December 28th Update Details

Hello!  Merry Xmas! Happy Holidays! Hope everyone's been doing great.  It's a bit late but I do have a present for you.  For now it's just information, but come the 28th you'll have this in your hands to play for yourself.

Now today I'd like to discuss all of the new content that you'll be able to experience.  This will contain very few spoilers so don't worry about that and of course it wont cover EVERYTHING.  If you've read prior devlogs some of this will be redundant, but if you're new here welcome! There's TONS to talk about so let's jump out of the preamble.

1: New Content that can be experienced directly from starting a new game.

First things first is brand new content that you can find without jumping straight to the new chapters.  One you reach the Merchant Camp you'll see a second sign sitting in the main hub.  This is the Hunt Board.  A brand new feature where you can find details on rare monsters that you can hunt for rare rewards.

This demo features 3 new variant enemies.  Simply select any of them and you'll be given a general location of where to find them, as well as what time of night the creature is active.  If you go too early the enemy will not be there.  And if you go too late, they will have left.  So these guys can be permanently missed, however they are not ONLY found via this system so don't worry too much.  For now you can find a Golden Slime, a Firespitter or a Poison Shroom.  They'll drop rare items upon defeat that you can sell for some good Gold!  You can also talk to the Mercenary after starting his quest line for additional details.

Speaking of these new enemies, they shouldn't be very hard to miss as they all have unique sprites and battle arts.  You also don't NEED to check the hunt board for them to spawn, so it's perfectly possible to simply stumble onto these guys. Poison Shrooms in particular will become commonly found once you cross the bridge.

While the artwork is just a simple color change, the enemy has a lot of new moves and different stats.  In particular the Poison Shroom specializes in dealing a variety of status effects to Red, so if you're going to fight it, be ready to cure poison and other effects, or just hit it as hard as you can and try to tank the damage over time.

The Golden Slime however has a completely original art.  I think he's even cuter than the common Cute Slime variant lol.  But don't be fooled this creature is far more aggressive than his brothers. But being made out of gold, killing it is a great way to get a lot of money.  He also gives a HUGE amount of EXP, but don't expect to get those rewards easily.

On the subject of new enemies, the Wyren has received a brand new over world sprite.  He now accurately reflects his battle images as a crawling dragon like creature rather than a small flying bat like enemy. A much needed improvement.  Now that Wyrens and Abominations have been updated I think the Shrooms will be the last enemies to need a redo, though they really aren't as required.  Still I'd like them to be larger to be better in scale with the art style changes.

Aside from the common Wyren is the Firespitter variant.  This one can be found via the hunt board as well as in the depths of Broomhill Mine where he guards the second relic item.  If you're feeling confident take this beast down and get a powerful new cloak. Like with the prior relic in the game, you'll have to bring this item back to the Forgotten Maiden in the mirror world to restore it before use.

This time around it's the memory of a small child.  Does it belong to Red? Or someone else? I won't spoil that for you, but I hope you're ready for some unpleasant memories. 

Another general tweak, but the Slime's armor melting attacks will now feature their own variant image, similar to the tearing arts for tentacle creatures. Not too much to say about this one.

A brand new feature has been added to certain bodies of water where Red can relax and take a bath.  Like with resting at a campfire these act as spots where you can heal and possibly get other benefits at the cost of spending time. But as you can see it's unclear just how much time this event WILL cost.  That's because bathing requires you to pass a Tarot event.  Will "The Fool" be upright or reversed?  

Guess correctly and you'll get the full bath.  Nice and refreshed with maximum time used and maximum benefits.  And a nice image of Red to look at as well of course.

But if you get it wrong, Red will feel uneasy.  The trees will rustle and she'll feel like she's being watched from somewhere.  She'll exit the water early and while you'll save on time, you'll get less benefits.  So will you risk it or not?

On the subject of nudity/adult content.  There's a new lewd event you can experience in the camp.  Normally this scene would require a lot of effort to unlock but I'm giving it for free as a special xmas present.  Just complete the 2 chains of the sign board event and this NPC will offer you an interesting choice.

Patreon supporters have already seen the art for this but I'll just let your imagination run wild.  As a bonus this scene also features Red being fully voiced.

2: Chapter 5: Family

Moving on to the games Fifth chapter. This was briefly playable in the prior demo though it has been changed quite a bit.  First of all, with the bridge now restored, enemies have been able to enter areas that used to be safe, and repopulate certain zones.  Though they don't pass the Merchant Camp, be prepared for some surprises. With that we are also introduced to a new faction of enemies.  The Crow Bandits.  They will be the primary antagonists for Chapter 5 and 6, and are the first real taste of human enemies.  Inspired by plague doctors they wear crow themed masks and come in a variety of variants.

