So it has been exactly 1 year since this game started development. A lot has been added. To put it in perspective, the second-longest development time I put into a game was only 6 months (Umbra Fields) and that game had 2 months mainly focused on localization/editing.
Even with the amount of content the game has, I keep getting feedback to edit/revise aspects of the game before adding the major parts like trials. Mainly since I've been developing it for so long, I've been looking back at certain aspects and going "this can be presented better" with my thoughts on certain aspects of the plot, graphical, character, and gameplay aspects.
With all I have written down to add and what I have planned, it's going to take a long time to do it all and to do it well. This is why the game's release year is being pushed from 2026 to 2027. I listed 2026 when the steam page went up since I didn't realize the true scope of what I wanted to create and the intricate backend systems needed to make it work well. Thankfully, most of the more annoying aspects of the backend have been done for a little bit. I think it's very hard to articulate how painful the AI equation system for the backend was to code and to make sure it does its job with having different personality types in mind for actions.
If I keep going at a good pace, 2027 would be very reasonable to release in. The main things that are causing the delay are tied to the trials, replacing the animations with something more unique for each character, and adding onto the character dynamics/detailing of their characterizations through new events/dialogue.
Right now, I'm in the middle of making major changes to the prologue so it has multiple routes/endings with more impactful choices instead of being a single route along with adding more things to find inside of it.
The Steam demo has been online since August 2025, and it's effectively been treated as an Early Access version of the game. I don't believe in doing a paid EA version for this game, at least at the moment. I feel it will be that way until the trials start to be developed, when the demo might not get many more updates after that point. The Demo will continue to be updated with new mechanics and features with rewrites/adjustments until I see fit that it is ready for a Steam Fest and much closer to release.