Hi everyone,
It's been a very long time since my last update. Lots of things are happening behind the scenes and I do feel overwhelmed with work. I am a solo developing Harvest Island.
Harvest Island 2.0 is taking a lot of time to develop and it's mentally taxing on me; it's not healthy for me to develop this game at the speed I'm doing. So, I have to slow down or else I'll get burnt out and the game won't finish. Another reason why it's taking a lot of time is because of the feedback I'm getting. I can see that the community isn't as engaged in 2.0 vs 1.0 and that's because of some design flaws. This means that I need to adjust the game design a bit more to make it fun. This takes time and I know what to change and fix. It's going to take time.
I will also merge the DLC to the main game and raise Harvest Island price to $25. There are two reasons for this. 1) When 2.0 releases, the DLC is not compatible with 2.0. So, this is in preparation for that. 2) Budget is immensely tight. Releasing 2.0 for free is expensive and I do need funds to help support Harvest Island 2.0.
Aside from that, I have been working on A Journey's End for a very long time. I want to showcase my new game which I've been developing since the release of Harvest Island.
A Journey's End has a new landing page and it'll be the central hub of getting updates for this game. If you're ever wondering what's the progress on the game, you can read the blog, check out the screenshots, and watch some videos. It's all in one place.
Since budget is incredibly tight, it's difficult to maintain game development as a career. I'm lucky enough to be a game designer and continue making games because this community has allowed me to continue on, but I'm not lucky enough to be super successful that I'm not so stressed out about finances all the time.
So, I am doing a kickstarter for my new game in hopes that A Journey's End can make it big. If you like the game idea and really want to support it, I suggest following the kickstarter page and wait for it to be released. And also sign up in our email list as well which is at the very bottom of the landing page. If you sign up, I will let you know very early on what the rewards are before the kickstarter releases and what day it releases!
Here are some screenshots and also wishlist A Journey's End too!
Blogs to read!
https://ajourneysendgame.com/updates/behind-the-scenes-designing-sakichi
https://ajourneysendgame.com/updates/behind-the-scenes-designing-the-soul-farer-spirit
Lessons Learned From Harvest Island: How A Journey's End Will Benefit
Behind The Scenes: Designing The Little Sprite
How Traditional Japanese Art Influenced The Game’s UI
How A 30 Day Solo Trip To Japan Created This Spirited Away Inspired Game
Why The Developer Wants To Make A Spirited Away Inspired Game
