Woohoo! We got #28/75 in the Metroidvania Month 16 jam!

It might seem weird to be celebrating what could be considered a major loss--28 isn't exactly on the podium, after all. And yet, compared to the rest of my previous game jam entries, 28th is a significant improvement. Significant enough, in my opinion, to be worth celebrating; and certainly significant enough to warrant further development on Reverie of Strange Blood.

With that being said, here's a tentative roadmap for how this game is going to be updated prior to release. There are no dates as of yet, and there likely never will be--I do have a full-time job, after all. Additionally, some of the plans listed here might change prior to release, depending on any number of factors, so don't treat this roadmap as scripture (not that I think there's much risk of that with my tiny fanbase lol).

Reverie of Strange Blood Roadmap to Release:

1. Beta Update 1.6
   1. Fix bugs discovered by jam participants
   2. Full release of Chapter 3: Nowhere to Go...
   3. UI Overhaul for easier-to-read text
      1. Cancelled feature: named message boxes. Sorry guys, I wanted to add this to increase character recognizability, but due to the way some of the game is programmed it's impossible for me to add without doing some major dialogue overhaul. This'll have to wait for the next game...
   4. Begin map background overhaul to make area entrances and exits easier to find
2. Beta Update 1.7
   1. Full release of Chapter 4: Monsters in the Dark
   2. Implementation of the planned combat/equipment systems
   3. Sprite redesign for memory optimization
      1. This is a redesign on the technical level. Not much, if anything, about the current sprites will change.
   4. Potential, memory-dependent: Custom sprite design for unique NPCs?
3. Beta Update 1.8
   1. Full release of Chapter 5: Out of the Frying Pan
   2. Ideally, by this point all planned refurbishments should be complete
4. Beta Update 1.9
   1. Full release of Chapter 6: Nefu'atu
   2. Prepare for commercial release with playtesting on physical Gameboy and Analogue Pocket, if possible
   3. Significant bughunting, lorechecking, dialogue review, and crash reporting will have to take place, since I want the commercial/physical release to be the last update for the game
5. Update 2.0: Commercial Release
   1. Might be accompanied by a soundtrack release?

So, yeah, that's the plan. We'll see how well I stick to it, but it should ideally be complete in the next few months. One thing I didn't mention is that all the in-between beta versions (v 1.5x, etc.) will be used to fix issues with the prior release, though these fixes may be put off until the next major update if there's not that many of them.

Finally, on to pricing: I've said that there is a commercial release coming, but I haven't said how much it's going to cost. I've mentioned that it's going to be a physical release--if possible. Both of these decisions stem from one major desire: I want to pay my musicians. Lilia Burtonpatel and Taylor Kirkwood both sacrificed a lot of their personal time to make a wonderful soundtrack full of some true gems, and they did it for free. They don't usually do that, and I'd like to see to it that they actually make something (though it probably won't be much...) for their efforts. Yet I also want to provide quality entertainment for my followers--all 31(?) of you, at the time of writing--and so this is the decision I've come to:

• The web version on Itch.io will remain free-to-play, for all time.
• All "file"-type downloads will be set at $1.99 USD, including the Analogue Pocket file and the GB ROM.
• A physical Gameboy cartridge release via Bitmap Soft will be in the range of $15 USD (regular edition) to $50 USD (deluxe edition?).
  • BUT: if a physical release does indeed happen, it might have special features and new areas...so think about it!
• Finally, if there's ever a PC/MAC application download, it'll be set at $4.99 USD.

That concludes the first post-jam announcement! Stay tuned for further updates.

(Psst--did I accidentally say that a next game was coming? Well, surprise, I've actually got three concepts in the works: a high-octane platformer-metroidvania, a Link's Awakening-style cosmic/psychological horror adventure, and an open-world mythological creature simulator. All of which will be GBA games as well, but which won't be in development for quite some time. If you'd like to be a beta tester when it's time, hit me up!)