being recognized for my originality is probably the greatest compliment i could receive. it means my efforts are showing and that's more praise than i could ever ask for.
i went out of my way to design characters that look nothing like you'd usually see in projects like this, which meant making a whole lot myself instead of grabbing assets wherever i could find them. this applies not only to visuals, but music, sound design and writing too. honestly, this first release could've been finished in only a few months, but my passion wouldn't let me take the easy way out. after all, the project isn't original simply for the sake of standing out, a ridiculous amount of thought was put into everything here, from the characters' names, to the way they speak, to the way they dress themselves, the colors that they wear and how they style their hair (or don't).
in terms of the narrative, ever since i was young (around 10 or 11), i was told that i have a knack for writing. indie developers like myself are typically good at one or two aspects of game design (if any). personally, mine is prose and abstract literature. the plot follows a story that comes to me on impulse as my subconscious mind gathers inspiration from anywhere and everywhere. everything else that i put into this, i've had to learn from scratch. truthfully, i'm no coder, artist or musician.
this, added to the fact that i made this entire thing on a 10 year old lenovo that can't even run windows 11, with no gpu and graphics drivers that can't update past 2011, had me spend the better part of 3 years getting over the learning curve, building and rendering this out. if that doesn't convey my commitment, i don't know what will.
i'm glad you took an interest in celeste, admittedly, i was certain that she would be the one that stood out most in this version. rest assured, the other characters that you've come across (as well that those that you have yet to meet) have just as much depth as celeste does. they'll be getting more screen time in the coming update (celeste and her dad too).
i'm glad you noticed my use of the transitions as well. on other forums, commenters have taken issue with the text speed and act as though it has ruined the entire experience for them. honestly, i use it as a tool to emulate speech and non-verbally convey mood and tone, be it awkward, shocked or frantic. i'm happy to see someone is able to appreciate that.
regarding graphics, i assure you, i can do so much better. it's just that my system can't handle the stress of rendering animation. i wanted to animate in v0.1 and honestly, i'm not sure if i want to publish v0.2 without animations. for so many people, animated 18+ scenes is a bare-minimum requirement and i want to live up to that. i want to do better, but can't just yet.
i may publish the game to steam, either when it's finished or near completion. i do accept and greatly appreciate any support that i'm given, but i don't know if i could put a price tag on this just yet. simply because i know that i can do so much better with enough time and better resources.
sorry about the essay lol
you've just given me the opportunity to share, and i couldn't help but take it. i haven't been able to really talk to anyone about this, not even my good friends. it feels quite nice to be able to engage with someone who's interested.