Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Remastered Edition

I'm slowly trying to get through my stack of shame, and one of the games I put on the backburner was the remastered version of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (Nintendo Switch Version).

I tried to play it with some studio friends last year but it was a pain in the butt to deal with and super frustrating, so I put it in the back and moved onto some other games to play. 

After finishing a few other games in the stack and while FFXIV Endwalker is coming out a few months away, I decided to revisit it and set aside a few hours each week to play it with friends who are willing to put up with the rough multiplayer aspect. 

At first I thought it was still a royal pain, but as I'm now in Year 4 and there are a lot of dungeons to do without cutscenes getting in the way as much, I'm enjoying it a bit more. When you get into a dungeon and everyone is in, it's fun, but it's the stuff in-between that really dampens the experience. The flow of the game is really off, and I wish they redid some fundamental things of the game to make it work for a modern age. 

I wouldn't know how to pull it off, and I don't think Square-Enix did either. Still aiming to finish it, though.

Blog Revamp

It's been some time since I've made a post not directly related to what's going on in the studio. I've utilized a black/blue color scheme on my blog for a really long time. I wanted to kind of revamp it to match a new color scheme I'm liking a bit more these days. Black/White/Light Blue. A bit less edgy, but a lot easier on my eyes.

The new cover photo is a commission from Loren Petty (@lorenpettyart) who worked with us a bit on whimindie projects last year. It shows an up-to-date montage of the projects I've been focusing on. 

Stay safe everyone.

Whim Independent Studios - Development Log #61

Hi all, Happy August! Here is the monthly update for what's going on at whimindie. Our 61st development log. Note that some of this information will be cross-posted to our Spellbearers project page on Kickstarter for project backers.  

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Spellbearers

This month, our team put a lot of work into building Level 3 and implementation of Achievements for both Steam and Xbox versions. Take a look below!

First Look: The Fiery Lands of Floga

Here are some first screenshots of Level 3 - The Fiery Lands of Floga that our game director and lead programmer Gerren Willis provided last week. If you've backed our project and already received a copy of the soundtrack in the mail, you can take a listen and match the music with the area. It's going to be quite hectic!

What kind of traps and obstacles will have to go through in Floga? We're excited to have you find out soon! A shout-out to our terrain artists Parker Colon and Kevin Picotte and VFX artist Zion Jones for realizing this in-game! 

Achievement Implementation

A lot of work on Spellbearers this month went into implementation of our achievement system. We set out to implement a global system that will interact with both Steam and Xbox from the get-go so we can minimize our amount of work for porting/adjusting later on. 

Do note that we're still adjusting details on how this Achievement UI will look in game. What you see here is not final and still subject to change.

We also have an in-game achievement overlay planned for platforms that may not have their own achievement or trophy system... I'll leave it at that. 

A shout-out to Parker Colon, Gerren Willis,  Jessica M. Jacuinde, Deborah Groves and Jonathan Dishaw for working on this implementation into the game!

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Selatria

Development is back on track!

After a month of getting the environment set up and moving files over, we're finally back on track for development. A lot of Selatria work this past month is tying the game together and wrapping up loose ends and incomplete dungeons. This also includes doing final minor character voiceover re-takes, contacting team members involved for final credits, and unvoiced scenario quests.

Revised Shutdown Date for Chapter 4 Alpha Version 

For those who participated in the Chapter 4 Alpha, thank you for your feedback and support! Now that we're able to get back to development, the revised shutdown date for Chapter 4 Alpha Version will be Saturday, August 28, 2021. While we did get some valuable feedback and addressed a lot of critical issues in Chapter 4, the participation in the alpha test was not at the level that we expected, and so we plan on doing something a bit different in the future to get player feedback.

Note that if you were given an alpha test key for Selatria Chapter 4 Alpha, it will be invalidated after this date and you will no longer be able to play the game. 

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That's all for this development log. Catch you at Gameacon in Rancho Mirage in a few weeks (August 14-15, 2021)! We'll be at Booth 112 and 113 showing Selatria, Spellbearers, Corpse Castle, and Reapers! See you there!

Thanks for your support, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, and join our Discord! Until next time! Follow whimindie on itch.io Wishlist Selatria - Full Version on Steam Wishlist Spellbearers on Steam Wishlist Corpse Castle on Steam

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Whim Independent Studios - Development Log #60

Hi everyone! Here is the July 2021 update for what's going on at whimindie. Our 60th development log! Note that some of this information will be cross-posted to our Spellbearers project page on Kickstarter for our backers.  

