Interesting start! Lookin forward to more!
5 Likes
I love this i will wait the next update good luck :3
3 Likes
Out of curiosity, will this be a case of āyou get to build stat(s) or you get to interact with character(s) or you get to do plot(s), never multipleā? Asking because thatās a criticism I often have with a lot of the official label games, where thereās like say three āfree timeā segments and you have to pick between improving your build or interacting with One character or fuck with like the three or more plot points going on, but you only ever can pick one. It tends to leave me feeling wanting and frustrated, hence asking. I feel character development gets shafted in those cases, especially romance.
Itās totally fine if so, is simply my preference on stuff, just kinda wanting to check so I know what to expect.
Beyond that,
The initial post, the whole āyou donāt have any cool powers, youāre not Cool MCā vibe on first skim, initially gave me a āoh dear another āyouāre not the chosen one youāre some rando worthless schmuck side characterā and also ānormal person who didnāt know about supernaturalā story :/ā reaction, but then no actually you fucking yoinked what wouldāve hypothetically been the MCās powers and are connected to eldritch shit doing it and yay yippee 
(if only eldritch freak was an RO 
)
Unfortunate to see the one particular magic school shit series directly mentioned as inspiration, admittedly
5 Likes
Thanks so much!
Fair question. Some thoughts below, subject to change:
Summary
This is something that Iām still refining, but my current plan is going to be to try to make free time slots about personal goals and objectives, basically.
Time segments will be for stuff like raising your stats, practising magic in your spare time, studying, getting up to solo shenanigans, as well as getting involved in optional stuff with the supporting cast. Core cast members can be a part of these scenes (e.g. they might study with you) to liven things up), but they mostly wonāt be big scenes for them. Youāll be able to do multiple things in each segment, too, not just your top pick.
What I consider ācoreā content, stuff like big group scenes between multiple members of the cast, the major personal moments with each of the main cast over their arcs and the main plot itself will not usually require you to spend time segments on them (though of course the skills / information you acquire may unlock new options and routes through the core stuff).
Iām going to have to refine this concept as I go, though, so it may well change over time. If I feel it isnāt working, or thatās the overwhelming feedback I get, Iām not afraid to switch to something more simple and less granular (less work for me anyway!).
Ha! Iām glad you caught the meta joke that the original transplant was the hypothetical āMCā of the story before our Pactbinder stole the poor personās life. But yeah, one of my biggest priorities is ensuring that the Pactbinder needs to have agency and be an important driving force for the plot.
Yeah I canāt blame you. I debated mentioning it at all for obvious reasons, and thereās a reason itās the only one where I donāt mention the author. I felt dishonest not mentioning it, though; Iām an English person who grew up reading the series, writing a fantasy story set in England about a hidden place where people learn magic. I donāt think I could escape the influence if I tried, unfortunately.
5 Likes
Absolutely phenomenal demo! The storyās pacing and worldbuilding are fantastic, and I had a blast getting to know all the characters and experience this new world alongside the MC. Layla was my absolute favorite personality-wise, even if my MCās need to fly under the radar did not vibe with her in the slightest, haha. Barring that, I had a soft spot for Marcus and Finlay, too. Marcus was a sweetheart for explaining so much to us in the beginning, and I really want to know more about his family. As for Finlay, heās adorable, and Iām excited to see how far I can manipulate him, especially considering how perceptive he seems to be. Alice and Eleanor I didnāt have much interaction with on my first playthrough, but Iām tempted to play again just to get to know them better! Especially because Iām going to be joining that Explorerās Society SO dang fast in hopes of finding something fancy to bring home to The Entity (and add me to the list of Eldritch Freak lovers, because theyād be numbero uno on my list if they were an RO 
)
Some general thoughts:
Itās a little thing, but I expected there to be a bit more dialogue around the MCās luggage, or lack thereof, when we arrived at the dorms. As far as I can tell, all they have is the duffel bag the absorbed student had on them at the time of the ritual. The luggage the other characters are mentioned having, did the characters have it on them the whole time or was it delivered? Was anything delivered for the MC? If yes, the MC clearly wouldnāt recognize it; does anyone notice? Who and where did it come from, and what all did it include? If no, why didnāt anything come for the MC? This is likely something the absorbed student would or should have set up in advance, or have had set up for them by their parents, if their parents are even aware of magic at all. Lots of questions for something that probably wonāt mean that much in the grand scheme of things, but it was a little immersion breaking for me.
