- A Small Audio Update - 28 June 2026
As part of the preparations for releasing the "Cycle of Struggle: Ardengrad" OST on YouTube, I’ve mastered some of the tracks. There have been a lot of requests for a standalone soundtrack release, so I’ve started polishing the music to make it sound better outside the game as well. The corresponding tracks in the game have also been updated: the old versions have been replaced with mastered ones that have gone through additional technical processing. The music should now sound cleaner and more cohesive. During the review, I also managed to catch and fix a few minor issues in the voice-over and localization.
- Hotfix 26062026-1 - 26 June 2026
Fixed an unfortunate stylistic issue in the original text of the article about "Domovoy Sychik," which suffered from repetitive syntactic structures. The same error carried over into the localized versions, which have now also been corrected.
- Update 1.3 - 25 June 2026
This update focuses on two main areas: revising the opening of the game and improving its localizations.The early scenes have undergone substantial editing. I tightened the pacing, cut some of the more drawn-out narration, and shortened passages in which Yura spent too much time reflecting on his emotional state and general outlook on life. The opening simply took too long to get moving before reaching the characters, conflicts, and events that actually drive the story.Players now reach the first key character interactions sooner, bringing them more quickly to what most people play visual novels for in the first place: characters, dialogue, choices, and, of course, new sprites for the female cast.A major part of this update was devoted to localization work.The Belarusian translation received an extensive editorial overhaul. Heavy Russian calques, unnatural phrasing, and Russian-influenc…
- Monthly Update: The Act 2 preview has gone into voice acting - 19 June 2026
In the previous production update, I talked about the decision to develop K/A and M/N in parallel. At the time, this was primarily an architectural decision: not to split the two routes into separate production eras, but to build them as two sides of the same story.This month, that idea moved from planning into production. The Act Two preview block is now complete in scope and has already been sent out for voice recording.This is a full-fledged slice of the game: 10 files, 16 named roles, 2,256 lines, and more than 14,000 English words to record. In practice, this is the first major test of Act Two not only as text, but as a future visual novel: with rhythm, voices, scenes, pauses, and actor performance.For me, this is an important milestone. Voice acting strips away self-deception very quickly. As long as the text lives inside a script file, it can seem coherent simply because the auth…
- Production Update: K/A and M/N Will Be Developed in Parallel - 18 May 2026
Originally, I planned to bring the K/A route fully up to the required level first, and only then switch to M/N. From a development standpoint, that seemed more convenient: one route and one production line.But as work progressed, it became increasingly clear that this approach would be wrong for the story itself.K/A and M/N are two different trajectories of the same Yura within one large historical catastrophe. They reveal different sides of the same conflict and gradually converge around the central problem of the "Cycle".K/A is the Thesis. The combat brotherhood of students, street politics, the editorial office of "Vesna", and home as a second front. It is Katya with her fiery ethics of solidarity, and Anya with her cold logic of information. It is the historical boundary where Yura will be stripped of his right to mauvaise foi, self-isolation, and self-pity.M/N is the Antithesis. Th…
- A small (no) update on the script. - 15 April 2026
I think I've finally finished that thing without which you just can't properly write a branching story for a big-ass script: K/A now has a working structure. A real framework built for the long haul. No more fear that in the middle of an act everything will go sideways and start eating itself. Shoutout to all those screenwriting guides I've been reading during breaks from work.What does this mean in practice?Act One of K/A (the second overall act) now has a clear architecture: entry point, rising pressure, moments where the story genuinely changes, nodes past which there's no turning back—and a clear sense of where the home is, where the collective is, where the city is, and where the future disaster is already starting to take shape.Plus, now that architecture has the layers I promised locked in tight:First, real political struggle. Not "something's happening somewhere (who cares)"—but…
- Hotfix 07042026-1 - 7 April 2026
Audio: Updated the lyrics for the main theme to better capture the story's mood and core ideas. Text & Localization: Polished the Chinese translation (CN-zh). Massive thanks to 致色元素 for the help with editing! If you spot any other issues, feel free to drop a post in the Discussions. Visionary Impact is always listening, and I don't bite! :>
- Hotfix 19032026-1 - 19 March 2026
Audio: Added an audio vignette for the K/A route credits. Added Isakov's missing voiceline. Text and Localization: Fixed stylistic errors in the source text. Minor fixes for LATAM Spanish.
- Act 1 translation to Neutral Spanish (LATAM) is now ready! - 18 March 2026
Act 1 of Cycle of Struggle: Ardengrad is now fully translated into Neutral Spanish (LATAM).What’s included:— Full translation of Act 1 and the Encyclopedia.— Dialogues adapted for natural-sounding LATAM Spanish.— Preservation of the original atmosphere and authorial tone.If you spot any errors or would like to share your feedback, please let us know! Your input helps us make the localization even better.Thank you for following the game’s development!
