Jul 29

🔔 One Month Until B.E.S.T's Full Release… Or Not?

B.E.S.T - dolydev

Hey B.E.S.T.I.E.S !

Here we are: 30 days to go before the official release of B.E.S.T on August 29, 2025. That’s huge for us — more than two years of development, passion, struggles, and incredible moments with all of you.

But today, we want to take a moment to talk to you openly and honestly.

📊 Development Status

Episode 5 is nearly done. We're wrapping up the final scene, translations are in progress, and we're polishing the last technical adjustments.

We’re also working hard on:

The next episode,
Steam Deck performance,
Save file stability for returning players.

⚠️ The Challenges We’re Facing

Lately, our biggest challenge hasn’t been technical… but political.

A wave of censorship has started affecting many narrative games — especially those with adult content, even when it’s mild or story-driven.

We’ve received multiple warning signs: reduced visibility, geo-blocking in certain countries, even sudden bans — often with no clear explanation from the platforms.

And yet, B.E.S.T is far from being a porn game. It’s a story. A universe. Complex characters. A mix of romance, strategy, and social dynamics.

But nowadays, that alone is enough to trigger problems, especially when the rules are vague… or just plain unclear.

🧩 So What Happens Next?

We’re doing everything we can to keep B.E.S.T available in the form you know and love — without compromise.

But let’s be honest: 🎭 The future is a bit uncertain.

We’re exploring different options — but one thing is clear: we’re not giving up.

B.E.S.T wasn’t supposed to go beyond this arc. It was a one-shot, originally. But your support, the characters, the world, and everything we’ve built together made us want to go further. Deeper. Bigger.

We’ve seen the questions on the forums about a sequel or a “Season 2.”

Let’s clear a few things up:

The price of the game will not change. This was an Early Access project shaped by your feedback — and we’re staying true to that.
The future is uncertain. A month before launch, we don’t even know if we’ll be able to release the full version without interference. So making long-term plans is risky.

BUT — we’ve talked to players about what some would call a “Season 2.”

We’re not fond of that term. If the B.E.S.T is over, then the game is over. Instead, we think in terms of story arcs.

If we decide to continue the story — a new chapter, a new challenge — it would be in a new, upgraded engine, with proper 4K support, better features, and all the lessons learned from this development.

We won’t be making paid DLC for B.E.S.T. It doesn’t make sense right now, especially with the risks we’re facing.

Again: we have no idea what’s coming. So for now, we’re focused on one thing only — releasing the full version.

The rest — including a possible Episode 6 — will depend entirely on how well the release goes, and what the platform climate looks like afterward.

We’re even considering a “censored” version for general audiences, just to be safe…

💬 What You Can Do

If you enjoy the game — if you’ve liked the story, the characters, or just the general vibe — your support matters now more than ever:

Leaving a review on Steam, even a short one, helps a lot. We're currently at 79% positive, and we’re just one percent away from reaching "Very Positive" — a huge milestone before launch.
Join us on Discord and share your thoughts about what you want to see next — or how you think we should handle this situation.

❤️ Thank You

Thank you for being here. Thank you for your patience. Thank you for your feedback and trust.

We’ve had doubts. We’ve struggled. But we’ve never stopped wanting to finish this game the way it deserves to be finished.

We’ll see you on August 29. Until then, take care — and keep being the BEST 🏆

— The Dolydev Team

Jul 29

Carve your own path

Hell is Us - Nacon

Hell is Us doesn’t follow the usual rules.

There’s no glowing quest marker. No checklist of objectives guiding you from point A to B. The game highlights what truly matters — but only through the world itself. It’s up to you to connect the dots.

Rather than following a rigid path, Hell is Us gives you the space to choose when you approach its challenges. At key moments, you're given multiple directions to explore, and it's up to you to decide which patch draws your curiosity. Progression is flexible. And that flexibility gives every player a chance to shape their own experience.

That freedom also extends beyond the main story.

If you want to stay focused on your primary objective, you can. But you might also come across a secluded vault, a disturbing relic, or a mysterious request for help. Will you stop to investigate? Will you intervene? Or will you walk away, unsure of what you’ve just witnessed?

There are no traditional fetch quests here. No filler. No "go here, do this" just to pad your journey. Every side encounter — whether it’s an act of kindness, a hidden space to uncover, or an eerie sign of something deeper — exists for a reason. You won’t find quest logs or clear rewards. What you take from them depends entirely on you.

In Hell is Us, nothing is meaningless — not even what you choose to ignore.

Jul 29

Announcement, week 1: Future update plans

Touhou Rinrinki ~ Crafts of the Lucky Beast - Starcrow Dev

Thank You For Your Support!

We have received the passionate feedback of players all around the world! We know that our game is still in its rough stages, but nonetheless many players have provided us with their invaluable feedback. A big thank you to everyone who took the time to try out our game!

We will continue to update the game (including the demo), and we have plans to join the Steam Next Fest in October. Until then, we plan to finish up the updates below. During this time, we aim to push out big updates on a biweekly basis.

Don't forget to add the game into your wishlist!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3843480/#add_to_wishlist_area

Content: item system, leveling system, the second stage, etc.

Item System

The design of the current item system needs to be fleshed out more. We plan to add more ways to obtain items during play, as well as items of different types and rarities. We also plan to make items purchasable from the shop.

Leveling System

Players will be able to strengthen their character. For example, players will be able to increase their starting health, the number of cards drawn during their first turn, and the amount of additional Mana gained (currently only obtainable through events). More importantly—characters will have upgradable skills. This feature will be added in the future.

Map Variety

We plan to design different types of maps. Differences include the location of Mana Sources, the width/height, and possibly the presence of more neutral units. We'll also be updating the "Battle Preparation" system, which will allow players to adjust their deck based on the opponent and also allow players to view information such as the layout of the map.

Exploration Mode

A lot of players may be asking: why are the map exploration elements introduced in the tutorial missing from the practice match?

This is because it was designed for the "official" game—tournament mode. In this game mode, players can freely explore a large map based on Gensokyo, run into characters from Touhou and trade, duel, etc. This gamemode is currently still in development and is slated to be released around one week before the Next Fest.

All of the content listed above will be added into the game in batches every 2 weeks.

Art: UI improvements, card illustrations and event illustrations

Many parts of the current UI still have room for improvement. We plan to further adjust and fill in any gaps that the current UI may have, continuing to incorporate player feedback as well as any new content that we wish to make.

There still remains a lot of "programmer art" among the card and event illustrations. These will gradually be swapped up for quality illustrations in subsequent updates. An option for swapping between art styles will also be provided.

Music: unique boss battle themes

Music has always been an important part of Touhou and its fangames. We will continue to update the game's music in subsequent updates, and we guarantee that boss battles at the end of a stage will have their own respective boss theme.

Polishing

In response to many writing-related issues that have been expressed by our English players, we are currently hiring a professional to proofread and edit the current English text.
Add a game log so players can check the effects and target of cards previously played in the round.
As it stands, the VFX differentiating the individual states of each unit may not be clear enough. We will make the difference more apparent in the future.
Some repeated animations are too long. We will be combining them into one single animation.
Consolidate movement and combat. Players will be able to continue giving orders to a unit after it has moved instead of having to select it again.

These improvements will be completed within one to two months.

Thank You For All Your Passionate Feedback!

Lastly, we would like to sincerely thank all the players for their passionate support throughout our journey. Your feedback has been invaluable in helping us refine the game, and we hope that everyone will continue to send us their feedback and suggestions. Let's witness the growth and maturity of our game together! Thank you for your support!

Wishlist the game!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3843480/#add_to_wishlist_area