I'm gonna start by confessing that initially your art style put me off playing this game. Not because of the quality of the art (Which is awesome), but because I didn't think it would go well with the in-game graphics. I feel my assumption was correct on that part, but nowhere near as much as I expected. That aside...
Holy hell, this game is awesome! It's been a long time since I played a demo this promising. This game is way, way above standard in almost all respects. The writing alone is bookworthy. I was blown away and I am absolutely confused why this thread has had such little response. It makes no sense. Anyway, as I usually do I'll list my pros and cons below and hopefully you'll get something useful out of them.
+ The intro was very well designed and instantly intriguing. You didn't give us a lot to go off, but just enough to start wondering.
+ The music in this game is frankly superb. It's very well chosen and used. Adds a lot to the atmosphere.
+ Skipping cutscenes is a feature I've used before and I love having the option. It's a little jarring to be asked about it before every cutscene, but I guess convenience is worth that.
+ Your mapping is fantastic. I'll be honest it's a bit odd and cluttered in places, but the game world felt otherworldly as I was exploring it. Alien even. I'm guessing that's what you were going for. Hightide is a stunning town and the Skyscraper is something that has to be witnessed.
+ Being able to use the same character multiple times in battle is a completely original feature I've never seen before and I love it. It's made me wonder why it's never been done before, it makes so much sense to use. It's a game changer, pure and simple.
+ Realising my attacks were healing the Restless Glory twins was a cool moment. Took me a second to realise what was happening. It made Zirodolla less effective in the fight as her main spells were useless, but at the same time made me focus on the fact she's a healer. This was good design.
+ The Restless Glory twins took me several attempts to beat. This is a good thing. The challenge is just right. As someone that struggles balancing combat in my own games, I applaud this.
+ Selling loot to earn money is a system I've always loved. Nice to see this here.
+ The fate of the bird on the map screen was a good chuckle. :p
+ Your characters are intriguing and Naka was especially fun to listen to. You are very good at writing people.
- I can't remember if this was just the first battle or if it was every battle and I just got used to it - but there were no combat sounds. I assume this is temporary, but if it's an actual design feature I'd advise against it. Battle sounds give players a sense of feedback and weight to their actions. Without them, combat feels weird.
- Combat in general is a bit confusing. There's a lot of different things to track which was complex at first, but I picked up relatively quickly. But I was regenerating certain stats and the enemies were doing certain things that I just couldn't figure out. This stuff might have been detailed in the in-game help manual, but I skipped that so could be my own fault.
- Hightide has a small amount of lag. It's not enough to affect gameplay, but it's noticeable.
- After the end of the demo, I tried to open the menu and the demo crashed. Some error about a face picture.
Honestly my cons are a bit thin really as there wasn't much I could fault here. Your demo left me with a very favourable impression and I would absolutely be very interested in playing the full game. I notice the world map is very big so I realise this game will be a long time in the making but I sincerely hope you take it through to completion - you've got a very strong foundation already. Again I don't know why there isn't more response to your game but I hope my review will help urge others to give your demo a try. Highly recommended!
