Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To news & patch notes

Hi Swappers!

We wanted to send an update as we've got some fun tidbits post-launch that we wanted to make sure to share ~  {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/3815ecb1cb22479cadeda898b379cfab4c612b6e.png

💗Updated Builds on Steam 💗

We've been able to update both the PC and Mac version of the game with the latest fixes, so we hope you continue enjoy swapping the day away!

🌛 Refreshed Demo now Available 🌛

We wanted to update the demo one last time to reflect the game's current quality and state (our last demo was OLD, y'all). We're happy to say it's up, so if you have a friend you think should give it a try, please send it their way! Please note that, for now, the demo is available on PC only.

🐸 Last Chance to Pre-Order Froggo 🐸

We're just over 50% for the campaign, and thanks to the kind folks at Makeship, we've got an extended timeline! You have until March 3, 2025 to pre-order the Froggo plush. Remember, our goal is 200 minimum orders for the campaign to go through! Help us achieve this goal!  {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/8ee2480f98355dee7ad0a3e281bc68d631c42297.png And, if that adorable face isn't enough to entice you, remember THIS: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/c6cc279634e58b8e85fb54e271ac0b71b8502735.jpg

🎉We appreciate all the Steam Reviews!🎉

We hit our first, second, and third milestone goals of 10, 50, and 100 Steam reviews! We're well on the way to 500 (which is the ultimate goal 🤩) so if you haven't yet left a Steam review, that'd be much appreciated.  {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/db075a61a6199d4ddd5f5558014fa010a41acc16.jpg 🌛🌸🟢🔷 And, remember: we've still got a major update in the cards, so keep those ears and eyes peeled! We'll let you know as soon as we have official dates to announce, but know that progress has begun ^_^ Wahoooo! 💗 The Spirit Swap team

Hi Swappers!

It’s been officially one week since you’ve all started swapping ~ we hope you’re having an incredible time! We’ve all been chatting and lurking in streams, watching videos, and taking notes on all of your feedback and reactions to the game, and wanted to share what we’ve been working on in regards to bug fixes and polish since launch. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/dfc84fde8393782747830240339b2569384b90d8.png

Kickstarter Backers: Let us know if you didn’t get your key!

As a general reminder, you should have your Steam keys by now! If you haven’t seen your key yet, please make sure to:

Remember if you participated in the Beta ~ if so, you already have your key! Just right click on the game in your library, go to Properties > Betas > Select “none” on the dropdown menu. The game should update to the full release version.

Check your spam folder -- it may have ended up there - to help with the search, please note all the keys were send on Feb 3rd! And, if you still can't find it...

Email [email protected] -- It’ll help if you can include the email you used when backing the Kickstarter and/or your Backer number!

Thank you for helping us get to 80+ Steam Reviews!

WAHOO! Our first milestone goal was around 50 by the first week, and we’re already almost to 100?! Y’all are the best! If you've been playing and haven't yet left a review, please consider doing so! As a reminder, leaving Steam Reviews for indie games is one of the best ways to help out post-launch if you enjoyed what you played! It can help us get more visibility (algorithmically but also for future Steam-related opportunities) and reviews help us when talking with other potential partners (like publishers, funds, or even merch folks!) 🥳

Bug Fixes & Updates

These issues shouldn’t bug you anymore! Here’s the list of all the fixes and polish we’ve just pushed to the game. We're not done yet, though, so please continue to share any bugs and feedback via our bug report form and Discord! Without further ado, today's fixes include:

• Run in Background enabled, default screen mode set to Fullscreen Window (i.e. Borderless Window)
• Minor difficulty decrease to Spicy and Sheesh
• Edited for misspellings in events and character descriptions
• Edited for colored text readability
• Skip button is now hold-to-use, starts slower, accelerates, and is on E/Right Bumper
• Fixed Timekeeper not working properly in Endless mode
• Added a pop-up before the credits roll to make it clearer that the game continues afterwards
• Fixed achievements being delayed
• "Gimme Variety" achievement is fixed, and should unlock retroactively
• Fixed typo in credits and included missing Witch on High tier
• Limited Refresh Rates available in Resolution Settings to only the current monitors refresh rate
• Remove refresh rate display on Resolution Settings (we now just take whatever the current monitor is)
• Fixed Samar, Dio, Cleo, and Theo individually being counted as part of the total affection count leading to improper progress display.
• Fixed fast as f*ck display check not functioning

Again, find a bug? Let us know! The best place to let us know? This bug report form!

REMINDER: Get your own Froggo 🐸

The Makeship campaign is LIVE and only has 14 days left! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/8ee2480f98355dee7ad0a3e281bc68d631c42297.png Check out the page here and you can pre-order a Froggo of your very own (cheeks and all!) {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/c6cc279634e58b8e85fb54e271ac0b71b8502735.jpg The campaign will only fund and ship if we make it to the goal of 200 Froggos pre-ordered, and we're already just over 20% funded, so be sure to get that in ahead of the deadline to help ensure it becomes a reality! Again, we've been SO over the moon with how the reception has been. From cosplay, fanart, snippets of fanfic, and even the first ever Spirit Swap tournament (!!!), you've made this a truly special experience. Can't wait to share more about the upcoming update 🤩 But that'll be for next time! Thanks, and stay tuned ~ until then, keep swapping! 💗💗💗 The Spirit Swap team

Hi Swappers! Is it….is it really time? YES! ✨✨✨SPIRIT SWAP: LOFI BEATS TO MATCH-3 TO IS OUT NOW!✨✨✨ {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/bb46ba082074677d50c1d6eda15a2d86fe58778b.png The game is officially available to play and we couldn’t be more happy/ exhausted / nervous / excited / asdl;fjkaqweropiu 💗

Words are hard right now, mostly because we’re feeling a lot of things.

Launching a game - especially right now - is scary pretty much any way you slice it, but we hope when you see the title screen, listen to the music, bop with Froggo, and flex your pecs with Ishk (you know you’ll do it), that our game that began way back in 2019 (!!!) brings you joy. OKAY! Wipe those (happy) tears: we have some housekeeping! ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ ⬇

The best way to support? Leave a Steam Review!

Beyond picking up a copy of the game (and maybe one for a friend 😙) the absolute BEST way you can support us is by leaving a Steam review! It doesn’t have to be long or poetic - although if that’s your style, please go for it. Basically, not only are Steam reviews a way for us to have something (hopefully) nice to read and feel happy about, but they are an important part of helping provide evidence to future funders, platforms, and partners that Spirit Swap is something they should pay attention to. Our ultimate goal is to get to 500 Steam reviews 👀 Sooooo…leave a review. We dare you.

Find a Bug? Let us know!

The best place to let us know? This bug report form!

Sunsetting the Demo

We’ll explore getting an updated demo later, but the one we currently have is VERY outdated! So, we’re removing it, just so folks don’t get the wrong idea about the state of the game. We may have a refreshed demo in the future, and will keep you posted if/when we’re able to take time to make that happen, but right now? We’re just focusing on the launch!

REMINDER: Fashion is coming! 🌸

As we mentioned in our last update, our plan is to get Fashion in a post-launch update out in 2025, and once we have a more solid date, you bet we’ll be shouting it from the rooftops.

REMINDER: Get your own Froggo 🐸

The Makeship campaign is LIVE! Check out the page here and you can pre-order a Froggo of your very own. The campaign will only fund and ship if we make it to the goal, but the best part? We already have the prototype Froggo developed, and Makeship handles everything! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/8ee2480f98355dee7ad0a3e281bc68d631c42297.png Yalla, habibis! 🌛🌸🟢🔷Let’s get swapping! 💗💗💗 The Spirit Swap team

Hi Swappers!

Happy New Year! The holiday decor is stored, snacks eaten, and we are under 30 days (!!!) until we launch Spirit Swap. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/85fdbc25ccba1115cd74f4d5d3f11bfbf6099be0.png Ahead of the launch, we wanted to share our plans for the game: what you can expect upon release and beyond! It’s -- hopefully -- also our chance to share a little bit more behind-the-scenes and what we’ve learned as we’ve done this first game together as a team for those interested in a little of what it takes to make a game in 2025.

Our major post-launch update will include Fashion 🌸

With this update, you’ll be able to dress up Samar in a selection of outfits to swap in style! While we wish we could have included Fashion in the game's 1.0 launch, the reality is that making a game is expensive—even more so because one of our tenants as a co-op is to pay all of our contractors living wages, thus expanding our costs a bit more. Adding this feature in post-launch content allows us to get that final bit of funds to help pay our contractors and get the feature to you in a quality state. We already have some of the outfit concepts from our Backers done -- while we won’t show you what we ARE using, here’s an example of two that didn’t quite make the cut…and one that did! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/ec1de0db805c1635d763bd22e58b7999de994416.png Our plan is to get this post-launch update out in 2025, and once we have a more solid date, you bet we’ll be shouting it from the rooftops!

We had to say goodBHY to BHYG mode

One of the realities of game development is scope. It’s one of the tried and true tenets that if you’re making a game, you should scope down…and then scope down again. While we initially thought our scope could account for a BHYG Mode (an 8-player versus frenzy), once we got into development and discussion over it these last few months, it ended up not panning out in terms of what we could finish -- and polish -- to the quality that we hoped to achieve. Now, will BHYG Mode someday make its way back into the world of Spirit Swap? We won’t lie: we’d love to try our hand at it again in the future, perhaps if the funding, time, and stars align. But, at the moment, we’re saying goodBHY to this game mode, and plan on focusing more on making the features we DO have in the game as solid as possible!

