An Honest Discussion + Next Update News

Hey there!  

It's been a little while since I last posted here, and I felt like it was well past time that I give an update on what's been going on.  To be perfectly honest, I came to realize that I wasn't happy with this game.  More specifically, I wasn't happy with what I was providing.  As this project grew to encompass voice actors and musicians, very talented people who elevated everything they touched.  I realized that the games biggest weakness, was me.  I hadn't given it my 100% best effort.  And again, being completely honest, I'm rather embarrassed by the state that the game currently exists in.  This is the first game I've EVER created, and it's definitely far bigger and more involved than I would ever recommend a new developer to do, but I'm the kind of idiot to rush in head first, all or nothing into the projects I commit myself to.  And yet it wasn't until other people began to contribute to the game that I realized I was holding back on this one.

So, unhappy with the state of things.  I made a pretty big decision to redo...pretty much everything.  Which is probably a little concerning to hear.  So let me be clear.  I was not happy with the artwork used in the game.  As a total newbie, I used a lot of default assets, which there's nothing wrong with doing mind you.  But I wanted the game to be something I could look at and say "This is something only I could have made."  And I can't get that feeling out of default assets and slightly altered character sprites.  I knew I could do better, and so I did.  I set out to recreate, every sprite, every tile, every map.  Basically, if it was visual, it's been recreated.  That goes for every CG image as well.  Character busts, event art, battle arts.  I've been spending the last two months remaking EVERY THING.  And if you liked the version of the game that existed before, I am totally happy to hear that.  However I'm sure that the new art is objectively better in pretty much every aspect.

But visuals aren't the only area that has been overhauled.  Combat, mechanics, again pretty much every aspect has been redesigned from the ground up.  When I started making this game, I wasn't even sure I COULD make a game to begin with.  And so most aspects were kept overly simple.  Combat in particular was about as vanilla as it could get with no real unique mechanics or concepts.  And that was fine for what the game was at the time.  But once I realized "Oh, I CAN do this." That was no longer enough for me.  So let's talk a bit about the new combat system.

As you can see, things have evolved quite a bit.  Not only are enemy and character arts updated but the entire layout of combat is as well.  We now have a turn order!  You'll always be able to see which targets will be attacking and in which order, allowing you to prioritize enemies effectively.  On top of that, you may notice that even your basic attack now costs stamina.  In fact, the vast majority of actions will come at SOME cost, giving weight to every decision you make, and making guarding a far more valuable option to use.  Red herself has undergone significant changes.  In previous builds due to her dual wielding she was designed to attack twice per turn.  This made her basic attack quickly over power any sense of strategy and negate the use for skills at all.  While Red can still wield 2 weapons she is now stuck with having 1 knife and 1 gun.  And those guns can not fire WITHOUT expending bullets.  To compensate for this guns are very powerful, though don't expect bullets to come cheap.  You'll have to use them wisely against powerful enemies.  Especially since enemies have undergone major changes as well.There are now two distinct types of enemies you can encounter in Project Red.  Single target enemies (like the above seen cute slimes) and Multi Target Enemies.  A multi target enemy has certain selectable limbs that act independently of one another, and with their own unique move sets and stats.  This again makes combat a much more strategic affair as you'll need to figure out what to prioritize and when on the fly in battle.  Of course killing the main body will always end the fight, though the Wyren's wings are capable of casting powerful wind attacks or boosting the main bodies agility, so it might be best to cut those down first.  Every enemy has been completely redesigned and reworked for these new systems and I hope you'll enjoy engaging with them when the new build is completed.  As Red does not have recruitable party members however, she needed a little help to keep up with these beasts. Enter the new Tarot Card system.Every time you defeat an enemy in combat, Red will be gifted a Tarot Card.  Enemies no longer respawn though so these again must be used WISELY so you don't run out.  Tarot Cards can be used as free actions in combat and can do a plethora of things from boosting stats to inflicting statuses on enemies or dealing powerful skills. But fate isn't always kind, and if you draw a card in Reverse position,, you might regret it. Aside from this whenever Red deals a critical hit, or exploits an enemies weakness, she'll gain a "Follow Up", letting her do another free action before the opponent's turn. Though if Red is exploited, the enemy will gain a similar advantage. Exploit all enemies to unleash a powerful Evocation skill.

And there's honestly so much more that I'd love to talk about, but writing off the top of my head would be impossible. I just want to say for some final thoughts, the most important thing for me is to be proud of the game that I put out.  And while there's still tons of work to do, I AM proud of this version of the game.  And I can't wait to get it in players hands and have everyone experience it for themselves.  When it comes to creating, that really is important.  If you're not satisfied, keep pushing until you are.

Once the new demo build is completed, I will be removing all previous versions.  So if you'd like to keep your copy I recommend you save it somewhere.  If you've enjoyed the game so far, I truly am grateful, and I hope you'll look forward to playing the revamp in the near future.

Consider supporting me on patreon where i post weekly updates of art and other aspects as I create them, as well as give patrons polls to decide on what content is created next.