Welcome to Madness for Two's first devlog! Over the past month, I, along with a couple of talented individuals, have been steadily developing all aspects of the visual novel. From detailed illustrations to original compositions and everything in between, many major and exciting updates have occurred. Before we delve into our lengthy progress, I'd first like to take a moment to introduce my collaborators.

If you're into the wild and wacky world of untranslated and niche visual novels, then you may know who Noelle is. Going by the Youtube alias "Amelie Doree," Noelle is both a talented freelance composer and video essayist with thousands of fans across Youtube and Twitter. As this is her first introduction, I decided to ask her some questions so you can familiarize yourself with the mind behind the soundtrack.

When did you begin creating music?

I started when I was 14, making tunes for MS-DOS SoundBlaster cards and the Commodore 64 - mostly game music I liked - then got really into composing original compositions when I was 16.

As a composer, what inspires you the most?

It's hard to pin one specific inspiration. I listen to a lot of varied music and can't say one style influences me more than the other, and I also get a lot of ideas looking at art and reading fiction, and sometimes just taking a walk and seeing nature is really inspirational.

What other projects have you composed for?

Dead End City, Attach of the PETSCII Robots, Plant X3, Alice Sisters, tons of random little mods here and there... I'd say of those, the first is probably my favorite I've done. I'm still really proud of how that soundtrack turned out.

I understand you're also a content creator with a passion for strange visual novels. What kickstarted your Youtube career?

I was watching an episode of a Youtube series at some point in 2021, and they were really ragging on Pia Carrot and dating sims as a whole as some creepy genre for weirdos. It made me wonder, "well these are popular, so surely there has to be some reason, right?" So I binged the whole game over the course of a few days and wrote a big ol' video on it, and that's how I got started on Youtube.

Known for his detailed and stylized illustrations, Tamasuko is a manga artist aspiring to one day have a serialized manga of his own. Because of him, my imagination has been brought to life -- and I can't thank him enough. I also asked him some art-related questions.

When did you begin drawing?

I started drawing since I was a toddler lol. My parents usually just gave me a pen, crayons, and paper for me to keep myself busy. It just became one of my hobbies ever since.

As an artist, what are your aspirations?

My primary purpose of drawing is to make mangas someday. I currently have 3 one-shots made so far and I'm not stopping from there lol.

Is there something you enjoy drawing more than anything else?

It's definitely learning something new. I still continue learning drawing skills and besides that, I also learn some musical instruments and crafting props and costumes for cosplays.

Don't they look great? I can't say much about them just yet, but, in due time, you'll know them quite well. Oh, and by the way, these aren't the only sprites I received.  Another time, perhaps...

This is one of the planned illustrations of Adam's apartment. Get comfy, because you'll be seeing this background and its variants many times throughout the narrative.

This second illustration is of the man himself, frightened by... something. I'll let you guess what he's so spooked about.

This is just a snippet of the soundtrack. For the final release, six more quality tracks are planned. Stay tuned for more updates!

Recently, I was able to implement audio cues for music. Aside from looking cool, it's handy for indicating what track is playing and when.

I also implemented an opacity slider for the textbox. Considering some people may find the black gradient obtrusive, this should be a useful tool.

This is a functional gallery that I threw together. Currently, it's still in early development -- so don't expect the final product to look this messy and unprofessional. 

And here's the semi-functioning music room that I spent yesterday coding. Like the gallery, this is more proof of concept than anything that'll be present in the final build. Still, I thought these were worth showcasing.

I've also been playing around with Wattson's kinetic text. Expect this and other text variants during select scenes.

Whew... you made it. Since you were nice enough to read this entire devlog, how about I treat you? Want a partial sneak peek at a website I've been working on?

I'm even using a certain ancient program as a way to capture that early 2000s internet aesthetic. I won't say what this website is, but I believe it'll be a nice addition to the reader's experience.

Next, if you watched the teaser trailer at the top of this devlog, then the word "sleepwalker" probably rings a bell. I don't want to spoil anything about them, but...

What sort of monster could've done something like this? Let your imagination run wild!

Lastly, I plan on bundling the finalized version of Madness for Two with a "First Draft" version, complete with rough sketches of the character sprites, backgrounds, and other early assets. I know how much people enjoy seeing the development process, so look forward to that. How many spelling errors and plot holes will you find?

If you'd like more details about this project, check out the itch.io landing page for a short description of the story and a comprehensive list of features slated for the full release.

Like what you've seen? Make sure to follow me on Twitter or join the Discord server for periodic updates and other announcements. I promise I don't bite...

Until next time,

Timmy