June 22 Update
Added 2025-06-22 17:00:09 +0000 UTCWhew, the postgame is out. There was only one serious bug and I've already put out a cleanup build, so I hope everyone will forgive me for waxing sentimental.
I've finished a lot of stories before, across games and novels, but this is the first time I've finished something that's a saga in length. TLS is the equivalent of multiple large novels in text alone, and it's even longer when you consider gameplay; gameplay times vary, but it's probably the equivalent of several RPGs combined. This is obviously a huge chunk of story, which has its own limitations and affordances, just as short stories differ from novels.
So it's been gratifying to see that people have enjoyed what I've been building to, both over the previous concluding segments and now finally the postgame! Obviously I receive satisfaction from the creation process itself, but so much of that process is predicated on the idea of communicating the story other people, so it's amazing to have players care about my work and actually appreciate it the way I had hoped.
That has generally felt far from guaranteed; this is a select audience that's more positive about my work, but I often feel alienated from many of the creative industries. Without wandering into the larger topics of creative intuitions, there are some fundamental divides that have left me uncertain what kind of place there is for my work. Well, somehow I've found this: I have a career and I intend to make it a permanent one. In any case, I just want to say I feel so fortunate to have found an audience who appreciates my work. ^-^
And in return, I want to give you my best. That starts with a lot of polishing, because though many have given feedback, on my own I've noticed a lot more little things that I feel aren't up to standard. I also intend to add some more substantial additions, changes that I either didn't think to include or didn't have the energy to tackle. These I intend to catalogue in greater detail in the change logs as we move through more iterations.
After that, of course, I have many other grand ambitions. But one step at a time, since that's what's brought us this far. ^-^
Comments
Congratulations on another massive milestone completed! TLS is an incredibly impressive project to finish in a lifetime. In addition to the sheer length, the responsiveness to player choice adds a truly staggering amount of extra writing and balancing. The fact that this project is just one of many for you is simultaneously shocking and all too reasonable. I occasionally can't help but think that you're secretly 6 creators stacked on top of each other in a trenchcoat, but the consistency with which your distinct voice comes through your work makes that explanation wholly unsatisfactory. You're one of the great artists of our age, and we're incredibly lucky to have you. I know the project isn't technically finished yet, but implementing the major scenes, writing, and design for the postgame feels like a more climactic time to gush about the magnitude of your achievement than after you've spent several months tinkering and finally finish some minor thing that bothered you and realize it's the last thing you can justify fiddling with before calling it done. That said, why not both? It hits differently for both milestones.
Ark Tolei
2025-06-27 06:35:34 +0000 UTCI know not everyone will comment all the time, but it's always nice when lurkers chime in. ^-^ Glad you enjoy my work, and hope you look forward to everything to come! It's up to you which of those options you choose. There's still time to offer feedback if you want, as tomorrow's release will not be the final postgame either. Of course, I'll continue working on the game in general so that the final release is as satisfying as I can make it.
Sierra Lee
2025-06-26 16:40:19 +0000 UTCBeen a lurker on the Patreon for TLS for a while now, and following the game itself for longer, but I feel it's appropriate to give some comment now that the game can be said in some sense to be "complete". Congratulations, first off, since it's obviously been a massive undertaking over the past many years. I can't wait to play through the postgame, though I'm torn on if I want to play through the "final" steam release version, or if I want to play the current .80 release and give feedback for the last time where that's possible here. Can't wait to see what you do down the line, especially with that spiritual successor you posted notes on a while back. I imagine that it'll be just as quality as TLS has become over the years.
Bant3rlad
2025-06-26 16:06:41 +0000 UTC
