Update 09/07/2026

Hi everyone,

I thought it was time to let you know about a small change in direction.

Firstly, not much has changed on the home front since my last update. Our elderly friend is still in hospital, so life continues to revolve around hospital visits, caring responsibilities and all the day-to-day juggling that comes with them.

The good news is that all of that has given me a little time to stand back and think about the future of the stories themselves.

As many of you know, Shaddolands is the main project. It's a large, ambitious story with multiple routes, branching dialogue, complex scripting and a lot of planning behind every chapter.

Izzy, although smaller in scale, has gradually grown into a much bigger project than I originally intended. With several routes to write, code and render, it has become surprisingly demanding in its own right.

With the amount of development time I currently have available each day, I realised there was a better way to keep new content coming rather than allowing long gaps between releases.

So, for the time being, I've decided to pause development on Izzy and concentrate on creating a new DLC called Shaddolands – Memories.

Unlike Izzy, Memories will be a linear visual novel. There are no branching paths or choices, which allows me to spend my available time concentrating on what matters most: the story itself.

The purpose of Memories is something I've wanted to do for a long time.

Marilyn "Mal" Delaney has always been the heart of Shaddolands.

From the very beginning, I never wanted her to be the stereotypical "innocent girl who is suddenly corrupted." To me, that never felt believable. Mal is far more complicated than that, and I wanted players to understand why she becomes the woman they first meet at the beginning of Shaddolands.

Memories tells that story.

It introduces a younger Mal... before Steve... before Delaney's Bistro... before life became as complicated as we know it to be.

Although it's a standalone experience in terms of gameplay, it isn't really a standalone story. Think of it more as an introduction—a chance to get to know one of Shaddolands' most important characters before the main series begins.

I know linear visual novels aren't everyone's favourite style, and I completely understand that. But I genuinely believe this story will add something meaningful to the world of Shaddolands and make the events of the main series even more rewarding when they finally unfold.

I've included a few sneak peeks below and I really hope you'll enjoy seeing where this journey begins.

Finally, I want to thank every one of you for your patience and continued support.

Life has been a little unpredictable lately, but knowing you're all still here following the project means more than I can put into words.

Thank you.

Shaddo 🖤