Hey everyone! With the demo out the door, I hope everyone has had a chance to give it a go and enjoy what the game is like so far. And I'm sure there's quite a few of you wondering about a few particulars. So in addition to this month's progress report, I'll also provide a short FAQ at the end of this. Although, I'm not sure if the "F" stands for "frequently" in this particular scenario.

Development Progress

A lot of the work this month included getting the demo version polished up and available for everyone to play. For my last project, Brave Hero Yuusha, I decided to release the demo somewhat close to the release of the final game. This turned out to be something of a double-edged sword: while it ultimately got people interested in the game and didn't allow enough time for players to gradually lose that interest, the timing also didn't really let enough hype and word-of-mouth to build up between the release of the demo and the final game.

So this time, I'm trying a different approach: release the demo version earlier in development. Whereas Yuusha was about 70% finished when I released the demo, Soma Spirits stands at around 30%.

So what has been done?

As of now, the first 20-25 minutes of the game are complete and fully playable. Some of the maps for areas thereafter are also complete, sans gameplay. The UI is complete, as are some additional tilesets, monster graphics, and other visuals (remember: I have to have two versions of each!) In short: not a terrible whole lot beyond what the demo contains but the basic framework for the game is largely finished.

The soundtrack is about 80% complete. Please give SpecialAgentApe a round of applause for the amazing work he's done so far!

While it may not seem like much now, Soma Spirits does have a little extra stuff going on under the hood. There are a number of switches and variables being tracked, depending on your actions, and there will be a number of variations of particular character interactions based on your choices. You might find some dialogue changes in the demo depending on who you talk to!

Right now, I'm primarily focusing on giving each area a distinct aesthetic without compromising the overall style. Take a peek at an upcoming area below:



Quite different from the forest, huh? Including the forest, I have about six dungeons planned over the course of the game's 2-4 hour story, and I want each one to be distinct.

Development FAQ

It's time to answer a few questions about the game!

Q: Brave Hero Yuusha was too easy. Will Soma Spirits be harder?
A: Perhaps the most common complaint I received about Yuusha was its low difficulty. I wanted the game to be accessible, but it ended up being something of a cakewalk. My goal for Soma Spirits is to make it a bit tougher, with better enemy AI, steeper leveling curves, and more complex attack patterns for bosses.

Will it be balls-hard? No, but it won't be a walk in the park like last time, either.

Q: Will Soma Spirits be commercial?
A: In my heart, I want the game to be free for everyone. But at the same time, I also feel like I've put a lot of time and love into this project, so I'm looking at possibilities. I'm thinking I may put the game on itchio with an optional donation/pay-what-you-want option for those who would like to support me. Again, nothing is set in stone, but you also never know if your game is going to explode in popularity and you never end up making a cent. Anything can happen these days.

Q: When will the game be released?
A: I don't have a concrete release date yet. But the game is about 30% finished and I've been working on it for about 5 months. I want to say it will be ready by the year's end, but no promises. If it's any consolation, I often find myself ahead of schedule.

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And that's all for now! Thank you everyone for following this project. \o/