To start, I think this is a really interesting concept and this game has some gorgeous art. I quite like the menu upon completion of this EP and a good handful of the aesthetic choices made in this game. There are a lot of cgs / cutscenes in this game which showcase the artistic talent present in the work quite a bit which is also very nice. I do look forward to playing this in the future as a long time fan of RPGMaker horror games and a Himejoshi. ( °ヮ° )
But I did find playing this somewhat frustrating...
First of all, the minigames are surprisingly frequent and tedious for an entry to a series of games. They're vague in what they want you to do which means it'll likely take the player a moment to understand how to use and play through the minigames. This, sometimes, leads to death. And the death scene is also quite lengthy with zero option to skip it. Being booted back to the main menu on top of that, having to deal with failing tedious minigames more than once can feel super grating.
The minigames could benefit from clearer indicators ( in the form of instructions or markers ) , and shortening the requirements for completion to be a bit less punishing. ( only suggested due to the frequency of minigames, it can turn players away if they have to do a lot of work right away before they've even gotten to get very far into the game. ) It might also be helpful to clarify at some point this game alternates between keyboard and mouse quite often.( like the title screen, or the first time we have to use the mouse for something ) Because of the positioning of the player's hands on the keyboard to use traditional RPGMaker controls, switching between the two can feel a little bit jarring. Using WSAD controls is also a possible solution ( and there is a way to modify it in JS files rather than using an additional plugin if preferred! )
There's also a heavy amount of flashing present in cutscenes. I think the "effect" of effects can wear if used too often, so it might be ideal to use very flashy and screen altering effects less frequently since they can cause heavy eyestrain, as a note for the future.
Hopefully that's not too much, this game is already really great and has a ton of potential to be something incredible if made with great care. I'd like to see it do well in the future, so I hope this comment reads as helpful feedback rather than ill intentioned insults.
P.S - Im not sure if it was intentional but all of the game files can be accessed without a decompiler. I noticed right away the download comes with access to all assets, plugin list and potentially the project file.
A member registered Jun 08, 2022
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itch.io Community » Game Development » Help Wanted or Offered · Created a new topic [Art] [Free] Looking to make character portraits or concepts