hello!! ^_^ uh, this is honestly really new to me since i've never really done this before and i might ramble too much, but i wanted to give this message before the game was completed. life got busy though, so i unfortunately am submitting this somewhere around it's completion. regardless though, very very long wall of text and some spoilers ahead haha :’]
ADW is one of my favorite games of all time and it has really made a permanent place in my heart (as cheesy as it sounds haha). i started playing it around the 1.44 version, and i’ve been lurking around ever since. it came at the right time for me, and there's a lot of things about it that i love!! but for the sake of not sounding redundant, i’ll just be focusing on the areas that were really memorable for me ^_^
Characters:
i think i remembered you saying once in one of your videos that character writing is one of your strongest strengths, and i can't express enough on how that is so true. the characters in this game have altered my brain chemistry and inspired me in ways when it comes to writing characters, because the way you wrote them makes them feel so incredibly real. like all of the LIs, the side characters, and even the common units, aren't just based on representative cliches or surface levels. they're nuanced, having a lot of layers to them that can either fit perfectly or conflict entirely with their personality. and the best part? they don't feel contrived or shallow at all, it's like you allowed them to run across the drawing board freely and naturally flow as they're supposed to. it's really made the whole process of getting to know them all so memorable, and left me so awe of how relatable, compelling, and messy they all are. but i also blame you because now i have gotten deadly attached to a lot of characters as a result xD it's literally gotten to the point where i can't traditionally rank everyone by order, there will be some that will share a spot and that's it LMAO. but i do want to highlight a few of my favorites, such as some of the fire and air common units (i screamed when i saw fire rogue’s, air knight’s and fire mage’s sprites), jonas (he irritates and intrigues me lmao) and katnir, beileph, samuel, and ashur. the last four are my absolute favorites, and i’ve had a lot of memorable moments while interacting with them (i literally teared up when i played through katnir's friendship ring scene). i love katnir and samuel for their dualities, ashur for his devotion and dorkiness, and beileph for his workaholic yet passionate and creative nature (it's so unfortunate that he's underrated, he is so relatable and his routes are so sweet).
Worldbuilding:
ngl the worldbuilding became one of my favorite aspects of the game as i continued to play through it, since it's such a lovely blend of pre - existing concepts/tropes, but with unique and refreshing spins on them!! like how elements and factions play into this world?? i love how you took the idea of using elements in defining characteristics, and decided to go a step further by adding factions!! and they both work so well together because it further expands on how characters can interact with each other and with themselves, which the elements as its own system may lack at. i also adore how this same system also integrates itself into the cogs of the world, such as the possible prejudices a character can have due to their faction/element, the typical roles someone can have born in the world of adw, or the ways auras work (speaking of auras, jonas tell me more about TO's true aura you fricking geezer-) it's really the little details like these that make the world feel so organic, which ngl made the twist reveal in the endings of ADW:AVH even more shocking. but that's also another thing that i was amazed by, because when you literally look back at the lore and the inner workings of the world, it becomes really obvious. like the elite/common units system and the emphasis on how the gods created the world for entertainment?? and how battles work too??? all of those flew right underneath my nose xD but i also loved how the twist recontextualizes a lot of the concepts in the game, even if it has developed my love and hate relationship with how much questions i still have and not enough time to think of answers for them lmao.
Themes:
honestly, this game had no right to go this hard in terms of it's themes because wow. i was really blown away by its presentation throughout the whole entire game, and even if i might be a bit biased right now or exaggerating too much, but i loved how it conveyed it's theme of hope (at least i think there is one). and it's because throughout the course of the game, you can see how the world and its characters have become stagnant in a way. adw society is struggling to progress, with so many problems such as the petty feud between Brookhaven and the Crown, the bribes for votes in the Merchant’s Guild Elections, or even the conditions of the underground prisons (definitely was a sucker punch introduction to the game mechanics haha). there was also this distinct lack of unity between many of the groups and between individuals too, whether it be because of their factions, their elements, or other factors. then the characters themselves in the game also have these internal struggles that can sometimes be incredibly complicated or unnoticeable at first. it all feels incredibly real, since it's so easy to make parallels for me with the problems in the game with the ones in real life. especially the ones regarding society right now, because there have been certain circumstances going on that feel disheartening. so when the characters and the adw society itself started to change, it was definitely uplifting. especially when it clearly showcased that changes made aren’t something that is done in an instant, sometimes it's just only the beginning or you have relapses. but in the certain words of an elite air priest: “But... I think only in facing that fear of the unknown, that we can truly progress.”.
and now we're here at the very bottom, where i'll be now executing a very awkward closing remark lmao. i am so sorry for all of this being incredibly long, and thank you to anyone who read this far because oml i literally wrote three whole paragraphs plus an intro and conclusion xD but as last message to the dev, i want to say thank you so much for creating this game and congratulations for completing it. even if i was just lurking, it was amazing watching your journey from start to finish. and it had a huge impact on me too, since i actually played it around a time where i was struggling creative wise. i was trying to get back into writing after stopping for such a long time due to my perfectionism, but i had forgotten how it felt to actually enjoy myself while doing it. so it felt kind of demoralising to continue. but when i started playing ADW, it changed my outlook. even when it was still the 1.44 version of the game, it so easy for me to fall with what the game had to offer. and knowing that you were doing this despite the lack of popularity, was so inspiring. and that feeling kept on growing as you continued developing the game into new heights that even i never expected, to the point that the game helped me realize that art should be created for yourself. that just because it's not popular or it isn't selling much, it means that it's mediocre or bad in quality. you can write the most self indulgent thing ever, and it could still be incredibly good. and the best part, is that you get to create on your own terms, and actually have fun. so because of that, once i have more free time, i honestly might try writing again, only this time with what I've learned here and from your videos as well. again, thank you so much and congrats!! and good luck as with Project EXG, i'm so excited to see what comes next ^_^.