Continuing to Finesse

Some of the things we have been spending our time finessing include ensuring we have a variety of features to help folks play how they want to. So, we thought we’d spend a little time checking out the Settings tab! One of the first settings we have to help folks out is the ability to manipulate saturation -- to help ease eye strain. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/ca509d3271e80e5f610bb8601091545d26b3234e.gif We’ve also included text animation! The game’s text waves, shakes, and even changes color to help ensure that visually -- not just auditorily -- you can sense how the tone of the conversation is going. The story log is also implemented if you need to take a look back at what was said in the latest scene: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/7189e3841a06cc3555785cd34da2098896b7144e.png We’ve even included a different style of spirit (harkening back to the OG Panel de Pon days) for folks who prefer that visual style. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/ef23be622d3e087dd108d0fb5eebe46cecbffbc7.gif Finally, we’ve also added the “Skip this Round” button to the pause screen. We know sometimes you just wanna get to the story, or perhaps you’re just not feeling it that round. You can always skip and move on to the next round (or just skip them all and not do the match entirely). {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/6c38003f7f4af0e1df0d98dcaf6eaa6f1518ae69.png These are just a few of the additions we’ve included, and we’re continuing to polish polish polish! Our main priority right now is going through and playing the game as much as possible, trying to catch everything we can ahead of Feb 3rd.

Say hello to an IRL Froggo

We do have some exciting news on the Froggo front! Over the past few months, we’ve been working with the Makeship crew to design a Froggo plush so you can have a FamiliarZ of your very own to chill with. Check out the page here (and be sure to visit it on Feb 3rd if you’d like to pick a Froggo for yourself)! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/2f97210a4e7270e90480f250609479ae71ed85f8.jpg For those unfamiliar with Makeship, it’s a crowdfunding campaign-based plushie company. During a campaign, if we reach our goal of pre-orders for the plushie, then it becomes a reality! They will take care of all the manufacturing, shipping, and fulfillment. We’ve already got an adorable design, and can’t wait to share the unredacted image with you all soon. That’s it for this month’s update! We’re working hard and can’t believe the day is almost here! Feb 3, here we gooooo~ <3 The Spirit Swap team

Hi Spirit Swappers,

WE HAVE A RELEASE DATE AHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay. breathe. Yes. Calm. Serene.

✨✨ Cast spells, be queer, and crash the biggest concert of the year Feb 3, 2025 on Steam and Xbox!! ✨✨

We just announced the news on the latest Wholesome Snack: a showcase we hold near and dear to our hearts, as it’s been a part of our journey since the Kickstarter campaign! It was only fitting we share this exciting news during the showcase. Want to see the release date announcement trailer? Look no further! (and turn up your headphones)

Happy holidays and see you in 2025

We’ll keep you posted in January with more details about the game’s progress, launch, and all those fun details. But for now? Thanks for sticking with us over the years, letting us be vulnerable with you as we go through the absolute rollercoaster that is game development, and for all the feedback on the Beta. We hope you all stay as safe as you can this holiday season, you take care of yourselves and each other, and stay tuned for more! Love, The Spirit Swap team

Hi Spirit Swappers,

Two weeks have passed in the blink of an eye, and it’s time for our first update since the Backer Beta has gone live! Today will be a quicker update, showing off a succession of screenshots (ooo!) and gifs (aah!) of the polish and fixes we’ve done based on the feedback we’ve received.

Deepen Your Relationships: B Supports are IN!

In the first version of the Beta, we only included the initial round of main narrative events -- what we’ve been calling internally the “C Supports”. These events with each character helped you meet them and get to know them. A little sampling. A taste test, if you will. Now? You can deepen those relationships further because we’ve added each character's second tier of main events. Their B Supports! Here are screenshots of a few B support moments now implemented into the game ~ {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/fc394e7cd0a2a3ae10aedbec837017020231bd8c.png {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/54d4a89818f910d5f28284fa829270537e864d20.png {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/d8cae34392ec439d1edc4c2391a9d19d3e0962b6.png The B Supports are especially significant because at the end of each character’s B Support event, you get to pick whether or not you’d like to move forward platonically or romantically with each character (with one exception). {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/7eace6d25c753a55a627ce0049d58f103431f0db.gif Next up for implementation? The A Supports, the final main tier for each character arc! Wahooo!

Who’s Who & Text Log

It’s not implemented yet, but we’re working on a “Who’s Who” modal to help you keep track of your besties, as well as a “Log” so if you need to refresh yourself on the details of a convo, you’ve got it at your fingertips! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/64937af09495d37e5d19621322a73293fd509681.png

Quality of Life Updates and Fixes ✨

There are a bunch of details that we’ve been fixing up and working on based on our own internal testing as well as bug reports and feedback from the beta backers. A few of the highlights? Fixed the “Got Item” screen to include dynamic text input (here’s a stinky test example for you): {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/500153e695085ab3e152c53f49ec9803b0f696d9.gif Added Stereo/Mono speaker configuration to Audio Settings {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/5b7d13f671f36605db0aa412868f8f236b109f10.png Added Visual Saturation settings to decrease the saturation of all visuals (to help with eye strain): {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/4006221537ea9c48c511e9cb7031a79021ba5dd3.gif We’ll share another update in a few weeks -- between A Supports coming soon, as well as finishing out the Room Hub, we've got a lot going into the build through the rest of October. Talk soooon! Love, The Spirit Swap team

Hi Spirit Swappers,

We wanted to make sure that everyone got a hefty update about what we’re up to, as it’s been a minute. Two or three minutes, really! We mentioned this in our recent Kickstarter Backer’s update, but want to reiterate it here more widely: The year has been full of hard work as well as personal heartache and challenges for the team. We’re truly appreciative that you’ve all been patient and kind as we navigate this wonderful thing called ‘game development’ while maintaining our day jobs, and, well, everything. One of the rewards for Kickstarter Backers who supported at the Witch’s Groove tier and beyond was exclusive access to a Spirit Swap Backer Beta, and we’re proud to say that we’ve reached that milestone! The Backer Beta is live today (we’re pushing it out and sending keys RIGHT NOW), and we’re officially coming out of heads-down mode to share what we’ve been working on over the last year, both in terms of development and regarding our launch plans. But first? Some enticing gifs for youuuu ~ {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/1a3cfb50b0f2bb865caa7b0fbc29e8e3ebca02a2.gif {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/16b14ade4327dbb92218c4d1d1e083a689df3113.gif {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/d12eacf1bd8a20beb81241ada4c1c41faa2305c6.gif Please note: if you are a Kickstarter Backer at the Witch's Groove tier (and above) and you haven't received your beta key by around 10 am PST today, check your spam folder (just in case) and then feel free to reach out to us at contact (at) softnotweak (dot) com.

Check, check, 1…2…3…

The VO is finally totally implemented, and it’s incredible to see (hear?) each of our characters come to life. We had eight talented voice actors contribute their skills to this endeavor, and wanted to take the time to introduce each of them to you with one of their Versus lines in the game. To hear a victory bark, click on the character's name (linked below each image). Want to see more about each voice actor? We've linked more info for each: just click on their name! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/cb1aa540b0e077fe94e3845f2ebef7465ebf48af.png Samar - Jay Taylor {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/1160dc2202b310be847bf07ac8c6dd0b14c93d23.png Mo - NJ Agwuma {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/2fb90e2ac7aa967de62f2427c0780f11d60745a7.png Kedsi - Kadecia {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/c6a25e4b3a8ba64d222dbd2591f348ca0d9d7656.png Kanon, Pookie - Jalen K. Cassell {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/2025e09faac62d21fc14e6610a9c6a72991570d2.png Leon, Citrine, Iolite - Fiona Rene {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/d7afe9f6b9f5ddeeb97f59a6cfa9b476fc34826a.png Dio, Variquoise - Mara Junot {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/b7170452d7a57bfe67e0558bb77c78cc11a64958.png Cleo, Larvikite - Kendall Byrd {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/50d598d1181d49b496dceaaba78ca92541d1e2b1.png Iskandar - Greyson Yousif {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/15a25bde376399fe35f70e8b1b4692e6e6cdb054.png Theo, Lulu, Beryl - Anjali Kunapaneni What’s that, you say? Some of these names don’t have links? And you don't know who those unlinked characters are?! 👀 We’re still keeping some snippets under wraps and saved for later ~

Make it shine

Continued polish is the big focus now. During the backer beta (which is from September 17 - November 12), we’ll be taking feedback to continue to shine up every aspect of the game that we can, adding details to really make it feel great to play. Here are some of the bits of polish we’ve added (and are working to add): A snazzy “Got Item” pop up so you can really celebrate the gifts your friends give you! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/6f5abcbdcbfa95a129b295d805fd73a81815b24f.png More expressions, like this panicked Lulu! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/64bb53f0f200145a4c59bcda957f7795031efe0f.png ….and this INTENSE Lulu! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/7eb32db44ab30ae48f9f7b14e4478e62090729ef.png Exploring more ways to add more information to the world map so you can keep track of how you’re spending your time in Demashq. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/f761a3d202137b5d166006ef9ead32aebb4fcbe3.png And more!

Wait! What about Fashion and BHYG Mode?

They’re still coming along! These two elements are still planned, but their complexity means they’ll likely be included in an update not too long after the main launch of the game.

A new trailer is in the works

What’s that? A fresh trailer? YUP! We are in the process of getting ready to announce the release date, which means storyboarding and starting to prep the launch trailer. For funsies, here’s a sneak peek at a favorite early WIP storyboard frame… {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/fc28005c69c6b3839a479385e4e39388d374182d.png Blurry, chaotic, and cute. Very relatable. …and the turnaround of Samar that Sam has been working on: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/2465f6e532eca500d103ef9b525e296c0b71fdf0.png

So, when is the full game coming out?

