This new update may be the best yet! Gretel is gaining!!! I cannot wait to see her grow as she feeds the alcohol lady and helps the starving one!! Oh my god it’s spectacular already. I may die… Also I love that the inn owner is getting squishy. Oooh, and the armored lady Sebastian has in the cave! 10/10 incredible stuff
2 Likes
So, with the release of .8, it didn’t reach the heights of horny as .7 did but was very much still a good addition, as well as good at balancing horny horror and humor, as I’ll get into in the review.
SPOILERS FOR .8 DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN’T PLAYED IT YET AND GIVE A SHIT
this is all my opinion so please don’t take this as objective fact
Pros:
Sauce Boss: This update was great, the great sprites by CJ really helped to ensure we knew that the villagers haven’t been slacking on their portions for a while and it’s finally starting to pay off, all around great addition for horny lovers everywhere, while not reaching the heights of the Muffin Caper of .7, what’s average quality for Apostles is top tier shit for everything else, so this is not a gripe.
Jean Luc the Imbecile: That talk that Sebastian had with Sam about the savior had me laughing so much, I’m not sure if it was intentional, but the fact that Jean-Luc fucked up so hard in the elven courts my game had to take a second to load to comprehend the stupidity made it ten times funnier, if it was intentional, god-tier. I like to think that he is the equivalent of a Chosen one from Last Sovereign (One I’m pretty sure Waxer said he took inspiration from) someone who is so idiotic but so powerful that someone needs to Babysit them is one that I have loved recently in fiction, so seeing that here for comedic effect made me laugh so much.
The Saviors(?): Sebastians entire talk with Sam about the different saviours besides Jean-Luc also sheds light on why only they can be the antagonists in this game, considering one can wipe out armies with a swing of her hand, the other has economic and political knowledge for days, and the other one is too stupid to die, they do seem on an even playing field, if not the Saviors having the upper hand. Albeit, besides Alexandra the Kind, I really have to call into question whether or not they will actually be saviors, since the Adventuring guild, which Clara made got turned to crap and started hurting villages like Auburnwoods and Jean-Luc would probably think being a Savior is a type of penny pincher.
(Side note:Was sebastians eyes opened in the flashbacks because he wasn’t the Apostle of Sloth yet?)
Putting the Hall in Valhalla: The fact that the Angel figure basically semi-proved what the afterlife is like (and is or is related to Gretel most likely) was the Horror of this update, because the concept of a something you don’t want to approach being the end of your life instead of Heaven or Hell is something inherently terrifying to humans, as is shown by Steph and Sam’s reactions. This also puts into context Sebastian’s quest to cure death itself, so if not keeping everyone from the Hall, at least keeping himself and those close to him away from the Hall makes complete sense, and due to his encounter with the Angel, makes sense as to why he knows it can be done. Also enjoyed seeing Steph’s darker side, albeit one I hope the Apostles help remove.
No one man: The talk that Heather and Sebastian had based on my “Sexual” path choice was really engaging, and I could feel Sebastian bordering on just ignoring her and doing what he wants but trying to be good in that respect. Heather herself isn’t wrong, but she sure as shit isn’t right. Personally, I side with Sebastian on the issue, because sure the Apostles each have some skeletons in their closet, but the difference is they came to a point where they are now trying to do good, even if by shady means. While if Heather and her group weren’t stopped by the Apostles, they would have continued on their path until Auburnwoods dissolved, they deserve this, if not as a permenant jailing, then at least as a wake up call (And I will do my damnedest to ensure they stay there forever, but only if I’m allowed to steer it that way) I’m Team Apostles all the way, albeit definitely biased due to them being the giver of sauce for this series.
Bel-day: The talk Sebastian has with Bel does actually redeem her character somewhat, I thing Fresha and Dina are now the only completely irredeemable and/or unlikable characters within Auburnwoods that hasn’t either gone to the Shadow Realm or been made into a Servant.
