itch.io

If we get the paid game through itch.io/patreon/subscribestar/etc. will we have free access to the Steam release, should it happen?  I know censorship is an issue but I'm not terribly interested in the lewd scenes; I like the presmise of the game and I'd like to see how a less lewd version pans out.

One more thing - given that many battles can only be won if you back attack, the option to quit to the title screen during battle would be quite nice (so you don't have to go through a death to reload).

Maybe not a user interface suggestion, but I do want to say that when you get to doing Beelzebub for Gluttony, you know he's going to be all about the drug use.  His curse should be called "Dat Beelzebuzz".

I will note that others have suggested that Aura's willpower, and the associated gain from Blessed Waters, can seem a bit random.  Perhaps a "Willpower" section in the status screen to give a breakdown of Aura's willpower calculation would be helpful.

Hunting animals for food isn't a bad thing, but that doesn't mean you go killing the entire forest.  Sex may not be a bad thing, but that doesn't mean you go giving it away to literally anyone that wants it.  Aura's mission is to prove that people are not driven solely by selfish hedonistic desires.  She fights these demons to prove that the people would be better off without them.   The world of Roya just sees Aura as a hot blonde piece of ass, and Aura is trying to help the people look at her for what she really is.  This is why I say Aura needs to work on her communication skills, she needs to work on teaching the people just how destructive these demons are.  She needs to do a better job of explaining the consequences of having the people give into their selfish desires.

The corruption path is about Aura backsliding and giving into what the people of Roya want, and in so doing lose her ability to teach the people a better way to look at virtue.  In real life this manifests in Laura becoming more materialistic and looks-centric, giving into what baser people want her to be.  I feel like the corruption path should actually be more punishing than it is, because if she gives in, she won't see the point of fighting anymore.  There should be some attempt at an intervention by her friends if she becomes too corrupted, both in the real world and in the world of Roya.

Regarding the writing, I look at this game more as a collection of character portraits.  Batman, for example, isn't a terribly interesting story but the indvidual characters are quite interesting.  Aura is meant to be a naive savior archetype and I think the writers have done well to portray her real reactions to the grittiness of Roya.  More could be done to show exactly what Aura is fighting so hard to protect, especially in the real world.  Aura does need to work on her communication skills but I hope those develop over time.  Again, I look forward to seeing how future demons are handled, as I think that is the best part of the game.  Showing how the demons exploit the weaknesses of the people to bind them to soul contracts and the creation of toxic environments is the heart of this game's storytelling. 

Yes the combat is challenging and I think it does well to show the challenge of keeping Aura pure in such a flawed world.  Yes the RNG gets annoying but it does punish poor battle planning.  Tactical Advantange evade is probably the biggest culprit of RNG madness though.

First, Spoiler Warning.

Let me say it started off really strong and I really liked it.  

Festival of Greed was amazing (9/10).  Fortress of Wrath was OK (7/10).  Eternal day of Sloth had serious problems (4/10). 

The positive thing about Sloth was that it introduced the concept of demon achors being inside people.  Really interesting.  However, the way Sloth implemented it did not make sense at all.  With the people of Mountainreech being dead, the dead bodies could have been basically the same as artifact anchors.  Also, while you might say that the person replacing the rocks in the mine was slothfully avoiding a real solution, it's hard not to argue that good habits are a way of defeating sloth (so I don't see why that person deserves a demon portal).  

My main disappointment, however, was the lack of exploration into how the Sloth demon works.  I was expecting the demon saying something like "these people wished to die, and I granted their wish", but all I saw was the little girl summoning stuff to protect a demon she didn't understand.  The only thing stopping it at the end was Aura threatening to take the life of the little girl, and I think Aura could have done more to truly convince the girl.  

I hope the Belphegor scenario is just a small dip in writing quality, and not a trend.

You have something really good going.  To me the strength of the game is in the demon realms and exploring their flawed values.  I do look forward to what you do with the other demons.  Veradeux seems like it's ripe for Lucifer (Pride demon), and I do see a whirlwind for Leviathan (Envy demon).  I look forward to seeing their phlosophies and how they enter the realm and the hearts of the people.  I think, for example, a child beauty pageant would be quite approprite for Asmodus's realm.

Thanks for reading!