My friends has been screamingrecommending this WiP for awhile, and I’m glad I finally got the time to play it! I love how despite the MC’s character is up to each player, MC has some set-character aspect (like their mysterious past and gloved hand) that makes them interesting.
I think my favorite part is how rich the lores is, I keep getting distracted to found out more about the lores that I forgot there’s supposed to be ROs until chapter 2 thanks to that I haven’t get far in finding Rafael either…
The side characters is also such a neat additions despite the chance of MC encountering all of them again is pretty small. I like how deep their characterization is, it adds the immersion to the game and emphasize that MC is not the only one who’s capable of making all the changes. My fav side characters is Billy and Bela!
The part I don’t really like is how the romance handled. I like how the romantic relationship is gradual and takes process, but I don’t like how it kind of shoved to players face. Imo, it would be neat if there’s an option to says to Alessa and Hadrian from the start that MC don’t have interest in romance so they won’t bother pursuing them.
Overall, I really enjoy this WiP. And it seems I play it in the perfect moment too. Looking forward to the finished game!
I’m replaying right now with a new MC. I love how playing as fem!MC Hadrian has a crush by default but playing as male!MC it’s Alessa. AND BOTH OF MY MC’S END UP IN A LOVE TRIANGLE OF SORTS. Oh my God. My girl Tessa is sweet, genuine and merciful and even though she and Hadrian are perfect together (she’s also pious to boot), Alain is so charming, so swoon worthy. Whatever shall she do! (I think she’ll end up with Hadrian though, they’re the sweetest pair.)
And my new MC, Cassian is the most chaotic and diabolical mess. He’s ruthless, greedy and flirts with every pretty woman that has the misfortune to cross his path. In his defense, he’s also a pretty funny guy with a great sense of humour and loyal to his friends. I think he’ll end up with Ysabella, she’s 100% his type, but in the meanwhile, Alessa… run away Alessa
I KNOW they’re not confirmed LIs, but if the flirt is there, if the drama is there, THEN I’M THERE.
Same, I felt terrible! lol and then I played as a male MC with an Alessa romantic route to see if that also happened when we flirted with Isabelle but no haha it just happens if you’re romancing Hadrian haha (unless I’ve read wrong?? O.o)
Thank you for your input! I think I’ll use Reason instead, then. I’m still unsure about Influence, however. I totally see your point, but to be honest, I like it I think it’s more accurate to what the skill is than Charisma, but if it raises confusion, then it’s not worth keeping.
I’ve already been advised to reach out to other authors who have done private betas before. It’s definitely something I may do when the time arrives! I wouldn’t want to bug anyone tho, so I think I’ll try to find some old thread about it.
I’m sure there’s one. This forum has an incredibly vast amount of information when one looks for it.
Just some…
You’re not bothering at all! I loved reading your journey as you played through the demo Thank you for taking the time to give me feedback!
It’s definitely supposed to. If it didn’t happen, then it’s a bug. I’ll have to playtest when I have the time.
I’m not a native English speaker, so I might not be able to catch all the nuances the word carries, but have you thought about word “Sway” as a replacement for “Influence”? It IMO works better than for example Charisma, which I personally associate only with the sheer magnetism of someone’s personality, and as the conversation with Beka shows, the Influence stat is used also while trying to bribe people.
To be honest, during first and even second playthrough I was confused which choice was connected to which stat, so I miserably failed some checks. Might be may own fault, but I usually can’t differentiate between choices that use Wit, and those that use Influence. I also spent solid few minutes trying to figure out whether intimidation uses a Brutal personality stat combined with Influence or not. I… sometimes might be overthinking stuff.
The personality stats don’t affect the skills checks. It would actually be pretty cool if they did, but I know myself. Keeping track of so many variables would get old fast and I would either scrap the entire idea or simply never touch the game again
So, as much as it would make sense, the skill checks act alone. And… you’re not the first person to say they were confused T_T I’ll try to maybe word things better? I’m not sure. I’m not willing to add more stats, but I can try to find some middle ground.
And while Sway is good, I think I still prefer Influence.
Of course! As long as the demo is up, people are more than welcome to comment on it
Just a suggestion: For the skills, how about giving a brief description of what they mean in the Stat page? I’ve seen authors do that. That’ll probably give the readers a quick understanding of what the skills are.
Hey, noticed a glitch? Couldn’t catch a screenshot at the time, but near the scene with Ysabella at the Devil’s Bridge with a male MC after all the other search areas have been exhausted, there’s a string of code that appears that says something like {MC_her} (if I remember correctly) that shows up in the middle of a paragraph.
Sorry I couldn’t grab an image at the time, but I still wanted to let you know.
