We're now officially live on Steam! Tell your friends, tell your moms... WE'VE FINALLY DONE IT! Get your copy now! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1517470/Daughter_of_Essence/?beta=0

Hey folks, sending out a new release to the world, even if it's not a huge one. This week has largely been a flurry of activity, not least of which the Steam Store ( https://store.steampowered.com/app/1517470/Daughter_of_Essence/ ) (now live), the website ( https://indoorminotaur.wixsite.com/home ) (now also live) and the Patreon page (which was locked for having "implied nudity" on public posts but is now restored after a number of edits were made).  I think there are something like 76 attainable members of the cove now (though not all attainable in the same playthrough), which is ludicrous when I think of how much work goes into adding just 1 person to that whole complex operation. The latest member, Tom, is cool, but there's still more I want to write up on this particular character, so expect to see more of him next week. Anyway, did I mention the release date is set?! March 12th. Keep your eye on the prize. Also be sure to add our game to the wishlist on Steam. U...

  Hi everyone, I'm excited to announce the approval and official launch of our Steam store page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1517470/Daughter_of_Essence/ The release date is set for March 12th. We hope you're excited, and we hope you like our new trailer.  Check out the store, slap it on your wish list, share it with your friends, share it with your partners, etc.  It's finally happening!

  Hi everyone, tonight's launch is going to be the official 1.0 Steam release (assuming nothing catches on fire tonight), which is really scary and exciting. However, I'm going to maintain the 0.x number scheme at the same time while I release weekly builds coming up to the Steam launch. Reason-being, I have to submit a build for approval to Steam before I can officially launch the page, so (slaps hood of build), I'm submitting this bad boy. Once the game officially launches on Steam, all the weekly builds between now and then will be rolled into a day-1 patch (something like version 1.01). Hope that makes sense to everyone! I've got a lot of new art coming out this week and more to come later, so I'm not out of the woods just yet. I've also got some Mercy voice lines coming in soon, and I'm absolutely determined to make those szarva game pieces do something before I perish. Anyway, that's where I'm at. For weekly patrons, things won't seem much ...

  WELCOME, one & all, to the last alpha release before launch (most likely)! Alpha releases will probably still continue after launch for a while to get people trying out bonus content, but in a different form; for instance, it might be like a build you have to opt into via Steam. A lot of nice little things have been added or improved since the last alpha release to be sure, but since just last week, we have entered what I am calling the Fun Zone, where bug reports have more or less stopped coming in, content is essentially wrapped up, and I am just adding fun bonus content while I wait for assets. The Fun Zone will continue for the next couple of weeks, along with lots of quality assurance, as I prepare for a hopeful March release. Somewhere between now and then, I'll also have to figure a lot of things out, like how to launch a game(?) & whether it's going to launch with achievements or whether I should implement those later (or if it's even possible). There'...

  Hey folks, got another new release fresh out of the oven with some cool new content and a couple of important bug fixes. As you might have seen last week, we're coming up on total completion, and at this stage, besides addressing bug reports, I'm just adding fun bonus content and making little improvements while I wait for the artists and voice actors to wrap up. I'm shooting for a March release, so fingers-crossed all my assets are wrapped up in time. I won't set an official date until I have it all, but it shouldn't be much longer. Until then, I'll keep adding and improving and fixing! - Nym Version 0.162 - 1-22-2021  Added a new hidden area in the Isle of Deer with a special reward Gertrude can fix the reward for Mercy’s personal use, or Belka can optionally use the reward, which increases her stats in the final siege Added a new Leite scene for the [Keep Struggling] ending route Dietrich can be found later in the game if he was not recruited early on, whic...

  Hi everyone! New release tonight with some finishing touches, bug-fixes and added dialogue.  I'm just about done with the game, and now I have to wait for a couple of artists and a couple of voice actors to wrap up some new pieces for me.  By next week, we should be working on the upcoming Steam release! So please keep your eyes out for that. We're really not sure what our next project will be. We've got some ideas but we're waiting to see how it all pans out. Thanks for taking the journey with us! Nym Version 0.161 - 1-15-2021  New scene art added Added new dialogue lines to some of the cove residents after the final siege Added a new Rondo segment to the Monastery chapter, in which the player can learn new things about the church and some of the supporting characters there Added a book in Aster Village with historical details about the crater Recruitable NPC Bandon is now useable during the siege & has new dialogue Adjusted a number of lines through the game ...

 Hi everyone, hope you had a nice holiday. I took a much-needed break from releasing a new build last week and just focused on adding content, fixing bugs and trying to finish up the polish for our upcoming Steam release. I've also been working on the store page and a new trailer, as well as talking with artists, voice actors and reading up on best practices for publication. It's so close to being finished that I'm starting to go full stress mode over every last tiny little detail. Anyway, another long set of patch notes with a lot of nice new features. Happy New Year, and I hope you enjoy. - Nym Become a patron to try this build or access the public version at https://www.patreon.com/indoorminotaur Version 0.160 - 1-8-2021  A fishing guide has been added to the fishing journal, and the basics are displayed when the Fishing Rod is first acquired The Quest Journal is now bound to the “J” key (old saves must reset controls to default before the change will take effect) The sh...

