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We'd really love to get back to it. Hopefully when everyone's schedules align again we can make it happen!

Thanks! We would love to revisit this project someday and give it the polish it really needs.

So sorry to hear that! Hopefully you were still able to play and enjoy.

Oh, no! There are a few helpful Let's Plays here that might give you some clues. Let us know if you give it another shot. :)

Thanks for playing!

Not currently, though we would love to get back to it someday. Glad you liked it! :)

Sorry to hear you didn't like it! As for the grammar suggestion you made, the text is actually correct as is. That was a dialogue choice by the character, whom you will find is a bit of an odd duck. ;) Thanks for playing!

Thanks for playing! Always enjoy watching your LPs! We appreciate your perspective.

Really, really enjoyed this game. The aesthetic was gorgeous, the battle mechanics were intricate and well thought out, and everything seemed equally well balanced and fair. Character development was on point and there was enough diversity to break up any monotony that might have reared up.

I didn't really find anything wrong with it, honestly. Very little feedback to give regarding improvement, as there didn't seem to be any passability or spelling issues. No crashes that I'm aware of, etc. The writing was your shining star here. This game was absolutely hilarious from the moment it started. I would really have expected a game like this to place higher in the competition, so, very well done there.  

I will say, if you are not a fan of strong language, this may not be the game for you. Even still, it was never over the top and completely suited the character and the moment. Nothing but praise for this entry and hope to see it continue after the IGMC.  Here is the LP:

This was pretty good. I had an instant wave of nostalgia for throwback RPG titles like Star Ocean, Suikoden, and even some FF. I enjoyed the mix of pixelart and 3D Iso, as it seemed to work well. The storyline was somewhat cookiecutter to the standard vintage rpg, but then, that is what we love so much about those titles, so it wasn't necessarily a downside. :) Your battle system was solid and well developed, and I enjoyed the autolearn of new abilities through combat experience. It was like little Christmas presents each time I acquired a new one.

There's obviously room for polish here, especially around the skill tree. Given only 30 days, however, this is no huge upset. I'd also recommend some mini games to engage the player a bit more, and perhaps a way to more quickly fill your skill slots, so that you don't have to go through the monotony of clicking each one and waiting for the animation. Some more world exploration with non-linear points of interest would also go a long way to fleshing this out. Maybe consider a crafting mechanic, or something along those lines.

All in all, not a bad title. It reminds me a lot of my younger days, and that is always appreciated. I can't say that anything really stands out above your typical old school rpg, but again, if that is the intention, it is not necessarily a bad thing. Great job! Here is the Let's Play I completed for the game:

Thanks so much! Loved the playthrough.  We definitely intend for the rest of the game to go in very much the same direction.  It's such a fun story to tell, and we agree, the dynamic between Angela and Devon is a hoot. Look forward to seeing your LP when we finish!

This was an excellent submission. The aesthetic worked well, the dialogue was good and well-paced, and the underlying story was an overall delight. I always love exploring the concept of sentience in what would otherwise be considered, "lifeless" forms. What is in a soul? What makes something truly "alive"? Very well done. 

The music suited the atmosphere perfectly, and while the puzzles were not overly challenging, they had enough complication to make them enjoyable without being overly frustrating. I also really liked the diversity of them and the way they were laid out.

Honestly, the only issues I could really find were the occasional spelling issue or grammatical error. Easily remedied. This has been my favorite submission so far, and the first to receive a five star rating. I truly hope you will continue with this project, as I would love to see how the story resolves.

Well done. I've completed a Let's Play for this game as well. I'll include that below:

Really enjoyed this aesthetic. Your use of the tiles was appropriate, and the steam weather effect really lent itself to the overall atmosphere.  The text was difficult to get through at times, though I assumed this was a language barrier issue. It really wasn't bad enough to take away from the storyline though. I did find a slight passability issue in the "working girl" building, where you are able to get onto the stairs from the right side and bypass the event beneath them. There were also some instances where I was merged with the furniture in some areas, but again, not a huge issue.

I was enjoying the idea of an investigative game, especially playing as a child. Very unique. Unfortunately, I did experience a game crashing bug when leaving the bar after talking to the bitter, one-eyed Guardian. I have attached the Let's Play for everything up to that point, so you can see the error that occurred. I did try and go back and play through again later, but experienced the same problem.

I would love to try this out once it is perfected, as the premise is interesting and I'd love to see what happens! I especially liked the timer, as it really forces you to pursue the case and better helps to place you in the story.  Not a bad submission. Good luck in the contest!

