The differences between the 2013 and the 2019 finalized versions

So to continue celebrating 10 years of dev'ing, I am releasing the original (but unfinished) 2013 version of An Encounter ~In The Rain~. The heart of the story is the same, but the difference lies in how they start, how they end, and one being longer than the other.

SPOILERS AHOY!!!

What Is The Same:

• Van having some unknown illness
• Natty having gone through something never explicitly stated
• Both meetings in the rain
• The story is basically the same from their first meeting up until Natty meets Van on a sunny day

Where They Differ:

• The 2013 version has 100% CC assets, whilst the 2019 version had original character art and CGs
• In the 2019 version, we get a prologue with Van in the hospital and the doctor giving a terminal diagnosis
• The 2013 version immediately starts when she is in the rain
• The 2019 version deviates from the original where Natty takes her out to eat and after they part, she hints she also went through a lot, ending with Van being inspired to fight again
• In the 2013 version, Natty takes her out to a local Japanese town where they spend 2-3 different outings and we are also introduced to a third character named Akiyo
• In the 2013 version, Van is not as receptive to Natty's kindness, finding it suspicious and even accusing her of being fake, hinting that Van has suffered something similar in the past
• I did not title the game until the beta version in 2017. The original 2013 version was simply called "one day challenge" because I wanted to try to write a VN in one day (which, the best parts were written in one day and carried over into the finalized build). 

Whilst it would have been cool to explore the 2013 version of the story further, I had just reached a block. I had various plans, some I forgot, some I still remember, but even though a lot had to be cut and condensed, I really feel like the 2019 finalized version feels more impactful and inspiring. We feel more for Van's predicament due to the added prologue, and we are left wondering about Natty's kindness and the vagueness of her last statement to Van before trotting off. The best parts from the original version (both of Van and Natty's meetings in the rain) were preserved in the 2019 version, which I still feel was the best part of the story. So in the end, I feel like the 2019 version suited the story better and its message, but I still wanted to share the original version for historical purposes as well as getting a glimpse at what could of been, especially since--despite being unfinished--it's a longer word count.

Also, random fun fact: whilst I never got around to having the 2013 version voiced, I did plan on having Maisy McDonald (Van's VA in the 2019 version) voice act Van. In fact, at the time, she was the only person I told about this little side project, and I even exported a little bit of it to show her, which was the best section of the game anyway that survived.