Before the finale...
Hey everyone!
The
public release of Chapter 13 just went live. One chapter remains — the end is near, and that means it’s time to reflect.
I rarely talked about what inspired me to make this game, what led me down this path. Now that it’s wrapping up, I think it’s the right moment to share it.
It all started during the pandemic. Like many others, I lost my job. I was stuck at home, playing AVNs, reading books — and I kept finding myself searching for something that just wasn’t there. I was looking for a protagonist — strong, sharp, dominant. A very specific type I’ve always liked: Miranda from Mass Effect, Morrigan from Dragon Age… and of course, my absolute favorite — Yennefer from The Witcher saga. I guess I’ve always had a thing for women like that.
Jobless and drained by isolation, I started writing. I had some experience, but I never thought of myself as any kind of real writer. That’s when I came up with my very first story about Rhiannon — a forest witch living with a tamed succubus. Just a short piece I never published, but it became the foundation for everything.
Eventually, I asked myself — why not try making a visual novel? I didn’t know how to code, didn’t know anything about rendering, but hey — there’s always YouTube. And that’s how the idea for Instinct Unleashed was born.
I learned everything from scratch, step by step. Did it all alone, on an old laptop that honestly deserved to retire years ago. And then, in February 2024, the prologue finally went live. I never expected it to get such warm feedback. It gave me a huge boost — enough to keep going. Then came Chapter One, then Chapter Two… and suddenly, there were people actually waiting for updates. As a new developer, that meant the world to me.
From chapter to chapter, I kept trying to improve — visuals, writing, even the mechanics. I think I did grow. Sure, IU is far from perfect, but I’m genuinely proud of it. And I’m thankful you allowed me to tell this story.
I started this journey alone, and I’m still walking it alone. Sometimes I work late into the night, sometimes I just lie awake from the stress. I’m not saying this to make you feel sorry for me — just as a reminder that most adult game devs are solo creators. We write, render, code, test, design all by ourselves.
So when someone drops a harsh comment just to blow off steam after a rough day, that might be the thing that breaks a dev already hanging by a thread. Not because we’re fragile, but because we pour our soul into this.
Sometimes just remembering that
is support.
I think it’s safe to say I have some ideas — and maybe even long-term plans — for an Instinct Unleashed sequel. But if that happens, it’ll be with a new heroine and a brand new story, and it definitely won’t be soon.
So to those of you who were here for Jade’s story, but aren’t really interested in Undawn — thank you. Your support meant a lot, even if it was just a pat on the back.
And I sincerely hope that even if we part ways, we do so at least as good acquaintances.
Now, I want to briefly talk about a few storylines in Instinct Unleashed that didn’t quite work out the way I hoped — things that probably raised questions or confusion along the way.
Nate & Lena.
When I started making this game, I didn’t plan to include futa-on-male content. That kind of thing just isn’t really for me — especially when it involves a masculine character like Nate.
Originally, their route was supposed to go in a very different direction: hard netori, where Jade slowly steals Lena from her best friend using seduction and manipulation. But after talking it over with a friend, I realized that — considering how controversial Jade already was — it might’ve pushed things too far.
In the end, I couldn’t find a satisfying alternative for that arc, and it stayed underdeveloped. That’s on me. I’m sorry to those who were hoping for more.
Andy’s route.
Honestly, I got a lot of pushback just for having Andy show up at the party. Originally, he wasn’t even supposed to be a trans character — the plan was a classic sub/dom humiliation route. But then I decided to give him a bit more depth — and through that, I ended up fleshing out Adam and Ashley, too.
I wasn’t trying to make Adam a villain, like some assumed. Quite the opposite — I wanted to show someone shaped by his time, his culture, his upbringing.
To be completely honest, I tried to portray all of the "villains" as more nuanced, morally grey characters and not just cartoon bad guys twirling their mustaches. Whether that came across or not — I’ll leave for others to judge. But the amount of negative feedback made me feel like I failed that arc. So again, I apologize.
Anna.
Her arc — from “I’m not into girls” to kissing Eva and then Ashley — was meant to show denial, repression, and slow acceptance. I thought it was a meaningful angle, but I may have overstepped. The audience reaction made that clear. I’ll try to be more careful with these kinds of stories in the future.
That’s more or less everything I wanted to say.
Working on this game has been a joy, and I truly hope you enjoyed playing it — getting to know the characters, feeling for them, cheering for them, maybe even hating some of them.
But this isn’t the end.
Let me tell you, just briefly, what comes after Instinct Unleashed. Especially if you haven’t been keeping up.
It’s a completely new dark world.
Undawn: Shackles of Eternity.
This world means a lot to me. I built it from scratch — continents, cultures, languages, religions, forests, cities, races. Sure, you’ll find some familiar faces — elves, orcs, half-breeds, but also new ones: Draelzars, djuhiras, batyrkars.
I didn’t try to reinvent the wheel or overload it with exotic gimmicks just for the sake of “being original.” I wanted the world to feel alive — and understandable. A place you could stay in… if you want to.
I drew inspiration from Sapkowski’s works, real-world history, cultures, and oddly enough — Runeterra from League of Legends. Not the stories, but the idea: a world where almost nothing is recycled or borrowed.
Saying goodbye to the IU cast is bittersweet. But I’m excited to move on and give everything I’ve got to Undawn.
And I hope, even just a little, you’ll like it too.
One last thing — Undawn will have less sex and more story.
Maybe one day I’ll slide back into depravity.
But I wouldn’t count on it, if I were you.
Thank you for being with me all this time.
I hope I’ll see you again in a new world.
Kind Nightmares
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