Thank you to mofu_asb for the amazing artwork!

Happy 5 year anniversary to Clea! This is a celebration post for the game, and also for you, as your support has helped power so many dreams. Grab your favorite drink/snack and enjoy this read 😀!

Pre-Clea:

Before Clea’s development, my visual novels had been on a downturn as I lost money with every project. Anxious to recoup, I rushed out a 2D action game named Motherland. Well, rushed out might be inaccurate, because the game was never released.

Blinded by desperation, I failed to recognize how mediocre the game was until it was ready to come out. I finished my final playtest session and realized, “Wow, the game is terrible. Players deserve better than this.”

And so I pulled the cord. Thousands of dollars blown. Efforts wasted due to my poor insight.

Yes, the game was technically incompetent, but most important was the underlying issue. My heart fell in the wrong place as I focused on trying to prove something. When I made demands, the gaming universe punished me by taking everything away.

I took a step back and opted to walk the long road. There would be no more shortcuts taken.

Clea:

Clea was created as an opportunity for me to develop a custom engine on top of Unity. I would then use this to build the project of my dreams.



Since my previous projects had been financial failures, I kept my expectations for Clea low. My priority was on serving rather than taking. I’ll pour all of my love for games into this project. Whatever happens after that, I’ll have no regrets.

Within a month of launch, Clea outperformed every game I ever made combined. Clea became the first title where many people drew fanart and made cosplays. The game was even featured in an episode of a Japanese TV show called Say You to Yo Asobi. Clea also let me achieve my dream of releasing games on consoles. Really though, the one I should thank is you.

Clea’s journey surprised me, and once again I feel the reason transcends the technical. When I traded ego for gratitude, the gaming space offered without me asking for a thing.

Post-Clea:

In the years since Clea, my personal journey has also ventured into new frontiers. I work a day job while making progress on games everyday. Regularly on weekends, my game dev sessions are 12 hours long. It’s pretty much 2 full time jobs. Still, I’m not too busy to respect other creators’ works. I love playing games as much as I enjoy building them.

I make an effort to experience every arcade game I encounter. I reserve time to play and honor other indie games. On Thursday nights, I visit my hometown library to read gaming magazines. Through them, I can admire the histories of those who struggled before me. I draw strength from their stories. When I return to places where I had memorable gaming sessions, I can still sense that energy from decades past.

Yes, our next game has reached new levels when it comes to the technical aspects. More importantly, it’s crafted with a spirit I’d never understood until now. When you serve instead of demand, when you pick passion over attention, the gaming forces will look after you. That’s the theory I hope to test with this project. Please enjoy these early behind the scenes looks!






But of course, we still have concrete plans lined up over the next few years. A new and polished vertical slice is on the horizon! If interested, please join our Discord and/or newsletter:

Discord: https://discord.gg/Z2yP6fkqCr


Newsletter: https://www.invertmouse.com/


The vertical slice will likely be available privately in the above spaces.

Outro:

I created my first game as a kid in 1996 using a program called Klik & Play (thank you Dad for buying the software). By the time our next game releases, I’ll be over 40, and I will have developed games for more than 30 years. My heart is at ease because my dues are paid. I’ve made peace with the fact I’ll not be able to create games of this scope forever, and so I hope to savor every moment.

Thanks for reading!

Hi friends! It's been a while since I lasted posted here. Hope you've all been doing awesome ːflorinehappyː!

Those who are in our discord and newsletter already know this, but we've been doing daily on our new game for the past few years now (we started while working through those Clea 2 post launch updates). Our team just released a vertical slice last week in fact, just in time for Halloween season. Details can be found here: https://twitter.com/InvertMouse/status/1713308548749496390



Project X (placeholder name) will be the spiritual conclusion to the Clea series. There's still a multi-year development journey ahead, but I hope you'll support and enjoy what we've put together when that release day comes!



I also want to thank everyone here for making this possible. From opening day, one of the goals behind developing Clea was to put together a collection of custom scripts/libraries so that, after Clea's release, we can build upon it into something bigger. With Project X, that plan is clicking into place. To achieve this, we also need funding. Project X is our most expensive game to date, and it's thanks to the sales from Clea we're able to support this endeavour. You could say this is sort of our game. It's the community's game ːbibiːːyoyoː.



Project X's vertical slice dropped last week, and throughout the past 6-7 days, I've been working through everyone's feedback to improve the game. A version 2 of the vertical slice just got published a few hours ago actually. Here are the patch notes:



To finish up, a reminder if you'd like to join our discord or newsletter communities, the link to both can be found on our website: https://invertmouse.com/

Thank you and Happy Halloween! It's back to work for me, but I'll also make sure to enjoy this October with lots of horror content ːcleachaosː.

