#2 Team Belladona: A New Beginning
Hello! This is the second entry in Team Belladona's development log.
In Chapter 1, we talked about assembling the team, building a prototype, and getting all sorts of things off the ground. This time, we have a more candid story to share — because our team structure has changed.
In indie game development, teams shifting and reshaping isn't unusual. People have their own circumstances, schedules don't always align, and sometimes directions diverge. We went through that process too, and on the other side of it, we found a leaner, stronger shape.
Restructured, and Running as Two
Our team composition has changed. With various circumstances overlapping, we've reorganized — and now it's just Hyoni and Panthera, the two of us, building Elsewhere together.
We'd be lying if we said there were no worries. Fewer people means more on each plate, no question. But when we actually sat down and talked it through, it felt like we could move faster this way. Shorter decision-making loops, immediate feedback on each other's work, no lag between idea and action.
Hyoni leads on art and design, Panthera leads on development and design — each of us driving our own lane — and whenever planning calls for it, we pull together quickly and hash things out. Lean and fast.
And we set ourselves a goal: a first playable build by early May. The moment that date went on the calendar, the clock started ticking. Having a concrete deadline instead of a vague "someday" changes how every single day feels.
Hyoni: Villains Need Their Own Logic
This period, I spent a lot of time getting the characters sorted out.
You might remember the boss characters from Chapter 1 — Roger, Encore, Haido, and Buki. It wouldn't be much of a story if they were just obstacles to knock down. For the narrative to breathe, each of them needs a reason to clash with Anne, a logic behind their conflict. I want them to feel like characters with their own worldview and conviction, not just placeholders in Anne's path.
So this time, I worked on character introduction pages — drawing each one while fleshing out their personalities. There's something that happens when you're drawing a character: their story starts to show itself. That moment is genuinely exciting.
The one I put the most work into this round was the King of Elsewhere — the figure at the center of everything in this game. Panthera and I talked it through at length, and the ruler's personality that emerged feels just right. Not simply "a bad king," but someone whose choices carry an internal logic, a reason. The picture of how Elsewhere's darkness radiates outward from this character is slowly coming into focus.
The characters and their traits aren't fully matched up yet, but the direction is clear. How will Anne face all of this? Honestly, I'm curious too. 😁
Panthera: From a Solo Project to a Team
I had originally been working on a project on my own. Then came the opportunity to join Team Belladona.
The reason was simple: seeing what Hyoni had been building, I was convinced that together we'd generate far more than the sum of our parts. Art and development each running hard in their own lane, merging fast when needed — that's the structure I'd been looking for. Working solo means carrying everything yourself. This felt like something that could go further.
The first thing I worked on after joining was attaching Ork Framework 3 to the assets Hyoni had already created. It's a Unity-based RPG framework — a tool that lets you handle the structural side of things like combat systems and character behavior flows.
I started connecting it piece by piece: how Anne's sprite (built in Spine by Hyoni) actually moves on screen, how the flow of a battle takes shape. Watching a character that had only existed as art begin to walk across the screen was a genuinely strange feeling — in the best way.
When planning decisions need to be made, Hyoni and I pull together quickly, throw out ideas, and land on something fast. Everything is still fluid at this early stage, but that fluidity feels freeing rather than chaotic.
Closing
Now that we have a build date locked in, time moves differently. There's a lot ahead for just two people — but somehow that's what keeps us focused. The characters are getting their stories, the code is getting attached, and Anne's footsteps are slowly beginning to cross the screen. The world of Elsewhere is growing, bit by bit, but unmistakably.
We hope you'll look forward to the next devlog. We certainly are. 😊
— Team Belladona, Hyoni & Panthera