Thanks a lot for playing the demo, and for giving such a detailed review!
You've managed to notice a lot of shortcoming that I was afraid would be noticed :)
I will add a bit more context for what's going on.
>The observation display at the bottom is a great mechanic, it just seems very easy to overlook a lot of the time since it's tucked away in the corner like that
It's supposed to be "current thoughts", and right now it's pure fluff. The intention is to kinda convey what the character "thinks" and add a bit more atmosphere to the game. I haven't been able to finish the contextualized thoughts in time for the demo. But I'll take notice that both it and interaction menu are "out of sight", especially with the interaction menu - I don't want the user to get confused in the dark.
>Maybe pause that system from showing those messages while the thought chatter window is running, since it divides the attention of the player.
Yeah, that's the idea that I haven't implemented yet. Currently it just picks a random thought for each room, kinda like "give you a vague idea of where you are".
>Inventory is just a tiny bit obtuse given that using items doesn't require the player to select them or equip them in any way and the interactions just appear in the interaction selection automatically. Would be nice if that was clearer.
Yeah, I've scrapped "equip anything" last minute. Originally I planned to do "equip the item to use it", but it was too annoying. I will definitely return to this idea, but the inventory currently is used only for combining items.
>Would be nice to be able to read the list of things you're looking for as many times as needed, to at least remind yourself what you're missing
Got it, didn't think of that. The items alter their description if you know how to use it, but I didn't think about "full item list". Will probably make a screen for notes and context.
>this is stuff like the point-and-click game moon logic problem where you never know what to do next. Never had that problem here.
Glad to hear! I was kinda scared because the main "gameplay" revolved around "Inspect anything remotely interesting", so I was wandering wether I've put "too many" hints or "not enough".
>The first one sound a bit more somber and atmospheric the second one is very arcadey and energetic. Depends what the game is going for.
It's definitely trying to go for atmosphere. Though I always felt that the copyrighted is way more depressing. Good thing I switched it to not be default.
>but complete sound clips for every line seems like overkill unless the game is normally voice acted or uses softer sounds that aren't as hostile towards the ears.
Yeah, you're right. It seemed like a good idea when I implemented it, but I guess I just got used to it. I'll limit it's usage next demo
Thanks for your review, and I'm glad you enjoyed both the game and the stream, I have a lot of fun playing your game!