Hello everyone, happy August!
I've actually been writing monthly devlogs for quite a long time, and I realize now that I've been a little neglectful by not uploading them here! People who only follow me on Steam probably don't know that I'm actively working on the games I have uploaded here 😂 If you're interested in reading my devlogs for previous months, you can find them on my Patreon page, but I'll also be uploading them here from now on.
I'll write up a more thorough status update for each WIP Steam page I have uploaded at a later date, as well as an overview of all the projects that I'm working on, but as a quick rundown for the games I have Steam pages for:
My Husband is a Stranger:
The first half of the game is complete (about 2 hours of playtime). The GUI, backgrounds, and achievements are also complete, and the game is fully outlined. I'm currently working on the remaining visual assets and script for the second half of the game. I'm looking to fully release this game in Q1 2026.
Karamu Trilogy:
Since I put up the Steam page, this game has gone through a few significant changes, including a game engine change (from Godot to Ren'py). I've also decided to hire a background artist to do the backgrounds for the last (and longest) game in the trilogy, which has pushed out the release quite a bit (because making quality backgrounds takes a lot of time!) The backgrounds are about 75% complete. The script and VA are 100% done, and I'm currently working on the visual assets. I'm looking to fully release this game in Q1-Q2 2026.
The Deepwater Witch:
Since I put up the Steam page, this game has also gone through quite a few changes, including the game engine change mentioned previously (from Godot to Ren'py). I also hired a background artist to update some of the backgrounds I felt were lacking. The script and most of the visual assets for this game have actually been complete for quite some time, but I took a step back from it because I'm a little unhappy with certain parts of the script and I want to revise it.
Actala: The Hero's Shadow:
This is the first game that I put up a Steam page for, and my first game in general. It is also by far my biggest title. This project has undergone VERY significant changes since I've started working on it, including three game engine changes (from Unity to Godot to Ren'py), three rounds of character design changes, multiple script revisions, three rounds of sprites... the list goes on and on. Since this is quite a large project and my first, I want to take the time to get it right. It was originally a completely solo-developed project, which I realized recently was... unrealistic, considering the scope of the game. I've since started working with other artists, including a costume designer and a background artist. My skills in basically every aspect of game development have improved a lot since I first made the Actala demo, so I'll be reworking a lot of this game from scratch. I hope you forgive me for taking my time with it - I really do want it to be good. I'll also be prioritizing smaller commercial games to help fund this one; the scope is rather massive, and it will take a lot of assets that will take time and money to produce. However, rest assured that I'm actively working on it.
Now for the actual devlog!
I took a little bit of a cooldown break at the start of last month, by which I mean I did a lot of little miscellaneous tasks! These included:
- Set up a mailing list and added it to my various pages
- Updated the MHIAS pages and builds with links to the Steam page
- Worked on project briefs for various artists that I'm working with
- Scheduled some Patreon posts (I actually have a regular schedule now, so there'll be things to actually see there 😂 I currently have things set up to post at least 4 times a week!)
- Sketched and started rendering 6 sprites, with a total of 12 outfit variations!
- Put together translation files for translators for MindMindMind and the Karamu Trilogy
- Implemented the MindMindMind script into Ren'py so that I can make the Android/Web build (this won't be available here since Steam doesn't support Android or Web builds, but it will be available at the other storefront)
This month, I plan to:
- Work on the remaining MHIAS script
- Code Kanau and Karamu into Ren'py
- Work on the artwork for Hanasu
- Work on the artwork for Project R
I'd like to put out smaller releases a little more regularly in the latter half of the year! My current planned releases, in order of priority are:
- The MindMindMind Android port (and possibly a Web build)
- MHIAS Day 5
- Project R demo
If you'd like to hear from me more often, you can find all of my links on my Carrd. I post most frequently on Bluesky, with exclusive sneak peeks on Patreon if you're curious.
Thanks to everyone who's following along!
Chattercap