What!? It didn't take until Winter VN Jam 2025 to finish this game???

Honestly, it would be kind of funny and poetic if I did wait until then, haha.

But it's been long enough! Ritenuto has been in WIP for too long lol.

I try to look for jams that match the theme/timing of my game and work because having a deadline for something makes me work better... and it's easier to use a game jam's deadline than to set my own release date cause... jams feel more community oriented. I guess.

Anyway,  very grateful to Josei Jam for allowing submissions that have been previously published already. So, YIPPEE!!!! Ritenuto is done!!!

Now what?

There's still work that needs to be done to promote the game... Which includes making a trailer for it and possibly an artbook? Though I'm not sure how composed I can make my thoughts if I were to create an artbook. Seriously. I think I've ran through around 5 or 6 different planning docs for this story. Changing their ages, backstories, side characters, etc. It's really hard to organize... because it's NOT organized! It's just scattered throughout TWO google drives.

Also if I were to make an artbook, it would consist of so much old art... I think I would cringe more than enjoy making it. Maybe no artbook. Idk.

As I said in my previous post, the main characters of Ritenuto were created when I was in high school and I had the two wolves inside of me-- one pushing for stable careers within a job that I'm not enthused about where as the other pushed for ambition and freedom of doing what I like for profit.

I've kinda come to my own conclusions about the battle, which I hope were expressed by the game. Haha.

About The Aroace Stuff (Happy Pride!!):

SO. WHAT'S GOING ON NEXT??

Aha... Good question!!

As for the Italian music notation universe (Dolce, Sempre, Ritenuto) the next game I'm thinking of creating is pretty large in scope... so it might not fit within game jam boundaries.

Very scary, releasing a game on my own. All alone on my own game island... but it's going to be called Vivace.

I probably won't do any work for it  until O2A2 and Spooktober are over, because I want to focus on making cool games for those jams. EhehehehEHEH

The Ritenuto boys will be around for cameos, but their main story is finished now!! Thank you so much for reading, it means a lot to me. 

This is the first visual novel that I feel like I've put the most quality assurance into, lmao. As expressed by my previous devlog, I hope this is a VN that you enjoy reading as much as you enjoy looking at!

Thank you, thank you, and see you in the next game!! <3

- Xiruo