📢 Inquisitor Shepherd June Development Log

Hello.
This is Narrow Deep, the developer of Inquisitor Shepherd.

In the June development log, we share news about the expansion of global publishing collaborations, the rebuilding of the demo version, preparations for Japanese voice acting, and participation in domestic and international events during May.

Last May was a month where, alongside the ongoing development of Chapter 2, preparations to introduce Inquisitor Shepherd to more global users officially began.

In this development log, we will share news about the expansion of global publishing collaborations, the status of the demo version rebuilding, preparations for Japanese voice acting, the status of Chapter 2 development, and news about event participation and selections.

🔔 June Key Development Status Summary

🎮 Detailed Development Progress

1. Expansion of Global Publishing Collaborations

Previously, we had signed a co-publishing agreement limited to Asian regions, focusing on Chinese-speaking countries and Japan, with Neverland Entertainment.

Following additional discussions, we have decided to expand the scope of collaboration to global publishing for Inquisitor Shepherd.

Accordingly, we are preparing various tasks together to better introduce Inquisitor Shepherd to overseas users, going beyond simply adding languages.

The main tasks currently being prepared include  demo version rebuilding, Japanese and Chinese localization, Japanese voice acting for the demo version, new trailer production, new key visual production, and participation in overseas events .

These tasks are preparations to more clearly convey what kind of game Inquisitor Shepherd is to global users.

We plan to continue preparing localization, promotion, and event participation step by step with Neverland Entertainment.

2. Demo Version Rebuilding Underway 

We are proceeding with the demo version rebuilding based on the currently available demo.

This rebuilding is an effort to launch a new demo version with Japanese voice acting and introduce Inquisitor Shepherd to more global users.

With the addition of Japanese voice acting, we are refining the existing demo to be more immersive and complete.

We are adjusting some configurations so that the evidence submission and judgment flow, which were fully introduced in the latter half of the original demo, can be experienced from the beginning.

Additionally, we are organizing the flow of the initial story and key dialogue scenes, and adding the Codex system and doctrine collection mechanics.

Hidden doctrines can be found and acquired in investigation sections, and acquired doctrines can be checked in the Codex.

We are also improving the movement method and UI feedback in the investigation sections. We are modifying it so players can move by directly clicking on locations on the screen, and visual feedback is provided on the phone UI when evidence, information, or doctrines are acquired.

The 'Integrity/Rift' system, introduced in the April development log, is also planned to be partially revealed during the demo rebuilding process.

Although it will not be fully functional in the demo version, it will be applied in a way that shows that the player's choices and judgments can influence Shepherd's future direction.

Through this rebuilding, we expect the demo version to become more immersive and gameplay-rich than before.

3. Japanese Voice Acting Preparations

We are also preparing Japanese voice acting for the demo version.

Since Inquisitor Shepherd is a game where dialogue and atmosphere are important, we believe voice acting greatly influences character impressions and scene immersion.

This Japanese voice acting is not just about adding voiceovers; it's a task being carried out alongside the demo version rebuilding to reintroduce the game to global users.

While we cannot reveal all the details yet, we are preparing the Japanese voice acting in a direction suitable for the demo version with Neverland Entertainment.

We will proceed carefully to ensure that the atmosphere of Shepherd and Hoshi Village is well conveyed to Japanese users as well.

4. Chapter 2 Development Status

Chapter 2 development, which was ongoing, had been proceeding smoothly.

However, due to the current need to prioritize preparations for the global relaunch, demo rebuilding, and new trailer production, the full-scale development of Chapter 2 is temporarily on hold.

Chapter 2 is a section where the world and main systems of Inquisitor Shepherd are significantly expanded in the full version.

We ask for your understanding that we cannot disclose details about the content currently under development, as it is directly connected to the core story.

Instead, we are sharing some of the Chapter 2 illustrations currently in development in this dev log.

While we cannot reveal much yet, Chapter 2 is also being prepared step by step.

✨ Event Participation and Award News 

- Participated in PlayX4, Game AiCON Seoul, BitSummit

In May, we participated in PlayX4 and Game AiCON Seoul.

At the events, we were able to introduce Inquisitor Shepherd directly to many people and hear their actual gameplay reactions and feedback.

In particular, we were able to reconfirm the flow of the demo version and the method of conveying the early game experience, which greatly helped in organizing the direction for the subsequent demo rebuilding.

We also participated in BitSummit, held in Kyoto, Japan.

BitSummit was an important opportunity to introduce Inquisitor Shepherd to Japanese users.

Based on the reactions and feedback received at the event, we will continue to meticulously prepare for future localization and global relaunch.

