really beautiful storytelling on every level: dialogue writing, pacing, structure, thematic cohesion, and use of rpg mechanics to get the point across. i love to play a game whose story feels like it would suffer if it had been told in any other medium, that's stronger for the fact of being an rpg, and this is a wonderfully concise and robust example. you're a real pro!
this was really interesting. i expected torimori 2 to expand on the first game, to add more fights and more complexity to the gameplay, but instead it maintains a similar length and strips complexity away, with fewer characters, fewer skills, and tougher, bare-knuckle fights. and the tone is really unique... i haven't played anything quite like this before, and that's a lovely surprise. great work
ahh, i respect the vision. i'm a big fan of rpgs that use despair, frustration, fatigue etc. to convey their themes (ff2, fire emblem 5, arguably 7th saga...) so i feel a bit silly for not coming to that conclusion on my own. it makes a ton of sense for a game where you've been allotted 1 hour to prepare yourself for an unjust deathmatch
thanks for the guidance. it sounds to me like the thing i need to do to is to get better at grinding toward the midboss battles. i'm thinking that as i keep making attempts and get familiar with different bosses' stats/resistances/spells, it'll be easier to scout the boss out, go "ah, i know what i need to beat this guy (or the next best thing)" and grind just until i can achieve that, so i can move on sooner. i'll give it a few more tries and report back with the results!
i really love the style of this game: its colorful palette, its sense of humor, the music and sound design, the smooth, zippy text boxes and menus.. it looks and feels great. but i've been having a difficult time getting a foothold on the gameplay side. i've run out my timer twice now without feeling like i was coming even close to being able to survive the end, so i feel like i'm starting to know my way around the game okay. but i still haven't found any good strategies for shaving my time down, and i'm not sure where to look for them, either. the main thing that has worked out for me is to prioritize not dying, which means focusing on grinding and only exploring or taking risks once i've gotten as strong as i reasonably can for the area. this is especially true in the first world, where i feel especially dependent on gold to progress, but a poorly timed death can set me back as much as 5 minutes in cash losses. i can relax a little bit more in worlds 2 and 3, since by i have a bit more power to protect myself better cash rewards from battle - but it's hard to psych myself up for another attempt when i expect to spend the first 15 or 20 minutes on the same slow, disciplined grind as the last run.
the way accumulating and exploiting knowledge has taken a back seat to gruntwork in my own experience feels contrary to the spirit of the game as described, so i sense i'm missing something. it often feels like there's something better i could be doing, especially in the first world, but i'm having a hard time seeing it. do you have any advice for how to approach my next run? techniques to employ or things to pay extra attention to? i'm really curious to see what this play space looks like once i've mastered it, but i think i'll need some help getting there.
now that you mention it, it'd be to really easy to just add a "jump" button that advances you forward but costs you like 10 mp... i hadn't even thought about toys for movement and navigation, that's fertile ground.
i'd really love to keep playing in this space. if you find yourself exploring it too, i'll be very excited to see the results.....
that's a great point about opportunity cost. what it makes me wanna do instead is add to assess a one-turn "stun" flavored as the enemy sizing you up in return. a little bit of calm before the storm.... of course you could have enemies size you up regardless, but there's a neat unexpected flavor if it's something they always (or *usually*) do in "response".
the idea of different enemies coming with different limited sets of variants makes me excited all over again about transplanting these mechanics to a dungeon crawling setting.. i think it could really work for like a 2-4 hour single character rpg. i've always liked it when rpgs emphasize "learning" enemies, and getting to pick up like "ok these guys never actually excel at speed, so if i'm getting outsped it's ALWAYS a me thing" is a very texture for that. you could also use different language for different enemies adding a layer of interpretation when dealing with new foes - a high attack griffin probably doesn't have "sublime grip" but maybe a "hooked beak" or even something more abstract like a "predatory gaze"...
nah, i didn't think to include a way to cure silence. in fact i used the canned version of the silence status ailment and i forgot to check if it even expired naturally. it's a good thing it does, lol... one friend did manage to get through with just 1 werewolf meat by defending until silence wore off. not sure how repeatable that is, but i love it when defend is useful, and it makes me feel a little less guilty
really glad this one hit for you craze, it's a huge compliment coming from you. i was feeling too bashful to say anything but your comment on bsky made me really proud nyehehehe
the height of storytelling is to be deeply, lusciously grounded in a crazy person's perspective and to experience some strange or dramatic events with them. so i think this is just about as good as it gets. loved the music direction too
knowing you're even considering finishing it is the best news i've heard all day. ultimately i am rooting for you to do what is best for you and you'll have my support and understanding either way.. but if the game does come out i will be pretty fuckin excited lol
joyous micro-rpg experience, the kind that leaves you excited to run out and make one of your own. what makes this one stand out for me is jumping (i was a wizard, so i got to enjoy the extra huge jump), which made getting around really fun and memorable and fit with the breezy pace and challenge level of the game. constantly it made me feel like i was getting away with something - soaring to the tops of buildings, across barriers, out of bounds. combined with the delicious fruits of my gargoyle temple arc i had an immaculate evil wizard experience
god this looks great! really exciting to see new rpg stuff from you :3 it'll be a little while before i can get to it, but i'm looking very forward......
incredible vision, what a fantastic little snippet of rpg storytelling. love the art, the pacing, the gumption... can't wait to dig into the rest of the starmage corpus. thanks for the great time
very clever! perfectly escalating series of demands, really pushed me to think about the geometry of the level (and my avatar) and had just the right length and pacing for my taste
beautiful little puzzle adventure. these kinds of simple outdoor grass-and-rock-and-water environments always make me happy, but it's rare that i get to engage so closely with them and inhabit them so fully. brought me a lot of joy
this was super cool! i've always liked rpg scenarios where you can survive while underleveled through clever exploitation of your tools, so i was naturally stoked to play a game that makes those tricky strats your bread and butter. i was really pleased with how seriously combat made me engage with the robust arsenal of consumable items and how i was never allowed to forget about milly's fragility. it's an excellent candidate for a follow up imo, as the game introduces a lot of interesting ideas about 'door openers' and what it means to be one (both mechanically and thematically) but ends before it can develop them as far as i, in all my excitement, dared to hope. that's a critique, but one of the ones i'm happiest to give, 'cause it means the game makes a really strong case for its vision.. the copper palette was gorgeous and very potent, too, excellent use of an underappreciated slice of the color wheel.. terrific experience, my kudos to the whole team
absolutely. i think if a game really wants you to be "in" it, it has to make you slow down and take what you're doing seriously.. the stakes and pacing and precarity of these old rpgs.. are not perfect, but they're really good at *that*. also your avatar is cute :3