"In one thousand years I will return," vowed the last vessel.

And now, Evil has escaped.

The vertical slice of our next game is now in development. Please look forward to more as the months go by! If you join either of the below:

1) Our newsletter (https://invertmouse.com)
2) Our discord community (https://discord.gg/Z2yP6fkqCr)

You will be treated as VIP, meaning you will receive exclusive/early previews of details to come. We would love to have you join us!

We have also dropped a recruitment post to form the "Project X team" (Project X is of course a placeholder title):

https://twitter.com/InvertMouse/status/1535371120089567232

If you could help spread the word, that would be amazing. The stronger the team, the better the game will become!

Thank you and take care ːcleahappyː.

Hi there! Hope you have been doing good ːwhappyː. War Maiden Mode is now available on all platforms for Clea and Clea 2!

Clea has always been a skill focused title, and War Maiden Mode is the final test of mechanics as well as knowledge. I am so happy and proud to see players developing their skills, then not only conquering, but at times dominating every last available trial.

It has been too long since we last ran a fun community challenge, so let's have one with War Maiden Mode as the focus! Here is how it works:

1) Hop on our community discord: https://discord.gg/Z2yP6fkqCr

2) Check out the pinned message in the #challenges channel.

3) Read the instructions, then drop a reaction if/when you have completed the challenge. Please leave only one reaction per person ːexceliaː.

4) Once we hit our target, the community challenge is a success, and the reward will be dropped.
What is this reward? During Clea 2's development, we had a few gameplay related enemy sound files that ended up being unused. Though they never made it into the final product, there are some gems in here that deserve to be heard. Once the community challenge is complete, I will share these in a zip file on the same channel.

Thank you and have fun ːbibiː!

Hey bud ːcleahappyː! Hope you're doing good. The year is heading towards an end! Time sure flies when you're working daily.

Please note Clea 1 and 2 are now available in Italian (with Switch update incoming)! I hope through this, Clea and Florine's stories can reach more players, and we can continue to build our awesome community.
Speaking of which, I hope to drop monthly updates for our next project in our newsletter, and on our discord. It'll be quite a while until there's anything concrete or visual, so until then, these updates will be for the hardcore who needs to know every inch of progress. That way, when all's said and done, we have a full history to reflect upon and enjoy.

You can join our newsletter here: https://invertmouse.com/

And here's the discord invite: https://discord.gg/Z2yP6fkqCr

Many thanks ːcleasunniesː!

(Please note the above contains costumes from both Clea 1 and 2.)

Hey buddy! Hope you are doing good ːcleasunniesː.

As promised, the final, ultimate test of skills has arrived. War Maiden Mode is now available in both Clea 1 and 2. Please note I will be testing the console versions after this, so thank you for your patience, and you can expect the same patch to drop on those platforms soon.

In Clea 1, War Maiden Mode can be unlocked by completing the campaign with the best ending. In Clea 2, War Maiden Mode becomes available once you have conquered Clea's Quest with a silver or higher rank. Survive War Maiden Mode, and the War Gear will be yours. Let it be a proof of your dominance and mastery. The dress contain a cute little ability, which I will leave as a surprise ːexceliaː.

Alongside War Maiden Mode, I have applied a series of tweaks/improvements:

- When you are in an area afflicted with the noise curse, the background ambience will be replaced by chants (for clarity).
- The peek blocking corruption no longer denies you from looking through doors. This felt too unfair.
- Chaos Spiders will now flee, or at least fail to kill you, if they attack right as you are entering a door or closet.
- On Chaos+ difficulty, players will be able to sneak closely behind enemies without being unfairly killed.
- Chaos+ exclusive foes now have slightly different sounding footsteps so you can tell when there are multiple hunters in play.
- Revised the spawn times of some Chaos+ exclusive enemies to improve fairness.
- Minor graphical fixes to some costumes (the candle flames were too solid in a few).
- Fixed bug where on rare occasions, the player character flickers for a frame when a chapter is completed.
- Audio balancing for a lot of sound effects, many of which were too loud. There were also sound effects that would play twice in succession when they were not meant to.

Remember, the Gaia dress has also been added to Clea 1. Complete the campaign with one save or less, and the costume shall be yours. With this third update, there is no better time to re-visit both titles ːwhappyː.

