The start of the month is here, so it's time for another update, folks. Things have more or less been progressing smoothly, so I'll get right into the nitty-gritty details. 

Our Kickstarter pre-launch following has increased significantly! Thank you all for following! (Not going to lie, I have been obsessively checking the stats, probably on a daily basis. Something is wrong with me, send help!) Based on the interest generated at this point in time, it's practically ensured that our campaign will be successful, even if launched tomorrow. Still, I'd rather go in with an optimistic, yet cautious attitude. Things could still fail, and it's my job to put my best foot forward, for our followers, collaborators involved, and myself. So I'll ask everyone to once more follow our campaign whenever you can. By doing so, you'll know immediately when our campaign goes live (despite me shouting on social media the announcements beforehand) with a notification directly to your email. Now I'm pretty sure Kickstarter will require you to register with them, but that'll be necessary if you plan to support our campaign in the future. Not convinced yet? Perfectly ok! Check out our new and improved demo coming out in early Feb 2023 that offers the following:

Demo Content

• 4-6 Hours of content
• 50k+ words
• Partial Voice acting with over 3k fully voiced words
• 6 CGs
• 6 OSTs (custom music)

Since this is a nice segway, I'll talk a little about what the full game has to offer here:

Full Game Content

• 20 to 30 hours of content (all routes combined, variable reading speed)
• 4 normal routes, 1 true route (unlock)
• 125k to 150k words (depending on how ham I go with the script)
• 20+ CGs
• 14 OSTs
• Partial Voice Acting - 13k+ words voiced

All this is possible with your support! There'll also be unique ways you can leave your mark on the game, limited to rewards available only during our campaign period. The game can also further expand with stretch goals!

Route Map

Since I've been working on the last assets for our Kickstarter campaign I thought I'd share this simple graphic that lists the primary routes and what to expect from each. The choice early on in chapter 3 sets you on a particular route based on which girl you plan to pursue. Now the demo only has the start of Ravias route, but you will be able to preview a small scene with Alphi, Crescia, and Maikah. Here you'll be able to grasp the general personality of each girl and preview their voice actors (a fully voiced scene is present of these three). 

Where does this leave Siona as the secondary love interest? Well, you'll find out through the course of the demo and its conclusion. Let's just say that Rayen cannot get over his infatuation with her no matter what, and she'll be "involved" in every route as this omnipresent force. It'll be interesting how the plot unfolds… 

Full game stuff, but there'll be a true route that unlocks after playing all four routes. That's the basic structure of the plot and what you can expect. I did spend a little time this past month forming a rough foundation for the extended scenario, past the demo, as I really only had vague concepts up till now. In some ways, I have already pivoted my plans to look past our Kickstarter assuming success is inevitable. Never hurts to be prepared! Anyways… on to the next subject.

Kickstarter Merchandise Preview 

Speaking of Siona, she'll have merch. We have a preview for you here, but please note the final design (shipped to you if you select it as an add-on) might differ from what is shown. Full Resolution here:  

In particular, the size of this keychain or charm (not sure if these words are synonyms in this context or not) will likely be smaller than what appears here, by about 1 inch. Likely, her hair protruding from the side will be altered to produce a less awkward shape (design change so that her hair sticks closer to her body). It's possible that there will also be a vote for the topper of preference (post-campaign), as there is a simple one currently. All charms/keychains will have a uniform style in the final product.

Similar merch of Alphi (purple/pink hair) will also be available, and Crescia, Maikah, and Ravias merch will unlock depending on campaign milestones! Makes me want the whole set myself, so I hope it can become a reality! Now I did contemplate additional merch, but as my first Kickstarter campaign, I wanted to keep the logistics relatively simple.

Tagline Change

A small note here, but I've updated the tagline of the game, at least as far as Kickstarter is concerned. 

"Date" one of four girls on the path to enlightenment. Prom awaits. Will you be led astray by an old crush?

I believe the realistic inspirations are covered well enough with the header title. Plus there's only so much space to work with. Even so, I know the premise of this game has always been vague, somewhat, but I believe this change makes it more concise. There are still "mysteries" such as the true meaning of "date" and what "enlightenment" means as far as the plot goes, but hopefully everyone has a better idea here.

Rika Omission 

Unfortunately, Rika and her scenes have been removed from the demo. She'll be in the full game, at least. The reasoning behind this change is the fact that her characterization and personality are due for an overhaul. Hopefully, I can also work with the voice actor to produce a great performance when the time is right. 

First Programming Pass Complete

Yep. This is good and bad news. The good news is that there is a beginning, middle, and end. The bad news is that the game is unfortunately not playable yet. Many scenes need polish, voice implementation, programming corrections, and so on. In essence, this is a little more advanced than a rough draft, as the writing (aka story) is more or less complete. I suppose a more apt description is that I have a finished sketch, but it needs to be colored in. 

Final Assets Sent Out

Through November and December, the final assets for our demo will be completed. What's left at this stage? 

• 1 CG (not a full CG, just character art) 
• 3 voice scripts (1 sent out, 2 in the pipeline) 
• Commissioned trailer

The trailer will start production in December and should definitely be done by early February at the latest. The hardest part is the final programming on my part, which I expect to be a massive grind, but we'll get there. 

Honestly, I'm still brainstorming the choreography of the trailer (script, how everything is assembled), but hopefully, my collaborator can assist me in producing the best work. 

Thank you again, everyone. I am giving it my all to make this campaign (and game) something special and memorable. Our next update will be in early December when I hope to have more good news!