December Roadmap

Happy December!

It's only been around a week or so since the last devlog, but I've settled on what exactly I want the December update to be.  SO I figured it was worth chatting about for a bit.  To start, I want to say that I don't have a release date set yet.  I know where I want the story to end.  And I'm going to focus on getting all the pieces up to that point in place.  And then more or less adding as much optional content on top of that as I can.  It's probably going to launch some time between Christmas and New Year.  But we'll see.  Heck maybe I can even get it done early.  Anything is possible right?  But anyways, on to the actual demo plans.

We begin with a familiar sight.  Broomhill Bridge!  Buuuuuuuut with a new face!  So, I've shown a non working version of the Crow Bandits before but now we have a fully functional enemy.  He walks and chases you down and everything.  But more importantly, I wanted to discuss a new mechanic that accounts for him standing on this bridge.  See, when Red fixes the bridge.  She makes a way forward for herself.  But she also opens up a road for enemies to come BACK into areas you've previously cleared.  That means any areas near the bridge are going to have surprises waiting for you the next time you head back.  Stay on your toes, cause nowhere will be safe.  Hint hint, nudge nudge.

Defating any of the Crow's will give you a new Tarot Card for use in combat as well.  The High Priestess depicts your favorite monochromatic gal, The Forgotten Maiden, and its effects relate to stamina and magic consumption.  It should be a pretty handy card for the ending dungeon of Chapter 6.  But we are not quite ready to talk about that yet.

As mentioned in the previous update, Bloodlust will be a proper thing moving forward.  The blood icon has been on the screen all along, and with the Crows newly added, you'll see that gauge start to fill with each life you take.  Eventually you'll get the "Red is covered in blood." text to show up.  This means that Red has entered the first stage of Bloodlust.  There are 3 distinct stages, each with their own text description so you can keep track.  Each stage buffs Reds attack, and the final "Frenzy" state allows her standard attack to hit twice in a row.  However they come with harsh penalties.  The ONLY WAY to remove the state is to take a bath.  Which I do have the art for, but I didn't have time to get the event in today.  So next update we'll look at that.

Aside from that, the Wyren enemy got its updated sprite.  No longer will a small cute flying thing shockingly be a crawling bat snake when battle starts.  So that's cool.  But why am I showing you one in the Abandoned Mine?  Because I've fleshed out this location a bit more as well, that's why!

If you've explored here you pry found this nice, chill cave lake.  Well it's not so chill anymore.  Inside are two new additions.  First, and most obvious, a red Wyren.  This is called a Fire Spitter.  As the name implies it's a Wyren imbued with fire.  And behind him is a new relic item, the Tattered Cloak.  The Fire Spitter wont charge at you, but try to grab that relic and you'll be forced to fight.

Fire Spitter's are quite a bit tougher than their purple cousins.  Boasting a whole host of new attack moves.  They're also faster and can act before Red gets a turn, which makes them a little more dangerous to deal with.  This one in particular will act as a sort of mini boss, so if you're coming in here early game you might not be equipped to take him on.

But if you DO beat him, that relic is all yours.  Take it back to the Forgotten Maiden and enjoy your reward.  A nice depressing story about a little girl and her broken family.  Yay.  I love video games.  But on a serous note this will reward you with the new Forgotten Cloak armor.  I won't say it's better than anything currently in the game, since I try to make everything have a give and take, but I think this one will be worth finding.

Now, moving past the prior devlog and meeting Scarecrow, Broomhill Village itself is about 80% complete.  The village is in ruins.  Houses are collapsed, and corpses and gore line the streets.  It's not a fun place, and the story will be taking a much more serious tone from here on out.  The kinds of things that might warrant some trigger warnings.  But even here there are people who need help.  So it's important that you don't look away from the abyss.  No one else is gonna help them after all.

And this is about where the current game stops.  The next area of interest is Bromhill Inn, but its interior has yet to be created.  Every other location in the village is mostly done though, just need some lighting and events to be set up.  The next sequence is going to be a bit of a puzzle.  You'll have to find a way from the town to the Crow's Nest, and I'm happy to say there are several ways to do that.  But no point talking about those until I can show them off I think.  I do want to leave you with ONE last little tease though.  Since my patrons voted for this update to include a new costume (or perhaps two?).

Feast your eyes on the classic Bunnysuit.  Now it's not functional yet, since you can only get it once the Inn is accessible.  But I've got the bust arts all set and ready to go.  It's a fun little uniform that will be the key to a new minigame as well as the cooking ability.  So don't be shy and put it on when you find it.

Now how far from my desired end point am I?  Honestly, I'm fairly close.  I'd like to end the next demo once you properly reach the Crow's Den.  There's a nice cliffhanger to leave you all waiting on and it means I don't need to worry about forcing in another entirely new tilesheet.   There's still plenty more I'd like to add however.  From the prison escape if you lose to the Crows to a new SUPER LEWD sequence with one of the campers.  I'd also like to get some of the sea monster optional bosses in there as well but.  We'll see what I can manage.

Regardless I think there will be a lot to look forward to.  Unfortunately most of it will not have voice acting however.  Holiday season makes it hard to afford ordering stuff on top of presents shopping, and most people are gonna be busy as it is so I don't want to impose more work.  On the plus side, it just means you get a whole new experience in later updates when this content DOES feature voices.  But yeah, that's all I have to share for now.  Hope you look forward to a darker, and more twisted update, coming right in time for the holidays :P