Hey everyone, Nethuum here.
Thanks for your support so far and for playing our game. We enjoyed crafting the latest game update, but we've faced some major challenges that require adaptation to ensure the project continues. We appreciate if you could stick to us to know more about the changes-- I know, the following text is lengthy but I aim to be as open and honest as possible and didn't want to scrap any information that I think would be important for you to know. There's a TL;DR version below if you don't wanna everything, although I strongly recommend to!
TL;DR (Short Version):
Our lead writer Tera left due to personal reasons, so we're shortening the story and dialogue—new backup writer on board, but change in story direction.
Other Challenges: Visibility/support dropped completely from one of our platforms; scope too ambitious for our 2-person team (Nethuum & AB) if no changes are made, risking burnout/delays; Ren'Py dungeon limits slow progress; censorship in adult games adds uncertainty.
Pivot: Emphasize deckbuilding roguelike loop (Slay the Spire-style) with short rewarding runs, blended with sphere scenes/side-quests and more; existing content stays.
Benefits: More frequent updates, lighter text, more cards/events/replayability and better balance between combat and sphere scenes; new animations as budget allows.
Changes will evolve with feedback.
What's the Current Situation?
As development progressed, we hit some challenging realities: Our lead writer and co-founder Tera, had to leave the project due to personal reasons and no longer works with us. Tera's vision for the game was a key part, with a focus on an extensive and complex narrative. Without her, we have no choice other than adjust the project's direction to align with our current capabilities and skills. We're working with a new backup writer—who actually contributed to the update we released last week, including working on the entirety of Amanda's side-quest and the description of all the CGs— so the game won't be without writing, but it won't have the same writing direction as before.
On top of that, one of our main support platforms besides Steam has been hit by controversial changes regarding adult games, leaving our page essentially "dead" there until things get reversed. That means less financial support, feedback and visibility.
From our experience, combined with these factors, we've realized the game's scope became unrealistic for a two-person team. We had tons of plans and ideas, but I feel like it lacked a clear direction of the content we wanted to added until the full release. With Tera's departure and facing reality, we're shifting to a more realistic scope that lets us finish the game and avoid abandoning it, considering the scope is already ambitious.
The current dungeon navigation system has limitations due to the Ren'Py engine, eating up too much time from the team and preventing us from adding content to more important areas like new cards and scenes, also requiring some changes.
Plus, the recent wave of censorship for adult games creates uncertainty and risk for an ambitious game like ours, especially since this is our main source of income. Finishing without major delays or issues is crucial for a small team like ours, now more than ever.
With just two fixed full-time members left—me (Nethuum) and AB—we're dealing with reduced capacity, less financial support besides Steam, and a scope that's grown beyond what we can handle. That's why we're changing direction to play to our strengths, ensure the project survives, and we hope for your continued support.
What Does This Change Going Forward?
Straight to the point: What's already in the game won't be completely redone. Our original story vision was too ambitious and text-heavy, shaped in part by our former writer who's no longer on the team. Also, it really didn't feel like the visual novel elements and the card battle stuff went together very well. To ensure we can finish strong without delays, we're making a focused adjustment—the story will be shorter with less dialogue overall. Everything else stays the same, including the deckbuilding roguelike combat, sphere scenes, side-quests, etc.
The good news: We're pivoting to emphasize what makes the game shine—the deckbuilding roguelike dungeon loop and the sphere scenes! We'll prioritize a simpler, more realistic dungeon navigation system (inspired by Slay The Spire) that's rewarding and unpredictable, plus finishing sphere scenes and adding new side-quests.
What really changes is we're dialing back the heavy focus on a complex, linear story with tons of dialogue and aiming for better balance: Short, rewarding card battles and dungeon runs with roguelike mechanics blended with sphere scenes and side-quests, with story bits sprinkled in post-run. The story will be shorter, unfolding gradually as you progress through battles and spheres.
Oh, and new animations will roll out as the game's budget allows as well (they're quite expensive, especially now that we have one less platform to support us).
Wrapping Up
All these changes aren't set in stone and could evolve based on your feedback and the game's direction. Once we have a definitive roadmap and more details on what's coming next, we'll keep you posted in a future devlog.
These shifts are crucial so AB and I can finish the game without getting overwhelmed by a scope beyond our means, or risking burnout or bigger budget issues if we stuck to the old path.
Now more than ever, your support is key to the game's survival—so we'd really appreciate it if you could leave a review on Steam, grab a copy or just spread the word. We hope you understand, we're open to answering any questions, and we'll stay strong to bring you more and better updates. Thanks!
Nethuum