The Pirate Mermaid [GxB][Fantasy] - New Demo Out!

[Vynuxys]

Just played it through and it was so entertaining. The dialogue was really well-written, and though I usually dislike "jerk"ish female characters, the MC was just perfect; she wasn't too nasty or too nice, she was just the right mix. For once a female MC I can sympathise with and not dislike. That's saying a lot c:

Although most of the art was gorgeous, I must say Mikali's sprite bothers me slightly, and it was ever since I first saw it. I'm not 100% sure what it is, but I *think* it might be that his torso is too wide compared to the size of his head. I would make the shoulders just a tiny bit smaller, too. When he raises his arm, it's a little short. When I bend mine in the elbow, the palm reaches the level of my face. If I stretch it out so it meets my shoulder, like his, the whole arm stretches wider and there's less tension in the bent of the elbow. Try it yourself.

Other than that, I really liked this demo. The animations, backgrounds, sound effects, music. It was brilliant. I can't wait to play the full version, so anxious to find out what happens.

[try10]

I played the demo and I LOVED IT! The art is very beautiful. The animations look so professional ( EVERYTHING LOOKS AMAZING) I like the MC. She has a very unique personality and when she is in "greed mode" it very amusing to watch. The dialogue is very fun and easy to read. OHHH, and the mystery! I wonder what's in that red vial that the sorcerer wants so much, or why is he on that island in the first place? Does the Prince have something to hide? Why did the sorcerer told her to stay away from Mikali? I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE FULL VERSION TO BE RELEASED!

[Arowana]

Thanks for support and the feedback, everybody - you are all awesome! I'll let Nellie respond to the graphics and art-related comments (pokes Nellie).

@ Anna
I believe you can never 'love' too much, haha. And it means a lot coming from you, since we also loved (and were inspired by) the animations in Nanolife. I'm also glad you liked the opening scene, since I was a bit worried people would find it slow!

@ VerdeICe
Lol! I can't say, but you shall see what the secret pairing is in the full game.

@ DigitalDiva
Thanks for the offer! We're not looking for beta testers at the moment, but will definitely keep it in mind for the future.

@ RunicV
The game will be free! The music in the demo is actually online stock music - I can give you the link to the track you liked if you tell me which part it was from.

Glad you liked the dialogue and the MC's background story! The ending you get will most likely be the result of your cumulative affection and morality points. So there should not be any one choice that will give a bad ending. We're still open to ideas on the ending requirements and branching structure, so let us know if you have any suggestions!

@ bunbun
Yay, Jack is also our favorite character! Merbird love. <3 Let me know if you have any ideas for more fighting scene animations! And thanks for the heads-up on the resolution setting issue - I will look into it. What resolution is your computer? Since the game resolution is 1280x960, I wonder if it might have trouble displaying on smaller computers.

Ah right, we still need a default name for the MC! So hard to decide...maybe we will put it up to a vote.

@ Vynuxys
Glad you enjoyed it! I was worried the MC might be a bit dislikable (though jerk MCs are somehow more fun to write haha), so I'm quite happy to hear that. We were definitely aiming for someone in the middle of nasty-nice spectrum, who could be swayed towards either a good or evil alignment, so I'm glad that came across!

@ try10
Awesome, thanks! We put a lot of work into the animations, so it's great to see people are liking them. Haha yes, I like "greed mode" MC as well! All answers shall be revealed in the full game - hope you will enjoy it, too!

