Art Finalized

It feels extremely weird to say it out loud. I still remember a couple of days ago when I replied to the artist's email and it felt odd writing "I guess this it...?". After more than a year of exchanging emails, and iterating on characters, and UI, for you to reach an actual end feels odd.

I'm happy I was able to continue working with the same artist. I'm proud of the work he has done and the fact that I managed to push myself to keep up a good pace this time. I hope we can work again on a future project.

Controller Support

Controller support had been on my backlog for a long time. When I started developing the game I already had a controller in mind. That helped me design the UI in ways that would already work for a controller (for the most part).

The big change was to allow tab navigation with a button press, instead of just by clicking the tabs. I liked how it turned out. I thought it would be more work or lead to issues, but it seems like I was able to find a good solution.

Achievement & Tutorials

With all the assets for the UI complete, I turned my attention to the achievement icons. At first, I thought about asking for unique art for each, but then I realized I could do it with clever asset reuse. The result was better than what I had expected!

I also went through all the tutorials I had and updated the videos. I took new videos since the UI had changed and wanted to reflect that. I also took the time to try to capture the feature as best as possible.

Japanese Translation

I finally reached out to the translator to get all the dialogues and cutscenes translated. The process was quite straightforward. I had just a couple of minor requests when it came to some terms I wanted to remain consistent (like Tormented for example).

Closing

For small wins... there isn't much this time around. A couple of bugs were fixed here and there. Some UI tweaks like font size changes, spacing, and color.

On a different note, I received a comment on a Reddit thread saying my game wasn't good: "It's obvious why you have low wishlists." I know the game didn’t turn out exactly as I envisioned. I’m aware there’s room for improvement in the art and gameplay. But, as usual, when someone else points it out, it hurts more.

Of course, we all do this. We watch films, listen to music, play video games, and... we criticize. I do it. Everyone does it. So, it’s only natural that it would happen to me as well. But we rarely put ourselves in the developers’ shoes. Maybe they knew the issues and tried to fix them?

To be fair, I asked for feedback, so... I try to stay positive in these situations. "Okay, tell me what’s bad?" "How can I improve, then?" Generally, I see failure or complaints as opportunities to grow. I’m not a robot—it hurts, for sure—but I try to approach it analytically and look for practical solutions.

Any game can be endlessly improved, but there comes a point (and I’m at that point) where it’s time to move on. It’s time to take the lessons I’ve learned into a new project.

When I look back at my first project, Ladra, I see all its flaws. The gameplay could be better, the art could be enhanced, and even some grammatical errors shouldn’t have made it into the final version (despite my thorough reviews). But I also see the positives. How ambitious I was! A stealth game made with RPG Maker? I remember how much I learned from it—not just about working as a solo developer, but also about building confidence in myself.

Doing something by yourself—it’s hard.

You are the boss and the employee. You are the programmer, the tester, and the designer. You are the critic. You are the fan. All wrapped into one. And by making it through again, I can confidently say: it’s worth it. The amount you grow is exponential.

So, I’m happy this project is coming to an end. I can see new projects on the horizon. I’ve already changed throughout this process, and I’m eager to carry this newfound knowledge into the next adventure.

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For the next month, I want to go through the game on Steam. Test the achievements more. I also need to test the controller support to see if I missed anything. Any improvement that fits the schedule I have in mind as I prepare for Steam Next Fest in February 2025.

Once again, if you like Yurei or know someone who may like it, wishlist it on Steam. It helps a lot with the project.

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Thanks for reading all the way. Keep an eye out on Twitter @brightflask.