Hello, it's been a long time since my last devlog!
(To say my life is problematic lately would be an understatement, but never mind!)
The work on the game has been going on behind the scenes, so it's time to update you on everything <3

I'm still working on the third floor, but I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Only two parts of eventing and I can finally move on to the fourth floor (considering I've been working on it for months, I'm about to cry).
But let's go in order...

New areas to explore!
One of the first ideas I had for this floor was a gothic library. It came out pretty atmospheric too, if I may say so myself.
Sneak peek:



You can't see it from the picture, but there are many animations. Books flying, chains swinging...
Don't worry, this map is... huge. It's not too spoilery. You will be able to explore it to your heart's content. Yes, there's some gameplay too, it's not just a cozy reading space. Maybe even some secrets to find!
(And flavor text for each book. If you enjoy reading flavor texts, you'll have plenty to do in here.)
Yes, it's a bit dark... here. I assure you that there are more enlightened parts.
Maybe in the library you will start to find some hints on why the game has this title.

THEN. One of the maps I've been looking forward to: the Alchemy Lab!
I was able to use a tileset that I loved and put all the neon lights on, and it came out LOVELY. Another sneak peek:



This is a little smaller than the library, but I think that's okay. This lab is at the heart of the entire third floor quest, so I wanted to give it the right pathos. I would also like to add some details of legends and folklore, such as the legend of an Italian alchemist... and his creatures. But first I have to figure out how the heck I'm supposed to make their sprites.

These are the most important areas I've worked on, but there are many others. Like the 3C classroom.



What will happen in this room? I'll leave it up to your interpretation!

Gameplay!
We can say that the third floor is divided into two big quests, which in turn are divided into minor tasks. One of these, the main one, is almost finished, only one part is missing (so 3/4). For the minor one, I evented 2 out of 3, but I have to work on some images, so let's say I did 1 and a half (?).
On this floor you could work with poisonous plants, play the game of silence, solve codes and relax with the fishing mini-game in toxic waters. (!) I didn't even say everything.

Story!
Aaaah, my favorite part! I wrote several new cutscenes. The third floor is also fun because new characters appear: an extremely annoying magic helper, and especially Gioele and Abele.
I wrote their scenes as well, and they're two pretty... intense characters. (especially Abele).
You will also be able to move them and see things from their point of view, although obviously they have a little less screentime than Noelia and Feli. Anyway, if you're wondering yes, Gioele and Abele are engaged.
I finally managed to draw their busts too, so as soon as they're colored I'll post their bios too.
Also, we'll start to talk about the story of the school, and some mysterious things from the past... not necessarily correlated to what is happening now, but you know, I love world building.

Sound effects!
Ah, I ADORE working on SEs. When I updated the demo a couple of months ago, I did a complete revamp of the existing sound effects, eliminating all the RPTs. Now I'm continuing to add things here and there, tweaking the BGS, and I've added the footstep sound. I just need to record a couple of slightly... peculiar noises.

QoL!
A few little things I've added (or plan to include) to improve the overall experience.
- New menu with longer descriptions, different categories and big icons for items. Although I actually left the small ones because the pixelated effect is cute.
- Text skip: now you can speed up the dialogue. (Required, given the dialogues with multiple choices).
- Quick save and load: save and load a save by pressing a single key. Since the story has a visual novel vibe, I wanted to put the quick save. But at the moment it doesn't work during the dialogues (which is the key thing), so I have to work on it...
* Dialogue log: since there are so many dialogues here, I wanted to give the player the opportunity to re-read the last things said.
* Hints: self explanatory, you will find them in the menu!

And this is all! .... I mean, I've done some other stuff too, but this devlog is long enough already.
Actually, the development is going pretty well. I think I'll be able to publish for the deadline, Halloween 2023. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Therefore! Thanks to those who have played the updated version of the demo and to those who are following the development! I'm also working on another project, a super short game, which I hope to release next month. It's pretty much finished, I just have to write some dialogues and prepare the images. But we'll talk about this soon!
As ever, a little reminder: you can find shorter, but more frequent updates on my Tumblr or Instagram. (And also that I have a Ko-fi cough).
Thanks for reading this far!
Until next time!

The time has come: finally, I'm writing an actual devlog.
What I worked on this last two months...



