January Progress Report

Is it just me or is January just flying by?  We're half way through the month already in the blink of an eye but that means it's a good time for a progress report.  

I'll be sharing a combination of images and screenshots with you all today and discussing a lot of what I've done.  For the most part Chapter 6 is ready to be completed.  Theres still a few sprites I need (like levers for the level puzzle.) and the remaining maps aren't lit yet but you can walk the entire base and everything is functional.  So I'm hoping to have it more or less complete before the end of the weekend.  And once that's done I'll be moving on to the updates I mentioned in the prior devlog.  Just for a little over view of when the next update is planned to release, I remember the original Valentine's update was the first real release of 2024 that included voice acting and the general transition to the games current style.  So I think I'll plan for that to be the next proper update again.  That should give me ample time to clean up the remaining errors with the current build and insert some of the new content and reworked systems.  But enough on that, let's see what I've been working on.

Let's kick this off with the full roster of Crow Bandits.  I say full but, these are really the basic grunts you'll be fighting.  You're already familiar with the two in front (that being the Crow Claw and Crow Archer.) but joining them is the Crow Priest (With staff and book.) and the Crow Mage.  Unlike the other two Crow's these are magical based units. Priests will focus on buffs and debuffs as well as healing the enemy team.  Mages are offensive in nature casting magical attacks at you.  Their inclusion should freshen up the roster in the sewer quite a bit and lead to some fun enemy combinations.  Will I be able to fit all 4 in a single encounter?  I highly doubt it.  But never say never I suppose?

Perhaps more exciting than new enemies though is the inclusion of working party members at long last.   After being teased in the last update I'm happy to say this feature will actually be working in the next one.  So expect some enemies at the farm when you replay the game next. Scarecrow brings some unique mechanics to the table, but I'll save the in depth explanation for the next devlog going over the updates features.  For now what's worth mentioning is that he plays like an alternate version of Red.  Where Red has her Knife skills, Scarecrow has Scythe skills.  Where Red has a Gun that costs Bullets to use its skills, Scarecrow has Alchemy which requires Chalk.  Everything is still in the early stages of play testing but things are moving along smoothly.

It's not just Scarecrow either.  First I wanted to include this image simply to confirm that all party members come with a set of unique arts that match with Red's armor level.  Hati IS already workable in my current build but I didn't have a screen cap on hand with armor damage so, you get a still instead.  Hati is a Hunter like Red, but he focuses almost exclusively on Gun skills.  Again there's not too much worth explaining here, but you'll get your hands on a playable Hati with the next update, even if it's only for a special battle mode.

Over on Patreon I had a poll for the next outfit Red should get.  And the Sailorsuit won out.  So progress on this has been made.  I haven't finished the battle arts but the in game sprite and bust are fully functional.  And how do you get the School uniform you wonder?

This one will be tied to another Relic item.  Simply find the relic, restore its memory with the Forgotten Maiden and you'll get the outfit as a reward.  Much like the main plot the relic stories themselves are also delving deeper into the darkness.  I'm sure I don't need to explain what sorts of sensitive topics this memory will focus on.  If you've collected the two relics in the current build you might even recognize this girl and be aware of the memory that leads into this scene.  But is it Red's past?  Or someone else's?

Now, taking a look at actual story content, I've completed work on a lot of new images that will occur during and after the assault on the Crow Bandits hideout.  I won't show too much to avoid spoilers but I would like to talk a bit about what this point of the story is MEANT to be doing.  The Crow Bandit plot line is effectively the games tutorial for the Blood God, Ichor.  Forcing you to kill human enemies and gain bloodlust all to lead up to a fairly violent moment like this.  The three goddess's play a much larger role in this story than the current build has implied.  I'm hoping the February update will also update all of the Altars and have a rough version of the affinity system in place.  But don't hold me to it!  I think the in game icons and battle area will be the main focus for now.

At the end of Chapter 6 Red and Hati get to share a tender moment together as they wash the blood off of themselves.  It's not exactly an erotic scene but it can get a little spicy depending on your choices.

And that's the gist of it all.  Pretty much over a dozen new arts between the CG's and enemies.  I'd say Chapter 6 is nearly 80% complete now.  It's still missing a lot of voice acting, but I placed commissions to take care of Scarecrow and Hati's remaining dialogues for the rest of the game.  There's also a new rendition of the games main theme that I posted on my patreon, just a simple piano only version that I ordered. It'll make sense when we talk about the next update I'm sure.  It is POSSIBLE that more voice work is delivered in time to be added into the February update but again that all depends on when I get files and if I have the time to properly edit them all and chop them up.  So don't get your hopes up too high.  Things are moving along at a steady pace.  Chapter 7 should begin development before the month ends..  But for now it's back to the grind with me.