Seeking aid after a wreck, you stumble upon the quaint, tightly knit community of Bright Oak—some 45 years outside of your intended travel plans, and struggling with their own troubles in the wake of a mysterious catastrophe. Finding a path back to your own timeline won’t be easy. Abandoning the townspeople to their fate might be even harder.
FEATURES:
Nameable protagonist with choice of pronouns (she/he/they) and a mind of their own;
Multiple branching routes in response to significant player choices;
An ensemble of five primary characters, providing a variety of perspectives and alternate story paths;
Visual sensitivity and dyslexia-friendly gameplay options;
Failure in the game is nearly impossible—but success is far from assured!
Bright Oak is a heavily character-driven visual novel with elements of science fiction. Discover the tragic secrets behind Bright Oak’s preternatural dilemma; find friendship, or possibly love (characters are not gender-locked to pronoun choice, romance and friendship paths given equal weight); save the town and make your way home—and if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!
In the thoroughly modern era of the 1920s, one meets all sorts of characters while traveling the vaudeville circuit. Lark (gender selectable) has seen acts enough—and cons enough—to place very little stock in either magic or fairytales.
That is, until two beings straight from myth turn Lark's world topsy-turvy. Entangled in a selkie's daring heist and stuck ferrying a stolen siren prince back to sea, the question is no longer whether magic exists—but whether Lark can survive without it.
Because where magic is not a mere act, forces beyond reckoning loom in the shadows, and the monsters of old are neither phony, nor dead: rather, they are much closer—and much more dangerous!—than Lark has ever dared to imagine them.
Features:
45k Words (~3 Hours of Playtime)
2 Love Interests (One Male, One Female)
2 Individual and 1 Polyamorous Route
Pronoun Selection (she/her, he/him, they/them)
Multiple Endings
Custom Musical Soundtrack
The game is out now as a full release, included in not only MerJam but also the Otome and Josei Jams as well, each of which have a number of fantastic submissions well worth checking out!
Happy July! Given the sweltering summer so many of us have been having, this felt like a great time to dive into a MerJam project! I had the pleasure of signing on with the fantastic @skywritestudios to create something a little different from my last foray into the depths, and oh my stars, it has been such a fun ride working on this project!
I couldn't ask for better leads than Skywrite Studios' own FlowersforJoy and GreyEnwright, who assembled an absolutely incredible team: Dillaya Art (sprites) and Arghbulous (CGs) brought the two love interests to gorgeous, colorful life, while Remnantation (silhouettes) and Rananculus (backgrounds) paid stylish homage to the early animations of Lotte Reiniger. Programming and cinematography were in Kay's immensely capable hands, while Siyokoy designed and implemented the stunning intertitle-inspired UI. And of course, October's sweepingly atmospheric score sets the tone for a rollicking, fantastical adventure!
I hope that you are all keeping cool and staying well; looking forward to sharing a Bright Oak update again soon!
This summer, we’re teaming up with a group of talented indie devs encouraging you to Embrace the Unknown and find out!
Step into a curated collection of eleven unforgettable romances featuring monstrous and mysterious LIs, uncharted worlds, dark aesthetics, and more as you experience love that redefines devotion.
Find out more about these tantalizing games under the cut:
A Date With Death 2: REMNANTS by Two and a Half Studios
Congratulations, you’re dead!
A Date with Death 2: REMNANTS is the sequel to the hit chat simulator A Date with Death!
Play as newly created Grim Reaper 0213 in an Underworld hit by revolution. Spend two weeks getting to know your new teammates - 5012, your trainer, and 0204, your fellow trainee.
Create your own custom character, from appearance to pronouns, walk around your base and meet other Grim Reapers, and flirt your way to a number of good and bad endings.
Alaris by Crescence Studio
“A global crisis that only continues to escalate. A dangerous run-in with a shadowy stranger. And a mysterious word that won’t stop gnawing at you.
How does everything tie together? And what role could you possibly play in all of this?
Enter a world of magic—of Fae and Dragon.”
Andromeda Six by Wanderulust Games
Set in the distant future, you take on the role of a lost traveler. With no memory of your past, you wake up on the starship, Andromeda Six, surrounded by its crew of outcasts, each with their own vivid backstory, and one common goal.
