Hi!
Ivy Nivek (aka IV) here.

If you're reading this, then you're probably interested in what I'm working on. You might know me from creating NEW and its many versions, or Kanalmanac.

Maybe you're here to get mad at me for not releasing a couple of projects that I've  hyped up in the past. Perhaps you're new to my body of work?

Regardless of your reasons why, this post should most certainly intrigue you.

CatJam

This is a game called "CatJam." A game set in its own little (big) world. It's beyond imagination... okay, I imagined it so it must be within the boundaries of imagination. But it's [a] quirky! If you don't mind some silly humour, plushies saying obscenities and strange creatures doing strange things to you... then you'll probably enjoy it!

This game's concept was one I always wanted to make (as far back as childhood), but I never embraced the idea until I was facing some personal issues and doing some soul searching. Wherein it was suggested to me that I should make a game I would've envisioned as a kid. So I had some deep thoughts........................................... [sound of thoughts being deep] and I always had the dream of making a game about kitties and kittens, that was it. There was nothing beyond that idea that I had thought of. So I took my 2nd favourite thing (marketable plushies) and smooshed them together into a game concept. It's still very much IV-esque in the way that characters interact and speak, and the design is still up to me [said Britishly] typical standards. But now it's... baby...

Doing something so out of the ordinary for me gives new perspective. This'll be a game from the heart! It's also pretty special to me as a large (NEW) and original (Kanalmanac) game project. Wholly my own, isn't that crazy? Maybe not to some, but commitment has always been an issue on my side due to being impatient (even if it leads to a blazing work ethic).

Since I'm a solo developer, a lot of roles for a project of this scope fall onto me (writing, designing, programming, etc.). I have had some good friends that provided assistance in aspects I was severely lacking, though, which I'm incredibly grateful for.

I've been planning this project for almost a year, and have only truly now begun development.

The good news? I have a strong idea of what direction to take the game's design. Although a number of details are still quite hazy, and music is a bit of an issue (as evidenced by the demo using placeholder tracks for almost all battle themes, lul). The general outline of the story and most gameplay systems have been properly implemented and finalised.

Regardless of development woes, I feel confident in finally making something that I can be proud of without future revisions as I had with my previous projects.

I've provided a demo which will give you a taste of what it has to offer, even if it's not perfect--I'm sure you'll enjoy it (haha).

CatJam Status Estimate

Since there's a fair bit to read, I'll try to summarise the final [kitty]'s status with... numbers (ooo):

• ......................................10%???

Yeah, I'd say that's pretty reasonable...

That's it! If you're interested in what the demo entails, the overall features are as follows:

• A delicious slice of the game's plot.
• An average 1 hour playtime.
• Future recurring characters.
• kitties :3
• ...Secrets...?
• Demo-exclusive content!?!?!?

Additionally, some potential (predictable) questions:

Q: "Will the full game be a commercial release?"
A: "yes. it's not gonna be anything expensive though. £5-7 ($6-9) sounds good."

Q: "When's the full game coming out!?"
A: "? years."

Q: "How many endings are there"
A: "1 (One(Singular))"

Q: "Will there be any translations to [language]?"
A: "it's... possible... i know people would want to play the game in their language. but it's a funky spot."

Q: "What did you use to make the game?"
A: "RPG Maker 2003."

Q: "Can I use CatJam content for my projects?"
A: "No.                                             (free fanworks are fine, though)."

Q: "Strawman from previous question! What if I want to make my own CatJam plushies and sell them?"
A: "so long as it's hand made and not mass-produced in a sweatshop or something similarly corporate, it's alright (assuming this even happens LOL)!"

Q: "So I bought the soundtrack i'm supporting the composer, but how do I support YOU?"
A: "the demo is distributed on a [pay what you want] model. this means they're entirely free to download. but you can chip in some cash as a nice gesture."

Okay, this is REALLY. REAAAAAAAAALLY the end, go play the demo now!

IV(y) (Nivek) out!

:3