Completed Pokémon Halcyon

Ickle · Aug 13, 2022

does eviolite work on the kirlia?

Michael · Aug 13, 2022

Ickle said:
does eviolite work on the kirlia?

Yeah, it does

Astefia · Aug 15, 2022

I can't unpack the file, always get an error. Tried redownloading, did not work.

Ekat · Aug 15, 2022

Astefia said:
I can't unpack the file, always get an error. Tried redownloading, did not work.

I'd suggest googling whatever error you're getting in relation to whatever you're using to unzip the game.

Unfortunately, I can't do much if this is a problem related to your computer specifically.

Ekat · Aug 17, 2022

I'm back from vacation! Thank you to all who submitted bugs in the meantime! The game has been updated to version 1.1!

Armin · Aug 19, 2022

Hihi! I completed your game and figured I should drop a comment about it!

Yes, the ending does feel kind of rushed. But I really, really enjoyed the (4h 49min) journey I took to get there! It was so fun playing as Octavia (kid) - I know things she doesn't get, but at the same time, I'm uncovering the mysteries of her family and figuring out the game's world with her. To me, it seems like I'm watching over her while journeying in her shoes at the same time. It's a rather strange yet lovely feeling. ^^

And holy shit the mystery! And the characters! I was sooo invested in them you cannot believe. Theirs is a relationship akin to a messy web and every time a clue to untangling it pops up, I was eating it up and craving for more. I honestly admire the way you wrote the human characters - they're quirky and charming, befitting of a game of this nature, yet they have a certain inexplicable quality to them that makes them seem like real people. And the way you wrote talking Pokémon is so... uniquely endearing? The way they're not exactly human, yet feel human with their thoughts and feelings, with characteristics befitting of their species. I didn't realize it while playing Seafoam, but the differences between human and Pokémon speech are much more prominent in this game, and it's just... so cute and so fun to read, for me ^^

About the ending
I didn't expect the grandpa to be the villain behind everything. The casino/snowy train/hotel massacre/secret agent backstory between grandma and grandpa was, admittedly, very very cool and romantic, and I always look forward to seeing more of it (the casino scene was by far my favorite of the game, being just pure awesomeness ^^), to the point where I found myself wondering whether Pokémon Halcyon is actually a love story at its core, whether the grandparents and the Manectric couple are supposed to be reflections of each other (probably not haha), and whether the "Halcyon" in the title in part refers to those honeymoon, you-and-me-vs-the-world days. I think grandpa as a traitor makes sense and explains the mysteries of grandma's behavior fairly well in hindsight, but perhaps the reveal itself seems a tad too sudden (especially given that all the scenes we saw of the grandparents portray them as happily on the same side) and lacks some emotional impact, I feel. I wonder (based on my personal tastes, so don't take it to heart! ><) if it would work better with a final flashback of the grandparents during the moment of betrayal rather than just described in a few lines by the characters, but I get that there might not be enough time during the jam to expand on certain aspects of the game.

At first, I wasn't sure how to feel about Octavia's "simple" solutions solving the issues with her grandpa in the end, given that the entire story is about how her innocent worldview does not correspond to the much more complex world that the adults around her live in (something the adults acknowledge too!) But there's something very pure and sweet about ending the game like this too, the notion that perhaps thing really are simple, and it's the grown-ups that are complicating things too much (just like how I'm probably overthinking everything in the game haha). Plus, with all the crap Octavia has gotten from her family, I think she deserves this win over them at least this once ^^

Some questions (which I'm probably overthinking lol)
*Do the flowers assigned to each house/area mean anything in terms of floriography?
*What is the "sphinx of black quartz" and is it something I missed?
*The fact that Cygnus, a female Kirlia, is able to evolve into a male Gallade using the Dawn stone... is it a reflection of the mom's supposed subconscious desire to be a boy like what her mother would want, or just a bug?
*Why the hell does Sandy's father not wear a shirt??????

References I think I got?
*Kenny Lotad
*Anonalpaca
*Ranko knife Shuppet
*Mew Enigma
*LuxDiablo and his 3 games
*Upside down Tomix Crobat from Australia???
*That one time travelling pizza game?????
~~(and that's when I realized that I haven't been around in the fangame scene enough to get the other 90% of the references T___T)~~

Final team

Missing "you" between "are" and "going"

Music note bubble appears over the player instead of the hiker

Tile errors

If you interact with a Combee house (??) a second time after being caught, the event repeats itself, but Farmer Rose disappears. He does not even appear in front of the cave after the event like he is supposed to, and the two farmhands are basically stuck in their positions. I think a switch has to be turned off somewhere?

You can walk into the battle if you cross the bridge from the left

Saving the game from the event before the pac-man Voltorb game -> restarting the game -> starting a new game from the menu screen leads to this page. But I think this is a universal issue that lies with the engine (??), occuring after the player is forced to save through an event, and the event continues on.

