Log in[~Pembroke Academy Newsletter #3~]
{IMPORTANT: If your an inactive supporter on Subscribestar, please send us a direct message on the platform and we'll provide you with the current v0.22 (demo) build! We'll be putting out additional demo content here sometime in the first half of December, more details further below. But, that too is being given out to inactive/active supporters on Subscribestar.}
Hiya everyone!~ It's time for our first newsletter of December! If this is your first time joining us, all you need to know is that these newsletters highlight recent project news and development for the game project: Messy Academy! We put these out bi-weekly, twice per month!
(Starting in January 2026, we'll have two variants of these newsletters. One for supporters focused more on the latest game content in development and how that's coming along, etc. While the other variant will be open to the public and that one, will focus on upcoming free content, etc. We believe this should keep both supporters and public fans up-to-date with what's going on, while staying fair to our supporters. <3)
Let's begin!
As many of you might've noticed and we tossed out a mini-heads up about the situation. We originally had planned to provide supporters with additional content to the current v0.22 (demo) on Nov 29th, but we lost contact with our programmer on Nov 24th.
Long story short, we heard from them yesterday and they lost access to their Discord account, Github and other personal accounts. They have access to these now, and everything is secure and there's no worries about the project assets, as I only provide the programmer with content in weekly updates, providing assets exactly when they're needed before moving into more, etc.
They're terribly sorry for losing access to let me and everyone else know what to expect, but they're planning to resume work on Sunday (Tomorrow) and if all pans out with that, we should see additional content for the demo mentioned, ideally I'd personally like to have this out by Dec 13th.
We already have the volleyball club free roaming scenario tested, so that'd be included, along with the science club's scenario as the additional content. From there, the rest of the content will ideally be released as v0.22 (full) and that'll wrap up Episode 5's content!
While the programming was MIA, the editor and I have been staying ahead on content the past 2 weeks and we're on track to fully focus on Episode 1 QoL (v0.23) which is looking like it'll be ready in January 2026. We don't have a ton to share on that build at this time, but our next newsletter will no doubt delve more into that!
The main highlights of v0.23 will be the addition of the female protagonist being playable with protagonist's portraits added (toggle on/off). There will also be new gameplay features, choices, player preference options added as well! Some of that includes the phone interface, where students you've met will interact with you throughout the game through this throughout episodes, along with it being used at key points in written scenes.
Other additions include... Introducing more BG and OC characters in fitting moments that already exist, or in new written scenes being added. Introducing the headmistress! (Episode 5 will technically show her as well in v0.22 (full), but this will be our first real introduction.) That'll include main story scenes being weaved into Episode 1 to help pace the story better.
Introduction to the character Tara, who will replace John's scenes in Episode 1 & 4. (John still has a role in the game elsewhere, but he doesn't fit the vibe of a former all-girl's academy, where staff are also female.) New ending scene being added to Episode 1 linked to the main story, taking place shortly after the rooftop scene that currently exists.
Lastly, there's a new introduction brief summary at the beginning of the game that's attached to the first written scene with the protagonist, Joey and Nathan. This is to lightly cover in-game what led them to Pembroke Academy a bit more clearly. (It's mentioned outside the game in our summary, but we want to add this in-game, just a bit more briefly with the main takeaway presented before it smoothly transitions into what exists.)
Besides all of that, there's general editing/writing related fixes being done, which includes some beefing up of existing scenes lightly. Aaaand how can we forget... New CG scene art and variants being added of course! :P
With that said, let's shift our focus back to what we're doing right now.
Aside from what we've mentioned above with our plans for December for the additional demo content and full release of v0.22. Much of the team is working ahead on what's needed for Episode 1. Our CG artist is nearly done with a important key story moment CG scene and we can't wait to share that in-game. (It's a huge spoiler for the game, to where we'll be avoiding sharing the art in its entirely until after the content has been enjoyed first.)
Our sprite artist, much like our CG artist has been working ahead and their focus is on the same thing. So, it'll be a bit awkward to step aside for new art being done, since we don't want to unveil everything and ruin the impact in-game, but we do want to share new art previews. ^^"
So, we'll be trying our best to provide what we can, but it might be similar to what we'll do with that CG scene mentioned. We'll give players the proper time to experience it in-game first, then share all the stuff outside the game as we see fit. (It'll make sense with v0.23 in January. Trust us, it'll be worth it!)
I'd like to also announce that we've officially finished the BG art needs for the project recently! We'll be updating the existing versions in-game with the new ones in their QoL updates, so we hope you look forward to it!
One thing we're discussing on the team is the addition of live2D animations for Messy Academy. We're still in the early talks about it, researching and figuring it out before we pull the trigger, but if we do this, it'd begin with the sprite character art to give the game more life. Depending on how our monthly funding increases into 2026, we're thinking about taking the existing CG art and having CG art also receive live2D animations vs what we've been trying to do with mini looping minor animations.
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the inclusion of live2D animations, as we're trying to deliver on making Messy Academy a full-blown experience. (It is a passion project after all!)
Moving forward, we're being cautious of our monthly budget and priorities that are most important to least. Our main priorities will be CG art > editing = programming > sprite art needs > music > anything else.
[~Release Roadmap~]
I don't feel comfortable listing estimates at this time for possible dates. With our programmer just having returned and supposedly resuming work Sunday (Tomorrow). It'd be foolish of me to even take a wack at this right now.
The best thing I can estimate is the following, until our next newsletter on Dec 20th.
Dec 13th = v0.22 (demo) - volleyball & science club scenarios added - Support build.
Dec 20-31st = v0.22 (full) - Support build.
Dec 20-31st = v0.22 (demo) - Public build.
[~Closing Statements~]
We hope everyone has enjoyed the latest content recently! Both the public and support content! It's only a small taste of what's ahead!
Yes I would love to see Live2D animation for the sprites and makes them less static. Of corse limited animation simualr to the Ace Attoney series could also work.
Thank you for your comment!~ <3 Glad to hear there's interest out there for it too! ^^ We'll continue researching into it further and talking to our artists. One minor bump in the road that we might've ran into, is that a lot of the sprite character art has their hair attached to the body layers, including their faces. So, trying to animate certain character's hair might be rough without having us go back in and make some minor adjustments prior.
(For Miki as a example: We'd have to copy her hair from the body/face layer and put that above those, clean it up so it looks right again. Then, in the body/face layer, we'd need to add any missing spots on the face/head that was covered by her hair previously, that way if any movements to her hair are happening, it won't look strange.)
If you are looking for examples, the Nekopara series is a good way to start.