Aw, thank you so much ^^ I didn't expect to win but the Saga will definitely go on! the full game is in development as my main project, even though I will still do jams and other side projects <3 thank you so much!
I liked the story! I think the presentation could use some work (such as where area transitions are, even if they are always the edge of the map) and some of the puzzle items are tricky to find. Thanks for telling your tale though!
I'm glad you enjoyed it! It's RPG Maker 2000 with this game. I really enjoy the retro vibe. I had fun checking out your game and I can see the idea potential in it ^^
I'm glad that you enjoyed my two characters! I definitely already put it in my notes for the future to have a better sense of place with location name popups but it came to me too late to properly implement it - but I'm glad to see it pointed out here! I think a little bit of it got lost in that like, all of the cave is Whisper's Hollow, but it was a part of the somewhat uncomfortable transition when I crunched a much larger and longer project into a prequel game set before the main one. I'll have to be more aware of conveying location next time ^^
Funnily enough with Sir James, that room inspired my jump pads that I ended up utilizing in other parts, though I probably should've went back over that section of the tower. One of my playtesters found it to be a little too odd as well but I stuck to my guns. It is something I'd do differently if I were to redo it for certain!
I felt the random encounter rate is a little too high but I also had hit that wall of big project becoming a significantly smaller one and it ended up being a matter of making sure the player could focus on the writing aspect at that point, which makes it messy but that's also why the Battle Ward is pretty expensive. I think it's safe to say I learned a very hard lesson about giving myself enough space to balance a full experience so there isn't weirdness like what you mentioned with the combat, bosses and the encounter reduction item. Mathilde def has those problems too because I ended up tuning her down to pretty basic but tanky so there would be at least a little resistance in this regard. Overall, like I said, lessons for when I balance my main project!
I appreciate the feedback with the Emperor too - I can see your point with me making it last too long and I will also take notes regarding any future encounters that might be unwinnable situations.
I'll keep the door opening in mind too! That is probably the most rushed part of production next to the battle balance and I will make sure that it works better in future projects.
Overall I really appreciate the incredibly detailed feedback and didn't expect to see so much love while also seeing so much excellent constructive criticism. Thank you so much for playing and I hope you enjoy what I release in the future!
I think you're absolutely right! It's much different coming from just enjoying and playing games and making the creation of them into a hobby. I'll keep an eye on your projects too and thank you very much for the advice ^^ I'm def going to keep working on the main game as I feel there are important lessons to be learned still with the development of Maven Saga and adjacent projects!
I'd def be interested if you do come back to it! I had a similar problem - Maven Saga Origin actually started as Maven Saga, which is now my primary full production project but I realized between what I had going on in my life and the time I had to have a submission ready for the jam that I ended up making a cut down project in the last week and a half as an optional prequel. This allowed me to get a game out for the jam but also is def where some of my problems came from x.x Sorry for the rambling about my own but you have some creative ideas and I'd def encourage you to keep working on projects like this whether it's this one or something else ^^
I think the game is super ambitious! The art is also really nice as well as the spritework. It does seem pretty tough and I got similarly stuck as ChXris but overall I think this is a great idea that, given time to blossom, could be an amazing project overall ^^
It took me a little while to play it but I really like all the soulslike-inspired concepts! The combat system was a little easy for me personally but I liked the flow of it and would love to see it developed further ^^
I really liked the story! It was pretty sad. There were some pretty nice uses of RPG Maker functions and the music was also good. The only problem I had is that due to me speaking English, not all of the text is translated when it comes to the interactive stuff. The story is fully translated though and I really enjoyed the writing that I could read! Awesome project.
I thought it was pretty good! It's a little short and could use some more puzzles. It reminds me a little of games like Silent Hill and certain parts of some other games I've played. I think you're on the right path with the concept and perhaps it would be worth fleshing out later ^^
The graphics are really nice and some of the ways the game can progress caught me off guard. I love it and I'd love to see you keep working on things. You're doing a great job!
Hey there! Things started out pretty strong but I'm really sorry to sound overly critical ^^; I was entirely stuck on game progression and I'm unsure exactly why - every map exit took me back to the stairs. I also defeated the first encounter but nothing beyond it seemed to work. The man in the banquet hall won't do anything and I can't understand what the conversation is about because the text is cut off due to being too long for the text boxes, which was a common problem. You can walk on basically all the furniture in the dining hall and you can interact with the food with a take/leave food question, but the food not only changes graphics depending on interaction angle (usually due to not setting it as an inanimate sprite with a fixed direction) but actually doing either one of the actions doesn't do anything. You can also re-trigger the dungeon exit dialogue by walking into the tile in front of the right side of the door. I do think there is an interesting idea buried underneath but I couldn't get close to finishing it to find out ;w; Thank you for submitting though and I hope I don't sound too mean. I'm trying to be constructive ^^
It was a really cool story with really nice presentation! Grammar/typos need a little work but it doesn't detract from anything. I really enjoyed the characters and music as well ^^
I'll have to consider it once RPG Maker 2000/2003 is out of my system ahah. It's just so awesome that you can do things like what you've created. And no worries or hurries ^^ I understand that entirely.
I can see some potential with the writing but there def needs to be some musical variety with the varied amount of locations! I'd also recommend healing the party after major encounters that cause a transfer event so they aren't put at a disadvantage (unless that's the intention). I felt lost at times with the overworld map since locations are only accessible when needed and there's not much of a clear indicator of when that is. I'd keep working on map design but you can do it if you choose ^^
I like the worldbuilding and the characters seem like they have a chance to be pretty fun if you get around to making a full release. The map design could use some work but it served its purpose - I'd be wary of typos and inconsistencies next time though! Just as an example, there is the crossroads sign that points you in different directions and it shows the area you came from as being opposite in compass direction. I feel that regardless of intention, the compass directions should line up with the screen directions. The village is through the map's east exit but the sign is marked as the village being west. I did also want to mention that there is what I assume to be a further along save file included with the game's download - the reason why I worded it like this is that I don't know if it's a debug save or just a completion save so I didn't mess with it. Pretty cool characters tho!
I enjoyed the writing and the puzzles, though they are easier in hindsight. Your dialogue especially is very fun and I really liked some of the easter eggs. I am looking forward to the full release ^^
I'm going to be honest - I had no idea you could do stuff like this in modern RPG Maker. This is so cool and reminds me of playing old MS-DOS games in a very good way. I'm not the world's best at feedback but just wow. Keep up the good work ^^ I'm super impressed.
