Hay Lin Reskin, Results of Version 0.24EX, and the Size of 0.25’s Content
View attachment 5086371
Hello everyone!
Well, the release of version 0.24EX has come and gone. We hope you enjoyed the new format. To build on that success, we’ll try to do something similar when version 0.25 comes out.
For now, a quick reminder: as part of testing this new approach, all EX‑content will be available to anyone who buys version 0.25, and it will also become available once version 0.24 turns free. In future, we may keep EX versions paid a little longer than the main ones and bring their content into new versions on a different schedule. In any case, everyone will get to see 0.24EX’s content, and all future EX material will eventually become free for everyone—just like we already do with older releases.
One more detail to clarify is the label “Voiced.” Some of you may have been puzzled by that line in the changelog. “Voice effects” would probably have been a better term—but, well, English still isn’t our native tongue. We put a lot of effort into creating a voice pack for every key character, matching their personality, speaking style, and age. That said, it’s still not full dialogue voice‑over—just sound effects in scenes where they fit.
After 0.25 launches, we’ll hold a poll to find out whether you’d like us to add these voice effects to all content in future updates. If so, EX versions could include voice effects in every scene, not just a handful. We’ll revisit that later. For now, let’s talk about 0.25’s content.
First up, as promised, here’s Hay Lin’s reskin. Her new look gave us quite a headache. We first had to decide between her “everyday idol” outfit and a “Japanese schoolgirl” style. We tried the second option, but it didn’t work out, so we settled on a casual look that still feels fresh. Hay Lin now sports short denim shorts and striped fingerless gloves—just like in the original comics and cartoon. And because she’s as obsessed with aliens as Will is with frogs, we put a little alien on her T‑shirt for a dash of humor. What do you think?
As for version 0.25 as a whole, we’ve run into a small snag. Throughout development we’ve told you, “This version has more content than any before it.” Well, this one is no exception. In fact, only version 0.23 with Elyon—35 new scenes in total—beats it. Honestly, a couple of years ago we’d have split 0.25 into two separate updates. You’ll even notice the narrative naturally divides into two parts. But the ever‑growing production scope, plus our fear of disappointing you with “too few scenes,” kept us from doing that.
The net result: a delay, and over 27 scenes already in 0.25 (there would have been more, but we trimmed a few).
So, up front—we plan to make future releases a bit leaner, because once again we’ve slipped behind schedule. We’re not thrilled about rolling out huge updates every four months; we’d like to hit at least a 3.5‑month cycle by scaling content back to its previous size. Don’t worry—we still won’t ship fewer than 20 scenes per update (which is rare for developers anyway). But we’ll likely bring back the old “Work in progress” tag in some segments, giving us extra dev time and letting us deliver updates faster. We’ll also revisit our roadmap to make sure no single update secretly contains two updates’ worth of story and content.
We’ve got loads of cool stuff lined up for version 0.25. We’ll even lift the curtain a bit: there’s a new character in this update many of you have been waiting to see. Development’s in full swing, and we’ll push to release 0.25 as soon as we can!
That’s all the news for today. Drop a comment to tell us how you like Hay Lin’s reskin, what you think of the 0.24EX format after playing it, and whether you support our goal of faster releases.
Thanks, and have a great weekend!