Greetings, horror game fans!

The moment you've been waiting for is here! DESOLATIUM has officially launched today on Steam. Immerse yourself in a captivating point-and-click graphic adventure, drawing inspiration from the dark and enigmatic world of H.P. Lovecraft. Are you ready to uncover the truth behind the chaos, or will you become entangled in a dark ritual?

Watch the launch trailer for a glimpse into the madness that lies ahead!

[previewyoutube=lYbfwgz0NOY;full][/previewyoutube]

Don't miss out on this thrilling journey into the unknown. Grab your copy of DESOLATIUM at a special 15% discount during the Steam Lovecraftian Days, available exclusively from April 5th to April 12th.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1474900/DESOLATIUM/

Hello there, horror game fans!

We're thrilled to announce that DESOLATIUM will finally arrive on Steam next month, on April 5th! Experience a new point-and-click graphic adventure inspired by the terrifying mythos of H.P. Lovecraft. Solve puzzles, gather clues, and shape your own fate as you progress through the story.

[previewyoutube=h35hsCwaR90;full][/previewyoutube]

Awarded as the "Most Innovative Game" by PlayStation and recipient of the "Best Sound" award from Gamepolis, DESOLATIUM delivers a unique and immersive horror experience through its stylish and intricately designed levels inspired by real-world settings.


[h2]ADD DESOLATIUM TO YOUR WISHLIST NOW[/h2]
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1474900/DESOLATIUM/

Hey there, horror game fans!

We're thrilled to announce that SOEDESCO has become the official publisher of the upcoming psychological survival horror game, The 9th Charnel. SOEDESCO and SAIKAT DEB CREATIONS have joined forces to deliver this fresh, haunting experience that will surely send shivers down your spine!

Check out the announcement trailer for a sneak peek at the horror that awaits you!

[previewyoutube=C41pgC7UqqE;full][/previewyoutube]

[h2]Add The 9th Charnel to your wishlist NOW[/h2]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2005690/The_9th_Charnel/

For future announcements, keep an eye out on SOEDESCO channels

- Website
-
- Twitter/X
- YouTube
- Instagram
-LinkedIn
- Discord
- Newsletter

Thanks,
SOEDESCO

[h2]Hey everyone,
[/h2]

Good news! To celebrate the Halloween season SOEDESCO will be attending the Steam Scream Fest this year with discounts, unique demos, and more on our upcoming games!



Saint Kotar will also have a discount so please share with friends and family as this is a great offer.

Thanks again,
SOEDESCO

Saint Kotar: Digital Deluxe Edition is now available! This special edition includes:

• Saint Kotar: Base game
  
• Saint Kotar: The Ritual DLC
  
• The Art of Saint Kotar: Digital Artbook in PDF format
  
• The Sound of Saint Kotar: Saint Kotar official soundtrack in both MP3 and WAV format
  

Hey everyone!

New update for Saint Kotar for Consoles and PC coming up today!

The consoles will now have "The Ritual" and "Void" DLCs so make sure to update your game if you have it there too.

For everyone here on Steam, there will be a digital deluxe version of the game - art book and soundtrack are included!

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/31640/Saint_Kotar_Digital_Deluxe_Edition/




Don't forget to check out our social channels for posts about the game!

Thanks,
Robert and Red Martyr Entertainment team.

The Mystery Fest is under way! It's a festival that celebrates, obviously, mystery themed games on Steam from February 20 to 27 steamhappy



To celebrate the inclusion and add mystery to the overall mystery-meter of the festival, we decided to discount Saint Kotar with the biggest % to date: 33!

Not to forget, the main game includes The Ritual DLC along with several other additions (like The Void update) that we created and published after the game's release with the goal of improving the experience and longevity.

Enjoy!

- Red Martyr Entertainment

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1358530/Saint_Kotar/

Many have asked for it, we delivered. The original prologue Saint Kotar: The Yellow Mask is back on the store! steamhappy

https://store.steampowered.com/app/868770/Saint_Kotar_The_Yellow_Mask/

During the development of the main game Saint Kotar, the beginning of the game was rewritten, technically improved and redesigned, and in that process Saint Kotar: The Yellow Mask lost its true meaning as a prologue. Now it serves as a nostalgic trip to the past and to show the original idea that grew into something different.

Saint Kotar: The Yellow Mask is not free anymore, like it used to be before we retired it in 2021. It's not expensive either. It'll cost you less than a cup of coffee, and for the price you also get the Supporter Pack DLC for free! This way you get both for one single (low) fee and you support our work (Red Martyr Entertainment).

Lastly, you can buy the Saint Kotar Kickstarter Special Edition bundle that includes:

• Saint Kotar: The Yellow Mask
  
• Saint Kotar: Supporter Pack DLC
  
• Saint Kotar: The Crawling Man
  

[h3]Hey everyone, [/h3]

What is your favorite part about the holidays? Is it the hot chocolate by the fire, all the beautiful decorations, or perhaps giving out some great gifts? Well for us it's all of the above, but with some of our favorite videogames to boot! Just imagine playing your favorite game on the couch with a warm beverage... Sounds perfect, doesn't it?



We wanted to say happy holidays and we hope you have a great new year!

Make sure to check out our other channels for more festive content:

Saint Kotar Giveaway!

