Octarine Online started as a home for small browser games and grew into a much larger project. The Unfinished Kingdom now has account-backed saves, active device control, a growing game interface, and enough moving parts that the surrounding site needs to be more deliberate.
The name created a problem
I still like Octarine Online, but octarine is closely associated with Discworld. Building a lasting game brand around that name creates a legal risk that is not worth carrying. Changing the name now is easier than doing it after the games have a larger audience.
Hidden Cartridge gives the games a clearer home
The collection is moving toward Hidden Cartridge, presented by The Indie Game Showcase. The planned home is games.indiegameshowcase.org. Full Games will have larger detail pages and continuing development. Mini Games will stay easy to find and quick to play.
The distinction matters. The Unfinished Kingdom and Nullspace Arena should not look like two more tiles in a wall of tiny games. The smaller games should remain visible without competing with projects that need screenshots, development notes, account information, and longer descriptions.
The site should feel like a game
The earlier archive presentation became too dark and too busy. The new direction keeps dark backgrounds, gold framing, bright color, and small wooden details, but makes the game artwork and choices easier to read. Nostalgia should come from the whole experience, not from covering every surface with decoration.
Accessibility remains part of the design. Buttons need stable hover, focus, and active states. Text needs to remain readable. Pages need semantic structure. Mobile layouts need to keep the selected game visible instead of asking players to fight a drawer.
Migration work comes before another redesign pass
The current priority is preserving accounts, saves, links, analytics, and game access while the new hostname is introduced. Existing paths and player identities cannot be treated as disposable. The old domain will remain registered for redirects and migration support.
The new site is still blocked from search indexing while it is reviewed. Physical iPhone Safari testing, live authentication, save transfer, and production acceptance remain required before the migration is considered complete.
What comes after the move
The Full Game pages need richer screenshots and clearer feature explanations. The nine Mini Games need visual work so the games themselves live up to their new artwork. The Unfinished Kingdom still needs better purchase feedback, attack effects, upgrade animation, and a shield design that reads properly.
Hidden Cartridge is a cleaner foundation, not a finish line. The goal is a site with a recognizable personality that still makes the games easy to understand, play, and return to.