Monthly Update - April 2020 (Patreon)

Hey y'all,

Sorry it's been a couple months since the last general update. Here's what we've been up to, to date.

Highway Blossoms: Next Exit is cruising along and about ready to hit the scripting phase. Writing took a while, longer than initially anticipated, so as a result, the DLC is a bit behind schedule. But now that scenes are finally reaching completion, we're getting into "home stretch" territory. We still need to schedule and record voice acting, plus all the work that goes into that, so right now I'd say it's looking like a summer release for HB:NE overall.

One of the completed CG's, by moekki and kamifish

The voice acting update and Nintendo Switch version of Heart of the Woods will also be out around then. We've finished adding all of the lines to the game, and now we need to actually go through and play the game with the voices in, to make sure everything sounds good. If we decide that any lines sound off, we'll get those rerecorded as part of what are called "pickups," where the actresses will be asked to redo specific lines, rather than entire scenes. Once those are finished with and added to the game, the voice acting will officially be complete. Right now, the Nintendo Switch port is on pause while we finish up the VA, but that can resume soon. Between finishing the port, QA, and scheduling with Nintendo, it's hard to say exactly when the release will be. Of course, we'll keep you guys informed here and on Kickstarter about any significant updates. Additionally, the simplified Chinese translation of the game has been completed and will be added to the game soon.

We do have some more good news: everyone on Patreon who's at our $5 tier or above will get beta access to the voice acting patch in the near future. It'll be the same version that we're playing through for testing purposes, so we'll be asking you guys to report any incorrect or missing lines if you encounter them, as well as any other issues that might pop up. We still have to get a few things set up before that's ready to go out, but it should be within the next week or two. Please note that this won't include the full game - you'll have to already own Heart of the Woods and then add the patch to your files manually.

If you're not at the $5 tier yet, you can still upgrade your pledge and get access. It'll also be available to new patrons as well, if you know anyone who might be interested in joining us here.

For Lock and Key, Rachel and Jaime have been working on the script while milkgrrl's started on the character sprites. Adi recently started AND finished the GUI, so we'll have some previews of that on Patreon soon!

Samayuuni has been kind of on pause while all of us work on HB: Next Exit and a couple other things. Expect that one to be in the background for a little while.

Lastly, if you haven't already, make sure to check out Without a Voice, available free on Steam and itch.io. It's a short, dark fantasy story, and is the first game published under our new publishing wing, Bellhouse! The team for that project consisted of adirosa (as Laniessa), Laiska, and Lorelei. Those three started it as a Yuri Game Jam 2016 entry, and have been working on it since then. In fact, it was the GUI for that game that made me first reach out to adi and invite her to join Studio Élan!

We'll also have more news on our other Bellhouse title First Snow soon. I just got to read through a completed build of the game as part of beta testing, and I'm excited to see how it'll improve based off the feedback. It's super warm and cozy, and my one regret is that it won't be coming out during the Winter like the story is set in. It'll be available for free, too!

Finally, we'd like to take the opportunity to say thanks to all of you. We know that things are uncertain in the world right now, and we don't fault anyone who decides that they have to put other priorities ahead of our Patreon right now. That said, we appreciate every one of you who's sticking with us. It helps us out a lot, especially as we're at a period where we have no idea how game sales will go as this pandemic continues. So, thank you.

And of course, we hope that you're all staying safe and healthy yourselves. 

Until next time, take care!

Josh

PS: We just put out a survey for feedback from fans, and we'd love your input if you haven't already filled it out!