So, exactly one year ago, I laid the foundation and the beginning of this story by releasing Act I of Chapter 1 of the game Normenhill.

Actually, I started writing this text a little earlier (in early November, damn it) because I don't have much free time from studying right now, and I want to please you with some content.

(That's just student life, what can you do? I hope I'll solve all my problems, and then, in my old spirit, I'll be making the game itself and posting content about it.)

But either way, that day was special for me, and overall, my life has changed significantly since then, and I'm incredibly grateful to everyone who supported me, appreciated the game, and shared it with others. Of course, it's far from well-known, and I want to expand its audience, but I wouldn't say I want to make it hugely big; I'll get to that later.

I don't write stories like this very often, and it's best to do so when more people know about the game. But it doesn't matter, there are you who will read this first, and it's much easier to do anything for those who already know. My main goal is simply to share my feelings with someone, whether through my writing or these posts, and I'm glad in any case that someone is watching and reading this. I want it to help and inspire someone, but how many is irrelevant.

You probably already know what the game was like and what it's about, but if anyone doesn't, there won't be any spoilers here. Play it here: [LINK]

A personal story that I have told before, but not in great detail

I won't go into too much detail about the development history; it's very long and should really be told when more people are interested. In short, it began a long time ago, in 2019, with another game called The Legend of Bonesword, which had a completely different setting, plot, characters, and gameplay. However, at the end of 2020, I completely changed my vision for the project and abandoned its original version. Much of it was left unused, but some assets were repurposed into an early version of another project, Normanhill, which I began working on in 2021. However, during the development of this game, a lot had to be reworked; some things didn't make it into the game, but some may appear in the future.

The game, mostly in its plot and atmosphere, was influenced by several other games I played at the time, as well as many personal memories. My main goal was to make a game that would combine aspects I liked from other works, both warm and not so warm themes, but would also explore those I don't often see touched on. Chapter 1 Act I only contains 30% of what I wanted to embody in the full First Chapter, so it's not yet fully finished in the form I wanted, as was also noted by those who played it back then. But in general, I didn't initially plan to make the plot particularly deep. I always wanted to keep the main story simple and innocent, periodically adding details that clarify what happened before the events of the game and why things happen the way they do. And if the player really needs it, they can look for philosophical themes in it, which will give everyone something unique, something that will differ from someone else's perspective.

I initially envisioned this entire Chapter as simple and fairytale-like, drawing inspiration from both what I already knew well and from new works I enjoyed at the time.

BTW, I'd also like to point out the problem with some creators who share all sorts of important details about character backstories or world structure somewhere on Twitter or in streams, which are hard to find later because they don't save all of it publicly accessible. I generally don't want to divulge details of the game's plot in my posts. I believe that everything essential to the plot should be in the work itself, and if something needs to be thoroughly searched for, it should ONLY be THERE. Want to learn more about the characters or the world structure? Play the game on a different path; something there might be more to uncover than the one you played before. It just happens sometimes that you stumble upon some facts about characters, for example, and then wonder, "Where did you even get that if it wasn't in the show/game/movie/cartoon?" And then it turns out they got it from a fandom wiki, which includes links to streams and Twitter posts, not all of which open.

Furthermore, my personal memories, the environment, and the moments that happened then and are happening now also play a significant role. These can be considered separately from the story of the game itself, but they have significantly influenced my story as a creator. In my circle, I was always the jester, creating something either for everyone's amusement or to surprise and inspire everyone. Before Normenhill, I mainly focused on YouTube videos and streams of completely different things, which, nevertheless, were also enjoyed by both them and others on the other side of the CIS.

They would visit each other's houses to watch them together and often commented on how nice my channel was. Besides that, I also filmed and edited some videos for our old school events. It was cool, and I was glad to do it.

However, I also wanted to create my own content, my own full story, where I could imbue everything with the properties I wanted, and nothing would limit me.

Having previously looked at many other games that were being played online and discussed with friends, I wanted to create something of my own, for myself, my friends, the people I knew on the street, something that could bring joy to us all, as well as to someone famous on YouTube and someone on the other side of the ocean, during these very turbulent times.

All my friends already knew I was making a game and wished me success with it, but my inexperience had let me down many times, which is why I couldn't release it, even partially, for so long.

For a very long time, I didn't talk about anything related to the game publicly, so that someone wouldn't have to wait just as long if they suddenly found it interesting.

First of all, no one taught me how to code, or music, or how to properly promote it; I was self-taught in all of this. All I could do back then was come up with stories, draw, and make videos.

In fact, I still don't know a lot about game promotion, but all this time I had the following strategy:

1. Bring the game to at least a partially finished state.
2. After that, make some simple trailers and clips of some of its moments.
3. Release a demo/episode for free on GameJolt and Itch io around the same time, and then eventually make it to Steam.

I did a lot of this, and successfully, and it attracted people's attention to the project. However, to have it be even more effective, I should have done some of these things differently and earlier.

