Completed Pokémon: The Slowpoke Shack

Karthik_ said:

I just finished your game, and I have to say I LOVE it! Seriously, it was an awesome experience, and I felt like I was living as the character, as Archer.

I could see the influences you mentioned from Ekat right away. The fog, the pause menu everything was spot on. I even noticed some subtle nods to Nightshade, but don’t worry, I won’t spoil too much for others! Hehe.

MIA’s character Is really awesome!, And that Uncle’s disguise is perfect lol.

The writting was so great and all the character development is awesome and there is lot of things!

There are a few bugs I noticed, nothing major, just some smaller ones here and there. But overall, you’ve crafted something truly special!! So Cheers

Looking forward to seeing how you gona finish Archer story..

Bugs:

Spoiler

It would be nice to add an event to remind the player to visit Uncle before heading to bed after the Krabby guys visit us.

A reminder to go to the restaurant before heading to the north side of the beach to face the scientist would be helpful.

I noticed some characters’ battle sprites are missing.

The librarian is still there inside after the police event having both the NPC inside and outside.

Library wild Pokemon bit annoying

Team:

Spoiler

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KennyCatches said:

Yoo thanks so much for playing and leaving such a great review!

I appreciate the bug reports - But if you ever got stuck, you can check your quests to see where to go next. Also, I didn't have time to make trainer sprites for the custom characters, so I had to leave them empty

Glad you enjoyed the story! I put a lot of effort into writing, so it means a lot that you enjoyed it.

(I'm not sure what exactly were the subtle nods to Nightshade haha, I guess I just subconsciously added elements of Nightshade somehow since I love that game so much lol.)

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HumbleScotsman said:

loving the chill vib and feel of the game so far did a wee first episode video on it. The mini restaurant game. can no beat a good old hotdog at the slowpoke shack and do like the pokemon popping out the grass. awesome job on the game i think i have played though a couple of the games you have made and always enjoyed them! keep up the great work . looking forward to seeing what happens next in the story!

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Iron_Rx said:

https://i.gyazo.com/8a36d838db83329948dfda1f0ea076d4.png

https://i.gyazo.com/87f81acb05cdc4dbe9206919decdc72c.png (he can't move)

Cozy game, I'm nearly done I think. Here's a bug report for you.

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Ekat said:

So, I finally had a chance to sit down and write my notes! (Guess I was doing my best Slowpoke imitation.)

Spoiler: Spoilers

Music
I really enjoyed the music selection (and compositions!). Some of my favs include:

• The main cooking theme (of course!) It's so upbeat. And kind of gives me Cooking Mama vibes, hehe.
• The wild battle theme
• How there was a happy & sad theme for Mia was also great. Just perfect for making the cutscenes that more effective.

Meta
The focus on double battles was a fun way to spice things up! Both from a fighting perspective and story perspective. It also meant less backtracking to heal when travelling to new areas, which was nice.

I do wish that there was a little more depth to what you can do when you're with a partner trainer, though.

• Maybe the ability to cycle through conversations with them, in their common events?
• You could also have event tiles trigger when you walk over them and you're with your partner. Or have them speak up when you interact with other NPCs. Tiny details, but ones that help make them feel more like a partner.
• I've also done stuff like mid-battle dialogue with my partner trainers in the past. (Having them be a little more helpful in the face of their abysmal AI.)

There was a great selection of mons. I was able to stack up a really fun team. The only thing I'd suggest is that you might want to turn down the encounter rate a bit. Overworld encounters are all fun and good. Until you are surrounded by t h e a r m y .

The battles were good. I did get kicked around by Darcy's Lycanroc a bit. It's nasty. Good selection of items as well. Is it possible to add repels, though? I'm not sure how they interact w/the overworld encounters script, but it would be nice to have those unlock after the first few days.

Cooking
Loved the cooking mechanic. It's relaxing, no real worry about messing up. Having different recipes and the ability to multi-task was satisfying. So were all the little cooking noises and animations! Long term, I do hope we get to see:

• Failure. Or pressure, at the very least. Maybe a timed trial. Like you have to cook a meal before Brett and Madison can trash the entire restaurant. (Because of course that's something they'd do.)
• An additional item slot get unlocked. Archer, you have two hands, I promise you can hold a bowl in one and the coffee in the other.
• Maybe you can upgrade to add tiny things in the restaurant? A TV on one wall that could cycle through a few images, a jukebox where you could change the cooking music, etc. Tiny cosmetic stuff.

Writing
The characters are all so charming! (Except for dad. Fuck him.)

On the subject of Dad, The way you wrote their awkward hangout was so painfully real. Makes me want to sit there with my head in my hands. I do like how he comes around, in a way. Things still seem tentative, but they walk away a little more functional than they were before.

The Kingler's Kitchen Krew is great. Every time those knuckleheads show up on screen, you know it's going to be hilarious. I think one of my favourite moments with them was when Uncle decides to get Joltik and Snorlax involved. I was dying.

Pokey is so good. Love how he interacts with the world. Just the little details, like him trailing behind... Also, I love Slowpoke. It's one of my fav mons. So fun to get to see it shine, here!

The NPCs and little pieces of the world unlocking day after day was fun, too. I liked tracking around to see what different people had to say. I wish there were more rewards, or a handful of stories that happened across the days with the NPCs. But, the change-up is still refreshing.

Along with the great cast, I'm a fan of the overarching (heh) story, too. There's everything- drama, humour, mystery. I'm a fan. And excited to see where things go next!

Bugs/Other QOL
Some of these things may have been dealt with since I first picked up the game.

• There seemed to be some strangeness going on with my partner when you head to the food scientist's place. He wasn't with me originally, but joined after I fought a wild Pokémon
• One suggestion I have is to tweak the darkness circle a bit in the library. Maybe make it a tile or two wider - not the full size of flash, but a touch easier for navigation
• With the notes in the cave, I would make them work like hidden items. You can step on them, but still interact with them if you're not standing on them. (It was a little awkward to walk up to one and not be able to read it until you were standing on it)

Misc. Notes

• Again, you really made me open Lombre's Bulbapedia page, smh. I was so underwhelmed.
• Harvey really gives me Karl the Krookodile vibes, and I'm all here for it
• That librarian should NOT be happy to see you once you're back
  • (or maybe she has a short memory, idk)
• Professor Pine you make Professor Birch look like a professional Poochyena wrangler.

I adored this demo. It's fun, different, and was so well-crafted. It's stuffed with love and great ideas! I hope it continues, and that you're able to bring everything to its full potential! I'm really looking forward to it.

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