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really queer Christmas
Apr 22, 2014

Update 31 - The King of Hearts




We do our best to save the King of Hearts... will it be enough?

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ultrafilter
Aug 23, 2007

It's okay if you have any questions.


For a game about singing this is pretty intense.

really queer Christmas
Apr 22, 2014

Update 32 - The Farewells




We've arrived at the final act. The world is ending, our friends are all depressed, and there is so very little hope that we'll all make it even one more hour.


...



Merry Christmas!!

Nerdietalk
Dec 23, 2014

Miriam's the best. Her arc is so drat good.

Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.

Clapping Larry

really queer Christmas posted:

We've arrived at the final act. The world is ending, our friends are all depressed, and there is so very little hope that we'll all make it even one more hour.

...

Merry Christmas!!

Well, that's what Christmas piggybacked on, didn't it? The sun is as dim as it'll ever get and everything's frozen. The year is dead, and we can only hope a new one will be born.

Bard's got hope, at least. And bugs. Can't forget bugs.

really queer Christmas
Apr 22, 2014

Update 33 - The Reunion




We make our way to the dream king... one last time.


Sorry for the late update, forgot to post before I left this morning and of course i had to work late today.

ultrafilter
Aug 23, 2007

It's okay if you have any questions.


:f5:

Mraagvpeine
Nov 4, 2014

I won this avatar on a technicality this thick.
I've been thinking about it, and is the Moon Fairy a mouse or a rabbit?

really queer Christmas
Apr 22, 2014

Update 34 - The End





It's time to climb our way to the Bell Tower and meet with the Dream King again. We've got the Earthsong almost in its entirety... we just need his piece and we can save the world! But if he dies before we get it... that's The End... for all of existence. So y'know, there's no pressure!



VIDEO: Confronting the Dream King

(Video will cover the whole update if you'd prefer that.)

















Last time we made this climb, the Dream Fairy was chasing us and trying to prevent us from waking the Dream King... it's somewhat hard to comprehend what's happened since then.











That uh... doesn't look good... at ALL.



MUSIC: The Dream King




Ugh......

How, uh... how ya doin?



Faaaaaantastic. Definitely not... deteriorating at an alarming rate... still got my winning personality and charm. See?

Mr. Dream King... we really gotta talk!!!



MUSIC: Out of Order


Oh boy. Great.

The Hero is on her way here right now!!! And you're the very last Overseer! If she kills you... that's the end of the world!!!

Ohhhhhh. Wow, really? Thanks. Didn't know that.



SFX: Miriam Angry


GRAARGH, enough with the sass!!! We need the Earthsong from you! BEFORE you're dead!

Give Bard the last piece now!!!

Okay, sure.

YOU WILL???



You know, it almost makes me sad... realizing you will NEVER get it.

Because you won't give it!

I don't mean the Earthsong. I mean...



You've travelled all over the world now. You must have seen yourself... everything is falling apart. Everyone's losing hope.





It's inevitable. Collecting song pieces doesn't matter, and clinging onto the Earthsong... as some kind of easy answer... for all our problems... that's what's sad. This world was over before you even started.

...

That's it? You want to just give up?

On the Earthsong? It's impossible. Everyone and everything are moving apart... always have been. Ever since the universe started. Expanding. Decaying. If the whole world could still act together as one... The End wouldn't have come in the first place.



Look. I don't want it to be over either. I did everything I could to delay it. I broke the rules. But that made everything worse. The world outside turned ugly while I stalled. People are suffering. Making the world go on longer... just isn't natural.








WELP! gently caress!


That was easy!

That's the end then, right? Credits roll! "Thanks for playing!"



SFX: Miriam Angry


YOU!!!!!......

I can't believe you did that, Audrey...

Quit acting so surprised. You both did a great job... getting in my way at every step! But in the long run it was pointless!



You losers never stood a chance. Feels good, to be honest! I almost wish it wasn't this easy...

Eyala told me... about what happened between you.

She didn't lie to you. Did she? She believed in us! If you had just waited... we could have saved the Dream King.

She told you that, huh?

Okay! It's true. In the end, even Eyala turned on me. That's why I ditched her.

Because she was WRONG.






*Sounds of ground rumbling*










VIDEO: It's Happening



MUSIC: The Nightmare
















A REAL final boss!

You're insane.

That means... WE STILL HAVE A CHANCE!!! We have to stop her from killing the Dream King!!!

I know that! One last chance. You, me, and a giant evil boss monster... against one lone hero. Pretty good odds, right?




The Dream King still lives! We have to protect him no matter what happens! The world will literally end the moment he dies, and we're the only ones who can stop Audrey... so... no pressure!!!


:siren: :siren: :siren: :siren:
:siren: :siren: MUSIC: Nightmare King :siren: :siren:







So this boss fight... As you know, the gameplay for this game has never been very stellar. It can still be fun, but the game's main focus has been its story and characters. The last boss fight did a bit more with the gameplay and made it pretty fun because of that! So how does this fight compare?

It'd probably rank as one of my favorite gameplay sections from any game, honestly. I thoroughly enjoyed the living heck out of this fight. So what makes it so good? We'll get to that soon... but first, we need to know what our goal is, beyond keeping the Dream King alive.





Audrey will begin charging her sword up, and she will charge it much faster than in the King of Hearts fight. Miriam will launch a spell at her to try and get her to stop, but this will usually fail.







The Dream King will try to attack Audrey by raining down the stars on top of us. We can maneuver these stars by singing in the direction we want them to go. We have to be close to take hold of them, however. Which could mean they land on top of us, if we aren't careful.







Take too long to prevent her from charging up, and she attacks the Dream King. The bar over his head reveals itself as a health bar... and he's already lost a bit of it now.




We can't protect the Dream King forever!

Eventually... she's just gonna win!



...

Steal her sword.

She can't do anything without it!

Steal her SWORD???

That's RIDICULOUS!!!

But okay!!! You focus on distracting her. I'll go for the sword!




Our goal is now to take Audrey's sword away as quickly as we can! The longer we take, the more likely she'll be able to kill the Dream King. So how do we go about distracting her?





As before, the Dream King will send a star down from on high. We need to take this star, and have it hit Audrey.







...Take too long to hit her and she's able to get off her bursts. Audrey does not hold back in this fight! And we need to be prepared to do anything we can to take her down.









We managed to hit her, but also ourselves! Bard takes no damage, like with the rest of the game. But it does take up precious time if he gets hurt. Time for Audrey to continue charging and attacking. If we hit Audrey, it doesn't hurt her, she just has to shield herself from the attack, which lowers her sword.









Get too close to Audrey, and she will just straight up kick Bard. This may seem bad (and to Bard it probably really sucks) but it also counts as a distraction that causes Audrey to lower her guard! So if she's charging too quickly, running into her so she kicks Bard is an absolutely viable strat! If we can distract Audrey for just long enough...











GAH! Almost...







She uh... didn't like that we tried to take her sword away.





Despite being shocked, the Dream King was able to get off his alternate attack - the Dream Roots. They'll grow under him and come up at a certain point, but if we instead start singing, we can take control of them and have them come up whenever we want them to!







