This is the most new-player-friendly IGMC entry I've played, I think, which is a fantastic thing. From the beginning, it starts minimal, providing a quick intro into the high-stakes infiltration, setting personalities for the main cast, and providing a sleek "attack/defend/items" UI for the player to interact with.
Everything feels seamless, and that might be Ever, In Time's best skill - onboarding the player into the experience and making it feel seamless in the onboarding.
Instantly, at any moment, you know what the stakes are, and why you're doing what you're doing, and the gameplay is easy enough to follow. The sprites are cute, the backgrounds are cute - everything is super cute.
There's a neat puzzle that might be the most difficult thing the game has to offer, but after a while of not being able to solve it, a "guidance voice" that embodies the voice of your friends prompts you that if you're having trouble, they can solve it for you.
I DID NOT use this. I solved it using my brain, because i am SMURT. (i'm smurt!!!)
The game has a great amount of polish, and that's just testament to how coda usually does things... full of polish. It might not be as down my alley as, say, his darkly humorous in-development project Dog Eat Dog (of which I'm ravenously hungry for!) but I do feel like this game will please many people who want a nice, singular RPG experience with easy-to-follow characters and conflicts, and a light tone.
It has some promising concepts here, plus a really fun use of the fantastic scripter gimmer's "Rewind Time" script... lovely to see it used here.
Overall, I do feel like it was a well-crafted story with polished UI, and a good arc and playful tone. Ever, In Time is codapill doing what he does - delivering a polished game with very few cracks! Love it. Thank you, friend.