  Hi everyone, I'm releasing the latest build early this year on account of tomorrow being Christmas, and because I wanted alpha patrons to be able to experience all the latest revisions before I take the next week to relax. I finished my 95 hour playthrough today and worked solidly over the weekend so I'd be able to deliver the most polished and perfected build to date for this strange and unprecedented holiday season, particularly while most of us are stuck at home away from friends and family. The patch notes are perhaps the longest I've had yet. Read them if you like, or don't. Whatever suits your fancy. Happy Holidays and much love to everyone, from Nym and Audrey. Become a patron or get the public build at https://www.patreon.com/indoorminotaur Version 0.159 - 12-24-2020 Overhauled SP system; reduced amount of SP from defeating enemies and removed all SP from leveling; increased amount of SP earned from actions in combat Made substantial balance adjustments to Def...

  Hi everyone, back tonight with another huge list of tweaks and improvements as I continue my full start-to-finish sweep. I expect by next week, the revision phase will be completely finished and the game will be all polished up and ready to launch apart from unfinished art assets. Once those are all wrapped up... off to Steam, I guess! Become a patron or try the public build at https://www.patreon.com/indoorminotaur Version 0.158 - 12-18-2020  Added new scene art for Vincent & Gertrude Delilah has new lines if encountering Mercy before & after she is captured Mercy can now present Claudia’s letter to Beatrix in her office for a while Adjusted a lot of dialogue for better quality, continuity and readability Adjusted some tile layer issues Adjusted some choice menus for better continuity Adjusted some lighting for better performance Mercy can no longer skip through the caverns in Witchdale after watching Molly enter Fixed some repeating animations The celebration noise...

Hi everyone, excited to report that I'm doing a final super thorough start-to-finish run through now to polish things up before the official release. Consequently, there are a LOT of small tweaks and changes and revisions and bug-fixes in the list this week, but don't be daunted. Many of them are relatively minor changes, and there shouldn't be any issues with save compatibility. The majority of these changes are to phrasing, line-breaks for clearer readability, minor battle positioning, things like that. Some of the "larger" changes come in the form of changed scene dialogue and a fancy new battle cursor.  I'm only about halfway done the sweep now, so expect a similarly long list of changes next week. Then it mostly comes down to waiting for art, maybe adding a few little bonus features here and there! If you have any bugs or issues to report, please don't hesitate to pop into the public Discord and drop us a line! Enjoy, Nym Become a patron or try the pu...

  Hi everyone! Happy to present the latest alpha release, version 0.156, featuring many new quest rewards, revisions, quality-of-life improvements, bug-fixes and more. This is very close to what the full release will look like, minus some art and some more fine-tuning after further playtesting, so I really hope you enjoy. Try the public build or become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/indoorminotaur Best, Nym Version 0.156 - 12-4-2020 Added new ending narrations to reflect different outcomes depending on the cove’s resourcefulness score Added new rewards to the cove for high morale scores Updated some enemy animations to resolve quicker and feel more impactful Added “breathing” effects to a number of enemies and linked breathing rates to HP as a bonus visual indicator of health Replaced the item collection sound effects Replaced the background music for Emerald Flats Adjusted a number of enemy battler positions It is now possible to formally conclude the Kelsie quest, resulting ...

  This week's release starts to fill out some side-content I've had in mind for a while, adding new items, characters, quests, etc. to hidden little pockets of the game. It's a relatively small build, all things considered, but I took a day off to relax and eat lots of food for Thanksgiving. Hope y'all managed to do the same. Best, Nym Play the public build or become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/indoorminotaur Version 0.155 - 11-27-2020  Myerte has been added to the siege Fixed a bug which allowed Mercy to approach the finder in Carvannah Myerte has been given new dialogue in the cove Added new secret quests & items around the world Added a new recipe Added a new “Water Jug” key item for scooping up fresh water to use in cooking recipes Added a new recruitable character Fixed the Minron & Molly scene causing big font to linger Fixed an issue where Mercy could retain her awakened sprite & portrait after the Isle of Deer cavern scene Fixed an issue wher...

  Hey everyone, exciting news! Weekly patrons now have access to our first full quest content update since "completing" the main storyline, which means the game is another step closer to full release. We hope you enjoy the new Isle of Deer content and look forward to next week's release, which will begin expanding some of the ending narratives, adding new secrets, and hopefully coming at you with some more new art assets! Best, Nym Want to try the public build or become a patron? Visit https://www.patreon.com/indoorminotaur Version 0.154 - 11-20-2020  Added new story content to the Isle of Deer Added new boss encounter to Isle of Deer Added new enemies to Isle of Deer Added new recruitable character (still WIP for siege stats) Updated the skillbook to contain unarmed skills Revised some lighting for better performance Slightly adjusted class balance Added an option to leave Wulfhilde alone Mercy’s room Adjusted the SP value of recovery rate, now providing 5% per 300, up f...

