Hey everyone! Second week of work on version 0.55.

Affection system groundwork

This week I focused on implementing the technical structure behind affection levels. Concretely, this means variables, conditions, and event hooks are now properly in place — so when I start adding new events or branching interactions, the system will handle them without breaking.

Art direction & immersion

The biggest step this week was on the art direction. I took time to decide what kind of visual identity Rise of the Monarch should carry forward. The challenge is to balance the dark fantasy themes of the world with the sense of refuge that Devoh and the Manor must represent.

This led me to rework the Bathroom environment. It might seem like a small detail, but places like this matter: they anchor the player, they create contrast. Even if you can’t see it yet, the outside world in ROTM is harsh, corrupted, and oppressive — so the Manor must feel like a safe haven, almost a bubble of warmth and elegance. That contrast makes the return to darkness even more impactful.

Technically, I also experimented a lot with Koikatsu’s native shaders to make sure the new look remains consistent across scenes. The goal is a clean, immersive render pipeline that blends well with the rest of the game and sets a strong standard for future environments.

Looking forward

This week has been about building strong foundations. With affection systems ready and the art direction locked in, the next updates can push both story and atmosphere much further.

That’s all for this week — steady progress, with some systems being polished in the background while I keep preparing the big chunks for the 0.6 update.