- Selected for PlayX4 Indie Award TOP5

Inquisitor Shepherd was selected for the PlayX4 Indie Award TOP5.

We are very grateful to have received such positive recognition among many excellent indie games.

This award has been a great encouragement to us and has provided an opportunity to continue our development with greater determination.

This award has also opened up opportunities to participate in future overseas exhibitions and various support programs.

We will strive to leverage these opportunities to introduce Inquisitor Shepherd to even more users.

- Selected for Tiny Teams 2026

Inquisitor Shepherd has been selected for Tiny Teams 2026.

Tiny Teams is a global Steam online festival hosted by Yogscast Games, highlighting indie games created by small development teams and solo developers.
Among the diverse indie games showcased each year, selected games are introduced to overseas users and creators through Steam, Twitch, and YouTube.

While not yet widely known in Korea, we believe this is a meaningful opportunity to showcase games made by small teams to overseas users.

As Inquisitor Shepherd is a game developed by Narrow Deep, a two-person development team, this selection feels particularly significant. We will continue to make the most of this opportunity to introduce Inquisitor Shepherd to more users.

✨ In Conclusion

May was the month when Inquisitor Shepherd began actively preparing for its global launch and introducing the game to more users.

Concurrently, we are undertaking rebuilding work to present a new demo version with Japanese voice acting.

While the increased number of events, publishing, and localization preparations has made the development process more complex, we believe the game's overall quality is paramount.

In June, we are also scheduled to participate in Pan: PLAY — Gyeonggi Contents Korea Lab × IGGK × Gyeonggi Global Game Center Indie Game Exhibition. The exhibition will run from Monday, June 15th to Friday, June 26th.

Additionally, participation in BilibiliWorld is planned for later, and we will continue to prepare to introduce Inquisitor Shepherd to even more users.

We will do our best with the rebuilding demo and global relaunch preparations to repay the users who are waiting with an even better experience.

Thank you sincerely for your unwavering support.

Sincerely, Narrow Deep

X: https://x.com/narrowdeepgames

DISCORD: discord.gg/2r9cpBBZjg

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Dark Shepherd Diene, whose hands are cold.

I drew this at the request of a guild member.

It was a fun job.

While diligently searching for cards and chasing after world bosses,

I landed in Peyten and saw a quest I hadn't seen before 

Oh! It's the music box quest!

ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Grandma ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

I started the quest saying...

Why are you doing this to me 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

To me, who is a scaredy-cat and has had my legs give out after watching a zombie movie,

I was just about to buy cards before bed and go to sleep, so it was late at night,

Suddenly, what is this horror special feature, reallyㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

ㅠㅠㅠㅠ I was sleepy but couldn't stop in the middle 

I barely slept after seeing the ending.....🥲🥲

Menu Name
Happiness BlossomCooking Time
4 hours
Genre
B-Novel
Content Rating
Ages 15+
Release Date
2025.12.18Developer
Overlayer

*This was the previous menu game*

https://page.onstove.com/indie/global/view/10691374

• Food Story

The protagonist returns home after finishing his day. 

Upon hearing his sister say it was his birthday today and she had sent an android to his house, he headed straight home.

After opening the box, he tried to wake up the "Android" which only turned on when its name was called, but as it didn't respond, the tired protagonist fell asleep.

Then, in the early morning, the protagonist wakes up to a voice calling him.

(Technology has advanced a lot... wow;;;)

He witnesses the android, which clearly wasn't powered on, now on top of him.

Will the protagonist be able to safely(?) get along with thisAndroid with unusual desires...?

•  Side Dishes Introduction

'Harin'

- The protagonist's sameuniversity senior, and the onlyfemale friendwho often plays pranks on him.

Her goal is to become a webtoon artist, and she is currently preparing for a contest while working part-time.

'Sua'

- A householdAndroid received as a gift from her sibling. 

As expected of her origin, she shows exceptional skill in housework and diligently tries to help the protagonist with his flower shop work. 

• Points of Dissatisfaction 

- Poor Usability

(Menu Name: In the Blue Moonlight)

A typical visual novel menu would place buttons like 'Skip' on the screen, or support various shortcut keys to allow for easy gameplay.'Skip' and fixed buttons on the screen, or support various shortcut keys for easy gameplay.

(The clean screen is nice to look at, but the empty space makes it feel hollow...)

However, this menu does not support any separate shortcut keys other than mouse clicks and the spacebar.separate shortcut keys.

Furthermore, essential functions like save or load are not constantly displayed in the UI, and can only be accessed by pressing the 'More' button, making the process feel very cumbersome.save or loadUI, and can only be accessed by pressing the'More' button, making the process feel very cumbersome.process feel very cumbersome..