The Meeting: I loved that seen, not only because it knew how to balance sauce and story, but I love the shit out of negotiations like that, even if L would completely disagree with me, albeit I do agree with “Bitchy Bitchy Bitchy”
Total War: Definitely a nice way to end off the update by having the husband reunite after coming back from the war as depicted in a previous update, also glad to know that I’m pretty sure the civil war that is killing all these people is in the name of some Noble soap opera bullshit(Bonus points for historical accuracy at least).
Cons:
A Feast for One: Would have loved to see the aftermath of the feast in visual form, even though the text wall is great, I will be frank. The thing I love seeing most is the result after the text wall and seeing how much has happened, the meeting was great for this and I’m disappointed the feast at the end didn’t have a visual aftermath. It was a feast for the mind while the eyes went hungry it seems.
Barbarian Queen: In the last update, Sebastian referred to the person he was talking to at the end as his Barbarian Queen, and I’m sad we don’t know who tf it actually is. Is it Violet and this is some weird double bluff bullshit? Is it one of the Saviors that Sebastian is still fond for and is playing double agent for? Is it something unrelated? throwing that out there and not expanding on it is somewhat infuriating but I guess this will be my new Byzantium
Violet in the Grey: This is less of a con and more of a general vaguity, I don’t know where Violet’s story is going, and given how it has been framed Violet was already struggling for me to enjoy her story and character growth and now that it is being cloaked in secrecy as to wtf is actually going on, I think Violet’s could potentially be either one of the stronger stories or potentially the weakest link in the game, I may be alone in worrying about this, I just don’t want the 10/10 to get smudged cause of a 4-5/10 character at best. In hindsight I could be made the fool, and I hope I am.
Overall, this is a 9/10 update. this was still a Strong update and besides some bugs(Which I’m not counting in this grading) and some fear for the future in terms of vaguity (Mainly since idk where we are in the story, but it feels pretty late in the game to be adding new mystery elements that have nothing to do with the apostles as characters and/or the Saviors, but that may just be because that stuff isn’t landing for me) and other minor bs, I still loved the crap out of this update, I just hope I’m wrong about these worries and .9 knocks it completely out of the park.
Tl;Dr Great Update, not as good as .7 but what can be when .7 was so sauce laden. A little nervous about Violet’s continuing story and the “Barbarian Queen” if these two are seperate, but that barely detracts from the overall game, 9/10
4 Likes
I had a feeling seeing a growing Gretel would be a popular decision among fans. XD I’m glad I was right in this case. But try not to die, we have many more updates to come, all of them now featuring a gaining Gretel!
2 Likes
Just finished the update, and I must say it was worth the wait!
I really liked how down to earth this update was for the most part, and how pleasant it ended up being. So many cute and heartwarming one on one scenes this time around. It’s nice to see major positive developments in the community (With some exceptions). I’m not quite sure about the sudden feeling of “change” Getel is experiencing (part of me doesn’t want to trust it), but I was smiling ear to ear with her bonding with Dana, and glad to see her finally enjoying herself at the party. I’m looking forward to seeing Gretel and Dana cheer each other up by getting blue together. I’d be lying if I said Getel is my favorite girl in the game, mostly due to her dower personability. Hopefully with some food in her gut and some meat on her bones, she’ll become more well rounded and grow on me a bit. One final note on the party, I thought it was a nice way to wrap up the update with some fun scenarios and a nice little cross over.
Excellent work, my favorite update so far!
1 Like
@Altair123 As I do everytime I really must thank you for taking the time to put out these detailed reviews. Not only does it help me base on what I do right/wrong and how to improve in the future, it also is just a nice feeling knowing I’m making something worth discussing at lengths! So thank you once more Altair!
Pro
(Sauce Boss) As mentioned all thanks goes to CJ! He was able to bring to life every crazy sprite request I asked for, and added in a few more of his own for good measure! He is half the reason Apostles has gotten as good as it is.
(Jean Luc the GREAT) I’m very happy Jean-Luc is getting the love he deserves! (From everyone but Sebastian of course) As you might have guessed I was laughing my way through making most of those scenes for him. While the Chosen from TLS weren’t quite on my mind when making Jean-Luc I can now see the connection quite clearly XD, and say that its pretty fair. Though Jean-luc won’t be sticking his ding-dong in any plants any time soon, he will be falling into future wells.
