Devlog 05: Demos, Marketing, and the Slog, Oh My!

It's Alive!

The demo is live. It's free, runs for 7-20 minutes depending on your reading speed, and showcases a few of the early chapters. Play it, then tell me what you think, good or bad. All of it helps.

It's been a little over six months since I did one of these, I know, I know, I've been slacking. But the truth is I've been hard at work on the demo, or at least that's partially the truth. It's always good to start at the beginning, though, so let's start with the demo bit, eh?

The Demo

This part is so real, and it's been wild. I got a good portion of the art in and started thinking about how to handle sound. Then I realized I hate doing sound. It's tedious, and my ear is made of mud, so I went on the hunt for a sound guy. There were a ton of amazing applicants, and I would have hired all of them (except one; I'm not a huge fan of people who tell me they know what I need without listening to the pitch).

Ultimately, I landed on a fella named Millhouse (screen name, obv), another international hire, and he's been absolutely fantastic, a real collaborator in the way not every contractor chooses to be. His sounds are crisp, his turnaround time is great, and his price is fair. Check him out if you have the need:

jreedaudio.com.

With that settled, the demo really took off. I took my wife on as a producer (harsh critic, also helpful), I played it a thousand times, got sick of it, played it a bunch more, decided I hated it, questioned all my life choices, summoned Cthulhu to ask for assistance, figured it was probably ok after all, and finally released it. I hope you get some enjoyment out of it. I think it might be ok. Maybe.

Marketing

There isn't as much to say here other than to admit I totally gave up on my "grind" goal of posting once a day on every platform and doing a devlog a week. Ambitious noise-making, and frankly, I got tired of it. I realized something about my game: it isn't going to be for everyone. Yeah, I've said that before, but I've mostly kept the "why" close to my chest.

Here's the truth. This story is what people in the therapy business (of which I am one) call a "trauma narrative." It's drawn from years of sitting with survivors and their stories, the kind of work that leaves a mark on the person doing the listening. In certain ways, this is me doing art therapy in public, processing what it costs to be constantly confronted with the truth of human nature.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't do anything else. But I think survivors of certain trauma deserve something more. So many keep a scream muffled inside their chest, bouncing around, causing damage. And for those brave enough to tell their story, to put it in someone's hands, to let it be heard? What are they owed? The world doesn't see them, it doesn't try to.

So this is me trying.

This game is me giving voice to those screams. It's designed to put you in the shoes of someone who faces these challenges and to hold up a mirror: who are you when it's your turn to face the monsters?

My hope is that it creates a wave of empathy in the people who choose to play it. Even for visual novels and narrative games, the subject matter is heavy, the emotional cost is non-trivial, and I know many, many people will bounce off of it. But for the ones who don't, I think it will truly matter. If a survivor can pick it up and recognize themselves in it, be connected to a lineage of people who have suffered and overcome through the experience of their stories?

Then I will have done my job.

If a single person hesitates the next time they're in an ambiguous situation, or chooses to intervene when they sense something off?

Then I will have done my job.

If the loved ones of a survivor can pick up this game and come away with even an inkling of the reality their person lived?

Then I will have done my job.

And so the game is a visual novel. It's a choice-driven adventure game. It's an RPG-lite. But it's also an empathy trap, and somewhere along the way, I decided that making it the best version it could be mattered more than the marketing grind. So here we are. My marketing is my honest self, and hopefully that lands with a few thousand players who really get it.

If you're in for the ride with me, just know I appreciate it more than words can say.

Marketing

And so the slog goes on. More tweening of sprites, more narrative revision, more feedback processing, more art, more sound, more. My hope is a full release come January 2027, and to participate in a few arthouse festivals where this kind of game can really shine.

If I get enough feedback to respond to, I'll likely do another devlog before too long. Otherwise, you can always watch me be a card on Twitter;

https://x.com/grigsbysworld.

However you reach out, know I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

Until next time.

Best, Marshall Founder, Grigsby's World Productions, LLC