The most common one you'll find is the Crow Claw.  Equipped with Wolverine style claws strapped to each arm, they are a massive pain that will constantly be shredding your armor and trying to inflict the bleeding state on Red.  Quick and hard hitting, you'll have to stay on your toes to take them down.

Defeating Crow type enemies will unlock "The High Priestess" tarot card for use in battle. Its effects revolve around stamina consumption and usage so it's likely to be one of the better ones to give you an extra edge in tougher battles.

Next up is Cheshire.  She was present in the last build but her special shop feature had yet to be added. This time around you'll be able to trade your special reward from the Slime King to get one of two rare pieces of equipment.  This is how she'll function.  Beat a main story boss, and you can trade a rare item for either an accessory or armor or weapon basically. You'll always be leaving something on the table so choose wisely.  Though late game there just might be ways to get duplicate items.  For now though, the Slime Jelly is the only available item to trade with her.  Please note if you attempt to carry over a previous save you will NOT have the item to trade with her.

After that we have the scene introducing Hati properly with a name and all.  Sadly like with most scenes from this point on, there is no voice acting present.  It being December and all, I gave everyone a break (including my wallet.). My niece required spoiling :P
But from January on I will be commissioning ALL of the remaining dialogue and music that the game needs.  On that note consider supporting me on Patreonif you enjoy the game.  All the money I make there goes directly into these costs that make the game better and properly bring these characters to life, so your support is greatly appreciated.

Scarecrow was the focus of nearly an entire devlog so I wont be going in as much detail here.  But just know that once you reach Broomhill you'll be meeting one of Dorothy's iconic companions.  Much like in Dorothy's encounter he's strung up on a pole, though my version is...just a bit more violent.

Nailed to a cross and impaled through the chest, Red encounters the living Scarecrow and rescues him from his predicament.  From here he will briefly join your party, becoming the games first companion character.  Though I opted to NOT make him battle ready just yet.  In the full game and likely future updates he WILL be usable in battle.  But I had to prioritize completing the story content instead of making him usable for just a couple of battles.  So apologies for that.

With Scarecrow along for the ride you'll begin your investigation into the tragedy that occurred at Broomhill village.  The game features a shift in tone from chapter 5 onwards, though that doesn't mean that there will be less light hearted or sexy moments so don't worry about that.  There will however be a lot more dark subjects, including those that would probably need a content warning in the future.  Heavy subject matter goes hand in hand with Project Red so be prepared for that as you progress from here on out.

Progress further into the village itself and you'll find the streets lined with corpses and gore.  Some houses completely destroyed.  The once quiet village now dreary and dark. I wanted to create even more sprites for the corpses in this section but time constraints haven't allowed for that.  Though I might squeeze in just a BIT more in the next few days if I have time after my day job.

Eventually you'll come across the Distraught Brother who sets Red on her quest for Chapter 6.  The Crow Bandits kidnapped villagers to sell as slaves.  And with that your mission becomes clear.  Find the Bandits hideout, save the villagers, and wipe out the Crows, one by one if you have to.

A new feature you're likely to run into at this point is the Bloodlust system.  Ever notice that bloodstain gauge bellow your Lust gauge?  That's for tracking Red's current Bloodlust level. Bloodlust is accumulated by killing human beings, or in some cases, by making choices that are deemed as especially cruel or violent despite other options being present.  The more the gauge fills, the more blood Red is covered with.  And that blood acts as a gift, and a curse.  Increasing Red's offensive power but GREATLY reducing her defense.  If left unchecked Red will become a monstrous glass cannon, capable of hitting twice per default attack and with high damage, but her defense will be almost nonexistent.

Aside from the gauge and the blurbs of text on screen, Red's bust during dialogue events will ALSO reflect her bloodlust level, coating her in more and more bloodstains.  Unfortunately this will not be visible in battle just yet, but you should have a pretty good idea of how deep into the status you are before you enter battle...hopefully!  As for removing the state.  Remember the bathing events covered earlier?  Yep.  Take a bath, wash that blood off, and relax.  

3: Chapter 6: What it means to be a Hunter

With your mission decided upon, Chapter 6 begins.  This chapter is more or less one big puzzle with a variety of solutions.  To start with you'll have another encounter with Hati.  He gives you some vague clues about what to do, but essentially from here on out you need to solve the puzzle of how the Crows got in and out of the village.

Every building you see can be entered, so theres a lot of areas to explore here. There's also some of the games heavier themes left on display for you to discover.  There's a lot of little details if you choose to interact with the environment to give you a sense of the people that once lived in this village, and what was robbed from them.

