BartGames

A choice-driven dark fantasy visual novel set in a shattered world where magic is forbidden and survival demands secrecy.

Play as a witch whose world was shattered in a single night. You can choose her name and shape her path through a world steeped in secrets and danger.

The story unfolds in chapters. Even the smallest decision can carry lasting consequences. Choose wisely.

There are two romance options... for now. Romance is entirely optional, reserved for those who seek it.

16+ (Mature Content)

Estimated Playtime: ~2 hours (Chapters 1–3)

Animated sprites and backgrounds

Themes: Dark Fantasy | Politics | Mystery

The game is in early access. 

For more information, see the game page on itch.io.

Hello! I hope you all played Chapter 3, because I have some news about Chapter 4!

The work is going well; however, I’m still writing the text. Chapter 4 will be very explanatory, since Chapter 3 marked the end of the first season of the story. So now I have two goals ahead of me:

1 – To give players information in a way that won’t feel overwhelming. 2 – To set up the future story in a way that remains alluring and intriguing, even after revealing crucial details.

In general, Chapter 4 will probably be pretty short. At least, that’s the plan, but we’ll see after editing. However, I want to compensate for that with a new mechanic which, admittedly, is not exactly new, but it’s new for me: a map system. My idea is pretty simple, but I hope it will expand the experience. But hey, we’ll see how it turns out.

As for the art, I already have some simple sketches and… I finally figured out how Egilhard will look. You are probably not ready for that. Otherwise, I’ve recently been drawing more for my portfolio because I kind of want to try getting into Artist Alley. So, if you’d like to follow my art profiles, here you go:

Istagram

Bluesky

Tumblr

Now that summer is here, I’ll have more time and energy to work on the game. It’s actually been one year since I started working on The Eclipse Mage. At this pace, I hope to finish the game within the next two years.

Hello, my dear people!

I wanted to let you know that The Eclipse Mage now has an X account. Please follow me there :)

You likely already sense what lies behind his secrets. The Prisoner is no ordinary man, and you are not blind to it. Did you choose to dig deeper, or did you turn away, knowing it was never your concern?

Getting involved with rebels is probably not the best idea. Will you befriend them or keep your distance?

Who knows which choice is wiser?

The prisoner finally speaks, and your questions no longer hang in the air unanswered. Did you take the chance to talk to him—perhaps even flirt?

You had the pleasure of meeting Grand Inquisitor Haroun Zayne. Charming man, isn't he?

Were you as charming as he was, or did you give him the cold shoulder?

For centuries, they clashed until two rulers, weary of endless slaughter, sought another path. A pact was struck: two royal houses would bind their thrones in marriage and, through union, forge a federation strong enough to carry their people into an age of peace.

At last, after six hundred years of turmoil, the exhausted world seemed poised to heal.

If only fate would not dictate its course.

On the day of the wedding, when bells should have rung and streets should have bloomed with flowers, the soil drank blood instead. Egilhard Rostami, crown prince of Viexarion, betrayed the pact. Before the crown and witnesses, he struck down the Spillum family, rulers of Toureze, and proclaimed the kingdom under his dominion.

That was two years ago.

Since then, the loyalists of Toureze and the companions of the slain Spillums have fought to reclaim their freedom. Yet, revolt after revolt has broken against Viexarion’s might, and the flame of revolution has begun to fade, now smoldering into scattered embers.

What to Expect:

30 choices. You can replay this chapter and choose different options to see new scenes.

Drama, fights, betrayal… and probably some emotional damage.

The Prisoner now looks even better. And he talks. Use the opportunity 😉

New RO introduction – Ingelore Rán. She has something to say 😉

A new character appears. Maybe not the most pleasant one. Maybe even a scary one.

New lore, new CGs, new backgrounds

Attention

Please keep in mind that I am not a professional game developer, writer, or artist. English is not my first language, and I struggled a lot with commas and phrasing, even using Grammarly and my boyfriend’s help. 

If something is unclear, confusing, or does not make sense, feel free to message me so I can fix it. 

What about bugs?

If you notice something is not working as it should, please let me know so I can fix it. Since there are many story branches, it was hard to keep track of everything. Everything should work properly, but in case there are coding issues, please send me screenshots.

Saves from the previous version may not be valid. I had to change the code for Chapter 3, so there's a very high chance you have to replay the game.

