enjoyed it, can tell alot of work went in to this and cant wait for the next updates. and MORE HUXLEY PLEASE GGGRRRRR!

(+1)

glad to hear you enjoyed it! and there will def be more quality Huxley time in future chapters ;3

(+1)

Just caught up, I love that we've finally met all the characters! Thank you for the author's notes in between chapter releases. I can't wait to see what unfolds for everyone.
💜

(+2)

haha yeah i like putting in those little notes at the end, it makes it feel official! i remember the authors notes of the first manga i read so vividly, it was such a special feeling to get a peek into the mind of a creator!

(+2)

ok so I played the last chapter and no surprise it's a banger.

This is the first i can read without getting distracted. There's always something happening to keep me focus and I love it

(+2)

aw yay! happy to hear that. I was a tad worried about this one, so I'm glad the risks payed off!

hello you didnt set an os for each build, I can't download the game because of the itch app :)

(+1)

ack! so sorry, fixing that rn

(+2)

hype

Gostei muito do jogo historia é muito boa estou asioso para próxima atualização^-^


Tenha paciência comigo, Eu estou usando o Google Tradutor. Obrigado pelas suas amáveis palavras. Estou curioso, você usou um tradutor para os quadrinhos?
(+2)

Just finished playing the VN in one sitting, I was so engrossed in the storyline that I couldn't put it down and to me that makes a fantastic VN already. I can't wait to see what you you come up with next, make sure to take care of yourself too! 

(+2)

Thank you for the kind words and well wishes. I'll do my best to bring this story to life and take care of myself while I do!

(+2)

This makes me so happy to hear!

(+2)

Ganon sent me! I meant to just take a little peek, but I accidentally stayed up too late and devoured this whole thing in one sitting. I don't wanna give away spoilers or anything so I'll just say I'm excited to see where it goes :)

(2 edits) (+1)

AW thank you for your kind words. Sorry for your lack of sleep, but this brings me a devious kind of joy, to know I could write something gripping enough to do that! (Also welcome, friend of Ganon :3)

(+1)

WoW.!. Good Story

(+1)

thanks! :3

(+2)

Hey, I haven't checked this one out yet but I gotta say the visuals look fucking incredible and I cannot WAIT to see what's in store for this story,, Everything seems extremely up my alley, the aesthetic is AMAZING and I've got a really good feeling about the actual narrative itself by the looks of the illustrations, i love me some sci-fi drama and romance! And also the way the outfits are designed is so unabashedly sensual it's just, really fucking endearing, I love it, it's super self indulgent and im all about that, rock on!!

(+2)

Aw shucks! thanks for your kind words, I'm happy you enjoy what you've seen so far! I hope you enjoy HFTL whenever you get around to reading it!

Id love to look around once the Android release is done:)

I'll have that ready asap! its proven to be one of the more challenging things for me to figure out ^^;

(+1)

its fine.

Take ur time to do a good job.:)

(1 edit) (+1)

I just played through the game and I have to say wow, this is one of the most unique furry visual novels to come out in a while. The art is great, I really like your use of color it really makes the characters pop out in contrast to the background. The story is very interesting, I have to say the pacing did feel a bit rushed but that's understandable considering you had to cut a good chunk of the story due to the workload. The music is really nice, the heavily auto-tuned voice that plays during the main menu is a nice touch. 

I notice that you used some Vietnamese words, like Dawn's last name is Sun Bears in Vietnamese and some other names sound viet to me, nothing noteworthy I just thought it's kinda cool as Vietnamese myself.

(+1)

Thank you so much! I'm very lucky one of my fav musicians makes her work free to use, so i couldn't help myself in using it in my comic! 

Also like, our earth doesn't exist in this setting, but i always imagined Dawn as Vietnamese. (If I'm remembering correctly sun bears live around that area of Asia?) so I thought it was fitting to name them like that :P

(+2)

I'm yet to play this game but lemme just say that, from the trailer alone, this game (and its characters in particular) feels to me like what my gay brain wanted out of Star Fox. Not the Star Fox that exists in consoles, mind you, I mean the more atmospheric Star Fox that years of nostalgia built up in my head. The one where Wolf O'Donnel isn't an unrepentant, fucked up criminal and where I could just float through space while this song plays.

And the colors remind me of a more cyberpunk/space age Hyper Light Drifter.

Sorry if I'm rambling. I should play this game soon-ish and have actual impressions to share. Let's see how far off my initial assumptions were!
(1 edit) (+2)

no need to apologize! this is a very validating take on the style and vibe of HFTL and I'm glad you told me! I used to write a lot of Starfox fan-fiction, and that has served as some of the basis for this comic for sure! I always wanted to get my paws on the rights to Starfox to make it gayer, so instead of waiting for godot I decided to make my own thing! (also i wanted to add, the menu song for SF64 was played on repeat while i was writing chapter one. definetly a foundational aesthetic moment for my work!)

(1 edit) (+1)

This is simply a banger, I loved it. I just read the whole 6 chapter without feeling bored a single second, the music is amazing the whole vibe of the game is perfect. istg this game is a master class.I beg you keep the good work

(+1)

AWE OMG! thank you for your kind words! Truly, I owe a lot of this to the incredible Patricia Taxxon, who makes her music free to use and edit! there are some other artist in there, but if you enjoy the sound of this comic, please go listen to her work :3

(+2)

hello you didn't set an os on your builds people using the itch app can't download your game :(

(+1)

Yes. Only chapter 1 is showing up on the itch app....