You must try to recover the pieces of your past to uncover your true identity and purpose, while learning to survive the political turmoil overtaking the galaxy after its recent terrorist attacks.
On your journey you may end up discovering more than what you bargained for, but can you handle the truth of your past, or will it end up consuming you? Will you follow the destiny the stars have written for you, or forge a new path?
bloodlust.exe by rosesrot
You're the finest vampire hunter in Octania. That is, until you're bitten by a vampire while escaping the Vampire Overlord's hounds.
But you're not dying. No, you're turning — into a vampire, into everything you're not.
It's time for your revenge: join the weird vampire chatroom you were invited to and stake the vampire that bit you. Maybe this will grind your transformation to a halt.
... It's just your luck that they're hot.
Burn the Midnight Oil by Foxglove Games
It's the 80s. Supernaturals flock to the neon-soaked streets of North Haven, where they hide in plain sight amongst the ceaseless nightlife.
Playing as the flirtatious vampire detective Circe or the brash hellhound cop Dante, you must solve cases that threaten to unveil dangerous secrets from our protagonists' own pasts. Investigate murders and vampire conspiracies with Circe or hunt down the source of a deadly magic drug with Dante! Perhaps they might even find love, but beware— some of our love interests may be more monstrous than others.
OBSCURA by Rotten Raccoons
There's a marketplace under the mountain where anything can be bought and sold. Visitors wear masks to become faceless strangers. It's home to the unscrupulous, the outcast, and the desperate.
You're one of the desperate.
Strangers with their own secrets and ambitions can show yo uways through the market. They'll guide you to your goal, but don't trust them to have your best interests at heart.
Ookami Okami by Mushroomallow
You are Akine, a sharp-tongued former Okami (innkeeper) reborn as a bold Ookami (wolf yokai/spirit) with a dangerous talent for flirting–especially with the masked white tiger who saved you.
Enter Shimon, the stoic beauty who is utterly clueless when it comes to emotions. But perhaps, his silence is hiding something.
Your mission? Restore the inn, exorcise wayward spirits, and peel away the layers Shimon hides behind. But beware; his trust is fragile, and every choice you make could heal old wounds–or tear them open wider.
Are you ready to ring the bell and check in?
Save the Villainess by Best Laid Plans Production
Congratulations! You are now in possession of one (1) neurodivergent romance novel villainess!
Unfortunately, neither you nor she remember the bad romance novel you are trapped in… or which character wants her dead.
Guide your amnesiac villainess through mysteries, menacing manors, and (wo)men who may be trying to murder her.
Meet with five suspiciously gorgeous characters and pursue romance, revenge, or revolution.
Can you find clues, fight off foes, calm angry furniture, and escape from eldritch horrors while solving the mystery of this world?
TELLURICENE by DEADline Studios
Welcome Researcher,
An emerging species is taking root—preternatural, highly intelligent, and swiftly spreading.
Classified as the Vivus glomerorum, these new lifeforms threaten to infiltrate our resilient nation. It’s up to our bravest and brightest minds—like you—to investigate and decide: friend or foe?
You have been selected to conduct scientific studies to piece together the truth behind the V. glomerorum. In the wake of a looming TELLURICENE, you will have an intensive ten days to decide whether this new era comes to fruition or is forever halted. Your great nation thanks you for volunteering in Project Sporesight. May we endure under your guiding hand.
Under Heaven or Hell by Moonlust Games
You wake up in Hell with no memory of how you got there, and no clear way out.
To return home, you will have to survive the brutal politics of this realm and forge alliances with two dangerous devils and an enigmatic angel, each with their own secrets, and temptations that may pull you closer.
Will you escape with your soul intact, or will your path become forever tied to those who linger within the flames?Your choices will shape your fate, and perhaps, the fate of Hell itself.
In the thoroughly modern era of the 1920s, one meets all sorts of characters while traveling the vaudeville circuit. Lark (gender selectable) has seen acts enough—and cons enough—to place very little stock in either magic or fairytales.
That is, until two beings straight from myth turn Lark's world topsy-turvy. Entangled in a selkie's daring heist and stuck ferrying a stolen siren prince back to sea, the question is no longer whether magic exists—but whether Lark can survive without it.