If we manage to hit Audrey with them, she'll be stunned and forced to stop charging an attack.







Like with the King of Hearts, Audrey does not have perfect aim and will miss on occasion. I didn't have this happen to me my first playthrough, so it might be just a random chance to happen.







If we're not careful (and spoilers I'm super not careful in this fight), then we can also get hurt by the roots. Just about everything in this fight can hurt Bard too. Poor guy is gonna be sore tomorrow...! If there is a tomorrow...





With less than half his health left, the Dream King begins attacking near constantly, sending down a wave of stars or roots right after each other. Making it a little bit easier to hit Audrey.







Audrey attacked, then did a perfect dodge from the roots. If we were playing as the Hero... that would have been really cool! Instead this is super frustrating and I hate her... stop trying to destroy the world!! :argh:





With the Dream King getting lower on health, I start to rely on the kick strat quite heavily to keep Audrey from continuing to attack. Until we can get the sword from her, the world could end at literally any moment!

















Gah!! We can't keep doing this for much longer!!






And I do mean that in the very literal sense!













From this point on, Audrey ups her game by reflecting the stars right back at Bard! These reflected stars can still be controlled, but are much more weighty and even make broken sounds. The stars themselves will no longer work on Audrey, we have to hit her with a broken one to stun her now.







As a broken one will shatter upon being smashed, and will stun her in return.









Of course, we can always let her lower her guard by getting Bard kicked! Bard is literally sacrificing his body for the sake of the universe here.





It's at this point, the fight enters its most chaotic phase. Where roots and stars are coming at a near constant state, and the problem becomes choosing which weapon would be easier to hit Audrey with. As the roots only need to be done once, but are more easily dodged by her. This is my absolute favorite part of the fight as it just becomes a giant clusterfuck in trying to keep the dream king, and the universe, alive for as long as we can.





Bard's pain is everyone else's gain.









If there's no stars or roots and she's charging... Bard gulps as he knows what must come next.













Bard takes an absolute beating in this fight, mostly because of how chaotic everything falling down is, but also because it's usually better to stay where you're going to get hurt if it means getting an attack off on Audrey. If she wins, we all lose.


























MUSIC: The End?


Don't move!

You...

Audrey...

You LOSERS!!! Ruining everything!!!

And I actually mean ruining everything! This is my quest! This is MY STORY! EVERYTHING THAT EXISTS is at stake!

How DARE you try to take that for yourself! How DARE you... try to make it about YOU!!!

IT ISN'T!

Audrey!






Uhhhhhh??? Bard, now is NOT the time to try and win her over! Just throw the sword away and talk to the Dream King... Nightmare King... just get the drat piece of song, okay???


What?

I said, you're special! Even if you weren't the Hero, I mean! Audrey, you're super strong... and super smart, and really great at everything you do. I get why you were picked to be the Hero! You deserve it! But... that doesn't mean you have to do it!




...Okay Miriam, listen, just keep the sword away from her, okay? Please... stop staring at Bard...


Being the Hero... is just a title! You can do whatever you want!



I really mean it! Let's stop fighting. If you just give up on doing it your way... maybe you wouldn't be The Hero... but I could learn the Earthsong from the Dream King! And stop the world from ending! We could ACTUALLY save the world! Everyone would be okay!










Did... did it work?





Oh poo poo... MIRIAM!



MUSIC: End of the World


Roobanguy
May 31, 2011

controversial opinion inbound, but i think Audrey sucks.

mercenarynuker
Sep 10, 2008

Is it still controversial if two people think it?

Hwurmp
May 20, 2005

Audrey clearly blows if anything

AweStriker
Oct 6, 2014

Audrey is the worst hero. Didn't save anyone, 0/10

Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.

Clapping Larry
It's amazing, the kind of effects you can create with just a bunch of circles. Nightmare King, boil on into the next one.

really queer Christmas
Apr 22, 2014

Can't believe people aren't supporting the great hero, ordained by the goddess eya herself, against... a singer and a grumpy witch.

Double Plus Undead
Dec 24, 2010
rear end in a top hat atheists itt

Hwurmp
May 20, 2005

I support singing a special song to stop the universe from ending, because I choose logic

really queer Christmas
Apr 22, 2014

Update 35 - The Wandersong



MUSIC: Silence

















BARD!














BARD!












BARD!









BARD!





BARD!











We uh... kinda blew it buddy. The whole world is ending... Everything's being sucked into that black hole... Everything's... lost.







Wait... where are you going?? You can't run away from The End!













The Bell Tower? Why here? What can we even do at this point? There's no Overseers to summon. The world is literally disappearing... All sound and color is just gone... what CAN we even do??



VIDEO: Ring the Bell





SFX: Bell Ring



















:siren: :siren: :siren: :siren:
VIDEO: Wandersong




:siren: :siren: ITS THE ENDING!! WATCH THE drat VIDEO!!!!!! :siren: :siren:

Roobanguy
May 31, 2011

hell yeah bard and miriam.

Rosemont
Nov 4, 2009
I, uh, actually teared up there. Well done, Wandersong.

Nerdietalk
Dec 23, 2014

I think its the shot of Miriam singing that brought me to tears. After their long journey, with all its trials, all its doubts, all its struggles... that's what the fate of the world finally rests on. That singular moment of cynicism being shed for hope.

Yapping Eevee
Nov 12, 2011

STAND TOGETHER.
FIGHT WITH HONOR.
RESTORE BALANCE.

Eevees play for free.
Yeah, I cried too... You did good, little Bard. :unsmith:

Hwurmp
May 20, 2005

Thanks for introducing me to a great game.

E: again

Hwurmp fucked around with this message at 16:44 on Dec 31, 2018

Kitala
Sep 2, 2012

Not Some Opera Floozy

Thanks for showing off this game. I’m not sure I would have heard of it otherwise, and that would’ve been a shame.

racerabbit
Sep 8, 2011

"HI, I WANT TO HUG PINS NUTS."
:frolf:
What a wonderful journey that was!

Kitala
Sep 2, 2012

Not Some Opera Floozy

I had a thought while I zone off at work, but didn’t the Dream King say when we first met him that the earth song never worked because it required everyone in the world to sing it? (Forgive me if I misremembered, don’t want to go back and recheck on mobile). Assuming that’s correct, wouldn’t that mean we did sing an Earthsong because everyone is united in song? I’m just thinking that even if Bard had all the pieces, it wouldn’t have worked without everyone else.

really queer Christmas
Apr 22, 2014

There's still two more updates left - the epilogue and a post credits wrap up. Epilogue will get posted tonight, and to celebrate the new year, I'll post the last update tomorrow.

Kitala posted:

I had a thought while I zone off at work, but didn’t the Dream King say when we first met him that the earth song never worked because it required everyone in the world to sing it? (Forgive me if I misremembered, don’t want to go back and recheck on mobile). Assuming that’s correct, wouldn’t that mean we did sing an Earthsong because everyone is united in song? I’m just thinking that even if Bard had all the pieces, it wouldn’t have worked without everyone else.