SOEDESCO YouTube

Twitter

Instagram



Discord

Thanks,
Robert J
Community Manager

Fixed Linux version failing to start new game
-Removed Bug-reporter from one of the scenes in the DLC

Fixed Linux version failing to start new game
- Removed Bug-reporter from one of the scenes in the DLC

It's release day! Saint Kotar: The Crawling Man is out now for Windows, Mac, and Linux with a 15% launch discount! steamhappy

[h3]What The Crawling Man is[/h3]
Told in the form of an interactive comic book with sounds and animations, Saint Kotar: The Crawling Man follows the appalling life of Mojse - his fall from a beloved teacher to a bitter and vengeful leader of a sinister cult.

Mojse is one of the main characters in the full game Saint Kotar, and this horror-mystery-drama story is about his life and the dark events that forged him into the person he is when you encounter him in the game.

[h3]What The Crawling Man is not[/h3]
Saint Kotar: The Crawling Man is not just a regular comic book where you scroll pages and read. It features so many things that it is actually a sort of hybrid between a game and an interactive visual novel.

The Crawling Man features:

• Interactive panels with animations and the parallax effect
  
• Sound effects and Soundtrack
  
• Voice overs (screams, gasps, whispers, etc) that add so much to the overall experience
  
• Support for Cloud Saves
  
• Achievements
  
• Full Controller Support
  

[h3]Hey everyone,[/h3]

Today, Saint Kotar comes to consoles!

Saint Kotar is out now! Please use the links below to order on your chosen platform...



Main Landing page



Nintendo store page

PlayStation store page

Xbox Store page

Epic Games

Don't forget to check out our social channels for posts about the game!

Thanks,
Robert and Red Martyr Entertainment team.

On December 2nd, 2022, the world of Saint Kotar expands with Saint Kotar: The Crawling Man!

Told in the form of an interactive comic book (or, short visual novel, if you prefer) with sounds and animations, Saint Kotar: The Crawling Man follows the appalling life of Mojse, his fall from a beloved teacher to a bitter and vengeful leader of a sinister cult.

[h3]Features:[/h3]

• Interactive panels with animations and the parallax effect
  
• Sound effects and Soundtrack
  
• Cloud Saves
  
• Achievements
  
• Full Controller Support
  

On December 2nd, 2022, the world of Saint Kotar expands with Saint Kotar: The Crawling Man!

Told in the form of an interactive comic book (or, short visual novel, if you prefer) with sounds and animations, Saint Kotar: The Crawling Man follows the appalling life of Mojse, his fall from a beloved teacher to a bitter and vengeful leader of a sinister cult.

[h3]Features:[/h3]

• Interactive panels with animations and the parallax effect
  
• Sound effects and Soundtrack
  
• Cloud Saves
  
• Achievements
  
• Full Controller Support
  

[h3]Hey everyone,

Your favorite game comes to consoles on the 22nd! [/h3]



Below are the links for preorders or wishlist:

PlayStation: PlayStation Store
Nintendo: Eshop
Xbox: Xbox Store
Amazon:

Where are you going to be picking up the game?

Thanks,
Robert and Red Martyr Entertainment team.

Hey Everyone,

To celebrate the Halloween season SOEDESCO will be attending the Steam Scream Fest this year with discounts, live streams, unique demos, and more on our upcoming games!

Hope you enjoy the video of us playing Saint Kotar!

Thanks,
Robert

[h3]Hey everyone,
[/h3]

The Ritual DLC is now live on Steam! Make sure to update your game for the new content.

[h3]Hey everyone,
[/h3]

Saint Kotar gets a free DLC! Saint Kotar: The Ritual DLC will be available on PC on October 14.





This free DLC (that's right, free) comes with a new playable character whom PC players might know as Viktoria! You can now finally delve into her side of the story and experience what happened the night before the start of the main game.


Follow a woman battling her own demons in this brand-new storyline as she tries to get redemption by finding out what happened to her missing father.

Please make sure to keep have a look at the trailer on our YouTube channel this Friday...

Soedesco YouTube

Thanks,
- Robert J and Red Martyr Entertainment team.

[h2]Hey Saint Kotar people,[/h2]

Saint Kotar is now playable on MacOS and Linux systems so even more people can play the way they want to!



For everyone on Windows PC's, we have improved loading times throughout the whole game! We have also been working on some of the more minor bugs you've let us know about.

Who's going to be playing on their Mac this weekend?

Keep an eye here for more news and updates on the game.

- Robert

Hey everyone,

Saint Kotar is now playable on the Steam deck!




Link to the Twitter post

Who's going to be playing on their Steam deck this week?

Keep an eye on here for more news to come.

- Robert

Hey everyone!

The news is out, for all you console players out there, Saint Kotar is coming to PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series X|S and Nintendo Switch on October 14!

[previewyoutube=F8FwvB3CoUo;full][/previewyoutube]

Make sure to check out the store page on your console, or of course pre-order the physical version through your local retailer or regional Amazon, for example here: https://amazon.com/dp/B0B2BHKCBT/

Thanks everyone, and of course, DLC still incoming more about that later

-Marten

Bugs fixed, improvements done.

Fixed bugs, improved performance and presentation. For our dear players!

This patch fixes (small, barely visible) bugs and brings more tweaks and improvements. Enjoy the weekend, have fun in the cursed valley of Sveti Kotar!

