Pretty good, overall. I feel like I’d be able to say more if I had gotten further, but the zombie is just stomping me, and I don’t think I have the brain cap to “git gud” right now.
The mechanics are rather simple to understand in paper, not something that’s really rocket science, and they work pretty well. Thing is, they work well separately, I feel. In execution, and feel free to blame my beef brain or any other thing, having to keep track of three separate mana bars plus the shapes flying across the screen plus clicking on the defeated shapes plus your health plus the things you’re matching plus whether the enemy is casting an attack or not plus casting the right spell at the right time to reduce or increase damage plus…
It becomes a clusterfuck in seconds.I strongly feel like some aspects of the combat should be toned down. Moreso assuming, and I might be very wrong here, that this is one of the starting sections of the game.
I don’t mind hard games, I really don’t, but when you have a game this heavy on mechanics, throwing the player into the deep end right off the bat after, at most, a 9 page explanation of them is risky. Other games that are also mechanic-heavy tend to take a more piecemeal approach. Introduce the player to a mechanic, make them get used to the mechanic, use the boss to test them in their knowledge of that mechanic. On the next area, you introduce a new mechanic on top of the previous one and start from the top. I feel like this game would benefit from that sort of structure, but it might be too far into development to make those sorts of changes, in which case, moot point. Nevertheless, I still believe combat should be lightened somewhat.
Oh the opposite end of the spectrum, the point & click gameplay is fucking on point. The area design and the overall colorfulness of the screens only contributes to it, and seeing how all the little bits and bobs react is frankly entertaining. Really clever use of art assets on the column puzzles too, those are just fun. The one complaint I have is the introduction of the magic shards and orbs and how this color plus this color equals this other color at the start of the game, not the best place to have it. I’d recommend delaying that tutorial until the first shard puzzle comes up, in the sea level. Beyond that, more things to click on, please, because I swear that’s what I’ve gotten the most entertainment out of.
Tehcnicalities aside, the characters look delightful. They look like they belong in the setting, on top of them having an overall really solid design. I really do like that the main character isn’t a straight-up human. Color palette is primo stuff, really sells the feeling of a seaside town, and the dialogue reinforces that. Speaking of, dialogue, well written, gives a clear idea of what each character is about. In a few lines, you get the basic gist of their personality and attitude. That sort of writing style, for games with more of a comedic tone, works pretty well.
TL;DR:
I can’t speak for the kink stuff, I ain’t gotten to it. Game’s, overall, solid. The gameplay loop is decent, but it requires too much of the player way too early into their playtime. Having to manage so many things at once runs the risk of distracting from the kink content. Whether that’s intended or not, can’t really say, but I wouldn’t say it matters. Characters are great, the point & click gameplay is fantastic, the visuals are on point, and the dialogue is fun.
Best of luck with whatever’s left to be done.
