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

[Mini_Moshi]

I just finished the demo. This game is absolutely amazing! The dialogue is just so well written that it really brings the characters to life. I also enjoyed the coconut animation and the amazing art. The music was also great. I don't think voice acting is necessary at all for this game as the art and dialogue are already so expressive. I think it would be hard to get voice acting of high enough quality to keep up with the overall mood the game is setting if that makes any sense.

Generally games have one or two things that I would like to change but in this case... not at all. Seriously, this demo is truly amazing and I can't wait to get my hands on the full version so I can stalk that sexy sorcerer. Thank you for all your hard work!

[Arowana]

Oh man, I apologize for not being around recently (especially after Nellie said I could handle things orz). After getting my butt kicked by finals, though, coming here, and seeing everyone who took the time to play our game and leave such wonderful feedback, definitely made my day! Thank you so much, everybody! Your support really keeps up our spirits and makes us want to work harder than ever. I want to hug you all right now. Or bake you internet cookies or something.

Thanks also for the input on the voice-acting! It sounds like the consensus is no voices, unless we can get really good actors (hahaha, maybe in our dreams). So for now, we’ll probably shelve that idea and focus on other stuff. Again, feel free to let us know if you have any suggestions or things you’d like to see in the full version.

Also, here’s a cute chibi picture that Nellie drew in thanks. xD



@ bunbun
Hmm yeah, I suspect it is having problems because your screen resolution is smaller than the game resolution (my laptop resolution is also quite small, so it looks like I have the same issue). Not sure why it puts in the black bars, but maybe that’s the default behavior? I must go ask the experts in the Help Forum. ^^ As for the “slashing” animation in the fight scenes, it’s actually borrowed from nyaatrap’s game MoeColo (under Creative Commons license). We should make our own images for the full game so we can have different angles – it will be a good learning experience!

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@ WickedRaccoon
More chibi animations it is! We’re already planning a new chibi animation with the parrot, hahaha. “Mwahaha” is actually supposed to be the sound of an evil laugh, but thanks for pointing it out!

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@ fioricca
I’m totally blushing reading your review! Seriously, I’m overjoyed that you liked the demo that much! Especially the characters – after constantly asking things like “Is so-and-so annoying? How do I make them more appealing? Wah, people are totally going to hate him/her!” it’s a huge relief to know that’s not the case (hopefully that remains true in the future as well! ;p) And wow, it’d be such a honor to have fanart from you. I, for one, think your art in “The Dolls’ Stories” is super pretty and professional-looking!

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@ Obscura
Thanks so much! Yeah, I also think the intro can be quite boring with just the paragraphs of text. Maybe this is one part that would actually benefit from voice acting or, if Nellie has the time, some sketches on the side?

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@ Sheridan
Thanks! One of our project goals was to experiment with different animations in Renpy, so I’m glad it worked out! Also glad that the fairytale was recognizable after we twisted it so much (gender-flipped and species-flipped? I hope everyone still knows it’s the “Little Mermaid,” lol!)

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@ Nebty
Ooh, I really like that name! (adds to list of possible default names). I’m also a fan of MCs with well-defined personalities/backstories – while “blank slate” protagonists have their uses, I don’t usually find them as fun to read about or write. And excellent, someone else who likes Mikali! (He’s actually my favorite guy hurhur…uh, I mean, I love all my characters equally, what are you talking about?)

I must take the blame for the audio quality, since I’m the one who converted the mp3s to ogg files. ^^ Sounds like the setting was too low (I picked 22050 Hz Stereo, 32-bit in my program…whatever that means <-- audio n00b). Thanks for pointing it out – I will reconvert the files at a higher setting! For the pirate crew sprites, we were actually thinking about keeping them that way for the final game (and applying a similar style to other crowd sprites as well). Since those characters are minor, we were hoping to get away with less art for them. But it sounds like multiple people find them strange, so we’ll see what we can do.

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@ bippers
Hahaha, your review totally cracked me up! And, most importantly, it reminded me that we need more booty jokes LOL. How could we have missed this opportunity? xD And yep, the parallel is totally intentional – the story is supposed to be a gender-flipped version of the "The Little Mermaid" (though somehow it also turned out species-flipped). And no worries about the prince, manipulating him to get what you want is the gist of his Evil Path.

Scylla is a really cool name! I’m compiling a list of possible names now, so let me know if you have any other suggestions. We might put it to a vote if we can’t decide.

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@ try10
Lol, now I’m really curious about how the characters sound to everyone else! xD

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@ DamedeLotus
Thank you so much! Jack is our favorite character, too. <3 I’m super glad you like our tan-skinned protagonist – I think she looks prettier with darker skin, personally.

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@ Reikun
Man, that’s the one thing I will regret about not having voices – not getting the chance to hear Jack, hahaha. Nellie found a hilarious guy to read some of Jack’s lines, and I nearly died laughing when I heard him!

