I was in the neighborhood looking for a good RPG to play, and I happened upon Colmen's Quest. And boy did it not disappoint. For a demo it is really fleshed out, and you can get some real enjoyment out of it. Plus I'd say there is replay value even in the demo because of the freedom you have over you how you build and play your character.
And I really like that character customization. It isn't revolutionary or deep, but it adds a fun twist to the game. In my single play through so far I played as a strength and vitality stacking warrior, but while I was looking at the skills available I got ideas to play a vitality stacking mage that utilizes the damage over time skill and regen to basically be a walking field of death. And the fact I could potentially do that is awesome.
The item system plays right into that helping enable you to do and try different things. For instance picking up intelligence on gear so you can use a spell while being a strength and vitality stacking character is pretty awesome, it opens up new ways for me to play my character and the game. It's just a nice little touch that I really appreciate.
Aside from the gameplay, I enjoyed the music and style of the game. The music in town reminded me so much of Minecraft with a fantasy twist. The pixel art is simple and sweet, but has a modern feel to it with glow effects - secretly this is one of the things I love most about pixel art games. They look really cool with good lighting.
Unfortunately, the game doesn't have a settings menu. I know it's a demo, and I know one probably isn't really needed at the moment, but a simple one with volume sliders, fullscreen, and resolution would've been nice to see. And as an added thought, perhaps key mapping? The current layout is fine for me, but I know people who like to have things setup a certain way so that'd be nice to see as well.
Finally I have some rapid fire thoughts and ideas for the game.
- Equipped gear is at the top of the inventory list to prevent accidental selling.
- One click sell with a buyback system - also helps with the above.
- When looking at gear you've picked up, show your relevant equipped gear piece next to it to easily discern if it is an upgrade.
- Be able to spend extra skill points on leveling skulls up and potentially more variety - I really enjoyed the AoE knock back, but what about AoE pull in and stun? Combos well with other AoE damage skills.
- Limited time food buffs (10-15 minutes) - I feel like this would be nice to have, you eat some food and get a stat increase for a limited time to help you.
That's all I have. I really enjoyed the game and look forward to the full release! :)