📢 Inquisitor Shepherd - July Devlog
Hello.
This is Narrowdeep, the developer of Inquisitor Shepherd.
In this July devlog, we would like to share the major updates from June, including the completion of the demo relaunch rebuild, Japanese voice acting production, and the resumption of Chapter 2 development.
We are also pleased to announce that Inquisitor Shepherd has been selected for the General Division of Busan Indie Connect Festival 2026, and that Narrowdeep has been selected for the 18th Smilegate Membership program.
In this devlog, we will cover the completed demo rebuild, BIC Demo Day online play, Japanese voice acting production, Chapter 2 development, a new music demo, and news about selections and event participation.
🔔 July Devlog Summary
Demo Relaunch Rebuild Completed
We have completed the demo relaunch rebuild, including additional early-game content, revisions to several puzzles, the Codex and Canon of crium collection feature, and support for Korean, English, Japanese, and Chinese.
BIC Demo Day Online Play
The completed rebuilt demo will be available to play through the BIC website during the online exhibition period.
Japanese Voice Acting Production in Progress
Japanese voice acting for the demo version is currently in production. The updated Steam demo will be released after the Japanese voice acting has been implemented.
Chapter 2 Development Resumed
Development of Chapter 2 has resumed and is progressing smoothly. However, as we are now working on sections containing major spoilers, it will become more difficult to share work-in-progress screens and illustrations.
New Music Demo
We are sharing a new music demo themed around Galverton’s apiary and travelers’ rest stop.
Selected for the BIC 2026 General Division
Inquisitor Shepherd has been selected for the General Division of Busan Indie Connect Festival 2026.
Selected for Smilegate Membership 18th Cohort
Narrowdeep has begun participating in the 18th Smilegate Membership program.
Participated in BilibiliWorld 2026
Through the Neverland Entertainment booth, we presented the Chinese-language demo and distributed promotional giveaway items to visitors.
🎮 Detailed Development Updates
1. Demo Relaunch Rebuild Completed
We have completed the demo relaunch rebuild introduced in our previous devlog.
For this rebuild, we refined the early-game flow and added new content so that players can understand the core deduction structure of Inquisitor Shepherd more quickly.
The evidence submission mechanic, which previously appeared later in the demo, can now be experienced during the opening section. We also revised several puzzles and investigation sequences.
Investigation areas now include hidden entries from the Canon of crium for players to discover. Collected entries and other worldbuilding information can be reviewed through the newly added Codex.
The rebuilt demo supports four languages: Korean, English, Japanese, and Chinese. We also tested the newly added systems and text to ensure that they display correctly in each language.
2. BIC Demo Day Online Play
The completed rebuilt demo will be available to play through the Busan Indie Connect Festival 2026 website.
July 13 (Mon) – July 31 (Fri), 2026
Download Link: https://bicfest.org/exhibition/view/1857?chk=0¶m=1
Players who have already experienced the previous demo can now explore the newly added opening content, revised puzzles, Canon of crium collection feature, and Codex system.
Although we have tested the build several times, there may still be undiscovered issues. We would greatly appreciate it if you could report any problems you encounter while playing.
The Japanese voice acting is still in production and is not included in the current rebuilt demo.
A new version of the demo will be released on Steam after the Japanese voice acting has been implemented.
3. Japanese Voice Acting Production in Progress
Japanese voice acting for the demo version is currently in production.
We recently received voice samples for the production and are now reviewing them while coordinating the finer details to find voices that match each character’s image and intended performance direction.
Since dialogue and emotional development are important parts of Inquisitor Shepherd, we are proceeding carefully so that each character’s personality, relationships, and the atmosphere of each scene can be conveyed naturally through their voices.
The completed Japanese voice acting will be implemented in the demo, and an updated version featuring the new voices will later be released on Steam.
4. Chapter 2 Development Status
Following the completion of the demo relaunch rebuild, development of Chapter 2 has resumed and is progressing smoothly.
The upcoming sections are directly connected to the truth behind the events introduced in the demo and several major plot revelations.
Many of these scenes contain visual details that could reveal future developments through backgrounds or character appearances alone. Because of this, it will be difficult for us to share work-in-progress screens or illustrations through future devlogs for the time being.
We are sorry that there will be fewer materials we can show during development, but we hope you understand that this decision is intended to preserve the experience of discovering the story for the first time in the completed game.
5. Galverton’s Apiary Music Demo
https://whyp.it/tracks/354866/b960c66f?token=CsFm6
For this devlog, we are sharing a music demo themed around Galverton’s apiary and travelers’ rest stop, a location that appears in Chapter 2.
We believe the track reflects Galverton’s character particularly well.
As this is still a demo created before its implementation in the game, the arrangement and sound may change in the future.
✨ Selections and Event Participation
- Selected for the BIC 2026 General Division
Inquisitor Shepherd has been selected for the General Division of Busan Indie Connect Festival 2026.
At this year’s BIC, we will be presenting the newly completed rebuilt demo with support for four languages through the online exhibition.
We are delighted to have the opportunity to share the results of our long-running demo rebuild with more players.
Please try the demo through the BIC website and take a look at everything that has changed.
- Selected for Smilegate Membership 18th Cohort
Narrowdeep has been selected for the 18th Smilegate Membership program and has begun participating in the program.
Through this opportunity, we hope to connect with other developers and industry professionals while receiving advice on development management, accessibility, localization, marketing, and other areas related to preparing for the full release.
We intend to use this opportunity to make the game we have built so far even more polished and stable.
- Participated in BilibiliWorld 2026
From July 10 to 12, we participated in BilibiliWorld 2026 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai through the booth of our publishing partner, Neverland Entertainment.
Visitors were able to play the Chinese-language demo of Inquisitor Shepherd, and we also distributed promotional giveaway items such as leaflets and character stickers.
It was a meaningful opportunity to introduce the game directly to players in China and present the Chinese-language version of the demo.
We look forward to continuing to meet more Chinese-speaking players together with Neverland Entertainment.
✨ Closing
June was a month in which we completed the long-running demo relaunch rebuild and returned our focus to development of the full game.
We revised the opening content and puzzles, added the Codex and Canon of crium collection feature, and completed a new demo supporting Korean, English, Japanese, and Chinese.
Going forward, we will continue developing Chapter 2 while preparing the Japanese voice acting and the updated Steam demo.
As Chapter 2 enters sections containing major spoilers, there may be fewer work-in-progress materials we can share. However, we will continue providing development updates through music, selected backgrounds, and any other materials we are able to reveal.
Thank you sincerely for your continued support.
Narrowdeep
X: https://x.com/narrowdeepgames
DISCORD: discord.gg/2r9cpBBZjg