When deciding when to release the game, we’re not only take into account when the game is done -- we’re also tracking other game releases and event opportunities that can help us reach the most folks with the news. Because of a few opportunities we’re aiming for (and for a bit of a full circle moment for ourselves), we’ve decided to release in early 2025. We’re tossing around a couple of specific dates, and depending on what additional support we can garner, that may impact which one we go with. (hee hee hee ho ho ho, marketing witchcraft and secrets) As soon as we can share an official date, we will let you know! But for now, we sincerely hope that you’ve enjoyed this update. We’ll be aiming to post monthly again now that we’re in the midst of the Backer Beta. Have fun in Demashq! 💜 The Spirit Swap team PS: SPEEEEENING {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/3051e6ef4e28744747a4a88c677fa91bc8fd0ce8.gif

Hi Spirit Swappers,

We have emerged! Crisp leaves, rainy days, and cool weather (finally) is also bringing in a wave of updates and news. Ready? Ready! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/871aaa7d1f09b67493759d3c62a8e7e43dedae07.png

Spirit Swap is coming in 2024 ✨

2023 has been a year of incredible progress for our team. We’ve made substantial headway on the game, and are incredibly proud of how far it’s come along. I mean, just look at this early work compared to now: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/ce1d71d5943077826273ce1210e97caaaa932fe5.png Attending our first-ever physical event EVER this year (more on PAX West below) meant it was the first time we got to experience the joy of watching people play Spirit Swap in-person. It was immensely inspiring to our whole team, and a huge validation of the work we’ve put in thus far. Our number one priority has been about creating the best game we can - inspired by the people and communities we love - while always considering the well-being of our team. While we’ve made strides in the progress of the game and towards a full launch, these spirits need a little more time before they can be swapped by the general public, and we don’t believe in crunching to do so. As a result, we’d like to share that we've decided to push Spirit Swap’s launch to 2024. We truly appreciate the patience and kindness you’ve all shown throughout this whole process thus far, and we can’t wait for y’all to be able to fully dive into the game once it’s ready. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/3aa8ea42839a1d734a236934671707dfd44d4c25.png

PAX West Recap 🥳

Because PAX West takes place in Seattle, we knew we wanted to be sure and attend! This year, we had the pleasure of being a part of the PAX Rising booth, a celebration of indie games (particularly those who don’t have a publisher/are self-publishing). {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/277c8a84c14587ae653cfbba9d1cdae82d4864d9.png In addition to a rare instance where the entire team was in one place (YAY!) we also got to watch and learn as visitors played two different available demos for Spirit Swap. The narrative demo…and local Versus! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/255835305061d336aca112046935240542c5c0a1.png In addition to the many kind words from folks who came by, we came away from the event with some memorable press coverage. From notable outlets like IGN - who classified us as one of the top games to see at PAX West - and Gayming Magazine, to getting highlighted by local journalists, like in GeekWire. The word on the street is that Spirit Swap is full of style and heart, and we’re SO happy to hear it (and hope to keep delivering!)

More Narrative Work 📝

Another picture of a word doc? You got it! The major element we have left is narrative and filling the game with delicious, delectable ~content~. The “Golden Path” (the narrative backbone) of the game is done, so all of the work right now is making sure we have the events and chat logs to really make these characters come to life. Actually, wait. Instead of a word doc…. How about the first glimpse at one of the CGs you could potentially unlock as you play? 👀 PRETTYYYYYY {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/8aed6532a982950010d06617fb4587567047356c.png

We Heard Your Feedback! ✅

One of the major recurring pieces of feedback we’ve gotten through our various demo forms is the request to have more character expressions to fully convey the emotions Samar and their friends are going through. We totally agreed! Here are a few of the expressions Sam’s been working on. Our favorite detail? The flowers that tie in with her emotional state! AHHHH! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/8197115d504cc15512dcf335c6d926f830edd30f.png See you next month, The home stretch is always the longest, at least, it can feel that way, but we’re happy to be sharing this journey with you all. Thanks again! Until next time, find us on Twitter, our Discord, or here in the comments if you have any questions. Stay hydrated and safe!

Love, The Spirit Swap Team

Hey Spirit Swappers!

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/461b76421e1f4893de9a2e56ce468456809de044.png

BIG NEWS AND BRAND NEW KEY ART!

Not only are we part of this year’s Wholesome Direct, but we have a brand-new demo out NOW for you to enjoy along with a page refresh! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/1d15a4e85d7f9b287fd72d53a19338a295f9a18d.gif In this demo, you’ll get to know some of Samar’s friends a bit more in the Story Mode and even try your hand in Versus Mode. 👀 {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/e8f98b6f19ffef4c7f6381ff0b1d233d1aa198f2.gif As with all demos, it’s a work in progress, but what we’re most excited about is getting more feedback from you to continue to improve your time in Demashq. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/a6d31e08264276ee650b2de7abee781552b1d391.png At the end of the Story Mode, you can access our Feedback Survey, or just click here if you want to share your thoughts after playing. This limited-time demo will stay live until June 30th, so enjoy it while it’s out! Thank you so much, and we hope you enjoy playing! Love, The Spirit Swap Team {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/2647311331db4814e6fc959ea6ca9dd4f9278ad8.png

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Hi Spirit Swappers!

We have emerged! It’s now spring, and like the beautiful butterfly, we Wait. While yes, we are emerging like beautiful butterflies with lots of cool things to share, we also wanted to say that it’s been a while because we’ve been heads down developing Spirit Swap in addition to balancing our day jobs and Life(™). We’re sorry for the quiet period, but happy to say that we’ve gotten to a point in the game’s progress where we’re able to hop back into sharing mode. We’ve got a lot, so let’s get started!

Polish Till It Shines! 👀

Updated environments? IN! World map? DONE. Amazing emotes? CHECK. Gradients for days? YES. In addition to working on core features, a good chunk of time has been on polishing and making sure the game looks colorful, joyful, and full of that *special sauce*. We could just sit here and describe it all to you, but I remember learning in 5th grade about ‘showing, not telling’ so why not show you a few gifs to illustrate what we mean? Just as a reminder, check out our world map before: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/5af611f6928f7b73e35d041ed2f437631e6c0028.png {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/c2644547fb02d50b70bf9cdef9bb9863428486e1.png And here it is NOW: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/a77b379177ee74829f0a2f9de655bd98e56f1a34.gif We LOVE how it’s turned out, and would love to know: where would you want to head to first? All the environments and locations have also been updated and fully implemented, like Leon’s Tattoo Parlor: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/999ba99f4e28a7563653363a5925b3630e4ca86d.gif And here’s the updated take on Ishk’s Beach! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/e63ed741cf01c6c59293361562566b90204908b7.gif Now that the world is all there, what we’ll be focusing on is getting all of the narrative in, and testing, testing, testing.

Once Upon a Time …

Speaking of narrative! Alex has been finessing the story of Spirit Swap, and while we can’t tell you TOO much about the specifics (this is a spoiler-free zone!) we CAN share this: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/d444c57e16fe607af49e14c56475fd14a46df02a.png Okay, jokes aside, we’ve been really pleased with how each of our characters have come to life -- in addition to getting the story into the game to playtest it, finalizing VO is also up next, and we can’t wait for that!

Versus Hype

In addition to working on story mode, Versus has been getting lots of UI/UX love so you can swap your hearts out (either with a friend or with a CPU!) Check out this character select screen! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/153f18b605bcc4a0253da580814eff81cb9b8b8f.gif And as you pick your characters, you’ll be able to customize how chill (or not!) you’d like your board to be. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/20c3a3e8ab530bc63f195168ad3e23e5d7a81fea.gif

Out on the Town

Rejon and Jenny attended GDC! Rejon gave an INCREDIBLE (actually got people teary) talk about Spirit Swap titled “Inclusive Nostalgia” as part of a wider panel titled “Game Design for Inclusive Representation”. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/f13a3021e786aba8d933f3312ca8503d270f944e.png Jenny - along with the rest of the Wholesome Games team - talked about why wholesome games matter: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/73210df3bede13490dc5a0cf823b3821764d084e.png The SpiSwa team also got to hang out with Adanna and Jenna (members of the Spirit Swap narrative team) for the first time ever in-person, enjoying some delicious ramen together! ;-; <3

See you next month

WHEW! We’re excited to really ramp up sharing news with you all now that spring has sprung. Thanks for all your patience, and we’ll be back with more dev updates at the end of May! Until then, find us on Twitter, our Discord, or here in the comments if you have any questions. Stay hydrated and safe! Love, The Spirit Swap Team

Happy Holidays, Swappers!

We first want to share our appreciation for you all and hope that you all have a wonderful holiday season and new year! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/b045e1c7200e7ff13105e5eb36af40afd7a96b75.png After the excitement of Indieland 2022 (thanks again to The Completionist and everyone who was a part of the team!) we’ve been hunkering down on Versus Mode, polishing the Endless mode even more based on the showcase and your feedback, and prepping for the end of the year!

SHINY TRINKETS FOR YOUUU

Each of Samar’s friends has a trinket that you’ll be able to acquire as you get to know them, and we wanted to share a few of them with you today! In game, each trinket will allow you to equip a different spell – each with its own effect on the board – but narratively, they also illuminate aspects of each character’s personality. We won’t share all the details today, but perhaps you’ll be able to guess who’s represented here in the three trinkets below? {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/ea163226bc4773a39da8b621988bf21ef6153344.png Any guesses? Let us know what you think!

BEFORE AND AFTER: DEMASHQ EDITION

We wanted to share a beauuuutiful before and after with you! At the start of the year, we began with a general sketch of Demashq thanks to Alex (zoomed in to avoid some light spoilers ~ oh la la!) : {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/5af611f6928f7b73e35d041ed2f437631e6c0028.png The wonderful Sam is bringing detail and dimension to the city with the final artwork for the overworld map, and (even without the color added) all we wanna say is… we’re ready to move. Our bags are packed. How do we get there?! (Again, zoomed in!) {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/c2644547fb02d50b70bf9cdef9bb9863428486e1.png We hope you’ve enjoyed following along with development – we’re excited for 2023 to be the Year of Spirit Swap! Love, The Spirit Swap Team

Leaves are falling and the spirits need swapping…

It’s been an eventful time for the Soft Not Weak team! We’ve been busy at work polishing up some LOVELY snippets to show off, and we boy oh boy are we excited to show them off! In addition to that, we have an UPDATED DEMO for you all to try! Ready? Set? GOOOOOOOO:

Indieland 2022 and our UPDATED DEMO!

First things first! We’re lucky and honored to be a part of Indieland 2022! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/acaa85d96706d73dd7061feb6797b6c36fba110a.jpg Not only is this event an amazing fundraiser for a good cause, but Jirard and the team behind Indieland always curate a fantastic showcase filled with indie games to keep an eye on. To celebrate, we’ve decided to release an updated Endless mode demo, chock full of polish and juice we’ve been working on to help bring Samar’s forest to life! Below we’ll break down a lot of the details that you’ll see, but if you’re itching to get going, you can start playing the demo now on Steam! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1592170/Spirit_Swap_Lofi_Beats_to_Match3_To/ A couple of additional notes about the demo:

• For MAC users: Some Mac users might encounter controller issues due to Mac driver compatability. If that occurs, please use the keyboard!
• For Keyboard: You can use WASD or ARROW keys to navigate as well the inputs described in game!

Otherwise, read on to learn about what we’ve been working on, and tune in to Twitch on Saturday at 7 PM PDT to watch as Jenny (our producer) chats with the team at Indieland about Spirit Swap!

Polish Based on Your Feedback!

Okay, so first thing is we’ve been doing a lot of UI/UX polish (major shoutout to Réjon for all of the work designing this and to Morgan for hooking it all together). We really wanted to make sure that different elements of the game, different states of play, all of it will be communicated to you as clearly and quickly as possible. This began with the game board! Because your eyes will be focusing on the spirits, you need to be able to, at a glance and with your peripheral vision, be able to determine your health and general status. Here, we have our latest iteration of the board: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/0841640b91cfbde04ad5c5f22a2c29a31b274028.gif You’ll be able to tell when it’s getting a little hot and you’ve gotta make some matches and quick, as well as see when everything’s a-okay and you have time to chill. Elements like the SpellMeter have been updated to also more clearly indicate as segments fill when you make matches: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/1a96d89b08b597e0fcff4eda1cb440075c785907.gif Even the spell bubble has some extra polish so you know when it’s time to cast! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/7e516058185b87531f0c3e80f184df523430e17f.gif

Press ESC to pet the Frog

We’ve also been working on dynamic button prompts, which was another big feedback point during our previous survey and demo (thanks, y’all!) {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/47529454719e88967d41d914d5221aa9cd2b0046.gif We now have the ability to make those buttons match whatever controller you’re using, and it’ll switch to match dynamically as well! Catch how this dialogue looks in action with a few snips from our revamped “How to Play” section of the Endless demo:

Take a Breath in the Endless Forest

You’re familiar with the Endless Forest, as it’s where our demo takes place… but you haven’t seen it quite like this! The original background is beautiful, but with just a little bit of parallaxing, and some time and energy, we’ve got it looking more in-depth in time for your eyes to enjoy -- huge thanks to Abelle for adding that extra magic and style to the woods (and our other backgrounds). {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/45ac0c0865b2f94660fa36f0a8f933168d76fafa.jpg

Vibe? Chill? SHEEESH?!

Here’s a more comprehensive look at the settings in our Endless mode. When you’re getting ready to swap forever, you’ll be able to adjust the speed level, difficulty, and spell loadouts before you play, to ensure it’s exactly the experience you want. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/d195f21fb6240ac538ae7e034b92de5363fd5e91.gif

AND MORE!

There’s even more to enjoy, like a brand-new song from the ever-talented meltycanon, additional VN UI/UX updates to make our cast *pop* during narrative scenes, and (if you’d love to help us) a brand new survey you can fill out to let us know what you think of the polish after you play! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/cc38af52174472ce2a0d8ecb58e91d52440e0439.gif

What do you think?

Hopefully you enjoyed seeing everything we’ve been working on! We love sharing with you and are so excited to hear what you think about the polish we’ve added to the Endless mode demo. If you’ve got any questions or just wanna say hi, find us on Twitter (@softnotweak), our Discord, or here in the comments! Love, The Spirit Swap Team

Busy busy busy --

Things have really started ramping up over the summer!

In addition to going full steam ahead with implementation (we went in-depth with Versus and Endless modes this month but don’t quite have anything we’re ready to show… yet), the main thing we wanted to share is that we’re participating in a couple of events coming up this weekend!

Out and About!

We’re participating in two events! The first is PAX West: Alex and Jenny are both taking part in the panel, “A Case for Cozy: Why we (really) need wholesome games!” This panel will be live-streamed on the Twitch channel for PAX, so be sure to tune in on Sunday if you’re interested in hearing more about why we should celebrate the gentler side of the game industry. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/7bbb7c227e59ae7fe532cebb4d70991a6adb20aa.png In addition to two of our team participating in PAX West, we’re also showcasing Spirit Swap at the Gayming Live Indie Festival! From Sept 2 - 16th, Spirit Swap (along with many other wonderfully queer games) will be highlighted: be sure to check it out! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/83fac0ee35f769deb93eed0a39e12181280130cb.jpg

Almost time for sweaters and layers ~

We’re so excited for Fall to begin! We’ll have even more game updates next month as we’ve winded (wound?) down from event prep and showcases. Got any questions? Find us on Twitter, our Discord, or here in the comments! Love, The Spirit Swap Team

It’s gettin’ hot in heeeere….

But really, we hope you're staying hydrated and cool! We've had mini heat-wave hit the Pacific Northwest, and we've been WARM to say the least. In the meantime, we've been dreaming what the weather would be like in the beautiful city of Demashq, and thought we'd share a few more peeks at the background visuals that we've worked on!

Postcards from Demashq

We’ve been polishing up the environments for each of the characters over the last few weeks, and WHEW, things are looking good! From the beautiful sunset of Ishk’s Muscle Beach to the neon lights (and probably cool temperature!) of Kedsi’s LAN cafe, the world is starting to come together beautifully thanks to the efforts of Sam and Abelle! Here’s a peek at the line art (by the wonderful Sam) for Kedsi’s LAN Cafe (we’re saving the finals for the future!) {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/52218a88a39c7849a363bd0eb3c4cfeb5bc1add4.png Kedsi’s LAN Cafe is inspired by the LAN cafes Alex used to go to as a teen in Lebanon!. While Kedsi doesn’t work there, they’re unofficially considered part of the team because of how much time they hang out. The other background we wanted to share is Mo’s Luxury Apartment! You saw a peek of it in the Narrative Demo that we released earlier this summer, but it wasn’t quite finalized! Here’s the before: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/16abc79ecbb71620dd5623db14f06e5627ede2f1.png And here’s the after! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/c9297a4c95bb32edc4caccd54d9904b01bd3a5c0.png Thanks to Abelle for helping bring Mo’s beautiful abode to life!

Wear SPF and hydrate ~

We’ll be back with more next month. For now? Find us on Twitter, our Discord, or here in the comments if you have any questions. Love, The Spirit Swap Team

Hi Spirit Swappers!

WHAT A MONTH! June was the time for not-E3 festivities to get into full swing, oh, and a little something called Pride? You may have heard of it! ^_^ We were especially happy to be a part of the Wholesome Direct and Future of Play (which you can watch here and here, respectively). And, the DEMO. We released a limited time, narrative-focused demo to show off some of what we’ve been working on, and we were blown away by the feedback y’all gave us. (That’s why this update is a liiiittle later than normal, since we’ve been crunching numbers and going through every single bit of feedback!) Let’s dive into this month’s update, and I’ll tell you more:

Demo Feedback

Most of what we’ve been doing since the demo (after taking a little rest) has been going through all the feedback and adjusting our priorities based on that! We really appreciate everyone who took the time to answer our questions and help us get a better idea of what your expectations are, what we’re doing well, and what still needs work! So, without further ado, here’s a very high level summary of what you & the rest of the community had to say! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/104c9ebd51f91c763385ca24740adf9f8d5167ae.png You really love: the vibes! When we asked you to rank the different elements of the game thus far, the visual style FAR outranked every other element, with music as a close second! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/6452c3658fd7591bd1e58c5ac733f0aa73a578e1.png In that same ranking (and throughout the verbal feedback provided in the form), it was clear that we could improve upon tutorialization and allowing for more time for players to get into the game and its mechanics! Whether folks ranked themselves as total newcomers to the genre or as seasoned pros, the pace of the tutorial was another element that we got lots of comments on, and will address! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/3033e53946153a929878c1809781f299f9542c0d.png 70% of players could correctly identify the square spell and its effect! For those who need a quick reminder: the square spell clears the top half of the board as well as converts garbage into spirits! But, we also found only 56% of players would count themselves as very confident in using the spell in-game. So, we’ll be working on ways to help bring that confidence up with spells (and beyond!) {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/6d0cdba9bd241ac74850b92161b7be1d9d68284c.png 89% of players could correctly identify and explain the purpose of the Spellmeter! (Psst -- the Spellmeter will charge as you make matches, and will allow you to cast spells as the bars of the meter fill!) Quick shoutout to the person who appreciated the effort I took with Paint. :) {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/7dd3892381a8632d519af134354f869395a737ee.png Despite tutorialization needing a little work, almost half of you rated the difficulty as a “3” on a scale of one to five, which is right smack dab in the middle! We were pretty pleased looking at the distribution of this curve, and happy to see that it skewed a little bit towards folks considering it “not as difficult” than “incredibly challenging”. Regardless, we WILL be finessing AI difficulty for everyone, in addition to working on other fixes to polish the level of challenge in each match. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/0715dc3c4ccfd131c9eccff7bfa1b7b9634d2fd9.png Your favorite character was Samar, and Mo was a VERY close second! Leon probably received the most verbal love in the comments, though, and we were surprised at how many of you requested more FamiliarZ content! :) It’s duly noted! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/a7403f13e412425c28429342152ab59db68acc5a.png While we can’t type every comment that we received, you all had some kind words and specific elements that you enjoyed (and that really made our hearts happy)! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/5b0bf73e46e577ff3d33cb3488acadd8c5f83b68.png Things like appreciating the little reminders in the loading screens (hydrate, please!), the 90’s references, and the fact that our characters are HOT and GAY (SO many of you put this in the feedback!) We really loved seeing what resonated with you the most! There’s SO much more that we’ve drawn from after reading all of your feedback. Much more than can be captured here. So we’ll leave you this month with a big THANK YOU for taking the time to provide both the heartwarming words and thoughtful critiques and hopes for the game. The last thing we wanted to share is some feedback we hope happens in the future for ALL of us (you too!): more money and more naps. <3 {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/45fa99775c061efc241dd46f65e6a3334e87ce94.png

Stay cool ~

That’s it for this month! We’ll be back with more usual dev updates in July ~ until then, find us on Twitter, our Discord, or here in the comments if you have any questions. Stay hydrated and safe! Love, The Spirit Swap Team

The demo is live!

We’re really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the narrative demo that we’ve shared for Spirit Swap -- and if you’ve played it, please remember to fill out the feedback form (found here). This demo is still a work-in-progress toward our final vision of Spirit Swap, and we wanted to illuminate a few details for you: some larger bugs and polish we’re aware of and still working on…and even ~secrets~ you can try out if you’re looking for a challenge!

UI/UX: Input

We’re working on making sure the control schemes are consistently displayed in the demo: right now, they switch between keyboard and gamepad (which is good for keeping you on your toes, but not for clarity!) Here’s a quick overview of controls: Keyboard Controls: WASD or Arrow Keys -- Move cursor J / Space -- Confirm (dialogue and swap) SHIFT / K / ALT -- cast spell ESC -- Pause Gamepad Controls: D-pad -- Move cursor A/B -- Confirm (dialogue and swap) X/Y -- cast spell LB/RB - Raise Board Start -- Pause

Space: The Final Frontier

If you hit space during the loading screen, you may progress the visual novel dialogue, so spam space (or A) at your own risk!

Audio Issues? Just Restart!

While we think we may have squashed this bug, we’d love to give a heads up in case you happen to experience this! If you don’t hear any audio in the title screen (specifically the background music), try quitting out of the demo and re-opening. That should do the trick!

Secret Spells

If you’ve played the demo, you’ve seen the Square spell...but did your eagle eyes notice two other spell shapes to the right and left of the trusty SQUARE spell during the tutorial? {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/5b8283e77d11c3b20f21965df0a73a0d321836c2.png If you’re looking for a special challenge, you can try out these two secret spells: Diamond and X! They’re implemented in the demo, and technically playable, but we didn’t want to (officially) tutorialize and test them quite yet…but, who’re we to stop you if you wanted to give ‘em a try? If you’re wanting to step up your swapping game, the shapes you need to make to cast DIAMOND and X are listed below (the red shapes indicate the same color spirits that must be placed): DIAMOND {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/77a83ec9ce31ddaec99e81608de64b90daa3a6aa.png X {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/e44db1f01c8a7ed112a31cf9c05fbcc658e50177.png Like the SQUARE spell, both cost one bar on the Spellmeter to cast! Enjoy, and let us know if you happen to cast one (or both!) successfully!

Thank you!

If you want to chat with us, you can always hop into our Discord, find us on Twitter, or send us an email at [email protected]!

Hi Swappers!

A special update from the Spirit Swap team!

We alluded to the fact that we’d have a shiny new demo available in the near future, and we’re excited to tell you: THE FUTURE IS NOW! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/48fcb0fe66d6135f0c83f41493c631b9c7dbfb82.png That’s right!

There’s a limited-time, narrative demo for Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To available for you to play now on Steam.

This demo is a small taste of our story mode gameplay. In it, we’ll introduce you to Leon and Mo, two of Samar’s best friends. What’re they up to? What’s on their minds? You gotta play to see! A few things to keep in mind:

✨This is a LIMITED TIME OFFERING. The demo will only be available for one week (June 11th - June 19th, 2022), so download and play during that time period! After the 19th, we’ll be reverting back to our previous endless mode only demo. Fill out the feedback survey. Part of the reason the demo is available for a limited amount of time is because there’s a lot we’d like to get feedback on and finesse. Please fill out the survey (linked in the demo) if you play so we can continue to polish the experience! Check out our demo notes post to see what we’ve already got eyes on in terms of polish (plus discover secret spells we’ve included in the demo). ✨Wishlist Spirit Swap! If you enjoyed your experience with the demo, please wishlist and spread the news to your friends! Every little bit helps, especially with a small team like ours, and we’d truly appreciate it if you could help us shout our updated demo from the rooftops!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1592170/Spirit_Swap_Lofi_Beats_to_Match3_To/ Thanks so much for all your support, and hope you enjoy the demo! Love, The Spirit Swap Team

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Hi Spirit Swappers!

We wanted to share an important update on Spirit Swap’s development before diving into what we’ve been working on this past month: Your support and kindness throughout this whole process has been incredible. From an idea created by friends, to a successful Kickstarter: you have been with us and propelled this project further than we imagined! Like so many teams, we have also faced challenges this year -- some that we anticipated, and some we weren’t quite able to. To ensure we take into account the well-being of our team and the desire to create the best possible game that we can for you, we have decided to shift our release to 2023. We truly appreciate your patience! None of this would be possible without you, our amazing community, and we want to make sure you still have some FUN to tide you over. So, keep your eyes out for an exciting fresh demo experience coming in the near future. You’ll be able to visit Demashq and check out (first hand) what we’ve been up to! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/58382c7d77400911efa6ef0157565e48e5884778.png

Illustration Station

As we’ve been continuing our work on the hub area of the game, Samar’s Room, we’ve added yet another illustration to the mix! For a bit of a reminder and context: Samar’s Room is the central area of the game. You’ll come here when the day is done to relax.…and you’ll start here each morning, ready for a day of swapping, spells, and …sfriends! Our goal for the hub is for it to feel as diegetic and immersive as possible. To put it simply, this means as you move around, you’ll really feel like you’re in the room with Samar, seeing how they exist in the space, feeling a bit like you’re hanging out with them! So, for the option to “Head Out” we wanted to make sure to convey Samar leaving the room, but taking a couple of elements in mind. When we initially brainstormed the “Heading out” artwork showing Samar walking out of their front door. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/a24c225d33adbc93e6badf6100492b02e79f1050.png But there was a problem! We realized that since we will be providing the option for players to customize their outfits, if the illustration was different than the outfit equipped, that would ruin immersion! So, back to the drawing board….which then landed on the concept of a close-up while opening the front door. As midniights__ was sketching, we also wanted to make sure that when heading out, you were feeling like you were going to head out to Demashq, not out of the game completely. Thus, the SWAPSWAPSWAP key chain and trinket illustration came to be! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/24a39c09d88ba8b8caf4b6e96f0647b5280ef26e.png You’ll have to try the demo once it launches to see how the final version of the illustration turned out -- we think you’ll really like it! (Also, who else wants this keychain?! WE DO!)

She’s too smart!

Here’s a silly moment we just had to share! Morgan has been working on the AI for Spirit Swap -- this AI is who you’ll be taking on anytime you go up against the computer during the game. While initially, Morgan’s robot daughter wasn’t the best at playing Spirit Swap… she has finally become too smart. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/2799b6f06dfc638a8905080dbf901db67ce92121.gif Don’t fret! We’ll have her paired down for the demo! Pro-players who’re itching to test your skills: you’ll be able to customize the difficulty in the final version of the game! In the meantime? Don’t forget the Oh geez, oh f*ck mode for anyone who wants a challenge in a big way!

Wholesome Direct & Future of Play

June is an exciting time for anyone who enjoys games, and this upcoming June is no exception! There are a bevy of game showcases happening all month long, and we’ll be at TWO of them: the Wholesome Direct and Future of Play! Be sure to tune into both of the showcases to get a glimpse of some new footage (and some fun announcements), and get ready to wishlist lots of awesome games. Wholesome Direct: Watch here on June 11th, 9:30 AM PT. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/3b76b2de105b9677168cfd4bf814d43718b39905.gif Future of Play: Watch here on June 11th, at 11 AM PT {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/1fdd6d617d6b7b8a0d69833caee411ee61a67cd2.png

See you next month ~

Thanks again, and can’t wait to share even more. Let us know via Twitter, our Discord, TikTok, or here in the comments if you have any questions. See you next time! Love, The Spirit Swap Team

Hi Swappers!

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/1976ef04027d61b0db694fe47f226bf0ae4a2382.png Get those headphones on -- today’s update is one that you’ll want to listen to. For this month, we’ve got an audio-themed post and inside look at what we’ve been working on in the realm of Spirit Swap's music!

