#8 A Month of Work — Play It Right Now
Hello! This is the eighth entry in Team Belladona's development log.
This week, we finally have a playable build. We're sharing a limited preview of what we've built over the past month. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes to complete, and it runs on PC, Mac, and Web — no installation needed. Give it a try, and if you have a moment to fill out the survey afterward, your feedback will directly shape the next chapter.
Password: belladona
This week was a whirlwind of final build prep, setting up the itch.io page, rapid iteration from playtester feedback, and submitting to several contests. The survey responses we've already received will feed directly into the next phase of development.
Hyoni: The Main Title, and the Bosses Take Shape
This week was a series of finishing tasks leading up to the build.
The first priority was completing the main menu title screen — the first thing players see, so it had to feel right. I went through several rounds of adjustments to make sure the atmosphere, button layout, and overall tone matched the game's world. Once the base was done, I added a button linking to the team account and a survey button. In the WebGL build, both open in a new tab.
I also worked on the initial concept designs for all the bosses. The goal was to pin down the direction and feel for each one. In the middle of that, Panthera and I got into a longer conversation about the final boss. After sharing the draft, we both felt that the final boss — of all characters — deserved to be someone genuinely compelling. So I changed the design and direction entirely. The specifics aren't ready to share yet, but something really interesting came out of that conversation, and I'm quietly excited about where it's heading.
For the contests, we decided to go with a design document submission rather than submitting the build directly. Writing out the game's vision and intent was harder than expected, but it ended up being a useful exercise — it forced us to articulate, clearly, what we're actually trying to make. I also put together a short promotional video for X, cutting together battle scenes and curtain effects. It's my first time making something like this, but I'm happy with how it turned out.
Panthera: The Build Is Out
I set up the ending — Anne disappearing after the puzzle section — and pushed the build. Sent it to some friends first for initial feedback, then quickly got the itch.io page up with password access. Hyoni handled distribution through her X account; I went through developer communities.
I also wrote up the game descriptions, production background, and episode summaries for the various contest submissions. Balancing-related feedback from the survey has been patched in as it comes. There's something valuable about feedback from people playing it for the first time — they catch things that become invisible when you've been staring at it for weeks.
One major milestone is done. Now we're working toward the Steam page. Hyoni and I are figuring out which screenshots and images to use, and we'll have it up as soon as we can. Next week will likely be heavier on planning — filling in the design work that got pushed back while we were heads-down on the core systems and assets.
Closing
Two people, less than a month. And here we are with something you can actually play. The build existing at all feels like proof of everything that's gone into it. We're genuinely looking forward to hearing what you think — every response in the survey goes straight into shaping what comes next. Play it, leave us your thoughts, and help us build the next chapter.
We hope you'll look forward to the next devlog. 😊
— Team Belladona, Hyoni & Panthera