itch.io

Hey Crockmonster, Zak here!

We’re really happy to hear you’re enjoying the game!

Regarding the slow burn, I think I get what you mean. I struggle a bit with the specific terms to describe what we’re trying to achieve because I’ve never been much of a "tags" person (dammit, now I actually need them xD). But in short: I like making players "fight" for things—whether it’s the story, secret scenes, romance, or even the sexual content. When I describe it as a slow burn, I mean it in that sense: it can take a while because that’s the kind of story I personally love to read and tell. 

But it's also because I want a game and a story where the emotional connection to the story and characters is at its core. That being said, I do have NSFW content planned and there will be some characters that are "easier" to reach sexual content with than others. However, I try to be honest and say that this isn't the main focus of Trueclash. Which I realize might be a bummer for those looking for an experience more focused on that side of things. :\

I also understand your point about things moving fast with some characters. There are a few factors at play here. I often hear people telling me stories like "I met this person two days ago, but it feels like I’ve known them for years." Why does that happen? I can’t say for certain because there are so many different reasons why that happens.
For example, for that specific scene you mentioned to happen (with Diego), you already had to do something to impress him. There are several ways, but the clearest is having broken through his initial barrier, helped Harry and even the training itself. To him, these carry emotional weight and aren't easy to pull off. One could argue that he’s known people for years who wouldn’t do that for him. And that can make a hell of a difference and change things up.

About the sex stopping right before it happens... damn, I can see why that can be frustrating. In fact, I think one of the dialogue options reflects exactly that. Letting you show your annoyance because it’s not exactly fair to deal with that! I always try to think about what different people would want to say, though I have my limitations since everything has to be programmed. :P But yeah, I totally feel you on that.

Regarding the mini-game... I’ll admit, some people love it and some think it should be different. About having visual aids to help you choose a stance, I agree I could improve the clarity there. However, I’d need some help with that right now. I have so much on my plate and I’m not sure if I have the budget yet, as I’m currently looking for people to help with art, new character development, and upscaling/remaking what we have without losing the essence of the art you're used to. I’d also love to find a developer/programmer to help me polish the mini-game itself. My dream is for it to feel like a "game within the game," but I have to be realistic and admit I can't develop two games at once on my own.

To help you with the mini-game for now: imagine you’re playing against a real person. The AI remembers which stances you’ve used and tries to adapt to your patterns. You can actually bait the AI! (which will be more important on the next combat update)

Both the AI and the mini-game have been improved in version 0.7 for the season’s final fight (releasing on Patreon in about 2 weeks). I’d love to get your thoughts again once you’ve played the stadium combat.

As for the audio/visual cues, I got you. The training sessions so far do lack clear visual effects. In v0.7, during the stadium fight, there’s a much stronger visual presence for both your chosen stance and the opponent’s. I’ll wait for you to play that to see if it helps.

And about the characters—it’s definitely our intention to make them feel unique and represent different body types. Twinks and bulls exist, but there is a lot of "in-between" ;)

Thanks for being here!

Hey! Zak here.

To be honest, I don’t even know how to respond to this, other than saying it was truly wonderful to read. Thank you so much for your kind words.

I honestly delight in reading this kind of message because I can truly feel and see your experience with the game. I love seeing what you enjoyed, what moved you and sometimes even things we could improve on. It’s super interesting to see how different people share similar experiences but in their own unique way, whether it's their opinions, their tastes, or the characters that catch their eye the most.

I won't be able to reply to every single point, but I know you’re on our Patreon and I really encourage you to write about the characters there, especially after a new release. The community loves talking about that.

As for your experience playing... Dammit... once again, thank you for sharing that and for your kind words... They mean the world to me.

I truly hope our game continues to be a positive influence and a source of energy and motivation for you and for many others. On our end, we’re going to keep doing our best to make sure it stays that way.

Once again, Thank you.

Hey Aquel!

I’m sorry to hear that; it’s definitely frustrating...

It might be a Google Drive issue. Do me a favor: try again (it seems to be working now). If it still doesn't work, send me a DM on Patreon and I'll try to create a special link just for you.

