of love and dreams to share
hi! thanks for the patience this past year and a half. i avoided itch during the prototype stage, but development stayed active. i still post seasonal updates to my socials and blog. i'll update here more often now, though only when there's a good chunk of progress to show it's still in development
as a reminder, i’ve officially renamed the game to Night of Kawanuki Fest. i wanted the title to directly match the name of the festival in the game
update deadline and what to expect
the 0.2.0 update deadline is february 4th, 2026. it includes the entire prologue, the start of chapter 1, and nsfw art. i’m currently finishing 4-5 environment models, rendering and rigging sprites, setting up cutscenes, and fixing a shit ton of bugs to hit that date. all old character sprites have been refactored for better consistency, though you may notice some lackluster placeholder textures in the map art for now
regarding nsfw, i’m using visual novel or RPG Maker style stills to keep the scope realistic. sprite animation would stop all progress and doesn't fit most character designs. this allows for more content variety and avoids puppet animation which i don't personally enjoy. i hope for hand-animated scenes later, but this ensures the game actually gets finished
however, there is still a lot i won't be able to complete before the deadline or will have to keep hidden until i can finish it up more. after over a year of waiting, i can understand that would be frustrating to hear. but i can't stress this enough: the first demo release was a proof of concept prototype to show that this game exists and what i'm capable of. at that time, i had nothing ready and everything was loosely planned. the docs were messy, the story had many plotholes, and my art process was inconsistent. if i had just rushed and kept putting out updates from that state, everything would have eventually crashed and i would have had to remake everything at once. i have already had to remake the prototype from scratch three times now, and i would prefer not to do that again. regardless, this update should give a much better idea of what to expect in the future
what took so long?
i’ve struggled with anxiety and overthinking the "what-ifs" of this project. as a solo dev, managing adhd and burnout makes the entire development and design process feel overwhelming, especially during the concept phase. i often get stuck overthinking the player's path or feeling empty when designing background details, which leads to a constant fear of looking unoriginal. this is why i'll often stall or redo writing; for example, i'm still deciding how much to change about the planned tournament in chapter 3 so it doesn't feel too close to The Thousand-Year Door. i'm also keeping berries as currency since they tie into the lore and were in my rp headcannons years before Bug Fables existed. ultimately, if i focus too much on if i'm copying then i won't get anywhere
while i have experience making prototype games and technical training from college, i’ve never managed a project at this scale. moving from a separate sfw account where my games got 20 downloads to a prototype getting ~3k downloads was a massive shift in how i view my work. i care deeply about optimization and making the game run well, even though i'm not an expert on the more complex stuff. i find myself struggling with the sins of oop and barely understand how an ecs works yet, but i still try to optimize wherever i can (but i still have this memory leak and i can't find where its coming from ;~;)
on a side note, i still prefer to keep a low profile. i'm not a big fan of social media, but i understand i still need a presence there to keep people updated. i want the focus to stay on the project itself rather than me as a personality, and i appreciate everyone respecting that boundary
my stance on ai
to be clear, this game uses zero ai generated assets. everything is hand-crafted, from the art in Affinity Designer to the music i write in FL Studio. ai is still incapable of replicating the detailed vector work i do, and i have all my source files to prove it. i only interact with ai for technical assistance, like helping me organize dev notes or troubleshooting blender issues if i can't find a solution online. when it comes to the game itself, i am the one making everything
it has always been my philosophy to avoid 3rd party assets to keep my projects authentic. the only exceptions are technical tools like Dialogue Manager (which i've contributed to on their repo), Phantom Camera (which i’ve modified to my liking), and some fonts. i'm also temporarily using one stock leaf texture for the ui background, but otherwise, i am writing every line of code and creating every asset from scratch
i don't hate the technology, and, like Boichi, the creator of Dr. Stone, i "believe in its future and the possibilities it may bring." it just sucks to see how it's currently abused by companies and "ai bros" instead of being the helpful tech i imagined as a kid watching Astro Boy. i also think the way itch.io handles ai labels is pretty useless, since it hides sub-categories (you can only access by modifying a url) and makes it harder for devs who just want to be honest about their process
future platform availability
- itch.io & steam: chapter 1 will be free on these platforms when it releases. later chapters or full versions will cost money, and content may be limited or cut to comply with platform guidelines
- github: every version of chapter 1 will have an alternate download via github releases. these will be completely uncut and are just as easy to download as the itch versions
- subscribestar: subscribestar is the place for the full, uncensored versions of all chapters. this includes the complete uncut game along with early access releases
how to support the project
the best places to follow development between these posts are my socials and my blog. i also have a subscribestar where you can support the project directly; while i've been doing this solo, getting that extra support helps a lot with keeping things moving, so i'll be sure to keep the link more visible from now on