Additionally, the 'Skip' function is completely absent, and the occasional issue where the spacebar becomes unresponsive during gameplay further contributed to the disappointment.'Skip' function is completely absent and the occasional issue where the spacebar becomes unresponsive during gameplay further contributed to the disappointment.play during which the spacebar intermittently becomes unresponsivefurther contributed to the disappointment.

- Bugs Exist

(Two Suas...?)

There were also numerous bugs.

For example, (In a scene where the protagonist has a three-way conversation with his sibling late in Sua's route), the sibling's standing sprite is displayed like this, dialogue meant for A is output as dialogue for B, and scenes that should be dialogues are output as monologues, which could be seen frequently.Sua route late in the game) during a scene where the protagonist has a three-way conversation with his sibling, the sibling's standing sprite is displayed like this, dialogue meant for A is output as dialogue for B, and scenes that should be dialogues are output as monologues, which could be seen frequently.standing sprite is displayed like thisor dialogue meant for A is output as dialogue for B, and scenes that should be dialogues are output as monologues, which could be seen frequently.

dialogue meant for A is output as dialogue for B, and scenes that should be dialogues are output as monologues, which could be seen frequently.dialogue scenes are output as monologues.

• Strengths

- Moderately Soft Length

(Cute... haha)

This is the reason I personally highly recommend this work.

Among Korean visual novels, it belongs to the category of having a very mild story.mild story.

It has the elements of a novel.

(Personally, I think Harin is more fitting for the main love interest than Sua...)

While the 'conflict' element, essential for any story, exists, the process of overcoming crises is depicted simplistically.process of overcoming crises is depicted simplistically.

Of course, some might have mixed feelings about these aspects, but considering the length of each route takes about 2 hours (the romance/dating part is moderately paced) and that you can enjoy it without thinking too hard,

you can enjoy it without using your brainit seems like a menu purely for visual novel beginners.visual novel beginners

- Attractive Character Illustrations&

(Harin noona...!)

The illustrations and the charm of the characters also played a part..

The illustrations, perhaps to match the concept of running a flower shop(?), greeted the player with a fresh design.

Despite being an android, she has a bit of a clumsy side and surprisingly harbors feelings for the protagonist, 'Sua','Sua' and characters like 'Harin', who is passionate about her work but also enjoys subculture, 

'Harin''Harin', etc., these attractive heroines and characters delivered a refreshing flavor that complemented the illustrations.attractive heroines and characters delivered a refreshing flavor that complemented the illustrations..

- Re-watch Event Scenes

There are times when you want to re-experience the game after finishing all the menus, right?

In this menu, there is a function to return to a specific chapter and re-experience it, although not to a specific point.function to return to a specific chapter and re-experience it!

The downside is that it doesn't automatically link to the next chapter during story progression. You must manually save within the current chapter to proceed to the next.

You must manually save within the current chapter to proceed to the next.

Overall: ★★★☆☆ (3.5)

A visual novel that's good for a light playthrough. Although choices appear, the linear structure means there are no multiple endings, reducing the burden of replaying the game (grinding). With its unique characters, refreshing illustrations, and manageable length, I would gladly recommend it to Korean visual novel beginners. Personally, I wish there was a secret plus version considering the level of some illustrations and Sua's mischievous dialogue, which is a bit disappointing.'Sua', but this aspect is a bit disappointing. However, perhaps because the aforementioned 'manageable length' became a double-edged sword, the extremely short playtime, like eating fast food, leaves something to be desired. The UI, which doesn't consider user convenience, and the presence of some bugs indicate that the finishing touches in the details were also lacking.

Furthermore, the fact that we cannot hear the heroines' voices because the target numbers for the Tumblbug crowdfunding did not reach the goal is also a drawback. Especially in the case of 'Harin Route', only the mention of a confession is made, but the important confession scene itself is completely skipped, and the player suddenly finds themselves in a dating situation, which felt a bit anticlimactic in terms of story progression.

Additionally, seeing the android 'Sua', who is unrelated but an android, reminded me of the anime 'Plastic Memories'.'Harin Route'.

As an aside, although unrelated, seeing the android 'Sua' reminded me of the anime 'Plastic Memories'.'Sua' reminded me of the anime 'Plastic Memories'.

The android named 'Aila' is also a character(?) with emotions like 'Sua', and it's an anime that leaves a lot of lingering feelings, so I highly recommend watching it! 'Sua' and it's an anime that leaves a lot of lingering feelings, so I highly recommend watching it! 

<Happiness Blossom>can be found on Stove!

Stove: https://store.onstove.com/games/102777

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Finally, 9 days until discharge!!!

Please listen to the voices of bare-handed users.