Tweaks and bug fixes. We keep improving the game!

Tweaks and bug fixes.

Hey everyone!

We're very proud to announce that Saint Kotar - "The Void" update is now live! This massive update contains lots of new cutscenes, completely new endings, new animations, new achievements to unlock and overall many fixes and tweaks! All in all, this a huge update, the biggest we've pushed for Saint Kotar up until now. For people who already finished the game, I urge you to take another look as the game has changed a lot both gameplay and experience wise with this! It will also be the last base game content update, until we launch the DLC, which we'll talk about soon ;)

Here's a little teaser of the newly added cutscenes: [previewyoutube=jtRXruxwQW8;full][/previewyoutube]

Anyway, check out all the details on this update right here!

• Added 2 additional endings (making for a total of 4 endings) and tweaked and improved the narrative on the 2 original endings
  
• There is now a summary at the end of one ending that has dialog and images that change according to your decision as a player throughout the game, showing you which choices you made during the game influenced the outcome
  
• Added 15 new video cutscenes that replaced most of the 'black screens' that were in the game previously
  
• Done tons of tweaks and bugs fixes, done in virtually every location in the game
  
• Added Additional animations and sounds
  
• 3 new Achievements to unlock
  
• Done many gameplay design tweaks (example: the long conversations at the beginning of the game can be now shortened, if you choose to do so, without losing the flow of whats going on in the story)
  
• At the end of the game, after coming back from the island-asylum, you can now freely walk through the town and, thus, explore and solve tasks. This wasn't possible before this patch, you couldn't go from the square into the direction of the police station, which prevented you to solve some tasks if you didn't solve them before going to the island.
  

Hey everyone!

Community items for Saint Kotar are now live! This means you can start collecting Saint Kotar trading cards and craft badges for bragging rights and trading.



If you want to learn more about what Trading Cards on Steam exactly are, check this out: https://steamcommunity.com/tradingcards/

In the meantime... We're working on an update adding more cutscenes to the game as well as multiple endings! Of course this comes packed with tons of tweaks and fixes, so this could definitely be worth a replay if you've finished Saint Kotar already ;)

That's all for now, get collecting!

-Marten

Hey everyone!

Just like last year, Saint Kotar is participating in The Big Adventure Event 2022! We'll have a LIVE STREAM running during the event week on Monday January 24th at 6PM CET/9AM PDT where Marko (Game Director & Writer) will be taking you on a journey through Sveti Kotar while sharing some very interesting insights on the game's development. Set that reminder to tune in!

Furthermore, we're very close to getting Steam Community items like trading cards and badges up. So very soon you can get collecting and crafting! Of course there's still a lot of tweaks to the game happening as well, especially at the end of the game since there's also a new ending being added! Next to that, there's fully animated cut scenes being added to replace certain black screens in the game and to top it all off, there's also DLC in the works, which we'll talk about more when the time is there.

Hope you'll take the time to take a peek at the stream, and we'll talk soon!

-Marten

[h3]2021 Has been a great year![/h3]

Of course it was! We signed a publishing deal with Soedesco and we released Saint Kotar in October! Initially, the plan was to release the game in August, but having it released just 2 months after that is a good result. There is a statistic that says, on average, crowdfunded video games that actually come out face a delay of a minimum of 12 months. And some games never see the light at the end of the tunnel. Saint Kotar was well received and we continue to support it post-release with patches and improvements (that will extend to 2022).

Not to forget, Saint Kotar has won Best Croatian Game of The Year 2021 award! First ever award coming to our office, and I swear it won't be the last one!



[h3]2022 Will be an exciting year![/h3]

Take a look at our roadmap for the next year:



Next year you will get to experience Saint Kotar on consoles (Playstation, Xbox and Switch). The porting process has just started and right now we don't have an estimate, nor a date.

In Q1/Q2 the DLC Saint Kotar: The Ritual will be released for PC, giving you the possibility to play as Viktoria the night before the start of the base game. Many mysteries will be uncovered, so let me suggest you one thing: play the base game before the DLC to avoid spoilers.

Somewhere around the DLC release we'll look into porting the game to Mac and Linux. We wanted to do it earlier, but it just wasn't possible due to time constraints.

We also have a series of interactive animated comic books in the making. The plan is to create multiple comics, each telling a story of one specific person that you can find in the game. Example: Mojse. It'll be hard to release them all next year, though.

Aaaaand... we will start to work on a super secret new game project! I can't go into more details at the moment, but it is exciting!

[h3]We're hiring![/h3]

Yes, we're looking for a talented Unity Game Developer to join our team. As soon as possible, full-time, permanent. And 100% remote work is possible!

If you are a good fit or know someone that might be, please share this link where you can find all the details about the job: https://www.redmartyr.com/careers/

[h3]Happy Holidays and a magnificent New Year![/h3]

On behalf of the whole Red Martyr Entertainment team and our publisher Soedesco, I wish you happy holidays and a healthy, happy and fun New Year!

- Marko, Red Martyr Entertainment

Hey everyone!

We've just pushed our biggest update since launch yet, a complete overhaul of voice overs! Several characters in the game have completely new voice overs by new voice actors all thanks to the feedback you've provided through the reviews, as well as a complete remastering of all existing voice overs in the game.

