For Spooktober Jam 2026, I teamed up with two of my close friends as the artist for a new VN project. It was pretty difficult to do.

This is my MEAT GRINDER postmortem!

After MATRIPHAGY, I really wanted to make another VN soon, and thus near immediately began work. For about a month I worked on BANDICHAN&FLOWERGIRL4EVER&EVER&EVER, my as of yet unreleased next project. When Spookjam was approaching, my routine harrassment of said friends happily crescendoed into the forming of first a groupchat, and then a serious division of labor and planning of the game we have today.

Largely, my job was art, and I am very satisfied with what I created. On top of all the illustrations and sprites, I focused a lot on art direction, which I think paid off. The character designs are effectively Max's, and nearly the entire GUI is by Sully. He's a whiz with that stuff, and I believe the script is really excellent, too.

Of course, I think we all had a little hand in every aspect of the game, so I learned a lot of little things even aside from being an artist. I probably shouldn't have learned how {clear} works from this project, but better late than never, lol.

Remember the last time, on MATRIPHAGY, where I discussed how I view art as my only real strength?

Well, you might say I played to my strengths this time around. Despite that, though, I've definitely taken a lot from it. Working with a team, using Github, layered images, and of course, scoping and cutting, once again.

Having someone else write the scenario and script was both relieving and very interesting. Being surprised by the story, and wowed by the progress of my teammates, was an interesting magic spell. I never felt bored re-reading and re-testing the same game many times, because of the wonder invoked by my talented friends' hands over the novel.

I miss them already while I'm working on my next project! Collaboration is a treat, for sure.

Nothing has made me so confident as this release, despite the fact that it is very much not my game. Now that all 3 of us at MSKsoft have tasted the joy of a release, I'm sure more will be coming from us in the not too distant future!

Currently, I am working on an untitled project for Denpa Jam, and I am eager to see my improvement past Matriphagy, now having what I'll [generously?] call 1.5 releases. These smaller jam projects really feel like a shonen training arc - maybe I will be scary powerful when I reappear with BC&FG4E&E&E!

If you read MEAT GRINDER, thank you.