Oh wow, I can really see how much work went into this game. It feels like a very in-depth game with some really complex systems in place. I think that’s both the game’s biggest strength and, at the moment, its biggest weakness.
I feel like I couldn’t fully enjoy the game because of its accessibility for new players. There are a lot of things to keep track of, and it feels like most of the mechanics are introduced all at once during the very first encounter. There’s the bar at the top, which I wasn’t sure what it did, the four different actions, the four buttons at the bottom whose purpose I didn’t get, and I also wasn’t entirely sure what the different actions actually did.
It’s a shame because I’m sure the game has a lot of potential, but I think it really needs to ease new players into its mechanics and introduce them more progressively. I would even suggest hiding a lot of the buttons at first and starting with the bare minimum.
For example, for the first encounter, you could make the interaction much more scripted. At first, maybe the player only has one option: “Assess.” Then the person you’re talking to does something, and the game introduces the next mechanic by saying something like, “Try using Attack.” The player uses it, another mechanic is introduced, and so on.
Then, in the second encounter, you could introduce the feelings of the person you’re talking to. Later, introduce another mechanic, and gradually build up the complexity as the player becomes more comfortable with the systems.
Obviously, just a suggestion, but in my opinion, making the introduction to the game more gradual should be the top priority. The underlying systems seem really interesting, but I think new players need more time to understand and appreciate them.
I’d definitely like to come back and test the game again later on!