Aaaah I think I wrote way more than what I intended... so, so, so sorry about that >_< That said, if you're going to read one thing from this comment, please let it be this: as someone who adores character-driven stories with battles, straightforward routes and loads and loads of chatting, this game was indeed a treat and a delight to play though, like a slice of Straw-rhub pie! Thank you so much for making it!!

Ekat · Aug 20, 2022

Armin said:
Hihi! I completed your game and figured I should drop a comment about it!

Yes, the ending does feel kind of rushed. But I really, really enjoyed the (4h 49min) journey I took to get there! It was so fun playing as Octavia (kid) - I know things she doesn't get, but at the same time, I'm uncovering the mysteries of her family and figuring out the game's world with her. To me, it seems like I'm watching over her while journeying in her shoes at the same time. It's a rather strange yet lovely feeling. ^^

And holy shit the mystery! And the characters! I was sooo invested in them you cannot believe. Theirs is a relationship akin to a messy web and every time a clue to untangling it pops up, I was eating it up and craving for more. I honestly admire the way you wrote the human characters - they're quirky and charming, befitting of a game of this nature, yet they have a certain inexplicable quality to them that makes them seem like real people. And the way you wrote talking Pokémon is so... uniquely endearing? The way they're not exactly human, yet feel human with their thoughts and feelings, with characteristics befitting of their species. I didn't realize it while playing Seafoam, but the differences between human and Pokémon speech are much more prominent in this game, and it's just... so cute and so fun to read, for me ^^

About the ending
I didn't expect the grandpa to be the villain behind everything. The casino/snowy train/hotel massacre/secret agent backstory between grandma and grandpa was, admittedly, very very cool and romantic, and I always look forward to seeing more of it (the casino scene was by far my favorite of the game, being just pure awesomeness ^^), to the point where I found myself wondering whether Pokémon Halcyon is actually a love story at its core, whether the grandparents and the Manectric couple are supposed to be reflections of each other (probably not haha), and whether the "Halcyon" in the title in part refers to those honeymoon, you-and-me-vs-the-world days. I think grandpa as a traitor makes sense and explains the mysteries of grandma's behavior fairly well in hindsight, but perhaps the reveal itself seems a tad too sudden (especially given that all the scenes we saw of the grandparents portray them as happily on the same side) and lacks some emotional impact, I feel. I wonder (based on my personal tastes, so don't take it to heart! ><) if it would work better with a final flashback of the grandparents during the moment of betrayal rather than just described in a few lines by the characters, but I get that there might not be enough time during the jam to expand on certain aspects of the game.

At first, I wasn't sure how to feel about Octavia's "simple" solutions solving the issues with her grandpa in the end, given that the entire story is about how her innocent worldview does not correspond to the much more complex world that the adults around her live in (something the adults acknowledge too!) But there's something very pure and sweet about ending the game like this too, the notion that perhaps thing really are simple, and it's the grown-ups that are complicating things too much (just like how I'm probably overthinking everything in the game haha). Plus, with all the crap Octavia has gotten from her family, I think she deserves this win over them at least this once ^^

Some questions (which I'm probably overthinking lol)
*Do the flowers assigned to each house/area mean anything in terms of floriography?
*What is the "sphinx of black quartz" and is it something I missed?
*The fact that Cygnus, a female Kirlia, is able to evolve into a male Gallade using the Dawn stone... is it a reflection of the mom's supposed subconscious desire to be a boy like what her mother would want, or just a bug?
*Why the hell does Sandy's father not wear a shirt??????

References I think I got?
*Kenny Lotad
*Anonalpaca
*Ranko knife Shuppet
*Mew Enigma
*LuxDiablo and his 3 games
*Upside down Tomix Crobat from Australia???
*That one time travelling pizza game?????
~~(and that's when I realized that I haven't been around in the fangame scene enough to get the other 90% of the references T___T)~~

Final team
View attachment 11989

View attachment 11981
Missing "you" between "are" and "going"

View attachment 11982
Music note bubble appears over the player instead of the hiker

View attachment 11983 View attachment 11984
Tile errors

View attachment 11986 View attachment 11985
If you interact with a Combee house (??) a second time after being caught, the event repeats itself, but Farmer Rose disappears. He does not even appear in front of the cave after the event like he is supposed to, and the two farmhands are basically stuck in their positions. I think a switch has to be turned off somewhere?

View attachment 11987
You can walk into the battle if you cross the bridge from the left

View attachment 11988
Saving the game from the event before the pac-man Voltorb game -> restarting the game -> starting a new game from the menu screen leads to this page. But I think this is a universal issue that lies with the engine (??), occuring after the player is forced to save through an event, and the event continues on.

Aaaah I think I wrote way more than what I intended... so, so, so sorry about that >_< That said, if you're going to read one thing from this comment, please let it be this: as someone who adores character-driven stories with battles, straightforward routes and loads and loads of chatting, this game was indeed a treat and a delight to play though, like a slice of Straw-rhub pie! Thank you so much for making it!!