Just as a sneak peek, check out some examples in this video: [previewyoutube=DbGFPkIxmCM;full][/previewyoutube]

Here's the full patch notes of this update:

• Completely redone all voice overs for several characters in the game with new voice actors
  
• Added new sound effects and animations
  
• Fixed bug with stuck cursor label and icon
  
• Adjusted character text color and increased font size for clarity
  
• Fixed a bug where after loading a save file, ESC button had to be pressed twice to bring up the in-game menu
  
• Fixed camera perspective in the antiques shop
  

Hey everyone!

First of all, I wanna thank each one of you for playing and sharing your review of Saint Kotar. Over the past couple of weeks more and more reviews have come and it's been really helpful, thank you so much! This is why we figured this is great timing to participate in the upcoming Steam Awards. We'd really appreciate if you'd consider to nominate Saint Kotar in the category 'Outstanding Story-Rich Game'!

Also, thanks to all of your feedback through the reviews, we're overhauling some of the voice over lines in the game COMPLETELY. This update that also includes a lot of bugfixes, tweaks, and improvements is scheduled to go live later this week, so please keep an eye out for that!

Thanks so much if choose to nominate us, and I'll talk to you when the update drops!

-Marten

Hey everyone!

It's almost the weekend, time for a new update! Please find the patch notes here:

• A lot of small bugs fixed
  
• It is now possible for players to get out of the infinite death loop in the asylum graveyard (cave) after getting there with Nikolay to get water with the bucket
  
• Fixed a bug that prevented players to unlock the "Nikolay's Nonsense" achievement
  
• Fixed an issue where autosaves wouldn't work in specific cases
  

Hey everyone,

Ending the weekend with another update for Saint Kotar! Find the patch notes right here:

• Save game files from the demo are now not available to load anymore (referring to this issue). Please do keep in mind that if you played by loading a save game file from the demo and you then saved the game, you will experience the same issues. Please start a new game from scratch if you've played using a save game from the demo!
  
• Fixed an issue with loading autosaves
  
• Fixed an issue where audio volume sliders were visually not indicating right levels
  

Hi everyone,

We've learned that some players use save games they created from the game's demo in the full game. Please dont do that. If you've played the demo of Saint Kotar, you cannot use save games from the demo. It wont work and it was never supposed to work. Please delete all demo save files in-game by clicking 'Load Game' in the main menu and hovering over the 'x' in the left corner of the save slot.

1. The demo is not the beginning of the game. This means that if you use a saved game from the demo, you will never have the chance to play what happens before, you will miss a big chunk at the beginning of the game this way. The story will be confusing.

2. You will encounter many bugs because the game will miss data from the earlier part of the story. These bugs are not a result of the game having issues, just a matter of the missing data because you didnt play the earlier part.

Please be advised! Of course if you have any concerns or are encountering any issues, please open up a new topic in the community hub and we will help you by responding and/or fixing the issue as soon as possible!

-Marten

Hey everyone!

I hope you're all having a great adventure in Saint Kotar. The launch was yesterday, and with all the feedback we've received (thanks so much everyone), we now have the first update live: v1.0.1.

This update mainly focuses on fixing bugs and issues (over 50), visual glitches and improving stability. It would be mighty boring to tread into detail here, so I'll leave that for the next update, which is coming soon as well :)

Again, thanks so much for all your feedback, and if you haven't yet, please let us know what you think of the game through the Steam reviews on the store page!

Have a great weekend, and we'll talk soon!

-Marten

Hey everyone!

Today is the day, the day of Saint Kotar! The game is now available, so what are you even waiting for? Grab the game at a 10% launch discount and enter Sveti Kotar right now.

But before you do, make sure to check out our brand new launch trailer right here: https://youtu.be/lDZbkyb8NwQ
Everyone, thank you so much for all your support here on Steam but of course also to everyone who backed this project on Kickstarter. We could not have done this without you!

If you encounter any issues, bugs or glitches during your adventure or if you have any suggestions, make sure to let us know through the Steam Community Hub! We're listening :)

Now, go and face the horrors of Saint Kotar!

-Marten

Hey everyone,

Launch is so close now! Only two more days until Saint Kotar releases and you can face the horrors of Sveti Kotar. To take a sneak peek, I'll be playing the launch version of Saint Kotar for all of you on YouTube tomorrow at 4PM CEST. ALSO, I'll be giving away a Steam key of Saint Kotar during this live stream, so make sure to set a reminder through this link: https://youtu.be/XP3prDMOwQY Hope to see you all there!

-Marten

Hey everyone,

There's only 7 days left until Saint Kotar launches! We can't wait until you'll all be able to enter Sveti Kotar and face the mysteries it has to offer. Currently we're working hard on the final polishes to finish the experience for launch on the 28th, but there's also a launch trailer coming up next week!



Of course, if you haven't already, make sure to add Saint Kotar to your Steam wishlist to be notified next week when the game comes out.

Thank you all for your support, and see you next week for the launch and new trailer!

-Marten

Hey everyone!

Steam Next Fest starts this Friday, and Saint Kotar is participating! This means that there will be a free, playable demo available from Friday October 1st through Thursday October 7th to give you a little taste of the horrors that await in Sveti Kotar ;)

On top of this, we'll be live streaming Saint Kotar on Tuesday October 5th at 4PM CEST, here on the Steam store page and of course on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/6QDkT2VIaXs Make sure to set a reminder for the Stream on this post and tune in to check out the latest version of Saint Kotar with full voice acting and new visual effects!

