I’m starting to think helping him isn’t very good idea (At least from my villain’s point of view). Trained flier controlling gravity sounds like real pain in the ass xD
Unless you turn him of course then a trained flier controlling gravity sounds very useful
Should be fixed now!
Indeed
Btw. I’m really looking forward to the innocent path. Will MC stay in the place they chose for longer? I suppose they will be able to contact Bo / Rosie by phone, but taking MC away from there would be risky. Tho, I’m pretty sure that crazy puppet will try to get them
Hi Malin, I’ve looked forward to this tiny demo than I’ve looked forward to full mainstream releases. Painfully too brief, but still a nice taste.
- Bugs and rogue pronouns: I didn’t really notice off-hand, certainly nothing that screamed out but I’ll do another playthrough and note.
- One item: the f in “the farm” should be capitalized as you’re talking about a specific place, not a generic farm.
- Pathing: I only played through with Argent rescuing me (and in a relationship with her) and the amount of dialogue felt right - sufficient, but too brief by necessity and with the hope of more soon. Likewise the “we’ll discuss more later” dynamics with the mob crew. If I had a request here, the Argent dialogue was more banter than earnest, and I’d love at least a couple of spots in there to be affectionate if in a serious way, even if just right in the parting - a few words or unspoken moments (held hands) that cut through the gallows humor.
- A place where I want another choice: Apropos of my comment here, I’d love for you to keep developing the “no one needs to know I’m a killer”, with an ability during the sketched out character creator here to have that as an option - that the MC does kill, but in ways that provide plausible deniability.
- This leads me to one suggestion for further into Revelations. If the Puppet is Heartbreak, I can’t help but think there’s an easy detente to be achieved here between them and the MC - enemy of my enemy, and all that. I imagine them meeting atop the building they first “met” having that conversation and reaching an accord. I could see it as mass murder version of “no one needs to know I’m a killer” with Heartbreak bearing the heat for future killings even though they’re working in lock step with a surreptitious MC.
- Another spot that I’d like a choice: Jake Monolo had been to my base before, and at least not that I saw, it was never established why or if he knew who was there. It feels like there should be a choice to either have someone guarding, and specifically against hollow ground minions. This could be a Tactician-specific choice, too, with the pain proving too much a distraction for other MC builds. I don’t think this necessarily changes your writing much, as whoever is guarding wouldn’t think to stop the puppet, at least not at first, and that belated suspicion could be a prompt that gets the puppet to flee.
- The HQ scene with the armor present also seems like a point where the Rat King would put in an appearance (and likewise be watchful), and probably a good opportunity to introduce that thread as right now only people captured at the casino are aware of it.
- During the dream sequence, the MC notes Ortega’s longer hair. There’s a spot in Retribution (the dinner date) where the MC can comment on Ortega’s hair - whether they preferred their old hair, like the current, etc. This spot in the dream feels like a nice way to call back to that dialogue flag.
- Confusion - I haven’t the foggiest about how many pain gates I’ve opened so I don’t know how to accurately define that. I’d like to.
- Confusion - All this stuff with The Cult of the Green, The Void, etc. seems super significant if it’s a historical event and while I’m sure it’s mentioned in the prior games, it’s a big information dump that feels more like “where the hell did this come from?” I realize that this is at least partly intentional, as the MC grapples with why they’re remembering this so lucidly now. My suggestion at the part would be to have a couple of paragraphs at the start where the MC places this memory and describes their recollection of it and the historical record of it (ie the public view) before diving into the dream vs reality vs. suppressed/excised memories. The player could use some grounding here before diving into what’s a very strange and apparently important sequence.
- Confusion - With Apple’s comment below in mind, this confrontation event and the Void as a villain seem significant enough that they could be referenced/foreshadowed in the prior games at points, in passing as a detailed “remember when” in any of the Ortega or Chen conversations in Rebirth and Retribution, and I could see Chen referencing it as a further point of guilt about abandoning the search for the MC, recalling how the Rangers’ slowness allowed the Void to mess with the MC and Charge for so long.
Will amend if I think of more. I’ve added in a bit based on a couple of other playthroughs, one with Argent rescue, one with Ortega rescue, one with Dove rescue, all with mob boss trait.
It’s not (besides some extremely brief and oblique references). Heretofore it’s been patron lore, this is the first time the player is being introduced to it in detail.
If you read carefully, you see that there is no innocent route in this demo, only guilty ones.
This game has so many paths and ramifications that I get lost myself, it’s definitely a work of art, the only flaw in this demo is that it ends. Ortega’s farewell scene when they leave us at the park is so painful, that it’s almost impossible for me not to do all the variations of paths and always choose Ortega as RO when the emotional charge between them and Sidestep is so great.
Haha, it’s funny to hear you say that (and a tribute to Malin’s writing) because for my core MC’s jaded feelings about Ortega and the Rangers (he feels absolutely abandoned after Heartbreak and knowledge of Chen keeping mum doesn’t change that), and on the “MC is the one hurt/trapped” path, I found it bemusing that Ortega was “why didn’t you tell me? It all could have been different” when they just got done letting the MC know they thought the MC was Hollow Ground’s relative all that time and never said one word even though doing so could have set the conditions for actually sharing the truth when that might have made a difference.
That pretty much set my MC’s path for revenge into stone - Ortega never cared about the MC more than she cared about being Charge, treating that supposed secret as a means to her heroic ends. Which, @malinryden I’d love to see that reflected in future conversations with Ortega, too. I’ll need to replay the demo with some variables, but recalling my own captured playthrough, I came away thinking that Ortega’s hypocrisy was hilarious, willful, and needed to be called out. Or, as you so aptly wrote about Ortega: “Asshole.”
