In the near future, a new RIBBIT update will be released, the main purpose of it to feature a new character design for "YOU the Frog."

The new update will be spearheaded by both me and Devilredd, with Devilredd serving as sprite artist and co-director. I too will be serving as co-director, programmer, and supervisor of the entire process. We are not quite sure yet, but other sprites might also see some updates, and maybe a new feature or two will be added. We are looking very forward to having you experience this new version of Ribbit, Ribbit 2.0!

In the past, I've said that 1.5 will likely be the final update. Still, there are aspects of Ribbit I would jump at the chance to improve. Such as my bad art.

Surprisingly, some of my friends told me they thought the main character looking like Kris was the point. It was not. It was a result of our limitations, coupled with the concern that changing the sprite TOO much would make it look really bad. So, I tried playing it safe by changing just their face, and hoping people would accept that as a new character.

Unsurprisingly, the result was mixed. Many people still mistook YOU for Kris, and some saw the contrast of "Kris' body with a new face" as too uncanny. And I do get that. If I had the chance to improve these sprites years ago, I would've done it then. Unfortunately, as amateurs, there was only so much we could do without screwing it up more.

But, that was then. Now, an opportunity has been presented to give "YOU the Frog" a new character design, and really make them shine as their own individual, with their own identity. We are also taking the time to make them even more expressive than before. I am very happy with how it's coming along, and want everyone else to see YOU for what they were really meant to be: A goober.

We do not have a release date yet, as we're working on this at our own pace. But, we'll be sharing more progress as we get closer to the finish goal. Thank you!

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The endgoal with this design was to emphasize YOU's background as a homeless character. As the last remaining frog in the world, their status made them a target for those who would want to preserve the species, VS. those acting out of pointless malice.

As YOU could never tell who is on which side of that coin, they chose to live in hiding. The winter coat and trapper hat keeps them warm during the cold nights sleeping outside, and as long as they don't get too close to anyone, it helps keep their identity secret too.

Because Deltarune's plot thread of "Characters change outfits between worlds" serves no importance in Ribbit, we chose to do one design that could be utilized for both worlds, with the main difference being the glowing eyes and lighter palette as YOU enters the dark world.

A secondary endgoal was to present a more adult look. And I don't mean "YOU is fucking pissed North American version" adult, i mean "The mundanity of adult life." The kind of clothing you would take on a walk along the Winter streets. Although the hat is there to offset it from becoming too adult.

YOU is at the end of their 12-year lifespan, if that one piece of flavor text from the mod can be trusted. So, I never really viewed them as a kid. To that end, their choice of clothing was made more melancholy. Also, I just like Winter, that may have played a huge bias in this choice.

There is one thing I'm striving to retain about the old YOU design, and it's the expressions, as I strongly felt that was a massive part of the character's charm. I'd like to keep them silly, I'd like them to have their cutesy moments, that'll remain the same, if not better. Sprites that used to be extremely basic edits are in the process of getting new poses.

And... that's it for now! That's all I can say. As stated before, I'll be sharing more brief updates over time. Look forward to then.