This was translated; I hope the meaning is what I actually intended.

目前还没有中文版。我们确实考虑过增加翻译，但由于团队规模较小，目前还没能开展这项工作

Hey Theclassyhobo!

I’m glad the characters can move you like that. That’s one of our main goals. To make you feel and connect with the characters and the story itself.

And I get the whole throwing a pillow at his face thing… And of course, I understand it would definitely be done with affection, not out of anger at him… well… you know.

(and thank you so much for your words)

Hey BICCAC!
Don’t worry about that. I understand the attachment you have to Diego’s current design, or any other character’s, really.
If the art style adapts to the style of artists who join us, or if Diego ever gets an update, we’ll have to keep his style, personality, and overall look intact. His essence, so to say. And it would have to be approved by our patreons as well, so I think you should be safe :P

About the CGs… well… >.<
Let’s just say I’ve been updating some of the older ones already… Maybe in the next patch, the first image you see of him won’t be the same… But hey! You can see it as extra images for Diego! :D
(But  it might be a good idea to save those available now if you want to keep them :P)

Hey, Zak here!

I’m really happy to hear you’re enjoying Trueclash that much heheh.

Regarding Adrian, I think it really comes down to personal taste, and we’re in a safe space here to explore that kind of thing (gaming). As long as you don’t end up dating someone like him in real life, I think you’ll be fine xDD

I think games can be healthy both as a way to tell a story and as a space to explore riskier dynamics that wouldn’t necessarily be good to live out in real life. So I totally get why you might feel attracted to Adrian. He’s challenging, among many other traits he has.

As for whether he’ll become a main romance, you probably already have some insight if you’ve explored everything with him and paid attention to what he says and does when you side with him. To avoid spoilers, I won’t go much further than that, especially since some of the things I have planned could still change.

I’ve also been talking with Patreons about branching and choices, and they’ve helped put me at ease and even gave me some ideas. For now, my mindset is this:
If something feels cool and meaningful to explore, I’ll try to implement it. If I can’t because it would require too many changes, I’ll keep the idea and maybe come back to it later, allowing that option to exist and develop further.

A quick example related to Adrian: you can help him early on, and that leads to an ending if you do exactly what he wants. But if one day I have more manpower or feel like expanding what’s already there, I could come back and turn that ending into a different continuation instead. You get the idea?

And about the dynamics of the new team, for now yes, the maximum would be four team members. But since the game is still in development, that can always change ;)

Ok, this is a minor bug.

Usually, when you encounter errors that say “ignore,” you can safely click it.

Basically, because the game supports playing as either a male or female character, there are some functions that transform words or expressions, and they are case-sensitive. In this case, I wrote the expression as He_she instead of he_she xDDD

I’ve already fixed it in the newer versions, so in the next silent update this should be fine 😛

(and thank you)

No need to apologize, you’ve already been a huge help heheh.

In that stadium section, you can actually talk to both Diego and Harry one on one. There is a way to do that.

And yes, there are some timed events in the game. Things that “disappear” if you go do something else in the meantime. The wander around option is only available there as soon as you arrive at the stadium at that point Lucas is still within reach to be saved and if you do anything else then... well... he dies... Not really but you get what I mean xD

Ahh the mini game! It’s actually not total randomness. They do adapt to what you do. For example, if you keep spamming one stance, they are supposed to adapt to it and counter it. That system is more refined for the actual fight, with actives and passives, but it’s not available yet.

Ahhh! And it’s in the stadium section! For some reason I thought it was at the start of the game. Most of what you described is actually supposed to happen — except for you going to talk to Matt and getting the same conversations on a loop xDDDD.

Okay, I think I found what was going on and I released a silent update (you can download the game again). I tested it and it’s working properly now, but you’ll need to replay Matt’s part.

That initial stadium section (version 0.5) is what I call the exploration part, meaning there are a lot of variables that change scenes in different ways depending on the choices you make. When you explore and then get sent automatically to Matt, you kind of end up skipping some keys (basically the game doesn’t remember you already went to Matt). That was a coding mistake on my end. It should be fixed now (I just hope I didn’t accidentally break anything else).