Thank you for the kind response, I'm so glad you enjoyed the game!

My response to misc writing notes:

Heh, I plead no contest to the rushed aspect of things like the villain reveal and resolution. In a perfect world, I would have included a few more flashbacks hinting at Marius' true character, and a betrayal scene. I also would have liked to include a memory of him raising Higashi, because their hot mess of issues is only ever discussed, not shown...

The main adult couples in the game quietly mirror stages of Octavia Sr. & Marius' relationship!

Bellis and Rosales - The Beginning
They're in that sort of bickering/flirting early stage. First, you have the Casino, and the scene where Bellis/Rosales discuss the Egg's custody. Then, you have the train, where they deny being together, while Bellis/Rosales go on a picnic/gelato "meeting.")

Marcia and Rikiya - The Honeymoon Phase
Where everything's happy. You have both couple being reunited with their partners! Marius finds the house, and promises to protect their baby. Rikiya steps in to help the family as well. (Rikiya is such a ray of sunshine, I'd make the game longer in the future just to add more of his terrible dad humour.)

Sanderson Sr. & Unnamed Ex-Wife - Separation/Disappearance
The relationship falls apart, and the couples separate. There aren't specific scenes assigned to this, so much as there are themes - love turning to hostility, the characters becoming scarce, etc.

To answer your questions:

Q: Do the flowers assigned to each house/area mean anything in terms of floriography?
A: Nah, they're just pretty. Some of the area and character names are partly based on the flowers, though. (The genus of daisies is Bellis, the family of lavender is Lamiaceae, etc.)

Q: What is the "sphinx of black quartz" and is it something I missed?
A: It's a panagram, meaning it uses every letter in the alphabet! It's the cooler way of saying, "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.”

Q: The fact that Cygnus, a female Kirlia, is able to evolve into a male Gallade using the Dawn stone... is it a reflection of the mom's supposed subconscious desire to be a boy like what her mother would want, or just a bug?
A: It's just me messing with the definitions of Kirlia because I wanted its gender to be female, but also wanted the player to have access to both evolution options.

Q: Why the hell does Sandy's father not wear a shirt??????
A: His ex-wife took his only shirt in the divorce. (I guess the real answer is whatever's funniest, tbh.)

Thank you again! :]

Tomix9tomix · Aug 22, 2022

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa thank you so much for making this game ekat, an absolute joy to play!

Some thoughts:

I can't really think of a whole lot to mention, but I just want to really express that I enjoyed this game a lot, all throughout. The presentation of this game is top notch. It all feels really clean and appealing. I think the highlight for me would be how all the flashbacks were evented. The tunnel vision of Octavia walking into the room and killing the others to save what matters to her, the way the futures that octavia could see would be presented, aaaaaaaa it is just all so good!!! And on the topic of presentation I LOVED the graphic of the island, and the animation of it being swallowed up, like gawd damn!!

The charm is this game is impeccable, flavour text and funny little events and interactions just constantly keeping me entertained. This game had plenty of that key ekat flavour, and I'm glad that you got to indulge yourself a bit more making this game, because it makes that flavour shine that much stronger.

Something that really struck me as I got deeper into the game and its story and characters is how intriguing and deep the world of it is. I feel like this game was just a snippit of the family and their world. Just a short trip out to grandma's house and hijinks ensues. But the way everything was written and built up, I was made to understand and feel as if there is so much to this family. This is just a short game but the world behind the family feels so much bigger. And this was so well done that I'm honestly begging to see more of them, I want to see more! aaaaa! I don't know if I'm articulating how it makes me feel well but aaaaaa I love what you've managed to build in this game.

So yeah, great game, felt very enjoyable to play, I had a great time. I can see what you mean by the ending feeling rushed, mostly the prison escape part (I actually think everything after that maintained the same great quality as the rest of the game), but honestly the whole package of the game just feels amazing anyway, so it didn't hinder my enjoyment in anyway, and I probably wouldn't even be acknowledging it if you didn't mention it in the main thread.

Thank you so much Ekat, I'm looking forward Ashen Frost

TechSkylander1518 · Aug 23, 2022

Another fantastic game as always, Ekat!

The title and load UI are cute! I'm really charmed by the minimalistic sort of design of the load screen!

That intro cutscene was really great, I loved the billboards and the truck, and Octavia and Marcia's dialogue is great!

So... I can't tell if what I did was unusual or not. I read the description about Octavia being a budding psychic trainer, but I just took that to mean "someone training Psychic-types", and I didn't read the list of features. So, for me, the family's psychic abilities were a sort of gradual reveal, like "Oh, I guess she made those barriers with a Pokemon? I guess they were saying that under their breath...?" until it finally clicked, which I thought was absolutely delightful. I probably should have just realized it from the start, haha, but I think realizing "Oh, they're not talking about it because this is their normal life" added to the fun for me!