We didn't sing The earth song, but we did sing some kind of song all in unison. This ended up getting partial credit from eya to let us sneak on in to the next universe. And yes, you're right. Even if the dream king had relinquished the final piece, if EVERYONE, wasn't singing along, then it wouldn't have worked.

ultrafilter
Aug 23, 2007

It's okay if you have any questions.


I thought that ending seemed a bit abrupt.

Roobanguy
May 31, 2011

my take is that the earth song was never going to work, because the goddess was destroying the world because people couldn't get along with each other, so why would singing some song you got from the overseers change her mind?

that's why the cat overseer never gave you their piece, and also said the bard still didn't get it at the end there.

Roobanguy fucked around with this message at 22:32 on Dec 31, 2018

really queer Christmas
Apr 22, 2014

Update 36 - The Friends We Made Along the Way



MUSIC: All Our Friends



MUSIC: All Our Friends - Intro

(Note: All Our Friends plays over each section of the epilogue. I've broken the song out to play for each section, but if you just want one link, click the top one and let it play while you read!)




We actually did it! We saved the whole drat world! Everyone gets to live... it'd be a miracle... but Bard worked hard for it, and believed in humanity when no one else would. It's time for the well deserved Epilogue, to find out what's happened to all the characters, places, and stories we came across along the way.





The credits will be running the entire time on the right hand side of the screen. It will quickly run out before we finish talking to everyone.













HOW ARE YOU MORE ADORABLE!!! :syoon:




MUSIC: All Our Friends - Mohabumi





We're going to go talk to just about everyone in the game again! We'll first talk to Miriam, of course.


Well... we're here! You said you wanted to check in on your friends, right? Just let me know when you're ready to move on.


Miriam will be our exit point for all these places, as she has nothing to say... for now. Let's get started!




I never thought I'd see the day... but Peace talks are finally happening between Chaandesh and Rulle. If only Hala were still here to see it. I'm keeping her intentions in my heart... and trying to speak in her place here. It's never easy with Mother's stubbornness... but I suppose that was Hala's challenge, as well.






It feels so bizarre, sitting here and talking to the witch-queen... like she's just another person. We spent our whole lives afraid of you...

Get over it. I'm not going to live forever... we don't have time for distrust. I need to know my people will have peace after I'm gone.


The two sides are actually meeting for peace! For whatever it's worth, we never actually find out the names of the Witch-Queen or the Animal-King. The game just calls them "Queen" and "King". It's strange only because literally everyone else has a name in this game.


The Sky Temple was destroyed in the monster outbreak. It's too important a place to leave like that... Are you going to rebuild it?

Uh... I thought you people wanted the Temple...

I thought YOU did!

...

Well, we did... Until it got busted... Maybe we should...

Rebuild it together.

Yeah. Like a symbol of our truce.

That's a splendid idea.


Aww, they're working together! The war is actually going to end!


It's hard knowing what to ask for here. All we ever really wanted from you... was... to be left alone, I guess.

Leaving alone is what got us into this mess. Where our communication died, distrust grew... until we lost all concept of your true intentions. We need the promise that we won't be alone anymore. We are here together, and that isn't about to change. So if we are to coexist peacefully... We need to work together.


The Queen's stubbornness is actually working in the favor of peace here, since she wants a peace everlasting, and not one that dies in a few years. The only person left here is the King's guard, Lee.




It's you... I promised myself, if I ever saw you again, I'd capture you and put you back in prison.




Oh... crap, didn't I write a note to myself not to talk to him again? Uh whoops! Bad End I guess.


But now we're in peace negotiations... so your counts of treason are currently suspended. I suppose...


Oh, phew. We got a mulligan on prison! Let's... hurry and get out of here before he changes his mind.

















This is absolutely not fair... How can you put the two cutest fairies first!? How's the drat frog and fish supposed to compete with this!?



MUSIC: All Our Friends - Xiatian





Welcome back to Xiatian! We aren't exploring the whole town, just the front area.





The ship band! They got back together for a tour! Phil's here with them as well! Let's start with Phil, first.


Wayfarer! It's been a time and a half, hey? I'm grateful just to be alive... after all we and the world went through. Didn't think I'd ever see the capital again. And look! There's witches here too now. Everything's changing so fast. But after so much war, that's a good thing.


Wow, yeah I didn't even think about the fact that the ship-band were witches! I can't believe they've already opened the borders to each other!


I think I'm ready for some wayfaring of my own. I'm gonna take my banjo and see the world! Any way I can, wayfarer. Cause there's so much to do, and so much to see. So what's wrong with taking the backstreets? You'll never know if you don't go. And you'll never shine if you don't glow!


... Game... you made it this far without a meme. We were this close to being meme-free. WHY.


I wanna be like you, wayfarer. Travelling the world with a song in my heart. Making people happy wherever I go... Yeah! Everyone'll know I'm coming by the sound of my banjo. And they'll call me by a special name... like... "That guy Phil, with the banjo!" Yeah. That's the dream.


Maybe... workshop that name a bit? Yeah?





Over on the right side, beyond Phil, is Juan and Mei. They're all that's left of the city to talk to. We'll start with Juan then Mei.


It was so scary! I thought for sure the world was ending! I'm glad it didn't... good thing the Hero saved us! She's the coolest ever!


grumble grumble. Yup, she's so cool.


I wish I met her when she was here!!! Nobody knows where she is now. She vanished! I bet she wanted to live like a normal person now that the world is saved. She's so humble. Me... I would want to be famous. I really wonder what she's doing now... I want to be strong like her someday.


While we will be going around and meeting everybody... there will be one exception to that. Audrey is straight up gone. Did she make it through the ending? There is no clear answer the game can give, but it's likely she didn't. She wasn't around for the ending song, and she was on top of the Dream King when she stabbed him and opened up a black hole. That's... a bad place to be, on top of a black hole. Still, she isn't 100% dead, just comic book dead.

Alright, let's chat with Mei then we'll chat with the band.


Hello again... did my flower come in handy? You said it was to save the world or something, didn't you? The world's still here, so it must have worked! Ho ho ho! My husband gave me that flower many years ago. It was a hardy one... I was protective of it, since it was the last thing I had of him. But of course that's not true. I have all of our happy memories together, too! The flower wasn't worth much by comparison. Giving it away felt like the right thing... I was finally able to move on with my life. See! I even left the house. Ho ho ho!


Aww, that's nice Mei. We really didn't get to know you that well, so the emotional impact isn't really there, but still, that flower ended up being really handy! It incapacitated Audrey, though I guess things might have worked better if she just... didn't wake up from it.


I'm in a wonderful mood, the likes of which I haven't been in a long, long time... So I made cookies. I'm sharing them with everyone today.


Dang, I want some cookies now. Let's go talk to the band then hit the road!




Now that the border are open again, we've hit the road!

Or... the river With my boat.

We're a sailing band!

LIKE PIRATES?!



Not... really. But look! I even got a new accordion!

We still remember your song, too!

That's right!




