Hey everyone,

It's definitely been a while, to say the least. The last time I made a Devlog was almost three weeks ago, and even that one was a little sparse on details. I spoke about the game's release on Steam, the new Launch trailer for the game, and even an updated website. But other than that, there wasn't really much news regarding the game itself. For this week, however, there's going to be a lot to talk about. So sit back and relax while we go over what's new in the world of NIRAVASI.

Coming Soon

The wait is almost over, everyone. After much time and patience (and a few unfortunate delays with the project on my end), NIRAVASI is finally ready to be released to the public. After almost two years of development, the Dark Adventure game I've wanted to tell will soon be in the hands of the general public on July 6th, 2022. To help better prepare you all for the release, allow me to answer some of the most pressing questions you may have.

• NIRAVASI will be released on July 6th, 2022 on both Mac/PC platforms.
• The game will be sold for $9.99 on all platforms (with different regions having similar prices).
• NIRAVASI can only be bought digitally on Steam, itch.io or GameJolt.
• Total playtime lasts for around 3-6 hours on a quick playthrough.

There will definitely be some additional details/hiccups I may have to look into or iron out, but I believe at this stage, the game is primed and ready for a full-release. When July 6th rolls along, I will be sure to get the game released as early as I can (around 12pm British Standard Time). But I'll let everyone know if that plans changes in the next few days. 

Right now, there are still a few tracks that need to be completed, but I've told Adam (the composer) that if he's having trouble composing all of the songs listed before release, I'll just work with the tracks I've got so far and implement the rest in a later patch. Don't worry; most of the original tracks have already been completed; the rest (save for the two/three I'm waiting on right now) can always just use placeholder tracks in the meantime.

It's been really hard taking the time to write this Devlog, mind you. As the release date of the game approaches, I find myself beginning to worry more-and-more about whether or not the project's in a good enough shape to be released. The last thing I'd want is to release a game, only to find out that the build I've sent is irreparably broken. But I suppose most developers suffer this same kind of malady before releasing their games as well, so there's a comfort in knowing that I'm not the only one worrying about this. Here's hoping that when July 6th comes, you'll get your hands on NIRAVASI without any hassle.

Secret Whispers

So what happens to the project after it's released on July 6th? Well, there's still a bit of work that needs to be done before I can officially wrap up work on the project and claim it to be a done deal. Yes, the game will be released, but some of you might remember that I unfortunately had to delay implementing NIRAVASI's secretive third ending, due to time constraints. Once the dust settles after the game's initial release, my plan going forward will be to begin work on getting the game's secret ending sorted out (as well as a general bug patch that fixes most of the bugs still in the game).

I don't want to spoil you all with too many details, but to put it simply, the Secret Ending of NIRAVASI will take you on an brand new adventure, with a much more sinister narrative leading it. There will be some similarities between the base game and this ending, sure, but there will also be additional gameplay gimmicks not found in the main game.

In fact, some remnants of the Secret Ending can even be found right now in the base game. In NIRAVASI, a series of ominous-looking doors can be found scattered around the game. These doors cannot be opened or interacted with, and just stand there with an ominous heartbeat. As for what lies behind them, you'll just have to wait and see.

Future Plans

As you know, working with video games (particularly those that have a long development cycle) can be fairly expensive. Back in January 2021, I had hoped to offset a portion of this cost by getting the game funded on Kickstarter. But due to my inexperience and lack of further preparation on my part, NIRAVASI did not reach its goal of £3,000. I'm still incredibly thankful to everyone that did invest in the project, mind you.

Fast forward a year or so, I'm at the point in my life where the next few months will dictate what I'll be doing as a career. If NIRAVASI becomes a financially viable product (or even a mega-success), I'll definitely have the time and resources to continue work as a solo-indie developer, creating awesome game experiences for those who love games with a narrative-spin. But if that isn't the case, I'm afraid any future games developed by me will have to take a step back, as I try to find other ways of staying financially afloat for the future (on the plus side, the work I've done for NIRAVASI will look absolutely amazing for both my CV and portfolio).

But I may also consider starting up a Patreon account as a means of generating revenue on my end. Not only would it offer anyone who's a fan of my work to financially support the work I do, but it will also act as a way to grant people some special bonuses relating to my projects (whether that'd be access to a Discord server, or patron-only streams). Speaking of Discord servers, I've also been considering making one to better interact and communicate with NIRAVASI's fans, as well as find a place to gain and receive feedback on the work that I do. The server wouldn't just be about NIRAVASI, mind you, but all of the products under the SOVERAM brand. This may very well include BLANK and any future titles I may seek to work on.

But for the moment, these are all just rough ideas, and I can't promise you that they'll come into fruition over the next few weeks. I want to see how NIRAVASI is received after launch before anything else. Then if all goes well, I'll start looking into further boosting my online presence.

BLANK Treatment

To further celebrate the upcoming release of NIRAVASI, I'll be doing a Developer Commentary Walkthrough of my very first RPG Maker game, BLANK. Released back in February 2016, BLANK was my first proper venture into both the RPG Maker scene and video game development as a whole, and it's a game I still see players actively play to this day. It's been years since I worked on the game myself, which is why I thought it'd be fun to go over and experience the game from start-to-finish (as well as give my unique takes and thoughts behind certain designs used in the game).

From the strange world of Transech, to the intimidating designs and themes of the game's bosses, BLANK certainly stands out in the RPG Maker scene. The plan I've got in my head is to start streaming the game sometime after 2pm British Standard Time on Friday, 1st July on my Twitch.tv channel, which you can find here:

https://www.twitch.tv/kingsangos

That's it for this week's Devlog for NIRAVASI. Like I said before in my social media posts, this Devlog was always going to be significantly larger than the last few I released. This will be the last Devlog I'll be writing before NIRAVASI's released to wider audiences, meaning that from this point forward, it'll all be in your hands. I'll still be making updates as the release date draws nearer, but will refrain from participating in any larger discussions until after the game comes out. Nevertheless, thank you all so very much for reading and I hope you enjoy NIRAVASI when it's released in a week's time.

Kind regards,
Angus (Sangos)