Hi!
I've got a bunch of updates for you here today - the structure on this one is a little all over the place, as I’m wrapping up the final touches on this project, but I tried to organize it as best I could. If you'd be willing to leave a review on Steam for me it would be greatly appreciated! I'm hoping to get up to at least 10 reviews, in the hopes that the Almighty Algorithm will start showing Gas Station Story to more people :)
Before I get into the full update, I wanted to let you all know that a preorder campaign for a physical cartridge of Gas Station Story will be starting next week over at the Homebrew Factory! If this interests you, keep an eye on my channels (here in my devlogs, on instagram, and on bluesky) I'll be posting an update on the 21st when the campaign goes live. I’m so stoked to finally get these made!
Okay, on to the updates!
New Content:
With this update comes the release of Gas Station Story 2.0! Full patch notes will be at the bottom of this devlog, as always. There are quite a few new features in there worth taking a peek at, especially if you've been planning on going for a second playthrough. For those on Steam, a reminder: Game Boy ROM saves aren't compatible between versions, so make sure to turn automatic updates off if you're in the middle of a playthrough!
- Deluxe Mode -
With Deluxe Mode, I wanted to restore a few of the customer encounters I cut out of the original release. These four encounters were never fully coded in, but had all the assets ready (with the exception of an additional alien that I had written dialogue for but never made portraits of). I've spread them across the first four days of the game (Day 0 - Day 3) to not throw off the balance of the story, but… They do throw the pacing off a little bit, which is why they were cut in the first place. There's also a few new secrets in the final day, before the finale. One of these is RNG based (like the cat!) so it may be tough to spot, but it does lead to a new unique "bad" ending so I wanted it to be a bit harder to find.
When playing in Deluxe Mode, you'll also be able to see the game’s Major and Minor Statistics at each save checkpoint, previously only viewable after rolling the credits. This is built off of my dev tools, where I would see a readout of every variable the game is tracking so I could balance out the endings and make sure everything was working. These readouts are optional, so you don't have to look at all 30+ stats every time if you don't want to, but I thought this would be a useful tool for players that want to map out how each choice affects the SAM and BOSS relationships.
Deluxe Mode is accessible from the new "Mode Select" menu at the title screen. You can pick between Standard Mode, Edgeless Mode, Deluxe Mode, or the demo version of the game (in case you want to show it to a friend or just want to reminisce. I also couldn’t think of another mode to add to the menu but wanted the balance of having 4 modes ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ It is nice being able to run the demo without downloading a separate application, though).
- Achievements -
For those of you on Steam, achievements are now fully implemented! The 15 achievements accessible in the Game Boy Color ROM have been added to the Steam client and should now unlock when acquired in-game. These triggers only work on the 2.0 update, though, so make sure to update if you’re hunting them! This feature is a little weird, and sometimes when the GBC achievement fires off Steam doesn't recognize it. If you have this issue, save your game and head to the achievement view from the continue / reset screen. There's a failsafe built in there that will re-fire any achievement you've already received so Steam can pick it up.
To give you all a hint on how to get the 5 Steam exclusive achievements: if you show the 3D overworld (with the desk and computer) you’ll notice a lot of items surrounding the desktop. The mouse might be hidden when the game isn’t paused, but clicking still works…
- Art Book and Manual -
Finally, the Art of Gas Station Story is complete! For those of you that purchased this as a reward from my Kickstarter campaign, be sure to check your email, as a copy has been emailed to you (finally fulfilling the last of those Kickstarter rewards). For anybody else that is interested, you can purchase a copy over here on my Patreon page (more about this down below). This little PDF showcases every portrait in the game, every raw Game Boy Camera photo, and gives some extra details on each character that you can encounter. Little bits of lore are sprinkled throughout, and a few hints at the next story I want to tell.
