[h2]It’s the most wonderful time of the year, Guests of the Fleapit![/h2] We at Finch Bird team are wrapping up 2023, so it’s as good a time as any to reflect on what we achieved so far, what we’re doing right now, and what our plans are for the nearest future! [h3](Almost) Done: Freaked Fleapit Demo(!?!)[/h3] This year, we put out an exclusive live event demo that showcases what Freaked Fleapit will look like going forward — battle system, dating, quests, and even voice-over! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41646241/1e53c5b0c866254bee3595953125cab77acf9924.png[/img] [i]Concept arts of some of the enemies encountered in the demo[/i] We’re incredibly thankful to everyone who gave us feedback throughout the year and proud to have players who even visited us multiple times during the events just to spend a bit more time with Freaked Fleapit! Now, to a more pressing question: when do *you* guys get to play the demo? A quick answer is: [b]early next year[/b]. A more nuanced answer is: We made this current demo to see if our vertical slice even worked on players, and we realized that we can still tinker with some stuff and make the first public build of Fleapit the best it can be! Of course, we know that some of you can’t wait to play it ‘as is’, so we’re probably going to make that build available earlier — we just need to localize and test it properly, so as many Guests of Fleapit as possible have a pleasant time. [i](and yep, our Patreon subs will get an even earlier access, learn more about it [url=http://patreon.com/FinchBird]here[/url])[/i] [h3]In Progress: Mini-Games![/h3] Some eagle-eyed players on expos have already noticed that we’re planning on making a cocktail mini-game in Freaked Fleapit, but what if we told you that we have even more of these in the works? We wanted to spice up the Dating and Dungeon Crawling parts of Freaked Fleapit, so you’ll also be able to have fun with some Demonic mini-games, such as Tower Defence, Bowling, and more! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41646241/fba6b2e4e4cf551c0852f6538370b4f93b1966e9.png[/img] [i]Tower Defence gameplay screen (WIP)[/i] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41646241/254c48567afd157032843d7b2c280135680c740b.png[/img] [i]Fasaria Bowling Cutscene[/i] We have even more stuff in the works for both demo and full game, of course, but we’ll have to leave them outside of this devlog so as not to spoil the surprise! Perhaps, you’ll be able to find some hints, though… 🤫 Whether you play these mini-games by yourself or you take one of the Fleapit Ladies with you to gain their affection, we hope you’ll have fun! [h3]In Progress: Lobby Upgrade[/h3] We only showed you the initial version of Fleapit’s Lobby thus far, but we’re working on expanding the places in the shadows! Will our beloved Freaked Fleapit turn into a whole Freaked Amusement Center by the end of the game? Honestly, we don’t know yet, but it’s fun to play around with the idea. Anyway, here’s a tiny snippet of what’s to come, hope you enjoy! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41646241/a57d57a294cdfe975964558d0b6a66d022207360.png[/img] [h3]In progress: Pizza Tower[/h3] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41646241/7b6da6beb6155ac16da0f51e37b52bf66ddb1257.png[/img] Just kidding! I found this in our folder while searching for concept arts I can show in the devlog and, why not. We’re open to crossovers though!! [h3]In progress: A Lot Of Other Stuff[/h3] There’s also a lot of internal stuff we’re working on that doesn’t have cute concept arts attached yet! We’re designing new attack patterns, perks, skills, and mechanics, designing and improving narrative bits and bobs, fine-tuning the rhythm dungeon crawling, and so on. We’ll talk about all of this more in 2024, but for now, it’s just a reminder that all of this is *also* being worked on! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41646241/15440d00617b5d04cbbb529324a55477ef2f12d6.png[/img] [i]*Enters the devlog, drops a concept art of previously unseen character with no context*[/i] And that’s a wrap! Before we go, we’d like to take a moment to thank everyone who’s been following us throughout this time. It’s the best gift we could possibly ask for this holiday season, and we want you guys to know that you’ll always be our beloved Guests of the Fleapit! We can’t wait to tell you about the many plans we have for the future that will make Freaked Fleapit even more ambitious and awesome in 2024, and we hope you’ll love what we’ve got in store as we open up the gates of the Fleapit to its first guests supersoon! Happy Holidays, everyone, and here’s to an even Freakier New Year! From Finch Bird with 💗