What comes after this? There may well be more Clea related news. We always got work going on, and speaking of which, I should get back to it. Thank you and have fun ːbibiː!

P.S. The Clea 1 and 2 artbooks have been updated with the new costumes, along with artworks tied to the One Year Mission. Hope you like them!

Hey bud! Hope you are doing good ːyoyoː.

As mentioned last time, War Maiden Mode is about to drop. The new costumes had been ready for a while now, and War Maiden’s curses had also been programmed earlier for Clea’s Quest. This should have been the easiest update, yet it turned out to be a lot of work. Why is that?

You see, I had to test War Maiden Mode on every difficulty to ensure things did not go out of hand. At first? Things went completely off the rails. Dare I say the mode on Chaos+ was nigh unbeatable. I mean, not even chapter one.

A load of balancing took place, and at last, the mode is ready. Please let me be clear, though. This is still the final, ultimate test. It is by far the toughest challenge Clea players will face. I borderline advise against tackling this on Chaos+ difficulty. There will be deaths, and you will feel frustrated. But, if you are one of the rare few who do survive, I acknowledge you as a true Clea master.

To aid you on your journey, I have compiled some tips in this article. Good luck and have fun. While the mode has been balanced to ensure luck is not needed, it certainly would not hurt.

Now, on with the guide (please note all the screenshots are from Clea 1).

Candle usage:



I have seen many players in streams hoarding candles. The sentiment is understandable. After all, I too can be a hoarder when I game.

Alas, this is not the time to be saving up. When you feel pressured, it may be time to light that candle. You will be hunted endlessly, so get used to it. Originally, some candles were set to be hidden on Chaos+. I have opted to re-enable them in the next patch, because you will need every last one. This is the tier of madness we speak off.

At the highest skill level, candles can be used to manipulate enemy positions. Each time an enemy flees, they will run to a different area. Let’s say you use a candle, and your hunter runs to the left room, but you would rather he headed right. Well, remember how a candle stays on until you leave the area? You can always run around on the spot, lure the enemy back in, then see if they go right this time. Remember to be patient, and also, please note some foes are coded to roam within specific areas. If you cannot seem to persuade an enemy to run into a certain room, that could be why.

As you may know, unless you are on Light difficulty, or you have ticked infinite saves, each save is going to cost you a candle. It is not in my place to tell you how to play, but in War Maiden Mode on Chaos+, let’s just say there is no shame in playing with infinite saves. On the off chance you actually clear the campaign on Chaos+ with limited saves, you are officially more skilled than the game’s creator.

Chaos management:



War Maiden has a curse that will cause your chaos level to rise, as indicated by the scars on your character. Normally, it would be best to use a potion to heal up right away. In War Maiden Mode, you may wish to hold off. After all, if you have to venture back into the same room, you receive the curse again. Or, perhaps the next room you visit will have that curse instead. Still, no sense in holding out forever, so spend wisely.

What do the scars actually do? In Clea 1, Clea’s chaotic face will at times appear. In Clea 2, War Maiden may appear to stalk (but never kill) you. The effect is the same in both cases. When the curse triggers, enemies within the area will be alerted. Not exactly ideal when you are knee deep in War Maiden Mode.

Still, remember the curse timer resets each time you enter a room. This has two implications:

1. You can exit an area, then go back in, to reset the timer.
2. If you have already been in an area for a while, and you dread a curse may be coming, you may prefer to hide in a closet and wait for it to pass first.

Enemy control:



In War Maiden Mode, it is not enough to only know a foe has entered the adjacent area. Through audio cues, players must develop a telepathic sense of each enemy’s precise location. This guy is on the bottom floor, and that one is in the middle room. Okay, that means I have 10 seconds to go in here, grab this, and run out. This is the skill level we have now reached.

Also remember, there is no need to wait for an enemy to go a certain way. If they disobey, make them head where you want. Run to produce noise and attract your hunters. Use those sound makers (like the bathrooms). Employ balanced aggression.

Map knowledge:



Before you think about tackling War Maiden Mode, you may be wise to learn those maps back to front. In Clea 1, know the Whitlock Mansion like your own house. In Clea 2, every realm must become your second home. Each time you travel to another area, there is a chance a new curse will be afflicted. So, think twice before you enter a room. Maybe this area has items you can do without, or nothing at all. Tread with care.