One of the more important locations you can explore is Broomhill Inn.  Unfortunately while the maps are complete the actual events will have to wait for a future update.  The bartender, cooking and playing the piano were all planned, but I had to cut them for time.  But there's still some fun stuff to find here regardless.

The one I think most people will be happy about is the Bunnysuit, which can be found in the cellar. Unlike the swimsuit which had to be finished in a post update patch to work, this time the outfit comes fully functional right out of the box.

So that includes both the over-world sprite, as well as the character bust to go along with it.  The bust like other outfits will reflect clothing damage and of course the bloodlust effects will apply regardless of costume worn.

Likewise it features the 4 variant images for use in battle depending on your current armor level.  Now back to the story.

So as I mentioned before, there are multiple ways to find your way to the Crow's Nest. Lots of new maps both in and out of the village. The lake is a prominent one that will feature a pivotal story scene later on, but is fully visitable now.  It's a good place to stop and wash the blood off of you, as you explore for the way forward.

One of the road blocks to your progress is a locked gate.  It's safe to say this is connected to the mystery you're trying to solve, so I guess you've gotta go find a key maybe?

Alternatively there's a whole other chain of events that can lead you  down into the sewers beneath Broomhill as a possible solution.  Though I wont discuss any of the particulars about how to unlock it, just know that it IS an option if you're interested.

The sewers are a MASSIVE victim of my schedule, as it's meant to be a little maze to navigate but, for now it's just a very simple two maps.  Not much to explain or talk about, though it did require a whole new tile set.  I wanted to make some green water that connects smoother to the tiles but, again with the deadline that just wasn't a priority to get perfect.

Now as you fight your way to the Crows lair it's very possible that you might find yourself falling in battle.  But worry not as the Crows are not a game over.  Instead Red will be dragged off to their base, stripped of her clothing and gear, and locked in a cell.  From here you'll have to play a sort of minigame. Investigating the cell for a way to break out, but every action you do might lead to a noise that the guards decide to look into. That's right, it's another little puzzle.  This chapter kinda likes those.  There is also more than one solution but again experimenting may result in a punishment. Make too much noise and the guards will arrive to torture Red, leaving time to go by and your health to decrease. This sequence was planned to be a button mash minigame similar to metal gear solid but it was another victim of time that I only just BARELY managed to get into the demo at all.

Regardless of what path you choose, eventually you'll make your way here to the crossroads leading to the Crow's Nest.  The path is lined with corpses.  And the atmosphere is ominous.

Meet up with Hati outside the entrance and you'll reach the end of the demo with a big cliffhanger.  Now these last two maps as you can pry tell from the screen shots are NOT complete.  But that's what these next two days are for.  There's still a bit of polishing and cleaning up to do, but everything works and functions well enough to get us to the end point, if a bit crudely.  But while the story ends here that is NOT the end of this demos content.

4: Secret Boss - Quiberon

The last devlog had a bit of a teaser about what might be a massive sea creature swimming around a new map at Broomhill River.  And that teaser was something I was absolutely ADAMANT about following up on.  While the event itself is a bit janky and not exactly how it'll work in the final product.  It DOES work.  And that's all we need for you to experience Quiberon.

There are some conditions to triggering this event but the image itself has a clue to help you figure that out.  The fisherman as well might have another clue for ya.  But regardless, feast your eyes on Quiberon, a giant seasnake.  It's horrifying right?  I'm so proud of this thing haha.

And this isn't just a simple event to wow you, but a full fledged boss fight. Quiberon will be the most powerful boss you can encounter. It is of course entirely optional to trigger, and I would recommend you only attempt to fight if you're confident in your abilities and build. With a total of 4 targetable body parts you'll be in for a vicious encounter.  And it's this boss that I'd like to leave you on.  Quiberon is the final boss of the current build.  The ultimate challenge.  And a look at what's to come, as you continue to guide Red through the forest, and towards the ultimate truth.

Of course this doesn't even cover all of the new changes and additions.  New skills, more weapons, reworked damage formulas.  Even the Diary of a Madman item has been reworked and rewritten, with 3 parts currently available (and you'll always collect them in order now, so no worries about missing context.).  There's so much to this demo and I hope it'll be a satisfying way to wrap up this year with Project Red.

It's funny when I decided on what this demo would cover.  I was pretty worried that it would be underwhelming.  The lack of voice acting, and the story heavy focus where you can really go from start to end in about 15 minutes once you KNOW what you're doing had me afraid this wasn't going to be enough content.  But I often forget that you guys don't play the game with every solution already worked out. You don't know how to beat every enemy or solve every puzzle.  And that's exciting for me.  I can't wait for you to play it in just a few short days.  But until then I still have some work to do to get this as good as I can for you.

Please look forward to your belated present on December 28th!