THANK YOU FOR PLAYING MY GAME! :)

The battle with Chapter 3 is over, and the chapter is now fully programmed. You will finally be able to play it this Friday!

What can you expect from Chapter 3?

30 choices.

Some choices have long-term consequences. Choose carefully.

Drama, fights, betrayal… and probably some emotional damage.

The Prisoner now looks even better. And he talks. Use the opportunity 😉

New RO introduction – Ingelore Rán. She has something to say 😉

A new character appears. Maybe not the most pleasant one. Maybe even a scary one.

I’m excited about the release of Chapter 3, but more than anything, I’m happy to finally move forward :D I hope you’re excited too!

What’s new in general?

The biggest news is that I participated in Global Game Jam 2026, where my team and I created a small but very nice game about ADHD. You can try it here: https://tombuben.itch.io/disorderly

It will take you just… two minutes, I promise.

I worked as art support for the team. Thanks to me, the animation looks a little wiggly. It was an amazing experience, and I definitely plan to participate again next year.

Do you remember how I promised to finish Chapter 3 by the end of November? Well…

I started reading a book about video game creation, Blood, Sweat, and Pixels, by Jason Schreier (I highly recommend it if you want to create games), and he wrote: “Scheduling is impossible.”

So, my feelings about deadlines have changed now that I know this is a common issue in game development. However, that doesn’t mean I won’t set any deadlines. I will try to be more practical and set them accordingly when the main part of creation is finished. By that, I mean when the text, art, and programming are done, and only polishing the chapter remains.

Chapter 3: The End of All

What a dramatic name, right? I hope so. But no, I don’t plan to finish the story just yet. And of course, I’m not going to spoil what will happen.

That said, Chapter 3 is quite important, which is why I’m going a bit crazy about its content.

The text is ready… well, about 90% is ready. I still need to polish one very important dialogue with someone very important.

I’ve started coding Chapter 3, and around 30% of it is already playable. I still need to finish the art, but it’s not much. I only need to draw one background! After how much I suffered in the last chapter, I’m very happy to be mostly free from backgrounds.

I could share new art and screenshots, but they would be spoilers, so I’ve chosen safer options to share instead.

And yes, the former prisoner is doing great.

I honestly think there’s no other character in visual novels with this many sprites… and there will be more.

Release date?

I’m not going to tell you. I’ve learned from my mistakes!

That said, I’ve managed to work a lot during the holidays, and January should be much easier for me. By the way, I’ve joined a local Global Game Jam site, which will take place at the end of January, so I really hope I’ll manage to finally publish Chapter 3 before then.

I know! It’s been far too long since Chapter 2… Anyways,

Happy holidays! Enjoy the New Year celebrations, or simply enjoy the day if you’re not celebrating.

Take care of yourselves, and don’t make New Year’s resolutions, because with no expectations comes no disappointment.

Why the change? Well, the old poster was okay, but visually, it didn’t really match the game’s overall style. The new one fits the atmosphere much better, and it’s animated! (On itch, you can see the animated preview.)

Hopefully, this will make The Eclipse Mage even more visually appealing to new players. 😊

As for Chapter 3, progress is going well… though not quite as smoothly as I’d like. I’ve rewritten parts of the script several times because I just wasn’t satisfied with how the story developed. Moments like this remind me that I’m not a professional writer, and, honestly, it hurts.

But as I mentioned in earlier dev logs, my goal is to finish the game first and perfect it later. So right now, I’m focusing on making Chapter 3 good enough to move forward.

On the bright side, there won’t be too many new backgrounds this time, and there will be new illustrations I’m really excited about!

A choice-driven dark fantasy visual novel set in a shattered world where magic is forbidden and survival demands secrecy.

Play as a witch whose world was shattered in a single night. You can choose her name and shape her path through a world steeped in secrets and danger.

The story unfolds in chapters. Even the smallest decision can carry lasting consequences. Choose wisely.

There are two romance options... for now. Romance is entirely optional, reserved for those who seek it.

16+ (Mature Content)

Estimated Playtime: ~90 minutes (Chapters 1–2)

Animated sprites and backgrounds

Themes: Dark Fantasy | Politics | Mystery

The game is in early access. 

For more information, see the game page on Itch.io

🎮 Play here 🦋 Bluesky 🎨 My art blog