So, I’ve been playing a LOT and I’m so engrossed in this story that I ended up making moodboards for my two main MCs, Tessa and Cassian. I included a short description of the characters in case anyone is curious (ෆ˙ᵕ˙ෆ)
She’s a sweetheart, basically. A bit of a scaredy-cat, but never allows anyone to insult her friends. She’s as hopeless as Hadrian concerning romance, which is a recipe for blushing disaster given that they’re both deeply infatutated with each other. They seem perfect for each other, really, and there’s nothing stopping them except… Alain. Because Alain is everything she’s not. Handsome, exciting, mischivious Alain. Although she’s surely one of many, many little sparrows.
Tessa is pious, but also open-minded to how other people see the world and religion. She’s also hungry for any kind of knowledge and very interested in hidden past truths. Booksmarts and extreme patience and politeness help her out of many problematic situations, but she’s hopeless in a fight. Alessa is a very close friend that she admires and loves (yes they have very similar names lmao I realized half-way but I think it’s cute).
Cassian is a bloodthirsty bastard. He enjoys battle, the spilling of blood, the breaking of bones. It makes him smile. It’s a wicked, sardonic smile, however, like most of his. He has a great sense of humor, finding almost anything hilarious. Especially things that should definitely not be a laughing matter.
He has a few soft spots: animals (including That Beast from Hell), children and beautiful women. If the pretty lady in question happens to match his wit and humour, all the better. And if, by some wonderful coincidence the lady also happens to be rich, she’s the ONE. Ysabella ticks all the boxes. Cassian cares about his friends, Hadrian and Alessa, and has been flirting relentlessly with the latter, but Ysabella is… special. There’s no competition. He’ll break all the hearts (and bones) he needs in order to be with her.
Thank you! It’s fixed. I’ve also pondered on your previous font suggestion and I agree with you too. Can’t wait to show the entire cover art
It’s beautiful, thank you so much for sharing! I loved reading about your MCs. They’re so different from each other
Just as a heads up. I’ve done a mini update, so to speak.
Hadrian now reacts if you have fallen down the Devil’s Bridge - to access the scene, you need to speak with him in the Cathedral for a while for it to trigger. The entire scene ended up adding a total of 5.5k words to the game.
Added the Bard to the Relationship panel.
Changed Wit to Reason - because I changed a major variable, the previous saves will not work. I’m so sorry, but I promise this will be the last time it happens. If ever update the demo again, it will only be with minor typos people send my way.
Added Skill Explanation to the Stat screen.
Added more save slots.
Alright, now the demo is truly over. Unless there’s some major game-breaking bug, I shouldn’t be updating anymore. I hope the week has been good!
Noooooo, like ten hours of my life are gone foreverrrrrrr.
Thanks for taking our suggestions into account - since I’m gonna have to go back through the entire game I’ll be doing it on a device where I can easily screenshot glitches this time.
I trusted her with Rafael’s name and didn’t pressure her about giving more info that she’s comfortable with. Then, protect her when they try to arrest her. My MCs were different, but they both treated her kindly: one was sweet and genuine with her and the other more of the “oh, you annoying little brat let me ruffle that hair heh” kind. So… basically don’t be unkind to her?
I’m so sorry about your save! But it needed to be done And, please, don’t feel pressured to report the glitches! It does help a lot, but I wouldn’t want anyone playing out of a sense of obligation.
While I’m on the subject, just wanted to say a special thank you to @SourPeaches and @cup_half_empty Your typos/bug reports were super useful
I’ve written a guide on how to deal with Beka, but never shared it on the forum. Here goes! To gain Beka’s loyalty you must:
Stop her because you think she might be useful. To convince her to stay, pick the choice according to your stats. If you have at least 25 Reason, persuade her. 25 Influence - Bribe her. 25 Combat - Intimidate her.
Don’t press her too hard for answers, or she’ll refuse to talk further. At the end, when Beka offers to become your informer, you need to accept. So that means paying her.
And when the guards come, you need to protect her. That makes Beka loyal to you. To keep the guards from running after Beka, you have to play to your strengths once again.
If you have at least 30 combat - Stare the guard down.
30 Reason- Ask them what they think they’re doing.
30 Influence - Tell them she’s a retired thief.
60 Pious - Bring the Lord’s disapproving gaze upon them.
Now, even if you fail, at this point Beka is already loyal to you. But this is how you make sure she’s safe - at least, safe for the morning.
thanks to that I haven’t get far in finding Rafael either…
I think it’s more accurate to what the skill is than Charisma, but if it raises confusion, then it’s not worth keeping.
Thank you for taking the time to give me feedback!
And, please, don’t feel pressured to report the glitches! It does help a lot, but I wouldn’t want anyone playing out of a sense of obligation.
