Quest Failed - Voice Cast Update

Hi there, everyone! I hope you're doing well!

I'm back today with something of a special, important update regarding the development of the Quest Failed series. Something that I feel is important enough to have as a public post, too, as I wish to keep everyone in the loop with changes this large.

As you might have gathered from the post title--this does indeed concern a change in the voice cast. Namely, that the voice actress Misty Moon will be stepping down from the project. And will be relinquishing both roles she had as Ruby and the hooded girl as a result of being far too busy with other commitments to continue work on Quest Failed for the foreseeable future.

Now, I want to stress that this wasn't a decision that was made lightly between either of us. And we really did try to make things work as best we could. But ultimately, it was decided that it was best for the project if she were to voluntarily step down and allow the roles to be recast. It was an incredibly difficult decision to make, given how popular Ruby is especially, but I feel this is what's best for everyone involved.

I want to thank Misty Moon for all of the truly amazing voicework she's contributed to Quest Failed over the years--and wish her nothing but the best on all of her future endeavors! And who knows, maybe if circumstances permit it, we might even get to work together again on another project!

So, where does this leave us now?

With the knowledge that Misty Moon would be stepping down from her roles, I covertly began the recasting process in the background like the sneaky, hooded developer that I am.

This was a very stressful process for me--as I know that recasting several voices that people have been intimately familiar with for several years now is no easy feat. And this is something I took very seriously. My goal was to find voices that captured the exact same energy found in the previous performances, and I wasn't going to go ahead with things unless I was 100% confident that the VAs could deliver what I was looking for. And while I know finding voices that are 1:1 to an existing voice is very difficult--especially in the adult voicework realm where talent is a bit more restricted--I think I've come incredibly close with the new voice actresses that I've chosen!

So, I'm super excited to introduce:

- Kitt Nevada as Ruby
You might recognise Kitt's name from a recent audio scene I posted, whereby she voiced the ditzy bandit Gwen. And showcasing incredible range here, she can apparently also do quite a mean dragon bandit, too!

Before joining up on the project, Kitt was actually already more than familiar with the Quest Failed series--having been a big fan of it for quite a long time. I think this existing knowledge really helped give her the edge when auditioning for Ruby's role, as she had most of her mannerisms down perfectly. Even right down to the roars! (We haven't had a chance to showcase the more adorable, flustered roars yet, but trust me, she's great at those, too!)

And she knows all too well just how beloved Ruby is--being a large fan of the dragon herself, haha--so she's putting her all into this role and agonising over every line to make sure it's perfect. Rest assured, Ruby is in safe hands with Kitt!

- Hayami Lemon as the Hooded Girl
Hayami is a newcomer to the Quest Failed series--but I've worked with her on a smaller project before (that you might see more of one day!), and knew right away that her voice could potentially be a great fit for the creepy ol' necromancer. Needless to say, I was completely blown away by her performance when she in her audition--and just how well she was able to emulate the whispery, breathy tones that have become so characteristic of the hooded girl.

As you can imagine, I, personally, was quite insistent on finding the perfect voice for our hooded friend. So I'm very grateful to have met Hayami and to have her on board!

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The video you see attached at the top of this post is a brief, goofy little skit of sorts that showcases both Ruby and the hooded girl with their respective new voices. I took special care to make sure the script showcased a large range of emotions (at least on Ruby's side, haha) so you can get a good, general feel for how the characters now sound. I personally feel that both the VAs have done a fantastic job recapturing the same energy as before--while also making the characters their own, and I'm super excited to continue working with them as they bring the grumpy dragon and adorable doll to life in a number of crazy scenarios.

As you may have noticed from the snazzy thumbnail, I got some special art to commemorate this occasion too, showcasing both Ruby and the hooded girl in something of a modern setting as they get ready to voice...themselves, I guess? Here's a larger resolution version to admire~

You've gotta love the bunny hood, haha. What a cute little doll of death and destruction!

Oh yeah, and as a result of this recasting, all of the voiced lines for Ruby and the hooded girl that are currently present in Chapter Two will be redone by the new VAs for the sake of consistency. And then moving forward any new scenes from here on out will be voiced by them, too, of course!

Chapter One will be untouched, since that's already a complete project. (Unless I ever put all the Chapters together into some kind of mega game down the line--but that's a long time away if ever!)

And that about wraps up this update. I'll let the video speak for itself now since I've rambled on enough--and hopefully you'll all agree that the new VAs are perfect for the roles!

Admittedly, I'm super nervous about making this post, but at the same time I'm paradoxically confident that I've done everything I can to choose the best replacements for these characters. I honestly don't think I could have picked better voices short of the original voices themselves.

Until next time~