i'd only played gray pearl before this, and i think your art skills have improved a lot (and they were already great!). the dark, rocky terrains varem and lara walk through feel appropiately empty and moody, only lightened up by the crystals that listen everywhere... the contrast between the barely visible outside and the bright red carpet inside the grotto, feeling foreboding for the dangers to come... and once again, the cutscenes that feel like i'm being told a story about a long forgotten world... it's all REALLY well done, and it makes the game brim with atmosphere. if i had to highlight anything it'd be the start of the reunion with motto, with the flashing red lights. that was cool as hell haha.
and that's without mentioning the sprites and character art! both really really good. i love how the characters move slightly from side to side when they're walking, that's a fun little detail haha. varem's face art is SUPER cute god, i love that bat boy so much- and i love how many expressions he has, genuinely makes him feel a lot more real than if he just cycled through three or so faces all the time (his winking face lives rent free in my head, it's so cute lol). and motto has a great design too, his red eyes and the crystals on top of his head are awesome and make him an intimidating antagonist, especially when he's calm and collected in your reunion, subverting how you'd think he's just a crazy maniac from the description of what he does to these people...
the plot was really good too!! both here and in gray pearl, i'm impressed with how you come up with extremely cool concepts and manage to flesh them out with such a short amount of time. a strange being suddenly showing up in this world and forcing its inhabitants to perform, where they have to do well or he'll kill them?? that's a REALLY cool concept haha. love how unexplained it feels too; you don't know why he's doing these performances or what does he gain from it... you just know that you're next. really put me into the mindset of being scared as hell about the uncertainty of what's gonna happen (though if i lived there, i would just force everyone to make a pact that they'll cheer for everyone so nobody dies lol).
last thing i want to compliment is the characters, and they're some great stuff too. varem was really likeable, loved his snarky responses while still coming off as a nice and genuine person, and i felt really bad for him when learning about his past (you should've seen my face when he said he'd go visit his parents, and then started talking to the graves-). lara felt really kind too, and the scene where she gives a piece to her neck fur to varem was really wholesome (and i did not expect that twist at all haha). and motto's design, motives and personality make him into a really memorable villain. also, i've noticed you have a moment in your games where before reaching their destination, the characters sit down and explain their past to each other, right? so good.
if i had to criticize anything, i feel like the tileset for the roads is a little too dark and could be brighter, especially since you have to make a lot of twists and turns and sometimes it's hard to see the walls. and i'm not sure what was the purpose of finding the piece of cloth, but maybe i missed an optional part with it or something. and, while i'm not that bothered by it personally, i did notice some spelling mistakes in the dialogue scenes. maybe you could have someone spell check the text? but only if you want to, and if you think it's something important enough to fix.
what i really like about the games from you that i've played is how a lot of stuff is open to interpretation. i'm growing really fond of it as a storytelling method, and i think it works really well for these fantastical, mysterious worlds. i think i've said it already but it feels like learning about stories that are centuries old, about these creatures that we could previously only see in our imagination... i think you have a real talent for worldbuilding, and i hope you keep using that skill for your future games! :D (or don't, the choice is yours haha)
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ooh, this was a really atmosphere-heavy treat!
(SPOILERS)
i'd only played gray pearl before this, and i think your art skills have improved a lot (and they were already great!). the dark, rocky terrains varem and lara walk through feel appropiately empty and moody, only lightened up by the crystals that listen everywhere... the contrast between the barely visible outside and the bright red carpet inside the grotto, feeling foreboding for the dangers to come... and once again, the cutscenes that feel like i'm being told a story about a long forgotten world... it's all REALLY well done, and it makes the game brim with atmosphere. if i had to highlight anything it'd be the start of the reunion with motto, with the flashing red lights. that was cool as hell haha.
and that's without mentioning the sprites and character art! both really really good. i love how the characters move slightly from side to side when they're walking, that's a fun little detail haha. varem's face art is SUPER cute god, i love that bat boy so much- and i love how many expressions he has, genuinely makes him feel a lot more real than if he just cycled through three or so faces all the time (his winking face lives rent free in my head, it's so cute lol). and motto has a great design too, his red eyes and the crystals on top of his head are awesome and make him an intimidating antagonist, especially when he's calm and collected in your reunion, subverting how you'd think he's just a crazy maniac from the description of what he does to these people...
the plot was really good too!! both here and in gray pearl, i'm impressed with how you come up with extremely cool concepts and manage to flesh them out with such a short amount of time. a strange being suddenly showing up in this world and forcing its inhabitants to perform, where they have to do well or he'll kill them?? that's a REALLY cool concept haha. love how unexplained it feels too; you don't know why he's doing these performances or what does he gain from it... you just know that you're next. really put me into the mindset of being scared as hell about the uncertainty of what's gonna happen (though if i lived there, i would just force everyone to make a pact that they'll cheer for everyone so nobody dies lol).
last thing i want to compliment is the characters, and they're some great stuff too. varem was really likeable, loved his snarky responses while still coming off as a nice and genuine person, and i felt really bad for him when learning about his past (you should've seen my face when he said he'd go visit his parents, and then started talking to the graves-). lara felt really kind too, and the scene where she gives a piece to her neck fur to varem was really wholesome (and i did not expect that twist at all haha). and motto's design, motives and personality make him into a really memorable villain. also, i've noticed you have a moment in your games where before reaching their destination, the characters sit down and explain their past to each other, right? so good.
if i had to criticize anything, i feel like the tileset for the roads is a little too dark and could be brighter, especially since you have to make a lot of twists and turns and sometimes it's hard to see the walls. and i'm not sure what was the purpose of finding the piece of cloth, but maybe i missed an optional part with it or something. and, while i'm not that bothered by it personally, i did notice some spelling mistakes in the dialogue scenes. maybe you could have someone spell check the text? but only if you want to, and if you think it's something important enough to fix.
what i really like about the games from you that i've played is how a lot of stuff is open to interpretation. i'm growing really fond of it as a storytelling method, and i think it works really well for these fantastical, mysterious worlds. i think i've said it already but it feels like learning about stories that are centuries old, about these creatures that we could previously only see in our imagination... i think you have a real talent for worldbuilding, and i hope you keep using that skill for your future games! :D (or don't, the choice is yours haha)