And thank you so, so much.

Hey BDM!

Of course I remember you, heheh. You’ve really been around almost since day one and I'm glad to see you are still with us ^^.

About Discord, for now we’re not planning to create one. I’ve got a lot on my plate, and I’m even thinking of making a post to look for someone else to join us and help me with a few things.

So yeah, long story short — no Discord for now.

Hey Ni_Fi,

That error you’re describing is definitely strange, because when you choose “wander around”, you’re not supposed to be sent to Matt automatically — it should take you to the choice menu where you decide where to go next.

I’ve never used the itch.io app myself, so it could indeed be related to that.

Hey Kendys!

Honestly? I have no idea xD
I’m really trying to go into detail with the game and avoid ending up with a rushed product. So if we’re talking about the full game, I’d say it’ll probably still take a few years.

That said, if we’re talking about sagas (sets of episodes), I believe the Matt vs Diego saga is getting close to its end. I think it should be finished within about 3 months (I say think because it always takes longer than I expect).

After that, a new phase begins — the Beach Saga, which was voted for by the Patreons 😉

Hey Lehyan!

In version 0.5 there was a slight change to his sprite, but it was mostly just a sharpening of the artwork so I could zoom in and play with the camera without it becoming completely blurry. But even slight modifications like that can change how the sprite looks.

The reason we shapened his sprite if he, Diego, and drunk Harry were some of the very first sprites I ever made. Back then, I simply didn’t know better, and they’re starting to feel a bit out of sync with the newer sprites I’ve been making over time. You can tell they’re a bit lower in quality compared to the newer ones, specially ones that I haven't shown you guys yet.

That said, I totally understand what you mean. Even small changes are noticeable, and when we like a character, we really notice them.

To be 100% honest, I might suggest a full sprite update for him on Patreon at some point but that would only come to be:

1. The vast majority of people like it

2. It keeps his essence, or even improves it

3. It fits well with the current art style of the game

So yeah, we’ll see. It’s definitely not a high priority right now. At the moment I need to focus on creating enough content for the 0.7 patch itself, then work on the logs (the in-game system that helps you track what content you’ve unlocked), and only then think about visual updates.

A lot of things to do in a little under a month xDD

Still, I’m really glad you’re enjoying the game, and I hope you like the UI changes coming in 0.6 as well — I personally love them, but I might be biased hehehe.

Hey BlackFenrir!

About Lucas. I get you. And people are really liking him as well heheh.

As for the team dynamic itself, I can tell you that I have things planned for that in Season 2. I’m dividing the game into seasons and chapters, with each season containing multiple chapters.

Season 1 is Diego vs Matt (the one currently happening), and Season 2 will be the beach season (voted by the Patreons).

Coming back to your question — yes, I do have plans in that direction for Season 2, but I’m still thinking through some details. Since I’m basically a solo developer, everything takes time, and sometimes allowing extra decisions means taking time away from developing other things.

Just to give you a quick example: I love how Lucas’ scene works in the stadium, but for every scene I have to be careful about adding or removing him depending on whether he’s accompanying you or not. And later on, if he’s introduced again, I’d need multiple versions — one if he’s already on the team, one if he’s not on the team but you helped him, or one if he doesn’t even know you yet :P

I genuinely love doing this kind of branching, but it takes time. Because of that, when it comes to the team, I basically have two options:

Either I give you conditional freedom — meaning you can decide certain things but within limits — or, for now, while I’m still developing and writing everything on my own, I make some decisions that don’t fully depend on the player.

Anyway, I’m rambling now. In short, and without giving spoilers: yes, there is a possibility for that to happen in Season 2 — both Diego and Harry joining the team or you leaving it to join them. Whether it actually happens, whether you get to choose, or whether fate decides for you… you’ll have to wait and see :P

(But I can tell you it’s already planned — it just needs a bit more polishing.)

