SPOILERS AHEAD

Chapter 2 Development Plan

Key Features and Systems

1. Prisoner Horror Pack: Download the Prisoner Horror Pack from the Steam Workshop to enhance the game’s horror aesthetic.
2. Endurance & Sanity System: Introduce a dual meter system – Endurance (HP) and Sanity (Stress) – to track player health and mental stability.
3. Cigarette Item: Add cigarettes as a consumable item, using [COMMON EVENTS] to reduce stress and restore Sanity.
4. Combat System:
   • Combat only activates when the player possesses a Butterfly Knife.
   • The knife is discarded after a single use.
   • If the player dies while wielding the knife, they'll be transported to the last bed they interacted with, avoiding a full game over (if the player has TransBianXR in their inventory).

Party Members

1. Kokeshi: The main protagonist and the only playable character in Chapter 1. Will continue to play a key role in Chapter 2.
2. Matryoshka:
   • Joins the party after six interactions with the player. Initially distracted by her fidget toys and singing nonsensical lyrics. Following lyrics include: "Oh yeah~ da-daradad-da-daradada~ Baby baby~ da-daradad-da-dada~ Musk Distraction~!"
   • Dialogue options include:
     • "You look normal unlike the rest." (Kokeshi continues with: "But there's something different about you, you don't seem... unordinary.")
     • "Ugh... are you all right?" (Leads to the same response.)
   • Each interaction brings new unique dialogue until she finally notices the player and joins the party.
3. Ted the Trader:
   • Currently planned as an NPC. Ted allows the player to trade items.
4. Miss Porcelain:
   • Found in the Violet Room, accompanied by a music box melody and a heart balloon animation. She is important to the story, though her role is still under development.
5. Ragged Child (NPC):
   • Does not join the party but offers an interesting interaction where the player can:
     • A. Give him money (the player only has a quarter, leading the child to mock them). The following response to the player will be: “Broke ass!”
     • B. Give him food (causes the child to panic, implying a deeper, darker reaction).
     • C. Give him morphine (if the player has it, the child will question if you’re a psychic that can read his thoughts, take the morphine, and run off).

Story Progression

• After completing Chapter 1, the playable character switches from Kokeshi to a new protagonist, Zee, who is secretly a split personality of Kokeshi’s other persona, as well as Es who follows Zee as some sort of endearing older sister.
• Zee explores a quiet town filled with harmless Shadows, searching for the remaining pages to burn them.
• As Zee enters the Arkham Forest, he hints at knowledge of the already-burnt page from Chapter 1.

Technical Notes

• New areas (LVL 2) will be replicated into LVL 3 to streamline event management and avoid potential spaghetti code. This might increase file size but will help optimize gameplay.
• Spoiler: Zee accidentally burns down a house, which Kokeshi will notice in the following chapter.

Final Story Note

• The house’s door below the Arkham Subdivision is mysteriously open in LVL 3, leading to the main chapter’s puzzle area.
• Development will continue in a freeform manner, letting the map design guide the story rather than scripting everything in advance.

Developer's Note:

As mentioned in my previous update and in the "More Information..." section on the game's front page, development is currently on hold. I’ve got a lot of other priorities at the moment, so progress on the game has slowed down.

That said, the first chapter of the game is already quite robust, with an average playtime of 2-3 hours due to the intricate puzzles. The design of the maps and areas is intentional—filled with carefully placed props and textures to create the illusion of hidden objects. Players must explore and figure out which items fit into specific interactions, challenging their problem-solving skills. My beta testers took up to 4 hours to complete the chapter, which reflects the complexity and depth of the experience so far.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.