After 6 long years, it's finally time to return to the Burden of Proof storyline with a brand new game to be released next year! Though Shinogi Chess Club has been an awesome series to develop, it's time to go back to its roots and further this intertwined world from the original perspective. This new title will showcase all of the improvements I've made as a developer with completely new music, artwork, environment and character modeling, and an exciting story that follows up on threads left behind from Burden of Proof. All new cases and courtroom antics await in... Burden of Truth!
Before we get any further, the game already has a "Coming Soon" page on Steam! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2923050/Burden_of_Truth/ The best way that you can support this new project is to tell your friends and give the game a wishlist so you can be notified as updates happen. It really does help out a ton and ensures that I can release the project in confidence so I truly appreciate it :D Now, on to the fun stuff...

What is this?!

Burden of Truth is a new game that expands on the missing Chapter 3 from the original title in order to flesh out Conrad Cross' transition between a steadfast prosecutor and a legendary defense attorney. This is content that I have alluded to in the past, but now it's finally time to realize it and fill in the gaps I meant to showcase back in 2018. But if we're seeing a story that takes place between that 2-year time skip from Burden of Proof, what more is there to learn? Without spoiling too much, a lot. Since the original Chapter 3 was so vague, it opened up a lot of room for new details and situations to unfold that allow Cross' character to undergo a much more gradual change to the person we see at the end of the game. After a crucial introductory sequence to get reacquainted with the gameplay, this new "Chapter 3" will be comprised of multiple different cases all tying in to each other with the ultimate goal of saving Sarah Fletcher from a guilty verdict.
Along the way, more context will be provided to everything that was introduced in Burden of Proof, and some concepts, such as Fletcher's disease and true role in the conspiracy, that were previously glossed over will finally be addressed in full detail. To kick off the hype, let's look at...

A story synopsis

One year after his mentor's poisoning, renowned prosecutor Conrad Cross accepts a new case tangled in web of conspiracy. In order to determine the true culprit, Cross and his opponent, Kate Flocking, engage in a battle of wits and piece together the incident by analyzing the available evidence. However, this objective proves difficult to accomplish when it's revealed that a mysterious organization is interfering with the flow of information to the courtroom. Even so, the legal counsel is determined to persevere through these limitations and expel the lies by uncovering contradictions within the witness' statements. To deliver justice, someone must be found guilty.
But as the trial winds down, an unsettling situation unfolds when a mysterious figure informs Cross that his childhood friend, Sarah Fletcher, has been arrested on suspicion of murder. At the same time, the dangerous rebellion group 209 Dive mounts an assault to retrieve the Zero Data, a database of information that could plunge the world into nuclear war if it falls into the wrong hands. Knowing that Sarah could never be responsible for the heinous crime she's accused of, Cross must turn his entire mindset around to become the defense attorney that his friend deserves. As the only person capable of saving Fletcher and preventing the catastrophic consequences of the Zero Data's exposure, Cross must enter a deadly trial that could very well determine the fate of the world.

Why now?

As you can imagine, a lot has changed since 2018 about the way I develop games and the way I tackle new projects. Having completed Shinogi Chess Club and Shinogi Chess Club 2, I've built up a ton of new tools and skills that make developing these "hybrid genre" projects a lot easier. Everything looks and sounds and plays so much better than it ever did before, thanks to a ton of practice with graphics, music composition, programming, and story writing.
I've had this idea for a long time; the idea to fill in the gaps and flesh out the Chapter 3 story I envisioned with the proper care it deserves. But now that I've had some practice honing my skills in visual novel creation, what better time than now to put all that to the game which introduced so many of you to my work? Originally that was meant to be one small segment in what would've been "Burden of Proof 2" (though the title would've been different) but after giving it some thought I realized a few things: [olist]

I want to ease people back into the story with something a bit more tame, before we get to the insanity I have planned

A slightly shorter project is easier to manage and will release faster

No need to update character/location visuals multiple times if I can make one new appearance that serves well for this flashback sequence, and put a lot more attention on this crucial moment in the story

Burden of Proof should be an anthology--an ongoing series that I can return to every now and then when I have ideas and motivation. You might think that this leaves Cross' story in a bit of a weird place, but I think these games are more about the journey than the destination. There are always new puzzles to solve, new twists to experience, and unlike Shinogi Chess Club, there is no specific end to these courtroom adventures. This is absolutely inspired by Ace Attorney and The Mandalorian, which do progress characters but in a more subtle/infinite storytelling sort of way. All that is to say: I cut out a lot of ideas so that they can be utilized in the next game after Burden of Truth, and this can be seen as a bit of a transition not only for Cross, but for the game series to set up a new standard. [/olist]
But make no mistake; this IS "Burden of Proof 2", and although it serves as a bridge into the next story, you will get the experience of a complete game that ties up some loose ends and clarifies a lot of details that were previously left up in the air. In fact, there's even more to the game than just that, but I'll save it for you to discover on your own :) Be rest assured that it will be a satisfying entry for BOP fans!

What's next?

Over the next few months I'll be sharing a lot more screenshots and information about Burden of Truth, so do feel free to follow me on Twitter or join my Discord server for updates! In addition, I hope to release a demo of the first chapter of the game later this year, so be on the lookout for that! I highly encourage you to click "wishlist" over on the Steam page as it really helps a ton: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2923050/Burden_of_Truth/ In the meantime, feel free to check out the trailer showcasing some incredible voice acting by Skip G and a brand new song which will be heard as part of the game's soundtrack! [previewyoutube=C7Jpry8kmBI;full][/previewyoutube] That's all from me, so I hope you enjoyed this breakdown of what's to come and I hope to see you in the coming months as more info on the project is released! Again, I truly appreciate every bit of support from everyone who has played my games, and though it may take a while to bring it to life, know that I'm cooking up a powerful game that will add something meaningful to the story while still respecting the original tone. While I have progressed a lot since 2018, it wouldn't be Burden of Proof without a bit of jank and camp, so I'm taking measures to recapture that sort of magic as well :) Thank you for all the kind words I've received so far, and... Thanks for playing, - Matt