It's the exact same song and performance as before, so I'll leave a video for those that are really interested in seeing it again. But otherwise, we'll decline and move on.



VIDEO: Boat Band Performance part 2


Alright then, amigo.





Let's head on out....













Alright, the Frog King ain't a bad look. But it can't compete with the Dog of Hearts or the Mouse King. Though if it keeps its accent, it may be on somewhat equal ground.



MUSIC: All Our Friends - Chismest





Bard's back in his hometown! It's been a while Chismest, how have things been since the factory shut down?





Elmer is still here, but he doesn't have anything to say. Probably for the best, that.





The astronomer is up near the factory though, what does she have to say?


Ah, my old cohort. How do you do? With the Baron stepping down from the factory... I've seized the means of toy production, and repurposed it to be my new laboratory. There is so much machinery in here with so much potential... We could use it to manufacture new technologies, to the benefit of everyone. That's my vision for this place.


A clean laboratory, producing goods that's beneficial to mankind, with the means seized by the workers? :gritty:


One by one, all the stars went out... until none were left. I was watching the sky at that moment. It sent a shiver down my spine...



But then, all at once... the sky was filled with completely new stars. New constellations, new galaxies... A new hope for us. I don't know how long our lease on existence has extended, but it made me reconsider what I was doing with mine. That's what brought me to here. They say the stars guide our destinies. That some can be born under a lucky star... and some not.

...

I think it's a load of sharkquack... (Pardon my language) But there's something poetic about a new sky of stars, isn't there? The old stars that guided us are dead... and now our destinies are in our own hands. We get to decide what will become of this world moving forward. Maybe that was always true... but now I believe it. I hope to create a good future.


We certainly hope you do that, Elara. Also sorry about all the stars going out, Audrey needed every last star before she'd give up.





Over on the right side is our comrade in arms, Peter.


You've returned... we've been toiling away here. After our quest to destroy the factory... we had to create something to replace it. Miss Astronomer... that is, Elara... She has such grand vision for this city. I couldn't help but be taken up by it. I see Miriam is here, as well...

...

Part of me wishes to speak with her again... but... I suppose things are... awkward... Miriam and I are on separate journeys. I can see now that it was never meant to be. If only I'd the wisdom to know it when she did. My heart still burns for her... but, in a respectful, non-romantic way.


Aww, that's still kinda romantic Peter. Sorry though, Miriam's changed a lot, but I'm not sure she's ready for love.


In the cold, dead city Chismest once was... Miriam's passion burned lout and bright. But now the people of Chismest are free, and our dreams, which were once frozen beneath the snow... can finally thaw and bloom here once more. It is a new life for all of us here.


So long Peter. Good luck with reforging this city. Right below Peter is a group of people to talk to.




It's me. The guy who was in the Happy Kid mask. Remember? Whatever... I've got a new job now. I'll never have to wear that cruddy Happy Kid mask again. And I'm finally putting my science degree to use. The factory's a lab now... have you heard? We're developing stuff that's gonna change the world. The Baron may have had some wacky ideas about toys, but the guy really knew how to build a production line. His stuff is gonna take us far. This isn't gonna be a crappy factory town anymore... Chismest is gonna be at the forefront of technology! I can feel it.


That's super good to hear Miles! Also, As I mentioned, we ran out the credits from taking so long talking to people. The "Thank you for playing!" message is all that's left. Not a bad message to leave on.





Winston, Berry, and our dear mom are all that's left.







So long Berry! We couldn't have done it all without you!!


Yaha! You came back! Me and Berry are doing so great! We never would have come together with you... Thank you so much. I mean it! She taught me a lot about myself. Nobody in this town ever believed in me, before you. But now it feels like everyone does! It's hard, feeling worthless... and it's hard when nobody cares about you. Because you can't control if they do. But... you CAN control if you care about other people! Berry gave me someone to care about. I'd never had that before... but once I did... it made me feel so cared for, too.


It's so good to see how much Winston has turned around. Simple things can help make someone else's life so much better.


Now that Elara is opening up a lab... I think I'm going to help out there! I've never done science before... but I want to learn! Being with Elara makes me feel so special. It feels like we can do anything with her.


Last person in Chismest to talk to, is our mom. Hi mom!


Doo hoo hoo! It's my muffin! Are you finally moving back in with momma?

No...

What a shame. Your father finally came home, after all these years. He settled in completely right away! Now I can't get him to leave! I couldn't even make him come out to say hello...

That's ok! I don't even remember what he looks like.

Muffin! That's too sad for me to even think of. You grew up without a father's love... Maybe that's why you turned out like... this.

...


Hey, mom what are you insinuating?! Bard's cool as heck!


Muffin... even if you are very strange... you know your momma loves you, right? I wish I saw you more. And, he'd never say it, but... I'm sure your father is ashamed for never seeing you. We should all have a meal together someday soon... and be a family again. All we have in this world is each other, muffin. Let's not let each other go.

Ok!


So... this conversation, combined with the short cutscene of Mom's house during the ending... implies that the Baron is Bard's father. I... really don't get why this "twist" is here. It doesn't really add anything to their relationship, outside of maybe justifying the Baron legitimately being misguided in his attempts to bring happiness to people. Like father like son, except the son was more empathetic and the father more analytical. I don't know, it's not the greatest thing, and really isn't touched on so we'll move on.















He looks so happy!! He also looks like a middle manager, but gosh darnit he's so happy to be working on that spreadsheet!



MUSIC: All Our Friends - Tatango





You know Bard missed them, we're back to hang with the pirates! Let's talk to the captain first.


Matey! It's been so long! Have ye been adventurin'? We've been on some'a arr own! The mermaids joined arr crew now! We sound better than ever, matey. Yeh've got to sing with us again, soon!


We'll try, but no promises! Unless we get to sail again, then definitely!


I came into this world with a dream... to captain my own pirate crew! And when I saw me first mermaid... I had one more dream, to see 'er again. All my life, just to make those things real. And now they are... it's somethin special, matey. I feel blessed everyday. This crew's more'n a crew. We're a family! A family we all chose, together. And now that my dreams came true... I wanna foster their dreams! That's what a good captain oughtta do. And remember, matey... to this family, you'll always be... like... a... weird... cousin, or somethin.

...

What I'm sayin is, ye can come back anytime. We love ye, matey.


You guys made Act 3 into something memorable. The pirate sailing portion was when I knew this game was going to be great. It's so fantastic.





At the front of the ship is the captain's mermaid "friend."


Woooo! Me and my girls are taking over this ship!!! No more hiding out on secret islands for us! We're adventurers now! It's pretty great.




In case you were wondering, this is her full name. It's a uh, mouthful. I'm gonna keep calling her Mel.


The captain is an alright guy, turns out. He was really weird when we first met, but he kinda chilled out. I like his pirate persona, and I also like being a pirate. It's a cool new direction for us... what's next for us? I dunno... I'd like to travel the world... see something besides just ocean. I hear there's these other ocean-types... called like... "rivers," or "lakes," or something... Those sound pretty chill.