Hope to see you all there!

-Marten

Hey all!

A few of you mightve already spotted it on the Steam page , but we have a release date! Saint Kotar is launching on Steam on OCTOBER 28! Thats right, just in time to celebrate the Halloween weekend with Saint Kotar. If you havent wishlisted the game on Steam yet, now is the time to do so as youll get notified when Saint Kotar will be available for purchase!

For the people keeping those keen eyes on the Steam page, you mightve seen that we updated the screenshots, and I wanna know what you think of them! Also, if you hadnt seen the trailer yet, you can check it out here: https://youtu.be/W60rYtwzApY and if youve missed our Gameplay premiere stream, you can watch the replay right here: https://youtu.be/1vUJH_wMud8
In the meantime we have a Beta test going on for people who backed the project on Kickstarter, and if youre one of them I just wanna say, thank you so much for helping out and sending us your feedback!

Please feel free to join our Discord servers at https://discord.gg/soedesco and https://discord.gg/ctwCKAw to have a chat with us! Hope to see you all on launch!

-Marten

Hey all!

In just a couple of minutes we'll be live streaming the gameplay premiere of Saint Kotar! If you wanna come hang out and see how Saint Kotar looks, plays and feels, join us here: https://youtu.be/1vUJH_wMud8

Reading this after the stream has ended? No worries, you can watch the full replay of the stream via the same link.

See you there!

-Marten

Hi everyone!

We're back with another update! Today we have some great news: Saint Kotar will be available this October! In about 3 months you'll be able play Saint Kotar here on Steam and to celebrate we've released a brand new teaser trailer: https://youtu.be/W60rYtwzApY
ALSO: we have brand new key art, and the whole store page was revamped! What do you think?


Soon we'll have a definitive date for you all, and we'll drop some more content in the meantime of course! Hope to see you all here, and please add the game to your wishlist if you haven't already. Have a great day!

-Marten

Hi everyone!

My name is Marten, Community Manager at SOEDESCO. Today we've announced that we're the publisher of the game, so we're very excited to get to work! You'll regularly see me post here and I'll be active on the Community Hub as well.

Release date info is coming soon as well, for now all I can say is: 2021 ;)

That's it for now honestly, don't hesitate to comment any questions, or create a post on the Steam Community hub!

-Marten

On June 18th, 2020 the Saint Kotar project was launched on Kickstarter. It was the accursed 2020, the year of Covid. A year everyone wants to forget or put in a bad place. We will certainly remember it forever as it was not only our first Kickstarter campaign, but the first ever game project we started. A year later, things are going preeeetttyy gooood!

[h2]Alpha Stage[/h2]

So, one year later, we can proudly announce that Saint Kotar has entered the Alpha stage of production! Wait, what? Not a big deal? What is the Alpha stage? Each studio has its own way to define the stages of production, so a common definition that everyone abides to doesn't really exist. It is a big deal because the Alpha stage, at least in our case, means:

• the game is playable from start to finish. Side tasks are not yet implemented (just a few of them), but the entire critical path is.
  
• all characters and locations are obviously implemented, but still need additional work to make them look the way you, and we, want them to look.
  
• all soundtracks are implemented.
  
• the User Interface is pretty much final.
  

• game has a total number of 126 locations!
  
• you can die in Saint Kotar, numerous times. Almost all deaths have a unique death cutscene.
  
• on top of the big number of locations, the game also has dozens of closeups, which is a feature the prologue was missing soooo much.
  
• first Alpha playtesters say the game is great. Yes, they say it is great and that the story is awesome. Let's calm down though, we still have a long road ahead of us, but seeing these feedback is certainly encouraging and exciting!
  

[h2]Status of the project[/h2]

Hello, spring! The weather is getting warmer, the days longer, and Saint Kotar richer with content and closer to release. How poetic! But it is the truth, there are lots of stuff going on behind the curtains and the development is progressing fine. So far we've created a big number of new locations, all the characters and some, but not all, the animations for them. Except for the below screenshot, there's nothing else juicy to show at the moment, but we are getting there, and the next post update might include some early gameplay footage. So stay tuned!

All the ideas/concepts we explored back when we were creating the new official cover of Saint Kotar:


[h2]Find Your Humanity[/h2]

#FindYourHumanity is our new marketing campaign that we've launched last week. The goal we set is to reach new players and raise awareness about Saint Kotar, as in our recent research we found out there are lots of people who like this combination of a dark story in a point & click adventure genre (not all of them have to be comedy, right?), but have never heard of this project. Help us to reach them, get the word out and invite people to visit the game's store page on Steam to add the game to their wishlist. Clicking on "Follow" on helps too. Adding the game and following it there allows players to get notified about the release discount as well as the news regarding the upcoming new version of the demo/prologue.

[previewyoutube=21Pbhndsw1c;full][/previewyoutube]

[h2]The 4 Stages of Locations[/h2]

Written by our artist Mirko alui:

Painting a background for Saint Kotar is rarely an easy thing, not only because we put great care to make our scenes look as good as possible but also because it is a dynamic process, requiring constant collaboration between the artist, writer and programmer. Every background must not only look good in an illustrative sense, but it also needs to fulfill gameplay and story needs. To make things easier for ourselves, we approach the creation of every scene in clearly delineated stages.