- Behind the Scenes: K/A Route, Act 1 - 17 March 2026
I decided to spend some of my downtime auditing the script for Act 2 and... well, you know how it goes. You plan for one thing, but the reality turns out quite different.The intro and the first entry point into the K/A route alone have already swallowed up 14,677 words. To give you some perspective on the scale: that’s already a quarter of an average novel, and I’ve only just cleared the starting point of Act 2, barely introducing the imaginary reader to the daily life and atmosphere that the K/A route carries.So, if I keep writing at this density, the K/A route will easily smash through the 50k-word mark.Is that a lot? On one hand, 35–40k seemed like a comfortable target based on my experience with the first exposition-heavy act. On the other hand, we still have "Vesna" newspaper ahead of us, election night, political tangles, and the climax of the personal responsibility toward the co…
- Demo Translation into Neutral LATAM Spanish - 12 March 2026
We’ve finished the Español Neutro (LATAM) translation for the demo version.Right now we’re doing the final polishing pass for the main game translation. If everything goes according to plan, the full LATAM Spanish localization should be completed by the middle of next week.If you speak Spanish and notice any unfortunate mistakes, please be sure to report them in the discussions!
- The Ardengrad Real Voice: Steam Page Update - 12 March 2026
I seriously rebuilt the Steam page. Not in the "tweaked a couple lines and called it a day" bullshit, but properly. The old text leaned too much on vague phrasing, which could attract people with completely different expectations. I'm not chasing raw reach—I want the page to hit the right audience.The core of Ardengrad isn't some abstract "politics for the sake of politics." It's about the moment when university debates and personal relationships get dragged into a historical rupture. That point when politics stops being a topic of discussion and kicks your door in as a brutal reality—whether it's Chile in '73, Argentina's 30,000 "disappeared," or the massacre at Tlatelolco. What matters here isn't ideology in itself, but the violence history inflicts on individuals and the cost of taking a human position while a country is falling apart.I tore the whole thing apart and rebuilt it—struc…
- Hotfix 26022026-1 - 26 February 2026
Several typos in the UA and RU text have been corrected. A bug with the pin trigger after selecting with the spacebar has been fixed. Lucia’s voice lines have also been added to the game.
- The Path Ahead - 20 February 2026
Here is the breakdown of my script production strategy. To avoid a narrative mess and ensure maximum quality, I am taking a sequential approach: first, I will fully wrap up the K/A route, and only then move on to M/N.It is a matter of focus. Running two parallel routes means dealing with different rhythms, meanings, and dramaturgy. If I try to pull them both at once, the pacing and attention to detail will inevitably slip, and I will start repeating myself. The brain loves to recycle successful moves from a different angle. By working one by one, I stay concentrated and make each block truly self-contained.There is another point. K/A is a broad arc. It opens up the historical horizon and shows the conflict "from the ground," through real people, their decisions, and their mistakes. This is where I clearly define the scale of the confrontation, the pressure, and the inner workings of the…
- Hotfix 17022026-1 - 17 February 2026
Fixed a couple of typos in the Russian text.Improved the CN-zh localization and standardized the names "阿尔登纳" and "阿尔登格勒" instead of the previous "阿登纳" and "阿登格拉德" for better authenticity.The CN-zh logo has been updated accordingly to reflect these changes.
- Those nails were needed after all: Week One Results - 13 February 2026
Friends, it's been one week since launch—and we've got news that makes us want to both celebrate... and immediately get back to work.Week One Verdict: We Broke EvenWe're just a small indie studio without a big name, but in these first 7 days, we've not only broken even but managed to scrape together enough for a pizza-and-beer fund for the team. But that's not the point. The point is, we've realized this wagon has momentum, and we're ready to push it even harder.But that's not the real win. The real win is this: the wagon didn't derail. It's rolling, and now we push it forward.Raw Numbers for the RecordSales didn't flatline: After the explosive first 72 hours, we are still seeing a steady "tail" of purchases. For an Early Access title, that's the best compliment we could ask for.Wishlists are growing: Even after launch, the "Outstanding Wishlists" count hasn't collapsed. Word of mouth i…
- Hotfix 11022026-2 - 11 February 2026
Replaced the outdated logo with the current one at the end of the prologue in the zh-CN localization.
- Hotfix 11022026-1 - 11 February 2026
Fixed a couple of typos in the RU text. Also resolved a bug in the zh-CN localization.
- Version 1.01 - 8 February 2026
After analyzing Steam feedback, an issue of excessive "telegraphing" in everyday scenes during Day 1 was identified. The text was too dry, which hindered the perception of the protagonist as a living person. Additionally, several errors in the Ukrainian and English localizations have been fixed. Also, the SUDDEN (sorry, couldn't help myself) appearance of Nadya in a different outfit during Day 4 has been fixed.
- Thank you for being part of this journey! - 7 February 2026
Exactly 24 hours ago, "The Cycle of Struggle: Ardengrad" launched into Early Access—and the first thing the team and I want to say is: thank you!Over the first day, we’ve seen a vibrant response, purchases, discussions, and genuine support. For a project that tackles complex themes, this is incredibly important and valuable to us.What’s Next:Future acts will be released in stages.We will be refining the writing, delivery, and pacing based on your feedback.We plan to release regular updates and fixes.For us, Early Access is a way to build this large-scale story together with our community, staying closely connected to your feedback throughout development.If you’re enjoying the experience, leaving a Steam review helps the project immensely right now: it directly affects the game's visibility and its future. Even a short review is a huge boost for an indie developer.Thank you for taking a…