Next, I focused quite a bit on Finlay for my first playthrough, and the nighttime meeting with him was everything I wanted as far as lying and manipulation went. The prior meeting after his introduction, however, didnāt have nearly as many options to be manipulative, and I found myself either being quiet or choosing passionate/non-secretive options just to keep Finlay on my good side. Rationality and Secrecy were my highest stats for the whole demo, so that sequence hurt something fierce. 
I want Finlay to fall in love with the persona Iām crafting, not me, dangit!!
And finally, during the Headmaster sequence, there were references to my āblemishesā and āfailingsā at the end that confused me a little.
āOn balance,ā Mistress Hawthorne concludes, āYou have begun your time at Hightower in acceptable enough fashion. Your conduct has beenā¦adequateā¦though certainly not without blemish. Work to address your failings whilst continuing to demonstrate your strengths. Your behaviour and performance will have implications for your stipend going forwards.ā
Peeking at the code, it seems like they were meant to refer to fighting the gatekeeper or punching Silas, but I didnāt do either of those; I just managed to avoid doing anything of note at all LOL. Not a huge deal, but I left the conversation feeling like Iād been (mildly) scolded for doing something wrong when Iād been trying very hard to not bring any attention to myself at all.
And then, a few typos:
On the Stats page under Motive, thereās an extra period:
Motive: You view your Pact as a chance to discover the truth about the Entity..
This passage contains an extra word (āhnā):
He looks at her briefly with a mildly conflicted expression before going back to gawping at Hightower. hn Alice, Layla, Marcus and yourself; that makes four.
This passage has extra punctuation (ā,.ā):
Laylaās impossible to speak to at first, so intent is she on watching Julian at the tiller as he brings the ship up with a surprisingly smooth motion,. She whoops triumphantly as the ship cuts through the air .
This passage is missing a paragraph break between the speakers:
Marcus nods seriously, seeming relieved. āThatās exactly what I was thinking. Itās good to know that Iām not just being paranoid. Or, at least, that weāre both exactly the same type of paranoid. I just donāt understand why theyād pick Antioch to put us all. There are less influential Colleges that would have been less able to resist a student allocation like ours.ā āPerhaps thatās the point,ā you muse idly. āIf Antiochās so well regarded, maybe someone somewhere figured it would be the College best placed to absorb the reputational hit of a ābadā year. Though I canāt imagine whoād be positioned to make such a call .ā
I believe the word āhaveā in this passage is supposed to be āgaveā:
But thereās nothing. Youāre still vaulting through the air, nothing in reach to grab onto, nothing on your person that might let you jury-rig a way out of this. You have it your very best shot, but now your only option may be to brace yourself for the rapidly approaching impact and the biting cold of the lakeās dept hs.
āAppreciativelyā is repeated twice here:
Layla hands you a cup of black tea, which is thankfully as you ordered and still fairly warm. You nod appreciatively her appreciativ ely.
I believe the word āforbiddenā might actually need to be āforbodingā here, otherwise I may have missed the passage where itās explained that the gates are off-limits, maybe because I hung out with Finlay:
It doesnāt take too long for you to reach the forbidden black gates to Antioch, though Julian navigates you past them and through a much-smaller side entrance that opens onto a narrow passage leading directly into the College buil ding.
There is an extra ā before the MCās Surname:
"You are a curiosity here, and expectations will be high from the outset. Many are curious to see what you will make of our establishment. Many are eager to see you fail. I am not amongst them, ā${Surn ame}.ā
Finally, your Requested Feedback section at the beginning of this thread is doubled under the break, and the link back to this forum at the end of the demo is broken (https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/pactbinder-dark-fantasy-magical-university-wip-68k-words-demo-released-dec-25-2025/ instead of https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/pactbinder-dark-fantasy-university-wip-68k-words-demo-released-dec-25-2025/).
