Hey! So, I just played both this and the previous one. Let me give you some of my thoughts. I'm just going to ramble, because it's going to take too much time to structure all of this.
So, first of all, I think it's really funny! The original Dream Team is hysterical. This Gamescom version is funny too, but it did feel a little less potent, some things didn't quite land for me (like the Retro part). Still had plenty of laughs, and I feel like doing a game that actually makes you laugh is pretty hard, but you do it every time man, so you're goated.
The absurdity of the situations in both games are great, you came up with some really funny ideas and bits for both cases. I also really like how nothing serious or really dramatic ever happens. But the style it's not wholesome either, so I feel like there's nothing quite like what you're doing. So I'm pretty interested in what else you can cook up.
Talking about the characters, Vreena is awesome, she's super cute, unhinged and hilarious, you did a great job with her. In general, her lines and her comments are super enjoyable. On the other side, I feel like Joe is a bit generic. It feels like he's there only to bounce off Vreena. I guess it's not necesarily a bad thing, but yeah. I mean, he's funny too. Then the rest of the cast was pretty cool too. In general everyone was interesting to talk to, since they all have their own ridiculous traits... And Vreena helps a lot here, because it's always funny how she interacts with all the different characters. Again, nitpicking, I felt like the guys in the Gamescon version were a bit more normal, if that's to be believed.
Art is cool! Again, I really liked Vreena's sprites in particular, but everyone's was nice.
Also, can I talk about Dream Team's case? I feel like the idea of the motive being snitching, is fricking genius, because not only is a bit clever how you get there (snitch is the only one other than killgore that's not on the list), but the answer that snitch is a snitch is just so ridiculous, it's great. I love it.
Uhhh, so I really liked the games, right? If I get nitpicky again, let me tell you things I felt could be improved in the writing:
* I felt like there were moments that felt a bit weird to me, where characters that are generally ridiculous suddenly get serious for a few lines. I'm thinking of like, there's a part where you're interrogating Snitch in the first game, and when you get something wrong he goes something like 'Are these really the guys who'll sent me to the chair?'. Or similarly, there's a part in the Gamescon where el Presidente also cuts Vreena off with something. Just thought it was a bit of a mood shift.
* I feel like you go a bit too ham with some lines. I guess this is going to depend on wheter you want to sell this, or you're just HOBBYing it, but I feel like like getting an editor or getting a second writing opinion could improve the overall product. My opinion obviously, I just think that it's just very unapologetically you (I'll mention just a thing in particular, the guard making a 'Genshin Impact' joke got me, but it also felt like kind of not cohesive with the character). Take that as you want.
* So, I feel like there's an obvious Ace Attorney comparison here... But while the formula is similar, I do feel like this is it's own thing. In particular, it's way more absurd, right? Which is great. I do wonder though, how that scales on a longer game. I don't know what your plans are with this (hopefully you'll want to make something long, 'cause I want to play), but I can see the level of absurdity and non-stop humor could get a bit stale. Because in general you want sort of ups and down in the narrative, right? And the demos so far have been all up, you know? So, yeah, I do have that question.
Oh, and I feel like this is important, these QoL would be great:
- A way to see which dialogue options the player has already seen
- A way to skip text without using 'A' (maybe holding another key), in case you want to skip already seen text without fear of selecting an unwanted option after said text ends
Okay, so I probably said too much. But yeah, I really liked it, you should do more. I wish it was an anime or something.
Have a video of me playing both parts, I sped up a few empty bits to make it a bit shorter. Still lots of empty silence, though: