Hello! This is JINO, the developer of Goodbye Seoul.

In this month’s dev log, I’d like to talk about something that defines the entire mood of the game: Spatial Design.

I truly believe that even a single ruined alleyway or a torn poster on a wall in Seoul can influence a player’s emotions, so I strive not to overlook even the smallest detail.

Whenever I come across a striking scene while walking down the street, I immediately pull out my phone to take a photo.

There have been too many moments when I needed reference material but had none to rely on.

Recently, I've also been capturing screenshots from dramas, films, documentaries, and books whenever I come across scenes that resonate with me. These all go into my reference archive folder.

While collecting these materials is hard enough, what's even harder is retrieving the right reference at the right moment. I’ve tried various methods, but I found that using a board format works best—it offers a clear, bird’s-eye view. I organize references by area on one large board so I can easily grasp the overall atmosphere and structure.

Images and videos are great tools for documenting spaces, but they can’t capture everything. That’s why I also write down emotions, moods, and even sound impressions in text. I tag my notes with thematic keywords like “ruins + warmth” or “crowded + loneliness”, which help me recall the feeling of a space later. These written notes are managed as sticky notes in the board app, placed directly next to the corresponding image or video to retain context.

Most of the objects used in spatial design are first created in 3D and then rendered in a pixel-art style. This pipeline was originally developed for character rendering, so it’s been thoroughly tested and proved reliable for background asset creation as well.

However, I faced several challenges when creating Korean-style objects.
For one, it’s nearly impossible to find 3D resources with a Korean aesthetic on marketplaces.
To overcome this, I reused and repurposed existing 3D assets originally made for characters or background elements. This isn’t simple reuse—I adjust the modeling and materials to fit the new spatial context.

By combining normal maps with real-time lighting, I ensure that characters and objects share the same lighting logic.
This reduces visual dissonance and creates a unified impression.
In actual tests, characters, signs, and structures within the same space reacted consistently to lighting changes, greatly enhancing immersion.

Spatial research has been a vital part of the project from the beginning and continues to this day.
However, my approach has evolved significantly over time.

🔹 Early Approach

In the beginning, my goal was to recreate real Seoul with high fidelity.
I conducted on-site field surveys, studied maps, and analyzed Street View data.
I walked through key districts of Seoul, taking photographs and documenting building layouts, signs, and even road textures.
But due to security and copyright limitations, I couldn’t export high-resolution 3D spatial data.
And physically capturing every detail of real terrain and structures posed serious limitations.

🔹 Current Approach

Now, instead of recreating real locations 1:1, I focus on capturing the feeling and emotional tone of each place.
I preserve the symbolism and atmosphere of Seoul while no longer being restricted by real-world coordinates or historical accuracy.
I recombine elements from various areas of Seoul to construct new, imaginary spaces.

For example, I might combine the chaos of an underground mall, the gloom under a Han River bridge, and a forest of neon signs into a single fictional environment.
I also borrow and reinterpret certain landmarks as needed.
This method has allowed for much more flexible development.

Even with limited data and resources, I’ve been able to maintain emotional consistency and create a Seoul that feels unfamiliar yet deeply familiar.

I believe that space is not just about what you see, but also about what you feel.

It’s not enough to simply recreate structure or form—what matters is the emotion that arises when you enter that space. That emotional starting point is where my work begins.

That’s why spatial design is always the area where I invest the most time.

Even if progress is slow, I hope the density of meaning accumulates—and that this month, too, I can keep building steadily and with care.

Your interest and feedback are always a tremendous source of motivation.

Please continue to watch over the journey of Goodbye Seoul.

Thank you.

— JINO

** All contents of this developer note are subject to change depending on development progress.

Hello, this is JINO, the developer of Goodbye Seoul.