She's gonna be disappointed as heck to see a river. Maybe not a lake, though are mermaids salt-water fish? This... is something I don't want to think about any longer. Let's go find someone else to speak with.




Youngun! Made it back in one piece, hah?

...

I was worried. Didn't think ye had it in ye. Kids like you don't go far in this world... Least, I thought so. Betcha seen some things now! Maybe yer crust as ol' Lou now! Heh. No... you definitely ain't.


Aww jeez Lou! You aren't as crusty as you keep saying you are.


I ain't one to leave the ship much. But the sky's puttin' on quite a show today. Ain't ever seen somethin like it... Ye gotta be grateful for life's miracles.


It's been somewhat hard to point out in screenshots, but there has been a constant rain of stars from the heavens during the entire epilogue. It really does look super cool and even a little bit inspiring.





Hey, it's Gabe! Remember him? He's the one who asked for where to go next in Mohabumi. We told him Tatango, and here he is!


Oh, wow! I travelled here on your recommendation. Remember? But I didn't expect I'd see you again! There's something special, about seeing a familiar face in a strange place. I've got to put that in my travel guide! I really enjoyed Tatango. Who knew pirates were so fun? It made me antsy to try a high seas adventure of my own... that's why I'm here now! I'll have a whole chapter of pirate adventures!


That's really cool Gabe! And uh, when you're done with your vacation, do you mind fixing steam? It's real bad, dude.





The purple-haired mermaid has nothing to say, but Penny sure does!


It's you! Business has been going well. While these bozos have been worrying about mermaids... I've been keeping our bean flow strong. Money isn't gonna make itself! I mean... I haven't been ALL business, but... mostly.


You can afford to not work so hard Penny! Sit back, relax and have some... coffee.


I care so much about this crew. I want them to have good lives, yknow? That's why I gotta be the one... to keep her eyes on the beans. I like my job, kept us going this long! It's so great to see you again. You've gotta have a coffee with the crew later! Or... oh. Right... you and coffee don't mix so well, do you? Well... I've heard of this new thing... called "Decaf"...

...

If you like terrible things...


This game has shown love for everyone, and everything... except if you like Decaf. Then you can get out of here with that poo poo.





Francisco out here trying to look all serious and scary in front of his new mermaid friend.


Why, if it isn't the silly one. Back for more, huh? Just kidding. The truth is... this whole crew's as silly as they come. I've been fooling myself denying the obvious truth. It's good to have you back. So... actually, I've been thinking about quitting coffee.

...

...Yeah. I don't sleep great on it, and it makes me feel anxious all the time. I haven't even had any today yet. The sky is exploding with glowing stars, so it hasn't been too hard to stay awake.


The sky exploding with stars? Why that sounds... silly! Francis was real cool, and low key my favorite of the pirates. But I'm a sucker for some droll person sneering as they join in the silliness.

With that... we've talked to everyone here! It's time to continue our journey onward.















I really wish we got to see what Queen Chaos got to look like. I've just no strong feelings on this one, just because the Chaos Fairy was the most boring fairy.



MUSIC: All Our Friends - Delphi





Gosh, Delphi is still so dang colorful. The town does seem to be back to normal, too!





It's Jeb! and his son... uh, the dude who ran the CrayRay.


You sang for the candy, it made me dandy... Remember that? It's the melody you wrote for my candy shop, skipper! I wrote some new lyrics in case I ever saw you again. It brought the kids into the shop like crazy! Just like I wanted! Thank you!


Is... is that a good thing? You kinda said that in a creepy way Jeb! Let's... talk to his son, and forget that conversation happened.


'Ey! You're the bozo who saved the Crazy Raven! Well, things are going better than ever! That band you started is back in town for a show! And my comedy act is on fire! Wanna hear one?




This... is a giant mistake. But sure, why not. Lay it on us.








SFX: Slidewhistle


You definitely already told me that one!

Oh... well, it's still funny.


No... that's... NOT how jokes work!! They don't get funnier the more you hear them!





It's the... lovely couple. How are you two lovebirds doin?


Oh, you!

The performer from the Crazy Raven, isn't it?

The one who got us together... cool seeing you again. It's been a real rollercoaster here. I think the world almost ended. I don't know if I would have managed... without Frederick to talk me through it. So, thanks.

It's true. And I don't know where I'd be without Sue... she's taught me so much. I'm trying to be less critical now.

...

You are a kind person... and I appreciate you. How did I do?


You... actually did good? Wow, good job Frederick! You two are still together, and both trying to change for the better. I can't believe there's a happy ending here for them.






The band is back in town!! We'll start with Ash, then make our way towards Viola, who's on the other side of Manny.


I can't believe Delphi is still here. When we left... it really seemed like it was over for this place. I'm glad...


How all the broken homes and destroyed scenery fixed itself is beyond me, but hey Eya works in mysterious ways.


I went and visited my mom's grave. I wish I could talk to her again... I've been around the world now, playing my accordion. Just like her. And I think I'm getting pretty good, too... I wish I could show her. I wonder what she would think of all of it. The world changed, somehow... didn't it? There was a time when everything was bleak, and it felt like all the spirits of the world were close. But it's not like that now. It feels more... stable, now. Peaceful, even. I don't feel the same fear I used to. But I do miss feeling her so close... well, I know she's still out there. I just hope I made her proud.


Oh, cmon Ash! Your mom came back from the dead just to tell you how much she loves you! Yes! She's proud of you!!


ACE!!! Who knew we'd find each other again in Delphi! We didn't think we'd ever be back here, and you neither! But a miracle's happened! Delphi's shining brighter than ever! And we're back from an adventure 'round the world! It feels like the spirit is BACK! We're gonna play some shows here they never forget! It looks like your journey's about over too, eh? You've got to sing with us again! Whaddaya say?!

Totally!!! But... not right now! I haven't been home in forever. I want to have some rest. But I promise I'll be back!

I'll hold you to that, ace! The whole band misses you like crazy!


I can't believe I'm so attached to these people we knew for like 20 minutes. But they genuinely do feel like they were around for the whole game, when they were anything but! Maybe I've just got an attachment to bands in games.


I couldn't stay outta Delphi for too long. She's my town! She gave me so much, growin' up. Maybe I've been all over the world now... but I wouldn'ta gone anywhere if not for her. I owe a lot to this place, and I'm gonna keep givin' back... cause I'm sure somebody out here needs my help, too!


I also can't believe just how sincere and genuine Manny is. The dude is dressed and sounds like a charlatan, and he's super chill! It's so hard to pick favorite side characters, but Manny has to be a top contender.

Finally, lady Viola.




Feels good to be back in Delphi! It's the same classless dump as before... but I've gone through a transformation! I played my heart out on the world stage. I've soared like an eagle! Being here reminds me of how far I've come. I have to thank you again... for bringing the band together. Manny's rough around the edges, but he gets gigs. And Ash is a downer, but their accordion sings like an angel. And then there's me... We make such a great team together. You'll sing with us again someday too, won't you?


Good to see you still have the inflated ego Viola. Or maybe self confidence. Eh, I'd lean towards ego, even if she is good as heck with a violin.