i eventually want a consistent team for modeling, texturing, writing, and music, but i'm pretty picky about who i bring on. i want to avoid drama or "break ups" over small things, so i'm taking my time to ensure the project stays stable. while i can't afford a full team right now, i am looking for separate assistance in those specific roles
massive thank you to Kryptic, my current concept artist who assisted with the new cover art and some character concepts. i also have an artist friend who's offered to help out with the nsfw art; it isn't set in stone yet, but they may be helping out during this current dev phase for the next update
thank you again for the comments, donations, and for just being here. it means a lot to see people interested in what i'm building. i’m looking forward to getting 0.2.0 out in february; just keep in mind that things shown during early chapter 1 are subject to change, especially since it will be the free version of the game
preview screenshots
here's a few previews of what i've been working on lately without spoiling too much
12/26/2025
olden times and ancient rhymes
this post is going to be a two-parter, this one being more of a life update than a game update. it has been a really rough year for me, and i'm sure it’s been the same for a lot of you too. for the past six months, i’ve been at the lowest point in my life, but i’m finally starting to tackle some personal stuff like physical and mental health that i should’ve handled a long time ago. i want to thank my friends, fans, and family for supporting me through all of this. specifically to my closest friends: i seriously can't thank you guys enough for being there for me when things got at their absolute worst. it really means the world
even though things have been rough, that doesn't mean i’m stopping work on nokf. and no, that wasn't a typo! the game has officially been renamed to Night of Kawanuki Fest to match the name of the festival
don't worry, the next post will be up in a few days. i'll have more screenshots to show off and more info on what to expect for this long-awaited update. i've also spent some time redesigning this entire site to feel more like the wii u. i even added a new side project repo in the projects page with some tiny blender addons i made. they're for very niche use cases, but i'll be updating that page with new addons over time. hope you guys like the new changes. keep an eye out for the part-two post, since that's where i'll be sharing the deadline i’ve set for myself to finally release this update
and happy holidays from bunth!
12/24/2025
summer status ow
game state
the game's still in active development, not dead or on hiatus. instead of spending forever looking for an artist, i decided to just get better at my own character design and modeling. that's made everything go way faster. i've been making new sprites, models, and designs really quickly. they might not be amazing art, but i feel so much less stressed about the visuals now. i've also actually found an artist who's thinking about helping out, but it's not a sure thing yet. about the music, i'd share it, but i feel it's best enjoyed when you're actually in the game. anyway, here's some preview pics
why the long wait?
what really slowed things down and led to burnout was how incredibly tedious and slow it was to make characters, models, and sprite animations. also, the original game release was meant to be a simple prototype or demo just to test things out and get feedback, not a full release. i've since found much more efficient ways to do things. for sprites, i used to have constant issues with weird-looking legs in spine. i've fixed this by making the torso and one leg part of the same image and carefully weight painting the 2d mesh to keep deformations minimal. i also realized how much my habit of avoiding references held me back, and i'm finally using them effectively
for 3d modeling, my old process took forever. i'd originally try to make everything one huge, welded mesh, then i'd meticulously uv wrap everything. any change meant redoing all that uv wrapping. but now, i'm completely skipping uv wrapping and using tri-planar mapping. this technique, often seen in sandbox games, makes textures look consistent on all shapes, has no distortion, and is incredibly fast. plus, instead of trying to make one huge combined model, i now work on individual parts like walls, supports, and roofs. this makes everything more modular and much easier to modify. it's more like building with legos rather than waiting hours for a 3d print to finish
tl;dr: i burnt out, but came back more efficient (the village scene in the preview was modelled with the old method and took forever to make)
why barely any social media posts?
i'm honestly pretty uncomfortable with social media and just don't want to deal with it. i know it feels bad to leave most of you in the dark, and i don't want to be like hytale, who went radio silent then just dropped their game. i'll really try my best to post more often. i don't want updates to only be on my weird blog site. i appreciate all the feedback, and i'm truly sorry for basically disappearing after the first demo came out
expected nsfw content
for the sake of the project scope, nsfw scenes will be visual novel styled graphics with text. good nsfw sprite animations are way out of my league. animating the scenes are something i hope to do in the future, but i can't promise anything
the game will involve kinks like hyper (not car sized bits), hypnosis, vore, bondage, and dubious consent. i fully intend on keeping dubious consent especially since it's a common kink i've seen in tons of furry nsfw games ex.) TiTs/CoC, Oh So Hero, Game Over. i'm open to adding more kinks, but i'm not removing the ones already listed
i'm really sorry. i definitely should have given a heads-up beforehand. once the update for the prologue and early chapter 1 is out, it'll include warnings and an option to disable extreme kinks
itch.io and other platforms
despite the recent nsfw + lgbt shadow ban on itch.io, i'm not too upset or worried. most games will probably get indexed again, just with more limitations from the karen payment processors. below is how notf will be distributed moving forward:
itch.io
on itch.io, NOTF chapter 1 will be free when it fully releases. later chapters will cost money, and any itch.io versions might have content cut or limited due to platform guidelines
steam