Hopefully this helped, and again, amazing work!! I canāt wait to see what youāve got planned next 
4 Likes
Oh wow. Thanks so much for this. Incredibly heartening and incredibly helpful, Iām really glad to hear that you enjoyed it and in particular Iām glad that Layla, Finlay and Marcus are off to good starts with you. Iām also excited to do a bit more with the Entityā¦
Great point. My intention was that the MC is basically living out of their stolen bag at the moment; most of the rest of the cast had a mix of carried personal effects and delivered heavier stuff that was waiting for them outside their lodgings. Iāll make that clearer. Itās intentional that the MC didnāt have anything waiting for them, which probably speaks to the original transplantās situation, but the above clarification gives me a great opportunity for the MC to reflect on that.
This is a great point. I usually intentionally donāt clarify in options whether the MC is telling the truth or lying in group scenes to leave more room for interpretation / keep options flexible, but I think these more intimate one on one scenes benefit from opportunities to let the player clarify their intentions. Iāll take a look at the first Finn scene (and scan the othersā¦)
Hmm, this is interesting. I actually have a specific reaction from Hawthorne specifically for people whoāve done nothing to catch her eye yet for characters just like yours!
I think I might know what triggered this; do you recall your relation score with Hawthorne at that point? If sheās impressed or disappointed with your conduct in the conversation, that counts as a mark for / against you, and that might have broken the conditions for the ākept out of troubleā outcomeā¦ Iāve added a new clause that hopefully catches this going forwards.
My clean-up update today / tomorrow should fix the typos and wording hiccups you mentioned, amongst a couple of other small updates. Thanks a lot for flagging them, itās so helpful getting feedback on this stuff.
4 Likes
That was actually pretty cool. Played a MC with high Might and I think I got the best ending possible for now, lol. Beat up a bully, saved a classmate from falling off a ship and impressed the Headmistress.
Also, Iām curious. Is our familial background set for us and part of the story or is it just left to headcanon?
3 Likes
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it! That definitely sounds like a pretty smooth run, Hawthorne must have been very pleased with you.
To partially answer your second question (very minor spoilers):
Summary
The background of the person youāre pretending to be is fixed. The true player characterās background will be mostly left to headcanon and isnāt intended to be a major part of the story. That said, I plan to include options for the player to sketch out some details on the life theyāve left behind if / when I think it makes sense for the story, because I do think it could be good for characterization.
4 Likes
I DEMAND MY ELDRITCH HORROR GF!
Otherwise great intro.Cast seems neat, i do love fantasy racism!
Any chance you could add option to see what stat is tested when things happens? I mean something like āSolve math problemā(Intelligence)
8 Likes
Thank you, really appreciate you reading through and the kind words!
My only offline playtester warned me that people would want to romance the Entity. I laughed her off. Sheās the one laughing nowā¦Iām really glad that people are interested in them, though; theyāre as fundamental to the plot as any of the core cast and like most DMs I enjoy giving warlocks opportunities to speak to the Powers That Beā¦
Iād love to hear what other people feel about this. Iām not usually a fan of this approach as when Iām a reader it messes with my immersion, plus I do prefer to focus on revisiting my wording where a specific stat requirement is too opaque, so I worry that Iād start assuming that players use this option as a default and not do that as much. That said, I donāt feel strongly about it, so Iād be willing to reconsider if there seems to be a consensus in favour of this approach.
5 Likes
I like the demo so far! I loved the different routes that you added and the flavour text that was added!
I small thing of note for me was that I found the stat checks difficult to pass. I tend to focus on one or two stats when playing IFs but whenever I chose different options, even when trying to balance the stats while exploring other routes, I always ended up failing the stat checks which was a bit frustrating.
Ended up having to code dive just to see what I had to do to pass the checks but found that iād have to choose certain routes that my MC wouldnāt normally choose 
2 Likes
Thanks very much for the feedback! Really glad you enjoyed it overall.
Quick question - were there specific checks that you struggled with, and how did you build your character? I think itās likely that there is one specific set of checks Iāve overtuned in terms of collective difficulty, but want to check Iām not missing anything / thereās a wider issue Iāve missed.
In short: I think that I was too harsh on the boat checks, especially if the player wants to save another student. Iām overall comfortable with the Silas fight being hard for non-Might characters who refuse to back down and arenāt really dextrous, thatās intentional and the player will have their chance at a rematch if they lose, but I suspect that it feels especially bad to get hit by the too-hard boat checks THEN struggle to beat Silas without backing down, especially if you took an injury on the boat scene which makes the Silas fight harder.
