Dylan/cathardigan from Neophyte here. I personally really loved the dialogue in this one. It's very prosaic and interesting. And the way the characters talked was very intriguing! I'd love to hear a soundtrack in this one because it would add so much atmosphere to it. Right now it's reminding me of Dune, and the character designs aid in that i think. Also, the protag character design is awesome. Like, build a game around that dude.
If there were a "best setting" category, I think this would get my vote. You've planted so many intriguing narrative seeds, and I can't wait to see where they lead. The limited colour scheme was a very wise move, it turned a really bare bones design into something actually quite visually striking. Also, those portraits are amazing! They should be so much bigger during the dialogue, show them off!
Just had another thought regarding character models. Since the NPCs are basically just geometric blocks at the moment, have you considered replacing them with 2D character art? Like putting them in the 3D environment as 2D planes which are always facing you. The closest comparison I can think of is when you use clairvoyance in Psychonauts and characters are replaced with 2D art. I just think it would be a good way to take advantage of your skillset.
I quite like how various little details and strings of dialogue help to paint a complete picture of what's going on. As I started the game over again and again to get different endings, I felt like I kept learning about the events taking place, even if I was still moving through essentially the same events repeatedly. I also really like how the different endings are... well, differentiated from each other, for the same reason: they help to paint the bigger picture. I also quite like the little portrait drawings. :>
The gameplay is solid enough, though I feel like the base walking speed could have been a bit faster. The presence of a sprint mitigates this for the most part, but still. I also feel that, while it does get the job done, the verbal descriptions don't fully make up for the lack of detail in the atmosphere. I can still imagine the town being described, but the visual representation of Dust's Echo makes that image a little harder to maintain. I admittedly also had a very different color palette in my head when I read the description of the environment.
Comments
Dylan/cathardigan from Neophyte here. I personally really loved the dialogue in this one. It's very prosaic and interesting. And the way the characters talked was very intriguing! I'd love to hear a soundtrack in this one because it would add so much atmosphere to it. Right now it's reminding me of Dune, and the character designs aid in that i think. Also, the protag character design is awesome. Like, build a game around that dude.
If there were a "best setting" category, I think this would get my vote. You've planted so many intriguing narrative seeds, and I can't wait to see where they lead. The limited colour scheme was a very wise move, it turned a really bare bones design into something actually quite visually striking. Also, those portraits are amazing! They should be so much bigger during the dialogue, show them off!
Just had another thought regarding character models. Since the NPCs are basically just geometric blocks at the moment, have you considered replacing them with 2D character art? Like putting them in the 3D environment as 2D planes which are always facing you. The closest comparison I can think of is when you use clairvoyance in Psychonauts and characters are replaced with 2D art. I just think it would be a good way to take advantage of your skillset.
I quite like how various little details and strings of dialogue help to paint a complete picture of what's going on. As I started the game over again and again to get different endings, I felt like I kept learning about the events taking place, even if I was still moving through essentially the same events repeatedly. I also really like how the different endings are... well, differentiated from each other, for the same reason: they help to paint the bigger picture. I also quite like the little portrait drawings. :>
The gameplay is solid enough, though I feel like the base walking speed could have been a bit faster. The presence of a sprint mitigates this for the most part, but still. I also feel that, while it does get the job done, the verbal descriptions don't fully make up for the lack of detail in the atmosphere. I can still imagine the town being described, but the visual representation of Dust's Echo makes that image a little harder to maintain. I admittedly also had a very different color palette in my head when I read the description of the environment.
Nonetheless, good work overall!