Reviews by reyryan
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A meeting between three old friends discussing their artistic life while playing a fun game they had just discovered the day before. At least that's how it should have gone had it not been for one particular oversight: the main character,plagued with writer's block and self-doubt/hatred, that has been isolating themselves from everyone,even their dear friends.
This is a game about friendship and exploring human relationships. The friendship between the main character and the other two (Spoiler - click to show) Renaud and Camille is deteriorating and it depends on the player to choose whether to work on saving it or just let fate do its work while various human relationships are shown through the (gossip) conversation.
It gives insight on how an artist experiences the world around them and how they cope with their emotions. It's not only the aspect of art being like oxygen to an artist but the story also deals with a more realistic and down-to-earth aspect being the money and appreciation of their art by others. If their needs are not satisfied and they feel frustrated by everything around them, it's only natural that, like every other human, they are going to find ways on how to cope with their life.
There are also French terms used throughout the story whose English translation is given once you click on them.
The game has a "story mode" which is still to be completed, on one of the routes, and an endless mode that can be unlocked after a certain number Exquisite Corpse rounds. It's a very fun game and fitting for an MC who has writer's block. If you can't think of any words, you are provided with a list of random words on one of the widgets. If you want to see all the sentences created on each round and mode,there is another widget that helps with that. Overall it's a well-designed UI to make the playing experience as much enjoyable for the player as possible.
I'm refraining from rating the game because I'll wait until the final version is published for the story mode,but I'd definitely recommend trying out the game to see if it works for you.
Life As a Royal in Rhivenia, October 31, 2022A Hosted Games interactive fiction where the main character,the youngest of the four heirs to the Rhivenian throne, lives in an almost dysfunctional royal family.With a distant father who plays favourites with his children+wives and a mother who is loving to her youngest, with siblings and a half-sibling,the heir has the opportunity to forge familial relationships and form friendships with other characters. Later on,based on their conviction and some stats,the main character might be chosen by the Sword as the next Monarch. Either way,the heir or new monarch will have to deal with the new threat looming over Rhivenia along with keeping the population happy.
Only the first Book was published earlier this year with the book 2 demo yet to be publically released. Being a fantasy, medieval-themed "navigating through MC's life" story, it was highly anticipated and I mostly enjoyed the story. The lore is interesting to think about,but you should always keep in mind that there are elements of fantasy to it. The sibling relationships are the scenes I enjoyed the most in this book.
Now let's go to the stats system in the book.There were unnecessary stats in this book where as a player I waste my time on them,but they aren't used at all. The author says that this stats are going to be used on book 2, but either way,it irked a lot of the players. The stats could be put there only if both book 1 and 2 were released in one go. There is also a need to add some more scenes with the romantic options for some of them to feel satisfying.
All things considered,I would recommend other players to give the game a try to form an opinion for it,otherwise they should wait for book 2 to be released and play both the book one after another.
Innovative Bartending Simulator, October 22, 2022A relaxing bartending game with both story and arcade mode,set in a fictional town with all kinds of characters appearing on the tavern telling their mundane and fantastical stories or who just want to have a good time. Either listen to their stories or challenge yourself and memorize recipes by making drinks in arcade mode. Interactive fiction with bartending elements mixed in it: What more could I ask for?
Now,while i do enjoy playing drink-making games it's rare to see interactive fiction or any type of story to read with them. I personally enjoy games where I can interact with NPC's and hear their stories so that's why I went for the story mode most of the time in my playthroughs. Replayability is a strong point of The Thick Table Tavern along with it's worldbuilding which though it is not extensive, it's intriguing nonetheless.
Having said that,there is a need for proofreading in the story mode. As a previous reviewer said,there are some grammar errors throughout the story that need to be fixed.
A chill game overall with a compelling story mode and great UI.
A Dissapointing Dating Simulator, October 21, 2022I have no idea if using the term "short" is even the right word to use for this game. It says dating simulator when there is no proper dating involved except for some awkward lines written when you choose with whom to go on a date.It jumps from the presentation phase straight to the date.
Even the 'Edit 1,2,3,4' who are available for the dating, only have a tiny description. Some of the "character presentation/meeting you for the first time" sentences are even more awkward.
There is a serious need for some massive rewriting on this game if the author wants to get a higher rating.
A Princess's Adventure and Dangerous Trip , October 20, 2022A nice combination of interactive fiction and old rpg games,reminding me of Magium and the Great Tournament, The Princess of Vestria recounts the valiant story of the future queen-to-be Imelda the I. it starts off with Imelda's brother who has fallen unconscious from an unknown disease. She hears of the theories surrounding the illness and goes to find more clues about it after having a talk with the king and the people who thought of the theories. The dream was the final push for her to go on a secret and dangerous trip to find the cure for her brother's sickness.
Choices to choose from,routes to walk on and death endings galore. Luck and Life are the elements what determine the ending you get after each choice you make. This is one of those games where you have to think twice before making a choice recklessly or you'll be punished with a death sentence though luck could be on your side sometimes.
I'd like to know more about the kingdom or royal court's lore if possible because it didn't make sense to me the whole thing of "forgetting to inform one of the two heirs to the throne" about what happened to another member of the royal family. And the king was very... bland? He seems like a flat character when compared with the princess or all the other courtiers/characters.
It's a good game but it needs a little more work in expanding the worldbuilding and on some of the interactions between Imelda and the other characters just like with her father.
Deep and Tear Jerking Final Break-Up Conversation, October 20, 2022I'm giving it a five-star rating for the intense,angsty and extremely deep elements in all the routes. The topic is handled very well considering how delicate and how much of a touchy subject cheating is for everyone. The responses given by both the characters are what one can expect from those in their emotional state. The story essentially puts into question,using the main character's and their girlfriend's dialogue, which hurts more: the physical cheating or the emotional one.
Another question is whether a relationship can be mended after the trust between loving partners is broken because of betrayal/cheating. You can clearly see how madly in love both the characters are with each other,or at least they were, but what is that love's worth when it is only hurting both of them?
While I liked the story (it made me cry even),I have the same complaint as the other reviewers about how much time it took the text to show up. It's a nice effect to keep the "suspense" if done right but it turns annoying if it is so slow that it disrupts my reading pace. If I was to rate the game only based on the UI without considering how good the writing was,I would give it 2 to 3 stars tops.
Nonetheless I recommend the story to anyone who likes a tear jerking and angsty story.
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