Re: Who is Mike? [Mystery/Thriller,Supernatural, Comedy]
Posted: Mon May 04, 2015 4:48 pm
Oh... That makes sense. I got the rest of the endings! Now to answer the questions you set.
1. Did you enjoy the story and characters?
Yes, very much. I thought it was an interesting twist that
I think that it was well paced for the most part. The trivia section could maybe have been a little more... Exciting? I don't know if that's the right word. I think it might have been interesting to see Mike and Sarah's relationship more fleshed out through that. Or delve more into Mike's character. Overall the story is pretty suspenseful though.
3. Which ending did you like the most?
The Catalyst or The Stranger. I'd like to think that those are the closest to 'true' endings, and I think that the hint that
4. Did the story flow naturally to the ending?
I think I did, overall. I'm not totally sure how Sarah came to the conclusion she did in some of the endings though. It seemed almost random in some cases, as if it was decided that 'there has to be a different ending here because there was a different combination of variables'. And I don't really believe that that is the case, I think (or very much hope, at least, based on the overall quality of the game) that you made it that way because of carefully thought out reasons. However, those reasons aren't really transparent to the player. Therefore, I wish that there was a little more explanation for some of them,
5. Any general comments?
I really enjoyed the art direction of this. I thought that the lighting was done well, and the sprites were nice. I liked the range of expressions. The music is also very well chosen, and really helps to create a suspenseful, creepy atmosphere. I also thought that the contrast between Mike and Fake Mike was done well.
Okay, geez, so I may have sounded a little... Intense with some of that. But I criticize only when I love! Seriously, please don't be offended by any of this. Honestly, a lot is nitpicking, especially relative to my enjoyment of the same, and the only time I do that is when I'm affected enough by something, and like it enough to think about it and analyze it. I think that this is a very good game, and shows (and delivers on) a lot of promise. So, I think that you can do even better and develop even more!
1. Did you enjoy the story and characters?
Yes, very much. I thought it was an interesting twist that
whether or not you were Mike changed.
And I liked Sarah a lot. I also kind of liked Fake Mike, in a weird way. It's definitely creepy, but also oddly sympathetic? Like, in ending 7 it's willing to leave, and it warns Mike about others in 1.
It's hard to hate it. It's also exciting to see a mystery/thriller in a visual novel - most people don't stray too far from the usual genres. The thing about Mike is that in most of the routes he's kind of just normal? The little bit (I can't remember which path it was on, sorry) where the creature implied that Mike was sadistic was... Interesting . And it seemed like it might be true in that path. Yet he's also supposed to be pure of heart? Not that, say, liking BDSM means that somebody isn't pure of heart... It was just that most of time Mike didn't really seem to have any hidden depths. But we have two routes saying that he's uncommon in one way or another. I don't know, it would have been cool to see more of that in different routes, maybe sprinkled about as clues that only have significance when a certain piece of info is revealed?
2. How was the pacing of the story?I think that it was well paced for the most part. The trivia section could maybe have been a little more... Exciting? I don't know if that's the right word. I think it might have been interesting to see Mike and Sarah's relationship more fleshed out through that. Or delve more into Mike's character. Overall the story is pretty suspenseful though.
3. Which ending did you like the most?
The Catalyst or The Stranger. I'd like to think that those are the closest to 'true' endings, and I think that the hint that
they'll have more interaction with these creatures
is fun to think about. Though, The Sly does have a certain creepy appeal. The last CG in that one... *shiver*4. Did the story flow naturally to the ending?
I think I did, overall. I'm not totally sure how Sarah came to the conclusion she did in some of the endings though. It seemed almost random in some cases, as if it was decided that 'there has to be a different ending here because there was a different combination of variables'. And I don't really believe that that is the case, I think (or very much hope, at least, based on the overall quality of the game) that you made it that way because of carefully thought out reasons. However, those reasons aren't really transparent to the player. Therefore, I wish that there was a little more explanation for some of them,
like there was in the paths where she mentions 'you thought you could lie through the whole questioning' (or something like that) and the one where she mentions that Fake Mike doesn't have the right body language.
I think that giving the player more explanation for how the choices you made affected Sarah's judgement would have benefitted the game.5. Any general comments?
I really enjoyed the art direction of this. I thought that the lighting was done well, and the sprites were nice. I liked the range of expressions. The music is also very well chosen, and really helps to create a suspenseful, creepy atmosphere. I also thought that the contrast between Mike and Fake Mike was done well.
The choice of who looks bedraggled sort of represents the power? When you're really Mike and you see your reflection, you look terrible because you're weaker; you've lost. When a Mike is revealed as a fake (regardless of whether they are), they get the ragged sprite. When Mike is 'real' (whether or not they are) they get the healthy-looking sprite. It's a really smart way to show who is the more powerful one.
Okay, geez, so I may have sounded a little... Intense with some of that. But I criticize only when I love! Seriously, please don't be offended by any of this. Honestly, a lot is nitpicking, especially relative to my enjoyment of the same, and the only time I do that is when I'm affected enough by something, and like it enough to think about it and analyze it. I think that this is a very good game, and shows (and delivers on) a lot of promise. So, I think that you can do even better and develop even more!