[bunbun]

My resolution is 1600 x 900 which is pretty small >:
And for fighting scene, I think you can add whacking from different angles! (I actually wanted to ask you how you did those fighting animation too OTL)

[WickedRaccoon]

just finished the demo.I LOVE IT!!! it's...it's...asgdfjevdsaz!! *faints while nosebleeding*
the sprites are amazing,the animations great (the coconut scene never fails to make me laugh XD) and it's the first game where i actually listen the sound and music while playing.
now i really wanna play the rest (cause i always forget that when playing a demo,i get too exchited "Orz)
note time:i noticed a typo,possibly the only one.a little after MC talks on the ship and rambles about being rich,she laughs "mwhaha".don't know if it's a typo or you actually wanted it like that,just said to mention it.other than that,all was good ^^

[fioricca]

HELLO oh my god I just played the demo and I am absolutely SMITTEN WITH IT

The visuals are fantastic, and the animation is amazing. Having it really gave the game an entirely different feel -- there's so much depth, and it's like the characters and the setting are alive and jumping out my screen. The GUI complements the art well and enhances the mood; the choice of music is clever and beautiful, opening up the world to me. The adventure element is tremendously well-done, and I really can't think of anything except THIS WHOLE THING IS ALIVE. Playing the demo actually gave me chills, and I love it so.

And the characters, the characters! I am in love with everyone. The heroine is brave but also vulnerable, which makes her very likeable. I love the backstory with her father -- each time she repeats that she plans to be the richest girl in the world, I just feel that her goal is not the actual wealth, but in honour of her father's dream. Like -- everyone looked down on her father, but she wouldn't, and she is putting her life on the line for that honour. It's admirable, and her courage and strength becomes something I truly respect. I love her so much that usually, when I play dating sims, I'd strive for the "right" choice that would snag me the guy I want -- but in this case, I just want to be her and see how things play out! The sorcerer is also another lively character; he captivated me from the moment he appeared. I love the way he talks, his no-nonsense and nonchalant attitude, and damn his design is hot. /o\ I enjoyed all the verbal exchanges he made with the heroine, and I laugh whenever he calls her his 'lobster dinner'! The mermaid Miki is a pleasantly surprising character -- I had expected not to like him much at all, but then he had to do his "there's someone I want to check up on" thing and waaaahhhh ;___; I can't handle it. I'm a complete sucker for royalty who... WHAT'S THE WORD who is just totally adorable and cute like him screams just thinking of how he fantasizes about the surface from time to time is really getting to me

I

I really love everyone, and I love the game! The writing is flawless and exciting, the presentation is beautiful, the music is perfect and this game is just in a league of its own. I can't believe it's going to be a free game. Whaaat. I also happen to love pirate/seamen stereotypes and settings, so this made me so happy. Thank you so much for making it, and I'm excited to see this finished! Congratulations on such a splendid demo! *o*

if I ever fanart this it's all your fault /quietly cries

eta; I HAVEN'T SCREAMED ABOUT JACK omg he is such a troll and a GREAT ONE TOO he is perfect to be the heroine's true friend. His dialogue is entertaining and the things he does -- sometimes I can't decide whether to punch him or strangle him or just pet him on the head. uguuu. ;_;

[Obscura]

I don't have any time to play VNs at the moment, but I did download this due to the colorful artwork and took a quick look. It's really nicely done, guys! A wonderful little demo you've put together, bursting with life. The beginning was a little "wall of text" for me (but I have almost 0 attention span) but that was really the only thing I found a flaw in and it was minor. You two did a a wonderful job and pushed the engine into new directions. Everything felt very alive and the finished product will most likely be amazing.

Kudos to you. This impressed the hell out of me.

[Nellie]

Apologies for being super inactive in-forum! Luckily for me, Aro is here :3

I'm really grateful for everyone who take time our of their busy schedule to give our demo a try and give us all the useful and encouraging feedback!

@Anna
Your kind words and compliments mean a lot to us, since we are both fans of your work! Hope we won't disappoint you with the full game!

@VerdeICe
Argh... I wish I could answer lol. But I don't want to spoil the surprise and fun. Don't worry, you won't be disappointed. I hope

@DigitalDiva
Thanks, I'll keep you in mind for the full game beta

@RunicV
Thanks for your detailed feedback! This will be a freeware We will probably make it ad supported for Android and iOS version, but PC will be completely free (We ask for feedback such as this though heheh)
Music, ambiance and SFX are currently placeholders - we'll replace them with original ones, which I trust will be able to bring out the atmosphere better! This is the official beta - the firstmate and pirates sprites are final as well - they're done like that on purpose to show they're unimportant (and because I'm lazy lol).

