Devlog #08 October Development Review & November Outlook

October Development Review

All main story content has now been fully implemented.

Development of the composing, busking, and chase mini-games has been completed.

We successfully participated in Steam Next Fest and achieved meaningful results.

Plans for November

• Add and implement additional mini-games

• Game stabilization & final localization pass

• Prepare crowdfunding rewards & launch-exclusive events for backers

Story Progress

After the demo portion, approximately 1 hour 10 minutes of story content (excluding mini-games) has been completed.

This estimate is based on playtime feedback from my Japanese translator.

However, my Italian translator reported about 2 hours for the same section, and my own playthrough took around 50 minutes. (As I essentially have the script memorized, you can treat this as a “speed-read” Korean playthrough.)

Due to the nature of the genre, playtime naturally varies depending on language and player, but my target was to keep the full game under 2 hours.

Even without all planned additional content included at the time of testing, the duration was already close to 2 hours. Now that all mini-games have been added, I expect the final playtime to be very close to (or slightly above) 2 hours on average.

Localization

I am collaborating with the following team for localization:

• Raffaele — Italian localization & English polishing

• Zhuge + 2 teammates — Simplified Chinese localization

• Mukai Shiori — Japanese localization & proofreading

Mini-Games

Three core mini-games have been fully implemented to give the game a more “game-like” feel:

Composing: Originally a guitar-fretboard-style musical puzzle relying heavily on pitch recognition. Based on user feedback, it has been redesigned into a safe-cracking-style puzzle with musical hints.

Busking: A rhythm game that differs from the typical 4-key setup. Uses Space / J(left) / K(down) / L(right), and requires hitting notes while pressing guitar chord keys (QWER combinations).

Chase: A two-button rhythm game using Space + J(left). Notes approach from both sides. Simple, but includes a special mechanic that I’ll keep secret for now :)

Additionally, a guitar lesson mini-game with the Old Man is planned. Since development is currently on schedule, I'm confident it will be included.

Steam Next Fest Participation

I participated in the Steam Next Fest held from October 13–20.

Even without aggressive promotion, the game received encouraging attention and results.

• Before Next Fest: ~260 wishlists (mostly Korean players)

• After Next Fest: ~1,150 wishlists (Japan, North America, South Korea — in that order)

Currently, the wishlist count is approaching 1,300, with a very balanced regional distribution. A large boost came from Japanese media coverage — I truly appreciate the support from Hambahknunto and Masa kei.

November Outlook

Nothing complicated — simply continue moving forward:

• Implement remaining planned mini-games

• Stabilize the build & finish localization

• Prepare crowdfunding rewards & launch-exclusive events