the steam release will more than likely be the same as the itch.io section. chapter 1 will be a free demo, while the full release will cost money, but with cut content according to any platform guidelines
github
every version of chapter 1 will also have an alternate download in a github release, and these will all be uncut unlike the itch.io versions. it's a safe spot to host, and getting it from there will be just as easy as on itch.io
subscribestar
on subscribestar, you'll be able to access the full, uncensored versions of all chapters. this platform is the place to go if you want the complete, uncut game, and it will also include early access releases
personal issues
like many developers, i struggle with impostor syndrome. despite knowing what it is, i can't always shake the feeling, sometimes even comparing myself to yandev, though i know my codebase isn't nearly as problematic. i often feel guilty about using vector art, even when created from scratch, or relying on puppet animation for all sprites. generally, a sense of guilt frequently seeps in while working on this game
i also need to address the wide reworking of the game's writing and story. i'm still finding it challenging to structure story beats and ensure the overall game progression flows well. my main goal is to prevent the game from ending up with terrible pacing and uninteresting dialogue. any feedback and constructive criticism on chapter 1's story, pacing, or dialogue would be greatly appreciated, though it's important to note i'd prefer not to change too much of the game's original vision. i might also host a q&a session on discord after the new update is released
finally, i'm deeply disappointed by how long it's taken to release a new game update. while new content has been added since the demo, it never felt like enough. the severe burnout, coupled with occasional depressive episodes, certainly didn't help. i sincerely apologize for making you all wait so long
7/24/2025
spring status dang
most of the previous winter stuff i was working on has pretty much been finished, but there's still a lack of finished character renders and spine rigs. i also gotta finish up some new textures for the village. i'm way further behind than i would like to be. some 'stuff' has happened lately to make me shutdown for a while, but i'm slowly picking myself back up. here's some new previews
yes there is other content, not just these 3 screenshots. this is just a quick sneak peek of some of them
new fisher villager:
new tanuki sisters:
kawanuki village 1 preview (ignore weird texture stuff it gets fixed through a gd shader)
i would like to give a reminder that pretty much all code for the game is complete, with just some bugs to work on. some stuff is disabled or not visible on the 0.1.3 build, but it's all there. hopefully by the time i find an artist these updates won't take nearly a year long :(
4/9/2025
winter status woo
still not dead. some people asked me if i am. NOTF is still being worked on, just not as fast as i'd like. so far i have half of the kawanuki village done, all the music for the next update, as well as most character designs finished. thank you so much for the praise and reviews on the game, they've helped a lot
i keep drawing a blank whenever i start designing a map. whenever i have to do something as simple as coming up with a house, i spend a hot minute trying to figure out how it should look, and how it fits that character's personality. a while back i was suggested to do a hybrid japanese + hawaiian design for the nuki homes, which was a great suggestion! but in practice i got very lost with how that kind of design should look, so instead i decided to make some homes appear more hawaiian and others more like traditional japanese ones
at some point it would be nice to get help from more concept artists. having visual references are beyond helpful, even if they aren't 1:1 with the final product
12/16/2024
summer status yay
if any of you are wondering NO i am not dead! i'm still working on NOTF and i'm still very much living. i'm very sorry there hasn't been any updates or devlogs in such a long time. i want to make sure i do a good job polishing up the next update. i would also ideally like to avoid having to retcon a bunch of crap later on, as this is the first real story point in the game
i would like to avoid having any retcons and story plot holes. however, art is more than likely going to be revamped several times in the future. my art skills are still extremely minimal and i can NOT afford to pay anyone for art help. i heavily apologize if the art isn't up to anyone's standards during this next update
8/21/2024
current state of my music and art skills
i haven't dedicated much time to properly practicing and learning music theory. the same goes for art; while i got a decent grasp of the fundamentals, i tend to forget them over time. i've been getting better at chord progressions, harmony (which i used to suck ass at), and more about using my DAW (FL Studio) in general. i haven't picked up much on art though, so my art skills are still the same as they were a year ago
nonetheless, i don't want to delay the development of NOTF any longer. programming has been challenging, yet enjoyable. this is partly because i understand how to achieve the results i want; i just need to debug and fine-tune things maybe 90% of the time. i'm not sure when i'll find the time to focus solely on music and art, but i know i'll lose plenty of sleep when i do
6/16/2024
frutiger aero styled redesign
i absolutely adore and love the frutiger aero style, not just for nostalgia, but also because it just makes me focus on the content more. like the site theme? probably not, most people actually dislike the aero aesthetic, and that's perfectly fine. i'm actually planning on creating a small frutiger aero themed bar for VRChat. beautiful lighting included :3
6/16/2024
youtube channel
once most of my side projects as well as NOTF is out of the way i'll start posting a few things to youtube every now and then. this includes music, random dev blogs, helpful godot related advice, and more
6/15/2024
first post
this is the first post of the entire page, i'll probably forget about it years from now :o) there isn't too much to learn here so there's no point in an about page. i'll eventually add one if i have anything interesting worth sharing
6/15/2024