Re: Eroico -Develouped by kyrieru-
I want to post a long winded review, but it is not easy to spout vitriol so directly. This gets a solid 85/100, but Kuro set a high water mark. Here's why:
- Just a little VO is a great accent.
- The CG is good, but not great. I suggest the animator takes some perspective lessons and/or work with established artists (for pay, not percentages).
- The H animations are generally pretty predictable. This could be easily alleviated with just a splash of novelty, e.g. the harpy (already one of the best looking animations) pulls the protagonist into the air, finishes with him, and drops him back to the surface for 2 DMG. I could go on with suggestions, but the idea is clear, I think, and the author is more creative than I.
- I won't rehash the difficulties with platforming in this game, but suffice it to say that where Eroico is frustratingly difficult in the pacing and length of puzzles, Kurovadis was highly rewarding, while subjectively seeming nearly as difficult; using new but still tricky-to-master abilities to explore a previously inaccessible region was a joy.
- Referring back to an earlier point; the final GOR animation and CG were surprisingly anticlimactic. Protagonist is trying to destroy them all, and though she's been cheering him on (nice touch!) all she wants to do is get comfortable for a benign session on her 'evil' bed. Fun to watch, but hard to understand.
- Ammo pickups are sparse, making it difficult to rely on passing enemies with the gun. In some RPG's (i.e. those with an item shop or re-visitable resupply points) this would be fine, but here, I just tried to never use it, making the mechanic something of a distraction. Just being able to revisit the save point to reload would be nice.
- Sprites that can follow you through an entire level are just flat annoying. Evading a harpy (due to not wanting to use the gun?) only to have her and three or four others give chase across great distance seems unfair and irritating, rather than a true challenge.
I'll probably wind up deleting this before anyone sees it, but if this gets to you, kyrieru: know that I'm only discussing what I would hope to see improved, and I still regard you highly as an animator and game designer. H or no, this is quality game design in general. But, I think, your talent is capable of pushing you to higher quality still, as evinced in your previous work.
