Incoming Calls and Video Chat
The moment it rings, a scripted scene becomes him calling you right now.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- Design focus
- Timing · Narrative · Time
No.284Tears of Themis01The core loop
Action → feedback → next choice- 01The phone rings
- 02Choose to answer
- 03Listen and pick a topic
- 04The call is logged
↻Feedback changes the situation — the next round starts from there.
Walk through one round
A simplified design example. Situations and numbers illustrate the mechanic, not exact rules from a reference game.
- T1
Turn 1 · The situation
After a chapter he video-calls from the office he just left.
- T2
Turn 2 · The player chooses
The player answers and asks why he spoke up for her.
- T3
Turn 3 · The feedback
He pauses for a few seconds and deflects by asking if she has eaten.
- T4
Turn 4 · The next decision
She treats the silence as a clue and wants to see whether he answers next time.
How it plays
Characters ring you through a call screen for voice or video. Answering plays a fully voiced scene with topic or reply choices along the way. The answer gesture and running timer imitate a real call, which feels more personal than a dialog box. The ring, portrait and call log carry the feedback.
What the player weighs
- Fully voice calls for immersion, or use text calls to reduce cost.
- Penalize missed calls for realism, or allow callbacks to avoid anxiety.
02Start small
Scope is an editorial estimate for the minimum prototype, not the reference game or a production schedule.
03One mechanic, different implementations
Tears of Themis
SSR cards unlock video calls, birthdays and other events send voice calls, and both can be replayed from the call log.
Lovebrush Chronicles
Live2D video calls are built in, and since the fifth-anniversary update he also calls you on his own.
The difference worth noticing
Tears of Themis hands out calls as rewards from cards and events; Lovebrush Chronicles lets him call first, which feels closer to real contact.
Case notes are Yoroll editorial summaries; rules may change between versions.
04What could you combine?
After the ending he calls with filmed video edited by the player's final choice, turning the credits into an interactive coda.
Prototype this combo in Yoroll→Follow the next idea
In-Game Phone Replies
He sends a text, and how you reply sets the tone of the relationship tonight.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- 01Receive his new message
- 02Read the thread so far
- 03Pick a reply
- 04He answers and the chat is logged
Bedtime Companion Audio
Tonight asks for no input; put on headphones and let him stay until you fall asleep.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- 01Pick audio before bed
- 02Set length or scene
- 03Listen with the screen off
- 04He responds the next day
Answer Before Time Runs Out
Conversation won't wait; when the timer ends, silence answers for you.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- 01Someone asks a question
- 02Options and a timer appear
- 03Choose quickly
- 04They react on the spot