So this is probably as unexpected for you as it has been for me, but I have an unfortunate announcement:
Lady of Masks is going on hiatus for the foreseeable future.
This does NOT mean it is cancelled, however.
I don’t have a timeline on when I’ll be able to get back to work on this project, but the long and short of it is that I’ve been offered the chance to write for Dark Deity 2, which is a huge opportunity for me. I won’t gush about it here, but being able to work in this space, as a writer, is the exact goal I’ve been working towards for so many years, and I’m beyond thrilled to see where this leads me. As you might imagine, this requires me reconsidering a lot of my priorities, and that’s involved making some difficult decisions.
While I love LoM like a baby, and want to see it through to the end, I simply can’t justify calling it “in-progress” when I have less and less time to work on it every month. At this point, I can’t even find the time at all; I have too many obligations, even besides this new and very large one, that I have to prioritize over something that is, primarily, my personal pet project. If you’ve been following the project for a long time, I can’t thank you enough for all your support. It really means the world to me, and even beyond the confines of Lady of Masks, my time in this community has been overwhelmingly positive. I would not have been afforded the opportunities I’ve now been presented were it not for the many wonderful people I’ve met here that have helped build me up, both as a creative and as a friend, into somebody deserving of them. Truly, truly, truly, I cannot even begin to express how important y’all are to me, and if it turns out that this is the end of the road for LoM, I really wanted to be able to make that much clear, at the very least.
I’ll still be around; if you’re in the FEU discord, you’ll still be able to find me there, and if there’s any news about this project, I’ll be sure to share it here. Sorry to be the bearer of potentially sad news for anyone who was looking forward to the completed LT port.
I want to say one last time, thank you to all the people who helped playtest / create art for / just listened to me rant about this game. If you enjoyed LoM for its writing, I can only recommend you keep an eye on DD2 as development progresses, and if you enjoyed it for its gameplay, I have a few recommendations to make!
If you enjoy the LT version of LoM, I’d recommend checking out:
Cerulean Coast by @Rivian
TLP 4 by @RandomWizard
Deity Device by @Permafrost
Eternal Winter by @Devisian_Nights
Each of these games, in its own way, was an inspiration for LoM (yes RW I know I still haven’t played TLP 4 I promise I will some day), and you may enjoy spying the ways they’re similar vs the ways they differ.
If you enjoy the GBA version of LoM, I’d recommend:
Vision Quest by @Pandan (if you haven’t already)
Journeys by @Relic
Both of these games were major design inspirations for how I handled the overall pacing of maps, with an emphasis on maps that feel harder than they necessarily are.
If you just want to see some other games I’ve worked on, consider checking out Embers Entwined and Bells of Byelen, both of which I was heavily involved in and would wholeheartedly recommend.
And if you enjoyed both, I’d recommend:
XCOM 2 by esteemed hacker Firaxis Games
Both versions of LoM are heavily inspired by XCOM’s objective design sensibilities, and the LT version in particular takes several design cues from the consumable system and how it allows for decisive and exciting moments.
If LoM re-enters development, this will be the first place I announce it. Until then, please assume that the answer to any questions about ongoing progress are “none yet.”