I've been thinking about this one a lot recently because it's absolutely one of the best "solo dev with a big idea they can't fully execute" experiences I've had.
A Poker RPG held up by a fun, anime-esque story. Death games and particularly Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor are the obvious go-tos here. There are enough twists on the basic formula to keep things interesting and the playtime doesn't overstay its welcome. The sprites and music are simple but enjoyable. I liked all the characters!
The one major drawback is a lot of the abilities of the NPCs during the poker games, while clever, are simply the kind that an AI can't really utilise properly at this level, stuff like finding out hidden information and altering behaviour particularly. It's the only real blemish on an otherwise neat little hidden gem.
Also, one of the stupidest (complimentary) twist endings I've ever experienced. Actually, two twists, one of which takes a lot of guts to include and I'm incredibly proud it followed through.
A Poker RPG held up by a fun, anime-esque story. Death games and particularly Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor are the obvious go-tos here. There are enough twists on the basic formula to keep things interesting and the playtime doesn't overstay its welcome. The sprites and music are simple but enjoyable. I liked all the characters!
The one major drawback is a lot of the abilities of the NPCs during the poker games, while clever, are simply the kind that an AI can't really utilise properly at this level, stuff like finding out hidden information and altering behaviour particularly. It's the only real blemish on an otherwise neat little hidden gem.
Also, one of the stupidest (complimentary) twist endings I've ever experienced. Actually, two twists, one of which takes a lot of guts to include and I'm incredibly proud it followed through.