I have hired my first map builder to help out, Ade, because of Ade the release will have a fully flushed out control room.

Beyond this, I have added several new things myself:

• A new pump system which will be finished at some point after release
  
• New button and switch models to replace the old blocky placeholders
  
• Basic xenon simulation
  
• New alarm sounds

Unfortunately, since I now have someone else working on the project with me, and because I will be hiring more developers in the future in order to rewrite several older parts of the game, plus getting out updates quicker, I have decided to make the game paid on day one. To make up for this, I will be giving away 30 free keys on launch day in my Discord server, along with this, I'm going to be making the game 40% off for the first week after launch.

Thank you all for sticking around with me for the past 2 years as I've developed this game, it's really been an awesome experience and I hope that you enjoy the game!

Although there is no new content yet, I did add some Quality of Life additions. Some of them being:

• Right Click now closes apps
  
• You can now close apps by clicking on its icon again, when this is possible its icon will be visibly highlighted.
  
• You can scroll in Grammer, Tweeter & Diary using WASD, the arrow keys and the Mouse Scroll Wheel.
  
• Audio Sliders for volume control.
  
• Quick access to the Cursed Diary from the Unlocked Prohibited folder.

I will be making another announcement / life update post here on Steam & in my Discord server soon, probably by the end of this week.

That's all! Thank you for your support!

Hey friends,

Papetura got lucky and is part of the IGF Celebration Days event on Steam, along with other great games.
It's a digital showcase celebrating award-winning indie games, the Independent Games Festival, and the players who love indie games.

The event is hosted on Steam and will between July 11 and 20. Check it out here:

https://store.steampowered.com/sale/IGF_CelebrationDays

At the same time, I want to show you Pirofauna, a adventure exploration game about a small Flame, in a world where setting things on fire is very friendly! The game is created, as usual, in my style - only from real paper, and the music is created by Tomas Dvorak!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2984150/Pirofauna

(Please Wishlist <3)

All The best,
Tomasz Ostafin

Welcome Home Game Update:
Bug Fixes:

Fixed issue where players were getting stuck in walls in certain levels.
Resolved the audio glitch causing distorted sounds during cutscenes.
Fixed the lighting inconsistency in the third level that affected visibility.
Resolved the save game error that was causing progress loss for some players.
New Features:

Added a new hidden level accessible through a secret passage in the main hub level select area.
Enhanced the AI behavior for Enemy's to provide more realistic interactions. for the two areas.

Linux Build:
We are excited to announce the release of the new Linux build for "Welcome Home"! Linux users can now enjoy the game on their preferred platform.
The Linux build includes all the latest bug fixes and features available in the game, ensuring a smooth and immersive gaming experience for Linux players.
Experience the updated version of "Welcome Home" with improved gameplay, exciting new features, and support for Linux users. Get ready to dive back into the mysterious world of the game and uncover its secrets like never before!

This update fixes various bugs and improves the game overall.

- Fixed miscellaneous bugs
- Improved Animation for Dash-Down / High-Jump
- Added small details to Cacti Caverns
- Tweaked several hit-boxes to improve gameplay experience
- Improved the tutorialization text
- Improved some of the game's Spanish localization

The race to the top of the season 1 leaderboard has begun! The transition from early access to full release was smooth and without a single issue! Much thanks to our player base and our development team for helping make this journey a complete success! Check out some of the features that were completed throughout early access:

• Talent trees which allow heroes to specialize their skills!
  
• Three new difficulty levels!
  
• Increased the level maximum from 50 to 99!
  
• More than 600 new unique items to discover!
  
• Mail system for sending gold and items to other heroes!
  
• Match-making system for easy party formation!
  
• Upgraded quantity and quality of the available avatars!
  
• Hardcore mode which makes death permanent!
  
• Widescreen support!
  
• Numerous balance, optimization, and quality-of-life improvements!

Thanks to the continued success of the game, we plan to continue making updates to make Nevergrind Online the best multiplayer dungeon crawl blobber on Steam! Major systems we would like to add include an auction house, a mercenary system, and a crafting system!

In Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus, players journey through a hand-illustrated dream populated by tea-sipping yokai, fire-breathing Daruma dolls, and monstrous guardians of the sea—a vibrant melange of Japanese folklore and original ideas born from the imagination of Squid Shock Studios and creative director Chris Stair.

Chris’s vision: weave a tapestry of folklore and inspiration that feels both timeless and new, and draw fans of metroidvania-style action-platformers into a realm they’ll love getting lost in. As Bō's release July 17 draws near, let's take a look at creative process of bringing this world to life, delving deeper into four key characters from the game and the folktales that inspired them.

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The world of Bō is populated by a wide variety of yokai, a word that encompasses a broad range of supernatural entities and spirits in the traditional stories of Japan. The game’s title character and player protagonist is one such yokai, but not one that people will find in any stories.

“I wanted to introduce players to something familiar yet entirely new,” says Chris, “which led us to create an original kind of yokai—the ‘Tentaihana’ or ‘Celestial Blossoms.’” These sprite-like beings emerge from flowers, brought to life by the tears of divine kami, and often awaken in places touched by tragedy or sorrow.

The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (Late 17th Century), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

“The legends of Princess Kaguya and Momotaro in particular provided a thematic foundation,” says Chris, referring respectively to the tale of a girl who sprouted from a bamboo shoot (and the subject of a 2013 Studio Ghibli film) and a boy who discovered living inside a giant peach. “Another inspiration, this one originating in China, is Sun Wukong the Monkey King from Journey to the West, whose magical staff inspired Bō's weapon—a shapeshifting earring that transforms into a Bo staff, a gift from the kami.”

