i stopped playing p3 reload to participate and engage with the submissions in this jam, thank you for helping me deal with my persona withdrawal xd.
hoooooly, i can't find the right words to describe how absolutely amazing this was! everything about this was the perfect package in terms of gameplay, visuals, audio, and storytelling! there is just so much here that i fear to even think about what it was like trying to complete the development of this game within the span of the 14 day jam period!
first of all, love this gamified detective mystery we have here! the information building in this game is super well done, especially with how the log functions. you can use it for multiple things: to keep note of talking points, to identify weird behaviors, and also to keep track of everybody's weekly routine, its implemented so well! also like how some characters require interactions from others characters first to progress through their storyline, makes the player feel rewarded for paying attention to character details and knowing who to talk to! small nitpick is that i wish there was something i can do on my downtime if i don't have anything to do on a particular day, maybe giving the option to let the detective take a break to spend the remaining time of the day would help (also would fit in with one of the conversations you had with the old detective where they mention that you shouldn't be completely focused on your work). this could also potentially open up more ways to spend your money since it feels like you have a good amount of excess cash before the end of the week comes. also love the small extra detail where the currency changes depending on the country your device is set to. it was funny seeing it for the first time, since i saw the preview image show that the player starts off with 200 dollars, but since i live in the Philippines my currency is set to Philippine peso, but it still reads as 200 pesos which is equivalent to 5 USD in my country, my man is STRUGGLING xd.
the visual presentation of this game is absolutely stunning! everything is stylized as hell. from the big bombastic UI layouts of the game, to even just some of the smaller details like how the main cursor has a color shadow that has a small delay in returning back to the cursor when moving! the visual identity of this game feels so realized. really love the character work in this game, love how they appear as sketchy outlines when you first enter the scene, surrounded in a singular blob of color almost blending into the background, and its only when they turn their focus on to you and engage with you is when the different colors and details come into view, matches some of the messaging in the game where you only really get to know someone and have someone open up to you (like showing their true colors) through genuine human one to one interactions! the character artwork pops out really well against the beautifully drawn backgrounds that just blur from view! also the music is amazing, really fits the vibes of the game and is just a fun listen in general.
and at the heart of it all is the story, this was such a fun read! the characters feel so grounded in the world that they live in and are really engaging to learn about! each of them has their own personality quirks and struggles that were grappling with, with most of them connecting to the general state of affairs within the civilization that they live in! we get to learn so much about both the characters and the world throughout our time in this game, and it just fits so seamlessly into the main mystery itself, its really nice stuff. all the dialogue is thoroughly engaging to sit through, with each scene having a mix of existentialism and humanism to kind of process and chew on at the end of the conversations! loved all the characters to bits by the end!
this already feels like a complete game that i would buy on steam, definitely one of my favorites of the jam submission so far, this is so well done! also apologies for this word vomit of a comment xd. good luck on your mid terms!