Hi everyone,

while totally not postponing the work on the actual project, let's get to the promised Concept Log I've announced 5 days ago.

Now, this time I'll actually write about the chapter mechanic and its surrounding, additional content.

Note: This devlog might be (partly) outdated.

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Part I - The mechanic of multiple chapters

Let's have another look at the interface, first:

As one could probably already have guessed, the total number of chapters is basically confirmed at this point. During eight, small journeys with an individual heroine each (let's ignore the placeholder at the end) you will encounter multiple dungeons and enemies along your way while uncovering the overall plotline.

Now, as they're all in one big collection, the following things will apply:

Open from the Beginning: 

Assuming a chapter has been released, you can start with whichever one you like. There are no conditions tied to this - if you start a new game, you can jump into any of them. This also means that, while there is the above mentioned overall story, each chapter is self-contained enough to be enjoyable without knowledge of prior ones.

Mix-and-Match:

During a chapter's save point, you will always have the decision to simply jump out of it to the chapter selection - to either do some bonus content or to start another chapter entirely. If you want to play each of them up to their half-point, it will be up to you.

Clear and Completion:

Each chapter will have its own progress to finishing and 100 percent-ing it. Doing so will be reflected in the chapter selection and there will be rewards for certain milestones. (More on this below)

"New Game!":

Each chapter can be done twice: Normally and with a "new game plus" option. While not necessary, it will change some things up and enable additional content along the way.

Choose your Difficulty:

Both Puzzle/Gameplay Sections and Combat will have two individual modes: Casual and Expert. While the latter is the intended experience, Casual will smoothen the challenge of puzzles and battles, while (probably) also reducing the amount of "gameplay obstacles" and encounters.

Another Round:

As you can only play through chapters twice, there will be multiple save slots for you to start anew.

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Next, on to some details to the above:

Completion Progress:

As you can see above, every chapter has two symbols in it: Diamonds and Crosses. The first stands for, well, the first playthrough - and the second for the "new game plus" one. The first of each symbol stands for having cleared the chapter - meaning you've officially reached the end of it. Getting the second of both symbols means getting everything in the chapter - quests, goals, items, everything.

It should be noted that only if you get completion in the first playthrough, you can actually start the "new game plus" version.

Point System:

As I've mentioned in the last devlog update, you will be able to collect points by playing chapters. Different actions, like winning encounters, finding items and locations, clearing the latter as well as quests and goals, will give you a certain amount of points. Getting everything of a category, as well as clearing and completing a chapter entirely, will grant you additional points.

These points can be used to buy a (or any released) chapter's bonus content. (More below)

The basic formula goes like this: Completing the first run of a chapter will give you all points necessary to acquire all it's bonus content. Meaning if you want the full bonus list (like portfolio items), you have to 100 percent a chapter once.

A small rest of this first run, as well as the whole points of the second playthrough are surplus points. You can either use them to unlock bonus content of other chapters - or just keep them.

In the end, you will actually have quite a sum of surplus points, and you will get some more if you reach certain milestones - like clearing and completing all chapters once and twice. These surplus points will be needed to unlock... something. (How mysterious)

Difficulty Modes:

Now, as mentioned above, puzzle (or gameplay - not sure how "puzzle-ish" the game will actually get at this point) and battle modes can be set individually - and for each chapter. If you just want a simpler gameplay experience but all fights, or vice versa, this will be up to you. Note however, that the difficulty will probably not be changeable for the current run of a chapter, once you've set it at the beginning.

Multiple Save Slots:

As some of you might wonder why you won't be able to do chapters as often as you want: As the whole system works on progression the collection itself, replaying chapters after these milestones - and without actual rewards - wouldn't be the intended experience anymore.

... it would also be a mess to make it like that.

By the way, the maximum number of save slots is 10 - so feel free to play the game with your 9 siblings.

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Part II - Additional modes

Time to get back to this picture:

First, we have the before mentioned Points Shop. You will be able to buy items for the Portfolio and Arcade next to it.

Second, the Portfolio. This one will have pictures and data about enemies, locations and characters you will meet in each chapter.

Third, the Arcade. Each chapter will come with its own small minigame, which will also have three difficulties/modes (not yet decided).

Fourth: Name Input. This one will allow to change the name you can give your save file... and to enter codes to do and unlock things.

Fifth: Side Stories. Each chapter will get an additional, playable story for one of its side characters (of yet uncertain, smaller length).

Sixth: The Abyss. The additional mode which will be unlocked if the game has been cleared (with all characters) once.

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More information (or at least pictures) will of course come along, once these are set up - some of them probably when I actually get to work on them content-wise.

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End of Concept Log

Which brings us to the end - without forgetting anything, I hope.

Of course, quite some stuff is just in the concept phase (hence the name of this log). So things might change in detail, and that's why some explanations are still a bit vague. ... except the abyss mode, that one is on purpose.

Like always, thank you for reading and have a nice week, everyone.

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