The map background looks really cool! And having it in the party menu is a great QoL feature!

I really love this secret agent/jewel heist plot with Mesprit! You always have such cool ways of integrating legendary Pokemon into the story where it's not like, the legend of the Pokemon, but instead just a story that's made possible with their powers! That scene with Octavia suppressing her emotions to kill the opposing agents was the perfect climax for this!

Octavia's personality really shines through in all the flavor text! I love the little emotes she has in the hotel room, haha. And I love having a pocket specifically named "Rocks!"

I love the drying machine Rotom, it's a great goof and a great QoL addition! (I think this is the first QoL for faster hatching you've added in a Jam game, right? I don't remember one in Nightshade...)

The dialogue between Higashi and Octavia's dad is really fun, and does a great job at fleshing out their relationship in a quick amount of time!

The familial conflicts as a whole were all really well-done, it was really nice following along as they tried to sort things out!

The minigames were all really fun! I've actually tried to do a Pacman-style game once before, with much less success, so it was really cool seeing it actually pulled off! (And the Gastly following the naming convention was hilarious) And I'm a big fan of Pokemon quizzes that actually make you think through things!

I understood way less of the cameos than Armin did - I think I got three? Lux, Anon, and Jelo, although in my defense I didn't realize Tomix is Australian so the Crobat went over my head

. But they were always cute to see! (And I did catch that Sebastian reference!)

The humor was great as always! Some of my favorite jokes -

The whole mart man saga
Sandy's dad thirsting over Higashi
New Yorker Rotom
The discussion of using psychic abilities in a casino, and then that actually becoming plot-relevant
The Manectric's ridiculous names
Must. not. use. beam. attack.
The return of the horrible pizza music
The maid's title changing to Liar
Honedge's dialogue
Mew truck
World's Worst Grandfather as a trainer class

The camera kinda shakes as Octavia jumps on the bed, which kind of disrupted the flow of the cutscene for me. (If you wanted to get around this, you could turn the player invisible and have an event with Octavia's graphic jump on the bed? Hacky, but it should work)

So... I'm not quite sure how to describe this problem. When the game was starting and I was talking to the NPCs around town, I was worrying that I might forget one of the requests. But you can find everything just by interacting with the environments, and the original request is often mentioned, too, in dialogue or an item's description or the like, so there's really no threat of forgetting. (The closest is maybe forgetting to catch a Lotad at Lotad Pond, but that feels hard to forget) My initial thought was a quest log, but it really doesn't seem necessary from a gameplay perspective, and from a story/aesthetic perspective, it doesn't really match with Octavia's spontaneous attitude. So basically, there was what felt like a problem early on, but that solved itself as the game went on, so I'm not sure what to say about it, haha.

Higashi tells Marcia to "give her Kirlia, then", but Octavia still has Kirlia in her party at that point. Nothing that'd confuse anyone, just a little odd.

I was a little confused by the wording of "checking on the trash" - I thought that I needed to head to the Lavender House and see if anything had broken in the fall, it took me a little bit to realize the goal was to find it scattered around town. Maybe it could be reworded to "find the trash", so it's clear you actually have to go out and look for it?

I wish you could save just before past-Octavia sees the three outcomes in the casino, rather than just before present-Octavia interacts with the table. I wanted to try all three paths, so that meant playing through the mission briefing scene two extra times.

I was a little sad there was never a chance to talk to the Manectric again with Banana in tow!

I was a little confused when catching a second Pokemon for Sandy. I don't think he mentioned wanting any particular species, so I had been approaching the Drifloon and Bronzor thinking that the goal was just "any second Pokemon". (Giving a Drifloon to a seven-year-old sounded like an idea bad enough to be funny, so I figured it was at least a possibility, haha) I'm pretty sure the only time he specifically mentions Lotad is when you try to leave to the east?

Miss Voltorb feels a little too quiet - I think it's because there's no sound for picking up the dots.

You can enter a ghost's respawn space in Miss Voltorb and just spam them - I don't know if that gives you extra points, though.

I got kind of lost after the agent on the roof disappeared. I eventually found my way back to the house, but it was more trial-and-error than naturally heading there? I don't think Octavia mentions the house at all.

When you enter the house after the agent on the roof disappears, the doors still say they have stuff blocking them until you talk to Higashi. I think it's kind of similar to the receiving Kirlia thing in that it's probably not gonna actually confuse anyone, just be a little noticeable gameplay/story separation.

There's a couple puzzles where it seems like there could be a totally viable alternate solution that just doesn't work for some reason? (I mean, in-universe, at least, I get the reasoning for it from a gameplay perspective)

The Klink want something lemon-flavored, but it won't accept Lemonade? (The vending machine Rotom gave two, so I had thought it was the intended solution, haha) I remember that one half of it was arguing with the other, but I missed part of that dialogue, so maybe they said why they wouldn't take Lemonade. (if they did, they didn't repeat it)
When trying to get the apples from Manectric, I had thought that I could go back to Arcadia Town to buy some from the Combee there, but that didn't work - I'm not sure if it's because I only bought one jar, or if it's because I specifically had to get it from the bees on Rose's property.

