Two Languages, Same Soul, and a Steam Page

I suppose we have a release date now. Or at least a tentative month: February 2027. Besides having a trailer and a Steam page where people can wishlist the game (something I'm apparently supposed to start reminding everyone about from now on), there's been some progress on the development side, too. Let's go over the most significant changes.

Two Languages

My native language is Spanish, more specifically the Rioplatense variety spoken around the Río de la Plata. When I started developing the game, I decided to write everything in English. I don't have a perfect command of the language, but since it's supposedly the "universal language," starting there seemed like a reasonable choice.

Still, something was missing. I couldn't quite feel the game's essence in English. Something about it just wasn't coming through the way I wanted. So I decided to translate the entire game into my native language, including its regional flavor.

There's also a practical benefit: most of the people who'll be testing the game in November are Spanish speakers.

As for the English version, especially considering how important the narrative is to the game, I have a few native English-speaking friends who have agreed to give me their verdict. Hopefully, their feedback will help me figure out what needs adjusting.

Oh, and one more thing: switching languages isn't tied to starting a new game. You can change languages on the fly and simply carry on playing in whichever one you've selected. I have no idea if that's the most common approach, but, well, that's how it works right now.

Revisiting the Stories

Translating everything into Spanish also gave me an opportunity to revisit and revise several of the customers' stories.

Some changes are fairly superficial, mostly aimed at making conversations feel more natural and coherent. Others go a bit deeper and may affect how the main story unfolds, which still revolves around the Yatai Master's final stretch of his career.

Customer Preferences

This feature has been around for a while, but I think (emphasis on think) it works a little better now.

Each customer has certain preferences that can affect their comfort level. Maybe they like a particular kind of music, or perhaps they have a favorite radio station.

And as the old saying goes: a comfortable customer is more likely to leave a good review.

(That's a lie. There is no such saying.)

The Vendors

The market vendors have become a little more talkative. They might even offer you a piece of advice that, if you actually follow it, could help improve your dishes.

A Better-Balanced Economy

I've also been trying to balance the game's economy.

It's not just about how much money the Yatai Master has when he starts his business, but also how many ingredients he has available from the beginning. Both can make quite a difference.

Speaking of Balance...

The rate at which customers arrive increases as the days go by. It's one of the variables I'm using to gradually ramp up the difficulty.

Feeding 40 hungry people in a single day can be quite a challenge. Especially when they're all expecting you to get their orders right.

Miscellaneous

I also spent some time fixing things that weren't working particularly well, including the save system, along with the usual assortment of bugs that somehow keep finding their way into the game.

And I'm sorry, but apparently I have to start saying this from now on: if Yatai Master sounds like something you'd enjoy, I'd really appreciate it if you added it to your Steam wishlist.

As always, thanks so much for making it this far.

Cheers!