Posted June 18, 2025 by coffeedripstudios
Greeting Internet Void,
Ah, it feels like it’s been awhile since I’ve released any games and it’s good to be back on itch.io! I tried to spend some extra time laying down the foundation of this new game. I slowed down even on troublesome things like menus this time around, so I really hope that you can feel my improvement as I continue to refine my approach. There’s kind of a lot going on at a systems level that it might sound a bit crazy on paper and trying to figure out how to categorize this game is also a bit puzzling for me. However, I swear it always made perfect sense to me, it’s just trying to present it all in a cohesive manner. Thanks to all the playtesters who helped me see blind spots. I hope this end product is not too awkward to get used to as I think there’s a lot of interesting depth to explore.
This game is basically divided into two distinct gameplay phases: exploring dungeons and social simulator. The closest comparison I can think of is the Persona series, except in this game all stat growth is done during the social sim portion and dungeons are mainly there for testing your build, unlocking new ability cards and earning money. Money can be spent on raising social and combat stats, recovery items and buying gifts for companions, so it’s a bit like exp but more flexible. Release schedule is planned to be monthly, with alternating game phases, however, I won’t know if I can keep this pace until I’ve gotten a few updates under my belt. Next release will be planned for August with the first social simulator phase fully implemented. Player will have a lot of freedom for building their character stats, so expect the potential for very broken builds. Battles are intended to require strategy and reactive adaptation rather than simply superior stats so focus solely on combat stats shouldn’t be required. Enemies will continue to have a low number of set encounters as they do require some amount of attention, strategy and situational awareness.Bosses will continue to have very specific win conditions and will always be optional content.
For those of you familiar with “guideverse” for good or for bad, this is my own take and I tend to mix reverence and subversion when I explore these pre-existing troupes. I hope you will give it a try regardless. And for those of you who played the ADW games, welcome back! There’s a little bit of something special for you in this story.
Thanks as always for your patience and consideration, I hope we can have another fun journey together. I cherish the converstions around these stories, so I hope you will consider sharing your thoughts.
Best wishes and affectionately,
Jen