[previewyoutube=9iKgXH4pq-A;full][/previewyoutube]

[h3]Step 1[/h3]

The first step consists of research and gathering reference. Since the world of Saint Kotar is based on a real region in Croatia, for most of our backgrounds we gather photo reference from real locations. Along with the gathered reference, a scene usually begins with a tentative description of its appearance and the story/gameplay elements on the scene.

[h3]Step 2[/h3]

The second step is creating quick concepts to define the compositional elements of the scene. These concepts are usually very rough and sketchy, and painted in black and white, but they do a good job at giving us an impression of what the scene will look like. Once we are happy with the overall look, we begin with creating the polished scene assets.

[h3]Step 3[/h3]

Although all of our scenes are digitally painted 2D images, Unity is in essence a 3D engine, and our characters are 3D models which move in the three dimensions of space. This makes it crucial for our 2D assets to be fairly accurate in regard to perspective and scale. Thus, our backgrounds are painted over a 3D base created in Blender. This base not only helps our artist paint in the right perspective, but it is also used directly in-engine by our programmer to help define walkable areas, interactive hotspots, etc. Sometimes the 3D base is very detailed, other times it is little more than a few boxes that stand in for more complex landscape elements. Either way, the next step is painting over the 3D base. We use a lot of photobashing and texturing in order to be ale to create our highly detailed scenes, but we also take great care not to make things look too banally realistic and boring, and to preserve a hand painted feel. This step is by far the most time consuming. A lot of revisions are done during this stage sometimes changes in the script necessitate modifications to the scene, and sometimes the opposite is the case: a painted scene can give us some surprising new gameplay and story ideas. It can also happen that a finished scene simply does not work as intended in game. All of this requires us to go back to the drawing board and redo certain elements.

In-game screenshot of Grimalda, a castle used by the Inquisition in the 15th century:


[h3]Step 4[/h3]

The final step consists of creating animations and effects. A painted background looks pretty, but it is, of course, static. We put in a lot of effort to imbue our scenes with motion and life: lapping waves on the lake, rolling fog, flocks of birds, clouds gliding across the sky, and so on. These effects were made using a variety of methods. For fog, smoke, clouds, flames, etc. we use particle effects in Unity. For our water effects we made a shader that makes our 2D water look almost three-dimensional. Most of our animations are created externally. Some are rendered in Blender, others are hand-painted in Photoshop. Either way, they are imported as sprite animations into Unity. Where it was necessary, we also used a few 3D models directly in Unity. Our approach is flexible, and it always depends on the needs of the scene.

And... that's it! Hopefully weve given you an interesting insight into our process. With your continuous support, we'll continue creating many more wonderful places in the world of Saint Kotar and beyond.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1358530/Saint_Kotar/

Since after the end of the Kickstarter campaign we've been hard at work to improve and add lots of new features in Saint Kotar. Things that weren't good enough in the prologue were improved, and things that we thought were missing were implemented with the ultimate goal to make the full game an overall better experience. And, hopefully, a truly unique adventure game!

This news post summarizes all the work we've done up until now, explains the 4 pillars of Saint Kotar and, as a reward for being patient reading it, shows an in-game screenshot of a never-seen-before location in the game.

[h2]The 4 pillars[/h2]

Saint Kotar's design is based on, as we like to call them internally, the 4 pillars. They pretty much explain the vision of the game and how it'll be played, and every design and story choice is built on top of them. Essentially, they represent the core of the game!

Decisions: they influence how you get through the story and how you influence the world and the characters you meet in this world. Some decisions make some puzzles easier to solve, others make them harder.


[h2]Technical overhaul[/h2]

The technical overhaul was the first thing we started working on after the Kickstarter. It's finished now and we are very happy with the results and what they allow us to have in the game:

• better, more fluid and natural-looking character animations
  
• shorter loading times and a better overall optimization of the whole system
  
• close-up scenes (something we thought was missing)
  
• cinematic cut-scenes (same, we were missing them in the prologue)
  
• support for gamepads and achievements
  
• better looking and more user-friendly UI
  

[h2]Rewrite and redesign[/h2]

In the prologue the player has a role that is too passive, especially in the dialogs. So what we did was to rewrite and redesign the whole story from ground up. This doesn't mean we've changed the story, it just means that the way we are telling it was changed, and for the better. With the new design the player takes a more active role in the game, just like how it needs to be and how it had to be in the first place in the prologue. This leads me to the next point - the UI changes.

[h2]UI changes[/h2]

Dialog options now feature a portrait of the person the playable character is talking to, the last sentence that was spoken during the conversation, and the possibility to see the history (log) of that particular conversation by clicking on the expand button. Conversations are still played out outside the dialog box, just like in the prologue (with the sentences appearing above the characters' heads), and the box appears on screen only when the player has to choose what he/she wants to say or do. Take a look:



When you are wandering around the town or doing stuff (not talking to people), instead of the inventory icon from the prologue, you now see the portrait of the character you are controlling at the moment. And, when the game allows you to switch manually between the two playable characters, a smaller portrait of the other playable character currently not being controlled is visible on screen as well. Clicking on that portrait makes the game to switch control from one character to the other:



A new feature is the Memory system! It allows you to see all the tasks, be it completed or active, and the map of the town and its surroundings. This will be very useful as Saint Kotar not only has main tasks (or quests, if you prefer), but also side tasks that are not mandatory to be solved in order to progress through the story and finish the game. Although, if you do complete them you will be rewarded for doing so.



