This is a review of the initial 0.1 release of this game.
It's clear that the developer has put a lot of thought and effort into this. Which is unfortunate because even with all that effort this game is completely incomprehensible.
I don't know Spanish, so I cannot comment on the original writing, but the English translation is total gibberish. The writing is so inscrutable that it's impossible to tell if the overall story makes any sense at all.
The graphics and UI are, for the most part, technically well done and, at times, quite interesting. But a lot of the UI just seems like flourishes for the sake of flourishes and does not serve the story in any way.
Since this sequel is in its very early stages and could still be saved by an open-minded developer, here are some recommendations for them:
It's clear that the developer has put a lot of thought and effort into this. Which is unfortunate because even with all that effort this game is completely incomprehensible.
I don't know Spanish, so I cannot comment on the original writing, but the English translation is total gibberish. The writing is so inscrutable that it's impossible to tell if the overall story makes any sense at all.
The graphics and UI are, for the most part, technically well done and, at times, quite interesting. But a lot of the UI just seems like flourishes for the sake of flourishes and does not serve the story in any way.
Since this sequel is in its very early stages and could still be saved by an open-minded developer, here are some recommendations for them:
- It appears that the developer has a very ambitious story and associated worldbuilding they would like to convey. Since this is not currently happening, they need to work with an English-speaking writer to first get the overall story into something that makes sense and then the scriptwriting into something that's at least comprehensible (and hopefully better than that).
- With the writing in better hands, focus primarily on the art and UI. This is, by far, the strength of this game.
- However, only use the UI to advance the story and the player's understanding of the story. For example, instead of tossing in dozens of panel overlays that just duplicate what we can already see, limit them to only emphasize details players might have missed or aspects of the story that are important - like a character's facial reaction when learning something. As another example, and I realize this is a matter of taste, the default font is, to me, a serious distraction. I find it unattractive and hard to read. Why do this to your readers when there are many other options?
- Eliminate the story-killing "what do you call this person" questions at the beginning of the game. Either the story you want to tell involves certain people and relationships or it does not. Having the player make a call on this kind of thing makes no sense and leads to a story that makes no sense. Unfortunately, as always, you cannot have your cake and eat it too.