On a similar note, Octavia will always tell the Burmy that there's a woman who wants to see its cloak, even after you've already shown her one.

I'm kind of confused as to why there were two rubies in the plot instead of just one? Mesprit has three gems on it, and apart from the second mission, it doesn't seem like the rubies are ever separated. Was there some symbolism to it that I missed?

The scene change with Higashi and Octavia being captured felt a little too quick - the screen flash seemed to be about the same pace as the memory flashbacks, and the music remained the same, so I wasn't sure if it was an actual scene change or just another memory at first.

I did have similar feelings about the Marcus reveal, but that's already been discussed plenty, so I won't just repeat what you've already heard.

"Not our problem anymore" felt like a strange line to close the story on. Of course, there's no reason Octavia's family should feel obligated to worry about Marcus (and not much they could do even if they did), but Marcia's comment feels more like an echo of the "don't talk about your problems, keep yourself separate" kind of issues that lead to the interpersonal issues. (Of course, given that it still clearly connects to the themes, it's not like it doesn't fit the story, so maybe this is more about my personal tastes, haha)

I was sad that I couldn't interact much with the cast in the postgame! I know that's just from time constraints, though!

The Essentials wiki link is still in the folder

I think the bike ride dream froze up a couple times, not positive. (Might have just been a delay from transferring, if you were using that for the infinite road effect)

The location display says "Arcadia Town (rainy)" on the rainy day- I don't think that was intentional? The Lavender Home Backyard map is also raining and doesn't say (rainy) when you visit it.

This was a pretty specific series of events, so I'm not sure what caused it, but I had two Pokemon evolve in Whitecap Cave, and then the map's regular BGM didn't resume?

Octavia still has the bike in her bag after giving it to Sandy (also, it doesn't have a sprite)

If you talk to Rosales while they're negotiating, Bellis will say "We're negotiating" twice, and Rosales turns away from her for the entire discussion.

Octavia in the casino cutscene disappears just one tile before actually reaching the door

If you take the Voltorb Flip route, Octavia turns left to shush Aquarius - but if you approach from below, he's actually south of her. (I don't know how to check a dependent event's location in a script, though...)

Sunflower Inn music stops after the cutscene after the casino dream

Quale was only level 20 when Sandy was travelling with me, but level 30 in the fight with Katchin?

Sandy's text is usually green, but it's purple when you talk to him after the man enters the ruins. (Unless I misread the dialogue and it was one of his Pokemon speaking?)

In Veneto City, when Octavia talks to the Engineer, she turns right to follow him, but then doesn't turn back up when he moves back up.

Sharpedo sometimes vanishes when Octavia flees the arguing sharks - not quite sure what caused it, though, it didn't seem to be a specific number of tries.

Octavia says Huh, but it's Lady Bellis playing the ? animation.

Battles in Lamecei Clearing and Sandslope Pit use the indoor background. (They still use the right battlebases, though)

I don't thiiiink this is intentional? It honestly looks like it could go either way, but the part of the counter without anything on it isn't passable, so I figured this should be the same.

I'm also not sure if this one is intentional, but all the lily pads were passable?

There's a little bit of dust on a tile that the player can't actually collect. (Doesn't affect the gameplay, of course, just a little annoying to see lol)

Not sure if this one is intentional or not, but these rocks don't seem to be centered in the rings

Postgame, stepping on the leftmost tile of these stairs (none of the others) replayed this cutscene.

(Also, minor thread error - it looks like you've linked the discord under the Resource Pack section)

Cottonee seems a little high?

