Narrative games normally don't entice me, but the art style and reviews enough were enough to at least give the game a chance.
Story: I was surprised how quickly I became attached to the story. Every character was unique and I found myself actually curious about where each character development was going. The pacing was my favorite part because I was allowed to decide what and who I wanted to focus on first making the relationships with characters feel a little more personal. I had a hard time understanding what to do and what was going on at first, but the game encouraged curiosity and exploration. By the end, everything tied together and my questions were mostly answered. Balancing events and survival at the beginning of the game was challenging at times. A few instances the story took an interesting direction because I wasn't able to get enough money or high enough dice roles to satisfy every character. It wasn't too difficult, but I think it was enough to require some tough decisions and interesting conflict.
The dlc was a little easy since I was over prepared after the game warned me, but it developed the lore a little further which was exactly what I was hoping for.
Mechanics: Obviously, there aren't too many mechanics to the game since it is a narrative rpg, but the dice element to the game was actually really good. I wasn't too thrilled about it at first, but the chance aspect was actually brilliant. It was simple, but it led to me making difficult decisions that I knew might introduce conflict and negatively effect my character. The ability to use my poor dice rolls to steal data made every number feel useful.
The upgrade points came slowly at first, but since they progressed with the objectives of the story it led to me feeling more comfortable and controlled with the game at the same time my character was starting to fit in and thrive.
Finally, the narrative choices were straightforward for the most part, but there were several times I wasn't sure how what I said would affect the story and I was surprised on multiple occasions. Every decision seemed to count.
Visuals: The visuals were basic for the most part with stand still characters, but the art style was beautiful. From the relaxing colors to the expressiveness of lines on characters it was easy to feel immersed and get lost admiring the art at times. Though I would've loved to see some animations, the team did an incredible job with the what they were able to create. Everything was set up perfectly, as it was easy to understand, see, and move around the eye.
Sound: Honestly I don't normally put much focus on the music or sound effects of a game, but the music in this game was perfect and helped immensely with the immersion. It was relaxing and helped me focus on reading. It picked up and created some extra tension during conflict. It was about as perfect as it gets for a chill indie game like this.
I have one major issue that I think could've been fixed pretty easily.
The lack of a screen size adjustment setting was unfortunate for my setup. I couldn't see the amounts of my items or data making it a guessing game at times. I could see the tops of numbers and had to keep mental track at times, but it was a difficulty that I think should've been avoided.
Story: I was surprised how quickly I became attached to the story. Every character was unique and I found myself actually curious about where each character development was going. The pacing was my favorite part because I was allowed to decide what and who I wanted to focus on first making the relationships with characters feel a little more personal. I had a hard time understanding what to do and what was going on at first, but the game encouraged curiosity and exploration. By the end, everything tied together and my questions were mostly answered. Balancing events and survival at the beginning of the game was challenging at times. A few instances the story took an interesting direction because I wasn't able to get enough money or high enough dice roles to satisfy every character. It wasn't too difficult, but I think it was enough to require some tough decisions and interesting conflict.
The dlc was a little easy since I was over prepared after the game warned me, but it developed the lore a little further which was exactly what I was hoping for.
Mechanics: Obviously, there aren't too many mechanics to the game since it is a narrative rpg, but the dice element to the game was actually really good. I wasn't too thrilled about it at first, but the chance aspect was actually brilliant. It was simple, but it led to me making difficult decisions that I knew might introduce conflict and negatively effect my character. The ability to use my poor dice rolls to steal data made every number feel useful.
The upgrade points came slowly at first, but since they progressed with the objectives of the story it led to me feeling more comfortable and controlled with the game at the same time my character was starting to fit in and thrive.
Finally, the narrative choices were straightforward for the most part, but there were several times I wasn't sure how what I said would affect the story and I was surprised on multiple occasions. Every decision seemed to count.
Visuals: The visuals were basic for the most part with stand still characters, but the art style was beautiful. From the relaxing colors to the expressiveness of lines on characters it was easy to feel immersed and get lost admiring the art at times. Though I would've loved to see some animations, the team did an incredible job with the what they were able to create. Everything was set up perfectly, as it was easy to understand, see, and move around the eye.
Sound: Honestly I don't normally put much focus on the music or sound effects of a game, but the music in this game was perfect and helped immensely with the immersion. It was relaxing and helped me focus on reading. It picked up and created some extra tension during conflict. It was about as perfect as it gets for a chill indie game like this.
I have one major issue that I think could've been fixed pretty easily.
The lack of a screen size adjustment setting was unfortunate for my setup. I couldn't see the amounts of my items or data making it a guessing game at times. I could see the tops of numbers and had to keep mental track at times, but it was a difficulty that I think should've been avoided.