Ready to visit the café?

We’ve shared a lot of the visuals surrounding the game, but Spirit Swap is so highly inspired by music (specifically those good lo-fi beats), we wanted to be sure to highlight a bit of what’s been going on with the incredible meltycanon and Réjon! Inspiration boards are created for each track and since we’re working on character and location-centric songs, that’s what each board is made of. These boards are to help melty hone in on the specific vibes and sounds to fully capture each character’s personality. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/724445d010572461cff56ac025873797360ea18b.png Ready to hear the final result? Click here to listen to a small sample of “Letter to Lulu'' meant to represent our favorite baker. In addition to melty’s music, you’ll also hear soundscape elements in the game to fully capture the cozy bustle of the café. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/23759882a2f2a35cc29dd6147837da5fc8f16226.png Réjon: There’s a lot of little details that go into defining the sound design of a space, but for Lulu’s Café we start by imagining what someone sitting in the café would hear. I first started with consulting Alex about their home, and what this experience sounded like. Alex: I really wanted to convey the particular vibe of sitting in a café by the beach like I used to in Lebanon. My mom particularly loves this one bougie café on the cliffside of “Raouché” in Beirut. You can sit on their patio outside and enjoy the sights and sounds of the sea while the café bustles behind you. Lulu’s café was meant to harken back to those times sipping on coffee while mom and grandma smoked hookah, so I described this to Réjon in detail and sent them photos. Réjon: There are 3 anchors for designing the soundscape of the café, proximity to the ocean, the frequency of customers, and the cafe’s typical day by day vibe. Because good memories are typically warm, I lean into the ocean’s lower frequencies to help listeners soak it in and carry the silence with EQ balancing. This was the basis of the back and forth between Alex and Réjon, recalling details and tweaking coffee pour sounds and clanking of cups and saucers until the vibe was hit exactly right. So right that Alex teared up listening to it because it made them homesick. Réjon really did not have to go that hard! Click here to have a listen and enjoy the specific energy that these ambient sounds capture!

See you next month ~

Hope you and your ears are happier having gotten to sample some of the audio magic happening behind the scenes! We’re prepping for a busy summer of events and festivities, so keep an eye out for some fun news soon! Let us know via Twitter, our Discord, TikTok, or here in the comments if you have any questions. Otherwise? See you next time! Love, The Spirit Swap Team

Happy Thursday, Spirit Swappers!

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/a7d5243ec540b7abb56f53bb05bffcbf7ded5e59.png Spring is in the air, today is officially Trans Day of Visibility, AND we’ve got an update special for YOU! With conventions and events cropping back up, we’ve been busy both developing the game AND participating in a few digital panels and talks. But before we get into that…

Movin’ and Groovin’

This month, we wanted to put together another devlog for you to watch and enjoy! Fashion and customization is a major component of our game -- and one y’all have been SUPER excited to hear more about -- so we wanted to show some behind-the-scenes on how this system is coming along, and how it works. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/9b466234de654839b8a60bd03c23603ad0f5a5cf.png Thanks to our Lead Technical Artist, Chris, for taking some time to share a bit more about how we get the cast of Spirit Swap dancing, and just how important that is for the foundation of our fashion system. As always, thanks to Sam for the WIP clothing selections, Khei and Chris for the animation, and Morgan and Réjon for the wireframes and implementation featured in the video as well!

The MIX 2022 - Black Voices in Gaming

Chris also had the opportunity to be on another broadcast! We also were featured on The MIX during their Black Voices in Gaming stream a couple of weeks ago: be sure to check that out via their VOD! They're a great org that highlights a wide variety of indie games and their dev teams, so be sure to check out the rest of the show too! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/1ce06806209df9dcd34de0347d562e333ce27968.gif

GDC 2022 - Unity Panel

While a bit more developer-centric, Alex and Réjon also participated in a panel during GDC! Thanks to Unity for hosting, and friend of the studio - Josh Boykin - for moderating, and be sure to have a listen if you want to learn all about designing impactful games! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/756fc3a58976eab21c361df19e3e884e820aba31.png

Byeee ~

That’s it for this month! Hope you enjoyed this update! Got questions? Let us know via Twitter, our Discord, TikTok, or here in the comments! And see you next month! Love, The Spirit Swap Team

Hi Spirit Swappers ~

It has been A MONTH. Before we kick off with updates, we want to reaffirm our hope for this game and with you all, our community. We’re making a game that celebrates joy -- specifically brown, Black, and queer joy. In a time when it can be challenging to find news that is uplifting, we hope that our progress updates can at least bring you a small bit of cheer.

(Vertical) Slice of Life!

Our focus this month was to finish the majority of our vertical slice, and by golly, I think we got there! What’s a vertical slice? A VERY quick description is that it’s a build of the game that includes a proof of concept of most major components in a game. So, all of the wireframing and foundational work that Morgi and Réjon have put together? They’re IN! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/dc4ab9f7c76cec43060950d276e6ca9fcd4e1156.gif Note: Art is WIP! Movement is WIP! BUT LOOK IT’S DEMASHQ ;-; While there’s still some polish (and duck tape) that we’ve got to work out, we’ve got a great representative slice of what the game and it’s different components will look like. Part of the vertical slice was putting in narrative beats that segued directly into swapping, as well as getting the AI working! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/1f0e5ab4505015c784a5cc09a14d12f4567be61d.gif Note: Lulu is ready to whip up recipes and swap out spirits! Finally, we’ve got the ability to move through areas in the hub! Again, background art is still a placeholder, but this gives you a general idea of what we’re aiming for as you wander Samar’s Room and get ready to visit friends around town. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/b23f894f002b871bb84242cc27616cbed0dba0d9.gif

Until Next Time ~

We’ve been more quiet because of biz dev things (and taxes…ugh, tax paperwork!), but as the spring and summer come around, get ready! And, as always, if you have any questions, let us know via Twitter, our Discord, TikTok, or here in the comments. We wanna answer ‘em! Love, The Spirit Swap Team

Helloooo ~

Hi Spirit Swappers! Wait, where did January go? What a speedy month! We blinked and all of a sudden, it was time for our update! We got some good rest and gaming time over the holidays, and have hopped right back into development. We’ve been taking the art from our previous updates and implementing them into the game. Slowly but surely, it’s becoming a reality, y’all! And now? Time for some updates!

Black Card Gala

Join us in kicking off the year with the Black Card Gala! It’s coming up this weekend, February 4th - 6th, from 12 PM - 6 PM EST each day. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/9c85cb0442147a5757e8ca844db8d0acf68a944e.png If you stop by, you’ll be able to see our virtual booth, check out loads of other indies and creators, and even have the option to commission our artists, Benny and Morgan Madeline for a personalized Swapsona! You can only request a commission if you stop by the booth, so be sure to register to attend today (it’s FREE!) {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/a2ea5ae0586ef42e447e4b06305b25ed60115d3f.png Follow Black Card Members for all the details (and because they’re doing great work in general) and, again, sign up for the FREE event here!

Pookie’s Oceanside Skate Park

We’re almost done with all of the environments, which is absolutely WILD to think about! One of last areas to be sketched out was Pookie’s Oceanside Skate Park: a home away from home right on the shore. You’ll be able to catch Pookie here, practicing all sorts of tricks, as well as helping folks new to skating get comfy on their boards. Concept notes from (creative director) Alex: "The tech of Spirit Swap is deeply intertwined with magic and plants, and we really wanted that reflected in the infrastructure of the world and how people interact with it. You see vines reinforcing electric cables, modified lilypads functioning as platforms and short distance bridges linking floating ramps to the shore, vegetation peeking through the cracks in the wall and holding buildings up as if it were part of their molecular makeup. Balancing that with keeping the Mediterranean and Levant architecture has been a bit of a challenge, but the artists have been doing an amazing job! Can’t wait to show you all of the finished pieces!" For now, feast your eyes on the line art (with some distinguishing colors) from the talented Jenny M. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/cb68be13070d4abd54c51685d0bb78b5f874baa8.png

Mi mi mimimiiii ~ Doing some vocal warm-ups!

The final stretch goal we achieved during our Kickstarter goals was to have some wonderful voices bringing our cast of characters to life. We’re proud to announce that we’ve gotten our ducks in a row, and are nearly ready to begin the casting process. There’s no pretty image for this, so here, have the sneakiest of peeks of the thirst trap that Midniights created for us to celebrate reaching 6.5K on our Twitter account! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/bfac2c81aecb8b475e7662169fa13125389de47c.png Oh, where’s the full thing? Well, check out our Twitter, and get ready to get sweatyyyy. We have lots in the works that we’re not able to share quite yet, but we can’t wait for you to see what’s in store! Also, know that we’re here for YOU! Got questions? Want to know more about a particular part of development? Let us know via Twitter, our Discord, TikTok, or here in the comments, and we’ll do our best! Talk soon! Love, The Spirit Swap Team

Happy Holidays!

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/1c9a6bb51e655747bc0adabe18a6f8075932ad61.gif

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for all you’ve done for us this year. From our early #ScreenshotSaturday posts, to the Kickstarter, to now: we’ve come such a long way. It absolutely would not have been possible without your support.

Our entire team will be taking a break between Dec 20th and Jan 3rd, where we’re planning on eating good food, playing lots of video games, and stepping away from our computers to charge up for lots of progress in the new year. Speaking of computers: we love this Bampshi piece so flippin’ much! Go follow them for the best artwork. With that, and before our regularly scheduled update, please note that we’ll also keep our Discord closed during that time, so we’re able to truly log-off and enjoy the break! <3 We hope you’re getting some rest and relaxation this holiday season too! NOW! Let’s get on with some sweet new art and news!