Because where magic is not a mere act, forces beyond reckoning loom in the shadows, and the monsters of old are neither phony, nor dead: rather, they are much closer—and much more dangerous!—than Lark has ever dared to imagine them.
Features:
45k Words (~3 Hours of Playtime)
2 Love Interests (One Male, One Female)
2 Individual and 1 Polyamorous Route
Pronoun Selection (she/her, he/him, they/them)
Multiple Endings
Custom Musical Soundtrack
The game is out now as a full release, included in not only MerJam but also the Otome and Josei Jams as well, each of which have a number of fantastic submissions well worth checking out!
Happy July! Given the sweltering summer so many of us have been having, this felt like a great time to dive into a MerJam project! I had the pleasure of signing on with the fantastic @skywritestudios to create something a little different from my last foray into the depths, and oh my stars, it has been such a fun ride working on this project!
I couldn't ask for better leads than Skywrite Studios' own FlowersforJoy and GreyEnwright, who assembled an absolutely incredible team: Dillaya Art (sprites) and Arghbulous (CGs) brought the two love interests to gorgeous, colorful life, while Remnantation (silhouettes) and Rananculus (backgrounds) paid stylish homage to the early animations of Lotte Reiniger. Programming and cinematography were in Kay's immensely capable hands, while Siyokoy designed and implemented the stunning intertitle-inspired UI. And of course, October's sweepingly atmospheric score sets the tone for a rollicking, fantastical adventure!
I hope that you are all keeping cool and staying well; looking forward to sharing a Bright Oak update again soon!
When Stars Collide is now officially out in steam after a somewhat frustrating and extensive review process. If you've been waiting for the Steam release, now is your time.
If you do enjoy the game, we very much appreciate reviews over there.
Thanks to everyone for your patience - I know it was a long wait as we went back and forth with Steam over the mature content.
Nighttime is falling, and you just missed the last bus...
…but you're not the only one out here in the middle of nowhere.
A mysterious spirit appears before you, and offers you a place to stay for the night in return for your help. Though it seems he might be after a little more than just that...
💖play it here! 💖
features:
♡ 5 different endings
♡ a point and click minigame
♡ a sprite for MC (with option to toggle on/off)
Want more time with your bus stop spirit? You can find a 18+ DLC here!
A week later and lots of progress! It's all still basic, of course, but lots of new stuff!
I made and implemented a little bit of a new UI to experiment - successful that it works, less so in that I hate it, lolol. But still better than boxes!
The health HUD is too fine. I wanted to see how something with thinner filigree would look, and it could be better, for sure. The bars are... okay, but could be more legible. The toolbar on the bottom annoys me. But these are all very valuable, and I tried not to spend a whole lot of time making them since I figured they'd be replaced (maybe more than once!)
I made a new overworld sprite and character sprite for an actual NPC. Which, on that note, I also made an experimental new PC sprite. Cake is fun and I learned a lot making them, but the style just isn't vibing for me here (and, tbh, would take wayyyy too long for me to animate properly).
Additional things I've added:
Began the finite state machine for enemy behavior.
Made enemies face whatever direction they're moving (this was a surprising pain)
Implemented a waypoint system for NPCs.
Built the leveling-up system that currently includes 4 skills (Farming, foraging, crafting, and combat). It's set up to add more when I need to (and I will need to).
Added some UI screens for the Skills that update accordingly with experience and level.
Began making the skill tree system.
Made a player stats editor for testing.
Till next time!
Been watching as Rem--longtime friend and collaborator, and the artist behind most of my games!--has started delving into programming, and oh my stars it's so cool seeing this develop from the ground up!!! ✨
For Kemonomimi jam, Riversitters Studio presents...
Miraneko!
Not only did we work on Mermay, we also had a micro-demo of around 30 - 60 Minute Playtime cooking!! (Double trouble...)
"You're the Cat-Eared Garden Robber!!"
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
Natalie used to think of summer as fun in the sun, a break from college, or time to pick up a quick part-time gig.
Once upon a time, this three-month break would be her chance to take up new hobbies, hangout with her friends, or splurge with her summer job’s paycheck. However, with growing academic pressure to declare her major before the fall semester starts, Natalie finds it impossible to enjoy summer with the rest of her friends.
