Hi friends! Hope you are enjoying the Steam summer sale. I am about to burn my wallet when I get home from work tonight :neonya:.

Hey, I would like to take this chance to introduce you to Clea, my upcoming 2D survival horror with no jump scares:

https://steamproxy.com/steamstore/app/981020/Clea/

Clea will be released on July 10th! Sometime next week, I will drop a Weedy color alt costume mod for the game, too. I very much hope you can consider wishlisting Clea, then show your boy some support on release day.

Thank you so much :whappy:!

Happy New Year everyone :whappy:! As 2018 came to a close, I took a trip down memory lane and browsed through my development folders. That was when I came across this gem:

A photo of Unhack's prototype being played by a friend at Starbucks! Notice the "work in progress" message on the bottom right. Also, of course, my subpar programmer art.

Not long after Unhack, I took a 5 year trip through the world of visual novels. Now I am back to traditional games again with Clea.

Speaking of which, did you know Clea's artwork will be revised? The prototype phase is over, and we are in the process of building a team. Though our final members have yet to be announced, here is a preview by Karousel-k, the artist for Without Within:

Please keep taps on the project via its Steam page:

https://steamproxy.com/steamstore/app/981020/Clea/

And if you decide (now or later) that it is worth a wishlist, I would deeply appreciate it.

Thank you, dear unhackers :nblush:!

Hi there :neonya:! First, to set expectations, this is not a Unhack 3 announcement. With that cleared, let us proceed.

First, some real talk. By the time Unhack 2 came out, it was no longer that easy to earn sales on Steam compared to 4-5 years ago. Because of this, it is tough at this point to justify a third instalment.

That is, unless I take things to yet another level.

The Unhack series began as more of a game than a visual novel. However, by the time I developed the sequel, I was already on a VN path, hence the change in tone. That, plus I could not convey the story without using far more words than the original.

Format aside, if we compare the story quality of Unhack 1 and 2, I think the second game wins hands down. And you know, as of late, I have decided there are still more stories to tell in this series, and I wish to rectify that someday.

Though I have no projected dates, here is my plan. I would like to remake Unhack 1 and 2, then complete the series with a third and final tale. The story ought to be far less tropey than the original release, and we must return to being gameplay focused, for reasons similar to what I had stated in my recent Without Within article:

https://steamproxy.com/gid/103582791437207616/announcements/detail/1720835165981624964

I am currently working on a horror game named Clea:

http://clea.invertmouse.com

How is that related to Unhack? See, Clea is built using a framework I have been fine tuning by the day. Save system, sprite animations, config management—frameworks that will also be used for future projects. When it is time for Unhack to be rebooted, those foundations will be in place.

Clea's prototype is fresh off the oven, and for a limited time, players who provide feedback can have their names listed under special thanks. You can find out more here:

https://steamproxy.com/games/981020/announcements/detail/1708449632692798961
I would love to have everyone here as we take on these first steps together. If you are keen, I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you, or as Weedy would say, thank you, dear unhacker :whappy:!

Hi everyone :vintypretty:! Without Within 3 comes out in three days, and to prep for that, we have a sale going on:

https://steamproxy.com/steamstore/search/?developer=InvertMouse

Also, we have a quick Q&A to address some WOWI 3 related items:

https://steamproxy.com/games/676130/announcements/detail/1673527710531339085

And, of course, here is Without Within 3's store page:

https://steamproxy.com/steamstore/app/676130/Without_Within_3/

Thank you for your support through the past five years! Hope to see you in Vinty's third (mis)adventure this Friday :excelia:.

Hi everyone :neonya:! The recent sales week went very well, so I want to say thank you for that first.

And now for today's announcement—The Last Birdling is out :bibi:!

http://steamproxy.com/steamstore/app/629430/The_Last_Birdling/

Bimonia is one of the last Birdlings alive on this earth. The Birdlings see humans as sworn enemies, and Bimonia has been taught to kill on sight.

One day, Bimonia meets Tayo, a human child hunting in the forest. Bimonia fails to kill Tayo, and they instead become friends. Mother will be furious if she finds out, or worse, this relationship may cause tension between the two species to erupt.

The Last Birdling explores Bimonia and Tayo’s fight for their friendship as the world threatens to tear them apart.

