Hi, everyone , hope you're all doing great!

If you’ve been checking the general chat on Discord or the Patreon page, you probably already know what this is about. If not, here’s the official announcement. I’ve been really busy lately with this change, which is why I haven’t been around much.

I’ve been talking to some fellow developers (including one I won’t name, but whose visual novel you probably know), and they kindly suggested a change to the game. Something that, at first, I couldn’t even consider. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was necessary.

What change am I talking about? ... Our protagonist. Zinnia.

Since the very first release of Crimson Prison in October 2024, the project has run into countless issues, but the most impactful one, by far, has been the protagonist’s age. While Crimson Prison is canonically part of Shunnaru’s past (TSSC), making her a child was a serious mistake. Not just because it’s an NSFW game, but also because of the incredibly hostile environment of the story. For that reason, I’ve made the difficult decision to age up our protagonist, putting her on the same age as her “sisters.”

I won’t lie, this wasn’t easy for me. First, I really didn’t want to redo every scene in the game (for a third time), and second, I knew it would take away a lot of what made the character so fun. Let’s be honest, it’s not the same having a grumpy little kid as it is having a grown-up version of her. But I’ve worked hard to make sure she doesn’t completely lose her essence!

It’s not all bad news. On the bright side, this lets me develop her character in deeper and more meaningful ways. I firmly believe that maturity doesn’t come with age, it comes with actions. So having an 18-year-old Zinnia with a bratty, immature attitude actually works perfectly. It also gives me a lot more flexibility to explore her relationships with Merumi, Erika, and especially her rivalry with Kasumi— something that would’ve been more limited with a child version of her.

I truly apologize if this decision bothers some of you (though honestly, I’m probably the most conflicted of all).

I would deeply appreciate it if you continued to support the project despite this major shift! I have some amazing ideas lined up for Chapters 2 and 3. In fact, I’ve been feeling really inspired to work on both Crimson Prison and Two Sides of the Same Coin. I’ve been reading more books and novels lately, and that’s helped me come up with fresh ideas to enrich the plot and break out of the monotony. I hope you’ll enjoy what’s coming next.

Lastly, for those of you who still want to see the younger version of Zinnia, I’ll release a patch (Discord exclusive, I won't announce or promote it again after this post) shortly after the new version is out. It will replace grown-up Zinnia with her former child version, but only up until Quest 12 (which covers Zinnia’s kiddnaping and captivity with Charly). From Quest 13 onward, the metamorphosis will take place, and Zinnia will officially align with the direction the project is now taking.

Without further ado, here’s a small roadmap of upcoming updates (along with some new cgi comparition)! Thanks to my new workflow, I’ve managed to optimize my time and plan for updates every month or month and a half, instead of every three months! I hope you’ll keep supporting me and, if possible, consider backing me on Patreon so I can devote even more time to future projects.

The Crimson Prison patch updating Zinnia will be released by the end of this week or, at the latest, early next week. It’s not a full update, but a hotfix, so it'll be out for everyone at once. Patreon members will get updated wallpapers, bonus character introductions, and deleted scenes. I’ll work hard, because I’ll be taking a short vacation next week!

With no more to say, thanks for supporting the project, have a great day and get depressed with all of us! Love u, guys!