We get what you mean! A full walkthrough would indeed be a lot of work 😅

That said, we’re actually working on adding something similar to the game itself — a memory log system.

The idea is to help players keep track of important information: details about the characters, knowledge you’ve unlocked, hints about what you might be missing, gallery progress, etc. Kind of like an in-game record of your journey, so you don’t feel lost but still get to explore and discover things naturally.

It’s something that’s quite challenging to implement because of its complexity, but what we’ve been working on so far feels like a really good start, we'll see where that goes hehe.

Ahhh, no! The post says it comes out on the 24th, holliday day. Consider it a gift from us hehehe.

On that day we'll update the links and make a new post :)

Hey Kelvin! Zak here

Ahh, so Diego makes you nervous. I see Matt isn't the only one who gets nervous around him <.< (joking)

About the NSFW, let me try to be as honest and clear as possible to manage expectations well.

My biggest passion is writing belivable characters that feel alive at the same time that make you feel something. In real life there's sex and NSFW scenes, so those are also planned for TrueClash. But when? Honestly, I don't expect that to appear before Season 2 at the beach (after the Diego vs Matt conflict) because only then will more daring characters be introduced in that sense and things may have matured enough with the current cast by then. But I should highlight that explicit NSFW won't be the focus of TrueClash. They will exist and I want to do them fun and exciting but it won't be the focus of the game.

Now about your specific question, I'm planning to make sexual or making out scenes more interactive. So I believe the vast majority of characters will be versatile so everyone can be satisfied.

About branching, a topic that also gives me a lot to think about heheh. I have ideas to control the branching — ideas that allow me to give you freedom to do things like decide who's on your team. In that aspect it won't be a problem. But of course even small changes add work. I don't think you're a patron, but basically in the version they have access to and that's coming out this week for the public, I had to make scene variations depending on whether you managed or did something earlier or not. So all the scenes change with the 'presence' of that previous decision of yours (I'm trying to speak in code words to avoid spoilers xD). It's more work yes, but it's also something I enjoy doing and I think it adds shine to the game. But yeah, I have to be careful with branching so I don't get myself into a mess that'll be hard to get out of xDD

And yes, I've been trying to take time for myself, to rest and do other things. I confess it's hard and sometimes I fail, but I'm doing much better in that aspect xDDD

I really love doing this but I understand what you're saying. I have to be careful not to burn out and end up not enjoying it or not wanting to do it anymore. It has to be something enjoyable in the long run ^^

Thank you for the kind words and I hope you like what's coming!

Hey CaptainMal888 ! Zak here.

With that "game rocks" comment I was tempted to reply with an image of a character but it's still in the making and hasn't even been revealed to patrons yet, so I'll hold back xD.

I'm glad you like the game, I hope it keeps on rocking ^^

Hey exusiai777! Zak here.

I'm really happy you're enjoying it. 

And yes, I try to take my time and care of myself, but sometimes it's hard because I just want to be around this!
But I'm managing to take some days for myself, part of the reason I'm only replying now :P

I hope you like what's coming, it's an impactful patch xDD

Hey DuskyMane, Zak here!

I'm glad you're loving the game hehehe.
I know why this is happening, and the fact that you sent me the error itself helps immensely. Because there are so many variables and little things that something always slips past me.

It's an idle animation (them breathing and such) that no longer exists (I gave them an upgrade and this one slipped past me). I already fixed them, but apparently it was a fix in version 0.5 and not in this one... I really thought I had also fixed it in version 0.4 at the time but no... Sorry... The fact that I have multiple versions sometimes means it gets fixed in one and not in another.

But it's a minor bug. You can press ignore and the game should run perfectly, Matt just won't have his idle animation.

Thank you for spotting this one out, I already checked and it's fixed in 0.5. 
Hope you keep enjoying our game. Anything you want to share with us, feel free to do so ^^

Hey XVGuil!

I can give you a tip on that one :P
Let's just say he is a fighter for Mafalda's team. That girl you can meet up in the bar ;)

(also make sure you are playing version 0.4, released last tuesday for non patreons)

Hey guys ! We just updated the link again. 
These will be the last keys, hope you get to join us ^^

PS. I didn't noticed we were already in the patreon keys post :P. 

