In our previous post, we informed you that we would need more time in order to get Saint Kotar: The Yellow Mask up to the level of quality we deem satisfactory. While we cannot divulge the full details of what goes on behind the scenes, we can provide you with some reasons why the mentioned longer wait is worth it.
Let's start with the art department. The intention is for the final game to have a hefty number of locations you will be able to visit; we want this number to be high, but never achieved at the expense of quality, a goal we can more easily reach with the additional time provided. Of course, only some of these will be shown in the demo; we can't share too much, but we definitely want to pique your interest. We have already doubled down on polishing the scenes (and their resident characters) that will find themselves in the demo, and they will soon be ready. The level of detail our talented artists put into these is truly astounding, and they are making sure each of those details are precisely where they need to be to achieve absolute immersion.
We are also preparing a Saint Kotar-themed comic book! It covers part of the game's background story and will be available as part of our Kickstarter reward tiers. Set during the witch hunts of 15th century Europe, it explores the ominous reasons behind the panic that drove people to such acts.
A small excerpt from the comic book
Art assets are an important background for the equally important story. Considering it is the very foundation of our game, our scenario is still being worked on to guarantee an adventure worth your time. With our characters rounded out and their purpose set, the coming period will serve as an ideal opportunity to finalize the construction of a reasonable and compelling narrative around them, one that leaves no room for plot holes or blandness. We achieve this type of work largely through Articy Draft; a piece of software which permits creation of the game's scenario and gameplay itself, logic and puzzles included. While the demo is naturally a priority, the outline for the rest of the game is also being realized through these means to ensure the demo aligns correctly with it.
Branching dialogue creation in Articy Draft
When all of this is ready, we can complete the integration of the game into our engine of choice, Unity, which serves as a technical background for implementation of our work in Articy. Afterwards, we will be able to evaluate and review how all of its elements behave together. This is the point where your help comes into play; as mentioned, our newsletter subscribers and Discord server participants will both have the one of a kind opportunity to playtest the demo with us! If you don't want to miss out, subscribe to the game's newsletter list or join our Discord server by following this link: http://www.saintkotar.com/#blog