This game has so much love and passion put into it that giving it only 3 stars hurts me.
However, it also hurts me to know how the incredible talent of the team wasn't properly invested in this project.
The pixel art Is genuinely the best I've ever seen. Every single frame is so gorgeous to look at, and I can't Imagine the time it took to realize all this. The character designs are really creative and some of them look really cool, I especially like the Duffy Duck looking guy near the end. The plot is generally pretty interesting and there is lots of world building that help the world feel real.
However, there are some really big issues with the game. The gameplay is pretty good for the first hours, but it just... doesn't change. Like, ever. Sure, you get some extra characters, but the Zale and Valere (the main characters) BARELY learn any new skills, no new mechanics are added through the game, and the puzzles feel like they were made for toddlers. The dialogue Is written pretty awfully, and most of the characters have cool designs but their personality is just so stereotyped and bland that I just ended up hating all of them, or at least finding them annoying. The plot also has terrible pacing, going from absolutely nothing to info dumping you in a single cutscene, and it's a shame because it could have bene a really interesting story, which is ruined by pace, bland characters and just overall poor build up/writing.
I REALLY hope this studio will try somethimg similar in the future because they are just incredibly talented, and I'm sure with this experience they could come up with a game that would have actually deserved to win the indie award in the TGA.
(Didn't bother with the true ending because it felt like a chore, but I was actually decently satisfied by the normal ending.)
However, it also hurts me to know how the incredible talent of the team wasn't properly invested in this project.
The pixel art Is genuinely the best I've ever seen. Every single frame is so gorgeous to look at, and I can't Imagine the time it took to realize all this. The character designs are really creative and some of them look really cool, I especially like the Duffy Duck looking guy near the end. The plot is generally pretty interesting and there is lots of world building that help the world feel real.
However, there are some really big issues with the game. The gameplay is pretty good for the first hours, but it just... doesn't change. Like, ever. Sure, you get some extra characters, but the Zale and Valere (the main characters) BARELY learn any new skills, no new mechanics are added through the game, and the puzzles feel like they were made for toddlers. The dialogue Is written pretty awfully, and most of the characters have cool designs but their personality is just so stereotyped and bland that I just ended up hating all of them, or at least finding them annoying. The plot also has terrible pacing, going from absolutely nothing to info dumping you in a single cutscene, and it's a shame because it could have bene a really interesting story, which is ruined by pace, bland characters and just overall poor build up/writing.
I REALLY hope this studio will try somethimg similar in the future because they are just incredibly talented, and I'm sure with this experience they could come up with a game that would have actually deserved to win the indie award in the TGA.
(Didn't bother with the true ending because it felt like a chore, but I was actually decently satisfied by the normal ending.)