Sunny Day Jack - Upcoming Demo Revisions (Patreon)

Hello everyone! It's Sauce again! Today, I'd like to maybe take a moment with you all to discuss part of the ongoing SDJ creative process, specifically relating to one of our more talked-about criticisms for the original demo.

( For that reason, I'm actually going to make this PUBLIC. Because we're getting deep, and things like this aren't really paywall material. )

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Before I begin, let me clarify: I was the - sole - writer, minus some NSFW scene work. So, a lot of what's available today was quite literally only my work. I didn't really check it or proofread it with anyone's help. So all that is currently playable is my own work and not really reflective of any of our awesome team members!

With time, things and people change. The meaning of things change, and especially the meaning of words change.

The conception and original creation of Sunny Day Jack took place in a personally turbulent time for me, in a time I like to believe I didn't even really have a good grasp on WHO Jack is or was. He was the sum of his catchphrase: "Don't Forget Me".

However, over the year writing and development has been in the works, and I've met a larger amount of people with whom to share his character with. The interpretations of his character were sometimes far from what I had envisioned, and sometimes they were even -better-.

That's what happens when you get feedback.

I believe that since then, Jack has become more than a Yandere to make. He means more to me than a yandere, and he can potentially exist as a deeper, more complex character.

With that being said-- we've acknowledged it before and I'll do it again. His language in the current draft and earlier drafts was far from intended. In fact, it's pretty dated.

Before you had this character who didn't have a story planned beyond his being a yandere and in making the demo, I had to make sure people knew-- "HE'S A YANDERE, GUYS."

But what was written down did almost TOO good a job at that. And the way he speaks in the demo that's currently present is incredibly manipulative and cold in a way that I hadn't intended. In fact, some of the scenes (such as the hug route, or the infamous "no" route) now look far from the vulnerable, emotionally complex scenes I had envisioned.

I don't like those scenes anymore. I think it's very visible to me where those words were coming from but also how out of pocket they are. And they definitely don't do the huge story beyond the demo any justice.

I'll apologize again-- I'm genuinely sorry if these scenes breached the lines of horror and took some players to really uncomfortable places. I really should have checked them over with more people, and I justified it as horror then-- but it's not even good horror.

Horror is critique; it's a suspension of disbelief-- it carries a theatrical quality. But some of the phrases within the current demo are just too realistically uncomfortable.

That said, I've only now revisited the demo all by myself and really sat to read through it. And besides not reflecting the future story very well, it's just aged like milk with my own sensibilities. It no longer matches the development of this character.

So, we're hoping to be soon putting out the revised demo. However-- it'll have a bit of extra content with it as well as some softened scenes.

Of course, this doesn't mean the horror is dead or that we're neutering the final game-- and if you like the demo, you're always free to return to it! But I'm laying the PROPER foundation for the emotional and psychological horror experience.

You don't need to be told that Jack is a yandere and this is a horror game anymore, and there's no need to be upfront and blunt with such jarringly uncomfortable scenes or language.

- It was always the intention, that the player says "No" to Jack because they're afraid he won't return their feelings and to say that he's their partner might be a risky move. Considering their breakup with Ian, this was something they were anxious about.

Scenes like the no scene will be altered with additional, re-worded text that better clarifies the characters' feelings as they progress.

I can't say much about the full story now, but the ongoing story does deal with themes of mutually co-dependent relationships and when/where it's unhealthy to maintain them. And the script following the demo does a much better job at articulating that than the demo written almost two or so years ago now.

We're hoping to get back soon with this updated demo, but unlike the demo, we had originally envisioned re-releasing, this one will include more thoughtfully woven changes instead of just fixing one or two poorly phrased sentences.

This will be the closest you'll all be able to get to the actual game until it releases. This is a taste of what's to come.

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I hope you all really enjoy it when it all finally comes out, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to make sure that this is a quality story through and through.

A lot of grammatical errors, run-on sentences, etc.. are also being combed out in favor of:

- Content that foreshadows future events in the game

- Content that is easier to read

- And content that more clearly portrays the rules, lore, and restrictions of the supernatural/horror elements in this world

Additionally, more content in general, will be added. Not a substantial amount, but enough to flesh out scenes and make things make more sense now that the world/game has been almost completely outlined.

For horror fans and buffs, this is especially going to be enjoyable. This demo may not pack the "punch" it immediately had with Jack off the bat talking about how you can't trust anyone, etc.., but it will prepare you for a smoother, more satisfying narrative experience going forward.

We really hope you'll like it!

In the meantime, back to work. I'm excited!

- Sauce, as an acting SDJ writer