To make things more complicated, she just so happened to meet Sonny, a cat-eared kemonomimi, trying to find their “life’s purpose” in her compost bin. The two find solidarity in their situations as Sonny can’t go back home without a self-proclaimed destiny and Nattie wants nothing to do with finding her calling in life.
Guide Sonny and Natalie through various events and minigames and lead them to one of many fates waiting for them.
It'd mean the world to us if you'd check it out and rate it!! (And also check it out for the bigger release planned for Josei jam...)
The Time Has Come.
The Finale for When Stars Collide has released on Itch.io.
Through the distractions, the interstate move, the drama, the random attempt by my body to self-destruct, the sleepless nights, the random and intense flare ups of chronic pain....IT HAS FINALLY HAPPENED.
The finale includes Chapters 11, 12, and 13 for each character. 2 endings per character + two tragic endings lurking in there.
113,000 words of content, bringing the game up to about 670,000 words total including the bonus scenes.
This will be the last major content update for this game. It is finished.
You can find the new update over on Itch.io.
the guide is not yet updated. I haven't had time but I think most people will be fine without it by using the status metres and other features.
I do not have an ETA on the Steam release yet. It is planned still but again...time and distractions have just made it more difficult.
Thanks to everyone who supported the game during the serialisation. I appreciate you!
Too young to carry authority, and too young to be insecure about it. A glimpse of freedom, framed in a window of doubt. Sauntering up to the listening counter, easing in the cd (you break it, you buy it); picking up the disintegrating headphones (spongy, peeling), placing them gingerly over ears, and pressing the control buttons.
Play. Then skip—one, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
Track eight.
...I found it.
Because Track Eight isn’t in that record store: it is two years earlier, a passenger secretary taking musical dictation, memorizing only the things that matter in the moment: a long piano intro, the track number and preceding song—Friday I’m in Love—and my first love in the driver’s seat. Light chasing shadow across the dashboard. Aftermarket stereo system. The scent of eucalyptus and secondhand clove cigarettes and late night burrito stops. Fumbling innocence, first kisses, bruises and bandages.
Something well remembered, even after the passage of years.
It's been three and a half years since I touched on music for my second Marginalia post—then still nine months away from releasing the demo for Bright Oak, scrambling to outthink and outplan my own extreme greenness as a game dev. Now that I have the benefit of more experience—and am far more comfortable in my own process!—I think I'd like to revisit the topic.
I regard music as a crucial part of the storytelling body: if the overall narrative comprises the heart and mind—dialogue the mouth, art the eyes, and sound design the ears—then what is music, if not the nervous system? That which prompts us to share in the experience of a character's feelings: pain, pleasure, fear, hope, connection. Music is the wordless cue to feel, and a well-considered soundtrack gives a story backbone.
Music was the backbone of several first loves of mine. “First love" is a funny sort of title, because it can be applied at will across a spectrum of individuals both real and imagined, from celebrities to blorbos to friends to near-strangers. One of my own earliest childhood “crushes" was on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart—or rather, the figure I imagined was behind the music I was dutifully learning at my weekly piano lessons (spoiler: pretty well nothing like the documented historical figure, as evidenced by my rejection of Beethoven at the time as too mercurial a personality). And as I grew, I learned I could weather any social event, so long as there was a piano to befriend: I could dutifully play Gershwin and Rogers and Kenton and Rachmaninov and Mussorgsky and Debussy—but I couldn't compose.
I used to perceive that as a shortcoming. I’ve since learned that it served to whet a different skill: after all, I am intimately familiar with my own feelings, the shape and perimeters they create—figuring out how that ought to sound is merely a vocabulary to be honed over years.
And introspection has taught me well that songs are spells which carry the rare magic of time travel.
Memories are fossils encased in sensory experience: for me, near-drowning tastes like salt and fear and strawberry ice cream, escaping death and embracing the sweetness of summer and survival. And in a world where mighty quests exist in literature alone, hearing a song that meant something to me at a fixed point in time served as a save-state for that emotion, as well as a quest prompt.
The Cure. Track 8. Follows Friday I’m in Love. Tastes like late summer, and a love you know won’t work out—an earnest emotion, where failure feels like tragedy, even if it is inevitable.