#FutureOfPlay Recap

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/a6e8e7cdc1c8d71ba08321a4e4d58b6484fc99e0.gif Future of Play was an OUTSTANDING game showcase, and if you haven’t gotten a chance to see it yet, please just take a moment to watch one of the best events this year. We had the pleasure of kicking off the festivities with TWO musical showcases from the talented meltycanon, including a brand-new song drop: Swap it Out! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/76217046358d600fb8e6663d9dacf2f75c9044c8.gif The lyrics videos were edited by the one and only Alanna from the GLITCH team. Both of these songs are on Soundcloud, and, if you’re like us, you’ll have ‘em on repeat for hours at a time! ~ Swap it out, change your mood… ~ Ahem. Where were we?

First Look: The Polycule!

Dice has done it yet again! We’re almost completely done with all of the VN (visual novel) portraits of the main cast, and the Polycule -- Cleo, Dio, and Theo -- is currently in progress. This portrait is a bit more challenging because we’ve got three character’s that’ll be grouped together, but they also need to be able to be separated to stand on their own during parts of the conversation! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/d191dfd47fd8f552b66b0bed6538463f5cc8eb4a.png We love them so much?! A little more about each member of the Polycule, featuring another first-time reveal of the animated sprite PNGs Sam has been working on, and that Khei is animating! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/7e6a34ed8df16a0de9f1c1479eabef07141fb799.png Cleo: Few are as connected to the spirit realm as Cleo--their dreamy nature and soft personality makes them an ideal guide for lost little spirits. Tending their garden leaves them with calloused palms and smudges of dirt on their cheeks, but they never look anything less than cottagecore fabulous at all times. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/12b22a283ff3f8d777b7e074bce263763ce14676.png Theo: One might be tempted to write off Theo as a quiet, bookish librarian, but those closest to her know she just blossoms in more private settings. Oblivious when it comes to romance, but will fight you if you threaten her polycule. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/88da73a2aa849178953f30dc08b7a34d0368bc7e.png Dio: An up-and-coming DJ taking Demashq’s public access radio by storm, Dio brings their gremlin energy to everything they do, even when you really wish they wouldn’t. Will embarrass you in public but will always back you up.

Catch you next YEAR ~

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/b045e1c7200e7ff13105e5eb36af40afd7a96b75.png As always, we’d love to hear what you think: any fave moments or reveals over this year? Spirit Swap-related or otherwise! We’d love to hear it! Let us know via Twitter, our Discord, TikTok, or here in the comments. Stay safe and cozy, everyone. Love, The Spirit Swap Team

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/ed8f9c7dccb1b48eabc67c323fe7540b34e412d0.png How can it be? We’re in the final stretch of 2021?! We’ve got an incredible groove going on with the Spirit Swap team: art team is making art, narrative folks are writing the BEST words, and this month’s update will focus on an aspect of the game we haven’t deep dived (doven? doved?) into quite yet: the UI/UX! We also wanted to try something a little different: sit back, relax, and get ready to listen and watch this month’s update! Réjon, our UI/UX Lead, and Jenny, our Lead Producer, teamed up to create a video devlog for your enjoyment. In it, Réjon talks in more detail about the UI/UX of Spirit Swap, particularly the process of creating wireframes (the skeleton) Samar’s Room, and how you’ll navigate it as a player! You’ll also learn more about how decorating and the spell system will work. Please note that the footage is all WIP, but we hope you enjoy this foray into the world of Spirit Swap’s UI/UX this month! (And, please, let us know if you enjoy the video format, or prefer written updates! Or both! Both is good!)

#FutureOfPlay

It’s baaaaack! One of our favorite showcases of the year: #FutureOfPlay! Hosted by the wonderful folks at GLITCH, this is one of the best game events to check out what’s coming up...and what you should be excited to play. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/dc36a74076a845fc85fdc963af53e548d81ca7d6.png We’re super proud to announce we’ll be a part of the showcase this year, so keep an eye out for us ~ we can’t wait to see you there! Watch it live at 3 PM PST on December 9th via Twitch or Youtube!

Lulu is cooking up a storm!

If you haven’t met Lulu, or need a fresh reminder, Lulu is a self-appointed peacemaker who often takes on more than she’s asked to, and she has a knack for getting her way most of the time. Just as a reminder, here’s her VN portrait, created by the impeccable Dice: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/aa1478bbd7e725313a03a750e19f2d8140a83f9d.png When Lulu can’t manage to turn her brain off, she turns to baking to settle her spirit. Lulu is also very self-aware, so she’ll alway give you femme and grace...oh, and she’s obsessed with bunnies! We had to be sure to share this beautiful concept art (below) for the animated sprite of our favorite baker in Demashq. Our artist, Sam, really outdid themselves with her: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/da86edd93b61279cd901629579705d0a01faafe7.png

Catch you next month ~

The next update will be here before you know it! We’d love to hear what you think: anything you’re wanting to hear more about? Did you like the video devlog? Let us know via Twitter, our Discord, or here in the comments. And, if you enjoy TikTok, be sure to follow us there -- we’re starting to hop in and share content there too. Talk soon! Love, The Spirit Swap Team

Happy Halloweeeeeeen! Today is the day we’re getting (extra) dressed up, eating lots of tasty treats, and updating you all on our Spirit Swap progress!

Happy Halloween!

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/a732d6048d08e359976bcb55552d86aeec7b3c28.png If you haven’t checked out our Twitter lately, today’s the day! Benny crafted this INCREDIBLE Halloween snapshot of our faves out and about on All Hallow’s Eve. Can you name all the costumes? (Psst! Check out our Twitter if you wanna check your answers!)

Mo’s living in luxury

In addition to making sure our cast of cuties looks amazing, we’re also working on the places they like to hang out the most! Mo does not underestimate the power of making a space your own, and her living room encompasses her love of nature and luxury. Minimalism is NOT a part of their vocabulary~ Here’s your first peek at Mo’s living room, courtesy of artist, Jenny M! What do you think? {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/f0dddf4edea906169b3c3fc3647aa5e0a53528f8.png

Double double… we’ve got ANOTHER First Look!

Last month, we showed off Pookie’s narrative sprite: the image you’ll see as you’re bonding and getting to know them. This month? They’re getting ready to move, groove, and swap spirits, as we’re almost done layering their animated sprite! Sam, our artist, drew both Pookie and their familiar, an African Grey Parrot named Douglass, and Dice did the layering! Next up? Khei will animate! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/e43cfd8c1f70b79ba536e05d2507dc47a60352ac.png

Talk soon!

Whether you’re staying home or hanging with friends while celebrating Halloween (or maybe it’s just another Sunday for you!) We hope you’re all staying safe and cozy! As always, we’d love to stay in touch! Be sure to follow us on Twitter if you haven’t already, or hop into our Discord! Talk soon! Love, The Spirit Swap Team

Last month, we divulged lots of narrative details -- this month? We’ve got a wave of art coming your way! Get ready for your eyes to be very very happy ~ 👀 {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/40a4e2554ec5ee62633672fdf908f99f18383539.png

Peek at Pookie

Dice has been hard at work delivering the romanceable portraits of every cutie in SpiSwa, with the most recent being Pookie! Pookie brings a sexy softness to the cast, contrasting nicely with Ishk and Leon and being every bit as flirty and comfortable in their skin~ From Réjon’s initial document drafting Pookie’s character, back when we still called them “Big Homie”: “Big Homie doesn’t talk a lot, but when he does it’s for a good reason. His presence may come off as threatening to those that don’t know him, but others think he’s just a big ol’ teddy bear. When he’s not swapping spirits with the gang you can find Big Homie taking care of succulents, windboarding (skateboarding in this world?) from the tops of hills, and taking apart technologies to better understand the rhythms of their world (think solve et coagula, but with a care and attention to advancement).“ {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/53e35eb7092f4ae03b94bd299a2a07a44af73dd0.png Will we ever allow masc characters to wear a full-on shirt in Spirit Swap? Unlikely, but Leon gets pretty close, as you’ll see next.

Love on Leon

Leon is also getting the in-game romanceable character treatment! We even got the amazing tattoo artist Makoto Chi to design his tattoos! That’s only fair, since Alex did base Leon’s character on Makoto, who he even shares an occupation with. Here’s the final design for Leon that Sam came up with, alongside the tattoos Makoto designed for him: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/eb3fca7ecee2ba66cf7c3790a6cfd30bb571a83f.png Leon also has another of Alex’s friends sprinkled in, but took his initial face inspiration from Kpop star, Kai, of the boy band, Exo. (If you don’t know of Kai...well...just get ready and watch this video for a taste). We really wanted that moody, luscious look for our emo artist to shine through. We can now show you a peek of our spooky-loving, non-binary boo’s in-game sprite, ready for animation! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/4180ab729b23259f7ee34e47e8875d1e2eac5c76.png With that design set, we asked Dice to work her magic on the visual novel (VN) portrait. While that’s not quite done yet, we can show you the sketch she’s in the process of coloring at the moment just below! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/0844e0c97b889daa013ae2938cccf2d8d39b3940.png Would you smooch them? Or just be very good friends that ponder the depth of existence together?

Don’t Forget: GDoC & Indieland 2021 are this weekend!

