Version 1.2
Feedback on improvements
Maybe I was just in a better headspace today, but I suspect you did a really good rebalance of the pendulum minigame! I was a little concerned when I realized I'd have to play it to see Sal's content, but it really was completely painless and quite relaxing.
Now that you've got it in a comfortably playable state, however, I realize I kinda missed the original point: I found myself looking at the center ring and waiting for the pendulum to meet it, rather than tracking the pendulum. To polish that minigame a little more, perhaps you could try making the center ring transparent (about 40-60% opacity) and simply pulse its opacity between minimum near the edges of the screen, and maximum near the center? With that setup, the center ring only comes into focus when it matters, and I'm sure you could play with the effect to make it quite interesting.
I didn't notice it last time, but the "wave tone" as you've called it is a really great addition to the game! In fact, all of the audio in this build is just really well assembled. The way the music fades in and out as one switches between clicking in the spiral generator (leaving said wave tone in focus) and navigating menus is a very nice touch.
Also, I like that note about there being "many, MANY" more future experiments with Dr. Faustus. ;3
Regressions, issues, and further suggestions
You really didn't leave me much to complain about! All of this stuff is fairly shallow, you've solved most of my problems already. ;3
I think I found a couple of typos - I hope I wrote them down correctly!
- diologue -> dialogue
- uninturrupted -> uninterrupted
I think it'd be worth changing the switch between progress and scene replays, as it'll be hard for new players to tell what it's supposed to "do".
I found that, if I read dialogue at a comfortable "speaking" pace, the printing would usually beat me to the end by a comfortable 30% margin. It might be worth experimenting with a slower default print speed.
The music will keep on fading in and out during interactions where the spiral isn't going in the background - just clicking on the dialogue box will do it.
Finally, I think that some of the "focused dialogue" (single statements in bold) could benefit from being centered in the text box. Similar to how some others have commented, having text so far from the center of the screen can somewhat distract from the main focus of an interaction.
Sal
Wow, just wow! Sal's whole design and personality is just great! As his initial uncertainty gave way to a more dominant streak, he was able to push buttons I didn't know I had! I don't have a Twitter, so please, pass along my compliments to limewah for their part in that. :3
The moments where he'd turn from his relaxed pose to directly face me head on were quite striking. The first time that happened - well, let's just say it was an impactful and surprising moment. Well done! :3
In fact, all of his character stills were masterfully done! Likewise, please, pass along my compliments to Gooeyroc! All of the art I've seen so far has seemed perfect for Hypnoscreen - I hope to see more of them in the near future~! ;3
(I also really like how they managed to capture Dr. Faustus in the promo tile - but that's not related to Sal ;P)
Final thoughts
Lots of exclamation marks and catfaces in this one! :3
I'm really liking the progress you've made in just one month. I don't think I can properly express how proud you're making me (a random internet stranger) with how well you've been doing with your work on Hypnoscreen. Seriously! I don't want to inflate your ego too much, though, so I'll leave it at that. ;3
Always looking forward to more content,
Extend, Unpack
(PS: You titled this release as 1.1! The filename is right, though.)