Extremely well done. Considering that the game is almost entirely crafted from the RTP,  it was a surprise to find that you almost forget about that, losing yourself to the fun of the mechanics. The battle system was extremely robust, and the clever way the boss fights were crafted really forced you to have to think outside the box and utilize every ability at your disposal in just the right way. Very well executed. The only downside I could see is perhaps the length of time it takes to get to each major milestone of the story, as there is not much to really do aside from hopping from battle to battle. Then again, that is the point of the story arc, so I suppose that is not technically a downside. 

The RTP is obviously something that you could consider replacing with more aesthetically pleasing resources, but the game really doesn't need it. The only bug I could find was with the Foresight during the Volcano Lord fight. Even when I only did it once, it still seemed to occasionally hit another enemy target. Not a huge issue though. I only got about two hours in, but it was fun and engaging. All in all, a really solid entry.

Here is a completed Let's Play:

Thanks so much for taking the time to play the game. We agree that it is far too short! xD We'd love to add quite a bit more to let the player know what is going on, as well. We created this great, albeit somewhat tragic story, and the robust nature of that world is a bit lost in what we could get done in the timeframe. I'm hoping we can bring that out in the near future. 

Thanks again!

Thanks for the review! Reminder dialogue is a good idea. Or, maybe just a little quest box or something you can use to keep track of what you're supposed to do. We appreciate the commentary on the atmosphere. Futrchamp is a wizard with music, and really set the ambiance in such a masterful way. Always impressed with his work. 

We did intend to have a bust for Lia, but we went back and forth about it. She has a few speaking lines, but they may be easily lost in the dialogue. Thank you so much for the feedback!

Thanks, and we're really glad you liked the game. Yes, we definitely wanted to include so much more, but simply ran out of time. We would love to finish it out. If you are stuck on the pipe puzzle, make sure you've found all of the pieces, as you may be missing the right one. There are three possible pieces, aside from the one she gives you. Unless you were referring to the irrigation puzzle?

Regarding that 'interesting' thing someone mentioned about Angela and Devon, we're glad that you enjoyed that. ;) We were trying to keep it subtle and let people figure that out on their own.

Thank you so much for taking the time to play our game and leave a review. We always appreciate feedback!

So, first thing: the mechanics in this project seem really well thought out, and there is clearly quite a bit of effort invested in the shop system, the equipment options, and the altar's methodology. I liked the way you could engage with Brayson in so many unique ways, and that you made use of a crafting system within the shop. Also liked the convenience of being able to equip directly from the shop window. VERY cool. You made use of default resources in a way that didn't seem too forced or lacking in imagination, and that is not often found when utilizing the RTP. 

That being said, the combat system, while engaging, only remained so for a little while. Though there were different creatures to encounter, their attacks were all the same and became somewhat predictable and tiresome.  I did like your CP Charge concept (I chose Fists as my weapon), and it was wonderful to have abilities that allowed me to recharge that. I did also like the storytelling aspect of the combat, such as when battling the Lich. 

Ergomett's healing was a cool touch, and it was interesting how the environment she was in started to grow vegetation after bringing her flowers.  The healing, however, seemed to be the only way I could restore my HP, and even then it really wasn't very much. I eventually reached a map that I couldn't even get across because there were just too many battles, and no way to restore HP before I got to the other side.

Side note: On the map with the poison, where you meet yourself after avoiding the reaper, is there a way to get out of there without a Suicide Pill? There is a tile you are able to get through on the right hand side. It brings you out onto the green path, but there was nowhere to go after that.

I only got through about an hour, as honestly, the lack of any kind of storyline was making it difficult to continue. I know he was unsure of who he was and all that, but there wasn't really anything to go on to keep things moving along. When your game lacks real story elements and focuses almost entirely on battle, you have to make those battles really stand out in order to make up for the lack of story progression. Something MUST continually engage the player, or they will lose interest.

All in all, I think you have a solid baseline here, but you may have shot for far too much in the window of time you had available. Rather than go after so many different mechanics, maybe it would have been best to focus on just the combat, or just the store/crafting system, etc. While each endeavor clearly had a lot of effort, it was all just a bit too much to take in while still holding player interest.

I do hope you continue this project, however, as I'd like to see how it progresses! Thanks for the opportunity to play.

Wonderful, as expected. While short, the piece was very polished and well constructed. Though essentially a fetch quest, it was enjoyable, and each piece was interwoven in a way that didn't ever feel like a chore. Really enjoyed the "guitar-hero-esque" battle system. Very entertaining, and the subtle innuendos were tastefully executed. All in all, a very enjoyable experience. Great job! I completed a Let's Play of this game, as well. :)

Hello!

