Post by RamiKoh in Soul Union comments

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Hello!! Long time no see :))

So, I have so much to say (and I can't remember what I've said in my earlier comments, I tend to ramble a lot so sorry if i repeat myself), but I'll try to organize my thoughts here.

!!!SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

1. I love this game. I'm sure I've said that but I'll say it again: It's one of my favourite (if not my favourite) games out here. You put so much thought and effort into it and it shows in the game itself as well as in your devlogs (very excited for the new GUI and interactive elements; I love the old one very much but the new one gives it a more RPG feel). You mentionned in your most recent devlog that some players felt "frustrated" in certain areas but I personally never felt that way. Certain areas were indeed a bit repetitive since we had to go back and forth between rooms and all that, but the banter with the vassal kept it entertaining (besides there's a skip button for a reason don't be afraid to use it yall). I'm not sure where I was going with this particular thought anymore, so moving on.

2. So far I've replayed the game 3 times: Empathy-Romance-Mikail, Logic-Romance-Mikail and Empathy-Romance-Keska. I'm planning on trying every trait and every route with both characters not only because I'm a completionist, but also because of how different each route is. When I went for Logic-Romance-Mikail, I was surprised at how different the epilogue was compared to the Empathy path. Both were so good that I can't really say which one I preferred. I wonder if Ilyon's most prominent trait affects how Mikail reacts upon waking up/meeting Noctisse. Why does he attempt to harm her in one path but not the other (thought I think I remember him hinting at it in the Logic path too, he doesn't act on it though. It's been a while since I finished that route so I'm not sure how reliable my memory is).

Keska was such an interesting character as well; she was so different from Mikail, which is to be expected of course, but I just... I guess I didn't expect ALL characters to be so fleshed out. Usually , I always feel like there was one or two characters that were neglected by the devs in a VN, but not here. I'll wait until I complete another path with Keska before saying more about her but I genuinely love her so much so far! Mikail remains my favourite of course (best boy, so cute, tries his very best, I'm in love TwT).

3. Speaking of Keska, I'm not sure if it was a bug specific to Linux or if windows users also experienced it, but when in Keska's room, she offers a massage to Ilyon, and 3 options are offered to the player, 2 of which I suppose lead to the massage happening, and the middle one is to decline (if I remember correctly). One of them somehow starts the scene with Keska, then transitions into Mikail's romance scene?? The background remains the same (Keska's room), but Mikail appears instead of Keska and the dialogue that follows is the one where he tells Ilyon to rest and that he'll keep watch. Then the underground labyrinth appears and we can no longer progress in Keska's route. As overjoyed as I was to see my favourite character again, it was still a destabilizing xD The other option works fine though, and I was able to continue with Keska.

4. In the underground passages, there is a cave (?) with... bonfires?? I'm sorry I forgot the specific word that was used ;w; but we were supposed to light some fires. The last one made Ilyon so uncomfortable that he refused to light it when that option was chosen (in both the Logic and Empathy paths. I have yet to try it with Power). I'm simply wondering if some specific choices could unlock that option, or if Ilyon himself simply does not want to risk it?

5. The music was absolutely beautiful. All of it. Mikail's theme, however, made me feel a particular way and I can't really describe it. It wasn't quite nostalgic, but not sad either. Maybe cautiously hopeful? I don't know what I'm saying anymore xD I just feel like it fit his character perfectly. Did the composer have a specific story in mind or did they compose it solely based on Mikail's character? Either way it was so beautiful I even went into the game files to listen to it on repeat for hours ;w;

That's all I think! I'm sorry it's so long but you always share your thoughts honestly in your devlogs so I thought I would share mine for a change :) I'm very excited for your projects, thank you so much for sharing them with us!

coffeedripstudios3 years ago(+2)

Hello Again! Thank you again for taking the time to share your thoughts. I love reading them. Please let me respond to your feedback point by point.

There may be spoilers in some of my answers~

1. I'm glad that you were able to enjoy the game as an experience despite it's many flaws in execution. I plan on leaving this version up even after I remake it, as I think it has it's own "charm" that may be lost in my attempt to refine it. I'm planning some pretty big narrative changes for the remake, so I think it will be interesting for someone like yourself to compare. There was a power imbalance that I am uncomfortable with, and I want to give the vassals more agency. I'm planning more character and relationship development outside of the ritual, before the epilogue so I hope that will help the reader to explore another side to the characters. To make room for this new expansion, relationship paths will be narrowed to two opposed to six.

2. I'm glad that you enjoyed Keska's character. As a creator and I mother, I feel like my characters are kind of like my children, so I can't favor one over the others. As far as the endings go, all of the empathy, power and logic routes share similar resolutions when it comes to Noctisse. In his empathy routes, Ilyon's companions attempt to "rescue" him from his complicated relationship with Noctisse. I suppose Ilyon made himself appear vulnerable enough to them that they felt inspired to "help" him. They probably also felt supported enough to act on their own personal grievances against Noctisse as well, considering she threatened them into the whole ritual thing to begin with. In his power routes, he takes more upon himself to challenge Noctisse directly and his logic routes, he cautiously tolerates Noctisse, deciding ultimately to bide his time. In all versions of the endings, Mikail does not like Noctisse and sees her as a threat to both himself and his cherished person. He's not the type of person to consider nuance. I'm sure he would personally rather she disappear forever regardless of Ilyon's chosen approach. I'm pleased you were able to pick up on that XD.

3. Thank you for pointing out the bug! I think there's a couple of those in Keska's path, since I made her path after Mikail's. I reused some of the scripts for an "outline" to follow and I must have accidentally left one of jumps to the wrong script. Sorry about that! Most of my friends are team Mikail, so I feel her path was not as well tested, lol.

4. The hearths in the tunnels are representative of destruction, reverence and preservation. The objects collected and used as fuel are representative of memories. Ilyon can only "destroy" the memories if his power is at a certain level. He can "revere" the memories if his empathy is high enough, and he can "preserve" them if his logic is at a certain level. Fueling the flame grants Ilyon a large bonus to that corresponding trait. I don't believe it's possible to have all three stats high enough at the same run through to use all three options, so at that point of the game, the player must commit to one trait of their two highest traits above the others.

5. My friend Kerry has composed all the music specifically for this game. She's played it extensively as I've been creating it, so she's very familiar with the story, themes and characters. We've also been friends for decades so she has a pretty good idea of how my brain works and my general sensibilities, lol. I feel like she always manages to nail the feeling I'm going for, even though I give her little to no direction. I'm really lucky to have her as a friend and composer!

Thank you again for this discussion, I enjoyed it ^^

itch.io

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