The main idea behind Jean-Luc for me is for him to be a ‘subversion’ to the way I write most of my ‘older’ characters. Where the older characters grow in the Apostles universe to more secret schemes and plans and plots they seem to develop. Lookin at you (Sebastian, Gretel’s mom, Clair, and more.)
Jean-Luc however is the older of them all, and spoiler that guy isn’t much of a planner. Or a secret keeper. Dudes been around for 10,000+ years, and is just hangin out, looking to be friends!
(The saviors) While I will neither confirm nor deny a possible antagonist role for the saviors for spoiler reasons, I’m VERY glad that Sebastian’s flashback had the desiered affect of making the Saviours people to be worried about. Way back at the saviors first mention in update 0.2 Sebastian warned Lily not to get too full of herself, and be mindful never to attract the attention of the saviors. Now we can see why Sebastian in particular was so mindful of them. Our trio might be untouchable in Auburnwoods, but against some of the real powers of the world…
(And to answer your question, yes that is why his eyes are now closed 
)
(Putting the Hall in Valhalla) One, nice pun in the title. I won’t take too much time explaining this one, as the unknown of it is the real horror. I will say my sort of inspiration behind it was " The Enigma of Amigara Fault" manga by Junji Ito. Another story about humans being forced towards a horrible fate by a compulsive power they can’t understand, or fight.
(No one man) Very happy to know the dialogue for Heather was appreciated, she’s not just a fat ass, she’s a person too! I’m glad the conversation was as engaging as I wanted it to be. As is the always theres always one interaction between characters that I have to write, erase, rewrite, several times over before getting it right. And Heather’s blue path scene was the ‘one’ for this update.
As for if Heather will stay there forever or not…just have to wait and see XD!
(Bel-Day) YAAAAY! I’m glad Bel’s sections worked well. She was on screen for a somewhat short time for an update all around her B-Day, but I hope her final conversation worked well enough to justify it. Bel has been a somewhat cold and rude character for most of the game, but hopefully her admission for just how much she’s been hurting not only helps change the viewers perspective of her, but also lets Bel herself start her own healing journey.
(The meeting) I wasn’t sure if people would like that scene, so it’s a big relief to hear it be a scene of positive note for you! The conversation like that one, as well as Clair border meeting conversation are always fun to write, though of course having the mommy milk scene in there was fun too! Though I can’t take credit for that one, thank Lazercamel who wrote that scene!
(Total war) Glad the cliffhanger worked well! Pamela’s husband is someone I already have a lot of ideas for, so his story next update should be of great interest! As for the reason behind the civil war…there’s one side of it yet to have been shown…
Onto the dreaded CONS;
(A feast for One) Very fair to say. I can’t disagree, and will simply try to do better about that in the future.
(Barbarian Queen) Sorry no easy answer behind this but to say that identity in particular is someone who won’t be revealed for a VERY long long time. Apostles will always have mysteries upon mysteries, but I promise they will ALL have answers in the end. (Except in explaining why Penny is such a creepy bug person. No one knows why, not even me.)
(Violet in the Grey) Another very fair remark. I didn’t think it right to show Violet since this is a wholesome update, and one where Gretel was improving (not waterboarding people) but that does leave her out of an update where near every other character was shown. She is someone I won’t neglect next time, and we’ll see how her situation changes with a new and possibly more stable Gretel around.
As for a final verdict of a 9/10 I’ll take it! Very kind of you, especially with the somewhat game breaking bug that hit you. But 9/10 isn’t perfect so I’ll be working even harder for next update! I don’t know if I’ll ever strike story/sauce gold like I did for the muffin update, but I sure as hell gotta try!
2 Likes
@Nopnopenohome Thank you! I’m sorry for how long it took, but I’m glad it was worth it in the end!
People doubted me when I said this would a wholesome update, so I was glad to prove them wrong! I had a lot of fun writting Gretel in a different way this update, and hopefully she’ll grow on you more as she ‘grows’ a bit more hereself!
And glad you like the SB cameo!
