wow, every time i think i'm finished with ESCAPE, i play it and realize that there's more to be done... that's probably symbolism for something, but at 5:15 in the morning, i have no clue as to what it might be. this update leaves the story of ESCAPE  unchanged... i wouldn't mess around with something so core to the game's identity. however, the user experience has been improved on a number of levels. i fixed everything from basic typos to thematic balancing issues to dialogue that just didn't sound quite "right."

in other words, i finally took the time to truly optimize ESCAPE. why now? in addition to this month being its one-year anniversary since publication, i'm also taking a class on portfolio development this semester. while most of the games i'll polish will be new additions to my itch.io page (i've always been too self conscious to publish much before), i figured i'd kick the process off by remastering my very first release.

to clarify, this means you can expect a lot more from me in the coming weeks. after a brush with the possibility that i'll never be happy, i'm finally ready to confront my fear of rejection and go all-in. everything i've got is going up on my itch.io page as soon as i can get it polished, and comment sections will be enabled on ALL releases, including preexisting ones like ESCAPE. this might not seem like much of a change, but it's a big deal for me.

if you actually care enough about me as a developer or ESCAPE to have read that entire thing, thanks. it honestly means more to me than you know, and i look forward to sharing all the cool stuff i've been working on with you in the coming weeks. <3

p.s. for anyone wondering about Exarch (referenced in the last blog post), it is still coming, just not by the end of 2020. as implied above, i'm focusing on cleaning up the smaller things that are farther along first.