Ah yes, hello again!
The demo was last updated in March--mostly fixing little grammar/spelling/art errors, but I did add close to 8000 words worth of additional content from Chapter 3. I'm not sure whether or not you would count that enough for a replay or not, but it's there if you're interested :)
And thanks!
Aaand replayed it!
Don't have any real updates on the questions so I won't answer them again, but it was definitely nice to have some more story to play - with this, I should be able to wait until the full version releases! It was really interesting to see the beginning of the actual travel, not only the characters hanging out in the First Sea. It showed a bit more of the mechanics and hierarchy of the group, and I'm eager to see how it'll evolve.
It makes me realize I didn't ask about the endings before. You say it should be easy to get the best ending, so I take each character has at least a "good" and a "best" ending or something. But did you also put some bad endings in, even if you'd have to do it on purpose to get them? It would be fitting since well... their quest IS dangerous because of the Pena AND because of the boys fighting and all that stuff - it seems it can easily become pretty nasty between Riu and Kameckt, and I can easily see it getting worse. But at the same time, not all creators want or can make bad endings for their games, for one reason or another, so it's always good to know, I guess?
On a side note I MUST say it again - I love Riu sooo much I can't even get over it. I liked him since the very moment I saw him and I kept liking him more and more along the first demo, and now I just like him even more. I can't help but think he's extremely cute - it may sound weird, but in my opinion he's the cutest of the three boys - and I'm not talking about looks. Though he's also the one I like the most physically speaking - he's such a beautiful creature. First seeing him was so breathtaking! And those eyes!
Speaking of that, I believe I didn't say it when I first commented on the game, but I really like how inhuman the boys actually look like. They're clearly not your typical "regularly handsome" sea-folk (Kameckt would get a pass in that category I guess, but oh well) - and I love that fact. I don't have anything against pretty mer-people with pretty human faces and pretty fish tails and all that stuff, but I'd rather have creatures like Riu and Vane anytime - their kind of beauty is different, and oh so fitting for a sea setting.
There are two sets of endings: Set 1 is the overall bad/good/best ending that wraps up the plot. Set 2 are the romantic/non-romantic endings. These can be combined in different ways (unless you get a bad ending, in which case you never get to see the Set 2 endings).
There's a scene that will be added into early chapter 3 that explains the 'gameplay', so to speak. Basically it comes down to in order to avoid a bad end, you have to spend time with all three characters. Putting all your attention on one guy will leave the other two without the sparring/hunting experience they need and they WILL die in the final battle if they don't have that experience--ending your adventure prematurely (about a full chapter before the game is 'supposed' to end). Even Makani is killable if you aren't careful enough with your choices.
So yes, bad endings aplenty :P
Oh Riu...he tries so hard not to be cute XD I'm glad you like his appearance too! I thought it would fit to make him look a little more fabulous striking since his color scheme is essentially monotone as opposed to Vane and Makani's bright, warm colors that help them stand out from the cooler backgrounds and Kameckt's contrasting black, white, and gold. The races have all been really fun to design, and I wanted to do something different with my merfolk since they're based more on actual sea life than mythology. I've had a blast world-building for this story!
Thanks for playing through again! I'm working on getting the final game out as fast as I can!
I really like the fact that you'll have to spend time with the three characters. It's a mechanic that could be frustrating or annoying in some games, but in this case it's perfectly logical in the story!
I think each time I'll get a choice like that, I'll try the three options and choose my favorite event from the tree, and try alternating haha!
But because of that, I'm wondering about the romance part. I understand the Set 2 endings thing (and it's a cool idea, BTW!), but if you can't favor one guy over the others, does that mean nothing remotely romantic or hinting at romance happens before reaching Set 2, or some of your choices when spending time with someone would lead to a more romantic relationship, and you'd have to get enough of that romance "points" to unlock the Set 2 ending of that character?
Ah, I'm asking so much - if you think it's too spoilery, feel free to tell me so and not answer that!
You're fine. They're fair questions to ask. I don't consider them that spoilery, myself, since I'm planning on making some sort of guide anyway since I feel like it sounds more complicated than it actually is.
Yes, this set-up does mean that nothing blatantly romantic will be happening until the very end. Romance has never been the point of this game, it's always been meant as a bonus. I understand this is odd for a VN, and perhaps I should be more clear about that in the game's information so that players aren't disappointed if they were expecting more of a dating sim. One of my personal goals for writing this story was to practice writing the development of friendships, and so that's what the core of this story is--the tale of four people learning to get along and be friends.
If you're concerned that this means the romance will be shoe-horned in right at the end, it may help to know that the Set 2 Endings are a sort of epilogue with a beginning, middle, and end all their own, and are about 9000-10,000 words a piece to give the blossom of a romantic relationship some believability.
To get a romantic ending, a character late in the game will ask Makani whether or not she is in love, and if she responds in the affirmative then the character will hint at how she can move in the right direction towards which guy she likes. You do need a certain number of friendship points for the romantic ending to initiate, but you should have little problem reaching that since practicing with the guys also raises this stat in addition to their survivability, and there are scattered other dialogue options throughout that often raise the friendship stat of more than one guy at a time. Nothing depletes the friendship stat, and there are other rewards for filling it up other than just getting a Set 2 ending ;)
Oooh, I see now!
Don't worry, you made it pretty clear that the game is more about friendship than romance, and I totally understand and appreciate the idea! I would have played it even without romance at all, especially since I really love friendship stories too (as well as sibling love)!
I wasn't actually worried there wouldn't be enough romance per se, but since you DID put a romance element, you're right, I was worried it would be a bit "rushed" somehow if you didn't put ANY romantic hints before the endings (and I assumed you didn't since you told the game was about friendship and the romance endings were bonus). I didn't think the actual Set 2 endings would be so long! With that, I'm obviously not worried anymore!
Thank you for answering all of my questions ^^
