oprainfall writes: “This week on Building Character, I’m going to talk about someone most of you probably haven’t heard of from a game most of you probably haven’t heard of. His name is Cyrus Addington, and he’s from Dysfunctional Systems Episode 1: Learning to Manage Chaos. Dysfunctional Systems is a beautiful sci-fi visual novel by Dischan. If you haven’t played it you’re missing out.
“Dysfunctional Systems is set in a utopian society with advanced technology allowing them to visit other worlds. They use this technology to transport people known as mediators to other worlds to do everything they can to control chaos and improve those worlds. They do things like eliminate or lower pollution and prevent wars. Learning to Manage Chaos follows 14-year-old Winter Harrison, a mediator-in-training, as she shadows seasoned mediator Cyrus Addington on a planet called Sule.”
Marcus Estrada writes: "Back in 2014 they announced they had to "temporarily halt game development" on the Dysfunctional Systems episodic series. Then, due to a groundswell of fan support, they ran a Kickstarter. Unfortunately, what they managed to create via Kickstarter funding was not a particularly high quality product, and they asked for far less funding than turned out to be needed. This is a superbly unfortunate issue that plagues countless crowdfunding campaigns."
Marcus Estrada writes: "No one could have predicted that Dischan would have to cease full time development on the title, but that’s exactly what was announced earlier today. Despite their best efforts and regular updates, the developer indicates it's no longer feasible for them to continue at this full time pace. Because new episodes are not ready now or in the foreseeable future all funders (over $5) can now request a refund. However, all the funding was already spent."
Marcus Estrada writes: "As with books, some visual novels are incredibly expansive tales and may require more than one part to see completion. Many titles as of late have gone the “episodic” route, which means a game is comprised of multiple parts that flow together, like a TV series. Have you ever played an episodic visual novel? Well, these three upcoming games might be your first!"
