itch.io

So I had an idea after revisiting the game and this original comment of mine.  With Food playing such an integral role in the late game stages as well as potential for causing early game mischief perhaps a Food Regen power up?  Not one you get in game as loot but rather used via the "power up" menu at the start of a new game?  If 1/2 food integers are possible in the background, have levels of .5, 1, and 1.5 food regen per round.  Then place the cost of such at double the normal, so .5 regen would cost you 2 of your points, 1.5 would cost you 6.  That would be the same as maxed out ranks on any two other stats such as Feats and Attributes.  If that isn't enough, you could even move it to triple cost.  It would add additional food use mitigation for those that really really want it while also keeping it balanced and not a true unlimited source of food.

Granted this idea is purely based on the idea that when you move the game checks for zero food PRIOR to any interaction that could add food or that if you have a total consumption greater than available it will still result in the zero food event.

So on the plus side this visual novel has an absolutely amazing art style that is easily of the highest quality I've seen outside top tier anime.  I'm in love with the visuals of the MC as well as those of several NPC's.  In addition, the story that you are expected to follow to progress the narrative is interesting, presenting several mysteries right out the gate to draw your interest.

That leads to the other side of the coin.

On the con side, the presentation of the CYOA format is deceptive.  You are required to befriend (Capture their Heart) every NPC you meet along the way before you can progress to the next one.  This results in interactions that are forced upon the player and removes any player agency within the story.  With no player agency there are no consequences either for your actions other than a hard stop on the progression of the story.

While I will continue to look forward to more chapters, this will take a back burner over other VN style games unless one of two improvements are made.  Either add a "Story Mode" that simply tells the story the developer wants told or add player agency that allows you to progress the story without befriending every single person and allow the player to feel the consequences of befriending or not-befriending specific people along the way.

Sounds totally awesome!  I look forward to seeing the additions over time.  I was not aware of getting a game over due to lack of food, since all that happens is I get the foraging pop up and have to deal with any outcome of that.   Early on that can mean having to submit to some things that can rapidly deplete your purity and dignity.  Later, with all the Dryads I run into (almost as common as the goblins) as well as the Food Cache's, it is rare I have to forage even as an Orcblood and once I get a few ranks in the perk for it, it is almost always a positive outcome.  I must have been very very lucky in the 10+ hours playing from the sounds of it.

So, I'm not sure if the creator of Tales reads these posts or not outside the bug thread, but I want to first and foremost say thank you.  This little RPG has already given me several hours of enjoyment.  I'll pop in on my next paycheck to drop you a donation in Patreon as my way of paying you back for that.  I'm in love with the complex yet simple combat system.  It is a rarity in games with adult themes that you have to think about your actions before taking them, let alone in combat.  That I do need to do so is a pleasant deviation from the norm.  Also, the art is fabulous.  I would have to say that out of all the characters I've met thus far my favorite design was the Slime Girl.  The Mermaid was very interesting as well.  None of the characters are poorly done, however, and meet what I would consider an A+ Quality standard.  So keep on keeping on there.  Story-wise, it has been interesting as well with choices have real consequences on your character even if you don't see them right away.

Some areas I would love to see worked on, rebalanced, or otherwise fleshed out are the stories, races, and character.

For the stories, I'd like to see a few more options to take the 'Pure' path opened up with more than just 'walk away' options.   Something like the non-sex outcome of the Horde encounter.  I'll avoid details due to potential spoilers, but options where you can choose the 'Pure'/Good Guy option and get an interesting scene out of it.   You could use these as one-offs, even, that you can only get once that allows you to restore a decent chunk of dignity or other rewards.  Nothing too grand or powerful, since it is obvious the 'Pure' playstyle is the harder to complete one in a lot of ways but something to not make it feel like a chore to do.

For races, I honestly think they are a bit unbalanced as they stand.  The two plain jane humans are fine.  Mountain Man feels like a pure nerf with its penalties to 3 stats for a minor boost.  Elf-blood feels very vanilla as well, with a penalty to leveling in exchange for not having to forage as often.  The Orc-blood, on the other hand, feels way more powerful than the rest (as well as being the cutest of the races IMHO.  Pink and Green is awesome) with the equivalent of 3 rank 1 perks for free in exchange for having to eat more.   You can neutralize this 'penalty very easily with just 3 perk points and still have the future growth potential equal to any other race.

My suggestion with the races would be to give Mountain Man and Elf something to boost them slightly.  For Mountain Man, perhaps an extra point of Endurance and a point or 2 of natural armor.  For Elfblood, I'd say a point in Charisma and Magic.   Then with Orcs, tag them with an XP penalty as well.  Not as severe as the Elfs, since it isn't their only penalty, but about 1/2 the Elfs. 

Societal-related boons and penalties based on your race could be cool too and add a flavor to things.  Like Ulva acknowledging your Orc-blood, or being Elf-blooded helping you in social situations like the Brothal.  So on and so forth.

As for the character, you might have this stuff planned, I dunno.  But I'd love to see some more customization options mid-game.   You have the Salon already, so I imagine you will do more with it later.  Lots you could do there but I know it would only increase the need to redraw a lot of scenes with more than just simple pallet swaps.  So, lots of work there.  Yeah.... I can see why this would not be a priority but it is a wishful dream on my part.

Overall, the game, despite having incomplete areas (which you do make very clear upfront, so that's not a complaint) is still a solid 4.5/5 for me.  The art is amazing, the gameplay is complex and interesting, multiple play styles to the point it actually can outnumber many mainstream RPGs, and a series of stories that have been interesting and provided their own unique twists that make me keep coming back to see what else I can discover, even if it is a new way to get the Game Over screen.

Keep working on this.  We all appreciate your hard work.  And I hope my feedback was helpful.