First of all, thanks to everyone who took part in the survey! It helped a lot to find issues and your kind words were a boost of motivation! If you missed the survey and played the game, you'll still find it here:

https://forms.gle/NCLMS9T3uKcVuJda7

Feedback would be much appreciated!

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JAPANESE TRANSLATION

Thanks to translator らびりの (Rabbihorn Rhino), there will be a japanese translation soon!

Since currently over 50% of downloads come from english speaking nations (TOP 5 are USA - 36,2% / Germany 10,2% / Canada 6,1% / UK 6,1% and Australia 3,6%) and there are only 0,6% of downloads from "the motherland of visual novels" Japan,

I'm glad that we can overcome language barriers and can offer this little story to a broader audience.

PS: If you want to make a fan translation for another language, DM me or comment and I'll be in touch!

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FINAL VERSION

In about two weeks, the "final version" (or version 1.1) will be released.

It will fix some minor bugs and typos, fix performance issues, you'll be able to switch between english and japanese language and will have a new song.

If you have some suggestions for (small) features or changes, let me know (or take the survey above and drop them there...)

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NEW GAME: GRIDBREAKER

I'm happy to give a sneak peak at the new game I'm currently working on...

STORY: 2097 - Hamburg, Germany: Kiara "White Rabbit" Denker is a cybercriminal hacker, infiltrating hostile networks and trying to make a living. Until you find out, that a friend you believed to be dead nine years ago, maybe isn't that dead. Can you hack the nodes, uncover the conspiracy, battle a rogue AI and - maybe - resurrect your friend? And should you?

GAMEPLAY: Gridbreaker will be a hybrid game. 50% visual novel, 50% tactical turn-based roguelite stealth dungeon crawler. Each run confronts you with distinct ICE security programs, each with its own behavioral patterns, forcing you to take risks and constantly rethink your strategy under pressure.

MOOD AND THEMES: Gridbreaker alternates between quiet, reflective moments and intense, nerve-wracking tension, creating a dark cyberpunk atmosphere. As you delve deeper into the network, a growing sense of isolation and surveillance sets in. At its core, the game explores what remains of a person when their worth is measured solely by how well they function.

Since I decided to switch from Ren'py to Godot for this project and it will be much bigger than "The Empathy Algorithm", it probably won't be released until end of 2027. Stay tuned for more. And enjoy a sneak preview of Gridbreaker's protagonist:

And let me know what you think...