Hey friend! Hope you had a great 2025 and will have an awesome 2026 ahead 😄.

It’s been a while since we last talked! We’ve put in loads of work over the past few years. I’m happy to say, in this upcoming first 2026 weekend, the Project X internal demo will be available to play, and I’d love for you to be among the very first to experience it!

Some quick notes:

1. You’ll find some obvious placeholder art in some of the menus.

2. Translations are in progress, so this internal demo is only available in English for now.

3. Controllers not yet supported.

This internal demo will feature 5 short playable chapters along with a unique, fully voiced storyline, so even for those who plan on playing the full version, I hope this will be a worthwhile experience.

While the full game will be the spiritual conclusion to Clea, this demo is a prologue, taking place 1000 years before Clea’s events. Inside you’ll meet Karmine, who is War Maiden’s very first vessel. When it’s all said and done, Clea’s tale will sit in the middle of this War Maiden saga. For those who love speculating on lore, please have fun exploring this demo-exclusive storyline!

There are unlockables that can be discovered and earned throughout this demo! My goal is to structure our save files so you can keep these rewards for the full game, though for transparency, I have yet to verify if this is technically possible. Regardless, may you have fun collecting!

This will be the last time our game holds the title of Project X. Our next major milestone will at last be the Steam store page going public (aiming for the very end of 2026), so by that time, the game’s true title will be revealed. Please look forward to it!

So where can you go to play the internal demo this weekend? If you’re reading this from our newsletter post, you’re all set. I’ll send you the details in a few days. If you’re reading this on Steam, the demo link will be available to our newsletter and Discord communities. Below are the links to both if you’d like to join us for this event:

Discord:

https://discord.gg/Z2yP6fkqCr

Newsletter:

https://www.invertmouse.com/

We’ve assembled our biggest team yet for Project X, with numerous voice actors, artists, animators and composers lending their skills to the project. I’m happy to know their works can finally be showcased in this demo.

Meanwhile, I’ve stayed spiritually happy through these past years by nurturing my love for games, taking trips to retro arcades, learning about the history of the medium etc. When I’m worried about money or attention, my energy is finite. Meanwhile, if I focus on serving the gaming space and the players, I can find the strength to keep going.

I’m thankful Clea has led to so many of us connecting, so I also view Project X as a celebration of you and the community. That’s the type of energy I’ve aimed to embody into this game. Hopefully it can be felt, and I hope you’ll enjoy every moment of this demo.

Thank you. See you this weekend 😊!