Overall: Beautiful graphics and a well-written story make this entry a Harold Jam highlight!

Gameplay: Separating MP and sword skills into two separate meters was an interesting choice.

Music: Served the game well and the extra sound effects helped up the atmosphere.

Story:  One of the better stories of the jam, and very eloquently written too! The big issue is it ends too early. I would have loved to see a proper resolution with the tension you built up at the very end.

Graphics: Beautiful work across the board. Love the four-color silhouette drawings interspersed with the gameplay. Having first-person battlers be represented by the player's hands was a really smart choice that looks excellent here. I also love how Harold's sprite changes in the chasm.

Comedy: Enough sprinklings to freshen the otherwise dark and serious story.

Heroes Come and Go is a game that stands out primarily for its impressive custom pixel art and interesting first-person perspective battle system. The visual presentation is top-notch, showcasing the developer's artistic talent and attention to detail. The pixel art is beautifully crafted, adding a unique and appealing aesthetic to the game.

However, despite its visual strengths, Heroes Come and Go feels more like a test demo than a fully developed game. The gameplay and story elements are underdeveloped, and the experience is marred by numerous bugs that significantly hinder the overall enjoyment.

From the outset, players may encounter issues. Attempting to walk through the door next to the king before talking to him caused the game to crash, requiring a restart. Upon restarting and speaking to the king, another bug surfaced. Talking to the king again after the initial conversation triggered the entire cutscene to start over, ultimately resulting in a crash due to the Loremaster being in a different starting spot and the "Skip if Cannot Move" option not being checked. These and other bugs, which have been reported by other players as well, suggest a lack of thorough testing and polish.

While the concept of Heroes Come and Go has potential, it currently falls short of delivering a cohesive and enjoyable experience. The custom pixel art is the main attraction, and it's clear that a lot of effort went into this aspect of the game. Unfortunately, the gameplay, story, and overall execution are not as well-developed, leaving players with a visually appealing but ultimately frustrating experience.

In conclusion, Heroes Come and Go is a game with a lot of promise thanks to its stunning pixel art and unique battle system. However, it requires significant bug fixes and further development to reach its full potential. As it stands, the game is more of a showcase for the developer's artistic skills rather than a polished, engaging RPG. With additional work and attention to detail, this concept could evolve into something truly special.

Welp, I talked to the king a second time in the opening, and I thus found a softlock.  Other than that, really fun concept, and I hope you make an entire game from this.

I sincerely hope you continue this as a fully fledged game, but if anything happens to David I will cut you LOL

Great work with the graphics! Interesting combat with a first person view and two hands for two actions, but otheriwse battles were fairly standard. The plot ended abruptly, but a solid entry nonetheless. Good job!

This was a very strong outing!

It's got some very nice custom art, a surprisingly cool and interesting battle system with the utilization of two hands as separate "actors", and was one of the few entries this year interested in telling a more serious story. Definitely a sleeper hit, I hope more people try this one!

I felt the ending was a bit abrupt, but understandably so as given the amount of custom art and game mechanics, I have to assume you were very pressed for time. At the very least, the twist at the end, as well as the writing all around, was pretty solid! There was a nice Chekhov's Gun moment that I really appreciated near the end with the scroll!

This is an interesting game. It has a good arts and music that consistent and really enhance the atmosphere. 

The battle system is really interesting. It has a good concept and smooth execution. But it is too slow for my taste. It still a great battle system though. 

For the story, at first, I think Harold and his party's personality are way too flawless which is kinda a red flag. But at the end of this part I realized  the game would make a really good villain origin story. Good work with that! 

Anyway, this is a great submission. Good work!