Hello everyone,

While the game had a lot of great milestones this year, the later half was met with some challenges. This devlog will serve as a short summary of the achievements for the year, as well as the goals for 2023 and on.

December Progress

The month of December itself didn't have a ton of progress to report--between the holidays and some personal illness, it wasn't as productive as I'd like.

That said, I was able to get quite a few things sorted out in regards to planning, writing, and preparation for 2023. The game's main story outline is looking very good, and I've created a clear roadmap for the various tasks that need to be done to advance progress on the game.

Of course, I can't have a devlog without any visuals, so here are a few more screenshots of areas using the new 16-bit graphics:

And some more character artwork in the new style:

2022 in Summary

Demo Release

After years of development, the game received a new demo, marking the first time the game was playable since 2019. The demo served as a "soft launch" to both gauge interest in the game's core concept and see how much people enjoyed it.

Overall, the response was very positive. I received a lot of incredible feedback, as well as viewed dozens of Let's Play videos--all of which I am super grateful for.

Japanese Demo Translation

A unique opportunity, the game's demo received a Japanese translation. This was an important personal goal and also a test to gauge interest. Though it unfortunately did not spark a lot of interest from Japanese audiences, it was a great experience that proved the game can eventually support other languages in the future.

Engine Upgrade & Demo Fixes

While the demo launch did not immediately lead into the game launching as I hoped, it lead me to making a lot of important changes and improvements later in the year.

I was able to use all of the feedback provided through the form, discord, and in the let's play videos to make the necessary adjustments to the base mechanics to ensure the final product will be as enjoyable as it can be.

Graphics Overhaul

The biggest, and perhaps most divisive change, the game's graphics were completely overhauled to support a more unique 16-bit look. While this was ultimately a "downgrade", it was met with some positive response, and made me feel a little less worried about doing it. The change serves to greatly reduce the workload for creating visual assets, and ensures the likelihood and quality of the final release.

Plans for 2023

Given all of the setbacks, the most critical goal for 2023 is the release of Chapter 1. I hope that all of the "setup" I've completed in 2022 will ensure that people get to play and enjoy that which I've worked on for so long without waiting much longer. Any extra goals such as porting, localization, etc. will come after.

While the start of the year has already been a bit rocky, I hope to be able to share more development successes with you, and appreciate the patience and support from everyone who reads these logs and follows the game's process.

Happy new year!

-Jaiden