@bunbun
You removed the fanart... It was so gorgeous T_T
I like Jack the most too! He was most fun to build up and bring to life! I've got Jack keychains in making... Just can't help it lol.

Unfortunately I can't really comment on your suggestions, it's too complicated for my skill level - so I trust in Aro to deal with them hehehe >_< We'll def brainstorm on a default name. Soon

@Vynuxys
I'm so glad you like the MC - it was one of the main thing we discussed a lot about... To create a relatable (and likable lol) MC, who's not exactly your perfect miss goody two shoes, nor the psycho bitch =P

Thanks for the input on Mikali's sprite... I'll have a look into it!

@try10
Thanks for your support! Look forward to the full game to have your questions answered... If you can solve the puzzle

@WickedRaccoon
Thanks for loving demo! I'll def have more chibi animations for the full game - poor Aro will have to time and animate them though lol. I doubt 'mwahahaha' is a typo, but thanks for pointing it out!

@fioricca
Thanks for such motivating words They meant a lot to us!

Do submit fanarts!!! We love fanarts! We'll even include them in the full game as unlockable features... Maybe. If we have enough fanarts... lol

@Obscura
Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to give this demo a try! Means a lot to us *touched*

As the beginning, we realised the intro is a bit lengthy - we might try to have it voiced, with simple CGs to aid it, hopefully it'll help. Definitely something to look at - thanks for pointing that out as well And thanks for such kind compliments!





Poll;
Shall we get this voiced? What do you think?

Is there any special request of what you'd like to see (or not see) in the final game?

Thanks!!


Regards,
Nellie

[Sheridan]

This game is amazing! I didn't realize you could have so many moving parts in a Ren'Py game; it really makes everything feel more dynamic. I love your twist on the fairy tale, and the MC's personality is really fun. I can't wait to play the full thing!

[Nebty]

I loved the demo! The protagonist's (I named her Robin) backstory is heartbreaking and I found myself really liking her. She has some great banter with the other characters, which is a big plus in my books. I like my MCs to be characters in their own right rather than just a player surrogate.

As for the guys, I adore them both. I actually thought the Sorcerer would be my favourite, hands-down, but when I finally met Mikali I fell in love. He's the most adorable person, especially that blushing face. I can't get over how cute that whole conversation was.

Other stuff I liked: the animations. They were subtle but added a lot to the ambiance of the game. The chibi coconut-throwing fight was awesome as well. The music was well-chosen. The two standout tracks that I can recall are firstly the "battle theme" (the one that plays when you duel Hoge and when you run from the guards), which had a nice twangy guitar which turns into a great electric guitar riff. The second is the track that plays during the ceremony with the sorcerer. It was just the right mix of creepy, ominous, and badass. It also had what sounded like an electric didgeridoo, so yeah.

Stuff I didn't like: The lack of sprites for Hoge and the crew, though I'm assuming that that's because this is a demo and not the final game. Also, the audio quality doesn't seem to be the best. I could hear a certain "scratchiness" as well as some popping.

Poll;
Shall we get this voiced? What do you think?

I really don't think it needs it, to be honest. The elements that you have right now go so well together that I can't help but think that adding voiceovers would tip it over the edge. Plus, I tend to get distracted by amateur voiceover work. Even if most of the cast is competently done, it only takes one weird-sounding line read to throw me out of the zone. Plus, no VO means that we get the game faster. :3

Is there any special request of what you'd like to see (or not see) in the final game?

More Mikali being adorable! More Sorcerer being sarcastic! More badass MC! Basically, I think you've got this down pat and I can't wait to see the final game. Though more chibi-scenes like the coconut fight would be very welcome.

[WickedRaccoon]

Poll;
Shall we get this voiced? What do you think?

no,absolutely no!!! sorry if i sound mean (i'm actually not T_T) but the game is fine the way it is.i second Nebty's opinion.if one line goes bad,it'll make the rest of the game weird.so,i vote no voice!

