Hi MsItalia!
So, as you know, I had fun with this one. I have more than 200 fish to prove it! =P
Alright, jumping right in.
Sound and music.
- The biggest problem I found was the audio levels jumping and dropping between the different areas and combat. Not sure if it was the actual volume of the music or if it had to do with some coding glitch in the game. If it's the music/sfx themselves, you could go to some online sites and search for "normalize multiple audio files," or if you have a bit more experience, you could normalize it in a few software like Reaper or Audacity to start with. I would definitely recommend asking someone who would be able to help you. I could squeeze in a moment, no charge , sometime for at least the demo since it's still small.
- As this is still a demo, I didn't think any of the SFX were out of place, and nothing really disturbed me. I think most of it felt like it fit the old-school RPG vibe and felt rather nostalgic. Then there were a few voiced lines like "level up" or "quest complete" that I thought were kind of funny, but it was a little low in volume to appreciate.
- I quite enjoyed a lot of the music, although I think there were a few tracks that could use a bit more work as the quality and feel were a bit less consistent.
Gameplay
- I loved the gameplay loop but I can see how this could end up pretty difficult for those who don't really play RPGs. That said, you may end up losing some potential players who might like to come in and just enjoy the story and silliness. I think it is smart that you removed leveling in favor of tactical combat with no grind. The only problem is that the grind of leveling is simply replaced by gathering in this case.
- As you saw, I was able to tackle almost everything on the first try, except for the slime, which I had to teleport away from. I know people might complain about the bosses being tough, but honestly that's part of the charm, or otherwise you have a visual novel with grindy combat like many other RPGs. It wouldn't make sense to have an easier game without losing the fun of the turn-based combat. If anything, an easier mode for those who just want the story would be pretty much asking players, " Hey, would you like to autobattle?" so you might as well at that point.
- Diversity in the boss fights was a really nice touch. I did suggest that you could leave the bosses to be beaten in any order, but each boss gives you some kind of something to help you beat another. (Mega Man example) I loved the rewards that came with each boss but some of it ended up being a waste.
- For the demo ONLY, I would make the afk stuff just go a little faster, or at least have a streamer mode to remove some of the farm grind. I didn't really have trouble catching fish, though.
- Map was simple and easy to appreciate; I'm looking forward to seeing Secundville. (cough... sorry)
Dialogue
- Dialogue was fun, and you could read/see the personality in the characters you have so far.
- I totally learned about a new term while playing your game. What else would it stand for, though?
- On a serious note, I figure that you are still working on refining and adding more content, but for some of the more repetitive things that need to be done, such as talking to the Professor, I think a few diverse lines of dialogue would be nice.
- I'm realizing I never tried to get $1million gold to see if the dialogue changes and if I could use the bank...
Visuals
- I didn't have any issue with the artwork. As someone colorblind, I would generally give you feedback on anything that gave me trouble and hindered my experience.
- The stretchy warping effect on the bosses was a little weird and I felt it took away from the experience a little. I get that you wanted them to seem a bit more menacing; maybe adding a background for their setting might be something that could make up for it with layered animation. Like for the Black Sheep fight, a field with maybe leaves or something flying by.
Anyway, again, thank you very much for the fun game and for letting me play it! I had fun. Keep me posted on any updates and hope you continue to develop the game!
Regards,
- Glim
GlimMusic.com