Realised I never made a clear post about what I'm actually doing (I keep making this mistake, dang it!)... so, fixing this!
I'm Ivy Nivek! Currently making a game called
A turn-based RPG about love, hate, laughs, tragedy... and cats!
Take the role of a brave cat in a world of creeping shadows, called Mu, and bring forth your courage to replace cruelty with empathy. Making invaluable bonds with unlikely people along the way.
Journey through the magical land of Mu as you unravel a plot by one known as "Thillin" to destroy the world from within. Restoring kindness to a world that is now in sore knead of it.
CatJam, at its core, is a game about love and friendship (and also baller ass ATB based battles actually).
Posted this on X/Twitter, but felt like it needed to be posted here as well.
This is something I have been dwelling on for a while, but I feel now is the time to release a public statement. I hope to eventually delete this once my feelings are known.
I want nothing to do with NEW OFF Fangame, and have requested its removal from the SpinOFF wiki. The audience this game has attracted does not reflect my values and it has been a struggle to see people who claim to be fans of my work act so vitriolic towards myself and others.
These fangames are supposed to be mine and other people’s passion projects, but seeing how NEW has been used to demean others has sucked the passion out of me. I feel like my game and its dispersal has limited my enjoyment of developing other projects, because people want more NEW and expect me to want that too.
I know that once something is posted to the internet that it will never truly be deleted, but I hope that removing NEW from the wiki can drive the point home that it isn’t something to hold above everything else. I want, for myself and everyone as well, to move on.
To end proceedings, I wish for both myself and everyone else to move onto greener pastures. Thank you for hearing me out.
TL;DR: AWESOME GAME ABOUT CATS AND AN ENBIE SHADOW CREATURE AND AN AWESOME SOUNDTRACK GO PLAY HERE NOW
Hi everyone!
So umm, it's been a... Year? Yeah, geez! Well, this past year (and since the release of the original CatJam demo), I've been working--on what, you may ask? Simple, more CatJam!
Sometime, after initially going public with this game, I felt an increasingly growing concern that the project, as-is, does not fit my ambitions and goals. It was frankly aimless, and lacking in direction. It's an unrealised vision. Metaphorically speaking, the puzzle pieces were there, it just needed to be arranged correctly.
So here, I announce a rebirth for CatJam! Presenting:
A story about making friends, fighting for the right to feel empathy and to bring heart to a world sorely lacking it.
Think of this as a sort of "2.0" version of the game, a new vision, with the same characters and same core. Essentially a major new iteration.
Featuring lots of cats, some queer stuff, EPIC fights and lots of drama/goofs.
Over this past year I've been working on refining my craft of writing for storytelling and creating a more compelling, emergent, immersive gameplay experience. With the wonderful help of some new hands, I've managed to reach a point where I am satisfied with making the game public again. This has always been a personal struggle and I'm happy to say by the reception of playtesters and friends alike, it was worth the pain!
For those that are used to the original "kitties are cute" release of the game, forget everything you know, throw expectations out the window. That is old news, this is today's news! Trust me, it'll be much healthier for you, don't get hung up on a flawed past...
As a sample of my new vision, I present a demo of the game, featuring about 5-ish hours of gameplay. Featuring a much more expanded story, new lore and a new game for everyone to enjoy (Eroh's sprite remains the same, however).
how fun was it to write ivius's villainous breakdown at the end of NEW df?
Seeing as Ivius had ran out of tricks and minions by the time you reach him, it feels important to make the gravity of his downfall as apparent as possible.
There's nothing more gratifying than seeing a piece of shit get their comeuppance, especially when they've got no exit in the face of justice.
Heads up, this is gonna be a MEATY post! (This is making up for all the time of I've been so quiet).
It has been… checks watch okay, over a year since the original [猫はかわいい (kitties are cute)] demo dropped, wowza! Well, I got a couple of things I wanna mention and talk about, and about the future of this project (ALL OF WHICH ARE IMPORTANT)! I've been pretty quiet on saying anything update-wise, but there's a good reason for that… But first, some context!
Now, when I started work on this, I wasn't sure about what direction to take this. I just kinda winged it and hoped for the best, but as I was writing up ideas and where to take the project in the background--the scope has been getting bigger... And the original ideas I had for the time being just weren't holding up. My ability as a writer has majorly improved throughout this (2024) year (I applied myself, tee-hee).
On top of becoming a better writer and getting a more concrete vision of where to take the game, a new musician has joined in helping with the game's soundtrack (an aspect I was woefully fearful of). Their music will be replacing the old (though there may be a track or two that will be kept from the previous composer, seeing as they're essentially... Perfect). The new sound is a lot more fitting in terms of atmosphere and energy.
Art wise, it is still handled by me, but some of the workload is being taken care of by some good, talented friends that are willing to help make this project come to fruition, they too, have been gaining a better understanding of the artstyle that fits the game best. On my end, I've been getting even better at utilising the hard work that has been handed to me and having it make the most impact.
All things considered, I've realised that with so much improvement on the side of production, the earlier parts of the game would have to reflect my new standard going forward (namely The Void and Emerland). The original story is ill-fitting and its concepts too derivative (and anything original is ill-explored) and tone is mixed.
Hence, I am happy to the Sorely Kneaded update. A total reimagining of the CatJam's vertical slice. With half a year of development already, Sorely Kneaded will aim to show my vision and standard quality for the project going forward.
This update is not an earth shattering or thoroughly exhausting endeavour in the sense of scope, rather, it's a showcase of something much closer to what the final game will be. In the update you'll find:
Remastered graphics of assets that were originally sub-par in quality.
New soundtrack and sound design, more fitting for the game's vibes and vision.
New content, more secrets, etc.
A much more balanced gameplay experience, with more interesting dungeons to navigate and more focus on narrative decisions (though the game will still only have one ending).
Greater focus on characters and their interactions, this is a character-driven game, after all. ;)
And finally, a much more fleshed out story and lore, completely abandoning the original "Hell" related plot. Frankly, even the original game barely attached itself to Christian canon, so I feel this was the right choice.
My goal with this project has always been to make a fun and genuine experience that comes from the heart. I have a vision and ideas I want to show to anyone that's interested, and I couldn't bear the idea that I'd somehow deliver it in a shoddy state.
I want to direct you all away from hell, and welcome all of you to the World of Mu, a place where magic flows like air and one only truly dies when their soul fades...
The update will drop when it's done, currently: The Void is in a near-complete state and Emerland will begin development shortly.
I will make a follow-up announcement for when it's released, beyond that--hold tight!
Potential questions:
Q: How big will this update be?
A: It will likely be bigger than the original demo, I project about 3~ish hours out of it on an average playthrough (the early parts are fairly story heavy).
Q: How will the new music fare compared to the original?
A: The new music will be rad! Er... I mean, it's gonna be AWESOM- okay no. It will service the game's atmosphere and tone much better. You'll just have to like, listen, dude.
Q: How good will the new graphics be, compared to the original?
A: It's nothing earth shattering, the art will merely be "spruced up" since I want the graphics to maintain a "soulful" look. I have a vision...
Q: Any content being removed?
A: Yes. As previously said, all the music will be getting replaced, along with the old sound effects. Story elements will be cut in favour of new ones. You may have liked some old concepts or ideas, but I promise that what's new will more than make up for that!
Q: Will the old [Kitties are Cute] save file work with Sorely Kneaded?
A: 99% sure it will not (can never be too sure), disregarding that. I put so much effort into making this new stuff, you GOTTA play it, dude!
Q: What will happen to the old demo?
A: It'll be left on the page, available for download. I think it's good to leave it archived as a way to show how far the project has come.
PS: The page will be update when the update is out.
Credits:
Director, Writer, Designer, Programmer:
Ivy Nivek
Music and Sound Design:
@witchscadence, Ivy Nivek
Art:
Guck, Split, Spoop, Ivy Nivek
Want to make developing this easier? Throw me some change:
https://ko-fi.com/ivynivek
Noticed that the stat limit for enemies in Maniacs Patch has been lifted (or at least greatly increased, you can go all the way up to like 999999 but functionally it only works up to 9999, anything beyond makes no difference).
Also these were the stats, functionally only HP can go up to like 2 billion before it starts crapping out and like I said, stats stop mattering past 9999, must be some byte related bullshit.
Noticed that the stat limit for enemies in Maniacs Patch has been lifted (or at least greatly increased, you can go all the way up to like 999999 but functionally it only works up to 9999, anything beyond makes no difference).