 Hey everyone, The latest build is uploading as I type this and we've got it all this week, from new quests, new scene art, new characters, and all the usual piles of bug-fixes and improvements. I don't have much to say about the build that isn't covered in the patch notes, but I hope you enjoy and look forward to the Isle of Deer's exciting conclusion coming next week. - Nym New to the game? Play the public build or become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/indoorminotaur Version 0.153 - 11-13-2020  Added new Beatrix scene art Added new story-content and characters to the Isle of Deer Updated the remainder of the adult scene formats to align with the scene library formats Fixed a number of rich-text characters remaining in the NSFW scenes Fixed a couple of move speed errors Fixed some passability issues Fixed a bug where attempting to loot a certain key fragment wouldn’t add it to your inventory Fixed some tile errors Fixed an error where a battle animation played twi...

 Hello, friends! The latest alpha build introduces the usual menagerie of graphical and technical improvements, updated features and bug-fixes, and a long-requested feature: Unarmed Skills! The hand-to-hand enthusiast now has a variety of new skills to learn from Dalkon, including one with a different variation for every class type. We also hope you'll enjoy the latest piece of art done by our talented contributor, Shape. New to the game? Try our public build or become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/indoorminotaur  Version 0.152 - 11-6-2020 Added new unarmed skills Added new Mercy & Hallie scene art Began updating the adult scene formats to align with the scene library formats (approx. 50%) Updated more maps for improved visuals and tile diversity Fixed some tile errors Adjusted some lighting for better performance Fixed a move-speed bug Fixed some text runoff Fixed an issue where seekers in Esterholt would continue to appear until a map change Changed how images rend...

  Happy Halloween, everyone! This latest release continues to polish and improve and fix all manner of things (half of which have been plaguing me for well over a year), and I hope you find it cozy and stable and enjoyable in time for your holiday weekend. I'm also excited to announce that we're working with a new, incredibly gifted artist ( https://twitter.com/ShapeIsReal ) to bring a number of scenes to life and to rework some of our old scenes that we feel no longer fit in well with the style of the game overall. You'll be seeing evidence of that soon, I'm sure. Best wishes and enjoy your spooky weekend, Nym New to the game? Check out the public build or become a patron here: https://www.patreon.com/indoorminotaur Version 0.151 - 10-30-2020  Updated more maps for improved visuals and tile diversity Qel landing spots now only appear while flying Fixed a parallax issue in the siege cove Fixed a parallax issue in the pre-siege cove Fixed some passability issues Fixed so...

What the HECK, version 150! This week's build continues last week's optimization efforts and extends the visual upgrades to a number of maps across the game, but perhaps more excitingly, it also begins a brand new side-story set in all-new explorable territory! This side-adventure prominently features everyone's favorite innkeeper, Leite,  but it also promises to reveal some more fairly deep game lore about a couple of other mysterious characters, so I hope this catches your attention. The area is fully explorable now and already contains some new lore, but's still a WIP, so there's a lot more to come. If this wasn't exciting enough, we are going to have another big announcement coming soon, so stay tuned. - Nym Version 0.150 - 10-23-2020  Added a new large, explorable region to the game (WIP) Added the beginnings of a major new optional side-chapter that will reveal a lot of hidden lore Updated a number of maps across the game for improved quality, performance ...

  Hi everyone, happy weekend! As is tradition 149 times in a row, I have a new release, carefully baked just for your pleasure. Except this time, due to a number of total overhauls, the build is guaranteed to be a wild and crazy ride, and I will not be held responsible for what happens if you play it. ...Enjoy! New to the game? Public build and patron details at https://www.patreon.com/indoorminotaur Version 0.149 - 10-16-2020  Updated a number of maps all across the game for improved quality and tile diversity Rebuilt all the cove maps from the ground up using the new image layering system to improve performance Fixed an issue where Holden could appear in the cove inn prematurely Fixed an issue where Mercy could enter the Danforth Crook bandit camp by ship Fixed an issue where Moon could return to the cove from her room prematurely Adjusted a number of entryway graphics for better continuity and clarity Adjusted some lighting to improve performance Fixed an issue where trying...

  Konbanwa, comrades. We have made considerable strides (finally) with a new system for overhauling the game's overlaying image systems, which will hopefully improve performance quite a bit in builds to come as well as make maps look more interesting and dynamic in the process. This is a work in progress, so parts of the game have these new improvements and parts of the game remain how they were before. In addition, I've got some cool new fishing features launching this week and a million other bug fixes. Hope you enjoy! Play the public build or become a patron at https://www.patreon.com/indoorminotaur Version 0.148 - 10-9-2020 Added a new, super-rare and extra challenging fish to the game, along with a reward for catching it You can now get a unique reward from a new NPC who appears in Newlight for catching an especially large seabear Added the remainder of the cove residents back in to the post-siege cove areas Added new dialogue to the Gertrude’s workstation if she died, and...