HOUSEKEEPING'S PROFILE

The music was a little wonky at times to me. I'm not a big techno fan, so the first song I heard was a little jarring for a medieval country. Once I got used to the techno, the soundtrack was consistent, but some of the tracks--like the forest or the plainsy areas between levels--felt a bit out of place.

The story is a bit fetch-questy, but it's aware of that. I think it begins in the wrong place, though, as you start with a "let's walk up to the king and accept our quest" trope. I obviously don't know the full extent of the story, but from what I've seen so far, I assume that the heart of the story is about Karuna and Aurelie's relationship. It makes the most sense to me to begin with a flashback moment of them--something that's indicative of their relationship dynamic. I'd also consider doing something similar when Karuna professes her feelings at that one rest location; obviously, this should say something different than the first potential scene--round out the relationship somehow. Just confessing a relationship is a bit too showy and not telly enough, so it loses its impact. Of course, if this game is trying to be a self-aware send-up of the genre, then it's starting in the right place.

Scenes in general could be handled a bit more cinematically. So far, they mostly consist of dialogue with stationary characters. That kind of thing can't be avoided all the time, but other times--like Merel's introduction to the party--could have been a bit more nuanced. I like her reasoning for staying with the party later on, but when she originally joins the party it feels a bit forced, and you have a chance to build some pathos with her since she's more or less an outcast. Though the other nagas are quick to remind her about that, the player never really feels for her because it's all handled through dialogue rather than actions, and the dialogue doesn't take itself very seriously. You can still show her reacting to the ostracizing as a strong character, but it still hurts, regardless, no matter how guarded we are. Peeling back that veneer just a little is fine, even if it's in a bit of hesitation before a joke.

I realize that the main villain is going to have depth, but these little evil-for-the-sake-of-it bosses aren't really worth having dialogue--unless the fact that they can speak becomes relevant to the plot. Karuna's line about seeing a monster talk for the first time didn't bring up the potential moral complications of killing sentient monsters, which it should if you're going to mention it and it's part of the game's theme.

You shouldn't force a character that doesn't belong into the mix, but I would heavily consider having a male character that isn't a total douche in the game, or you might isolate some of your audience. Female characters tend to get the short end of the stick in games, but doing the same to male characters is "turnabout is fair play" instead of "let's make something better." I tend to take this kind of stuff at face value, so it didn't bug me, but it might be a barrier to others is all.

Yeesh. I've written a lot. Those are my suggestions, anyway. I found that exploration tended to drive my game play experience more than anything else, and the tidal cave gimmick was a welcome change of pace. This was a fun start!