Hello, everyone!
First of all, let me thank you for trying out the demo! This is my first "big" project on RPG Maker, and I'm like... a little ball of anxiety, so, seeing some interest for this game made me really happy.
I made some significant progress, so I think it's time to update you all!

The general idea of ​​the game is to have five different areas - one for each floor. You can therefore think of floors as "levels". Finishing a floor doesn't mean never going back to it: for some later puzzles and events, you'll need to back-track. However, once an area is unlocked, the whole school will always be accessible at any time. (In the final version there will be no locked doors, unless it's for story sake).

Yesterday I finally finished working on the eventing for the second floor, so the second area is complete. In this part you will understand why I called it "visual novel like". There are choices, branching dialogues, and extra cutscenes (some are optional though)... but there will be also other things to do. I prefer to mix cutscenes and gameplay. I originally planned a different conclusion for this area - something about being locked in a room while someone tries to enter - but... it just didn't convince me. It didn't tell the story how I wanted to, and it was a little too "standard horror RPG". (Nothing wrong in doing something like that, but this wasn’t what I needed.) So, I completely rewrote it: no locked rooms, more trauma for the protagonists, and a scene that I hope will unsettle you at least a little bit. I think this is the creepiest part of the game right now.


(I wanted to use a good screenshot, but everything else would be a little too spoilerish…)

I had already started working on the third floor maps last month, so now I can immediately move on to the eventing. I had already thought of the puzzles for this area, but then I started adding details and it's becoming a monumental thing... small spoiler 1: there will be an alchemical laboratory. Finally I can get back to making the fancy maps that I love. Yeah, so far I've been trying to keep it simple or something like that. It's an ugly school, after all.
From the third floor you will enter in the realm of the supernatural, so the school will begin to change. There will be new characters - some helpful, some annoying - and the whole story will take a turn... a little stranger. But have my word, I'll explain everything by the end.

Also, have you ever wondered if Gioele will appear as an active character? Small spoiler 2: yes. Yes, he will appear. Very soon too. Also taking someone else with him. Although Feli probably would have preferred only Gioele.
As soon as I've drawn the busts, I'll also introduce you to Gioele - and Abele.
Anyway, if you're wondering, yes, I have the whole story in mind. The different areas, the main events, the endings: it's all there, I just have to create it inside the RPG Maker. Of course, I still have to better define some minor puzzles, but aside from that…

- What will change in the final version compared to the demo?
Well, various things. I replayed the demo a lot of times to make sure everything worked, and listened to the feedback.
- First of all, I will add footstep sounds. At first I didn't add them because there was already the sound of the dialogue (The beep beep when they talk) and I hate horror videogames with too much noise. However, replaying the demo, I think footsteps would help the atmosphere a lot in certain parts.
- The layout of the hallways. I always thought the shape of the hallways was… slightly confusing? But I wasn't sure how to change it. Now I've thought about it and found a design that works better. Obviously I will modify the first two floors.
- More flavor texts, more objects to interact with - and to collect too. When I was creating the demo, I set myself a deadline, so I didn't have time to put everything I wanted. In the full version I will make up for it.
- The sound effects: I will change them all. No RTP, just specific sounds. I really love to work on sound design and music. (Yes, at the moment I'm running around the house trying different sounds for doors, chairs, books...).
- School maps! (I've already drawn the first floor one, now I have to redraw it digitally...)
- In the first segment, when Noelia is going to school and there is a fade-out, you actually get to explore Felix's house and the streets up to the school.

Well, I think I've said it all. I didn't bore you too much, I hope. If you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them. On my Tumblr I update more often, with shorter posts, so if you want to stay updated you can follow me there too.
To the next time!

(TL; DR I finished to work on the eventing for the second floor, I made a pretty creepy cutscene or at least I hope so, and now the eventing for the third floor is waiting. The third floor will be a big one: snow, Will -o’-Wisps and a really annoying helper.)

Hello everyone! I'm really happy (like our titular ogre) to announce that the english demo is finally here!

This took me a little longer than anticipated, but I also added some CGs!
I translated it myself, so please, if you notice anything weird, report it here and I will fix everything ASAP.

I really hope you will enjoy this little demo.

To the next time!



(As a side notice, I will also post an updated version of the italian demo soon, to correct a couple of typos and adding the new CGs.)