1 Like
Don’t say that to me, it just makes it worse! Oh my god I can’t wait for more. I do hope you’ll take your time with her gain. We waited so long it feels like a waste to rush it. I want to see her grow slowly as she affects the few people in the village who are still skinny. Much as I want more content, remember to take care of yourself and take breaks.
4 Likes
What a nice clam Update it is fun to see how much the town and the have change in the last few updates I mean we had tons of crazy twist and turn but this was a nice update I do love Jean-Luc he is like a five year old look away for a sec and he may have a pot on his head and also Gretel is getting better and “growing” as a person and I can not wait to see what happen to her in the next updates But in the back of my head I feel there is something Very dark coming and it is going to hit head but till it happen I am love this update.
1 Like
This game is such a gem, along with many others on the sight but this one right here is one of the games that deserves to be put in a hall of fame. I simply can not express how good it is. I wish I was talented enough and had the focus and motivation to make something like this as seeing the feelings that games like Apostles and SBS evoke from the community is just awesome. I’m glad that I stumbled on this game long ago when I did because if I hadn’t then I might not have found these amazing projects from you and other creators on her. Your game is awesome and you are awesome!
4 Likes
Gretal gaining feels so wholesome, it’s been a fantastic addition. Hope she blossoms in a major way.
Dina’s gain is my favorite of this update, love the light slob elements she has going. Fantastic update!
2 Likes
I have a theory that I’d like to float. I think that Gretel doesn’t have a mental illness or any naturally occurring violent tendencies; she has someone invading her head, and Sebastion is communicating with her. The violent and destructive personality would fit in with the title of “Barbarian Princess”. They want Gretel under control to be used at some other point in time, and therefore Sebastion is sticking with her to make sure that he can manipulate her later on. Sebastion doesn’t actually want her to improve, he wants her stable. Since she’s doing better and eating, she’ll become harder to control, worrying the both of them.
Violet is really more of a dark mirror of Gretel than anything else. Her violent, unrelenting brutality towards anything that isn’t exactly what she wants is similar to what Gretel did in her worst moments, except Violet doesn’t have anything close to Gretel’s power. Heather is manipulative and likes to gain power over others like Sebastion. Mauve only cares for his pleasure, like Lily. Their storylines seem to be based around exposing the flaws of the Apostles, as opposed to becoming fleshed out characters on their own.
Honestly, I think that it’s about time to have some more time with Lily’s vulnerabilities, we haven’t explored them as much as the other Apostles.
2 Likes
Just being near Gretel while she was eating nearly killed her. How much more vulnerability do you need? /j
2 Likes
@Zabi Hey I might want Gretel’s gain to go slow, but all that popcorn she keeps eating might just speed it up! But in all seriousness thank you. I will take a small bit of time off from Apostles to both get my thoughts for the next update in order, and to put a little bit more time into Wanting, but after that it’s back to Apostles! I want to avoid another 6 month wait.
@Fuzzd22 I’m glad you liked all the changes! I really wanted this update to feel like the start of a new chapter. So new outfits, new facesets, and of course a no longer so snowy Auburnwoods!
Jean-Luc is indeed a 5 year old in a 10,000+ years old body, in the single most powerful suit of Armor ever made. As for something very dark coming next update well…
@Purpledrink Thank you very much! It’s always energizing to hear something like that!
@Grizz Glad you were able to enjoy the wholesome gain of Gretel and the less wholesome more slobby gain of Dina! Apostles tries to have a little of everything!
5 Likes
Why does everyone always think Sebastian is a bad guy!? Is it all the lies? The secret meetups with an unknown entity? The black eyes!?
But really nice to know all the mysteries of the update has spawned some theories. I can’t confirm or deny anything, but I will say that you’ll learn quite a bit more about Sebatian next update. Perhaps even some information you might wish you never learned…
–
On each of the of the adventurer prisoners acting as a dark mirror to each of the Apostles, that is a very interesting way to look at it! I fully admit that wasn’t what I had in mind, but I can see now that’s what they’ve turned into, and I don’t have a problem with that interpretation!