Tauros seems a little off from its shadow

Fletchinder seems a little low

Are going to get graded on it? - Are we going to get graded on it?
by the real estate agent I suppose - by the real estate agent, I suppose
Thank you Pokémon! - Thank you, Pokémon!
This one has training wheels anyway. - This one has training wheels, anyway.
and now dad has to get me a new - I'm pretty sure you'd capitalize Dad since Sandy is using it as a name?
But, I know you haven't. - But I know you haven't.
I like pancakes, better. - I like pancakes better.
But, the prices are all super high! - But the prices are all super high!
But, I'll let you in on - But I'll let you in on
But, I can see through the window!
I, er, no, nevermind. - I, er, no, never mind.
your choice in car - your choice in cars
Nevermind the TV - Never mind the TV
but, I could try reading - but I could try reading
But, I could go scan - But I could go scan
have been on the fritz, as of late - have been on the fritz as of late
So, I'll need to go to the - So I'll need to go to the
I'd love to paint a high-energy Pokemon would be more my style -
You're not in the stream though! - You're not in the stream, though!
Yes I am - Yes, I am
the water's too cold and I've had Chewtle - the water's too cold, and I've had Chewtle
I saw Lady Bellis carrying that purse, earlier. - I saw Lady Bellis carrying that purse earlier.
Megastones - Mega Stones
been so grouchy, as of late - been so grouchy as of late
Oh yes, here are the pages - Oh, yes, here are the pages
No, it is erm... - No, it is, erm...
Gah, hey kid, - Gah, hey, kid
Good luck Lotus, Aquarius - Good luck, Lotus, Aquarius
Erm, actually I was thinking - Erm, actually, I was thinking
Why I oughta' punch out - Why, I oughta' punch out
Cheri berry! - Cheri Berry!
Oh really now? - Oh, really, now?
you ever been to the drop point, before? - You ever been to the drop point before?
Batteries Not Included or BNA for short! - Batteries Not Included, or BNA for short! (looking over this I'm realizing she probably did not say Batteries Not Included but I can't remember what BNA originally stood for )
I'm trying to sleep, here - I'm trying to sleep here
your favorite GameCube Game? - your favorite GameCube game?
Well I never! - Well, I never!
You're being quite stubborn, now. - You're being quite stubborn now. (The way it's written now is also totally fine, but since he's meaning like, "You're being quite specific right now" and not like "Now, you're being quite stubborn", I'm pretty sure the version without the comma makes more sense)
But, this train is all wood! - But this train is all wood!
Yeah Dad? - Yeah, Dad?
Almost desolate one might say. - Almost desolate, one might say.
Sandy is out to do his chores, now. - Sandy is out to do his chores now.
But, only because it's raining. - But only because it's raining.
But, if Mr. Higashi asks you - But if Mr. Higashi asks you
Bella is the same way, this early in the morning. - Bella is the same way this early in the morning.
But, no luck. - But no luck.
But, Papa would give you back. - But Papa would give you back.
C'mon, Kid, let's - C'mon, kid, let's
See ya' 'round kid. - See ya' 'round, kid.
But, Button is an older dog - But Button is an older dog
If you're done your wandering - If you're done with your wandering
Isn't that right Bella? - Isn't that right, Bella?
she kept calling me Mama's name - Marcia - missing period at the end
uncle of the year everyone! - uncle of the year, everyone!
Yes I was. - Yes, I was.
But, I need you to be - But I need you to be
Your mom won't be though, Octavia. - Your mom won't be, though, Octavia.
Right right. - Right, right.
an evil grandpa - er dad?
But, I got better. - But I got better.
Where does that leave us all, now? - Where does that leave all of us now?
But, that was the gist of it. - But that was just the gist of it.
Yes, we told you Octavia - Yes, we told you, Octavia.
It's not that it's a bad idea Octavia. - It's not that it's a bad idea, Octavia.
We've got men stationed there too. - We've got men stationed there, too.
Mama and Higashi not like each other either... -
so many problems though - so many problems, though.

Is the Leppa Berry icon supposed to represent anything, or is it just about the visual aesthetic? I was thinking it could be like, Octavia's able to do more with her powers, Leppa Berries restore power points, but it's not like they were depleted from her...

Tomix9tomix · Aug 23, 2022

TechSkylander1518 said:
"Not our problem anymore" felt like a strange line to close the story on. Of course, there's no reason Octavia's family should feel obligated to worry about Marcus (and not much they could do even if they did), but Marcia's comment feels more like an echo of the "don't talk about your problems, keep yourself separate" kind of issues that lead to the interpersonal issues. (Of course, given that it still clearly connects to the themes, it's not like it doesn't fit the story, so maybe this is more about my personal tastes, haha)

I'm not ekat obviously but I kinda wanted to chime in with my perspective on this, because I really liked this line. And yeah disclaimer, since I'm not ekat, this is just my personal interpretation:

For me, I felt like the family, and especially the mum in particular, felt plagued by grandmother's octavia's problems. She didn't really do anything bad, but because she had dedicated herself to protecting these rubies, the burden now fell on her family. And we see throughout just how much the mother is struggling with this. Grandma Octavia's problems that she had willingly taken on, had fallen onto her children unwillingly.

"Not our problem anymore" for me is referring to finally being free of this problem, or this "curse" as I believe she says at one point. It isn't a dismissal of everything that has happened, but more a sign of relief that they can finally move on from Grandma Octavia's actions which felt like chains tying them down.

But yeah just my interpretation! Just wanted to say something because this game is fully living in my head rent free atm so I'll jump at any chance to talk about it.

TechSkylander1518 · Aug 23, 2022

Tomix9tomix said:
I'm not ekat obviously but I kinda wanted to chime in with my perspective on this, because I really liked this line. And yeah disclaimer, since I'm not ekat, this is just my personal interpretation:

For me, I felt like the family, and especially the mum in particular, felt plagued by grandmother's octavia's problems. She didn't really do anything bad, but because she had dedicated herself to protecting these rubies, the burden now fell on her family. And we see throughout just how much the mother is struggling with this. Grandma Octavia's problems that she had willingly taken on, had fallen onto her children unwillingly.

