I wanted to share with you some exciting new changes for The Bonsai Diary that are coming soon. But first, I wanted to share a story about playing Bonsai Diary with people at PAX Unplugged last month.

At the last minute I decided to prototype and test a new approach to Bonsai Diary (more on that later). I experienced three playthroughs, each beautiful and heart-wrenching. Watching three lifetimes go by, even in fiction, is actually a lot to take in. But the one playthrough that really stayed with me was a couple who decided to play The Bonsai Diary together. You can see them below - the partner on the left drew the tree, while the one on the right wrote the journal.

I was in tears during the debrief. They shared how they hadn't really thought a lot about what it would be like to grow old together. There's a point in the game (obvious spoilers ahead) where you, the first narrator of the game, pass away, and this caused them to face for what seemed like the first time the question of what happens if one predeceased the other. I don't think it was uncomfortable for them, but it was definitely real. (Gosh, I'm crying now as I write this.)

So while I intended The Bonsai Diary as a solo experience, you can absolutely play it with a loved one. Give it a try, and let me know how it goes!

Previews

Alright. Everything below isn't released yet. If you have thoughts or feelings, let me know now when I can still change course!

New layout: The version I first published on Itch is an “ashcan,” the minimum layout and art needed to play the game. The landscape layout also felt weird to some players. So with coaching from the esteemed Justin Vandermeer, I'm trying a new approach. This is a vertical layout, with the binding on the left as is typical in the English language.  I'm a little sad to abandon the right-hand binding (traditional in Chinese/Japanese bookbinding), but it created an unnecessary barrier for Western audiences.

New cover: The truth is that the Bonsai Diary's original black-and-white cover does not sell at events and on retail shelves. So I designed a cover that uses color, puts the title up top for visibility on crowded shelves, and promises the right experience. It's not perfect - I could use a professional artist - but it's better.

New randomizer:  So if you go back up to the first photo, you'll see a card at the lower-left. At PAXU, instead of a set order of events I started everyone off with the "tutorial" levels and then gave them randomized cards. Each card had a drawing instruction and a thematically related story prompt. To my great surprise, it worked! Asked if they'd prefer a more curated experience, all three sets of players agreed that the feeling of randomness made it feel more like "their" story.

I don't know if it makes sense to print custom cards for this game. But I can very easily add a new section that lets you use a deck of poker cards to get this same outcome.

New price: I've been offering The Bonsai Diary free, and then Pay-What-You-Want, and I've decided I should be charging something for it. Not because I'll make any significant income from it - I won't - but because other creators who do count on that income shouldn't face a race-to-the-bottom from me.  So the price is going up to $5 for a digital copy -- but I will also be offering a LOT of community copies for anyone who can't pay, or isn't sure if this is their thing.

New printing: This is still a ways off, but once I'm finished with the redesign and new content, I expect to print a run of physical copies. This is a game that's a bit of a pain to print and assemble, and I think it'll be really worth it for players to be able to get the game already made for you.

Please watch for more news as I progress forward on The Bonsai Diary!