This was an implementation-heavy month — coding battle scenes, writing leftover screenplay, and wiring up events. Less visual output to preview, but a lot of under-the-hood progress toward a playable build.
Phase 3 Queen Battle
Finished the remaining Puppet scenes for the Phase 3 Empress battle. Most puppet moves are now implemented and functional.
Minor Characters
Started building out the minor characters — both their battles and the interaction scenes that feed into the main gameplay loop.
Lysandra — Crafting mechanism (extending the existing system) + battle. Took the most time this month.
Faye — Battle work in progress.
Vera — Scene that rewards a skillbook to counter one of the Empress's otherwise-unsolvable moves.
Rhea — Armor recipe unlock to improve your odds against the Empress.
Each one removes a progress block or hands you a tool you need for the core loop: interact with minor characters, unlock recipes and gear, take on the Empress with better odds.
What's Next
Working toward a complete, playable-but-barebone build — the skeleton everything else gets layered onto. The pieces are all there, scattered; the job now is gluing them into one connected experience. That's the hardest part of the cycle, but I can see the end of the tunnel.