Hello! We are now two weeks into the new year. Can you believe it?!

We are back with the part 2 of our 2024 year end roundup. Without further ado, let us dive right into it! [Image heavy post below]

Click here to read part 1 of our Year End RoundUp!

2024 July - Logo Designs and Side Characters Reveal

Later during our Kickstarter campaign, Hinata Yoyo made an English version of the game logo. We had to make certain adjustments to fit the language font, but we kept the little hearts on the word “Love” for a cute and heartwarming touch. A side-by-side comparison of the Japanese and the English game logo.

We also shared the concept art of Hayato Arihara, Atsuya’s best friend who makes a brief appearance in the extended demo. He is laid-back but can be a class clown sometimes.

And here is the concept art of Tamami, a new classmate of Katsuya’s at the kindergarten. She has an important role in the story, so please look forward to her appearance in the game!

2024 August - Post-campaign Survey and Megumi Completed Character Sprite

After our Kickstarter campaign ended, we conducted a post-campaign survey to gather feedback regarding our game demo and our crowdfunding campaign. Thank you to everyone who filled the survey! We appreciate the constructive feedback and advice, as well as the heartwarming comments we received. We will work to integrate changes based on your feedback to create a fun and unforgettable experience!

At the end of August, the game artist Hinata Yoyo completed the character sprite of the main character, Megumi. We included her old sprite below for comparison―we think she looks very different!

2024 September - Key Visual Reveal and Atsuya Completed Character Sprite

Key visual of MY DEAR☆LOVE, featuring the five major characters in the game.

Near the end of September, we finished the character sprite of Atsuya, the sole love interest in the game. Here is a comparison of the old and new sprites. He sure received an impressive makeover!

2024 October - Revamped GUI

We started working on revamping the GUI of the game. We were inspired by old school Japanese games, namely from the PlayStation2 and Nintendo DS era, and diary notebooks from the Heisei-era (1989-2019) which were often decorated with cute drawings and stickers. This is a closer representation of what we want to achieve for the final game.

2024 November - Katsuya Completed Character Sprite

Sketches of Katsuya’s different expressions by Hinata Yoyo.

Last but definitely not least… Baby Katsuya got a makeover! His outfit has been changed to reflect the story text, when Megumi meets him for the first time at her summer job. There is an easter egg hidden in his shoes…can you recognize it?

What’s next?

Whew! This roundup turned out longer than we expected, but it shows that the past half-year had been very busy for us, and we are proud of what we have achieved in the short span of time.

As we have mentioned in previous updates, our project lead Hinata Yoyo has recently relocated to Japan, and we have found it difficult to work on the game consistently between the time difference and the heavy workload at our day jobs. Due to the slow pace of development, Ko-fi updates are now monthly instead of weekly. We will make an announcement once we have an estimate for a release date, so be sure to follow our X (Twitter) account or Bluesky account for the latest news!

Check out our Tumblr page for project status and other information!

We hope you enjoyed this roundup. Thank you for reading and see you again soon!

If you like our work, please consider supporting us on Ko-fi! There are monthly subscription ranging from $3~$50 CAD! (about $2 ~ $37 USD)

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Thank you for supporting an indie studio like us; it makes a big difference as we would be able to create freeware and budget-friendly games for everyone! Stay tuned and stay hydrated!