DevLog #92: December 2023 (Patreon)

Hello everyone. This marks the final DevLog of the year, which concludes with a personal note of sadness.

Personal Life

My father passed away earlier this month at the age of 80. He had been battling cancer for several years.

He was the one who introduced my brother and me to computers in the late 80s, when I was 6 - and my brother was 4 years older.

Our first computer was an 8-bit "Thomson MO5". It was basic in the literal sense, as the entire system operated on a BASIC interpreter.

To play games, we had to learn BASIC programming, which we managed to do with the help of numerous books and magazines that came with it.

Seeing our passion, my father began taking us to his workplace: A meteorological center equipped with high-end computers, mostly IBM PCs. That place was like paradise to us.

That's where I experienced my first gaming love: Prince of Persia on MS-DOS.

I became so obsessed with that game that one day, I pretending to be sick to skip school and then asked my father to take me to his work. This ill-conceived strategy backfired, leading to a memorable scolding from my mother.

Looking back, it was through playing games that I was actually preparing for my future, and attending school felt like a waste of time. Parents can be wrong sometimes...

Fortunately, I was able to spend time with him the day before he passed away, cherishing a special moment together.

I've been staying with the family, assisting my mother with administrative tasks and the like.

As you might expect, I haven't been able to dedicate much time to my works over the past few weeks.

I had exciting plans for this month, but couldn't make significant progress, for which I apologize.

So, here are a few things I did manage to work on.

Light Fairytale Episode 3

Included is a gameplay video featuring new updates:

- The improved UI that takes up less screen space, allowing for better visibility of the 3D elements.

- The flashlight, activated by pressing R1 - Haru's right hand. L1 is for the A.R. Goggles.

- The mysterious girl's name reveal! It will be announced publicly in the upcoming Early Access trailer. Her name is known in the first 5 minutes of Episode 3 so I don't think much secrecy is needed. Also, her name does make sense, right?

Unlisted YouTube Video: youtube.com/watch?v=3iHHjL2dcLY

A new character that I've designed, as the usual designer is not available right now.

She is one of the two sisters featured in the legend of the water elemental.

Music Samples

One more video showcasing a couple new themes:

- Fairytales: The theme of the entire franchise, which includes Light Fairytale, Dark Fairytale and more. It comes into two versions: a high-tempo and a low-tempo variation. The sample provided here is the later.

- The Underwater Lair: The water elemental dungeon's BGM. There are also two versions.

Unlisted YouTube Video: youtube.com/watch?v=_kPPyTFu5_8

The 3rd Fairytale

Progress has been made on the 3D model and textures of the lead playable girl.

Light Fairytale Episode 2

No more secrecy 🤐 I can finally share the news:

Episode 2 is set for a physical release on PlayStation 4 via publisher Red Art Games!

This edition includes a dual-sided poster.

Plus, there's a special offer: Save 10€ when buying both episodes.

Heads up, stock for Episode 1 is running low!

Check out more details on the publisher's page:

redartgames.com/games/677-light-fairytale-episode-2-ps4.html

Studio's Life

New merch page, now featuring more products available through Amazon:

neko.works/merch

Reddit

I've launched a new subreddit for my studio and all of its works!

Feel free to join, and set your flair to "Patron".

It's brand new, so no posts yet, but feel free to start sharing and posting!

Check out the link:

reddit.com/r/nekodotworks

Bonus

A new illustration of Kuroko. It's a remake of a scene from the anime's opening - that happens in Episode 3.

4K+ version in the attachments below.

Also, here's the original cel - the drawing before post-processing.

What's Next

My goal for 2023 was to release two new games: Super Night Riders S1 and Light Fairytale Episode 3.

Sadly, I couldn't meet this target, partly because SNR S1 became more ambitious than planned.

So, my resolution for 2024 remains the same!

Both projects are shaping up well, and I believe they'll be great additions to their respective series.

I'll avoid giving a release date for now, but I'll update you as soon as things are more certain.

Now, I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you, for being here for me for one more year 😊

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and wish you all a happy new year!

baka-neko / neko.works