Steel Hearts: An Introduction

What is Steel Hearts?

Steel Hearts is a visual novel drama about love and war set in an alternative history where bipedal war machines called “walkers” were developed in place of tracked vehicles. The story follows Caleb Hartmann, a seventeen-year-old who attends the prestigious Streiterheim Academy in the heart of the Volksland National Bloc during the spring of 1939.

How many routes does Steel Hearts have?

Steel Hearts will feature four routes, each associated with one of the four heroines. The “common route” and the four heroine-associated routes form the first half of Steel Hearts. The second half of Steel Hearts follows one story, although the player’s choice of route in the first half influences scenes–and potentially, endings–in the second half.

Who are the heroines?

Steel Hearts stars four heroines. Briefly, they are:

Juliet Träger–Juliet is Caleb’s long-time friend and next-door neighbor. She’s spunky, energetic, and has a kind heart. Although she doesn’t make the best grades, she tries her hardest to get by at the academy. In her spare time, she often enjoys radio shows and movies.

Lisabet Faßbender–Lisabet is a fellow classmate of Caleb’s. Although she appears to be sweet and shy, she’s more eccentric than she lets on. When not spending time with the art club, she’s often reading about classical history or mythology.

Hannah Ritter–The stoic yet snarky Hannah is a common visitor to the school’s motor pool, and is Lisabet’s best friend. Due to her abrasive demeanor, she is often rumored to be a fierce and scary delinquent.

Brynhilde von Solberg–Brynhilde is often the talk of the school, and not without reason. She’s the captain of the fencing team, the student council president, and the daughter of a Graf. Despite her fiery and passionate nature, she is often weighed down by her many obligations.

Character art by Gar32
How long will Steel Hearts be?

Although we don’t have any concrete numbers yet, we are expecting Steel Hearts to be quite long–likely over 30 hours and 500,000 words.