[h2]New version of the prologue coming this summer![/h2]

The version of the prologue Saint Kotar: The Yellow Mask that was released in June 2020, and is still available, will be replaced with a new version this summer! This new version, let's call it for now version 2.0, will include all the improvements and new features mentioned above in the article (obviously, the ones that the full game will have as well). It'll be a completely new experience, and it'll be made available for free, again.

[h2]New screenshot[/h2]

Thank you for sticking with the article up to this point (if you just scrolled down to see the screenshot, we won't judge you, but you are missing a lot of valuable information about the game). This is an in-game screenshot of the never-seen-before lodge location in Saint Kotar!



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1358530/Saint_Kotar/

Join us for the live stream of Saint Kotar: The Yellow Mask, the prologue of Saint Kotar, as part of the Big Adventure Event! While watching, chat with us and ask us anything you want, from dev related stuff to what type of pizza we like.

Keep in mind (!): a new version of the prologue will be released, again for free, this summer! Learn about all the improvements and new features (that will be included in the full game as well, obviously) in our latest news post here: https://www.redmartyr.com/news/32/summary-of-improvements-and-features-in-saint-kota/


Start of the broadcast: Saturday, January 23rd at 9 AM Pacific time (6 PM CET time)

Duration of the broadcast: 1 hour, until 10 AM Pacific time (7 PM CET time)

Event name: Big Adventure Event

Event link: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/TheBigAdventureEvent

Click play and turn the sound on to get into the mood:

[previewyoutube=77o_aKDKnXA;full][/previewyoutube]

Yes! Even in the darkest of places, such as the world of Saint Kotar, one can find light and joy if he wants to. The year we are leaving behind was in many ways sad, hard and tragic... It was dark, but it wasn't lightless. If you are a Kickstarter backer of Saint Kotar, or have supported us in any other way, you can be very proud because you gave us the light when we were on the verge of falling into darkness. That light is driving us now into the new year, towards the completion of this project.

We wish you and yours happy Holidays and a happy, healthy, and playful 2021!

[h3]Progress[/h3]

This update is not only about good wishes, but about good development progress as well. We decided about, and have already started implementing into the game, two things:

• death scenes!
  
• Memory system (work in progress title)
  

[h3]The new Saint Kotar cover[/h3]

Take a good, good look at it:



Have you noticed? We slightly changed the logo as well. Now, you might wonder, why the new cover? Long story short, we believe the new one better represents the game and is more visually appealing than the old one. The new cover is darker, more story-aligned and full of hidden symbolism. Nothing was added on the cover for the sake of making it look nicer, every single element and detail are there for a reason.

Some behind the scenes of the creation process:

[previewyoutube=xOFEWxGiSDI;full][/previewyoutube]

[h3]UI changes[/h3]

Aside the technical overhaul and improvements on other important stuff (such as, the smoothness and speed of animations), we've also started redesigning the user interface. Still a work in progress, but this is close to how the new dialog options box will look like in Saint Kotar:



And, still regarding the UI changes, portraits are replacing the inventory icon in the bottom-left corner:



[h3]Narrative redesign[/h3]

We are changing things in the narrative department as well. The goal is to create a better and more enjoyable experience for the player by redesigning how the game is played and by rewriting dialogues and descriptions to make them more exciting to read. This redesign includes the content from the prologue as well and so when the times comes we will release a new version of the prologue (Saint Kotar: The Yellow Mask), for free.

[h3]Saint Kotar factsheet[/h3]

Release date: August 2021

Platforms: Steam, GOG, Nintendo Switch, Playstation, Xbox

Languages: English (text and voice), French, Italian, German, Spanish, Russian

Features: Achievements, Full controller support, Cloud saving, Dev commentary

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1358530/Saint_Kotar/

Get in the spooky spirit with our collection of digital goodies from Saint Kotar: The Yellow Mask, on sale until November 2!

Saint Kotar: Supporter Pack is part of the Halloween Sale, and by getting it you directly support the development of Saint Kotar! steamhappy

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1350040/Saint_Kotar_Supporter_Pack/

It's October, the spookiest month of the year! On the other hand, nothing spooky is happening in regards to the development of Saint Kotar. Quite the opposite; work is progressing as planned and the team is happy, creative and productive!

If you want to read the longer version of this update, make yourself cozy and head over to the original Kickstarter post. If you prefer to know only the most essential bits, then this is the place to be!

[h3]The overhaul[/h3]

The prologue of Saint Kotar was well received, but it's far from being perfect. And we want the full game to be as perfect as possible, or at least considerably improved, so after the Kickstarter we've started doing an overhaul of the whole system which will bring to the game:

• concurrent actions
  
• close-up scenes
  
• cutscenes
  
• better character responsiveness and animations (smoother, faster, more natural)
  
• and, as you may have already noticed if you've played the prologue after the last update (pushed a month ago), far better loading times!
  

