Hi!

I’m here with a small Gas Station Story devlog, just in time for the holidays. As of writing, we’ve just moved up to Beta 1.0! The story is playable from start to finish, with about a third of the endings fully implemented so far. It’s looking like there’s just enough space for all my planned content and music, so I’ve added some small, fun features that will enhance the narrative and experience without taking up too much ROM space: Overworld Encounters, the Clerk’s Apartment, and Secret Characters.

Overworld Encounters:
There are a variety of unique characters that players will be able to interact with in the overworld during the free-roam portions of the game. These characters will sell you interesting items, chat with you, and even influence the ending of the game (hint hint).

- VENDO -

VENDO the walking-talking vending machine can be found out back during the day. If you have any spare change around you can spend it on a variety of completely useless items!

- The Tweaker -

The Tweaker can only be found outside a few times at night, and will engage in thrilling "conversation" with you.

- The Dealer -

The Dealer… Well, I’ll let you imagine what he’s doing out back. Don’t be a narc!

- The Cat -

Once per day / night, you can interact with the cat that lives in the back alley. There’s a random chance every time you enter the back alley that the cat will appear, so keep an eye out! The RNG is really easy to manipulate, but I’ll let you figure out how that works when the game is released.

Clerk's Apartment:
This is where the Clerk lives, a small house out in the desert. You’ll start and end most days of the story here - make sure to take a shower before work, you don’t want your coworker to think you’re smelly!

I’m really proud of the bathroom, exclusively because the mirror is actually functional! I also added a bathroom to the gas station itself, I figured if there’s one in the game at all then there better be one in the station too.

Secret Characters:
These characters are mythical, incredibly powerful beings that mortals can’t fully comprehend. The methods to meeting these strange characters are obscure, obscene, and downright obtuse in some ways. Only the bravest and most thorough adventurers will be able to find them!

I wanted to give players of Gas Station Story a chance to meet some of the key players in future stories I plan to tell. The events of GSS don't particularly influence the greater goings-on in the universe, but that doesn't mean it's disconnected entirely. So, if you're thorough, and you explore every option and interaction in the game, you might just come across these characters.

- The Blue Lady -

The Blue Lady is a benevolent force in the universe, dedicated to combatting the forces of chaos. Some say she dates back to the early 1300s. Some say she is older than time itself. If you manage to find her, be sure to bring something to ease her mourning, otherwise you may not escape with your life intact.
Hint: Desert

- The Wizard -

The Wizard will visit the station during the Finale if 3 out of 5 of his triggers are met. These triggers are placed across all 5 days of the story in random interactions, some with other NPCs, and some with random items or locations. See if you can get him to visit you in your playthrough!
Hint: Coffee

- The Nameless One -

[Information Not Found]
Hint: Psychedelic

And that’s it for this devlog! I’m all set to run the Kickstarter (pre-save link here) in mid-February, so the next you'll hear from me again should be a little before then. Thanks so much for reading, as always, and Happy Holidays to those that celebrate!

- Enzi