We're having a bit of a comeback tour here. Back in the Crazy Raven again... oh, it's so perfectly full circle! And after that, who knows! It feels like we could go anywhere now. I'm sure we will.


I think you guys could... you're dorky as hell, and I love you all for it. Despite Mitzi showing up in the corner, she's got nothing to say (for once...). So... let's talk to Miriam, and head back out on the trail.















:allears: :allears: :allears:

It's.... PERFECT. THE PERFECT OVERSEER.



MUSIC: All Our Friends - Saphy & Trolls





It's a short stop this time. The only ones here are Miriam's grandma, and the troll couple. How can we not start with Saphy first, she's super cool and what kickstarted this entire adventure.


Oh, it's so good to see you! Miriam's told me so much about you...

She did?

Oh my, yes! She cares about you so much. And you made her feel a kind of warmth she never had before. She might never tell you that... but it meant so much to hear that from her. She's such a lonely girl, you know? Thank you for being there for her.


The most wholesome of conversations. :unsmith:


I had no idea I'd ever see you two again. Of course, I hoped... but the situation was so hopeless! All I really wanted... was for Miriam to see the world, and make a friend... before she lost the chance to ever do those things. I'm so much more grateful for that... than I am the world being saved. I knew right when we met... that you were someone special. This world can be so dark. We need people with the courage to smile! And to look out for the lost and lonely... there are so many out there who need help, like Miriam. We all need a bit of love!


Gosh... there's just too much wholesomeness in this update. And now there's a plate of onions in front of me!! Who put this here?? :unsmith:

Now it's time for our troll-bros to get their moment to shine, one last time.




Oh! The human!

The OK human!

We've met some more OK humans. This witch kept us safe when the world fell apart! We're starting to think humans might just be OK.

Only just starting though. They might still be terrible.

I think they're OK. It's hard to forgive after what happened to us.

THAT human... was definitely terrible. With the scarf... and the lightning sword...

!

I think I know who you're talking about...

You KNOW that one?!

They're so bad!

Hmmm... humans aren't really like that! I promise. Or... definitely not ALL like that. Sometimes we can be real jerks. But there's good ones too! Please don't give up on us!


Bard... actually got a little bit less optimistic. Less naive as well, but... there was a part of his glimmer that did seem to die when Audrey tried to kill the world... for no reason other than her own ego. It's a little sad, though expected.

That's... it for this place. Let's tell Miriam we're ready to head out.






What?! You're leaving just like that, Miriam? After bringing your friend all this way? That simply won't do! Ask if they'd like to stay for dinner!



You wanna stay and have dinner with us?

That sounds nice!












This is so adorable. I think I love the fact that it looks like she's wearing an outfit that's too small for her :allears:






MUSIC: All Our Friends - Miriam










...

So... This is goodbye, huh?

Just for now! But we're gonna hang out all the time! Right?

I hope so...



I'm tired.

Me too.

We came a really long way together, didn't we?

Yeah.

Thanks... for saving the world with me!

Yeah...

...

Thanks... for...







Ok. ...Bye!!!






With Miriam gone... there is no one left to talk to, and nothing left for Bard. This adventure is over... and like all heroes... he deserves to get a good night sleep.








SFX: Bard Snore






MUSIC: All Our Friends - Wandersong







With the ending reached, we can now go back and access any major scene from the start of that scene. It's great for a replay, since you can just get to your favorite bits and skip the parts you don't care for as much. There's some issues with this, specifically that dialogue is saved in the map... so repeating a scene, even from start, may not trigger all the dialogue a fresh save will allow. For instance, I had to delete my save because Miriam's dialogue wasn't showing up in the beginning of the game on a completed save. Still, most people won't care about that, since most people aren't doing an LP :v:

This game genuinely reached out and touched me, and really reinforced a positive attitude in me. For the past few years, I've been a super negative and cynical person... and in a way, I still am. But I've tried to be more like Bard, long before I started playing this game. And when things like this come along, it can make it feel easier to try and smile, even when life can be utterly crushing and hopeless. I can only hope this LP introduced people to this game, who would have never heard of it, like I wouldn't have if not for a good friend. This game, as of writing, just came out, and is made by only a couple of people. Any support you throw their way, would surely be appreciated. With all that said, that's the end of Wandersong's story! And there remains no more secrets to be found! Nope! Not a one! That's the end folks! So long!



















































ultrafilter
Aug 23, 2007

It's okay if you have any questions.


really queer Christmas posted:

Woooo! Me and my girls are taking over this ship!!! No more hiding out on secret islands for us! We're adventurers now! It's pretty great.




In case you were wondering, this is her full name. It's a uh, mouthful. I'm gonna keep calling her Mel.

The mermaid's name is a genus of very colorful fish.

Hwurmp
May 20, 2005

Do you just run singing into everyone's heart?

really queer Christmas
Apr 22, 2014

Update 37 - The Light in the Darkness



SFX: Scene Select - Prologue





So, while the story for Wandersong is 100% over... there are a couple more things that need to be shown off before the bow is placed on top of this wanderful present. First off, here's our first look at the scene select screen! After beating the game, we can officially get access to this and go to the start of any major scene in the game. There's also a cheat code on the Wandersong website that let's you get access to be used in cases of bugs. I unlocked it for the purposes of the LP, in case I needed to redo scenes, though ended up only using it sparingly because it would sometimes cause dialogue to reset, which could create problems down the road.



SFX: Scene Select - Act 1





I'll go ahead and flip through a couple of these if to only show off the amazing voice overs done for this screen.



SFX: Scene Select - Act 2






SFX: Scene Select - Act 3






SFX: Scene Select - Intermission






SFX: Scene Select - Act 4






SFX: Scene Select - Act 5






SFX: Scene Select - Act 6






SFX: Scene Select - Act 7





The SPLOOSH of act 3 is my favorite. :allears:

Sadly, these clips don't have the rest of the VO on the scene. Act 3 has a voiceover of someone going "BOOTY, YARR!!!" in the background, and act 5 has them going twinkle twinkle for the stars. It's all super good.





Our mini-adventure today is going to require us to head back to Langtree... back to the beginning of the game.





Ah.... memories.



MUSIC: The Bard





So why are we here? Well... if you remember wayyyy back in update 2, I mentioned that there was nothing on the left side of Bard's house. And there wasn't...! At the time anyway. Once you beat the game though, something unlocks.





Bard's house is, for whatever reason, in a valley. So we need to grab this bird in order to get up to the ledge on the left side.







So what could be over here...?







The true villain of Wandersong... a freakin cat!!


Meow! You found a secret... but do you know the password?