Regarding the GameJolt and Itch io situation, I want to specifically say that I didn't want to keep people waiting too long (remembering how it was in my circle). Besides, I'd come across many interesting-looking games on these platforms, although they didn't even have a 20-minute demo, and whose creators abandoned them without ever bringing them to any real state. I didn't want to do that, so I announced the game in October, hoping to hear from those who found it and, within a month or two, release at least some part of it to the public. Ultimately, that's what I did.

However, as I later learned, many games, even currently renowned masterpieces, tend to have a narrow audience in the early stages of development and release.

(How much content did you see in 2013 from the Undertale demo, or from the old version of OneShot where Niko died when you exited the game? Or content from Omori back when it was a comic? Or Escape from Tarkov? (I was shocked when I learned that this game came out back in 2016, and my friend only told me about it seven years later.) It only started appearing years later.) Well, overall, this isn't really surprising, considering those games didn't have the amount of content they have now.

(Actually, if you think about it, this tactic really works for attracting the first audience, but then you need to do something more, in parallel with the development of the full version.)

I've also noticed that it's become harder to convince people to play just about anything these days. It could be a super cool and well-known game, or some small one you made with a budget of two sandwiches. For example, I completed Deltarune Chapters 3 and 4 on release day, while several of my friends did so much later. Perhaps this is just a matter of my circle of friends and isn't exactly universal, but in that case, why is it that so many YouTubers who used to make tons of videos about Toby Fox's games somehow missed these new chapters altogether, and now someone completely different is making them? The same goes for Hollow Knight: Silksong. Yes, I understand that after 6 years of waiting, some people might have gotten tired of it. I was, but the game came out and I went to play it, even though I still haven't finished it, but that's not the point.

Chapter 1 Act I release and what happened after

But anyway, I'll go back to the game's release. December 2024: Christmas and New Year were approaching, and I came home that evening on a not-so-snowy but quite cozy Thursday and released Act I of Chapter One of Normanhill. It was a strange feeling for me; for years I'd been sitting on GameJolt playing games from many developers, both fan-made and something entirely their own, and now I was posting my own game there.

That winter was unforgettable for my friends and I, who were eagerly discussing the game and were excited to finally try it out for themselves, as well as play it in our IT classes.

And at the New Year's party, in addition to the New Year itself, we all celebrated the game's release, letting those who hadn't yet played it, raising glasses of tarragon and lemonade to celebrate, and then, as always, mixing all our drinks into one thermonuclear liquid while listening to music. What a party it was! And it was nice to read reviews of the game while sitting in my warm house, sipping tea with Stollen (a German Christmas cake). At that moment, I was happy to know that I'd made something that at least a small number of people liked and that for some people it brightened their days in the past year.

Anyway, I've achieved many of my goals: friends and people on the street are talking about the game, people abroad have also given it a thumbs-up, and everyone wishes me success in its further development.

And one of those who was interested in it a few days after release posted a detailed and constructive review, giving it a 64/100. Overall, Act I was aiming for about that score, but whatever its weaknesses, it caught his attention, and he spent a considerable amount of time with it, exploring every room and creating a comprehensive map showing where more interactivity could be added, which I later implemented in several updates.

But one thing was still missing, which even temporarily disappointed me after a while. (Although perhaps the post-New Year's binge drinking played a role... *Ahem* nevermind.)

But at that moment, I sat down, thought, and decided that it was actually kind of good that things were like this for now.

But then, in January-March 2025, the first Let's Plays and walkthroughs for the game appeared on YouTube, and not just from just anyone, but from John Brain, whom I've been watching for a long time and to whom I often commented, even from my old account. He actually found me in his comments and decided to check me out, found this game, and then decided to film it. When I actually saw his Let's Play for the game, it was a complete jawdrop to me. Just imagine your little game, with a budget the size of two sandwiches, suddenly THERE, on the channel of that person you've been watching for a long time, who, out of curiosity (and because you have a squirrel on your pfp, which is their spirit animal), decided to play it, film it, and loved it! It's an indescribable feeling, and I'd love to experience it again someday.

Also, Let's Plays of the game were made by a GameJolt user, who followed it even before its release and who left me comments there, and UnderPlay, who generally films fan games based on Undertale, and I decided to ask him to film my game as well, to which he agreed.

Also, some players have noted that Act I of Chapter One is quite long for a demo, and indeed, people have completed it in between 40 minutes and 2 hours, if you read all the dialogue and explore every nook and cranny of the game. Overall, that's what I was hoping for. I didn't want to make a typical short 20-minute demo with nothing but a couple of cutscenes at the beginning and 15-20 minutes of gameplay, so you won't even have time to enjoy the game itself. So, if Chapter One consists of three acts, each roughly the same length, the entire thing will be at least 2 hours long. I don't know how many Chapters there will be in total yet, but I don't think it'll be many. And yes, I want to say right away: Normenhill will definitely be shorter overall than Deltarune with all 7 Chapters.

Also, one friend of mine still draws arts for the game, for which I'm also very grateful. She's been doing this for a long time before the game came out, but I'm glad you're still doing it (And yeah, hoi there, I know you're watching this! Thank you so much again, you're amazing! And I'm still jumping for joy looking at your art dedicated to this day!)

