Hello, lovely players! I’m Ya Mao, and here’s the December game development update for Shiba Sweet.
This month, development has been heavily focused on implementing full controller support. In addition to playing with a keyboard and mouse, players can now connect external controllers and enjoy the game using whatever control method feels most comfortable to them. In addition, online Playtest applications have been opened, the existing main menu has been updated, and the Chef Star Challenge application form feature has been implemented.
The Steam page for Shiba Sweet is now open for Playtest applications. Simply click the button to join the waitlist. A short playtest period is planned to begin around mid-January, followed by the release of an official demo between late January and early February. Players who are interested are very welcome to keep an eye on the game.
The previous main menu already looked quite nice, but it still felt like something was missing. This month, I spent some time refreshing the design by moving the main menu to the left side and placing Shiba on the right, busily rolling dough. The goal was to give players the immediate feeling that a dessert chef is ready to step into the kitchen and start baking as soon as they enter the game.
At the very beginning of the game, the lovely grandma already mentions the Chef Star Challenge. This month, the challenge application form was fully designed, along with its display logic and the conditions that determine whether players are eligible to apply. Players can submit an application at any time once the required conditions are met, and successfully completing the challenge will reward them with an additional chef star.
Part of the controller support was already implemented back in September. In December, the remaining features were completed, including the kitchen wall and floor decoration system, various action menus, dessert bento packing during shop operation, recipe book browsing, and the full beginner tutorial flow.
In addition, the controller controls for the exterior shop decoration system were refined and improved, making interactions more intuitive and allowing players to instantly view detailed descriptions for each small decoration item.
The longer I spend working on an indie game, the more I realize that while the ultimate goal is to finish a game, the journey itself feels like completing ten thousand small, detailed tasks. It is about smoothing out every awkward interaction and uncomfortable moment. Sometimes you have to react on the fly, and some problems only start to make sense once you actually encounter them.
So far, this journey has been truly enjoyable. Of course, there are moments of exhaustion, but the thought of giving up has never crossed my mind. Instead, I keep moving forward with full energy every day, hoping to bring this fun and adorable game to players as soon as possible.
Thank a lot for reading this far. See you in next month’s devlog!
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