[Ed. note: Read along from top-right to lower-left!]

※ One day, in the dead of summer…

※ Finally… the Nintendo Direct…

※ Announcement day has come at last!

※ Stray Children will be released in Japan on Thursday, December 26, 2024!
Price: 4840 yen (tax included)

※ The entire development team have gone completely wild!

※ Nice one!

[This diary entry was first published in our free newsletter, The Secret Onion Cellar. Want to receive development diaries just like this, along with the latest news and behind-the-scenes information on everything happening here at Onion Games? Click here to subscribe, and you’ll also get a FREE MINI GAME, music samplers, downloadable art & more!]

[Ed. note: Read along from top-right to lower-left!]

※ Today, let’s round up some questions from our letterbox…

※ “I wish I could see archives of old newsletters!” — Okkun
※ We hear you! We’ll think about it!

※ “I always enjoy seeing your work. Take care, and really looking forward to the new game!” — Kucchin
※ Thanks mucho!

※ “I’d love to know how the new game is coming along.” — Tensei Mania
※ …urp

[ROUGH AND DIRTY DEVELOPMENT MAP]

※ Ummm…
OK, like..
Let me try to explain…
As of right now… we’re right about here!

Development Begins
WE ARE HERE ↓
Content Complete
Debugging
Gold Master
Store Page Setup
Release Day

※ That means… soon! The time to reveal our release information… it’s getting closer and closer!!
※ Wait what?!
※ First I’ve heard of that!
※ Noooo!

※ Hmmm… did you see that? I thought I saw… our beautiful publicist flashing a wry smile…

※ [Beautiful PR Manager Ms. Tsukiyono] Nice one!!

[This diary entry was first published in our free newsletter, The Secret Onion Cellar. Want to receive development diaries just like this, along with the latest news and behind-the-scenes information on everything happening here at Onion Games? Click here to subscribe, and you’ll also get a FREE MINI GAME, music samplers, downloadable art & more!]

[Ed. note: Read along from top-right to lower-left!]

※ It’s flowing!
[typing furiously]

※ Oh it’s flowing, it’s flowing…
[typing furiously]

※ It’s all f-…
[typing suddenly falters]

※ Something’s wrong!
This succckkksss!

※ Making something for so long, sometimes it blows up in your face…
When this happens, we get together to talk it through..

※ No big deal, let’s talk about it.
※ We can talk…
But I dunno…
I just don’t know…

※ Then, somehow, like always…
[flash!]

※ Those worries just disappear…
[typing furiously]

※ This goes on a lot in game development!
You just have to see it through!
※ Nice one!

[This diary entry was first published in our free newsletter, The Secret Onion Cellar. Want to receive development diaries just like this, along with the latest news and behind-the-scenes information on everything happening here at Onion Games? Click here to subscribe, and you’ll also get a FREE MINI GAME, music samplers, downloadable art & more!]

[Ed. note: Read along from top-right to lower-left!]

※ [Any Given Day of Any Given Month at Onion Games]

※ *typing furiously*

※ *drawing furiously*

※ *typing furiously*

※ *typing furiously*

※ *typing furiously*

※ *typing furiously*

※ *typing furiously*

※ *everyone typing furiously*
※ Nice one!

[This diary entry was first published in our free newsletter, The Secret Onion Cellar. Want to receive development diaries just like this, along with the latest news and behind-the-scenes information on everything happening here at Onion Games? Click here to subscribe, and you’ll also get a FREE MINI GAME, music samplers, downloadable art & more!]

[Ed. note: Read along from top-right to lower-left!]

※ Hey newsletter subscribers! What’s the most important thing in game development?

※ *ahem* It’s health!
※ Uh-huhh…
[Beautiful PR Manager Ms. Tsukiyono]

※ Every morning, take an hour-long walk!
※ Track your heart rate with a smart-watch!

※ Give those shoulders a stretch!
※ Don’t drink alcohol on weekdays!

※ Heh heh heh… Give caffeine the boot.
※ Get at least 7 hours of sleep a day!

※ Game development is an arduous process…
※ It’s like a long-distance marathon—

※ …Hang on, when have you ever run a marathon?
That’s really your analogy?
[PR Manager who ran a 42.195km (26.219 mile) marathon for fun]

※ Guess so! Jus’ lemme!
※ Nice one!
※ Is it though?

[This diary entry was first published in our free newsletter, The Secret Onion Cellar. Want to receive development diaries just like this, along with the latest news and behind-the-scenes information on everything happening here at Onion Games? Click here to subscribe, and you’ll also get a FREE MINI GAME, music samplers, downloadable art & more!]

[Ed. note: Read along from top-right to lower-left!]

※ [In Which the Development Team Holds Its Spring Meat Festival]
※ Sometimes, you just need a break…
※ Let’s drink to meat and making games!
※ [Everyone] Bottoms upppp!
※ [March 2024, a certain day, a certain southeastern region]

※ Meat! Meat! Meat! Nothing but meat!
※ We ate a ton, and drank a ton!
※ And the drunken chit-chat blossomed!

※ Like Taniguchi-san’s ramen experience!
※ I jusht love ramen so mush!

※ And Adachi-san’s Netflix story!
※ Anything good on there?
※ Uhhh, I don’t remember♪

※ Luck-san’s wild art theory babbling!
※ Adding randomness to long-established practice is a waste of time!
※ What does that even mean…

※ And Mr. Kimura’s romantic gossip…
※ Young people! Fall in looooove!

