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Ezekiel: dark-fantasy narrative RPG (RPG Maker MZ), looking for playtesters, especially on pacing and clarity

A topic by MeshMind Studios created 12 days ago Views: 171 Replies: 6
Viewing posts 1 to 5
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Hi all! I've opened the first playtest of Ezekiel, a story-driven dark-fantasy RPG made in RPG Maker MZ.

The Church says Ezekiel's sister is dead. Her records say she was moved eight days after her burial. It's a slow-burn mystery about grief and a paper trail that shouldn't exist.

Page: https://slebbeshotmailcom.itch.io/ezekiel-beta-v1
Windows, free, about 5–7 hours (estimate). You don't need to finish it, and any amount of play helps.

What I'd most like feedback on:

  • Pacing: where it drags or feels repetitive.
  • Clarity: whether you always knew where to go and what to do next.
  • Combat: whether the turn-based battles make sense without a big tutorial.
  • Bugs: anything that crashed, got you stuck or looked wrong.

There's a short, optional feedback form (3–5 minutes) linked on the page, or you can just reply here.

Content note: death, grief, violence, illness.

I'm happy to return the favour and play your project too.

Update: the page now opens with a gameplay GIF and in-game screenshots, so you can see what it actually looks like before downloading.

Still looking for a few players, and you don't need to finish it. Even the first 30 minutes helps. What I'd most like to know: was the opening clear, and was there a moment you weren't sure what to do next?

Optional 3-minute form on the page, or just reply here: https://slebbeshotmailcom.itch.io/ezekiel-beta-v1

I'll be happy to test it, sounds interesting. As long as my laptop handles it, I'll play it and fill the form. ^^

(+1)

Thanks for giving it a go! Saw your comment on the game page too. Really happy you're enjoying it, and I'm looking forward to hearing how far you get.

My pleasure! I love it so far! I already submitted a feedback report, because I wasn't sure if I had the time to finish, but since I do, I'll send another if I find something that changes my perception. But pacing and clarity are really good! ^^

(+1)

Ezekiel playtest v0.1.1 is up. Thanks to everyone who played and filled in the form. Most of this update comes straight from your feedback.

Fixes from playtester feedback

  • Amberley, the search for Tilly: after each lead, the objective now lists the leads you still haven't found. One easy-to-miss clue now has a soft sparkle so it's visible.
  • Opening: the prologue now shows "Enter — faster" as well as "Esc — skip", for anyone who wants to read it quicker.

Polish

  • Item pickups hidden in dark places now sparkle, and the sparkle goes away once you've taken the item.
  • The camp scene north of Amberley: the objective now tells you what to do (rest until morning), a line that didn't match the time of day is fixed, and the campfire crackles at night.
  • Mountain weather: a wind-driven snowstorm, lighter snowfall lower down, footprints that fill in behind you, and new stormy skies.
  • Some new optional things to find and read, for anyone who likes poking around.
  • Credits for every resource pack are in the README.

Bug fixes

  • A door where leaving a building put you inside the wall and left you stuck.
  • One mountain path is now a rope climb, with the rope drawn on the cliff and climbable both ways.

Updating: download the new zip and extract it to a new folder. To keep your progress, copy the save folder from your old copy into the new one, next to Game.exe.

@XenonStorm25 thanks again for playing! If you're still looking for Tilly, the new hints should help, and your save carries over as above.

As before, the feedback form is on the game page: https://slebbeshotmailcom.itch.io/ezekiel-beta-v1. Bug reports in this thread are welcome too.

Thank you! And amazing update! :)