Hello everyone,

The Saint Kotar Kickstarter campaign has successfully ended on Saturday, July 25! Its been a few days already, but we are still beyond thankful to our community for helping us achieve more than just our base goal.

1,163 backers have pledged 50,178 to help bring Saint Kotar to life, which means we achieved three of our stretch goals. Thanks to the great efforts of our wonderful backers, Saint Kotar will be released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms, alongside the PC platform (Windows, Mac, and Linux)!

Even though the campaign has officially ended, you can still support us in the post-Kickstarter campaign via Paypal. This way you can further support the development and pre-purchase the full game; all you have to do is choose one of the available rewards.

The full game will feature up to 20 hours of gameplay, full voice-acting, and developer commentary in which we will explain the development process as you play. Its important to mention that Saint Kotar will be localized into German, Spanish, French, Italian and Russian, with possible localization into other languages as well, such as Simplified Chinese, Brazilian, Turkish, Polish, and Czech.

We also achieved the Backstory DLC stretch goal; the DLC will be exclusively free for the backers and will offer additional 1 to 2 hours of gameplay time playing with Viktoria, the mysterious character that is not seen, but is often talked about, in the prologue.

If you prefer, you can support the project by buying the Saint Kotar: Supporter Pack. As a supporter you get official prologue wallpapers, concept art and soundtrack, as well as a printable t-shirt template and Print your own Yellow Mask.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1350040/Saint_Kotar_Supporter_Pack/

Once again, thank you for being a part of this success story, helping us achieve our goal and making our dream a reality!

[h2]Funded 114% with over 1050 backers![/h2]

With less than 2 days until the end of the Kickstarter campaign, Saint Kotar is (at the moment of writing this news) 114% funded, with only 500 away from the next stretch goal that unlocks the Backstory DLC + Partial Voice Acting.



[h2]Portrayed by Mirko - LAST 48 hours special add-on![/h2]

Until the end of the campaign at 9 AM CEST (3 AM EDT) on Saturday, July 25, for 35 ($40) you can get yourself (or someone else of your choosing) a nice digital portrait illustrated by our artist Mirko. It'll be made with such a quality that you can even print it at your favorite local print shop. Learn more in our post update #26.



[h2]"Your bust in-game" add-on still available[/h2]

You can further contribute to the campaign by choosing two more special and limited add-ons. As revealed two days ago, for 50 ($58) your head (or someone's else of your choosing) can appear in the form of a bust in Saint Kotar, or for only 5 ($6) your name on our Saint Kotar office poster (your name will oversee us while we work hard on the game). To learn more about these two add-ons, read our post update #24.



[h2]Only 48 hours left[/h2]

The clock is ticking. By supporting us on Kickstarter you get exclusive Kickstarter content and you push the campaign to achieve the voice acting and backstory goals: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/redmartyr/saint-kotar?ref=34wgpx

Thanks to the amazing contribution of our backers on Kickstarter Saint Kotar is (at the moment) 108% funded! We are racing full force towards the next stretch goal "Backstory DLC + Partial Voice Acting", but there's only 4 days left. Time is not on our side now, but ideas are.

To give a nice and meaningful reason to further contribute to the campaign, we present two new add-ons: the "Your bust with your name in-game" and the "Your name on the Saint Kotar poster"!

These two add-ons are special for being available only for the final 4 days of the campaign, while the "Bust" add-on is also super limited to only 50 backers!

Take a look at the infographic below that explains what they offer.



We look forward in seeing your heads in Saint Kotar and your names on our poster! :)

Learn more about these add-ons and how to pledge to them in this post: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/redmartyr/saint-kotar/posts/2899701

[h2]Saint Kotar is happening[/h2]

Saint Kotar has reached (and has passed since) the 100% mark on Kickstarter! The game is not only fully funded but it's also coming to consoles (Nintendo Switch, Playstation and Xbox) as we've managed to achieve the first stretch goal "Console ports". Exciting times!



[h2]Next stretch goal: Backstory DLC + Partial Voice Acting[/h2]

But the Kickstarter campaign is not over yet, there's still 4 days until the end! If you've played Saint Kotar: The Yellow Mask you already know there are a lot of things that happened the night before the start of the free prologue. Almost every character has something to say about last night's events, and what's happening in the prologue is directly related to what happened the night before.



Without spoiling too much, it is the night of the town's special day, the night of the ritual. It is also the night when Benedek, Nikolay and Viktoria arrive in town. The full game continues where the prologue ends, while the last night's events are part of the backstory that was never planned to be playable. But if we reach the stretch goal "Backstory DLC + Partial Voice Acting" we can make it a reality, in the form of a DLC.

The Backstory DLC would offer an additional 1 to 2 hours of gameplay time while playing with Viktoria, the mysterious character that is not even seen, but is often talked about, in the prologue. The DLC would be exclusively free for all the backers of this Kickstarter campaign. Each backer that pledged to the "Early Key to Heaven" (or "Key to Heaven") tier or to any of the higher priced tiers would get this DLC for free if the stretch goal is achieved.

[h2]Support the game on Kickstarter, 4 days left![/h2]

The project is funded, but the higher we get the better the overall experience will be. Voice acting would be great to have! Wishlist the game here on Steam and consider supporting it on Kickstarter, join nearly 1000 backers! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/redmartyr/saint-kotar?ref=34wgpx