Yuri Game Studio to Host LGBT+ Visual Novel Celebration Livestream

On April 30, Yuri game studio and publisher Studio Élan (Heart of the Woods, Highway Blossoms) announced that it will be hosting a live stream festival celebrating LGBT+ games.

The live stream, entitled Élan Festival, will be held on Saturday, May 14th at 4 PM Pacific /7 PM Eastern on the studio’s YouTube page.

The Livestream will feature updates on upcoming games from Studio Élan, announcements about new titles coming to the studio’s publishing wing, Bellhouse, and new merchandise.

Studio Élan is small yuri game development studio, formed by one of the creators of the visual novel Highway Blossoms. Élan was created with a specific vision of telling yuri love stories combined with magic and fantasy.

The studio’s latest full game, Heart of the Woods is available on PC, Nintendo Switch, and PS4/5. The game was celebrated by audiences and critics for its story and presentation. YuriMother gave the game a 9/10 score on a guest review on Okazu.

The studio has three major upcoming projects:

Lock and Key, a magical girl adventure:

Sherri and Kealey Cohen, now a married couple in their late 20s, left the title of magical girls behind them over a decade ago. Now on the verge of losing their powers and entering a life of true normalcy, a string of unexplainable murders forces them to come out of retirement for one last adventure. Together with Nina, their old friend, and Ruby, a new protege, Sherri and Kealey will have to face a mystery connected both to their past and future. In the world of Lock and Key, the player shapes their path…and more importantly, determines where that path will end.

Summer at the Edge of the Universe, a science fiction romance:

After drifting apart for several years, a chance encounter brings four best friends back together for the journey of a lifetime. For Summer Nansen (CV: Hikaru Station), this trip is not only a chance to rekindle old friendships, but also to discover what it is she wants out of life. Alongside a new robot friend named Curiosity, the four girls travel from planet to planet, exploring the natural wonders and diverse alien cultures that they come across. Their journey culminates at the borderline of existence itself: the very edge of the universe.

The game features three routes, each centered around one of Summer’s friends. Every route contains both romantic and platonic endings. More fantasy than sci-fi, Summer aims to be a positive and uplifting experience, with one of the core tenets for the game being “good vibes only.”

Please Be Happy, a slice of life game:

Born as a fox in the forest of Korea, Miho carries with her the memory of a traveler who showed her kindness and spoke of home. Now more human than fox, Miho has spent a long, long time searching for her person. She arrives by airship to Wellington Skyport, one of the jewels of the floating island of New Zealand.

Despite her years spent observing humans, she still has a lot to learn about their culture and society. She’s made a living so far as a thief, her heightened senses allowing her to easily take advantage of people. She’s also seen a lot of the worst of what mankind has to offer.

It’s only after meeting Juliet, the owner of a small library, and Aspen, an aspiring novelist, that Miho starts to understand what kindness is, and that there’s more than just the bad stuff when it comes to people.

A demo of Please Be Happy is now available on Steam and itch.io.

The studio has also published free visual novel projects from other developers under its publishing wing, Bellhouse. Bellhouse titles include First Snow by Salty Salty Studios and Without a Voice by L³.

Source: Press Release