"Not our problem anymore" for me is referring to finally being free of this problem, or this "curse" as I believe she says at one point. It isn't a dismissal of everything that has happened, but more a sign of relief that they can finally move on from Grandma Octavia's actions which felt like chains tying them down.

But yeah just my interpretation! Just wanted to say something because this game is fully living in my head rent free atm so I'll jump at any chance to talk about it.

Ah, yeah, that makes sense! It also ties in neatly with the visual imagery of the house being completely cleaned out at this point, too!

I think I must have been focusing more on like, "What happens to Marcus (and Mesprit) doesn't matter to us" and not "We don't have to bear the weight of being responsible for a criminal organization and a Legendary Pokemon anymore"

Ekat · Aug 24, 2022

TechSkylander1518 said:
Ah, yeah, that makes sense! It also ties in neatly with the visual imagery of the house being completely cleaned out at this point, too!

I think I must have been focusing more on like, "What happens to Marcus (and Mesprit) doesn't matter to us" and not "We don't have to bear the weight of being responsible for a criminal organization and a Legendary Pokemon anymore"

Thank you for playing the game and for all the extensive feedback. In response to a few of your notes:

It's supposed to shake as she moves. It is an invisible event jumping and screen bouncing while the player is stationary.
The Klink do mention that they don't want lemonade, and have special dialogue if you bring it to them.
Sandy mentions he needs to get an extra Pokémon once. He mentions that he wants to go to Lotad pond multiple times, and states the direction you need to walk in to get there.
I used soot tiles to make the dots. If I had the time, I'd figure out how to add a terrain sound to them when you stepped on them to be a little more authentic.
I picked two of the tail gems because they're mounted onto wedding rings, and the theme of two/pairs runs throughout the game.
Tomix hit the nail on the head with the "not our problem anymore" note.
I'm pretty sure you're actually supposed to leave the wiki link in the folder when posting your game, to give the player to information about the project base being used.
Yes, little freeze because of the transfer.
Quale did some intense training to catch up.
No, that was Lotad speaking. "(I've never seen a human like that around <i>my</i> pond. He's an outsider, like you.)"
The icon is just about visual aesthetic.

TechSkylander1518 · Aug 24, 2022

Ekat said:
The Klink do mention that they don't want lemonade, and have special dialogue if you bring it to them.

Hm, I think that might be bugged, then? They just kept saying the line about wanting something lemon-flavored, and didn't seem to comment on the lemonade. (Although, come to think of it, I'm not sure when I downloaded the game - I might be playing 1.0, I noticed Armin already reported some of the bugs I saw...)

Ekat said:
I picked two of the tail gems because they're mounted onto wedding rings, and the theme of two/pairs runs throughout the game.

Ahh, should have been paying more attention to that theme.

Oh, but speaking of themes, I just remembered another one I forgot to comment on! I loved how you integrated Psychic's weaknesses into the storyline - Bug with Octavia, literally (meep!) and metaphorically in how she's initially worried about smaller issues, Dark with the shadowy organization (and information being hidden in general), and Ghost in all the memories and problems "haunting" Octavia's family!

Ekat said:
I'm pretty sure you're actually supposed to leave the wiki link in the folder when posting your game, to give the player to information about the project base being used.

Huh, I guess I'm just always used to thinking of it as a tool for devs!

Ekat said:
Quale did some intense training to catch up.

I love the mental image of Quale fiercely battling the Lotad while Octavia and Sandy just play/chat with them, haha!

Ekat · Aug 25, 2022

The game is now updated to v1.2!

NocTurn · Aug 31, 2022

Hey Ekat! I adored the game, played through it throughout the course of today. As expected, you're always the go-to for these jam games. A brief and digestible story that features a cast of quirky characters.

Here are my general thoughts:

Pros:

World design. As always, your tiles are a treat to play through, and I adored the varied environments. The terrains and weather conditions factored a bit into how I played as well, and I found myself consistently enjoying the scenery.
Pokemon. This is something you usually do really well in your games, but I think it was particularly well-handled here. Even the side characters feel like they have deep relationships with their Pokemon, you can tell- even for the ones that don't say so directly.

Sandy in particular I enjoyed, with him 'catching' a Lickitung using his father's honey suppliers. But even Higashi and Armaldo, you can tell based on his choice of Pokemon the way he was raised. Hard, gruff, firm. Like Armaldo's shell. Sharp, cutting, like his blades.

