Super late reply, but I want to reply to this!
1. Is Rama getting more popular? I hadn't noticed, but I'm glad! I always felt he was under-appreciated, but given just how complex he was and his... eccentricities, I can also understand why he may not click with quite a bit of people. He's such a sweetheart though - it just takes a while to open that shell of his. A long while at that, haha. I can't really deny there were times I felt frustrated at how he would just push Tamara away when she was simply trying to help. But oh my gosh, the frustration has never been more worth it. I need to protect that smile! He may be an adult and a warrior, but in my eyes, he'll always be that child I want to hug because he's been through way too much and needs lots of love.
2. Truth be told, this was the first game I ever played with any sign of Indonesian culture. I never really would have delved into it on my own. It's not that I'm not interested in learning about other cultures, just that it doesn't really occur to me to sit down and search up Indonesian culture, haha (and if I searched that up, I would have no clue where to start). This was such a fun way to expose that and bring awareness to it, since I know Indonesia has a rich culture! I'm not surprised it got such a nice welcome, including from me.
3 & 4. Oh yeah, I really liked how human Tamara is. I recognized the borderline flashback scenes, and that's something that's not super big, but nonetheless a negative nuance that's present in people who struggle with traumatic experiences. Overall though, I think there's more awareness of mental health and its symptoms. And yeah, I feel like it's not only a problem in one country or another, though some countries are... less accepting than others. Is Indonesia really repulsive against people with "special circumstances"? Depression's not a very easy topic to wrap your head around for anyone who doesn't struggle with it themself, really. Anything with mental health! There's a reason why there's a Mental Health Awareness Month OML
Bermuda was longer than it should be? Was it supposed to be a smaller project but just ended up growing because of the characters? Well, I wouldn't complain. I do enjoy straightforward romances, but just as much as that, I really like complex relationships as well! Even in Winged Ones, the relationships are definitely on the complex side, especially throwing Rama into the mix, haha. Even in Rama's good end, I kinda felt their relationship was sort of like... 75% romantic? Like, yes, they love each other. But again, Rama's not super open about this stuff, it seems, though 2 years with him appears to have sparked a bit of change since for once he initiated a kiss. There are also the relationships that don't always change people, necessarily, but the air is different - like Tamara and Yuda's relationship. His sharp talk never left him, though the two definitely grew more relaxed and friendly over time.
True true, I feel like especially Asih and Yuda's love story would be better off as a separate story. I know there was a bit of the story of Ayu, Teja, and Rama, though most of it was Rama's telling of the past though rather than real-time. It could be like a nice sort of prequel! Maybe get to know Rama more before a certain incident caused him to break and snap. He couldn't have always been as psychologically broken as he was in the present storyline. But I completely understand not adding them to the main game here! I agree they'd be distracting and it would blow up the game's length unnecessarily, haha.
Thanks for answering the questions! Spoiler alert here:
– Wow, really? I feel like Rama and Purba are really different though. They may have felt some hatred or vengeance against some people, but even then, Rama has talked with Sukma and the others and got their side of the story. Unless he was very petty, I don't think Rama would have held as strong of a vengeance as before against Loma, but like. Other than that, they're pretty opposite? Like Purba's actively thirsting for power and the right to rule the island, while Rama just wants to protect Tamara and end this war.
– Oh yeah! I remember that reference in the epilogue. Poor Tamara got jealous of Ayu so she decided not to tell Rama about it in the epilogue, haha. But that makes sense! I'm assuming the Servants helped Reksa then because that was Tamara's wish, and she had completed her mission?
– I mean, the voice just came out soft and a little fuzzy, and I struggled to make out the lyrics sometimes. The tune and everything else was great! Maybe the piano could have been a bit lower in volume? But I think a microphone and pop filter upgrade? But it's a free game. People could probably let it slide!
Haha! I had a hunch Reksa would be the "sexy" one (though I didn't think it would be as sexy as how I initially thought since I thought it would be like... him kissing Tamara a little bit roughly and that's about it), though I can see why people would think Mitra. But in the game, Mitra's like a big, sweet teddy bear. He's more like a cuddler? Reksa, on the other hand... yeah. The stuff he does and the things he says. Damn. And I love recurring gags! I mean, as long as they're not way too overused or too in-your-face, y'know. But those are just really nice to see and they have their charm! If done right, they can add surprisingly quite a bit to a story, even the minor and small ones. Like do you know Avatar: The Last Airbender? They have that whole recurring gag of that cabbage merchant screaming "My cabbages!" when his stall gets destroyed by the Gaang, and though they weren't like a huge moments when they came up in ATLA, it worked like a charm.
And the one about the rats. Tamara growling and then that "..." "......" moment and then Reksa saying, "You sounded like a dying rat." I laughed so hard, like that was just pure gold! (When I read that though, I lowkey thought about that Rats, we're rats; we're the rats song, please save me LMAO) There was another time when he said, "Rats are scarier than you." Not exactly a recurring gag but like, what's it to him and rats? Haha.
Speaking of Reksa, just one more question - sometime near the beginning, Yuda ended up shooting and chasing away a Komodo, I believe. Or reports came in that a Komodo had been hunting too close for the Avians' comfort. Was that referring to Reksa?
I'm glad I could give a pleasant surprise (๑˃ᴗ˂)
You take care too! ♡