It took me two years to find the right song, the right album. And to this day, I smile whenever I hear The Cure, and I remember that absurd, self-imposed quest. The one that tastes like the sun filtering through eucalyptus trees during the fleeting months of summer break, and lukewarm, oversweetened boba tea, and secondhand clove smoke, and first loves; and while I do not have the same hair-trigger sentimentality I did as a teenager first hearing it--now, now I have a story around it, which includes all those elements, and that setting, and it amounts to time travel.
That absurd, drawn-out process is a cornerstone shaping how I think of songs in storytelling. It's one piece of many--for example, learning that while I loathe Shostakovich in recordings, I also cry listening to Shostakovich's work live--but the practical application and experience of music is one that guides me.
I am myself, of course, An Old Elder Fae, and will show my years in stating this, but: I believe music being more effortless to find makes people more inclined to second-guess their own connection to it--the mechanization / sterilization of the human experience can sometimes make us feel so terribly alone and disconnected, when the reality is, a ten year old can definitely still harbor a (awfully misguided) crush on Mozart; bad songs can still carry good memories by association; and however annoying it may be when the mix tape or cd you were given has a flaw or scratch in the recording, it can transform into part of the music--and the clean version becomes apostasy.
I think I kept my core values intact when it came to commissioning tracks for Bright Oak; I believe what the intervening years have taught me is how I want implement music in my games as an active aspect of the storytelling, rather than treating it as a sort of omnipresent, passive wallpaper. Because in life, it isn't. In the same way that scent can transport us back to a childhood memory, specific songs, and even musical genres, can immediately form a channel taking us back years, even decades.
And thanks to those bittersweet, fondly remembered, inevitably doomed first loves of mine--I've learned to actively think about how music informs my personal storytelling. Just as I furiously memorized the mood, the instrumentation, the context, and the follow-up to Trust, game music is most impactful in context.
Because soundtracks tell the story as much as backgrounds or character sprites do, and deserve equal consideration.
Music has memory association, and by extension, it is full to the brim of stories.
That ill-advised kiss under a supposedly haunted bridge, the one that lead to calamity? Will always sound like Miles Davis, at his most plaintive.
The first time playing hooky on a field trip because a friend could drive, stopping to get coffee during school hours? Will always sound like New Order. Rebellious, a generation older; safe-rebellious.
High school prom, college road trips, interstate moves, traumas, joys, COVID--all of them have distinct soundscapes and fingerprints for me.
Let us take up space in our soundtracks, be it as devs or as listeners; let us get personal. Let's be specific and considerate in how our stories sound: let's cultivate our moods, and also cultivate where there is silence.
It doesn't require being able to read music to recognize the emotional language of mood and memory which music commands and speaks with fluency. And harnessing my understanding of it has reshaped and enriched how I think of game dev.
Because Sound needs a medium to travel: and one of the best conductors I've found is storytelling.
Special Edition - 2026 Amare Games Festival Bulletin
Welcome to the Amare Games Festival Bulletin! 🎉
This special edition of the Amare Bulletin is dedicated to Amare Games Festival, highlighting all the incredible games submitted during the event!
With 68 total entries, this year’s festival showcases a vibrant and diverse range of Amare experiences, including:
✨ Fully released games – complete experiences across fantasy, slice-of-life and more
✨ On-going & episodic projects – including visual novels and interactive fiction still unfolding
✨ Updates & expansions – new content for existing favourites
✨ Demos & prototypes – early looks at upcoming indie titles
This bulletin is a free download, so take your time exploring! Be sure to check out the games, support developers by playing and rating their work, and dive into everything the Amare community has created this festival. 💖
~ The Amare Bulletin Team
A special edition showcasing all the recent releases and updates from Amare Games Festival from the 2026 event!
I was thrilled to be able to join this year's Amare Games Fest with Other Spheres! The inclusivity of the tag is such a gift and resonates a lot with my own interests in both the sort of games I want to create, and the games I want to play. And as such, it has also led me to discover a number of other remarkable games I'd like to call out as personal recommendations (a handful of my favorites from SWAK among them!)