If you downloaded the game from patreon, then yes. You've played the last version so far - more coming tomorrow for tier 3 patreons.

Hey KayJay, Jack here!

We are really glad you are enjoying Trueclash heheh!

The free version ends where you said, at the end of the night with Matt, Diego, or Harry.
The version coming out tomorrow for free players doesn’t go much further than that, since it’s basically an expansion of that same night. You’ll be able to meet Joel (the redhead), spend more time with Diego (up until now he was the only one you couldn’t really get too involved with), and start the next day — where you’ll get to do a bit more customization of your character, especially regarding their backstory.

That said, at the same time as version 0.4 releases for everyone tomorrow, version 0.5 will release for Tier 3 patrons. That one expands the game to the stadium, where you can meet a new character (Lucas) and talk to Matt, Diego, and Harry again. Let’s just say it’s more of an exploration update, where your past choices and the ones you make in the stadium really matter and change some outcomes. There’s also quite an impactful moment waiting there, though I won’t spoil what’s coming. Neither if it is a good or bad impactful one ;)

If you’re eager to play and don’t want to wait for tomorrow’s free version, last week we gave out Patreon keys. There should still be some left (check the post). If you grab one, you can already play tomorrow’s free version right now ;)

The first batch of keys ran out faster than I expected 😅
I’ve just added a second one - anyone who couldn't get one feel free to try again.

I hope you all enjoy it! 🎉
Anyone who grabs a sub can already play version 0.4 through our Patreon instead of waiting for Tuesday 😉

You will like what's about to come then :P

Hey BMD99! Zak here!

So glad you're enjoying it so much! I'm really excited to see your reaction to the public version coming out next week, but I'm especially looking forward to seeing the reaction to the Patreon version because that one's gonna hit different xDDD

And about the slow burn, I completely agree! It makes the relationship feel way more rewarding in my opinion ;)

Thanks for the continued support! 🙏

I'd actually love to see fanart of the game hehehe. That would be a real source of pride! :P

But I totally get what you're saying. But I'm not gonna rush it. When we get to that stage, I'll actually take a step back and think very carefully about how to structure it properly ;)

Hey! Zak here!

Being 100% honest about the NSFW side of things — I’m planning to start introducing that kind of content in Saga 2 (the beach arc), which was actually the most voted setting by our Patreons.
So yeah, it won’t appear before the whole Matt vs Diego storyline wraps up.

I should also emphasize that NSFW content won’t be the main focus of Trueclash. The real core will always be the story, the romance, the characters and the player’s choices.

That said, it’s still something I want to explore. Especially because I’ve already had some ideas that could serve both the narrative and the emotional tone of those moments.
Ideally, I’d love to make them feel a bit more interactive. Almost like a mini-game, where the player can choose what to say or do instead of it just being a static erotic CG with a few lines of text.

I’m also currently waiting for a response from an NSFW artist who told me they’d need about a month before being able to start working with us — so let’s see how that goes!

Hey Nulkitaro, Zak here.

You can already play the game, or at least its public version for free. But if you’re referring to the full release, I can’t really say. I do want to get to that point, but I still feel like I’m quite far from it heheh.

And thank you so much for the kind words ^^

Haha, yeah — seems like a lot of people are gaining interest on Joel, heheh.
And I’m glad he’s… um… your “type on paper,” xDDD
Of course, you want to learn more about Diego — seeing him shirtless is just part of the process, right? 😏

Ahh yes! You definitely get to see a very different side of Matt there. That was one of the main goals of that ending, hehe.

And yeah, it’s definitely hard sometimes. Back when I was writing the beer pong sequence, it was honestly melting my brain — I was exhausted for days after finishing it. These days, though, I’ve found better methods to manage all the keys, so it’s not as chaotic anymore (thankfully).

