Fascinating to say the least. I'll check this out once my laundry list of games has cleared up a bit, cause I can only really appreciate funny writing when I'm not distracted.
Damn, four years passed before I finally made good on my promise to review this game. Sorry @sy020!
Anyhow, given that the Feedback Festival is giving me a reason to go back and look at the games I've wanted to review, let's get this party started:
Arthur Review
+ Haha, I like the splash screen and the animated title screen. That's very cool.
+ Custom music! Oh, and custom sound effects too. That helps the game stand out a bit more compared to other RPG Maker games.
+ I do like the dialogue that comes out of Artur's mouth, even if some of it is more groan-inducing than funny.
+ I very much appreciate that you put in a "do you want to skip the tutorials" function for the game. Shows that you respect the player's intelligence.
+ "Feel free to use the shield to traverse around Pendragon. She likes to pretend to be an aggressive dragon" and yet she's dead....
(Small point but maybe you should have Artur's dialogue change upon seeing the plaque, like "wait, is that supposed to be Pendragon?")
+ Really enjoy the dynamic between Artur and the sword. Very funny dialogue every time they interact, not to mention how powerful Swordy is.
"This is why you're cursed, Artur."
+ Why did the realistic picture of a cat break me? Swordy's dialogue weakened my defenses.
+ I very much enjoy all of the jabs towards typical JRPGs through the lens of a rogue character. That one cloaked NPC in the bar had a very salient point about the nature of chosen ones vs. average joes.
+ So one thing I love about this game is when parody-type stories have their own heart and aren't just "lol random" or are so meanspirited there's no point in following the adventure. This game hits the best aspect of that by having Artur and Swordy bounce off each other so well, while also giving Artur a fairly likable roguish personality and history as a mailman.
(You would not believe the amount of games that don't even think about this even when they're actually trying to be serious.)
+ I do like how you brought up that there is a downside to the curse. The concept of aging but not dying yet still feeling the pain is insanely creepy.
+ Ooh, Swordy lore. You actually gave some explanation to that first cave whereas most other games would have just it looked it over. (Also I'm glad Morgana isn't evil(???))
+ Decent enough looking maps.
+ Custom music! Oh, and custom sound effects too. That helps the game stand out a bit more compared to other RPG Maker games.
+ I do like the dialogue that comes out of Artur's mouth, even if some of it is more groan-inducing than funny.
+ I very much appreciate that you put in a "do you want to skip the tutorials" function for the game. Shows that you respect the player's intelligence.
+ "Feel free to use the shield to traverse around Pendragon. She likes to pretend to be an aggressive dragon" and yet she's dead....
(Small point but maybe you should have Artur's dialogue change upon seeing the plaque, like "wait, is that supposed to be Pendragon?")
+ Really enjoy the dynamic between Artur and the sword. Very funny dialogue every time they interact, not to mention how powerful Swordy is.
"This is why you're cursed, Artur."
+ Why did the realistic picture of a cat break me? Swordy's dialogue weakened my defenses.
+ I very much enjoy all of the jabs towards typical JRPGs through the lens of a rogue character. That one cloaked NPC in the bar had a very salient point about the nature of chosen ones vs. average joes.
+ So one thing I love about this game is when parody-type stories have their own heart and aren't just "lol random" or are so meanspirited there's no point in following the adventure. This game hits the best aspect of that by having Artur and Swordy bounce off each other so well, while also giving Artur a fairly likable roguish personality and history as a mailman.
(You would not believe the amount of games that don't even think about this even when they're actually trying to be serious.)
+ I do like how you brought up that there is a downside to the curse. The concept of aging but not dying yet still feeling the pain is insanely creepy.
+ Ooh, Swordy lore. You actually gave some explanation to that first cave whereas most other games would have just it looked it over. (Also I'm glad Morgana isn't evil(???))
+ Decent enough looking maps.
= 10 HP per drink at the fountain at the start seems a bit limited. Why not do 20 or more?
- Is the door teleporting event meant to play over and over if you keep pressing it? Seems like you would be better off attaching a self switch to that event.
- Is the sparkle on the mossy rock supposed to turn into a big puff cloud? That seems unintended.
- Why does the armor store have two entrances outside but only one inside? Seems like a design goof.
- If there's one major complaint I could have, it's that the game is extremely linear.
- UM. THE GAME SOFTLOCKED BECAUSE MORGANA DIDN'T HAVE HER MOVE ROUTE WORK PROPERLY TOWARDS THE END OF THE CUTSCENE. OOPS. Oh well.
- Is the sparkle on the mossy rock supposed to turn into a big puff cloud? That seems unintended.
- Why does the armor store have two entrances outside but only one inside? Seems like a design goof.
- If there's one major complaint I could have, it's that the game is extremely linear.
- UM. THE GAME SOFTLOCKED BECAUSE MORGANA DIDN'T HAVE HER MOVE ROUTE WORK PROPERLY TOWARDS THE END OF THE CUTSCENE. OOPS. Oh well.
Gameplay wise, it's just kind of a typical RPG Maker game. The combat system is dreadfully bare and there isn't much point to fighting since Swordy hard carries you for the game.
That said, it's forgiveable because the combat is not the main attraction.
I adore this writing. Swordy and Artur bickering is easily the best part of the game, doubly so with their entertaining personalities. I was not expecting the genuine comraderie between them at all, and it compelled me to keep going! Too bad the game softlocked because of Morgana's move route, so if that wasn't the end of the demo then OOPS.
It kind of reminds me of the witty humor you'd find in a Konosuba or Gintama, and I can get down with that. There were some jabs towards typical JRPGs that I just groaned at, but other than that the comedy and character writing are TOP NOTCH... especially for someone's first game! I cannot wait to see where you go after this, since you have a lot of promise.
That said, it's forgiveable because the combat is not the main attraction.
I adore this writing. Swordy and Artur bickering is easily the best part of the game, doubly so with their entertaining personalities. I was not expecting the genuine comraderie between them at all, and it compelled me to keep going! Too bad the game softlocked because of Morgana's move route, so if that wasn't the end of the demo then OOPS.
It kind of reminds me of the witty humor you'd find in a Konosuba or Gintama, and I can get down with that. There were some jabs towards typical JRPGs that I just groaned at, but other than that the comedy and character writing are TOP NOTCH... especially for someone's first game! I cannot wait to see where you go after this, since you have a lot of promise.