Good good good stuff.
Music. I did catch myself recognizing a lot of the tracks and being distracted by that fact, but otherwise, they were all very fitting and well-done remixes! Even the more zany ones.
Protagonist. The tone of your games are usually well designed and suited towards the individual characters at the center of them. Nightshade's protagonist was task and goal oriented, always trying to please her defacto father, and so her gameplay was sidequest-based. In Ashen Frost, the protagonist sees himself as a deep and macabre character: complicated, messy, and mysterious. His gameplay is suited to this. In Halcyon, I'd argue this is the best example of the three I've mentioned:

Olivia's world is deep and complicated. But she is a child, experiencing it all for the first time with a very limited understanding and logical thought processing skill. Thus, the world is simple- characters talk down to her, there aren't many complicated sidequests, it's all point A to point B literally being guided at points by giant barrier created by her own mother. Our understanding of the world is limited and lacking understanding, similar to hers. I caught myself trying to gather the facts during the intro cutscene, attempting to piece together what was happening, why the dialogue was so jumbled. Why there were barrier everywhere... OH! She's PSYCHIC! Her mom is PSYCHIC! She's reading thoughts. It's that sort of lack of explinational structure that puts the player in this same limited mindset and allows the mystery to unfold and become more complicated with our own limited understanding.
EDIT: Had to add in one more point about the flashbacks being implemented. It makes perfect sense for a Psychic trainer like Octavia, and I think this is the best way to integrate them in a story. I don't think we as the audience would have gotten enough informational context without them, and it all just ties neatly together into the supernatural themeing. Good stuff.

Cons:

I can definitely feel the rush towards the ending, I won't fault ya too much- game dev is hard. But it's worth mentioning that the ending, IMO, needed a lot more dialogue.
Characters. Most of my draw towards a typical Ekat game is the characters- they're fun, quirky, and enjoyable to be around. They bounce off each other well and are fun to be around. They have chemistry. I think this is the area where the game is most lacking.

By design, your mother and Mason don't get along very well, and I'd argue that's with good reason, even though it does detract from my personal enjoyment. But I don't find our mother a very enjoyable presence, and she's clearly showing the same dismissive mentality her own mother before her showed in her rigorous training. It doesn't feel like anyone even wants Octavia around, which is disappointing! There are a few memorable side characters- Sandy's father calling another man a 'snack' was great along with the interaction beyond, and the whole dynamic between the two rival Manetric contest breeders was excellent as well. But I found myself missing those sorts of pleasant interactions whenever I had to read through a main cutscene.
The difficulty spike with the final battle was really difficult to deal with. A full team of 6 Pokemon with 4 full restores is... Wew. I just didn't have the team to deal with it, and my team wasn't even fully evolved (I picked up a Vibrava along the way, bad choice >.>)

Okay, that's a lot to read. Sorry! Overall I think it falls a bit short of my favorite titles from you (Nightshade will forever be my highlight, it makes my ADHD brain happy) but it's still a bar-setter for fangames to live by. I can't WAIT to see what you do next, you can bet I'll have my eyes peeled.

I'm assuming an essentials error, but this happened during the first battle clearing out the garage when Skwovet tried to use Belch

The trigger to enter the house again seems to be missaligned here, it's up to the left instead of the house itself.

Slight priority issue

Slight UI error

For some reason, this item can't be used from the bag

Missing tile barrier

Another error which I believe is default essentials. Swapping Pokemon in the PC caused my Chatot to become invisible

The stairs event has a trigger here that causes you to climb down the hill instead

Slight priority issue

Dr Pisy · Sep 6, 2022

As always, a little gem. You are great developers.
I am from Italy, so I've loved the reference to THAT CITY.

JJSponge120 · Sep 8, 2022

I love the story and gameplay so far. Quick question, though: any reason why I have to press the spacebar at this specific spot to exit this area?

Ekat · Sep 9, 2022

JJSponge120 said:
I love the story and gameplay so far. Quick question, though: any reason why I have to press the spacebar at this specific spot to exit this area?View attachment 12518

I was testing something for the latest bug update and forgot to switch it back to its ordinary state afterwards. I haven't updated the game to revert it back to how it's supposed to work yet.

Ekat · Sep 9, 2022

Updated the game to v1.3! Also, please remember to pay attention to the known bugs list before reporting anything. There are some bugs it's taking me longer to work out how to fix. :]

Completed Pokémon Halcyon

Pokémon Halcyon Resource Pack

Ickle

Trainer

Michael

That One Guy

Astefia

Cooltrainer

Ekat

That One Guy's GF

Ekat

That One Guy's GF

Armin

☆★★☆

Ekat

That One Guy's GF

Tomix9tomix

The beetle is waking up

TechSkylander1518

Wiki Dweeb

Tomix9tomix

The beetle is waking up

TechSkylander1518

Wiki Dweeb

Ekat

That One Guy's GF

TechSkylander1518

Wiki Dweeb

Ekat

That One Guy's GF

NocTurn

Hoothoot enthusiast

Dr Pisy

Rookie

JJSponge120

Novice

Ekat

That One Guy's GF

Ekat

That One Guy's GF