Howdy everyone, old friends and new! I'm the dev of "Forsaker: Dingding & Blade".
It's been a while! We've been working hard to finish this game and have accumulated some updates,
so allow me to ramble on a bit about the team's recent situation and the game's progress.
Whether the launch is delayed
Yeah... it's delayed. We naively thought we could finish it in the first half of the year... Then we were overly optimistic that it would definitely make the summer release window. But, our artist had to leave the team for about a month and a half due to some family issues, forcing the project to pause for a while. She returned in early June after handling things at home, and we resumed work. Of course, we weren't completely idle during that time. Designers optimized systems, programmers squashed bugs, and I worked on some preliminary documents for Forsaker2, outlining the story framework and writing the prologue's script, hoping we can smoothly develop the sequel.
Aside: As the half-artist still on the team during artist's absence, I did my best to draw a few story CG images. Here, take a look at one...
(Their first in-story appearance together)
Is the team stable right now?
Hmm, it's okay. It's still just us few. Though, during Xiao Y's absence, new artist Xiao Chuan kept helping us (thank you!). Currently, things are stable. We're all still functioning, no problem. The lack of animation expertise we mentioned before has also been preliminarily resolved. Our new planner, Dayi, has a decent art foundation. We "cultivated" him these past few months... and acquired a new animator! (o˘◡˘o)
About Adventure Mode & Story ModeWe
touched on this before. Forsaker series prioritizes visual novels, supported by gameplay elements. Future entries will incorporate auxiliary gameplay based on the needs of their respective stories.
For the sequel, based on our current concept, we aim to make the gameplay deeper and its integration with the narrative tighter. The first game, however, remains primarily a visual novel with light card mechanics as supplementary gameplay. As for Adventure Mode, you progress the story while fighting. The battle difficulty isn't particularly high. If you ever get truly stuck... just switch to Story Mode...
I've played some excellent pure visual novels over the last few years. Sometimes, reaching a certain point in the story, I'd want something to click or interact with. That's why we added some playable elements into our own game – so you could play a bit when tired of reading, and read a bit when tired of playing... That was the idea, anyway. The actual effect will need to be seen after launch. Hence, we also prepared Story Mode, allowing players who dislike combat to experience the full story seamlessly. Hope you'll like it.
About the "Familiar Feel" of Forsaker's Art Style
Old players of "Gemtrader Story：The Aeon Stone" might recognize our team's scent. Old Margaret has been with us for 9 years now. We've always loved our art direction, so we've maintained our team's consistent style while continuously evolving and seeking new breakthroughs on this path. Thank you all for accompanying us all these years.
The first thing Xiao Y did after returning was rush this fan celebratory birthday art. Margaret's birthday was only days away. We used to draw it every year, just never imagined it would end up being a fan art form... heh, this world can be quite interesting sometimes.
(Picture shows Margaret birthday fanart)
About the Crowdfunding situation 2 months ago
Yep, we ran a crowdfunding campaign. This is a completely new work; players haven't experienced the content yet. Unsurprisingly, not many bought physical merchandise. Most backed the game itself. Quite a few veteran Gemtrader Storyplayers came to support us too. A huge thank you to everyone who backed us – new and old players alike! Thank you! Your support lets us create better.
(Picture shows some crowdfunding merchandise)
How much longer until it's finished?
Soon... Soon enough... Almost there now...
I'm off to work... Feel free to leave us lots of messages, everyone. Remember to add the game to your wishlist! Catch ya next time I ramble...