–
A lily update is in the works. While I don’t think it will be the next one, it will be one coming up. In it we will be able to learn much more of her history and what exactly happened to her parents to leave them in that state.
1 Like
Oops I smashed Enter by mistake lol. Don’t drink and game kids (it’s been my birthday too Bel <3)
I really liked the variety of music in this update and the last one, like the new track when you were walking around as Gretel, I heard that Basch viola song that normally plays in real life once and was so confused for a moment lol. Lily’s scene in the barn made up for the sicko sex as usual but I wish there was more on the Hated path for Sebastian and Heather instead of her just clamming up, like… feeding her her own eyeballs until she pops or something. The meeting with Lily was really funny, although she should be careful if she doesn’t want to hit the maximum RPGMaker cell count and destroy the universe as we know it
Also I was thinking of Amara Falls too lol, not so much the hall itself but I assume that The Pit is at the end, kind of like the hole-things from that story
All the minigames in this one are righteous, I like that Apostles is effectively combat-free, but having some form of gameplay inbetween the story is good. I’m not really sure how to best make minigames in a grid-based game but the brainpuzzles like the riddles, and memory puzzles (even though they make me cry) and the numbers one with Violet however many updates ago are fun
If that was the case I’d bet on either her sister or her “mother”, or Sebastian and co put some sort of failsafe in Gretel to make her do what they want if she ever goes crazy again. I think he implies something like that and Sebastian is using it for his evillé ends
And I’m sure it was a coincidence but that Nigel Blackberry guy reminds me of a certain other… Nigel -Berry guy…
Also does anyone know how to stop the controls and sound settings from resetting every time you boot the game? I think it’s something to do with RPGMaker’s main files not saving after it shuts down because it’s happening with games other than Apostles, but it never used to ;( And now, I sleep for a few days
1 Like
Oh yeah the minigames were great
1 Like
I actually didn’t say that he was bad, because nobody knows (aside from you) whether or not Sebastion ultimately is or not. He’s extremely shady, manipulative, and untrustworthy, but assuming that he isn’t bald face lying whenever he tells people about his past, we know that he does have some redeemable qualities to him as well. For all I know, he is planning on doing the right thing but can’t let anyone else know for the moment. That is what is so beautiful about this game; there are few outright villains.
I’m also glad that I could please you with my interpretation of Violet and co. You deserve to feel good for doing something different and doing it well.
1 Like
I’m stuck on the steph breakfast scene with the arrows. I’m going to need some guidance on how the mechanics work
@Amygdala Glad my update came at such a good time, hope you had a happy birthday! And a not to bad hangover after birthday!
Happy to hear you liked the music of these updates, that’s one of the most fun things to put together in every update! THough I can’t take all credit “LazerCamel” helped with quite a few of them, like all the songs that play at Bel’s birthday party, as well as the hall theme.
You’re right, red path Heather is lacking in content, and that’s something I’ll need to improve on in later updates.
Glad you liked the puzzles of the update! I loved making them, plus seeing Gretel gain for them made them even better XD. While I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make quite as many next update, I’ll do my best to keep puzzles in game to break up the long stretches of text boxes.
Sorry about the problem with the sound settings, I’m afraid I don’t know a fix for that rpgmaker madness.
1 Like
@kaleb_lleb Sorry to hear you are having some issue, hopefully I can help.
On the minigame with Steph, she’ll give you a food order. I think the first one is ‘eggs’. Go upstairs to the 4 tables, and look for the spot that will serve said dish. For eggs, it is the one at the very top.
Go to the sparkle, and select eggs. Once you have the game will prompt you with the rune arrows. You need to use your arrow keys to match the direction that the runes are pointing. If you make a mistake, you’ll be forced to start over.
If the runes are hard to read, check the cook book by the side of the table that will also tell you the arrow keys you need to press, but a bit more clearly.
From there you just need to bring 5 ‘correct’ dishes to Steph. Try to follow both Steph’s request, while also looking for the highest calories for each dish. So for example when she asks for desert at the end, a cookie will be accepted by steph, but a cake would be far better.
I hope this helps, let me know if it still gives you trouble.