Tea

There’s been a strong urge in me for a very long time to share more about the current status of MS2b. Maybe even too much. Hare-san often reins me in and reminds me to say less. And she’s right. It is for the better, really, because the deeper I get into MS2b, the more I’m convinced that you should go into this game knowing as little as possible.

So what can we show?

This is a very story-heavy game. I’m pretty sure I’ve said this before but anything we reveal runs the risk of being a spoiler. That’s why we’ve mostly limited ourselves to showing set pieces and things that are obvious from the get-go — like maps, environments, and some of the characters you’d expect to see.

Okay, so maybe an update on progress then? Like a percentage or something?

We were able to release a demo near the latter end of last year, so it might seem like we should be close, right? I’ve been thinking about this a lot… and honestly, it’s really hard to quantify. There are just too many interconnected parts that rely on one another before they can be considered truly “finished.” (And even then, there’s a whole debate on what finished even means — but I’ll spare you that for now).

That said, here’s a snapshot of where I can sorta get a pulse:

• Most of the character models are complete. If all goes well, we won’t need to make any new ones (unless a new character shows up at the last minute). I’d say we’re at about 80%.

• Map design is mostly done. This one’s also around 70~80%.

• R&D for effects is basically complete — like, 100% if you count it from a “we could technically ship without them” perspective (it’ll just look janky in some parts). But if we’re talking about having everything we want, we’re more like 60%.

• There was one large, complex map that needed a lot of attention — but that’s now under control. Overall progress there is around 50%, assuming no last-minute changes.

So that averages to about... what? 67.5% on the low end…? But do you see what I mean? This number doesn’t really mean much. 32.5% of progress left doesn’t always require 32.5% of time or effort to complete. Some parts are super quick. Some parts are deceptively monstrous.

And then there’s the elephant in the room: the script.

The critical piece that’s still been in flux, the one that should never have been left in limbo for this long, was (and in some ways still is) the script. I should’ve seen this coming, but my attention’s been pulled in so many directions. I recently uncovered some really important issues: plot holes, structural pacing problems, and thematic threads that needed to be tied up before we could move forward.

And I just... cannot ignore them.

Maybe these are things I could sweep under the rug. Hey, maybe most of you wouldn’t even notice?

But I noticed.

The team noticed.

And it eats away at my soul.

I don’t even want to think about how much hair I’ve lost over the past few weeks. So many things could’ve gone off the rails depending on how I chose to fix these story issues. But I think, I think, I’ve addressed most of it with the least amount of harm. There’s still a bunch of rewriting to do… but so be it.

I want this story to be the best thing you’ll read this year. Maybe even this decade.

There’s still a nervous voice inside me… but after wrestling with this story for so goddamn long, something unexpected happened. You’d think it would wear me down, make me lose faith, but it’s been the exact opposite.

I genuinely believe this story will be not just worthy of your time but worth the long-ass wait you’ve had to endure. And more than that… I think it’ll get you excited about what comes next. I have never written anything this complex and full of emotion.

I think MS2b is coming out really, really freaking cool.

And for the first time in a while I can give you some sort of a date — because this part is solely on me.

June 15.

That’s the deadline I’ve set for myself to finish off the script.

Once that’s done, everything else should fall into place relatively quickly, and you should start seeing more visual updates not long after. Maybe even a final release date soon after since the story dictates the hard denominator of work thats left. We’ll keep you updated.

Now, you might wonder — what’s even the point of this date? Or this article even?

I get it. From the outside, there’s no immediate, practical benefit.

But I wanted to give you something. Something tangible... some sort of signal of where we are. Because I hope it’s better than keeping you in the dark.

To show that we haven’t given up or disappeared.

We haven’t stopped!

Arms are being flailed, like the Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tubeman.

Oils have been burning throughout midnight.

It’s fun though. I wouldn't have it anyway else.

As usual, thank you for your continued support and understanding.

Okay... time to sleep.

– Munisix