That moment you mentioned with Diego — getting closer to him through the tattoo talk with Matt — that’s exactly the kind of feeling I wanted players to have.
Seeing how small choices can subtly shift relationships and unlock different moments. I obviously can’t predict or code every single possibility, but I still love sprinkling in those little variations whenever I can.

I actually noted down the names of those games you mentioned — Virtue’s Last Reward and 13 Sentinels. I’ll definitely check them out; maybe they’ll give me a clearer idea of how to structure the memory log in the future.

And about the darker moments, I completely agree with you. I never want to force drama just for the sake of it. I prefer when things happen naturally, making sense with each character’s personality and emotional logic. There’s always a “why” behind every decision, not just a narrative twist.

I genuinely love talking about all this, it’s a real passion of mine (or, like you said, maybe I’m just really good at faking it 😈).

Thank you again for taking the time to share all this. And seriously, if anything else comes to mind, don’t hesitate to tell me!

Hey! You can totally steal my intro anytime, heheh.

And please, don’t ever hesitate to send messages like this.  I genuinely love reading them. Feedback like yours helps me see both what’s working well and what still needs improvement.

Ahh, Diego and Matt, huh? Hehehe. In the version that’s coming out for free soon (around three weeks from now), you’ll actually get the chance to deepen the night with Diego even more.
Matt, on the other hand, gets a conversation with Mafalda that shows a new side of him. That upcoming free patch mainly expands on existing content while the one I’m working on right now pushes the story forward in a big way.

About unlocking visuals, I totally get what you mean. A lot of people have mentioned that too. There’s a lot of variation, and the fact that I use so many Echoes definitely makes it tricky to unlock everything.
To help with that, we’re currently working on a Memory Log system. Our GUI artist is first finishing some of the more standard elements — like improving dialogue boxes and building a new in-game menu (based on an idea we came up with). The log will be part of that menu.

And yeah, I know what you mean by “branching scenario trees.” Trueclash actually tracks your decisions in two main ways.
One is through branching paths. For example, at the end of the night you can choose to go home with Harry, Diego, or Matt (and in version 0.4, Joel joins that list too 👀).
But the other is scene transformation and adaptation. You can already see that during the beer-pong section but in the current version I’m writing (0.5), I’ve taken it even further. Scenes dynamically change depending on your past choices: characters say different things or react differently.
It’s not exactly a new branch; it’s more like the main storyline reshaping itself based on what you’ve done. Get it?

That’s what makes a “branch map” quite difficult to create, but I might still ask Alex to try something like that. He’s the one who made some of the guides on Patreon.

I’ve also been reducing the number of Echoes overall. Things that used to trigger an Echo (like a small dialogue change) no longer do. Now, only the truly meaningful or game-changing decisions create one. Hopefully this helps make the game easier to follow without feeling like you’re chasing every minor variation. But this is something to revisit when the log is ready to be worked upon.

About being “mean,” haha — there are actually two ways to be mean, after that you don’t have to be cruel to unlock more visuals. And yep, that one specific fight? It’s almost impossible to win. You don’t really miss out on anything major, just a slightly different line. I considered adding an achievement or image in case someone managed to win but decided it would feel unfair, given how hard it is, haha.

And yeah, I get what you mean about those looks from Matt and Diego… it’s definitely a wild ride.
You’ll mostly feel happy while playing Trueclash — but there will be moments that hurt, a lot. Especially in version 0.5 (currently in development). Let’s just say Alex needed a few days to emotionally recover from that one after he beta tested it  due to happens with one of the characters there 😅.
But those imperfect, sometimes painful moments are what I think make a story truly good.

So, thank you again and we’ll be waiting for you on the next chapter of your Trueclash journey! 💙

Hey bababubu1505!

About Diego and the romance you can have with him that’s actually something you can start exploring in version 0.4 of the game (the one currently available on Patreon).
Romance in Trueclash tends to be gradual, though.

As for version 0.3 (the one currently public here on Itch.io, which I believe is the one you played), you can already start getting along better with Diego there and even walk with him to the dorms.

