Hi everyone and welcome to my 14th Dev Log!

Frist of all, I wanted to make everyone aware of an ongoing AVN Award hosted by GameStoryLog, a website dedicated to AVNs. It's an amazing page developed and maintained by fellow Developers, which is slowly gaining popularity. It's 100% worth checking out. Currently, it's hosting the GSL AVN Awards 2025, where my game was nominated under the category Most Anticipated. I didn't expect to see my game there, and definitely not being, as of currently, on the top 3 most anticipated games of 2026. If you believe this is the case and want to support the project, please cast a vote for The Darkness Within!

Now, let's delve into today's Development Update.

Development & Sneak Peek

While the percentage increase doesn't seem like much, a lot has been done during these last 2 weeks. Scenes are getting ever more complex, as I face new challenges, and the number of renders per scene starts to increase. To give perspective, this is where Chapter 1 of The Darkness Within currently sits at:

• 22 out of 29 scenes are complete.

• 134 new renders were created, bringing the total to 970 renders (getting close to that 1000 mark!!).

• The first Lewd Animation is done (which includes 6 variations).

• 1 standard Animation is complete.

I'm currently rendering a cold and "creepy" scene. The MC is lost, no one to be found, alone, in a cold and broken world. It's an unpleasant journey for him, but one he must face. There, he will meet someone who has lived for a very long time: a staple of an almost forgotten past. With his name no longer even spoken, he will tell a tale of a great woman who walked both worlds. A tale of how the Realm became one of Darkness.

I’ve already finished a few renders for this sequence, and honestly, they are the best-looking images I’ve ever produced. I won't spoil any more of this! In the meantime, here is today's sneak peek: Tiffany, warming up in front of a fireplace while the rain outside seems unstoppable. What might she be thinking?

It's a moment that reminds the player of the fragile weight of life—especially when one loses themselves in the act of living.

Climbing the Mountain

As I continue developing, I continuously fall in love with certain moments of the story. This often results in me taking extra time to "immortalise" these scenes so that you can truly resonate with them. Progress might look like it's slowing down, but it isn't; I’m pouring more energy into this every single day. Like climbing a mountain, the first and last steps are often the toughest.
My next focus is finishing the 23rd scene, which will likely be the biggest one yet. I expect it to require around 200 renders, if not more.

If you’re interested in the kind of music I listen to while working, here is a song I’ve had on repeat lately: MidwichMusic—I lost track of things.

Thanks to everyone for the continuous support. Your appreciation helps me stay focused on my vision while I improve my craft day by day. Thank you!

Until the next Dev Log.

— MisheruMaxis