The cat then has nothing more to say until we can correctly enter this so called password... so what is it? Well, we already got a hint of what that password is in the last update:





Here's the randomly generated password we received for beating the game. If you're following along at home, you're going to get a different password than I did, because this is uniquely generated per save file. That's a lot of effort gone into this password! But uh, here's the thing. Bard doesn't speak in symbols... he only sings. So how do we get past this? We... sing! Each symbol in the sky refers to a different color note we need to sing to this cat to unlock the game's final secret. So what's the cipher for this symbol to color secret? The easiest way is to look it up online, but it can be figured out on its own simple enough. The symbols are the same symbols we saw throughout the game as the element icons/Overseer icons. The colors for those symbols match up to the colors of those elements. For instance, wind is green, the triangle is red (for order), and the moon is blue. So using that knowledge, our special password is:

Yellow-Blue-Blue-Red-Turquoise-Orange-Red-Purple

Yellow for the star, blue for the moon, red for the triangle, turquoise for the water droplet, orange for the sun, and purple for the swirl. Simple enough, so what's the issue?





First off, this area finds it to be a great idea to saturate the color wheel to where some colors look similar to others. I ended up getting orange and yellow confused, as well as blue and turquoise. For reference, yellow is facing east and turquoise is facing south. Second of all, remember how many puzzles in this game were super lenient on timing? Guess what puzzle isn't lenient on that... that's right, this password! If the notes aren't sung close enough together it won't be counted. This really messed me up my first time because I did it right but did it too slow and didn't realize it since there's no feedback here. This is a completely optional secret that the devs wanted kept secret, so I can't get upset at them for me being bad :v:

Once the password is finally sung correctly...


Meow! You solved it...






Uh... is that it? Game... please don't tell me the reward is inside myself or something, this took like 10 minutes to finally get.























Whoa... ok this is a bit trippy. Where are we at?









Uh, wait... you don't look like Wandersong characters.


Oh hey! You're here :) My name's Gord. I did the music for Wandersong, Greg helped write a lot of the songs though! Em wrote one too :) The campfire one. I bet you liked it.


I loved it, in fact! Welcome to the dev room! It's a pretty small room, seeing as how there were only three devs. I've always enjoyed dev rooms, if only for devs to be able to just gush directly at me with no marketing speak, since I've already bought the game. Wandersong's though, I've got a particular love for.


I'm not gonna lie, this game was tough! As soon as I agreed to work on it I was like, "What have I done." But I knew I really wanted to work with Greg. And that anything he was gonna make was gonna be good. And I guess I must have been feeling like I wanted a challenge??? I don't actually remember. But I knew early on there was a pretty big chance I was gonna burn out, or screw up, or run out of music to write. This game has SO MUCH MUSIC, it scared the crap outta me. But hey you're here & I'm here! We made it!


They've each got a lot to say, so I'm going to break it out a bit so it's not all on one line.


2017 was a hard year for me, something I thought I KNEW was true my whole life, turned out not to be so true after all? The world has been so angry, and though I started on Wandersong before then, it suddenly became a whole lot more important to invert cynicism for once in my life. (I am cynical; I like cynical things). To contribute to something whose sole purpose is to make people happy. But not like, shallow happy, like a sitcom or whatever, REALLY happy; to shine a little light for people whose lives are feeling truly dark. (I'm feeling way better now by the way.)


While there is no music in this part, I feel it's pretty tragic for this game about music to not have any songs playing while talking to the people who made the game. Maybe they got sick of the songs :v:

Regardless, I'm just gonna slot some of my favorite songs from the game in case anyone wants to enjoy it too.



MUSIC: The Dream King


This is the biggest soundtrack I've ever done, it might be the biggest soundtrack ever??? It will probably be the biggest I'll ever do. It's like 4 and a half hours long?! The plan was to be really minimalist so we'd finish and I stuck to that plan until like halfway through Act 2, and then nothing was minimalist. I am super bad at minimalism.



MUSIC: Message from Mom


I recorded live performances on 24 different instruments in this game. I have no idea how many digital instruments are used.



A lot.

OH and you know that last big song at the end of the game? The one where everyone sings together? We got a choir for that. But not like a real choir, I just asked twitter who wanted to sing for us. 75 people sang for us! Some people had fancy mics, some people sang into their phones & laptops, some people sang beautifully, some people didn't, but everyone tried. And everyone cared. And that is what Wandersong's about. Everybody trying, everybody caring... and making something beautiful together. Even if it's not something you don't think you're good at. (And everyone that said "my voice is terrible" in the choir was flat out WRONG)



MUSIC: Sail into the Sunset




My wife & I found out we were having a baby. I don't know when you're reading this, we're currently due March 4, 2019, so we may or may not have had it yet. I really hope it goes OK!


D'awww! As of writing, it's early November so it's still too early but hopefully things go okay for their baby!

edit from the far flung future of March:

https://twitter.com/AShellinthePit/status/1102611597028192258


& hey you're here! & I'm here. We made it. We're just people that made this game. You can do cool stuff too, just try, and care. See ya!


This dev team truly did care and really did just want to spread happiness and joy to people. The whole game was teeming with passion and love, and even in its final moments, it just wants to send you away with a good and positive feeling. It's why I love this dev room, even if there's only three people here.

We've finished with Gord, let's speak to Em next.



MUSIC: Lay Down Your Tools




Yay! I'm Em. I did all the sound design in this game! Which means I recorded and edited voices, ambiences, footsteps... and a whole bunch of silliness. I'm really grateful to have had the chance to be a part of Wandersong. I think its really special. And I'm so happy to have helped add something so positive to the world. I'm also super grateful that you've taken the time to play it. I hope you've enjoyed listening!

We all put a lot of energy and love into how this game sounds. I think its a really important part of storytelling. And that it can add so much value to listen. So it means a lot to me to have been able to work with Greg, who really cared about it right from the start!

We had a lot of fun making it together. It feels crazy now to be letting it all go. All I hope, in the end, is that you've kept some of the feeling that we shook out of our hearts. I hope that it feels good. :h:


It affected me enough to devote hours upon hours to spreading the word about this game, so I have to think that I did keep that feeling!



MUSIC: The Bard and the Moon


Wandersong was the first game I worked on! Way back in 2016. it's what got me started in indie games. I've worked on a few since then, but this one has been my biggest constant. It's also the one closest to my heart. The themes that Greg explores really resonate with me, and I think they're super important ideas to spread right now. So it's been wonderful to contribute to that.



MUSIC: Give Peace a Chance


For me, it's pretty interesting to look back from the beginning... all the way to the end and hear how the sound changes. It was really easy to grow with this game, because we made each act a different theme sonically. There was a lot of experimentation!

Time for some fun facts: there are 5084 sounds. That's a lot for an indie game! Greg and I voiced most of the characters. Most of the sounds are recorded, so many of those sounds are my voice. A lot of the ambiences shift depending on where you are. There are so many silly details. So silly.

Well... Thanks for listening. :)


Em brings up something I never did mention, the sound shifting is really great in this game. Music will quiet as you get farther from a city, ambient noises will increase depending on where on the map you are, almost every character has some kind of "cry" for when they talk, the Overseers and fairies usually having my favorites. The game absolutely revels in the quality of its music, but its sound design is absolutely fantastic as well. It does such a good job of mixing with everything else that it's somewhat hard to notice because it feels so natural to be there. You did a wonderful job, Em!





There remains only one more person left to talk to...



