Greetings, adventurers! This is Oliver Joyce, the progammer for Lair of the Leviathan, updating you on what's been going on the last month or so.
Late last week I returned from taking my family on a trip to Japan for a few weeks. One of the great highlights was visiting co-creator and artist David in his home prefecture of Yamanashi. We've been working on Lair for nearly the last 18 months. We talk online most days, but had yet to meet in person - so it was an awesome opportunity to get our families together, meet up , talk game dev and discuss the future.
David's family were wonderful hosts, taking us on trips to the mountains, to beautiful lakes and caves in the foothills of Mt Fuji, and of course dinners served by robot waiters ( as only Japan can do!) . There's a real magic to Japan, in the quiet kindnesses, attention to detail and consideration everyone shows each other. From friendly greetings at shops to drivers pressing their hazard lights quickly to say thankyou - it felt so much calmer and less stressful than Sydney (where I live.)
David and I managed to get a game dev session in too, on a sturdy old laptop we fired up the game for the first time in person and went through everything in great detail. Exploring all facets of the editor and the game itself, we were able to make copious notes on what was working, what needed improvement and where to next. In the few days I've been home since, I've been able to make a ton of improvements already. We're polishing up the overworld and starting town right now. 
Birds now flock and soar, storms roll in, NPCs wander around in and out of buildings, the party movement feels a lot tighter and lots more. The next month or so will be spent on NPC related stuff - I'm implementing NPC interactions right now. Every NPC has a line of dialogue , from humble woodcutters to surly guards. Some NPCs can of course offer quests and even the chance to buy and sell gear.
One thing to note, these shops will have very limited inventory. You won't see shopkeepers with 500 swords for instance. Once an item is sold, it's gone for good. We want items to feel rare and valuable. Hang on to that +1 sword!! David is now working on shop interiors as well as combat sprites and other battle related UI.
Combat is of course a constant work in progress, nothing to show right now as there are so many systems to get right before anything can be shown off. We're still hoping to have a demo out by early-mid 2026 but we'll keep you posted with all updates!
More to come in the weeks ahead, thanks once again for your interest in the game.
Cheers, Oliver Joyce + David Aron
Whiskeybarrel Studios + Nostalgic Realms