Already the best Demo, I’ve played in a long time, Fallen Hero should at least have 6+ books, not 4 imo, way too much to do in just 4 books.
I wonder if there’s a main villain that’s going to appear later.
Can’t wait to see the updates on the other paths, there’s a lot of paths to start off so I’m guessing development is going to be a long time.
ohh Yeah… More about the past… and it seems their are alot of traumatic experience sidestep as gone through being so much in the rangers. It almost seems like a test the farm has been putting in front of sidestep.
Extremely happy to see more of what is happening in the world of fallen hero.
The Path of suffering…
Sensei! Welcome Back! So soon…
I’m not ready! I need more Time!!
That’s what I wish I could say, but my motto is ‘Do or Die’! Let’s Go! Let’s Go!!!
Ok, now I really need to focus on work, but one last amusing anecdote. I don’t often use Dashingdon so the auto-fill in keeps making me chuckle. When this demo asks for my name, the first auto-suggestion is the name that I gave my gifted magical sword in @ThomB’s Evertree Saga. No, Dashingdon, my Fallen Hero MC’s first name is not Daisy’s Kiss.
Anyways, Malin, great stuff so far. Was bowled over by the unexpected big content with Dove & Co. I’ll continue to tweak my original post with feedback, but for now bravo!
Code diving for that made me want to make a Bo playthrough rather than Rosie. Now that I think of it, a hero hunter might need a getaway driver more than muscle…
I am now imagining Ending 4 Step being invited to the Pately’na restaurant by Herald and being treated like Danny’s honored guest by the family that owns it and then being completely shocked to see Boris and Danny chatting to each other like the friends they are.
Man with a mustache.
3rd Luigi forever!
Ortega stopped to buy Gucci but came at last.
hahahahaha you are killing me here
“I’m not whining,” you whine.
I felt this to my soul…so relatable
Wow! The dream sequence was so surreal, I’m equally confused and intrigued. It’s a good confusion though, not a bad one! I look forward to learning more about this new cult and the Void.
I only had time to play once for now, I did Chen’s breakout route, and OMG, he used the Spoon voice on us, it’s so adorable! Despite what Sidestep believes, it’s truly an honour to be spoken to in that voice, if it’s the same voice that he uses to talk to such a cute doggo.
@E_RedMark You know the game is great when even character customisation section is entertaining. I also enjoyed “the tunnels, it’s not a sewer!” So defensive.
You can’t stop meeee.
Some minor niggles in said character creation – couple of questions are a bit unclear. Like the one about puppet state (is a puppet/comfortable/person) does it correspond to pcv or puppet_individuality? For HG outcome, is “I don’t trust them but…” the equivalent of “dangerous recruit”? And for choices like whether Ortega has doubts etc, maybe some note on what level of associated variable matches the given option.
When defining former relationship with Herald, one possible state is missing – didn’t have dinner but think he’s hot (you can have this, pardon the bad pun, revelation on your way back from coffee date). Though maybe the demo doesn’t make use of this, so mentioning just in case.
Looking at the code for some of this
Puppet_individuality and I think Malin has said before that PCV won’t be having a impact past the path split in book 2
For HG outcome, is “I don’t trust them but…” the equivalent of “dangerous recruit”?
The “I don’t trust them part” means you did not got mind controlled
yeah with that line you could almost see not just read Lady Argent Smirk…
Now I’m imagining Sidestep, running amok in the tunnel with Febreeze the day Lady Argent visit your hideout
hahaha…oh this is so funny, can you see it?
Ortega: How come when I call you nowdays, you aren’t answering?
MC: I’m buuuuuuuuuuuuuuusy!
Ortega: With what? I though Angie was going over to visit you…no?
Mc: She say that my place stink!! It doesn’t! I used Febreeze for fuck sake!
Ortega: If you are hauling in the sewer-…
Mc: It’s NOT THE SEWER DARN IT!!
Ortega: But you do have tunnels…and those tunnel-…
Mc: It is still not the Sewer!!!
Ortega: Then where does the smell come from?
Mc: She lick herself like a cat…you tell her!
Ortega: Oh no…last time I did she almost got my kidney…
Mc: Chicken
Ortega: I rather live longer…
Mc: The smell is in her imagination…
Ortega: Right…
Mc: Anyway, I have to get back to work.
Ortega: Remember…be safe!
Mc: yeah yeah…
Ortega: Later…asshole.
Mc: oh wait…before I go…forgot something…
Ortega: Make a kissy face
Mc: Also…
Ortega: You want more smoochies?
Mc: Doubt you’ll kiss me after you hear what I’m about to tell you.
Ortega: Okay…shoot. What’s up?
Mc: While I was going ‘Pssssssssssssh’ smearing that Toxic-febreeze-smell-like-ocean around in the TUNNELS…I kinda…
Ortega: What?
Mc: CacofiendsayhiandIgottasaybyenowhopeyougethimgoodcallifyouneedmeciao!
Ortega: WHAT?!! SO IT IS CONNECTED TO THE SEWER YOUR TUNNELS!
MC: Minor detail…
Ortega: if I send Angie to deal with him…she’ll know too!
Mc: URGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
@malinryden so the ending we get to see, not everything is there. No Dr.Mortum…
Leaving that suffering for when you find the right time to strike us with the angst? I’m dreading that part so bad…