Nicely atmospheric! An elegant story.
The only drawback is that the text is a little hard to read because there isn't a lot of contrast between the gray font and the background.
Glad you got to work on this as a nice little break!
Part of me wants to play through all the possibilities in the demo and part of me wants to wait until the whole thing is done, but I'll probably end up returning to the demo while I wait!
I like the way the narrative moves around between points of view and in time. It didn't feel intrusive and gave some satisfying insights, and I got used to the characters quickly.
My only little complaint is that I wanted the MC to be able to get in the hot tub, but none of the options seemed to allow for it. I mean, if they can jump Cass's bones, can't they also jump on their date's?
Either way, I'm glad to be in on the Kickstarter!
The art is lovely throughout, with lots of detail and color. The backgrounds are gorgeous and the character designs are interesting and distinctive; no two look alike yet. The story is set in a fantasy world with magic, and you get to see a few spell effects and some rather elegant scenes. The interface is unique and in keeping with the overall style. You get to choose the main character's first name and hair color, and the purple was too pretty for me to pass up - but I'm a purple fan in general, and it seems to be used often in the demo, which made me happy.
Most aspects of the story and characters didn't surprise me yet, but that's okay: I was interested in where the visions were going and totally fine with letting Keldran charm me anyway. This is also a brief demo; there's a lot of room for growth.
I liked that there were mouse-over glosses for people, places, and other important aspects of the lore. It helps you keep track of all the new terms (along with First and Second Empresses, Princes, etc.).
I had a few technical issues with the version I played on Steam that I wasn't able to resolve:
I have to admit, I'm new to the hybrid visual novel that intersperses combat with narrative scenes. In general, I'm someone who can enjoy older RPG games and simpler styles, but I just don't know if hybrids are going to work out for me. Even though the combat layout and sprites looked good in Dual Chroma, the fighting just didn't draw me in. There were so many extra clicks I had to do to move things forward, such as every time anyone takes a turn, that rounds became tedious. I'm glad there's a story mode option to skip battles in Dual Chroma, so people can play in whichever way suits them best. The project is off to a good start and I hope it does well! I'll be posting a quick review to my website in the hopes that others check it out.
I love the art style and the design for Zlch! He's a bit more human, and his attitude is so much fun. You actually want to hear what he has to say, even if you're not sure how much of it is lies. If any of what he says about hell and the world is true, there's some interesting lore to build on.
The track you chose sets up this intimate little atmosphere that's perfect for a conversation. The saxophone that comes in gives it this noir undertone that's perfect for a double-cross. I wasn't sure about it at first because it also goes against what you expect from a summoning scene, but it totally works. My hubby heard it while I was playing and noted that he liked it, too.
I'm having trouble getting to the third ending but I'm not even mad. I'll get it eventually. And the web version seems to be working well for me so far.
Definitely going to give your other book a try and I look forward to your future projects!
This is a beefy demo well worth your time.
Getting to customize the MC is nice because you actually get to see her a lot, which is also good! She's been thrust into the role she's always wanted but wasn't sure she would get, which is a neat place to pick up her life. She needs allies but the choices you have to make don't always make that easy. That being said, the politics aren't so bad that you feel you have no good options.
The resource management system isn't too difficult, and having to spend resources in order to choose certain options is engaging. The phases you can enter (such as when you read and decide on petitions) are welcome asides that expand on the view of the kingdom.
The art is lovely and the facial expressions are fun! (The MC biting her lower lip is probably my favorite.) The characters are all very much their own people and make you want to interact with them. The love interests are interesting enough that I'll have to try them all, but the Master of Murmurs is just too hawt.
I'm glad I backed the Kickstarter and anticipate spending a lot of time with the full VN when it's released!