I’m pretty sure Viv or Alex made a small guide a while back about one of Diego’s CGs, I just don’t remember if it’s something publicly available or one of the Patreon-exclusive tips.

Hope you’ll enjoy what’s coming next (I think you will <.<)

Hey Luhnaire!

Honestly, I think you should play however feels best for you, heheh.
And I totally get what you mean about Matt, one of the team members (Alex) feels the exact same way, he absolutely loves him too haha.
I’ll be looking forward to hearing your thoughts once you get the chance to talk with Joel in the next patch!

If it were up to me, I’d bring even more people onto the team already, but the budget doesn’t quite allow for that yet. Hopefully in the future :P

And don’t worry. I tend to write long messages myself too ;)

Hope you keep enjoying the game! ^^

Hey Luhnaire! Zak here!

I’m so glad you enjoyed the game. Messages like yours honestly give me a huge boost of motivation to keep doing even more hehehe.

About what you said regarding wanting to experience the story all at once, I totally get that. This will still take a good while to reach its full form, but I’ve been thinking of the game in “sagas.”
The first saga, the one you’ve just experienced, is the Matt vs Diego arc, everything you’ve experienced so far plus what's to come that leads up to that fight.
After that, the story will move into a new saga where these characters (and a few new ones) continue to play important roles.
So maybe you would prefer to only play it when a new saga get's fully released. Maybe it’ll feel a bit like following a series, one saga at a time ;)

I really want Trueclash to stay centered around the characters and the stories that connect them. My goal has always been to make players feel something real. Mostly positive emotions, yes, but also the tougher ones that belong in any meaningful story: frustration, anger, sadness…
The characters I like to write (and read about) are the ones who have both strengths and flaws, the kind that feel human. Those who are not perfect, but alive.

As for finishing the game, I genuinely love working on it.

Actually, I might love it a bit too much sometimes… I tend to push myself until I burn out and then have to take a few days off. xD
That said, I’ve gotten much better at this. It’s been quite a while since I’ve truly burned out, mostly because I’ve learned to recognize the signs in myself and step back before it happens.
Still, I sometimes slip and get close to it again — it’s such a subtle thing. I’ll get completely focused on a single scene for days, the fatigue slowly builds up, and only once it’s done do I realize how mentally exhausted I’ve become. xD
But yeah, I’ve gotten a lot better at not letting myself reach that point.
In short, this whole process is just too addictive and I think the only things that could make me stop are either something happening to me or me forgetting to rest xDDD

And about the financial support — I truly appreciate the thought. If you ever do decide to support us, it would help me bring more people onto the project, increasing quality and speeding up production.
But honestly, messages like yours are also a form of support. Just reading them and knowing people care about this journey means a lot to me.

Thank you again for taking the time to write all that, and for the kindness in your words.
I really hope we can keep creating content that resonates with you 💙

— Zak

Hey Sharpsz! Zak here, it’s really nice hearing from you again heheh.

I’m glad you enjoyed Harry and Joel! If you haven’t played the Patreon version yet, definitely look forward to the next one, you'll get the opportunity to speak with Joel alone :P

About the coding part, being 100% honest, someone else reached out recently and we had quite a few long talks about both the code and the game itself. Because of that, I felt it was only fair to move forward with him for now.
We actually just started this partnership yesterday as a commission-based collaboration!

That said, I really want to see the project grow, and if I ever reach the point where I can afford to bring on a second programmer or tester I’d definitely consider it ^^

Thanks again for offering to help 💙

Hey Weenie! Zak here o/

First off, I have to admit, I wasn’t even sure what to say at first, haha. Your comment was just really nice to read.

I truly hope that once you get the chance to play the game, you’ll have a great time with it and enjoy a few solid hours of fun and discovery.

As for the devs and teammates  honestly I think I’m incredibly lucky to have them. The amount of support they give, both to the game and to me personally, is something I cherish deeply. The team has recently started to expand as well and I really hope everyone joining us will have as much fun creating this project as we’ve had so far on this journey.

Thank you so much for your message — it truly made my day.
Wishing you all the best too 💙