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Spellbearers

For this month's update I'd like to address some concerns regarding the release date and some user feedback from our recent demo release. 

* Release Date delay until Fall 2021

So I'll have to start with the bad news. Previously we mentioned that we were aiming for a release date for September of this year, but due to needing some more time to develop the last two levels, we are making the decision to delay the release of the game until later in Fall. As the game nears closer to completion and we make final adjustments, I'll be able to provide you with a more defined month and date. I apologize for the delay. 


* Addressing User Feedback

Thanks for playing the demo that we've released! We've gotten quite a bit of feedback from players across our Discord, boards, and emails asking for certain features to the game and I would like to address some of the more pressing questions. 

Any plans for a Nintendo Switch version of Spellbearers?

We at whimindie love the Nintendo Switch platform and we would love to have Spellbearers on Nintendo Switch. However, we currently have no concrete plans to release for this platform at this time. If you would like to see a Nintendo Switch port of Spellbearers, the best way to make that happen is to let Nintendo know you want to see our game on their platform. 

North America - https://twitter.com/IndieWorldNA 
Japan -  https://twitter.com/IndieWorldJP

Are you going to implement 360 degree movement for the Spellbearers? 

We currently have no plans to introduce 360 degree movement. 

There are too many monsters and it's easy for me to get cornered and lose a life!

We are aware there are situations where it's easy to get cornered by monsters and bosses, and we are considering a dash/dodge feature using the shoulder buttons to make it easier to get away. I can't guarantee it will be added into the game at this time, but it is something we're talking about at the moment. 

We do have plans to adjust the amount of lives one has when starting the game out as well as easier and more difficult modes of play that adjust said amount of lives available.

Is there going to be Mouse support for Steam/PC?

Adding mouse support has been our biggest and most requested feature for Spellbearers. We are currently unsure about how we would implement mouse support for Spellbearers as it would affect co-op play or extending the development timeline. If only one player could use the mouse, then the other player not using a mouse would be at a disadvantage. We're going to continue monitoring feedback and responses, take a look at how other PC games of the same genre handle mouse implementation, and we  may revisit this topic in a future post, so I'm hesitant to give a solid answer to this at this time. 

We'll continue to keep an eye on Steam/itch.io/Discord feedback and do our best to have a fun twin-stick shooter. Thank you all for your feedback and support! 

Before I end with this month's Spellbearers update, I would like to show you one particular character:

What did the Spellbearer do to become an undead...? Hmm...

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Selatria

* Chapter 4 Alpha Testing end date postponed indefinitely

Due to needing more time to gather feedback and fixing bugs to Chapter 4 of Selatria, we are going to be delaying the previously planned end date of June 30th.

My main development computer is still down for the next few weeks - due to the worldwide parts shortage, the soonest I'll be able to get back on track is looking like mid-July if my emails from the manufacturer yesterday are any indication. 

That being said, there will not be any updates to the Selatria alpha testing until that period, and the Selatria alpha test period will continue indefinitely until a further announcement.

* Release Date Delay until early 2022

Selatria is going to be delayed until early 2022, not because of anything related to the game development, but because we want to focus on releasing Spellbearers and putting our marketing funds towards that at the end of this year and we don't have the bandwidth to launch two games near each other.

Spellbearers also has the bigger fan-base/install-base due to Kickstarter and it's something that will have to be focused on. Selatria will continue its development at its pace and we'll release it when we have the opportunity to do so.

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That's all for this development log. Hope to see you at Gameacon in Rancho Mirage next month! 

Thanks for your support, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, and join our Discord! Until next time! Follow whimindie on itch.io Wishlist Selatria - Full Version on Steam Wishlist Spellbearers on Steam Wishlist Corpse Castle on Steam

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Whim Independent Studios - Development Log #59

Hi everyone! Here is the June 2021 update for what's going on at whimindie. Note that some of this information will be cross-posted to our Spellbearers project page on Kickstarter for our backers.  

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Spellbearers

* New playable demo 

First, I would like to start off that we have a new playable demo of Spellbearers available to play now for Steam and itch.io - this is also the demo we sent to IndieCade. This shows the new additions we've added in the past few development logs, just note only level 1 is playable in this demo version. 