To list just a handful of my own recommendations from the Amare Games Fest submissions:
The Ships of Men: I know I reblogged this game a few weeks back, but it truly is one of the most powerful, unique, gorgeous tales I've encountered in this medium--and it is my earnest wish for it to get all the love
20 and Some Change: Few other stories I've read--let alone played in games--capture the magic of the every day better than this stunning little slice-of-life gem; it is beautiful, bittersweet, and relatable in ways I don't have words for
Demise of a Blue Rose: Feels like a beguiling, tragic fever dream the kind of dream you have after consuming, er, "dubious bread" The art is exquisite, the concept one-of-a-kind, and the writing is engaging and evocative
With Her and the Sky: With every scene, it was more and more clear that this is the start of something truly, truly special. I'm really looking forward to the next update, and seeing both the story and art grow into the footprint they've started with!
Thy Lyin' Eyes Be Damned: One of my faves from the SWAK jam as well, this [censored]ing charming game has a sweary, angry cat girl (unstoppable force) run up against a stoic and unexpectedly bulky cleric (unmoveable object). Add in one sugar goblin (and his eldritch horror pet, and his scary-slash-attractive parents), and--hijinks ensue
The Prince is a 10, But...: In addition to featuring two of my own absolute favorite voice actors to work with, this game had me cackling with a hilarious concept backed with a tremendous amount of heart (and to make this a twofer, another game I'd recommend with searing wit and stellar VA work is Love is Trauma; to make it a threefer[?] I'd also throw in My Wish to You, a lovely, often cheeky stat-raiser, also with unexpected heart to ground the silliness)
It Starts with a Summon: Another of my personal favorites from the SWAK jam, and an incredibly polished exemplar of tropes done quite well. The voice work really shines here, and while everyone is great, I also want to call out the wonderful Kyle Remund, who also occasionally streams under the moniker OliverOwlbear. His participation in the Q&A stream with MisterShins (VOD still in process) was a delight, and since he's on my own list of VAs I'd like to work with in the future, I'm shouting him out for other devs, too.
I'm still working my way through entries, so this is absolutely a WIP rec list, but I wanted to call out what I've seen so far (and include studio tags in the comments when I know 'em). ❤️ Have fun--and please let me know if there are others I've missed and should play next!
TSOM FOR THE AMARE GAMES FESTIVAL 2026! ദ്ദി(｡•̀ ,<)~✩‧₊
Growing up in a small seaside town, in the face of external danger.
Hello hello! TSOM is coming to the Amare Games Festival 2026 edition!
The Festival is a wonderful opportunity to discover new Amare games and enjoy new experiences in the VN community! <3 I hope that all of you will take your time to check out all the wonderful entries, yes? ദ്ദി(｡•̀ ,<)~✩‧₊
Now, onto my update:
Welcome to The Ships of Men update 1.2.4.
This version of TSOM includes several new features. I will go over all of them in this post, in categories!
ºCharacter Creator Updates:
Four new hairstyles are now available for masc and fem frames. The hairstyles are the following, and have 7 color variations each:
-Afro-textured braided hairstyle with moon-shaped tika.
-Straight, decorative style with soft pink ribbon
-Bridal Hairstyle, the 100+ Download fem milestone reward.
-Pagri style, the 100+ Download masc milestone reward.
Three new outfits, available for masc and fem frames. The outfits are the following:
-Teal and soft pink dhoti + pallu, accompanied by pearl jewelry.
-Shiny Bridal wave sari and Bridal wave kurta (for fem frames)
-Shiny Bridal wave sari and Bridal wave kurta (for masc frames)
Mehndi extra accessory in three colors, available for masc and fem frames
ºUI UPDATES:
-The buttons of the UI have been tweaked for better readability. The colors of the buttons when hovered over and idle have been changed to a darker color, for improved contrast against the white background of the menu page.
-The ability to change the game font to an easy to read, more accessible font from the Preferences menu. Now you will be able to choose between two fonts for the game's text: The regular AndreaTyped bold, or the new option, a SansSerif font, Liberation Sans.
ºNEW FUNCTIONS:
-The game now has a Gallery page. It has a simple and easy to interpret design, so that you can revisit all the CGs you have unlocked and see how many more you have left to unlock.
