Hi devs,
I've been waiting for this update since last year, and enjoy both this and Grove. There's a substantial chunk of new content, and I like it a lot, and the plot development. I like the dynamic of having various third parties other than you and Interloper-controlled creatures, whether they are allies from the start (Hu-Mina) or able to be won over (the snakes).
And the defeat scenes are hot. Can't forget that, of course. :)
I had a few comments/suggestions, which are mostly not about the main gameplay itself, but the UI:
- Menuing feels a little clunky--it seems like there are more menu steps to get something done than needed. Some of this feels like "game engine defaults", so I don't know how easy they are to change--but if you can change them, they would help make the player experience feel smoother overall. A few examples:
- Exploration menu - it would be great to just have a single list of all possible destinations (or, one for main destinations and one for side destinations), and be able to select the one we want. As it is, to get to the Swamp we end up having to select "Next" several times, each of which loads a new menu with a single option.
- Crafting - I played last year's version, and allowing crafting using materials from storage is a welcome improvement. Ideally, the crafting menu would (1) not have a separate display/craft submenu for each individual item, but rather would display all the info upon *highlighting* the item, and select-to-craft, and (2) give a handy heads-up display not just of the required materials, but how many of each you have (including both inventory and storage). That way I don't have to remember the recipe, check inventory, *and* check storage to figure out what materials I still need.
- Related to menuing is text speed. I'd appreciate a configuration option for instant text speed--but at the very least, consider instant text for non-dialogue (e.g. for showing the description/recipe when crafting). Yes, I realize I can just press a button, but why make me press that button?
These seem like little things, and they are--but they add up over the course of a playthrough and I think can make the game *feel* a lot better to play.
I answered the survey question about play time, but I wanted to caution against using raw play time as a metric without context. The things I mentioned above--as well as things other commenters have mentioned about limited storage etc. causing a bit of a feeling of "grind"--serve to artificially lengthen play time, but reduce the quality of that play time.
Despite how much of the above is criticism, though, rest assured that I do enjoy the game and am looking forward to future updates!