1 Like
The MC I was going for was more finesse and intellect, with finesse being the primary. I saw that in your code, you had to have a certain number of might and charisma too in order to pass the check for the boat scene but some of the choices to get those boosts just werenāt options my MC would make lol.
2 Likes
My highest stats were intellect and might and I failed all the first boat checks but won the fight against Silas with the might check.
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Thanks very much, both. Not surprising that was the issue.
Itās intentional that saving another student is tricky (and I do want it to be something not every build can succeed at), but it shouldnāt be quite as tricky as it is right now. Iāll make it clearer in the text that itās a high difficulty check (and foreshadow the need for strength or charisma better), but still tone down the numbers a little bit there.
Thanks again - super helpful to get this kind of feedback.
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Just straight up mercing someone to sacrifice to a demon so we can attend magic school is a wild intro. Will we ever find out if we just like. Sent them to hell? This feels really extreme.
10 Likes
Thanks for reading through! And yeah, there will be options down the line that might shed some more light on their fate for sure.
5 Likes
Thanks again to everyone for their feedback so far, I really do appreciate every comment. Iāve made a small update to the demo (+2k words) which includes the following:
Changelog (minor spoilers for released content within)
- The opportunity to react more to your near-death experience after the boat crash scene, and some more acknowledgement of that experience near the end of the demo.
- Some balancing and wording amendments which should make a couple of scenes, including the boat scene, a little easier to navigate. Itās still a hard check that not every build will be able to do, but itās better signposted and more forgiving now.
- Some more dialogue and interactivity during the Layla + Eleanor exploration scene, which I felt was a little short compared to the other routes.
- A bit more room to be deceitful when dealing with Finlay when you stay with him. Hopefully he doesnāt noticeā¦
- Some brief amends to make the luggage scene clearer (with an extra option to reflect on your own lack of luggage, too)
- Typo and error fixes throughout.
With that first round of amends out of the way, my focus will turn to starting work on Chapter 2 from next week on (though Iāll still be taking feedback and updating C1 based on any feedback people share of course!)
17 Likes
Interesting premise! Iām both conflicted and delighted.
My two main thoughts were already covered here. Like Raptorofwar, Iām really interested in what can/will happen with the person whose life weāve stolen.
(Particularly if in mid-to-late game we can somehow rescue / resurrect / romance them, once we learn more about this entity weāve pacted with, in case we change our minds.
ā¦Donāt judge. I mean, as the author, of course you can judge, but itās weird how thatās where my mind went first. Some people might want the entity, some people might want the person theyāve wronged. 
)
The other was mentioned here:
I noticed the new inclusion when first getting to campus, but when actually moving in to the dorms, I chose to unpack first, largely to find out what Iāve acquired, and what identifying things/habits I might have to become accustomed to - though the contents seem surprisingly unsurprising.
I only ran into one issue, in the prologue: If you choose the name āAmir,ā the game assigns you as āFarid.ā I might wind up keeping it as headcanon for my MCās actual name.
Other than that, the pacing was excellent and I either avoided stat-checks or managed appopriately through them for someone who doesnāt really know what their new role is.
Looking forward to reading more!
4 Likes
Thank you for the feedback, really appreciated!
Iām definitely excited to revisit this at some point. As the Pactbinderās original sin and the role weāre inheriting in the world of magic, I consider the Original Transplantās absence to be as important to the plot as the presence of the main cast.
My hope is that Iāll be able to tell a lot of their story (or the story they could have had) through the Pactbinderās eyes as weāve inserted ourselves into their role in what I guess you could call the āoriginal narrativeā, but their present state is also something that weāll have the opportunity to explore.
Surprisingly unsurprising is absolutely the vibe I was going for - the Original Transplant appears to have had very little to their name. I might add a tiny bit of flavour text making that clearer, though, thanks for noting it!
Argh! I have no idea how I did that, I must have changed a couple of the names absent-mindedly. Will be fixed in the next release, thanks so much for spotting it.
Thanks! Trying to juggle giving the player enough worldbuilding and character moments to bring the world to life with some action to keep things lively, all whilst maintaining a good pace of progress and not getting bogged down in details was a big focus of mine and Iām glad it has hit the mark for you so far.
5 Likes