Follow Bimonia and Tayo’s journeys from alternating perspectives. With 21 decisions and 5 different endings, The Last Birdling is a culmination of all the lessons I have learned since 2012. There is a progress tracker available, which means players can unlock all the conclusions without any guides. I have also added a glossary feature, so those who wish to dive deeper can immerse themselves in the lore :lulululu:.

I hope you can give The Last Birdling a look and spread the word. As always, a review afterward would be much appreciated, since it will help other gamers out :airin:.

Thank you for the last five years of support :yoyo:!

Hi everyone :bibi:. Just one week to go until The Last Birdling launches on Steam. I hope to have your support there and then!

The Last Birdling marks my fifth year not in game development, but at least under the name InvertMouse. I have released a good 5 to 6 titles on Steam now, and they have all taught me valuable lessons.

First, there was Unhack 1, which has many immature traits in retrospect. I must continue to accept critique even when it is for older titles that no longer reflect my skill level.

Then there is Bermuda, which I admit is a failure. I made plenty of management mistakes, and the results are out there for the world to see. Failure is not as scary once you have suffered through it. Please let me stress all the errors are on me, not anyone else on the team.

Next, we have Without Within 1 and 2. Initially, the first game received negative reviews from people who hated anime and/or visual novels. As the days went by, players who fell in love with Vinty have defended these titles. Vinty is kind, but she can also be a jerk. She is simply real.

There was Cursed Sight, featuring a protagonist who had caused some divided opinions. If I were to rewrite this story, I know I can do a much better job.

Then most recently came Unhack 2. This project was once a disaster due to my lack of research on AI. After months of study and rewrites, this project had evolved into my personal favorite. I hope more people may try out this title, because its themes have left me with plenty to think about.

As we count down toward The Last Birdling’s release, my portfolio of games on Steam will be on discount for a week. If there are any titles you have missed, I hope you will give them a chance.

http://steamproxy.com/steamstore/bundle/2684/InvertMouse_Bundle/

As usual, I hope you may consider wishlisting and/or joining our Steam community:

http://steamproxy.com/steamstore/app/629430/The_Last_Birdling/

Thank you everyone. See you next week :yoyo:!

Hi there :neonya:! Now that Unhack 2 has been released, I would like to share with you some of the features available:

* * *

A more mature story:

Unhack 1 was created in 2012, so as a student of the craft, I like to think my skills have improved since then. I am, of course, also a bit older now. While Unhack 2’s characters are still an energetic bunch, I believe the cast goes through more of a mature journey this time around.

Exploring the human VS AI dilemma:

AI will play a bigger role as the years go on, so this is a good time to explore some of the questions involved. What does it mean to be human, anyway? Is it possible for AI to understand how it feels to be us? I fell in love with the topic during my research for this sequel, to an extent where I would like to explore these issues again in the future. To avoid being preachy, Unhack 2 is still very much entertainment first.

Puzzle gameplay:

While story takes the lead this time, puzzle gameplay does make a return in Unhack 2. In the original game, players had to constantly pause between slots to read the dialogue, which in retrospect was not the best mix of narrative and gameplay. This is why the elements are separated in Unhack 2. I want to explore other methods in future games, so I hope we can go through this journey together.

Though the puzzles are smaller in scale this time, they are in some ways more complex. Let’s see if unhackers are ready for the challenge. Please note the puzzles can be skipped for those who wish to focus on the narrative.

More art featuring Rosuuri:

My budget and experience were limited back in Unhack 1, so I was unable to feature the number of artworks I really wanted. In this sequel, I am able to showcase more illustrations (most of which contain spoilers, which is why they are not shown on this page). Our artist this time is Rosuuri. Her works are well-known in the community, and since she is one of the best around, there is a good reason for that.

3D-rendered backgrounds:

Due to budget constraints in Unhack 1, I was unable to include proper background illustrations. Helen “Tayola” Schwieger is our 3D background artist in Unhack 2, and she has put together a collection of renders for us to enjoy throughout the game. These 3D backdrops fit our digital theme nicely.

Brainfed returns as the composer:

(Unhack 1 album art by Hybridmink)

Brainfed (Matt Hamm) provided a fitting soundtrack for us in Unhack 1. He has graciously given his time again for Unhack 2, and thanks to him, this sequel contains another soundtrack that belongs in the Unhack universe. Several tracks may even include nostalgic references to the original title.

