Thoughtful Tuesday Update

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!



[h2]Illustration Station[/h2]

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.



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!



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!)

[h2]She’s too smart![/h2]

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.



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!


[h2]Wholesome Direct & Future of Play[/h2]

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.




Future of Play: Watch here on June 11th, at 11 AM PT




[h2]See you next month ~ [/h2]

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