Closing in on Act 1, new demo, and Potential Name Change

Just a quick update to share where things are with the project:

Writing for Act 1 is about 90% complete. Most of the major scenes are fully scripted, and I’m now in the process of refining dialogue, updating internal narration, and implementing branching choices based on your feedback from the original demo. It’s shaping up to be a much fuller experience than the proof-of-concept, and I’m excited (and a little nervous) to get it into your hands soon.

Visuals-wise, I’m still looking for an artist. Unfortunately, nothing’s solidified yet on that front. Until I find the right collaborator(s), I’ll be revamping and improving the placeholder assets for consistency and tone. They’re still temporary, but I want the demo to look cleaner and more cohesive than the earlier version, even in this interim stage.

Also, a name change is incoming. After realizing that DRIFT shares a name with a ton of other Itch projects (especially racing games), I’m strongly considering renaming the VN to give it a more distinctive identity.

The current front-runner is:

DRIFT: To Sink or Swim

It keeps the original spirit but better reflects the game’s emotional tone, water themes, and focus on personal perception. That said, it’s not 100% locked in yet. If you have thoughts or a better suggestion, feel free to share.

When the new demo goes up (hopefully by early July) you can expect the updated name to go live alongside it. If you played the original demo, you'll remember how it began with a long introduction explaining the story up to that point. In the Act 1 demo, all of that aforementioned story will be playable. At that point, expect it to replace the original prototype demo, as it'll be mostly redundant at that point.

Thanks again for your patience and support while this all comes together. This project means a lot to me, and I’m doing my best to make sure it lands with the kind of heart, weirdness, and depth it deserves.

– Korvu