ºDialogue Revisions:
The dialogue and plot of the game have undergone a major revision to improve tone, readability, and continuity/consistency. Some inquires have been answered, new information and details have been included, and the relationship between MC and Vihaan has been tweaked to reflect the respective maturity of their age and their characters in the first moments of the game.
A couple new scenes have been written into the game as well, mainly regarding your friend Charvi. You'll find the relationships MC has with their peers much more organic than before, I believe.
In addition to that, this is a very small change, but your character's name tag will now read your chosen, typed-in name, instead of just 'You'.
And with that, we reach the end of the February update. Thank you all for your support and appreciation <3 Happy gaming!
The Amare Games Festival is currently running on Itch.io!
I've had The Ships of Men on my to-play list for a couple weeks now, and finally had an evening free to start it--and oh my stars oh my stars, this is handily one of the most gorgeous games I've ever played, as well as having one of the most original, detailed, and richly-thought out settings I've encountered in a visual novel! The character creator, the South Indian influence, the overall design...the fact that somehow this is all the work of one dev?? I'm only perhaps a third of the way through, and already completely in love with the story and characters--highly recommend picking this one up! ✨
Hello, friends! After one of the world's most excruciatingly protracted out-of-state moves (seriously, it's taken over two years!), I'm extremely happy to report I now have an actual study and a real desk again! ✨ Other Spheres proved a very fruitful maiden voyage, and now--
Now, it's time to finish Bright Oak, for real.
Refocusing on my massive and unwieldy passion project two and a half years after initially releasing the demo, I have to admit, there is--quite a lot I would like to revisit before re-releasing the demo with voicing. Way back in 2023, baby Butterfly Rocket didn't know what they didn't know, and after working with so many skilled and talented individuals on Burdock, Tell It Slant, If One Goes Astray, and now Other Spheres, I can better see where there's room for improvement. ❤️ I'm a strong believer in the saying, Perfection is the enemy of Good (and by extent, finished)--but I also want to keep growing and improving with each step forward, and both my standards and (hopefully!) my skills have advanced quite a bit from where they were set back in 2023.
Bright Oak has been my heartwood project for many years now: I'm determined to see it through while also giving it its due. And now that I have (quite literally) space to focus for more than a jam-length sprint, I can see the path to getting this finished with greater clarity and urgency than ever before.❤️ And so: you can expect the Irregular Monday Updates to start being more regular going forward!
To that end, here's the current Progress Report:
Initial Replay of Demo Notes: Jotting down initial impressions of what could use revisiting; editing some transitions; notes on audio cues (and also the audio balance, my stars)
Redesign of Main Menu: Not reinventing the wheel, but crafting something a little less out-of-the-box Ren'py; utilizing the actual game logo for title screen, tinkering on the color-sepia transition timing and design
To Do List (week+):
Finalize new Main Menu design, speak with programmer
Review music cues, edit as necessary;
Prep list of exact audio balancing needs for audio engineer;
Finish take selection on voice acting (pending final lines from John/MisterShins, who needs to build his booth now that we have a space for it);
Clean up transitions especially on the boundary segments;
Clean-up edits to opening sequence, etc (will keep this minor);
To Do List (month+):
Re-release demo once edits are in place, menu refreshed, audio is rebalanced, and voice acting is implemented!
Continue coding Act II
Paint and implement missing Forster backgrounds
Line and paint missing Jasper-route backgrounds
Contact VAs to start scheduling resumption of recording
To Do List (year+):
(if applicable) Prep for a small crowdfunding campaign (TBD)
(if applicable) Commission necessary art for funding rewards (might do these anyway just as fun merch)
Finish and release the whole game!
Thank you all again (and again, and again, and again) for your patience these last couple years! ❤️ It's been hectic and uncertain for so long, but now that I'm finally settled and no longer betwixt and between homes, it feels like I can chart the course going forward with renewed confidence and focus.
All the best, and wishing you a warm and wonderful February!
My lovely partner MisterShins will be streaming Other Spheres TONIGHT, February 7th, at 10pm Pacific--along with interviewing our dev team!
MisterShins' streams are always a good time, and I'm delighted he's decided to run streams for the Sealed with a Kiss jam after playing through Spooktober entries these last few Octobers. The interview segment will be a little split this time to better accommodate the team's respective time zones, but it should be lots of fun--I'd love to see you there!