Spellbearers Title Screen

Play Spellbearers Demo on Steam
Play Spellbearers Demo on itch.io

We would love to hear your feedback, so please let us know what you think.

* New illustrations for Level 2 and Level 3

In Development Log #57 I showed the illustration for the first level. The illustration work has been completed for the next two levels!

The Icy Realm of Pagosia (Illustration: Niko)

The Fiery Lands of Floga (Illustration: Niko)

The illustration art will be displayed as the storyline/backstory of the level is shown. This will also act as a loading screen for the level. 

* Working on performance issues and planning out achievements

We're currently working on fixing performance issues and planning out achievements for the game. We're bringing over a team member from the Selatria team to help with achievement implementation in Steam and working to have similar achievements implemented for Xbox. 

If you notice any performance issues with the Spellbearers demo, we would love to hear about it on our Discord channel. Please let us know your technical specs and we'll see about how we can work to polish the game further. 

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Selatria

* Chapter 4 Alpha Testing will be coming to a close on June 30th. 

We have gotten a lot of feedback on the difficulty and pacing of the Chapter 4 demo we made available a few weeks ago. We have made over 30 adjustments and bug fixes in Chapter 4 to address player feedback and make the game a more enjoyable experience. 

Among the greatest points of feedback was the build crashing on certain areas, and the difficulty of the Endless Desert. Over the course of the alpha test period, we put out some updates and adjustments and we're going to continue playing through and getting polished difficulty curve for the final chapters.

Due to the story content for Chapter 5 and 6, we don't plan on having an alpha or beta test for those chapters.

* Selatria - Main Scenario Cutscene Work Complete!

Cutscene work on the main scenario for Selatria is complete, and we're currently working on tying the game together with the cutscenes, adjusting boss battles, and finishing up incomplete dungeons.

With the second half of Selatria, there are quite a few optional dungeons and additional areas to go through, and the puzzles are fairly difficult. ...Difficult to the point where I need to see internal guides on what to do as a reminder. I wish you best of luck gathering all of the lost cats! 


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Game Design Graveyard

Throughout this month, I will be starting a new blog series this month that talk about game designs that were started on but had to be put on hold for various reasons. While I am personally attached to the game designs, I don't have time to turn these incomplete plans into a full game, and I'm hoping they might be an inspiration for some other game designer or programmer looking at this blog for something they can build a game on.

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whimindie @ Gameacon 2021 at Rancho Mirage, CA

Our last announcement for this development log is that we are planning on having our first in-person demonstration at Gameacon 2021 in August in Palm Springs, CA. Some of our team will be there and we will be demonstrating Spellbearers, Selatria, Corpse Castle, and more! If you are fully vaccinated, I encourage you to stop by!

Find out more about Gameacon here. 

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That's all for this development log.

Thanks for your support, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, and join our Discord! Until next time! Follow whimindie on itch.io Wishlist Selatria - Full Version on Steam Wishlist Spellbearers on Steam Wishlist Corpse Castle on Steam

Whim Independent Studios - Development Log #58

Hi everyone! Here is the May 2021 update for what's going on at whimindie. Note that some of this information will be cross-posted to our Spellbearers project page on Kickstarter for our backers.  

As of this post we just finished our submissions to the IndieCade festival for 2021, and I'd like to talk about what's coming next for our games we have in development.

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Spellbearers

Last month, we showed off a first look at the deeper parts of Level 2. This month's update is going to be showing some new playable characters and some of the new implemented UI and story. 

We previously showed the green Spellbearer in some promotional material, but this is the first time the purple Spellbearer has been shown in any capacity! With the blue and red Spellbearers this will round out the playable Spellbearers you can play as at launch! Thanks to Deborah Groves for developing the look of the new Spellbearers! (Now excuse me while I go listen to a certain funky rocker...)

A few months ago, we showed some UI mockups, and this time our team has implemented the updated UX/UI and the initial boot up/story dialogue. Take a look!

Thanks to Jessica M. Jacuinde for doing the UI/UX/Boss Intro Artwork, Niko for the illustrations, and Zion Jones for the Visual Effects! 

Wishlist Spellbearers on Steam
Follow Spellbearers on itch.io

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Selatria

I made a post at the beginning of April that we were about 97% complete.

