Prowler is definitely the most interesting game of this type I've ever played! I wrote these words after completing the final task of Act 1, some of which are my personal thoughts and suggestions for Prowler, and some of the questions I had during the playthrough. I'd be very happy if the you liked some of the ideas!
I love Prowler's plot very, very, very much! I have two doubts about the plot that you can ignore if they are very relevant to the key plot later. The first question is about why Kivuli was chosen as Chief. In fact, I don't really understand why the old chief would prefer Kivuli, and from the background, Kivuli is even weaker than the old chief and his pack-brother Sumari in terms of physical ability (from the plot where Kivuli feels inferior because he can't jump over a long stream), isn't this very "deadly" for the chief of a prowler tribe? Mentally, Sumari often calls Kivuli "Pink Fin", and judging from Kivuli's conversations with other NPCs, he doesn't seem to be as mature as other Pack-Brothers. Are there some particular reasons here? The second question is somewhat related to the first question: when did Kivuli want to be bounded by Sumari? Kivuli's text when he can't sleep says that he recalls his growing desire to be bound as an adult, is this the result of the Poacher's mark or was it already in Kivuli's mind before the Poacher appeared (if the answer is the latter, then making Kivuli the chief is even more confusing)?
Some of my suggestions :
1. About item burner. Personally, I think the name of this feature sounds a bit confusing, and it might be more natural to just "throw away” the items. Also, it may be more convenient to add a discard option when selecting an item rather than setting an item burner separately in utility .
2. About item making. The weapons and outfits are really sexy, but don't seem to help the game itself very much? In other words, the benefits of crafting weapons and armor don't seem to be high enough.
3. About waterskin. Is it possible to set a separate button to use it? This is probably the most abundant and useful supply in the game (a sort of fixed supply), and the constant use of utility option seems to disrupt the rhythm of the battle.
4. About map design. Some meadows or mountains don't seem to have a very good difference in elevation, which can be a bit of a problem for pathfinding.
5.About the difficulty design. The gradient of difficulty from the stream to the poacher's fortress seems to be a bit steep. Personally, I used the method of getting enemies stuck behind trees to kill the poacher, but that doesn't seem like the "right" way to play? In short, some "prep exercises" or hints may be needed for some difficult parts.
6. About the game text. The sense of atmosphere that Prowler creates through text is fantastic, but it seems that there is room for improvement? For example, in different scenarios, after Will Broken, could some text be added to express that Kivuli will never be able to escape again (perhaps like after being defeated in the final battle in Act 1)? Or is it possible to add some special dialogue with NPCs in Kivuli's special states? It's a bit strange that Kivuli is covered in purple sludge or in a "hard" state, but the NPCs still remain extremely calm. Personally, I think it's expressive that all the elements of the game can be explained in the backstory! While many games don't care about these details at all, Prowler makes me feel that most game designs have the basis for the background story, and I really want Prowler to take its excellent atmosphere a step further.