The Thirteenth Year [Fantasy/Philosophical]

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Wright1000
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Re: The Thirteenth Year [Fantasy/Philosophical]

#16 Post by Wright1000 »

Can you give me a guide?
I can't get the good ending.

EDIT: Got it, thanks.
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Taleweaver
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Re: The Thirteenth Year [Fantasy/Philosophical]

#17 Post by Taleweaver »

Well, I sent you some help. Was it... well, helpful?
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Wright1000
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Re: The Thirteenth Year [Fantasy/Philosophical]

#18 Post by Wright1000 »

Taleweaver wrote:Well, I sent you some help. Was it... well, helpful?
Well, I haven't tried it yet. Didn't get time last night.
I'll try today. Thanks for the help.
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Re: The Thirteenth Year [Fantasy/Philosophical]

#19 Post by Anna »

I tried it out and finished one playthrough :)!

spoilery stuff:
I liked this a lot! I loved the way you did the art; there wasn't much but it was effectively used! It was also nice to see that all the little stories together added to the big end story which explained everything. Those little stories were interesting themselves and the general ideas/messages behind them were nice too.

The ending I got was where she becomes... the sun XD? Either way, it felt like a really nice ending and Astelli is an adorable innocent and smart character - not strange if you consider what she is. It was really amusing to read the conversation between her and holy-dude as well (I am hopeless when it comes to remembering names!), though I wanted to kick his ass at the end of it.

The only things that threw me off, was 1) that some choices led to outcomes I really wouldn't have expected to be good (like the 'give in to the urge' one, giving in to cutting yourself just feels wrong) and 2) that on the ship, she started telling turnip-boy a lot of things out of the blue. Like her entire existence and such. It felt a little random, since unlike most of the others he didn't really have a story to tell himself - he felt more like a plot device for story exposition.

Oh yes and I loved the guard back at the pilgrim city and the hunter! They were my favourites, since their stories were fun and they were helpful and cute <3.
In short, an interesting and nice story with a cute protagonist! At least, in my playthrough haha.

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Re: The Thirteenth Year [Fantasy/Philosophical]

#20 Post by Taleweaver »

Yowza, I just got a feature on jayisgames
John Bardinelli wrote:The Thirteenth Year (Mac/Win/Linux, 40MB, free) - Visual novels aren't everyone's thing, but a good story is enjoyed by all. The Thirteenth Year is a short visual novel with a minimum amount of interactive elements that spins a philosophical tale in a war-torn fantasy/steampunk world. A strange traveler in a brown cloak is the central figure, though his origins and motives remain a mystery while you take on the role of several different characters, each of whom has an unusual experience while conversing with the boy. There are three endings to discover, and the story will take a little over an hour to complete. You'll be riveted to the screen the entire time!
Not too shabby for something DaFool and I threw together in two weeks, I guess.
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Re: The Thirteenth Year [Fantasy/Philosophical]

#21 Post by Omnificent »

Congrats! I know Jayisgames is pretty much where I get most of my indie game recommendations, so I'm sure you'll get a lot of buzz from this. :D
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Re: The Thirteenth Year [Fantasy/Philosophical]

#22 Post by Rewritten Ennui »

I finally got the time to finish up my first playthrough, and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was thought-provoking, humorous at times, and really unique and truthful. Somehow all 13 Chapters/narrators are able to tell a cohesive story about Astelli, and all the choices lead up to the final conclusion. The art, music, and effects were all very nice too and added to the feel of the game.
I managed to get Astelli to become a girl and reached "From Underneath" on my first time through. The Hierophant really ticked me off, since he kept calling her an "It." So you can imagine that I was happy to see Astelli actually become the Approaching Darkness. The ending was strong, and it left me feeling satisfied if that makes any sense. I'd say that the believers of the Light got what they deserved.
I'll be working on getting those other 2 endings, and I'll tell you what I think of them then.

On another note, I caught 9 typos/instances of strange syntax while reading. They weren't overly distracting, but I could share them with you if you'd like.

And congrats on getting mentioned by Jayisgames! Stories like these need to be read by more people :)

Edit: So I finally managed to obtain all 3 endings within 5 playthroughs. My thoughts on each:

From Underneath (Bad Ending)
I got this ending twice, and it's my favorite for some reason :/ Does that make me a bad person? I feel as if this ending speaks the most truth; once a single religion gets too strong, the original principles get twisted by the interpreters. Corruption just keeps growing, and no one tries to do anything to stop it.
From Eye Level (Neutral Ending)
This was the second ending I got, and I obtained it twice. It felt kinda "meh" since Astelli becoming Death didn't do much to change the order of the world. Astelli essentially became the grim reaper, stated the obvious, and went off to poke people with her/his bony finger of death.
From Above (Good Ending)
The last ending I got with some difficulty. This one felt a bit preachy and idealistic, but it left me with a fuzzy feeling inside :3 Astelli became the Light herself and said that she would destroy all the "false beliefs and hatred." I agree with some of the points that were made, but I don't think that it could happen IRL (at least, not anytime soon). It was still was a satisfying conclusion to the end of Astelli's pilgrimage, so I liked it c:
My final verdict: one of the best stories I've read in quite a while :D The journey was memorable, and the narrative feels complete at the end with no loose ends to tie up. I give this a 9.7 out of 10, and would highly recommend it to others.
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azureXtwilight
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Re: The Thirteenth Year [Fantasy/Philosophical]

#23 Post by azureXtwilight »

I got the two out of three endings, and this story really hooked me! I really like how Astelli's gender changes depending on what we choose, and it gives an entirely new meaning to the story. The philosophy really got me think about my own life as well :)

You're a really good writer, look forward to more of your work!

*off to find the third ending*

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Re: The Thirteenth Year [Fantasy/Philosophical]

#24 Post by MiSi »

Downloaded it just now. Think, I'm going to spend my evening with it.

Wait for my comment ;)

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Re: The Thirteenth Year [Fantasy/Philosophical]

#25 Post by MiSi »

I'm very impressed by this game! There are not many such touching stories out there and it really was something to think about. When reading some parts, I nearly had to cry (no joke!) and sometimes I could identify myself so perfectly with Astelli... It really is great (although I found some missing letters, but they were few ;) ).

You're so great with words... I wish I knew that plenty of them in English... ._. :lol:

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Re: The Thirteenth Year [Fantasy/Philosophical]

#26 Post by Taleweaver »

MiSi wrote:I'm very impressed by this game! There are not many such touching stories out there and it really was something to think about. When reading some parts, I nearly had to cry (no joke!) and sometimes I could identify myself so perfectly with Astelli... It really is great (although I found some missing letters, but they were few ;) ).

You're so great with words... I wish I knew that plenty of them in English... ._. :lol:
If you can still identify with Astelli after knowing the full story, I think I'm a little afraid you... ^_^

Anyway, thanks for your nice words! This story means a lot to me.
Scriptwriter and producer of Metropolitan Blues
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Scriptwriter and director of Daemonophilia
Scriptwriter and director of The Dreaming
Scriptwriter of Zenith Chronicles
Scriptwriter and director of The Thirteenth Year
Scriptwriter and director of Romance is Dead
Scriptwriter and producer of Adrift
More about me in my blog
"Adrift - Like Ever17, but without the Deus Ex Machina" - HigurashiKira

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Re: The Thirteenth Year [Fantasy/Philosophical]

#27 Post by azureXtwilight »

Can anyone help me get the good ending? :D

Hmm, been trying to get it but still failed...
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Re: The Thirteenth Year [Fantasy/Philosophical]

#28 Post by Taleweaver »

You have a PM.
Scriptwriter and producer of Metropolitan Blues
Creator of The Loyal Kinsman
Scriptwriter and director of Daemonophilia
Scriptwriter and director of The Dreaming
Scriptwriter of Zenith Chronicles
Scriptwriter and director of The Thirteenth Year
Scriptwriter and director of Romance is Dead
Scriptwriter and producer of Adrift
More about me in my blog
"Adrift - Like Ever17, but without the Deus Ex Machina" - HigurashiKira

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Re: The Thirteenth Year [Fantasy/Philosophical]

#29 Post by MiSi »

If you can still identify with Astelli after knowing the full story, I think I'm a little afraid you... ^_^
I played it through yesterday. Each ending. And I only said, sometimes I can identify with her/him... when it comes to not believing in gods but knowing of their existence ;)

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Re: The Thirteenth Year [Fantasy/Philosophical]

#30 Post by Melinoe »

I liked this game a lot. No surprise, of course, since you're experienced with this; I've played Metropolitan Blues, and that was very good. And just a tidbit of information: I got the From Above Ending first (only) playthrough, but I do have a tendency to go back and change my decision (cheat) to see what happens, so it probably doesn't count...

I have a few questions:
Is Astelli's gender completely dependent on what you choose as the merchant? I experimented and managed to change his/her (although I'll always thing of Astelli as a him) gender with just the offers I made to him/her.

Also, I assume that for each chapter, there is a good ending and a bad ending. If not, well, disregard this next question completely. Is the good ending for the ascet killing him? Just a curiosity, not really a very important question at all...

Is the From Eye Level ending incredibly depressing? This is actually a bit of a rude question, since I really should just play it myself (which I do plan to, eventually), but I really would like to know.
Overall, great job. Even though you didn't really need me to tell you that...
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