Devlog
Building Dear Z.
Notes, clips and small victories from development — newest first. Subscribe via RSS.
2026
Chapter 7: Rebirth in the Afterlife
Key art for the final chapter — back to the bridge where it all began, at dawn, in colour for the first time. With this, every chapter has its key art.
Chapter 6: Scenery in a Bonsai
Key art for the sixth chapter — open grassland at last, nameless graves, and a whole life laid out in miniature.
Chapter 5: House in a Box
Key art for the fifth chapter — a grand old house at sunset, a household in masks, and the chains people agree to wear.
Chapter 4: Temple in a Teapot
Key art for the fourth chapter — a thousand steps, a golden hall at the summit, and a gate not everyone is allowed through.
Chapter 3: Silkworm in a Bottle
Key art for the third chapter — a cocoon of woven silk, a desert of pale sand, and a white city that everyone else can simply fly to.
Chapter 2: Sea in a Palm
Key art for the second chapter — a small boat, an endless night sea, and a hand you don't notice until it's too late.
Hello, world — the Dear Z. site is live
A home for the project. Progress notes, concept art and music will land here as development continues.
Chapter 1: first key art and theme
A first look at the Bridge to the Afterlife — the chapter's key art and its main theme, plus an extended remix.
▶Enemies, combat & healing debris
The world pushes back — first enemy AI that can damage the player, green debris that heals, and a camera that can lock into a fixed shot.
▶A dialogue system, and two kinds of health
Characters can talk now — plus a Physical and a Mental health bar, the two things the player has to protect.
▶Debris → Totem → Window
First prototype of the Window system — collected debris becomes a totem you can drag onto an anchor to open a window into somewhere else.
▶Attack, double jump & the first Debris
The player can now fight, double jump and — most importantly — collect memory debris, with a first pass at the collectibles UI.
Day one: a character that can move
Setting up the Unity 6.3 project, importing placeholder assets, and getting a character walking, running and jumping.