A lot of the work is done for Selatria, and we're currently working on the ending cutscenes and tying everything together. A lot of dungeons have incomplete rooms that need to be tied together. We're also finishing up side quests and implementing Steam assets such as achievement art, Steam trading cards for the full version, and etc. The main team is now down to 4 designers and one artist, and one in-house tester aimed to reduce the amount of "a lot of cooks in the kitchen" and focus on finishing the last of the game. 

Speaking of which, we made an important announcement for owners of "Selatria: Advent of the Dakk'rian Empire" on Steam. Please click here to see it. In a nutshell, due to Steam restrictions, we will be keeping Part 1 available with the second half of the story purchasable as DLC. For the full version (sold separately), there will be enhancements such as achievement support, new trading cards, and a digital download of the soundtrack included. 

A few weeks ago, we also launched Alpha Testing for Chapter 4 and got a lot of feedback. There will be further updates to the alpha build as we try to make the the last chapters an enjoyable experience for all. Thank you to all who applied! We will open again for more Alpha Testers at some point in the future, please watch this blog for more information on when that will take place. 

Wishlist Selatria - Full Version on Steam
Follow Selatria on itch.io

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Corpse Castle

Corpse Castle, the game we're helping produce with developer Wicked Cake Games is getting some positive impact! We recently put a new version out on itch.io and Steam, take a play through some of the new levels if you haven't!

You can play the game for yourself here! 

Also, thanks to Colonel Steev for the positive feedback!

Wishlist Corpse Castle on Steam
Follow Corpse Castle on itch.io

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That's all for this development log.

Thanks for your support, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, and join our Discord! Until next time! Follow whimindie on itch.io Wishlist Selatria - Full Version on Steam Wishlist Spellbearers on Steam Wishlist Corpse Castle on Steam

Whim Independent Studios - Development Log #57

Hi everyone! Here is the April 2021 update for what's going on at whimindie. Note that some of this information will be cross-posted to our Spellbearers project page on Kickstarter for our backers. 

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Spellbearers

This month's update will be a focus on showing some new art and gameplay pictures that were worked on the last few months. 

Each level we plan on having an illustration of the level while the assets load. If you play the current demo version, you'll notice it's taken up by a black Loading screen. While the level loads, we plan on showing off an illustration of the level with some background story on what's going on.

Niko finished the illustration for Level 1: The Gothic Kingdom of Veki. Check it out!

Two months ago, we showed you a preview of Level 2: Icy Realm of Pagosia. However, Pagosia is actually split into two parts. You get to explore the icy fortress, but here is a first look of the caverns underneath... 

Wow, lots of icy spider webs in the dungeon... wonder what it could be? 

It's not a spider...?

Ooh, a puppet that's being manipulated via spider webs. But what are the green eyes behind the puppet...? Guess you'll have to find out by getting through Level 2. Please look forward to it!

I'm also happy to announce that the soundtrack for the game is complete! Spellbearers will have 18 music tracks total in the game, and we hope you'll enjoy all of  the fantastic tunes. We will have more to share regarding some of the music of Spellbearers in a future update. 

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Selatria

As we prepare for the Chapter 4 Alpha Test, I would like to show you some updated lore around one of the prominent cities in Chapter 4, the city of Verwin.

Verwin is a city on the Dakk'rian continent will be one of the first locations encountered in Chapter 4. 

Two rival families, the Mindaro and Vermilion families are in a constant struggle to control the city with their sprawling casinos, each taking up roughly half of the city. And to the north is a large Arena where challengers and political enemies are sent to fight for their lives against various beasts for the spectator's enjoyment.

Here's a look at the two casino heads.

Maximillion Mindaro

Valeria Vermilion

When completing all of the games at their respective casinos, you will be able to take on a special challenge against the casino heads which can lead to even greater rewards.

And meanwhile, at the Verwin Arena, the heroes see a familiar face...

Is it Number 016? And Waltear? The leader of the resistance? 

The Chapter 4 Alpha Test for Selatria will be going live on Saturday, April 24th on Steam! Invites will be sent out to those who fill out the alpha testing application. If you're interested in playing it and giving feedback, please visit out our Selatria Chapter 4 Alpha Test Application.

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That's all for this development log.

Thanks for your support, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, and join our Discord! Until next time! Wishlist Selatria - Full Version on Steam Wishlist Spellbearers on Steam Spellbearers Art by Niko, Deborah Groves, Parker Colon, and Gerren Willis Spellbearers Programming by Gerren Willis Selatria Art by Niko and Deborah Groves

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