“Each Tentaihana has two innate affinities,” says Chris. “One related to the flower from which it blossoms and another to the local fauna, influencing their appearance and abilities.” Bō’s animal affinity is that of a fox. “If I’m being honest with myself, I made that decision only because the ears looked really cute,” says Chris. But ultimately, this initially aesthetic choice informed the narrative, and the fox's cunning and mystical qualities became a part of Bō's character.

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In traditional Japanese stories, the Yogen no Tori, or "prophetic bird," traditionally serves as an omen foretelling future events. “This concept perfectly aligned with what I envisioned for a tutorial character, but I wanted to twist it and make it our own,” says Chris, “So Tori was born, not just as a guide, but as a character with depth, humor, and a touch of mystery.”

In Bō, Tori is a two-headed bird who acts as a tu-tori-al (a play on words too good to pass up), offering advice in a way designed to feel less like instructions and more like part of the adventure. “The black head, named To, is a conduit for sporadic and prophetic visions,” says Chris. “He breaks the fourth wall, offering players hints and nudges in a playful, cryptic manner. Ri, the white head, is dignified and composed, providing a calm and level-headed counterpoint to To's antics.”

For Chris, this duality embodies the contrasting aspects of guidance: “the intuitive, sometimes vague nudge towards discovery, and the clear, straightforward advice we often seek.”

---

When developing Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus, Chris stumbled upon a captivating 19th century story that would leave a mark upon the game: the tale the Utsuro-bune (loosely translated, “hollow ship”).

“In the story, a mysterious woman arrives on the coast of Japan in 1803 inside an object resembling a flying saucer, completely alien to the villagers who find her,” says Chris. “Her vessel contains texts in an undecipherable language, suggesting a connection to something beyond our world.”

Utsuro-bune illustration from Ume-no-chiri; Nagahashi Matajirou; 1844

The woman at the heart of the Utsuro-bune story served as inspiration for an in-game character called the Vermillion Stranger, whom Bō meets for the first time fairly early in his journey. Early encounters with the Vermillion Stranger are ponderous, as she speaks in a language unfamiliar to Bō, and offers players no obvious bane or boon.

“As the game progresses,” says Chris, “players might notice a subtle evolution in her dialogue. It becomes increasingly complex and grammatically refined, reflecting the growing understanding and connection between her and Bō.” As for her exact role in Bō journey: that’s for players to discover themselves.

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“There’s this part of Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus that’s really close to my heart: the story of Rozu the rabbit Tentaihana and the Usagi Clan.”

Usagi is the Japanese word for rabbit, and “there's this idea in Japanese folklore that rabbits live on the moon, making mochi or medicine, depending on the story,” says Chris. “I thought about Tsukuyomi, the moon god, and how cool it would be if the Usagi Clan in Bō were born from the moon's influence—living secluded, simple lives away from the chaos of the world.”

Rabbit in the Moon; 17th century; Smithsonian Design Museum

But that peaceful existence doesn’t last forever, as a tragedy strikes that sparks the story of Bō and serves as one of the key mysteries for players to discover.

“Rozu is meant to be this figure of hope amidst the turmoil,” says Chris, “and her quest ‘Rozu’s Requiem’ serves as a backdrop of the main game.”

---

There are similar stories behind the fearsome Jorogumo, inspired by a legendary spider yokai; mighty Hashihime, who guards the sea-spanning bridge that Bō must traverse; and many more of the eccentric creatures that Bō encounters—but those are tales for another day.

“In the end, Bō’s journey is a reflection of our own creative process,” says Chris. “Exploring new territories, embracing the unexpected, and finding beauty in the blend of different cultural narratives. It's been a rewarding challenge, and I hope players will feel the depth and care we've poured into this world.”

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1614440/B_Path_of_the_Teal_Lotus/

Greetings commanders!

As many of you know, the Starcom follow-up title "Unknown Space" has been in Early Access for the past 18 months. Neither a direct sequel nor a reboot, the game gives players a chance to explore a new universe, filled with new enemies and allies, discoveries and mysteries (and maybe some connections to the Nexus storyline...). It is now approaching 1.0 release and will have a price increase at the end of the current discount period.

With over 230 planet anomalies across over 150 star systems, Starcom: Unknown Space is larger and, according to most players' impressions, better than the original. It strives to preserve the core gameplay and exploration experience, while improving several core areas such as improved mission tracking, more characters, better ship design, and many quality of life improvements.



To celebrate the milestone, Starcom: Nexus is also getting its deepest discount to date for anyone who hasn't picked it up.

And thank all of you for playing Starcom and supporting indie space games!

- Kevin

MULLET NOW ALL GREEN ON DECK!


- STEAM DECK verified - ALL GREEN!



- TOUCH ARCADE DECK REVIEW - 9.5/10

- STEAM DECK HQ REVIEW - 9.5/10



- DEMO optimized and patched

patch 1.06


- fix controler oversights

- fix language and font bugs in russian

- fix leaderboard oversights

- chapter 4 speedrun score nerfed ti 5 minutes

- tweaks in the car chase

- tweaks for weapon buyer upgrade

- lots of small fixes.



You can now buy Mullet MadJack and also join our community on Discord

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2111190



Tik Tok / Twitter / Instagram

-fixed billy the goat treat incrementing problem
-fixed jack the sea lion not giving you a fishing pole
-Other translation small fixes