Thanks for the suggestions! For the waves, do you mean the division between the top of the waves and the sky is too sharp? If so, maybe we can put a darker gradient at the bottom of the sky to soften the transition. Thanks also for pointing out the "fleets of ships" phrase - I will change it! Let me know if you remember any other parts that sounded funny as well!

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@ Mini_Moshi
Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m especially happy to hear that about the dialogue, since it’s something that I spend a lot of time tweaking, haha. We’ll be working hard on the full version!

[Taosym]

Oh man, I apologize for not being around recently (especially after Nellie said I could handle things orz). After getting my butt kicked by finals, though, coming here, and seeing everyone who took the time to play our game and leave such wonderful feedback, definitely made my day! Thank you so much, everybody! Your support really keeps up our spirits and makes us want to work harder than ever. I want to hug you all right now. Or bake you internet cookies or something.

I played your demo, usually not much for Otome games. I actually found the intro boat sequence - > washed ashore opening to be the best part. It was quite nice in my opinion. I can't quite comment on the rest of the story but what I saw was quite nice!

[Arowana]

I played your demo, usually not much for Otome games. I actually found the intro boat sequence - > washed ashore opening to be the best part. It was quite nice in my opinion. I can't quite comment on the rest of the story but what I saw was quite nice!

Thanks a bunch, Taosym! I'm really happy you gave our game a try even though otome isn't your thing - it's great when people are so open-minded! Glad you liked the intro scenes! We'll definitely have to bring back the pirate ship later on (especially since we spent so much time on that background, haha).

[fioricca]

Also, here’s a cute chibi picture that Nellie drew in thanks. xD



@ fioricca
I’m totally blushing reading your review! Seriously, I’m overjoyed that you liked the demo that much! Especially the characters – after constantly asking things like “Is so-and-so annoying? How do I make them more appealing? Wah, people are totally going to hate him/her!” it’s a huge relief to know that’s not the case (hopefully that remains true in the future as well! ;p) And wow, it’d be such a honor to have fanart from you. I, for one, think your art in “The Dolls’ Stories” is super pretty and professional-looking!

dshfgahs DIABETES OVER HERE omg what a cute picture! ;///w///; Neither Mikali nor the sorcerer interacted with each other at all in the demo, and this adorable bundle of happiness is making me wonder what it'd be like if they met. MIKALI VS SORCERER. I wouldn't know who to root for ahhh oh no oh no I'm getting excited and embarrassed somehow just thinking about it! The sorcerer's helped the heroine to become a mermaid in the intro, now will he help Mikali to become a human?! At a price?! "Invade the treasury of Mermatopia and steal their rainbow vial or become my tuna dinner" -- no

dfsdhfgasdf h-haha imagining that scene is making me really embarrassed for some reason o/////o

ANYWAY YES the thank-you picture is totally adorable! *///q///* I'm saving it to my computer. As far as extras go, I think I'd love to see more of such chibis, or unlockable 4-koma comics. Animated 4-koma comics would be especially cute! If that's not too much trouble, of course -- I understand that a lot of art has been done already, and I wouldn't want Nellie to feel too burnt out. XD;

AND HUSH YOU FLATTERER you don't want fanart from me, I'd only mutilate these gorgeous characters in the worst ways. .////. But thank you so much!

I hope your finals went well! I can't wait for more updates on this project. I haven't played a game that makes my otome heart bloom so delightfully in a very long time!

[Mellanthe]

This looks so interesting!!!! ^w^ The story seems really funny and cute and the art is just gorgeous! Definitely have to play the demo soon.

Keep up the awesome work! <3

[Reikun]

Here's the thing that I meant about the waves!


Click for full size!

Also, I somehow managed to break the crew's position in the beginning while I was in skip mode

[wyverngem]

I had a chance to play a few days ago. It was a nice demo, well done, however personally I wish there was a little more control over the MC. She started raiding the hermits house before she got into the door and the whole thinking about using the peasant to gain her will didn't feel much like a choice system was set up early on. I did like the story flow, just wish there was a little more player input, even if they lead to the same path in the story it'd be nice.

[ririruetoo]

I just finished the demo, and while I do agree with wyverngem, I have to say I really enjoyed the demo. I honestly can't wait until the commpleted game, is there any idea for when it will be released?

[skyturtle]

Great Game! I really enjoyed the demo.

The story is a little bit predictable, but I didn't mind it as I was drowned by the beauty of the artwork, animations, sound effects, and laughter due to the humor packed in this game. The story flow may be a little bit easy to predict but the exact lines and puns aren't, plus the sound effects, animations and artwork gave the story a french kiss that made it really entertaining to read. I really liked the chibi coconut scene thing, I was surprised by it. The part I really like is when the MC attempted to trade her *beautiful* voice to act as the seal for the contract, it made me laugh so bad, didn't expect that one (the very funny sound effect).
Voice acting is not necessary for this game but will be a good addition, though like a user has stated it may just destroy if not managed properly.

