itch.io

No problem at all. Thanks for the interest!

Originally I was contacted by an individual named Paul Roberts that wanted to help me get the game localized. I was curious to see how the process would work, and ultimately through him I was introduced to a company called "Lokilize" based in Estonia. They were very professional, and I would work with them again (although their website/focus seems to have changed since I worked with them).

The reason I decided on a German version was because, at the time, that was the language I'd seen most requested. Currently I have no plans for future localizations of the original or second game unless there's a surge of interest in non-English versions, or unless I eventually make a connection that can help me promote the game to a non-English audience.

Thanks a lot!

A lot of people found the boss encounters a bit tricky in the original game. For the most part I'd recommend sticking to a spot where the healing sparkles are guaranteed to spawn and hitting the dark orbs whenever they show up nearby.

The second game doesn't have boss encounters, for the record.

I anticipated people completely forgetting the toilet phantom until the very end of the game, so I wouldn't expect that to affect anything at 11PM, but thanks for the info. When I get some time, I'll take another look.

I tried recreating the issue, but everything worked as expected:

• Waited for the girl to crash outside the house, brought her to Carol
• Made it to 10PM, got Bat-Son to help place Rudolph on altar
• Went to the kitchen and took the empty wine glass
• Headed to the basement, spoke to Carol, and was given blood for the ritual regardless of which item slot the glass was in
• Used blood on Rudolph at the altar
• Triggered 11PM and game continued as normal

I also tried completing the Don sidequest before speaking with Carol, and she still offered to fill the glass. Is there anything I did differently that you can think of?

If you check the map in the basement, you're able to speak with Carol about the sacrifice. Not that you need to check the map, but there is a spider icon showing that the player can speak with her. I guess you already figured that out, though!

Thanks for the feedback! Definitely makes me happy to see people being so enthusiastic about the series.

There are a couple of hidden things in BZ2. There's only one guaranteed phantom encounter on each playthrough - the toilet one. Two additional phantoms appear at 11PM. There are six in total, so you'd need to replay at least three times to see them all (they are randomized upon starting a new game, so simply reloading a 10PM save would not work). If you found the mailbox letter and called the "ICB Hint Hotline," the mascot will tell you something else that relates to the phantom encounters. This letter is different when playing with a completed playthrough, for the record. Batty also comments on most four letter curse word combinations when using the phone, and I put a self cameo in the game if the player dials my name.

Also, the character "Don" in the basement is actually based on a real person that plays in a band where I live. He also coincidentally worked at the arcade which was "featured" in BZ1. Just a little "behind the scenes" trivia. His band is called Squander, and they are awesome:

The Western Nightmare Continues... | Squander

-RAMBLING AHEAD-

I don't want to reveal too much about the future of the series, but originally I had considered XOXO XMAS as a simple "reskin" of the first game's art assets but with a new story. If you check the original game's page you can still see a Christmas post I made two years ago with a picture of Batty wearing an early version of her Christmas outfit. This was roughly when I had started the idea for a holiday spinoff, and during that time I was already planning a more "ambitious" sequel taking place in a totally different environment. Needless to say, the Christmas game evolved into a much more critical entry, but the ideas I had already written for Batty in a new environment are still being worked on for the third chapter. As of now, I only have three games planned.

Here are a couple of "prototype" screens I mocked up for that original version of XOXO XMAS, if you're interested. Clearly the final game became a wildly different beast:

I didn't expect many people to discover the second victim right away, but cool to know that you did! She even existed in the demo.

***SPOILER ALERT for anyone not wanting to know***

Both spots are in the house. B1 and 2F. If you want a more obvious hint, let me know!

It was so cool to see somebody cosplaying as Batty and enjoying the demo for the second game. Thanks a bunch, Peepo!

Yeah, the demo only covered the majority of 9PM, so there was quite a bit more added to the full game. I'm not a huge fan of the "early access" model, so when I release a demo, it really is just a sample of the final product that I don't intend to update beyond that.

As for the game being "darker," Batty would tell you that she had absolutely nothing to do with killing that guy!

I was working constantly to get it finished, but didn't quite hit the original Christmas release plan. Hopefully it'll be worth the wait for you!

Thanks so much for the support! I definitely tried to make something special with this one.

Thanks so much for the support!

Thanks so much for reviewing the game! I appreciated the section about my inspirations for the character of Batty. Nice job.

Haha, yes it was quite the honor!

There will be a restock! Not sure when exactly, but they are just waiting on more carts.

I wasn't aware they were totally sold out on the Retro Room website. I'll get in touch with them about it. Thanks!

Definitely nice to hear people are checking out the video, and thanks for the compliments on the final artwork! It really makes the effort worth it.

Thanks! Glad some folks are finding it interesting.

As long as you have no intention of selling your own carts of the German version, then you have my blessing. There could potentially be an "official" release one day, but as of now the German version didn't make enough money to warrant a full physical edition.

I'm continuing to promote the series as much as possible, especially with the sequel in development. A lot of people are still only now discovering the first game, so if demand increases for a physical German version I may consider it (after all, it's the version that actually has a full Super Game Boy border).

If you do make your own cartridge out of pure fan passion, I'd definitely be interested to see photos! Thanks for asking.

Glad to hear that. I'm hoping folks enjoy it just as much as the original, or even more!

Thanks for the kind words, and the feedback. It was absolutely a passion project for me, and I had a lot of fun writing Batty's character and coming up with the scenario.

The sequel is currently in development, and releasing this December (check out battyzabella.com if you don't already know about it). I really hope people enjoy playing it as much as I'm enjoying developing it. As a creator, if I'm not having fun making something then I see no point to do it.

As for a standalone version of the minigame, it is something I've considered, so it might happen eventually. There's a bit of history to the existence of that "secret arcade" in the first place, so I may one day also do a video or something talking about it.

It means a lot that people are still discovering and enjoying the game over a year after its release. Thank you very much for the video and article!

Something happens when you interact with the spiders in your inventory.

It has been available physically here for a while now:
Batty Zabella – RetroRoomgames (theretroroomgames.com)

Congrats on the demo release!

Thanks so much for the support!

Appreciate the kind feedback, and I'm honored that Batty Zabella was your first GB game ever!

For me, Game Boy was a childhood staple in the early 90s, so it was the most nostalgic retro console to develop for.

There shouldn't be any difference between the two versions, but the game was developed mainly with the original Game Boy in mind. Mostly I've seen people emulate the GB version for streaming.

The support is greatly appreciated!

I may look into some method of providing the German language ROM at least for physical buyers in the near future, but the localization process was not free, and did take time, so the $6.66 download fee helps me recoup those costs while also gauging how much interest there is in German versions of future installments to begin with.

Love you all, and hope that's not unreasonable.

The arcade is a secret area unlocked by collecting all the spiders in the game. There have been posts further down in the comments section where I gave another player hints on where to find them.

Generally most players will not find them on their first playthrough.

Sorry, they are still two separate products. However, the game can still be played completely free via the web browser.

Thanks for input, and I'm glad to hear you tried the demo before the full game! I hope to hear your impressions on the finished product as well.

In case you're interested, the game has now been released as a physical cartridge, but can still be played for free on Itch.io like the demo:

https://theretroroomgames.com/products/batty-zabella

I may consider it, yes.

Currently no plans for Brazilian Portuguese, but I will keep it in mind that there may be interest.

As for Steam, that may happen after the physical release.

I used Piskel, which is free. And thank you!

That means a lot! Thank you.

Currently it is only available in English, but international versions may be coming in the future.