This is great! I've often wanted a good modern "text RPG" sort of game and you've got the idea perfect. The writing is very engaging, each of the places and characters have a unique feel, yet there's also a lot which appears hidden and makes you want to explore more. The idea of different "moods" and different conversation paths lets a player actually "play a role" which is something a lot of RPGs surprisingly lack! The timer is generous so you can get quite a lot done in one day. The danger level seems forgiving, especially with the idea of quicksaves and autosaves. I couldn't put this down once I started. Really hoping that you continue to make this. I'd gladly pay for the full version.
Reading this comment is a really lovely way to start my day, thank you so much, Jamie! I'm currently playing the working prototype (which got really big) and I think you're going to love it. I try to improve both the things you mentioned, and some other areas which interest me personally, such as the quality of the illustrations, and even I'm getting excited seeing the progress. : ) The pandemic sure gave me a lot of time to.
I'll do my best to finish this project, though it may still take some time. : (
Oh, please don't take anything I said as a complaint, it was all praise! :)
I like exploration games where the player is actually able to explore! I'm sure you've played games where the player is given things to look at, yet resource management is so tight that it's impossible to get anything done. The player is actually punished for exploring which defeats the whole purpose of the game. This really ruined Out There: Ω Edition if you've seen that.
I also don't mind an easy game. Not everything needs to be an ultra-hard nightmare roguelike.
Don't worry about time. It took Tom Happ 5 years to make Axiom Verge. The guy doing Pixel Art Academy has been going for 5 years with no end in sight! Take your time and enjoy creating.
I'll follow your devlogs and have wishlisted on Steam. The game is ready when it's ready :)