I've decided to try using a standard format for all my feedback this time around. Please excuse me if I come across as overly curt or miss something important about your game. I'm writing these all quite hastily as there are a lot of games in the jam this year!
What I liked
Voice acting! And surprisingly good voice acting at that.
It's almost entirely stock RPG Maker assets, but it's visually pleasing. And the freshly-drawn character portraits are nice.
The premise and storyline is promising, but...
What I didn't like
The gameplay is quite tedious. The narrative, humor, and overall promise is enough to push me to keep playing but the implemented gameplay itself doesn't have a lot of appeal.
The story ended just as it was getting going. I know why this happened, but it's still disappointing.
The "please buy DLC" jokes were starting to wear thin by about halfway through the game. Again, I know why this happened, but it still gets fatiguing.
Did I think it was so bad it was good?
Honestly? No.
The storyline is a bit strange, but not bad. The voice acting is just good. The use of stock assets is lazy, maybe, but not really bad. Some of the jankiness like the constant DLC jokes just feels like your typical "jam is over and we're not done" last ditch saving throw. Overall it feels more like an ambitious but rushed and unfinished game than a so bad it's good game.
My thoughts on the modifier implementation
Impossible elements in the storyline? I think it's there, but the game also ended before they really came into play.
Other remarks
Recount makes me think of elections.
The story seemed cliched, but I feel like it is going to go in some weird direction at some point if the game was finished.
Some of the jokes landed but some of them didn't.
Verdict
I'm going to be honest, I finished this game disappointed. I don't think that reflects on this game itself so much as how Crystal Captor was a tough act to follow. While I had mixed feelings about some elements of that game, it was a big, well-made, and complete game that took first place that year.
All in all I don't feel this is a so bad it's good game, but I'm also excited for the finished product.
If you have any questions, comments, queries or concerns, please reply and I'll do my best to get back to you.