* * *

Unhack 2 can be purchased here:

http://steamproxy.com/steamstore/app/444170/Unhack_2/
And, of course, the original:

http://steamproxy.com/steamstore/app/340800/Unhack/
Thank you everyone :whappy:!

Unhack 2's launch week has come to a close. Thank you to everyone who picked up the game :neonya:!

Software developers know the 90-90 pattern. When a program is 90% complete, another 90% always creeps up. This applies to game projects as well, but in Unhack 2's case, it felt more like 90-90-90.

The first draft of Unhack 2 was a disaster :nblush:. In Unhack 1, I was able to hide a lot of flaws through gameplay, but with Unhack 2, my lack of skills became apparent.

To tell a good story, you may for instance wish to describe the senses. What does a place smell like? How does it feel to touch this wall? Every step was a nightmare with Unhack 2 thanks to the AI cast. Program X can describe what something smells like, but can she experience it?

I rewrote the script, and once again, nothing made sense. At that point, I had spent a significant sum on production. If this were a novel, where the only cost is time, I might have abandoned the project.

And so, I took a month off to study. Watched films, read books, browsed documentaries. By no means am I a scientific mind, but I enjoyed my time with the research.

Next, I locked myself in the library and created a deeper lore for Unhack. Generation 1 AI, what were they like? How about gen 2? Eight pages crammed with notes, and now I was ready to try again :px:.

Is this the 3rd, 4th or 5th rewrite? I had lost track, but I knew those password mini-games were rubbish. Let me try it this way. No, they still suck. How about this? All right, maybe you should give up.

Hey, you know those mini-games from Unhack 1? Why not bring them back one more time, but with a twist? Sure, but that means more money and time. Do you love Unhack, though? All right, I will do it.

Another month passed, and I could no longer tell if Unhack 2 was good. It is impossible to have perspective when you have memorized every scene in the game, almost down to the individual words.

I have cut close to 20,000 words off the script. It means a shorter read, but I will never accept padding.

Since Unhack 2 is filled with AI, the traditional hero's journey can be a poor fit. I will negotiate with the cast, let them do as they please and pray gamers may approve.

Unhack 2 received the okay from testers, so it was time to do or die. It sure would be painful if the game turned out to be a disaster. Regardless of my feelings, Unhack 2 was at last published on Steam.

Thank you to everyone who purchased and reviewed Unhack 2. Reception wise, I am glad these AI characters connected with you. The Unhack universe is complex, but I tried to balance depth with concise language :whappy:.

In terms of sales, Unhack 2 could have performed better. It may take several more discount weeks before the numbers break even, so I will have to live with that.

If you visit visual novel boards, you will be lucky to find Unhack 2 mentioned once. This has been a trend for me, and it is indeed hurtful, but all I can do is focus on improving :blush:.

If money was a non-issue, I probably would have considered Unhack 3 based on the feedback so far. I have no new story in mind for this universe, so we will see what the future holds.

So yes, I had considered giving up. In retrospect, I am glad I was stubborn enough to continue. I learned more from Unhack 2 than any other game, and I look forward to carrying those lessons into future projects :a2:.

The only way to improve is to step out of your comfort zone. Perhaps next time I will stumble and produce a disaster, but I would rather take risks than to grow stale. I am thankful for every obstacle I crashed into throughout Unhack 2's production.

To stay up to date with my future projects, please feel free to join our Facebook community:

http://facebook.com/invertmouse

You can join connect with me on Twitter, where I post daily fun stuff:

https://twitter.com/InvertMouse

Thank you everyone :weedy:!

Hi everyone :whappy:. As you can see from that emoticon, Unhack 2 has just been released!

When you publish an app on Steam, you need to type "release app" or something along those lines into a box. It took me three tries to get it right just now. Yeah, I am nervous, but hey, it is 4am here, so you know :nblush:!

I would like to raise one final time that Unhack 2 is far more story focused than the first title. It is a visual novel with puzzle mini-games. To see if it suits your tastes, please feel free to try out the demo first. I am able to tell a deeper narrative in this format, so I hope you will enjoy the journey :px:.

Please note an Unhack 1 + 2 bundle is also available:

http://steamproxy.com/steamstore/bundle/1542/

Thank you, dear unhacker :neonya:!