(+3)

oh my! i thought that I set an OS for each version since then! sorry about that y'all, I will update that ASAP

(+1)

Brilliant. Thanks very much. 

(+1)

This vn is soo good! Love everything about it. words cannot express how good it is. 

(+1)

Aw! Omg! thank you for your kind words <3

(+1)

I like the art work great game play so far!!!

(+1)

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it :3

(+2)

You're welcome keep up the fantastic work!!!

Is there/will there be NSFW content in this VN?

(2 edits)

I would say it's somewhat nsfw as it is, what with the skimpy clothes and some nudity. As for like... hot, steamy sex scenes though, those will be coming eventually for a Patreon only version.

(+1)

Thanks for the clarification, just wanted to be sure about what I was getting myself into.  Good luck with this project

what about when you eventually finish the game? will you sell the Nsfw steamy patron version as a seperate game from the SFW version? or will you combine them as the final update for all to access? 

also that begs another question. upon VN completion, do you plan to open it to the public? or do what most vns have started doing and give the full game to patreons and have everyone else buy the game?

Hey so, I realize this is probably a disappointing answer but I have to be honest. I have no Idea what the plan is with the uncensored release.

as of now the sex scenes are a couple chapters off still, so it might be some time till I make my decision.

That's the short answer, but If you'd like an explanation:






I am no longer sure if I will be making the uncensored Patreon only or if I will simply be uploading it uncensored anyway. I also want to stress that there is no, and never has been a SFW version of HFTL. Nudity and skimpy outfits was always part of the deal, even when it isn't explicitly involving a sex scene. I have no plans to release a version of the comic where this is toned down, sort of as a matter of principle.

This is my dillema: Since I'm writing a Drama / Romance, and not an Erotica, the sex scenes are more about the story than they are about getting off, and because of that they carry some important plot and character development moments. I'm worried that the impact of the experience will be hindered if I don't include them because of this. On the flip side... and at the risk of sounding callous... I do need to pay rent, and paywalling the sex scenes is a way to get people to help fund my work. I feel nasty even saying that though, because I genuinely want people to have easy and free access to HFTL.

I am somewhat leaning towards simply releasing it all uncensored here and keeping it simple, but I haven't made up my mind yet.

(+1)

No that makes a lot of sense actually and I see where your coming from.  Take your time with your decision. Whether or not you combine it all to add to the story  is  entirely up to you. This is YOUR creation after all; You are the architect of this amazing world and only you can help it reach its full potential.

Plus, Im certain im not the only one to appreciate the fact that you're goal is to make someone invested in reading the story. More to it, you're dream is to have them get invested in more than just the ability to get off. Believe me, Ive seen so many visual novels of late make sex either the focus, or allow the sex to take away from the story. It gets so bad in fact, that even i have found myself simply turning on "Skip Unscene Text" in the settings just so i can skip to the naughty times.

Mind you, im not dogging on sex. That type of connection with the characters can truly increase character development and allow players to invest themselves into not just the stories but the people within them; allowing them to becomes fans, allowing them to dream of themselves going on amazing adventures with what you've created; and most importantly inspire them to even create their own works of art to share with the world.

Im an aspiring Visual Novel Artist myself even. Got my own dream in the works that i one day hope to publish when i work up enough funds to feel comfortable posting it online and sharing it. Mostly, Im great at world building and stuff, but coding? drawing? hell, even actively participating in social media and getting myself out there has terrified me and made it difficult. But i always look on Itch.io and see hundreds of other aspiring artists, some of them hidden gems even, grow and become truly amazing experiences. and it always inspires me!

so just promise us all, that whatever comes your way, bills, life, trauma... hell even just random shit that makes no sense. youll never let that sway you from doing what makes you happy!  and above all, as its even become somewhat common knowledge at this point, dont do what the author of BLACKGATE Did. That story was amazing and i loved every moment, yet i fear he will never finish it, and many of us have lost interest, simply because he stopped caring about his dream.

(+1)

After Note-

Also, Never feel upset about what your currenty in need of. after the craziness of 2021, and the fact they we are STILL dealing with COVID-19, many of us are struggling. especially artists.

Hell, the sole reason ive never posted my own VN is because i lact the funds to even publish it. I've got the story written (at least the prologue and the story board and plan), but have no artists, nor anyone to help with coding. 

that kind of help takes money that just doesnt spawn on trees. So please, do not feel any shame in asking for help with funding. if that means putting on a paywall for us? so be it. 

(+2)

I have to say that I was blown away as soon as I opened the game and heard the main menu music for the first time.

I love the comic book style, and the story so far is intriguing, but what I like most about the game is the sound design!
The music is phenomenal, and all the sounds effects and atmospheric sounds are immersive.

I am glad I found this VN and I'll definitely stay to read the rest of the chapters whenever they get added. :D

Keep up the great work, Arcadia! <3

(+2)

Aaaa! thank you so much! I do owe so much of to the music, this project wouldnt exist without the work of Patricia Taxxon, so if you love the sound you should def support her! and thank you for your kind words!

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