Is there any special request of what you'd like to see (or not see) in the final game?

mm,nah,i think it has everything already

[bippers]

MaleUrsula is just my type >3 I'm gonna get him that red vial thing. I'd probably steal the whole treasure for him if he'd like. He's giving off Prospero vibes like whoa. SHH. SHH. Let momma pirate steal you what you want and we can go fix whatever forced you to stick on this island, bb, don't worry, I got you~ I'll be your Ariel~ HA pls tell me this was intentional pls

Ugh I love the MC. I named her GoldBooty 'cause I'm that mature (pft, she'd totally find that funny). But she's got spunk without feeling forced, I'm super fond of her, if MaleUrsula wasn't so PERF I'd probably think MC was my favorite. As it is, she's a very, very close second. I'm glad I can play her as pirate-y as I'd like (cowardly, vicious, untrusting~) or the opposite! Steal all of the things, baby girl *_* -thumbs up-

And Jack! LOL. wow worst pet/best pet? Can't decide if he's more trouble than he's worth or if I like it. secret character go >>

Prince is -meh- so far (for my tastes) but he might prove useful for manipulation reasons~ muhahaha

I just freakin' adore all the pirate-y themed stuff, like the save/load and the text. GoldBooty looks like a surprisingly legit pirate name when in pirate text. The music all suited very well, imo, though my old zombie laptop had some trouble with a few transitions and spazzed out on me (eh, pretty sure that's just a problem on my side, he is OLD old). I'm blubbering, really. I just want to play it all right now. xD Great hooking power, congrats.

... one negative thing about this demo. It has forced me to listen to 'Poor Unfortunate Souls' on repeat for the past hour. >>; can't. stop.

Possibly (???) helpful non-blabbering stuff:
+ no voice! I agree, voice work can be ruined by just one bad read, and then it throws you out of the whole game... besides, I like thinking of what they sound like for myself.
+ I can't think of anything to add from a newb's perspective, I think you're on the right track here.
+ I suggest GoldBooty as the default name. Naw, kidding. I'd say naming her after a historical female pirate would be a nice touch, like Anne Bonney or something. ~hand waves~ might be too obvious, now that I think about it? Or Scylla, call her Scylla. xD

[try10]

I don't think that the game should be voiced. I have an image in my mind of how do they sound.

[DamedeLotus]

I am immensely looking forward to the release of the full version. The demo was fantastic! The quality if the game seems really professional. The artwork, animation, and writing are all great.

Oh, and I'd like to say that I was so excited when I saw that the MC is tan. ^_^ That's not something you see that often and since I'm a tan person myself it made me happy to see that haha.

Also, I love both of the male characters, but I think my second favorite will be the Soceror (Jack is my first favorite XD).

[Reikun]

Poll;
Shall we get this voiced? What do you think?

Is there any special request of what you'd like to see (or not see) in the final game?

Yes!! Voices!!! xD;;; I feel like the only one who wants voices OTL While I was playing I kept thinking to myself "This part would be so awesome if it was voiced." Ahahaha..... I especially thought Jack would benefit a lot if he was voiced!! It would be so fun to hear.....

I also felt that playing in fullscreen mode was way more epic than playing it windowed. The demo was just so entertaining I wanted everything in the background to be blocked out ;0; I was sad when it ended.. xD I thought it was really good. I really really enjoyed the animations (especially the parallax effect with the clouds/ocean when you're on the boat!) It was a little weird seeing sharp edges when the waves came and went though. You guys might want to taper the edge down or shape it somehow...?
There were also some phrases that I thought were weird/sounded clunky

Like in the beginning narration where it says something about "whole fleets of ships" being wiped out by the mermaid storm. I thought "whole fleets" without the "of ships" part would've sufficed since "fleet" already means "a group of ships". I hope that made sense! There may have been a few other spots but I didn't take note while I was playing and the fleets of ships thing is the one that stood out to me as weird >__<;;; Sorry I can't be more helpful.

I enjoyed meeting the characters and I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE FULL RELEASE *0* It's beautiful~!