I've just completed a Let's Play review of your game, and I'll include the link below. I liked the unique art style and the battle system seemed to be very thought out and I was enjoying it. The game did unfortunately crash when I tried to cast "Mana Ball", so I was unable to finish. The language barrier was also a bit difficult to get around, and the tutorial scrolled by a bit too quickly for me to catch. You have a good baseline here, and I'd love to give it another look once you get time to work through the prototype. Good job!

Thanks for the reply! I'll be sure to give it 100%. 

Will they be judged altogether, or by engine grouping? I ask mostly because I intend to submit in RM, but recognize the very clear superiority in graphic and mechanical capability for Unreal, or Unity. I suppose a great project is great regardless of engine, but just thought I'd ask. 

Thanks! 

This was wonderful. All of the nostalgia of growing up with these kinds of games just came rushing back and I was really enjoying the entire experience. Especially the Zeldaesque pot/plant throwing! :D I think the story was perfect for what it was. Simple, to the point, and made room to emphasize the gameplay itself over the rest. Well done, all in all. Many glitches encountered, most of which have already been covered, but honestly, when one considers the short time frame you had in which to work, it makes this all the more impressive. Kudos! You got my vote. :)

Absolutely loved the graphics. Everything was so seamless and perfect. Very nicely done. I didn't find any bugs, and the concept was both clever, and very original. Several innuendos layered in there, but I get the impression that this is the point. ;) I'm looking forward to checking out the full length feature this is spun from!

The dynamic between scientist and assistant is adorable, and I managed to get the password the first time around. Rather enjoyed the placement of Quidget's plans, as a matter of fact...for their scientific orientation, of course. Quite helpful! I really liked the M-N machine, as well.  Very clever.

Only downside I really see here is the length, really, and the relatively small environment. Then again, both of those things allowed for a fully polished piece that delivers quite the professional package. (See what I did there?) Overall, the general concept and aesthetic were very well done! It is difficult to find much more to say. There is not much story to engage with, but what is there is simplistic and enjoyable to follow through to completion. It does end up feeling more like a side-quest than a game, but I viewed it more as a preview of things to come. Good luck with Peninja! I'll be following your work!

This was an interesting concept. I really liked the exploration and the puzzles. Sadly, I blew myself up in the computer room! XD I should have known I couldn't just unlock the doors so easily.  I think if you were to give this some refining,  you could have something quite decent.  Some of the text could use some work, but for the timeline you has, it wasn't bad. It worked well for what it was, and I commend the effort. Nice job! 

This game was wonderful. The story was very original, the puzzles were unique and appropriate to the various elemental themes, and being able to shift between various creatures to solve a problem is such a novel concept. Reminds me very much of the Fade puzzles in DragonAge. Very nice. Overall, the game is clever and very well constructed. I think my only issue is that it does drag on a bit. Not that every new aspect of the adventure isn't perfectly  contrived and executed; quite the contrary. Personally, I just think there might have been one too many adventures. I would, however, certainly recommend this to any prospective casual gamer, and (so far) it has my vote for the IGMC 2017. Well done! :)  

So, I was playing through this and ended up crashing the game. There was a man in the cafeteria that wanted me to give something to Hale? Afterward, the screen went black and the game crashed.  I played through once more and had the same issue. I will say that I did enjoy a few features from what I was able to see. Turning on the lights in the room was a really neat touch, and I also liked the breaking bottles. For cons, having 500g just sitting in a box in the classroom seemed a bit strange, and the writing can be a bit difficult to follow at times. From what I could see though, it has potential. Wouldn't mind looking at it again if you could fix the crash issue?  Good job so far!

Of course! And yes, it was great.  I'm a sucker for those things. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Truly. I loved your use of the available resources, and especially liked the twist on the classic, "hero vs. monster" motif.  Your dialogue, quest options, and the reactions of each character as events unfolded were very well implemented, and did an excellent job bringing attention to such a sadly misunderstood condition. The music was perfect, and honestly, this game hit me right in the feels. Especially the ending.  I think you did a wonderful job with this and I will certainly recommend it to anyone.  Well done! :D

Thanks! I'll check this out tonight.  :)

Really wanted to play, but I don't currently have the VX Ace RTP.  :( 

It is a shame, too, because this looks so beautiful! I can tell you worked very hard on it.