Hello everyone!

It's StygianEyeDev here, and I'd like to discuss some of my upcoming works for the year. Now that Sacrarium Gelus is mostly laid to rest (there may be one more patch coming its way), I've begun to focus on other projects. If you follow my tumblr, you might already know about some of the things I'll be talking about here today. If you don't, don't worry, I'm here to catch you up!

Upcoming Titles in the Sacrarium Universe

Sacrarium Universe?

The Sacrarium series has expanded into a universe of its own. Essentially, it's intended to be a setting I can pull out for jam projects! That way if an intriguing jam comes along (and I think the story would fit into Sacrarium's world), I can use this setting to tell multiple smaller stories.  These stories can take place anywhere on the Sacrarium timeline, so many different stories can be told.  

Up next, we've got another story of the living gods.

Sacrarium Pario

Another betrayal was unsurprising in your life, but you never expected the consequences to be like this.

Fill the shoes of a tired mercenary recently taken captive by the living gods of Sacarium Pario for experimentation. Can you survive long enough to escape? Will you die a horrible death? Will you fall for the twisted individuals that call this hellscape home? That's up to you.

The next game to be released will be a demo for Sacrarium Pario for Yandere Game Jam 2023, and it will feature Violo and Vivere as the polyamorous LIs to pursue (polyamory is not optional. There is only 1 romance route [a poly one]).  

The reason it will be released as a demo instead of a full game is that I slightly hurt my wrists by typing too much.  Thus, in order to avoid overtaxing my body, I am slowing down on how much I write per day. 

The demo will include the first 1/3 of the game's story and as many assets as we can finish before the end of February. The demo has been fully drafted! It's also successfully passed through the first round of playtesting. While I'm waiting on assets and not coding, I intend to continue working on the rest of the game's story in February. As edits and assets come in, I will shift focus to coding. 

Here is some of the wonderful concept art from  our artist Rian, showcasing Violo and Vivere (the LIs):

Please note that this game is far darker in tone than Sacrarium Gelus. 

The following are the trigger and content warnings for this game:

Content Warning(s):

Trigger Warning(s):

Blood, Bone, & Flesh Descriptions Gore Human Taxidermy Human Dissection and Vivisection  Weird aberrations/creations that are a mishmash of human pieces Body horror Possible Death, Dying, or Fates Worse Than Death Human Trafficking Stockholm Syndrome Dubious Consent Unhealthy/Toxic Power Dynamics

Human Trafficking (Not committed by LIs)  Kidnapping Human Experimentation  Forced Imprisonment Restraints put on MC (Including bindings on wrists and ankles + possible gag) Obsessive Behavior/Constant Attention Non-consensual, non-sexual, touching (face touching, head pats, trailing a finger down mc's arm,  grabbing mc's face and wrists, etc.) Understood threat of Verbal/Physical Harm to MC or others Drugging/Magical Methods to Knock MC Unconcious Child Abuse (mentioned verbally as part of LI backstory) Transphobia (mentioned verbally as part of LI backstory) Ableism (mentioned verbally as part of LI backstory) Depiction of seizure-like symptoms (Not MC experiencing it) Depiction of panic attack-like symptoms (Not MC experiencing it) Discussions of Chronic Health Issues PTSD-Induced Nightmares Mental Manipulation Emotional Manipulation Rough Handling of MC MC must give physical samples of bone, flesh, and blood Possible Verbal/Physical Harm to MC or others Possible Torture of MC and Others  Possible Starvation/Denied Meals Possible Choking/Suffocation of MC Possible Unwanted Ear Piercing Possible Limb Amputation and/or Eye Removal Possible Lobotomy Possible Transformation of MC into Horrific Monster Possible Vivisection of MC (Not Depicted in Detail) Possible Rapid Body Decay/Hair, Teeth, and Flesh Falling Off Possible Plants Expanding Through Body with Intention to Kill Possible Poisoning to Death Possible Death by Crushing Possible Being Awake During Vivisection (Brief) Possible Being Eaten Alive Possible Death of MC (Every "Dead" End is MC dying and most of the "Possibles" are found in those Dead Ends and nowhere else) Possible Falling in Love with Abuser/Captor Scenario (Stockholm Syndrome)

If any of the above makes you uncomfortable, you do not need to play the game to "make sure I understand other stories in the universe". 

All games in this universe are intended to be picked up regardless of whether or not you've played the rest. You do not need to play all of them to understand the story of the other games. Skipping games in this universe that do not appeal to you is a-okay! They're not meant for everybody. 

Also, Sacrarium Pario is not the only Sacrarium-related content I hope to release soon.  We've got another small story set further in the future compared to the story of the living gods.

The Woeful Rose & The Bitter Crow

A chance encounter opens the door for new relationships and new possibilities.
Step into the shoes of an older, rural priest that finds themself helping out the two new doctors in the area get their footing. Reminesce about the times that were and bond over a shared sense of duty and compassion. 

The second upcoming work for the Sacrarium universe will be an entry for OjiJam 2023! I really love jams that focus on less common LI types, so I'm very excited!

Since it's still a month out from when the jam starts, this game is still in very early development, but it will be a much less intense experience compared to Sacrarium Pario. The themes will include the pain of time passing by, missed opportunities, losing a sense of home/self, and making the best of any situation. You'll get to interact with Zahir (58) and Hisashi (60), traveling doctors that have been all across the world in their attempt to heal others.  Maybe you'll give them a safe place to finally settle, or maybe they'll drift off with the winds once their work is done.

Will it be a full game or a demo? 

I hope to release the full game within the jam period, but if push comes to shove, a demo will be released instead. This will only happen if something really chaotic happens in my real life/something bad happens with Sacrarium Pario's post-demo development. 

I hope to have both of these games completely done by the end of May, but you never know what can happen. 

Sacrarium Quartet?

I do have plans for games for Necare and Amare, but they are not a high priority right now. I want to finish the above two first before even thinking further about the next two. Their concepts exist. Character reference boards have been made. Necare's game even has a rough outline in my head. The settings have even been somewhat finalized, and that has created the biggest hurdle for those games (finding volunteer background artists. They're rare even in jams). That's it though.

Will they be releasing any time soon? 

No. There will probably be a pause in the Sacrarium universe after Sacrarium Pario and The Woeful Rose & The Bitter Crow are finished. 

Will you really return to this universe?

Of course! I just don't know when.  My IRL schedule is going to get chaotic after May, so I'm only confident about how much time I have to work on games until that chaos begins. Once I get my IRL situation settled, I'll evaluate what time I can dedicate to game development in general. I do really want to finish the quartet though, so it is going to be in the works at some point. 

Thank you!

To everyone who has downloaded Sacrarium Gelus and/or liked it enough to follow my progress, thank you. I cannot state enough how much it means to me to see Gelus enjoyed. I always want to make something that people can find entertaining, so each download, rating, and comment are heavily appreciated and adored.

To all of the wonderful people I've worked with thus far, thank you so much for putting your faith in a total unknown with no history and minimal skills. I hope that I've made that leap of faith worth it in your eyes, and it has been a pleasure to work with you. I've met so many wonderful people over the past three months. It's been amazing.

If you've read this all the way through, thank you so much. I hope you have a wonderful morning/day/afternoon/night!

- kiss (StygianEyeDev)