First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the players who supported our funding campaigns. Between April and July this year, we held two rounds of funding, and thanks to your incredible support, we achieved results far beyond our expectations. On top of that, we are honored to share the joyful news that Goodbye Seoul won the “Best Game” at the Gamescom Indie Arena Booth. None of this would have been possible without your support. Thank you once again from the bottom of my heart.

Through this journey, I have felt a bigger responsibility that I have to meet community's expectations, that it is not only about deliver the game, but to ensure that it becomes the best experience possible.

That is why Goodbye Seoul is now moving forward with new challenges, aiming to deliver richer content and a higher level of polish. My goal is not just to finish the project, but to release a game that I can present to you with pride. With this in mind, I am now targeting a release in 2026.

In today's developer’s note, I would like to take a look back at the path Goodbye Seoul has taken so far and share where we currently stand.

2021. The first version of Goodbye Seoul was very different from what it is now. While working at a company, I felt a strong urge to express myself freely. Driven solely by the desire to create without restraint, I left my job and began development. Since I knew that commercial success or popularity was realistically out of reach, my only goal was to complete something that could be released within a year.

About a year passed, and I had no choice but to accept the result, failure. Looking back, there wasn’t a dramatic “day of failure.” Rather, it was the moment I suddenly realized, upon seeing the state of the game, that something had gone terribly wrong. I tried everything I could to fix it, but no matter how much time I invested, it became clear that completion was impossible. And more than anything, the real-life problems that had been piling up outside of development could no longer be ignored.

January 2022. I decided to restart the project from scratch. I created a brand-new project file and began by sketching out the overall framework. While designing the game’s systems and puzzles, I set aside my ambitions and abandoned what was impossible for a solo developer, keeping only what was realistically achievable.

The decisive change was choosing 2.5D pixel graphics instead of full 3D. To salvage even a little of the resources I had previously created, I devised various methods to make them usable. In the end, this choice became the first major turning point that allowed the development of the game to continue. It was also a time when I learned the importance of knowing what to let go of and what to keep.

At the end of 2023, when the demo version received far more attention than expected, a major turning point arrived for the project. With the signing of a publishing contract, the gaps in the story—something I had once treated lightly—were laid bare. When the project began, only characters and settings existed, while the structure of the events was almost empty. Feedback from those involved was also that the ending felt “hollow.” As I shared in the previous note, I began to build a proper narrative with a beginning, development, climax, and conclusion, adding new events and characters.

But this was not just a matter of rewriting text. Adapting the game to the new story tangled up the existing puzzles and level design. The order of learning and the difficulty curve collapsed. In the end, I had to create new puzzles or completely rearrange their sequence. Although this process consumed a great deal of time, it gave me one essential lesson: story and gameplay systems can never be separated.

And now, the project stands at yet another turning point. If the first was a correction of direction, and the second was an adjustment to strengthen the story, then this one goes beyond both—toward the challenge of raising the overall quality.

What began as a project to which I thought I would dedicate just a year for self-realization has now been going on for nearly five years. As development stretched longer, impatience grew. In prioritizing speed for quicker completion, the level of detail and polish gradually declined after the early stages, and there were still areas where the story and puzzles did not fit together. From here on, I intend to revisit the issues I had postponed, calmly reassess them, and restore balance between systems and content. I am planning new development steps to add richer content and increase the density of the player’s experience. This turning point will not be a simple adjustment, but a process of maturing Goodbye Seoul to the next level.

Sometimes I imagine what it would have been like if I could have completed everything quickly and shown you a polished result right away. But in truth, much time has passed since development began, and I still have many shortcomings as a developer, so such a dream remains difficult to realize. Through countless trials and errors, I have grown alongside Goodbye Seoul and learned much through communication with all of you.

What began as a personal challenge I undertook alone has been sustained until now thanks entirely to your support. I will continue to take each step forward to create a stronger and richer experience. With humility, I promise to keep working harder so that I may be worthy of your support.

— Yours sincerely,

** All contents of this developer note are subject to change depending on development progress.*