Keep up the good great work guys. I badly want to know the rest of the story, stalk all the characters, and hear those puns and organ damaging jokes.
*Argh! I'll definitely play this SHINY game's full version once it's out.

SkyTurtle

[Arowana]

@ fioricca
I think Nellie's chibis are adorable, too! Hmm, I wonder if Mikali and the sorcerer will meet each other later on in the game~. The scene you described is so funny - I totally want to see a comic of it now! I really like the idea of having unlockable comics in general...poor Nellie would have to draw them all though, hehe. And you are far too modest! Your art is lovely and we would be stoked if you ever drew our characters.

@ Mellanthe
Aw, thanks! Let us know what you think once you get a chance to try the demo!

@ Reikun
Oooh, you have a good eye! Turns out I forgot to change some of the wave code during the storm scene, so it was displaying incorrectly. Thanks so much for catching the mistake! I'll also see if I can change the crew animation during skip mode so it doesn't glitch like that.

@ wyverngem
That's a good point that will be very useful moving forward! Looking back, I think the reason we don't have as many choices is that the MC has a strong predefined personality, so it's a bit challenging to offer lots of decisions that stay in-character for her. That being said, I'm going to see if I can work in the choice points you mentioned and am keeping this in mind for the later parts. Are there any other parts in particular where you would have liked more choices?

@ ririruetoo
Thanks very much! Also let us know about any parts where you would have liked more choices! We haven't decided a final release date yet since we still have a lot of work to do, but we'll keep posting here as we get closer to completion!

@ skyturtle
Shiny is good - Jack would definitely approve! I agree the story is pretty predictable so far (plus it's all pretty much summarized the synopsis, haha). Since the later parts deviate more from the original fairytale, hopefully they will have more surprises. ^^ And lol, I was wondering if anyone would comment on the MC's singing! I was originally looking for an actual singing clip, but, unable to find anything suitable, threw in that sound effect instead. It still cracks me up because it's so ridiculous. xD

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So I'm currently thinking about the point wyverngem brought up about choices and would be interested in hearing people's general opinions. Some questions that would be great to get feedback on:

• How often would you like to see choices in this game?
• Were there specific parts where more choices would have been better?
• How do you feel about more choices that only affect stats without major branching/direct story effects? (e.g. choices affect stats, stats affect story)

Feel free to add any other thoughts about choices as well!

[try10]

I would like to see choices when there is something important going on, like when the MC is debating what to do in a different situation or her opinion about something ( one of the guys for example).

Hmm...I would like some hilarious choices. I dunno, maybe you could put some funny or STRANGE ones that would affect the whole story FOR A FUN ENDING.

I like the fact that the choices affect the stats. Not every person has a good heart and it's very enjoyable when you can change a character's destiny by the decisions you take. Choices affect stats, stats affect ending ( similar to real life )

[Vynuxys]

Yes, choices when important decisions are being made etc. I don't think there should be necessarily a choice of whether "she robs the peasant Magician" and "she doesn't rob the Magician", because I like having a mc with a personality, a character that I help along her journey. If her character leads her to steal and call 'im a peasant, by all means let her. I like choices that affect the story outcome as opposed to the MC's personality.

I don't really like stat-based games, but I wouldn't be opposed to the idea. I prefer more roleplay based choices, but I'll stand on neutral grounds here o3o.

[bippers]

Gah that chibi is so cute <3

Haha, my work here is done! ;3 and really, pirate and no booty jokes? For shame! ;D
Ohoho I got the Little Mermaid part, I was thinking more along the lines of Shakespeare's Ariel, it was a bit of an off joke for me, probably didn't hit right~ relating my bb to Prospero and Mrs. Pirate to Ariel was too good to pass up, considering the Little Mermaid tie -> Ariel -> Ariel <- the Tempest, with Male!Ursula being Prospero, stuck on an island?? Always found it funny, that the spirit had that name. But I digress! I really should not make theater jokes xDD

Muhahahaa Evil Path

I agree with Vynuxys, I like a character with her own personality. I mean, she's a pirate, so I had no problems with her stealing? Seemed in character. Like you wouldn't see Jack not go for the rum, like that, I just figured it was a thing even if you played her as a 'good pirate', imho. Though I'm never against more choices in a game (because it does tend to make you feel involved and invested more even if those choices don't actually matter in the long run, I suppose) but certain things, establishing character things, I don't mind not having control over?

I like stats always. Stats are fun~ if it isn't too complicated and doesn't distract from the main story, I'm all for that kind of thing.

[Nym]

I just got through with the demo, and I just wanna say it looks great! I love the music and the potential love interests (dat merman). My only really slight pretty silly criticism (I think its more of a crazy nitpick) is that Jack flies with this feet sticking out in front of him instead of tucked. *dodges bricks* I love his bouncing around the cabin animation though. ^^ Can't wait to play the full version!