And also, a little story from a month ago: This year I transferred to a different school, and when I started meeting new fellows, I immediately decided to tell them I had my own little game. At some point, I met a guy who was particularly interested in it and he asked if he could help me with the music, and I agreed. He's been involved in music less than me, but at a more advanced level than me, and he's really good at recreating different styles, including the one I already had in the game. Overall, we have a lot to talk about, and it's been great that we've become friends.

And it was also great to read the comments below from other people who wrote about how sad it is that the game is so underrated, but at least someone is making some content about it and they like it, and hopefully this will help promote the game. Thank you again for these reviews, and indeed, although not very large, there was still some influx of activity at that very moment after the Let's Plays!

Why I don't think narrow audience is a very bad thing

At the beginning, I mentioned a few words about the narrow audience and how I'd like to expand it, but not by that much.

There's a problem in many large fandoms where someone starts creating content that's, to put it mildly, inappropriate. Yes, I know it's always been and will be, and no one can do anything about it, but the issue here is how much of this kind of content there is in a given fandom and how much it hurts. In this regard, there are two fandoms for two different games that inspired me: Hollow Knight and Shovel Knight, and in the former, this is a major problem. However, some like to joke that this is supposedly what keeps the fandom alive. Well, like, come on, people, it's not funny, first of all, and secondly, if the fandom primarily gathered thanks to the strengths of the work, which have nothing to do with... this..., and then survives NOT thanks to such content, on the contrary, if such content is flashed here and there, it could very well discourage a passerby from interacting with the fandom at all. Honestly, I thought this was obvious to everyone. And now about the second fandom, which is slightly smaller, but which survives thanks to the game itself, its simplicity and warmth, and the nostalgia it creates for 8-bit NES games like DuckTales and Mega Man.

So, as you can imagine, I'd prefer for the Normenhill fandom to be like Shovel Knight, although in any case, I don't know how it will all turn out in the end. I also want to say separately that I love watching and supporting fan content, including for my game, no matter how small its audience is now, as well as what fans of my old Russian-language videos sent me.

Also, now I understand that if I had released the game later, it might not have had the same amount of engagement it has now. Besides, I would have only just begun working on the next acts of Chapter One, and given my academic problems, I would have had virtually no time for it, and I would have simply missed out on a certain portion of what's already largely finished, which I wrote about in recent devlogs.

Also, at that very time, I realized how cool it is to be able to interact with each of your followers, replying to them in the comments or having a full-fledged conversation with them in the chat, and when your audience is really, really large, that's simply physically impossible. Of course, I'll try to review and respond to what's sent to me in my free time, and I'd like to let everyone know I've at least seen them. You know, I might at least like the comment, so it's at least somewhat clear I've seen you.

A final thank you to all of you

I'm glad that so many things in my life turned out the way they did, and even if my expectations weren't always met, I still tried to find the good in it, and it also gave me some experience so I knew how not to screw up again. I've always tried to do something that could inspire someone else to do their own thing and diversify their lives in much the same way.

Some people need it to cope with these difficult times, some for themselves, and some for both. I'm one of those people. In general, no matter what anyone says about the meaning of life, I personally believe it lies in living it as interestingly as possible and preserving the bright moments in whatever form.

Even simple things that seem mundane now begin to be perceived differently after a while, and it's great if you have something left over from those times; it's very helpful and inspiring. My grandfather taught me this, also photographing and filming nature and everyday life in the 90s, and sometimes even me and some of my friends.

And in general, I myself love capturing interesting moments from my life in the form of photos, videos, text, or by somehow incorporating them into my other creative work. Indeed, why not reflect our teenage childhood in a game and share the story I described above?

And you, dear friends, will also have something to remember and share with someone. After all, not every group has that crazy, hilarious friend who has their own game and with whom you can drink to celebrate its release on New Year's. I'm glad I've been with you all this time, and thank you for being with me!

In any case, it was great for me to be part of this GameJolt movement, posting my art and posts about the game, and also following other people's games, even though I've been involved in the latter for quite some time now. And it makes me happy that someone else follows what I do and likes it. Thank you all for being there, guys! Thank you for following my work, supporting me, and sharing it with others!

Regarding the release of the full Chapter 1, I'm planning it for 2026. But I wanna say that if at some point any external difficulties arise and I don't have time to finish it completely, I can release the Second Act in 2026; I hope I'll at least have time to do that, although I'm still hoping for the best.

Special thanks to:

@MangleNightmare for adding the game to their top list of underrated games similar to UT/DR (I played some of them a few years ago, and now my game is on there for at least someone!)

@DonKorge for the detailed review

@JohnBrain93 for the Let's Play

@SF5100 for the Let's Play

UnderPlay for the walkthrough

@minaboom (TG) for the arts

@_RomaMegaG_ for joining the team at the end of 2025 and helping with the soundtracks

@Valentino_Rapture for the video about all the endings of Act I

By the way, if anyone needs it, here are some links to game communities on the Fandom Wiki and Reddit:

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Normenhill_game/s/uIU7sDIwMH

Fandom: https://normenhill.fandom.com/wiki/Normenhill_Wiki

I've never really been a fan of Reddit myself, but I know that people from fandoms gather there and can discuss a lot of things.

Also, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone! See ya next time!