Heyaaa all!

It's been a while since my last post, but I’m excited to share a brand-new project — Geiger is now out on all platforms!

I wish I could be more consistent when it comes to developing my VNs, finishing previous stories first, etc. But, y'know... life gets in the way. So does motivation.

But... I’ve found that spark again with Geiger. Not sure if I’ve mentioned it before, but I genuinely enjoy coding way more than writing or drawing. Especially drawing. God… With this game, though? I actually enjoy doing everything. From writing the story concept, art, multiple UI screens, to all the little things I can “gamify.”

I always try to challenge myself and improve with each project, and I think Geiger captures the sum of everything I’ve learned since Moonlit Field. That said, I may have set the bar waaaay too high (again). But don’t worry, Geiger is 100% meant to be a short story, and I already have a solid plan for the ending(s). Just need more time in the development dungeon… and to keep that excitement alive.

Speaking of which, I would like to share a bit about the story concept and what's in store for the full release.

So, what inspires Geiger?

I would say it's inspired by Chernobyl (both TV series and IRL incident), but if I were to be more honest and specific, it all started from me getting pissed lol. Back when May Wolf '25 was still in the planning phase, there was a discussion about what the rating criteria would be. I always thought that sound design is a very underappreciated skill in FVN space. The majority favored keeping it under "presentation", without the need of making a new category. Being a stubborn and petty person that I am, I tried to think about a story concept that hinges on sound. There is a reason why most game jams make "audio" its own category. Every little SFX, choice of BGMs, and even silence, all shape how you experience a VN, no matter how pretty the visuals look. You could just slap a lo-fi chill beat into your game, sure. But it takes effort and skill to design every sound in a way that elevates how you enjoy a story, just like how it's not easy for artists to draw stunning art.

And so, I decided to write a story revolving around a very distinct sound: the Geiger counter tick. 

Have you tried to hover over the main menu buttons repeatedly? (and quickly ofc)

The story concept & theme

Boy, do I get greedy. There were a lot of ideas that came to my mind... post-apocalyptic war, mankind vs. force of nature, the Fukushima 50, the Chernobyl incident. I wanted to pack them all in this story, but I need something to glue them all together.

I think realism is my comfort zone. Writing grounded problems from the grounded voices of different characters. That's where Darius and Luc came into the picture. A pair of an awkward military vet and his moral-support boyfriend.

Believe it or not, the idea of their characters formed simply because I wanted to play around and twist the phrase "thank you for your service." I thought it would be cool to have someone who is "sick of hearing empty thank-yous", a vet struggling to fit in back into normal life; and another who "doesn't get enough thank-yous", a male nurse. The rest of the story fills in naturally after this.

Without too many spoilers: Geiger is ultimately about Darius' journey to earn back the real title of "hero" (or to pursue his personal vendetta). It's about realizing that "heroes" and "villains" are just the opposite side of the same coin. It's about how Luc was there for Darius, and how Luc is always there for him.

"The past molded you into who you are right now, but you still can decide who you want to be."

I love symbolism, and it's fun to use it in the game. Every little detail is put there on purpose to tell part of the story. From the anchor and the lighthouse, the ship-shaped dialogue box, the background color saturation, etc.

Sadly, covering all the concepts in my mind, and having every detail fleshed out, needs more than a month, and I have to cut the story short with alternate ending for the game jam version. Yes, you read that right. Things will be very different in the full game release.

On another note, I'm pretty satisfied with the foundation I have laid. Most of the difficult part is done. The minigames, load screens, UIs, transitions & effects, and browsing for stock music. I severely underestimated how difficult it is to find good industrial/steam-punk music (which got me stuck for a couple of days without meaningful progress in a tight deadline).

The plan forward

 Despite all the problems, there is actually a lot of content that did not make it into this version.

Unlike this game jam version, the final release will involve a lot of STEREO sound and gameplay. More exploration and waaaay mooooreee shooting game. Furthermore, I got too invested in the world-building, and I want to put them inside the game in the form of codex entries.

Another thing I'm gonna do is rewrite some of the characters' voices, especially Volkov and Theo. They are not meant to be there only for comedic relief. The tension of the story will be much higher, and they will serve higher purposes as well.

Now you can see it's a huuugeee work to tackle by just one person in a month. The good thing is we're already past the halfway mark. If everything is going well, I aim to finish it by the end of August. Fingers crossed!

Lastly, and it's important...

If you enjoyed the game so far, please don't forget to rate Geiger on the May Wolf '25 page here.

Comment your thoughts so I know what works and what doesn't. I always welcome a wall of text any day!

Cheers!