Fun game! The atmosphere was really good and the unique art was nice.
I managed to get the happy ending! I'll sleep well tonight, I think.
To be honest, I think I irreversibly screwed up like three times,
so maybe the parts I actually got right were juuust enough to save the day!
(If you're curious, I didn't find out much about Brisco, angered Rosalind and
got kicked out of Chastity's, *ahem*, womens' parlor.)
I figured out the chest's password and saved my parents just before nightfall. :D
For the chest, I had to turn my brain gears in the process of the actual puzzle,
but I was definitely satisfied when my hunch was right! I think you gave a solid hint
without giving away the answer, so nicely done there. d(^^)
The slowish talking adds suspense to the timer, though it's definitely a mechanic
meant for short games like this one. For a longer game, I'd implement a feature
to skip dialogue you've already read in case you accidentally
press the talk button in succession or something.
I basically guessed during the true ending,
but I clearly got the best outcome anyway.
That's a victory for me!
TOTAL PLAYTIME: 25 MINUTES
FINAL VERDICT: A guillotine and an iron maiden?
That'd make for one hell of an orphan story.