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NOTE: This game is an early demo. What you see in this LP may not be indicative of the final product!
Hello everyone! In this RPG Maker Let's Play, we shift into the dreamscape that is "She Dreams Elsewhere" by Studio Zevere.
This game was described by the developer as "Earthbound has a baby with Adult Swim", but we got more of a "Kingdom Hearts meets Undertale" vibe. The artwork is very simplistic, using the three tones from the CGA days of cyan, magenta, and white--and it totally works! There is something so stylistic about the game that it draws you in and makes you genuinely excited to play.
It also contains some amazing effects that we cannot figure out. How did they do the wavy-screen effect during the opening dream sequence? And how did they do the screen shatter effect for the battle transition?! The visual aesthetic of the game, despite the simple graphical style, is simply amazing.
The audio is unbelievable, with a custom composed set of vocal and musical tracks that add to the mood and set the tone for what will be a creepy and intense journey.
The battle system is simple enough, but has just enough complexity to force strategy While the "angel" enemy (Chariss, we think) hits way too hard with one of their powers, the overall balance is fine. We were able to make short work of the first real boss by carefully applying the buffs, debuffs, and Limit skills. (By the way, please rename "Limit" to something more appropriate for a dream world game.)
The puzzles are good, start off well, and are great for the demo.
We loved the opening dream sequence. Had to nitpick to find things to correct. Great job!
The game tackles the issue of crippling social anxiety very well, although the magenta-texted "negative voice" for Thalia needed to start considerably earlier (we mention when in the video). The entire sequence of Thalia's breakdown at the party was wonderfully done, to the point of being uncomfortable to watch.
However, the game's narrative starts to fall apart at the party. Amia's reaction to her friend's distress is callous and unbelievable, with the game showing those lack of emotions, but trying to tell us that Amia loves Thalia. This doesn't work and leaves us with a bad taste concerning this character.
Things continue to go downhill when we "return" to the "dream world" (called Oblivion) in a sequence that is totally jarring. We're left questioning "was Thalia never truly awake or is this like Silent Hill where she's teleported to another dimension." Depending on what the developer wants to do with their story, certain foreshadowing needs to be implemented (the particle effects at the party can be construed as "drug haze" or lighting effects for the party, and therefore cannot hold the foreshadowing alone). We'll have different advice on how to proceed based on the developer's plan.
Thalia accepts her situation in a totally unrealistic way. No human being, especially one with social anxiety, would get over it that fast.
The narrative in Oblivion is further derailed by some random guy who happens to be standing around. That further confuses us as to whether this is a dream or another dimension, and it doesn't work.
The ways that Thalia, Amia, and Oliver react and cope with the dream world are completely flat and unrealistic, even for (maybe) dream avatars. Amia and Oliver don't treat Thalia as a friend, especially after the first boss fight (what could have been an amazing scene fell flat). The personal journey of the characters fails to deliver the emotional impact and relatability that they should.
However, love the animal save points and the ending sequence with the mirror. This game has a ton of potential. How can the developer make it the best it can be? Let us know in the comments!
Hello everyone! In this RPG Maker Let's Play, we shift into the dreamscape that is "She Dreams Elsewhere" by Studio Zevere.
This game was described by the developer as "Earthbound has a baby with Adult Swim", but we got more of a "Kingdom Hearts meets Undertale" vibe. The artwork is very simplistic, using the three tones from the CGA days of cyan, magenta, and white--and it totally works! There is something so stylistic about the game that it draws you in and makes you genuinely excited to play.
It also contains some amazing effects that we cannot figure out. How did they do the wavy-screen effect during the opening dream sequence? And how did they do the screen shatter effect for the battle transition?! The visual aesthetic of the game, despite the simple graphical style, is simply amazing.
The audio is unbelievable, with a custom composed set of vocal and musical tracks that add to the mood and set the tone for what will be a creepy and intense journey.
The battle system is simple enough, but has just enough complexity to force strategy While the "angel" enemy (Chariss, we think) hits way too hard with one of their powers, the overall balance is fine. We were able to make short work of the first real boss by carefully applying the buffs, debuffs, and Limit skills. (By the way, please rename "Limit" to something more appropriate for a dream world game.)
The puzzles are good, start off well, and are great for the demo.
We loved the opening dream sequence. Had to nitpick to find things to correct. Great job!
The game tackles the issue of crippling social anxiety very well, although the magenta-texted "negative voice" for Thalia needed to start considerably earlier (we mention when in the video). The entire sequence of Thalia's breakdown at the party was wonderfully done, to the point of being uncomfortable to watch.
However, the game's narrative starts to fall apart at the party. Amia's reaction to her friend's distress is callous and unbelievable, with the game showing those lack of emotions, but trying to tell us that Amia loves Thalia. This doesn't work and leaves us with a bad taste concerning this character.
Things continue to go downhill when we "return" to the "dream world" (called Oblivion) in a sequence that is totally jarring. We're left questioning "was Thalia never truly awake or is this like Silent Hill where she's teleported to another dimension." Depending on what the developer wants to do with their story, certain foreshadowing needs to be implemented (the particle effects at the party can be construed as "drug haze" or lighting effects for the party, and therefore cannot hold the foreshadowing alone). We'll have different advice on how to proceed based on the developer's plan.
Thalia accepts her situation in a totally unrealistic way. No human being, especially one with social anxiety, would get over it that fast.
The narrative in Oblivion is further derailed by some random guy who happens to be standing around. That further confuses us as to whether this is a dream or another dimension, and it doesn't work.
The ways that Thalia, Amia, and Oliver react and cope with the dream world are completely flat and unrealistic, even for (maybe) dream avatars. Amia and Oliver don't treat Thalia as a friend, especially after the first boss fight (what could have been an amazing scene fell flat). The personal journey of the characters fails to deliver the emotional impact and relatability that they should.
However, love the animal save points and the ending sequence with the mirror. This game has a ton of potential. How can the developer make it the best it can be? Let us know in the comments!