MUSIC: Wandersong





The main developer and creator of the game... Greg Lobanov.


Hey, I'm Greg. I made this game!


Well... I guess my introduction was unnecessary...


It's really great to meet you! Did you really figure out how to get here yourself? Did you look it up on the internet? It's OK if you did.


I totally had to look it up. I certainly forgot about the leftward path at the start of the game and didn't figure out the color cipher because, as previously mentioned, I'm dumb.


Either way, I have a lot to say to you. I'm really touched that you came this far. From the bottom of my heart... I want to say THANK YOU! THANK YOU for playing!!! This game means a lot to me. I put a lot of love, thought and effort into it. And it's really special... to make something like that and share it with someone. I genuinely hope you enjoyed it


I know I've spent most of this LP gushing on this game, but uh, that's absolutely not stopping here. I still absolutely love this game, even after a full LP of it. And I've been a lot more genuine to this game, and actually tried my damnedest to not be as cynical, snarky, or even swear than I usually would. Few things can make me do that.


As I'm writing this, I have no idea... what will happen when the game comes out. I don't know how many people will ever play it... or if anyone will ever even find this message. But if there's even one person who cares about the game... that makes it worth it, to me. So, I guess it's not just "Thanks for playing"... but thanks for caring. I hope someday... you can make something too, and share it. It's so important to express yourself. And the world needs to hear your voice! You can do it. You are special! And you deserve love. I really believe that.


I found this dev area about a day or two after I beat the game, and ended up wondering what those symbols in the sky meant. I looked around online and found out about a secret in game, but nobody mentioned what the secret was. Finding out it was a dev room was a bit of a mixed reaction from me, as I was hoping for more of the game, as I think many people would. But getting to talk to the devs, and how absolutely positive they are, ended up planting the idea of LP'ing this game in my head. Which has now born fruit to this whole endeavor. Getting back here and reading Greg's same words make it hard to not tear up, and I can be grateful that I've been able to introduce this game to people. Especially to people who would have never heard about it otherwise.


You can hang out here as long as you want. If you keep chatting with me, I'm gonna talk about what it was like making the game. If that's interesting to you at all!


Greg's not kidding, he's still got a lot more to say. Turns out, he's been kinda passionate about this game! Who knew!


Before I started Wandersong, I lived on my bicycle for 5 months and rode across the USA. Along the way I met lots of people... and did something I didn't think I could! I was feeling really optimistic about life and humanity. And I wanted to make a game to express that... The first thing I made was the rainbow music wheel. Just that, floating in an empty void. I wanted to make a controller into a musical instrument, and make it feel as natural and fun as possible. When I saw it worked, more ideas started coming to me... then started pouring like a waterfall...

It took me a while to nail down the story. I had a plot in mind for a while, but it was missing something... Then I had an epiphany one day, and the idea of the Earthsong came to me. I remember crying a little bit when it did. That was the key to unlocking the shape of the story. My original plot idea became just Act 5, and the world of Wandersong started to take shape.

Act 1 came together within a few months. I've made countless changes to it since then... but it was basically the same as now. My friends played it and thought it had potential. What I needed was sounds, and music. I tried recording my voice to make all the sounds... and I wrote some songs too. But the game was asking for better than I could give it. Simply put, I realized the audio had to be amazing, which meant I needed money... so I put it on Kickstarter.

The response on Kickstarter was really wonderful. Everyone was so enthusiastic! The game quickly had more fan art than anything else I'd done. There were many musicians asking to work with me, it felt very special... Even so, I didn't know if I'd make it until the very end. And when I did... it felt like a miracle. Every step of the way, I felt like I was doing something a little too big for myself. And then just narrowly making it. It felt powerful...

I met Gordon through some friends. His music for Parkitect had a really good vibe... He really believed in Wandersong, despite the modest funds and huge idea. And he was local! So we could work closely together. After a long search I'd found my musician. Em was his first hiree, and Wandersong was her first game. She brought so much enthusiasm into the game... it bowled me over.

...

So we got to work.

We made the game almost perfectly sequentially, act by act. I would rush ahead, developing gameplay and writing scenes. Then Em would breathe life into the game with audio. Gord was busy at first with other commitments... but he did eventually catch up. It took almost 2 years to work to the ending of the game, and then more months of refining, polishing, and fixing.

I could talk forever about this. It took over my entire life, for 3 years... but I'm going to stop here for now. Thanks for listening. We went and added some commentary notes to scenes in the game. Look out for those if you want to learn more! And...



It really means so much to me. More than I can put into words.

...






With that, Greg is out of things to say... for now. As he mentioned, there are now commentary spots scattered throughout the game where you can go and get some more interesting tidbits on the game. Some of them are short and to the point like his bold explanation of why act 3 has pirates (HE REALLY LOVES PIRATES), some have long details about what inspired the scene and what themes he wanted to get across with acts. I've found them to be pretty interesting... and I did go back and add some of them into the LP commentary for some updates. But, if you want to know them all, I think you should pick up the game yourself. This game was a labor of love, and this LP was as well.

If you stuck around this long, I'm sure you enjoyed both. But if not, hey thanks for giving it a chance! I really hope everyone goes out and tries to be a little bit more positive in their lives, even though there are few things harder. The world needs hope, and it needs to smile more often. And I'm really glad that games like this, got to be made. Thank you for following along!!






(art from here)

really queer Christmas fucked around with this message at 06:03 on Mar 31, 2019

really queer Christmas
Apr 22, 2014

Happy 2019.

https://twitter.com/sleepycilantro/status/1079900185054986240

Rosemont
Nov 4, 2009
Thank you for the lp and introducing me to a game I never would've heard of otherwise!

ultrafilter
Aug 23, 2007

It's okay if you have any questions.


This was fun. It's also not a game I ever would've played myself, so thanks for showing it off.

Kitala
Sep 2, 2012

Not Some Opera Floozy

Thanks again. It’s been a great ride, and I appreciate you sharing the Dev room too.

Samovar
Jun 4, 2011

I'm 😤 not a 🦸🏻‍♂️hero...🧜🏻



Well, I just saw this after getting Wandersong for Xmas. While I'm sad that I didn't get the chance to join you guys, I am glad to enter this pretty much blind; your comments indicate it's a whale of a time.

Drufle
Dec 15, 2010
This was a great LP! A few things to note that I don't think were mentioned in the comments- the singing mechanic can be extended pretty far with some of the buttons. Every note you can sing can be pitched up or down slightly to hit flat or sharp notes, there is an at-will whisper button (which actually provides different notes than the forced whispering during the game!), and my favorite one- Bard can crouch! It's never necessary, but while crouching, all the notes he sings will actually be a lower octave, and he can hit some real low notes (you can even combine this lower singing with the whispering to make some notes that just sound like angry breathing). This game has a lot of intricacies that are hard to catch the first time around, and it's a lot of fun to find them.

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Mraagvpeine
Nov 4, 2014

I won this avatar on a technicality this thick.
Thank you for LPing this wonderful game. I'm looking forward to whatever game the makers do next.

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