The Grotto Diary Demo: New Version & Major Update

1｜What has been updated in the Demo?

1) Player movement & controls

• Running speed increased by about 20%

• Improved the overall feel and pacing of running and crouching

2) AI logic improvements

• Fixed the issue of hiding in a cabinet right in front of the servant (you can no longer do this)

• The servant’s chasing behavior is now more reasonable and no longer easy to exploit

3) Stronger horror & tension

• Improved the servant model and death animation

• Increased the pressure during chase sequences

• Added more voice performance and spatial audio effects for the servant

4) Flow & level design adjustments

• Removed part of the study room section to make pacing tighter

• Extended the chase sequence and improved level progression

5) Many bug fixes & gameplay improvements

More than 20 issues were fixed or improved, including but not limited to:

• Text/typo errors

• Some clipping issues

• Unable to stand up after crouching

• Added hints for the “fish” puzzle

• Various other minor issues

2｜Why are updates coming slowly?

Since the Demo launched on May 4th, I’ve been working on fixes and polishing almost every day. However, The Grotto Diary is being developed entirely by myself, and I have to handle everything alone:

Collecting feedback → reproducing bugs → finding causes → fixing → repeated testing → packaging → uploading → submitting for review → releasing updates.

Each step takes time, and I’m also limited by personal energy and ability. So updates may not be very fast, but I’ll do my best to ensure each patch solves key issues, and to avoid situations where “fixing one thing breaks another.”

Thank you for your understanding and patience.

3｜Why were the most requested fixes (“hiding in front of the enemy” and movement speed) updated last?

The main reason is that The Grotto Diary is designed as a small-scale “sandbox-style” map experience, where atmosphere and pacing are the core. If movement speed becomes too fast, it can easily break the horror rhythm and tension, and it may also cause chase sequences, triggers, and level pacing to feel unbalanced.

So this kind of adjustment cannot be solved by simply changing one number. It often requires coordinating changes across:

AI logic / level layout / chase pacing / trigger distances

Only after repeated testing and verification could I find a more reasonable balance. That’s why I finally decided to update both the movement speed and the “hiding in front of the servant” issue together.

4｜Didn’t understand the story?

As Chapter 1, the Demo is more of an introduction. It leans toward symbolic storytelling, and I also wanted to preserve the original structure and tone of Diary of a Madman as much as possible.

Later chapters will gradually provide more narrative clues, making the story clearer and more complete. At the same time, I will also improve certain parts of the storytelling based on your feedback.

5｜Future plans

At this point, the Demo stage of The Grotto Diary is mostly complete. Next, I will shift my main focus to developing the later chapters. I hope to bring the full release to you as soon as possible within 2026.

Your support throughout this journey truly means a lot. Please stay tuned — I will continue to share development updates.

6｜Thanks

Once again, thank you for your support and patience. I will continue polishing The Grotto Diary, and I hope it can live up to your expectations.

— Weiran / DogCatMouse Studio