May has arrived, and I have another development update ready for you guys. For the most part, April has been a fruitful and productive month. A lot of groundwork has been planned out for later stages, and I’ll talk about that shortly. 

Main Menu Changes - 

Here’s our new main menu. This also serves as a key visual of sorts for the game. I dilapidated quite a bit on the fine-tuning of this image, and at the end of the day, this is what I came up with. There is a story behind each of the girls and their outfits. Long story short, each of the girls in the back serve as a route in the game, with Siona (next to Rayen) being a “third wheel” so to speak. 

You may have noticed the additional options in the menu. Yes, after all this time, I finally implemented a working CG gallery (which required more programming than you would think). Check out the functionality in this gif image below. Things are more or less working as intended, and as you would expect, all images will be unlocked upon reaching them in the story. Double-clicking through the image will also allow you to see variations of each CG. 

https://imgur.com/rLMFfr9 (Image doesn't embed, unfortunately). 

Glossary Additions - 

As I alluded to in an earlier update, glossary terms are an integral part of Zeta Wolf Chronicles lore and gameplay. This is just an early screenshot of what to expect. Similar to CGs, they will be unlocked upon play and your progress will carry over between save games. I’ll also update the message UI for the glossary. (The bottom quote is intended to be an interactable voiceover line—still working on the implementation). 

Demo OST is Complete

I’ve been fine-tuning the OST with our composer, and I’m pleased to report that all 5 tracks for the demo are complete (this builds upon the main menu track from the same composer)! I’d like to give you a preview, but things are not quite up and ready yet on that front. The idea is to post the tracks on Soundcloud, which will give you guys a taste of the vibe that we are going for. (Update: They will be posted as a youtube playlist at the request of the composer). 

Kickstarter Updates 

Still a work in progress, everyone. The rough draft and organization including tiers and rewards have been mapped out on my end. This month I’ll be working with one of my artists on the construction of the actual Kickstarter assets. I am excited about the eventual result and hopeful that everything turns out as envisioned. Thank the heavens I don’t have to do this part myself, as things would turn out less than optimal. As outlined in an earlier update, the Kickstarter is not scheduled until Q1 2023. I wanted to give myself adequate time to get everything done. 

What’s Left to Complete?

• Programming of the 3.0 (Kickstarter) Demo
• Finishing several assets (CGs)
• Finalization of Kickstarter Page
• Casting Call for Additional Roles (Ravia, Crescia, Alphi, Maikah mainly)
• Completion of Kickstarter Trailer
• Getting Game on Steam

As much as I’d like to launch the pre-Kickstarter (where you guys can follow to be notified of launch), I don’t think everything will be ready until Q4 2022 or even early 2023. Each bullet is a monumental task on its own, so the completion of each will likely spread out over multiple months. As outlined above, I’ll be working on the finalization of the Kickstarter page first and foremost, but the trailer to accompany things will be delayed until fall 2022 most likely. Meanwhile, I’ll be working on the programming of the 3.0 build. 

That’s all for now everyone. I am trying to stay committed to these monthly updates, as it is something that will accompany a post Kickstarter anyways. Best to get in the habit now! On that note, thank you for your continued support! I do note the minor things, such as like/views on these updates, followers on itch.io, and such. I know that at the end of the day, you folks are the ones who have stuck around past the initial traffic surge and first demo (in March 2020). Such loyalty and dedication are commendable—particularly for an indie dev and one who is on his first commercial launch, nonetheless.   

Back on the grind! See everyone in June.