Firstly, I'd like to thank everyone for taking the time to leave comments, reviews and ratings on 'Inside the box'. I have a couple of thoughts on the project.

1) Crooked's apprentice and 'The Man Who Isn't There'

When Nanoreno2024 began, I was pondering how I would follow on from 'Do you like sweets?' in a way that would help lead up to the Crooked's Man upcoming full-length game 'The Man Who Isn't There'. I didn't want to take away from the main content of that game, but I thought it'd be good to do something adjacent to it. Then it occurred to me...I could introduce 'The Man Who Isn't There' a little earlier and then people would be acquainted with him. This game links vaguely 'Do you like Sweets' to 'Bloodlines' - another Folklore series game I created... we have seen the box and there is a man who looks worryingly similar to 'the creature' already...I thought this title would serve nicely as a small linking piece between all of these projects. I also wanted to give the player the chance to see The Crooked Man again as the apprentice...and despite leaving him behind...something tells me the apprentice and Crooked will meet again before you know  it  ;)

2) Working with voice actors

When I jumped from Tyranobuilder to Renpy, I tried to do a little more to make the game screen-reader friendly - a colleague of mine at the time who was visually impaired told me he wanted to try it given that I had made the change partly for inclusivity.  He was genuinely happy and very complimentary. Then in an unrelated conversation a few weeks later,  he said to me 'I get so much auditory fatigue, I'm constantly listening to the computer's narrator all day and work and then sometimes all day when I finish. I have different voices...I just wish they sounded more real.'

That conversation had a significant impact on me. He wasn't a gamer, but I thought...it'd be fantastic if I could get the project voiced to make the experience as enjoyable as possible for people like my work colleague.

I wanted to take a different approach than I'd done with other projects... I thought about folk songs and storytelling - I grew up going to folk clubs, and I remember hearing the same songs sang by multiple different people over the years at different venues...I loved that sense of difference, each one bringing something different out in the character/song/story. Someone might sing 'From Clare to Here' with sad nostalgia, another with bitter disappointment in their voice, or another with a longing for home. All great performances...all different.

As this is about folklore and folklore characters - Rather than casting per role, I want to explore this storytelling approach. Where a smaller cast of actors perform several roles on each project and then in the next project...a different group of actors do the same thing. It will be a little unconventional, and I'm sure people will have their 'favourite' Crooked Man, but I think it will help as many voice actors as possible participate and bring their own to each character.

I couldn't have been luckier with the voice actors for this project! Maria and Manni were superb, they brought incredible performances that have received lots of praise. I cannot thank them enough for what they've done, the amount of positive comments has been heartwarming, and I'll ensure they know this post is up thanking them. :)

3) New animations and visuals

I've wanted to experiment with animations in Renpy for a long time, but I wanted to find the right kind of game and atmosphere to try my hand at them. I learnt a lot in this project and it's given me plenty of ideas for the future! I also really appreciate some of the kinetic text effects, for those who have difficulty hearing or prefer to play without sound, using such scripts really enhanced the game presentation and intent.

4) Other reflections

I have taken the time to look at some comments that had constructive feedback, regarding some low-resolution screen issues (I'll look into those) - and others stating some frustration around the shortness of the story itself. I think I have learnt a few lessons around this. It acts as a prologue of sorts for 'the man who isn't there', but is also a standalone game, I think I had a hard time trying to figure out what to call it, but I understand that it may have felt a little short. I'm also sorry for those who wanted to see more of the apprentice and Crooked's relationship! It will come in time :)

Also, I think Nanoreno2024 has some incredibly big and ambitious projects and it is amazing what indie and solo devs can develop in a month (on that note, I can't wait to play them!)  I found that for me, making anything bigger than what I did would have been too challenging - I've been recently diagnosed with chronic sciatica and nerve damage. So sitting at the computer for long periods is tough as I learn how to manage the condition (and hopefully heal!) I also learnt lots of new techniques and skills during this jam, so I didn't want to overwhelm myself. I was still happy to see that people wanted to find out more about the story :) - it's coming... soonish!

Summary

Once again, I'd like to thank everyone for playing the game! When I read comments and reviews and ratings and even see playthroughs I feel incredibly humbled. I hope the Folklore series continues to intrigue you... Take care everyone!