FGHFGHFHFG THIS TICKLED ALL THE RIGHT SPOTS FOR MY OVERDRAMATIC FANTASY ROMANCE LOVING HEART
The writing is gorgeous, and I love the old English style! Somehow it felt very Iggy/Genzou despite how different the dialogue read LOL The CG is absolutely GORGEOUS, especially the contrast of the flowers against the dark sky and the rim light on Iggy's face + his expressions. I liked the minimalistic text bubble style as well, which framed the scene really nicely, and all of the various effects were put to very good use. I REALLY loved the details put into the other GUI screens, with Iggy/Genzou/Orlam being part of the party LOL The BGM was very sweet and sentimental, a perfect accompaniment for the scene.
Admittedly I have NO idea about Dragon's Dogma; I did do a little research so I could understand the context of the game a bit more. It seems like the icon (the scar across the hand) is a symbol of the Pawn's fealty to the Arisen, so the little HP bar attached to that symbol in the top left represents Genzou's nature as a "Pawn" - when he defies what a Pawn should do (obeying his duty), he loses "HP." I think it's interesting that the game starts with no choice at all - you have to follow Iggy into the field, and, as a result, lose these Pawn points - it kind of shows how Genzou, from the start, defies his Pawn nature while also making sure that the player is introduced to the game mechanic.
===SPOILERS===
I love subversions on the Chosen One trope, and it was well executed here, in a way that melds perfectly with Genzou's arc as well. Iggy wanders alone to ponder, reflecting on his own "duty" to defeat the dragon, feeling as if he has no choice in the matter despite his fear of dying. He feels forced to do his "duty." Similarly, Genzou's duty is to blindly, emotionlessly follow his Arisen, lacking true will. In the non-true endings, Genzou succumbs to his "duty," as does Iggy - they both return to the camp vowing to fulfill their respective responsibilities, despite what they actually want.
The Pawn game mechanic is a really clever way to "misguide" the player! You're lured into this sense that picking the answer not marked by the hand will instantly lead to a game over. However, you actually DO need to pick a combination of answers - in general, you need to avoid making jokes and take Iggy's concerns seriously (ironically, in a very "non-Genzou" way LOL). If you do, then Genzou breaks free of the conditioning to express that he protects Iggy because he wants to, not because he feels that he needs to, and they end up staying together in the flower field, with Iggy comforted by Genzou's companionship. I loved seeing the change to the start menu after you get the true end! It was so adorable, and I assume that the glowing scar on Genzou's hand is a testament to his devotion to/love for Iggy.
Overall, this was such a sweet game that really tickled my fantasy/romance loving heart. It was SO different from the other games but at the same time had the same sweet and earnest heartfeltness. Fantastic work!