And so the jam comes to an end! Overall, we are happy with what we ended up with and feel like we managed to do what we set out to. The journey to get here wasn't easy, but we got closer with each new iteration.

Initially, we were planning on focusing equal parts on narrative and gameplay, with mechanics like gift-giving and trading that would feed into the narrative and be narratively justified by it. However, as time grew on (and as time ran out...), we made the decision to scale the project back and do one thing right: narrative.

The game's narrative went through several stages of development and was rewritten several times before we landed on something we liked. Our first couple of drafts got the tone of the Moore Lady wrong, with her being too ditsy and stereotypically princess-like to be taken seriously, even in her supposedly emotional moments. However, with some careful revisioning of the character and the main beats in the plotline, we eventually arrived at something we were satisfied with. By reframing the tale of the "Porta da Traição" as a classical tragedy, the spirit of the narrative was kept faithful to the original legend, but with a new angle in the form of a human tale regarding war, freedom and the cost of trust.

So, even though much was left on the cutting floor, we finished the jam with a complete experience and learned a ton of new skills! Learning OkapiKit on the go was certainly an experience but it also provided a ton of pre-built functionalities that became the backbone of "A Conquista." And before we forget, big thanks to Lourenço Rosário (https://qompal123.itch.io/) for making the awesome track that you hear playing in the background! It completely matches the tone of the game and makes it hit that much harder.

'Till next time,

Good Soup Productions