※ And so, the Onions wiled away that spring night…

※ Well, the break has come to an end! Tomorrow let’s all get back to work!
※ Nice one!

[This diary entry was first published in our free newsletter, The Secret Onion Cellar. Want to receive development diaries just like this, along with the latest news and behind-the-scenes information on everything happening here at Onion Games? Click here to subscribe, and you’ll also get a FREE MINI GAME, music samplers, downloadable art & more!]

[Ed. note: Read along from top-right to lower-left!]

※ Long-term projects are a battle of the will…
※ Quiet your mind… quiet your mind…

※ There are times I feel extremely stressed,
but then I think back on certain scenes…

[December 2023: End-of-year Tidying]
※ Time to get this place into shape!
Let’s rearrange so everyone can get together!

※ The memory of that day gives me strength…
※ I’ll move the desks!
※ I’ve got the windows!
※ I got good snacks for the party!

※ I’ll tackle the steel shelves!
※ Let’s squeeze all of this together!
※ Let me handle the vaccuuming!
※ I’ll scrub the toilets…

※ Whoa… everyone’s working so hard…

※ This team is so strong, everyone finds exactly the thing they need to do…
※ We can fly so fast…

※ Let’s all do what we do best…
※ Let’s get that into the game…

※ OK, everyone, let’s have fun making the rest of this game!
※ We will!
※ Nice one!

[This diary entry was first published in our free newsletter, The Secret Onion Cellar. Want to receive development diaries just like this, along with the latest news and behind-the-scenes information on everything happening here at Onion Games? Click here to subscribe, and you’ll also get a FREE MINI GAME, music samplers, downloadable art & more!]

[Ed. note: Read along from top-right to lower-left! And, this month, click here to answer the fan survey mentioned below!]

※ There’s… no way I can finish it “this winter”…
I totally failed at scheduling backwards…

[Dusk, January 2024]
※ To whom it may concern: the players, the staff, Nintendo-san…
I am truly so sorry…

※ There’s just… not enough time…

[Beautiful PR Manager Ms. Tsukiyono]
※ For indie devs, “time” is the same as “budget”, right?
Why not have another look at the budget and sales forecasts?

※ Sales forecasts, how terrifying… I’m too scared to even think about it!
※ A lot of players are looking forward to it!

※ Or maybe… no one’s looking forward to it…

[Emergency Meeting]
※ What about a fancy special edition?
※ What about a soundtrack?
※ What about figures?

※ AAAAAHHHHH! NO TO EVERYTHING! I don’t even know if anyone will want to buy those things!!

※ I guess… I’ll just have to ask people directly…

※ Everyone! Commence Operation: Customer Survey!
※ Nice one!

[This diary entry was first published in our free newsletter, The Secret Onion Cellar. Want to receive development diaries just like this, along with the latest news and behind-the-scenes information on everything happening here at Onion Games? Click here to subscribe, and you’ll also get a FREE MINI GAME, music samplers, downloadable art & more!]

[Ed. note: Read along from top-right to lower-left!]

※ Looking back, this year has been a difficult one…
※ Let’s make all the animation and sound perfect for the first part of the game!

※ Okay!

※ The sound effects are ready!
※ The battle music is ready!
※ We threw in some forest music, too!

※ Next up: optimizing the Switch version…

[March 2023]
※ The test build is ready!
※ Measuring processing speed! Optimization is go!

[Summer 2023]
※ How about the submarine section?
※ On it right now!
※ Way ahead of you!

[September 2023]
※ Then I’m all-in getting to work on the story!
※ I’m on fire!

[December 2023]
※ Wait… what? There’s still so much that needs doing!

※ The year might be over, but… the fight must go on! I have to do it!
※ I’ll take a little new year’s break and get back at it until it’s finished!

※ Do it!

※ Thank you so much for all your support this year. We look forward to seeing you in the new year!
※ Nice one!

[This diary entry was first published in our free newsletter, The Secret Onion Cellar. Want to receive development diaries just like this, along with the latest news and behind-the-scenes information on everything happening here at Onion Games? Click here to subscribe, and you’ll also get a FREE MINI GAME, music samplers, downloadable art & more!]

[Ed. note: Read along from top-right to lower-left!]

※ Every Thursday at 8:00 p.m., at a certain place in Tokyo…
A secret meeting about music is held…
※ [Thelonious Monkee, Masanori Adachi] OK.
※ [Thelonious Monkee, Hirofumi Taniguchi] Let’s get to it.

※ So, for this scene… We’ll need a song with a normal, lonesome feeling.
※ Sure, what do you mean by “lonesome”?
What is “normal”?

※ [Unintelligible anguish]

※ And, for this scene… it’s important to capture a sense of adventure.
※ You mean, it’s a musical representation of the player’s point of view?

※ [Unintelligible anguish]

※ And so, the Q&A session comes to an end…
But then…

※ Small-talk time begins!

※ The Beatles’ new song…
※ Strength training is so good!
※ Doesn’t it seem like more famous people have been dying lately?
※ We’re all going to die someday, aren’t we?
※ Hahahaha!
※ What? We’re spending more time chatting than working??
※ Hahahaha!
※ Well, everything’s gonna work out.

※ Every Thursday night rolls by just like so…
※ Nice one!

[This diary entry was first published in our free newsletter, The Secret Onion Cellar. Want to receive development diaries just like this, along with the latest news and behind-the-scenes information on everything happening here at Onion Games? Click here to subscribe, and you’ll also get a FREE MINI GAME, music samplers, downloadable art & more!]