Speaking of map control and movement, no sense in hiding the trick now. Yes, I am talking about the door swap move (the Logsync Swap) where you switch rooms at the same time as your hunter to evade them. For the sake of immersion, I advise against using this trick (unless you are speed running). Even War Maiden Mode has been designed to be beatable without this exploit. That said, War Maiden Mode on Chaos+? If you resort to this trick a time or two, no one will judge.

Final words:



To finish up, please let me reiterate. Yes, I have tested War Maiden Mode on Chaos+ to ensure it is beatable. Still, think twice before going in, because it will be hell and beyond. You know about the Master Levels in Doom Eternal? Recently, I had to train for about a month, running the map Taras Nabad over and over, before I was able to beat it on Ultra Nightmare. This is the level of dedication required to keep War Maiden at bay.

Hm? War Maiden Mode on Chaos+ with invisible foes? Okay, let’s not get too crazy.

See you soon, pal. War Maiden Mode is coming ːwhappyː.

(The above screenshot is taken from Clea 1.)

Hello friend! You doing good ːsasaː? The third and final update of our One Year Mission is just about ready for release, so today, I want to drop a little preview.

The final update will consist of a new challenge named War Maiden Mode. Guess what? The mode will be available in both Clea 1 and 2! How is it obtained? In Clea 1, War Maiden Mode unlocks after you earn the best ending in the campaign. In Clea 2, complete Clea’s Quest with a platinum score, then War Maiden Mode will become available.

In War Maiden Mode, players are tasked with surviving the campaign, but with a twist. Each time you enter a new room, there is a chance that somewhere in the area, War Maiden has inflicted a new curse. These afflictions work in the same way as the ones in Clea’s Quest. The longer you loiter, the deadlier the space around you becomes. In an act of mercy, the curses do reset each time you complete a chapter.

By the way, outside of Chaos+, every enemy will receive a speed boost ːcleachaosː. I have been testing this mode a ton over the past weeks, and I can say this will be the greatest trial of all. Much harder than Chaos+, even with invisible foes. Outside of breaking the game, this is the final test. If you wish to prove once and for all you are a Clea master, your chance will soon come.

Of course, players will be rewarded for their efforts. By surviving War Maiden Mode, you will receive a mighty costume known as War Gear. Here it is for Clea 1:



And Clea 2:



The dress does have a cute little ability, which I will leave as a surprise.

Since Clea 1 will receive the same update, I took this opportunity to also add the Gaia costume:



Just like with Clea 2, players can earn this dress by completing the campaign with one save or less.

Now, when is this third update going to land? It should arrive on Steam on September 13th-14th. Straight after, I will run some final tests on the console versions (and also give it around a week for the update to be tested by PC players). I will then submit the patches, and soon enough, players on all platforms will be able to experience this ultimate test of skills.

Thanks and take care ːyoyoː!

Heyo! Hope you are well ːbibiː.

A few weeks ago, I saw some lore discussions on our discord while I was on my exercise bike. Since I was stuck in one spot, we held an on the fly lore Q&A, and we had a great time. I got healthier, too, since I lost track of time and rode my bike for longer than usual ːclealolː.

Clea and Clea 2 provide a glimpse into the history of mana, the conflict between arcane and chaos etc. These two games let us peek inside the world, yet there is a universe waiting to be unleashed. Whatever questions players may have, let’s get them answered!

Discord link: https://discord.gg/Z2yP6fkqCr

Time: May 7th 5pm (ET)

Guide:

Please drop questions into the lore-q-and-a-2-questions channel. Multiples are okay, but ideally one at a time, plus nice and snappy. Questions can be posted on the day, or any time before that. I imagine most will be questions related to Clea's world, but feel free to ask about our other titles, too. Hope you can be there live!

On the day, let’s hang out on the lore-q-and-a-2 channel. I will answer questions live there. Let’s huddle up and have a fun time!

Meanwhile, Clea 2: One Year Mission has been progressing daily. I want to get way more done before I drop promo articles, so please stay tuned. There are other game dev related happenings, too. A busy life, and I would not have it any other way.

Thanks bud ːvintysmileː!

Hey buddy. Hope you are doing good ːcleasunniesː! I am always happy to find fanart of Clea on Instagram and the like. Found a few that I got the okay to share, so enjoy!



Artist: suelendeziderio
Instagram: suelendeziderio
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/suelendeziderio



Artist: mad_artist_mario
Instagram: mad_artist_mario



Artist: ASKL246

Interesting parody ːclealolː. Ah, also, we are about to announce what post launch plans we got for Clea 2. Please keep an eye out, because it will be an exciting few months ahead:

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1257860/view/3086629758332834244

Many thanks!