Since this game has been in progress for some time, I wanted to give a progress report about what has been done. We'll start with the major piece yet to be completed: replacing the game's many visual placeholders with real assets. For example, check out the temporary and final forms of the character battlers:
This was delayed by the pixel artist disappearing for a time, but they're now being produced again. Instead of RPG Maker assets, each character will have unique animations reflecting their personality. A unique set of sprites for everyone has already been completed:
One of the other major goals is to add more visual flair to each Tale. The different versions of the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale will all have unique tiles showing their character. The below image is just a taste, showing how the generic tree type will be replaced with more varied tiles:
To add more flavor to the game, chibi scenes are being added to illustrate various moments of the plot. You can get a taste of the style here:
Status Update
To summarize, great progress on the game has been made, but the release isn't imminent. Here is a quick rundown of the different elements...
Gameplay: Very close to done. Patrons have playtested about 50% of the game, and the remaining 50% of content has been mostly completed. Maps, conversations, equipment, and enemy stats have all been implemented. Some details remain to be completed and more polish is necessary.
CG Artwork: Over 20 unique CGs have been drawn, totaling 150+ images. The remaining scenes should be completed in early 2020.
Chibi Artwork: Currently 19 images have been completed, covering some of the most important scenes. More will be added as time allows.
Mapping Rework: Here's where we get to the hurdles to the game being released. Currently all the maps are placeholders that don't use any of the unique tiles, designed for gameplay instead of aesthetics. Replacing all of these will be the next major visual upgrade.
UI Rework: Toward the end of the process, the UI of the game will be reworked to give it a fully unique appearance.
Programming Troubles: This is the first one that is actually a problem: the game needs some improvements, but I haven't been able to hire a programmer both capable and willing to fix them. Currently some bosses can be easily cheesed due to flaws in the combat system, for example. This is an obstacle to releasing the game at the level of quality I'd like.
Overall, Once Ever After has made considerable progress. It's now a functional game from beginning to end, but more work is required. In 2020 the final assets will be completed, the game's visual aspect will be upgraded, and it will come much closer to release. Given some of the unknowns, however, I can't say exactly when that will occur.