GDoC Expo 2021 kicks off this Thursday 23rd! We’re going to be very involved in this event, so if you’re on the fence still please get those tickets! It’s one of our favorite game conferences bar none, and it’s gone completely digital again this year! Not only will we be part of the GDoC Direct premiering at 9 AM Pacific on Thursday, but we are also doing a dev interview with the lovely DaPurpleSharpie and talking all about Spirit Swap on Sat 25th, 12:30 PM Pacific time! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/8feb90b40a3cefd3893caeaafa12a35618145179.png Our creative director Alex will also be part of a panel on game cooperatives, so if you’re interested in how we run our studio please don’t miss it! They’ll be speaking with two other game co-op founders who have a wealth of experience and knowledge to share. Tune in on Friday 24th at 9AM Pacific for the talk! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/21b154916f311bf503c1df6f910df9b93da2b5e0.png Spirit Swap will also be featured on GDoC Expo’s Gradient Convergence Steam event page, so once that's live (Thursday, Sept 23) make sure to check out the games on display, try some demos and wishlist everything you love~ As if that all wasn’t enough, we’ve also been invited by Youtuber The Completionist to his yearly celebration of indie games slash charity drive for dementia research, IndieLand2021. Spirit Swap’s 2P Versus will make its first public appearance live as our team takes on the Completionist in our very own game… Join the fun and help us raise money for a great cause this entire weekend on twitch.tv/THECOMPLETIONIST. Spirit Swap’s slot is on Saturday 25th, 5PM Pacific! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/7345fb75db306b0541a4ec13f673ce3bae3cf18f.png

Hang out with Us!

The fun doesn’t have to stop here -- if you hop into our Discord, you can chat with the Spirit Swap team in addition to all the lovely folks who’re also excited about the game! We have server open/close hours (to help with our own work/life balance and server security), and we’ve got some beautiful art to help signify when the server is ready to go or if we’re taking a rest! Check out the beautiful work done by Benny, capturing Lulu and Dio’s energies perfectly: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/ee900ba5027e4da87d0cdf408da271cacab74d76.png {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/b2bf047232d3180c1c77f033dd369adead70e20a.png These images help signify our Discord hours, but also, what great ways to start and end our days by looking at these two cuties. Thank you, Benny!!!

Talk soon!

WHEW! Hopefully you’ve enjoyed all our art updates: this September has been busy, and Spirit Swap is really starting to come together! Be sure to follow us on Twitter if you haven’t already, and wishlist the game on Steam! (Psst, the demo’s available here now if you’ve got friends who you think should give it a go!) Love, The Spirit Swap Team

Kanon is flying into your heart!

Our animator, Khei (@kheillustration on Twitter!), has done some absolutely incredible work updating Kanon’s animation over the past weeks! We’re really excited by the details she’s been able to capture, between the flow of the wings, the soft glances around, the hands holding the apple…special shoutout to our sprite artist, Sam, for the wing upgrade! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/23862d92c4e6d0583425ba88ea58e3edf227abc0.gif

Lemme tell you a story…

We’ve gotten a few questions on our Discord about how the narrative of Spirit Swap will work! So, this month, we wanted to dive into it some more. Basically, the narrative creative process often looks like this interaction between one of our writers and the creative director: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/f27b3cbd07a0998b4edab2aeef3e208ad0b69d3d.png Haha… just kidding… unless……. ahem But back to the game side of narrative! Let’s start with a simple overview of how story mode works (and you get to peek at our messy inVision board…) {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/1577ba71a211f4f703ee8cefffe5eabc21c9b6a9.png NOTE: Just keep in mind that as we build the game and test and iterate on it, things WILL definitely change. If you squint, you’ll see the basic framework of the game in the upper left. An initial start screen gives you access to a menu with these choices, currently: story mode, playlist, how to play, multiplayer and options. Let’s focus on Story Mode for now. Choosing Story Mode gives you access to three Save Slots to choose from. If you pick one and start a new game, you’ll find yourself on an isometric map of the city of Demashq and its immediate outskirts. This is your world map of sorts. The first location accessible will be Samar’s (your) home. This will be your hub: where you decorate your room, change your outfits, tweak your settings, chat with your friends on your personal computer (narrative device right there!), and change your spell loadout before going out for the day. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/3539dd4169a0bb3564525418a4d88ef5395f4b50.gif Typically, Spirit Swap’s story plays in “runs” which in game translate as days. Don’t worry, there’s no real in-game calendar or limit on the time you have to complete aspects of the story, this is just meant to mark the rhythm of the game and punctuate its loop. Additionally, story progress is persistent and doesn’t reset every new day/”run”. A day always starts in your room: let’s say you pick an outfit and then a notification on your computer prompts you to check your messages. Talking to a character on your computer will sometimes allow you to “summon” them out that day. What does that mean? Every time you go out, there will be about three active locations on your map. An active location shows you that a character is present there currently. You can visit any location you like, but if no one is present there won’t be anything to do. IF someone is there, you’ll be able to either advance the overall story and “swap battle” them in 2P Versus OR advance their character specific arc and further your relationship with them. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/a931995877a075d99548c3473db550ca694eb674.gif Theoretically, you could just keep battling the same three characters and not realize you've run out of things to do...You could even accrue way too many rewards, room items or spells in one go, and it could get overwhelming to learn everything as you go if you don't decide to stop and return to your room hub where you can use them! So, we're testing out an "event flag system", where every time you trip three of those flags (this could be three significant story interactions, or three items received, or a new spell), the game will let you know the day is over and the events on your map will disappear, prompting you to go home and check your spoils, relax, reset and go back out the next day. Again, a day ending doesn't lock you out of any events and none of them are time-gated in any way: it's just a way to keep you engaged in what the game throws at you without getting too overwhelmed. The game’s minimum path to completion, or “Golden Path” involves talking to each character once and winning 9 total VS battles against each one. However, this is merely the tip of the iceberg if you’re here to date, explore and figure out the mysteries of your town! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/e7eeb53fe56122b09d3a35f1a22eb9018f27b68c.gif You can choose to deviate from the Golden Path at any moment and dedicate your time to getting to know one, two or every character - as long as you’ve met and battled them for the first time already. The narrative remains linear, but the amount of side stories and content you can unlock and a ~Secret “True” Ending~ you can reach should keep you occupied for hours. Sometimes you hit a wall in your relationship with a character and you have to seek the help of other friends to figure things out, but getting to know one character better will never lock you out of romancing or befriending the others no matter how close you get. That will be interesting to write for! We don’t want to talk too much about the ~Secret Ending~ because we want that to be a nice surprise for when the game ships… but in the right bottom corner of the image above you can see a hint to what it’ll revolve around… the concert date. That’s all for how the game will work in terms of narrative progression! We’d love to hear your thoughts.

Game Devs of Color Expo

The BEST game convention is coming soon, and we’re proud to say Spirit Swap is going to be a part of the showcase! Game Devs of Color Expo 2021 is happening September 23-27th, and not only will you be able to learn about the industry: you’ll be able to play some fantastic demos (including Spirit Swap)! Learn all about what you can expect (and pick up tickets) at https://www.gamedevsofcolorexpo.com/. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/f80f459ac3ca471e69ceeed1d0f30bdf38249fc3.gif

Talk soon!

There are LOTS of events on the horizon (in addition to GDoC!) where you’ll see our team talking about Spirit Swap and game dev in general! Be sure to follow us on Twitter for all the latest updates, wishlist our game if you haven't yet, and we’ll see you soon. Until next time! Love, The Spirit Swap Team

So happy to see your face again!

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We’ve got lots to share for this months’ dev update: hope you’re ready!

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Backer Surveys Are Out!

Please check your emails if you were a Kickstarter backer, because you should have received Backer Surveys by now! This was our first time doing this (yay, first Kickstarter survey!) so there were some, shall we call them, *learning experiences*. We appreciate your patience and kindness as we work through some of them! Read all about those details here in the latest Kickstarter Backer Update.

Refactoring the Demo into a final game with Morgan!

This month, we finished up a MAJOR refactor of the game! Here’s a note from Morgan, our Lead Programmer, sharing a bit more on what they worked on: "Hiya, I’m Morgan, the Lead Programmer! It turns out, it’s really difficult to write good code and make a good project structure, while also making a vertical slice of an entire game! Because of that, a lot of the demo was held together by duct tape and dreams (if you played at very fast speeds, you might have noticed some areas got a little rough around the edges). In a lot of ways, the demo was just a rough draft, so I spent this month just going through everything and cleaning it up. Polishing some edges, fixing some bugs, and restructuring some things so that we can build on it later. Now, everything’s all nice and organized and I’m ready to start adding new stuff, and hopefully I can show you some next month!"

Beach Episode!

In addition to refactoring the code (which doesn’t have a pretty picture) we’ve also been working on concepting environments in the game. Ishk, for example, spends lots of time at Muscle Beach for …. obvious reasons. Check out Adriel’s concept art for this sunny locale: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/90d61fc782b5d5b6ace136f925a03cd32f55349b.png {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/2600fd0e58ad7c1ba57261f30b98550054da221d.png (The fishies will SWIM!!)

Rotating Froggo

We also have had Dice working on a character sheet for Froggo because -secret reasons we will reveal in time- (I mean, look at Froggo?! No reason is even needed). So, for anyone interested in what Froggo looks like from the side and back, behold! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/dd0ec4a2ee3731b22f86814fb84d7502d07d24ce.png

We’d love your help!

Want to know one way you can help us as we make the game? By wishlisting Spirit Swap on Steam (and maybe even helping spread the word for others to do the same). {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40304583/a971f79a6cf20a67bf7298aa180692f38ed5f60f.png

What do YOU want to know?

As we’re diving into development, we’d love to hear from you! What do you want to know more about? The magical cast of characters? World lore? More gameplay? We want to make sure we’re sharing what you’re most excited about! Find us on Twitter, or hop into our Discord (we're open for hanging out from 9 - 5 PM PST!). Can't wait to hear from you! Until next time! Love, The Spirit Swap Team