Alongside the art book, I've also put together an official manual for the game, which is included with all purchases on every platform (it’s in the sidebar on the Steam page, but on the download page for itch). The manual details the game's core mechanics, sets the stage with a little story dump (the title crawl from the game, as well as some text from the website), and gives you some hints towards obscure secrets.
GSS IRL
- The Indie Game Awards -
Gas Station Story has been nominated for the Innovation category at the Indie Game Awards this year! I can't tell you how exciting just being nominated is, this feels like the most prestigious recognition of my life so far. The ceremony goes live on December 18th, so make sure to tune in to see if we take home the award :D
- Super MAGFest 2026 -
Want to check out Gas Station Story in person on some era-appropriate hardware? It will be at Super MAGFest this year in their Indie Retro Homebrew Showcase, from January 8th to the 11th at the Gaylord National Resort Convention Center in Maryland! I won't be able to attend this, so please send any photos my way :)
Looking to the Future
As mentioned previously, I now have a Patreon! This is where I’m going to post monthly updates, as I’ll be starting the prototyping phase for my next game in January. I’ve been working on the story and setting for this game for almost a decade, so I’m incredibly excited to break ground on it now that I have the requisite gamedev experience.
This is also the page you can purchase the Art of Gas Station Story on, with no subscription or membership required! If you do choose to subscribe though, you’ll receive a tidy little zip file containing everything I’ve made so far, including the art book. Whenever I get around to making some merch, members will get discounts and exclusive offers. I’ve been dreaming about an 8-Fifteen beanie…
Well, that's it for this devlog! With Achievements fully added to Steam, the completion of "Deluxe Mode", the Official Manual and Art of Gas Station Story finished, and the limited physical run underway, I've completed almost every goal I originally set out to complete with this project! Beyond this point, any other changes will just be bug fixes and/or minor text fixes. I hope you enjoy your time in my lonely little gas station game, as it is finally fleshed out to where I want it to be, and I've learned the basics of everything I'd like to do with game development going forward. This won't be the final devlog for Gas Station Story, but the time has come for me to shift my focus on the next project... And I can't wait to show you what that is! :D
One more time, if you could leave a review on Steam I would greatly appreciate it, they really help with The Algorithm. I’ll be back on the 21st with more details on the physical campaign!
Love,
Enzi
Version 2.0.1 Patch Notes:
General:
- Gas Station Story Official Manual added
- Added new "Mode Select" to Start Screen
- Added new "Deluxe Mode" to Mode Select
- Can now access the Demo from Mode Select
Fixes
- Fixed censor bars showing up outside of Edgeless Mode
- Fixed swear words showing up inside of Edgeless Mode
- Fixed a bug where Sam would show up in the back room on Day 4 even after quitting
- Fixed a bug where you wouldn't be able to swing your sword after being caught on the left conveyor belt in the Cybernetic Catacombs
- Fixed a bug on Day 1 where you wouldn't be able to leave after shutting down the Q Boy
- "..." Achievement can now be acquired
- "Missed the Moment" Achievement can now be acquired
- "In the Moment" Achievement now works on all kiss-related endings
- Fixed broken Sam animation during "Promotion" ending
- Minor graphical fixes
- Minor text fixes
Steam:
- Full achievement support added
Deluxe Mode Content:
- 4 cut customer encounters restored
- 1 new character
- 2 new character portraits
- 1 new secret ending
- Added optional game statistic readouts at all Save Checkpoints
- Added additional secrets to Level 4
Changes:
- Fortune System rebuilt from ground up, gives more accurate predictions
- Likelihood of encountering the Cat is now 20% higher across all days
Final (?) Game Statistics:
Models - 28 Humans, 1 Cat, 1 Mannequin Head, 1 Vending Machine, and 1 Apartment Call Box
NPCs - 48
Game Boy Camera Portraits - 185
(Non-Portrait) Game Boy Camera Photographs - 29
Endings - 30
Songs - 23
Word Count - 45,000+
ROM Size - 3.85 MB / 4 MB