Completed To The Lake

luxdiablo · Aug 11, 2023

Hi! So, I decided to play your game, and I ended up finishing it! Here are my thoughts:

In general, I liked it! I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the game in general, and the premise was really interesting. I had a lot of fun with the puzzles, and especially towards the early game, everything was really enjoyable. I have specific pros and cons mentioned down below that I think go deeper into my thoughts on the game.

PROS:
I absolutely loved the dynamic between Cindy and Alice. 10/10 writing. Also, all of the maps were really well-done! I was skeptical of the singular grass patches at first but they didn't really bother me gameplay-wise, so it was fine. I also think the concept behind the story is really neat. There's a good reason to get hooked into figuring out the mystery behind the Callows industry, and the world is littered with random interactions that only make you want to find out the truth even more. There's also a lot of good attention to detail throughout the game. I'm the type of player that tries to interact with everything, and in this game, that effort paid off. I don't know what I expected when I interacted with the fire hydrant, but I'm glad to know that it was a fire hydrant.

CONS:
Towards the later parts of the game, things started to slightly fall off a bit for me. My first big gripe is that the stealth puzzles started feeling really tedious after a point. I appreciate the fact that you added a feature to skip the sections after 10 failures, but some stealth sections felt downright impossible because the Callu Disciples were checking literally every corner. Then, my next gripe was the underwater section of Act 4. I really enjoyed the change in environment, and the concept was nice, but the section also felt very tedious. Being given only 5 Revives, no way to run or fast-walk through the area, and having to consistently backtrack to heal got erally annoying really fast. It didn't help that Burglar Barry's fight was EXTREMELY difficult. There are no available Pokemon that can counter Dark-types, and his team was always slamming me in the face with OHKOs even though I was like 5 levels above his entire team. I eventually did win off a stroke of luck and RNG, but that was after maybe 5 tries. Reginald was somehow worse, and I only beat him after grinding the hell out of my team.

Then came Act Five, and I had high hopes for a strong ending. I tried defeating Be-One and Be-Three twice, but I kept consistently getting one-shot by them, and the added Weakness Policy made things so much worse. After a bit, I thought it would be kinda funny if I accepted their offer, just to see what would happen, but I did not expect that to just end the game. What's worse is that anytime I tried to access my old save again, it would just snap me back to the title screen. So, I guess I don't know how the game actually ends, which is really disappointing because I enjoyed the narrative a lot. I think that if you're gonna offer a choice for the player like that, there should be two distinct gameplay branches. Choosing to accept the offer shouldn't just end the game, it should change the story somehow. I don't know, the ending just left a very sour taste in my mouth. And I fully would've refused their offer if Be-One and Be-Three were actually beatable.

BUGS:
I noticed that Reginald had the "Eric" nameplate at some points, which was odd. Also, in the Pokemon Center, the flower on the desk is clipping through the desk. Otherwise, the game was pretty bug-free.

RECOMMENDATIONS:
- PLEASE add a Fighting-type Pokemon, or something to counter Dark-types, anywhere in the game. I had to train a Poliwag up to a Poliwrath just to beat Burglar Barry in Act Four. Also, I'd highly recommend having some method of healing inside Lake Callu, and maybe having purchasable Revives at the PMC would've helped too.

- I don't know if the movesets for Be-One and Be-Three are preset but I'd highly look into changing them or altering them, as they are EXTREMELY difficult to beat in their current state.

- This is more of a large change, so you don't have to listen to this, but it would've been cool if, instead of ending the game, accepting the offer led to a new series of events where Cindy ends up working under the Disciples of Callu and Alice (or maybe Cindy's brother) has to save them? IDK, I think I having the story just kinda.. end, wasn't very fun.

But overall, I really enjoyed the game! Keep up the amazing work :)

Never_this_again · Aug 11, 2023

LuxDiablo said:
CONS:
Towards the later parts of the game, things started to slightly fall off a bit for me. My first big gripe is that the stealth puzzles started feeling really tedious after a point. I appreciate the fact that you added a feature to skip the sections after 10 failures, but some stealth sections felt downright impossible because the Callu Disciples were checking literally every corner.

There is a consistent way through them if you keep track off where they turn, but it does take a while to memorize their movement so fair enough; It's why I put in the shortcut for the last room. I might tinker with their movement for an eventual patch, but it's a bit of a thin line considering just making them walk straight felt way to easy during testing.

Then, my next gripe was the underwater section of Act 4. I really enjoyed the change in environment, and the concept was nice, but the section also felt very tedious. Being given only 5 Revives, no way to run or fast-walk through the area, and having to consistently backtrack to heal got erally annoying really fast. It didn't help that Burglar Barry's fight was EXTREMELY difficult. There are no available Pokemon that can counter Dark-types, and his team was always slamming me in the face with OHKOs even though I was like 5 levels above his entire team. I eventually did win off a stroke of luck and RNG, but that was after maybe 5 tries. Reginald was somehow worse, and I only beat him after grinding the hell out of my team.

I was worried the underwater section would be a little frustrating with how slow it is, but I'll be honest at that point I was kinda pressed for time so I didn't test it as thoroughly as I probably should've. I might just heal the player after each battle, considering how little it matters in the long run.

What's worse is that anytime I tried to access my old save again, it would just snap me back to the title screen.

That's an issue that has come up with some people in Pokemon IIII as well which never came up for me during testing. I'll see if I can do something about it because that's certainly not meant to happen.

So, I guess I don't know how the game actually ends, which is really disappointing because I enjoyed the narrative a lot. I think that if you're gonna offer a choice for the player like that, there should be two distinct gameplay branches. Choosing to accept the offer shouldn't just end the game, it should change the story somehow. I don't know, the ending just left a very sour taste in my mouth. And I fully would've refused their offer if Be-One and Be-Three were actually beatable.

I'll be honest Be-One and Be-Two should absolutely be beatable, during my playtests I never needed more than two or three attempts for them, but maybe that's me building my team a certain way because I knew I had to tank strong Water and Psychic moves. Yeah, they should totally be beatable to let you advance to what's basically the final boss. If more people have trouble with that battle I'll probably have to severly nerf them.

BUGS:
I noticed that Reginald had the "Eric" nameplate at some points, which was odd. Also, in the Pokemon Center, the flower on the desk is clipping through the desk. Otherwise, the game was pretty bug-free.

Well that's the stuff that happens when I copypaste events. I'll fix it next patch~

RECOMMENDATIONS:
- PLEASE add a Fighting-type Pokemon, or something to counter Dark-types, anywhere in the game. I had to train a Poliwag up to a Poliwrath just to beat Burglar Barry in Act Four. Also, I'd highly recommend having some method of healing inside Lake Callu, and maybe having purchasable Revives at the PMC would've helped too.

I didn't put in a lot of fighting types because most of the bosses are Psychic types, but you've got a point. I'll throw one or two in somewhere. ~~Even though you do have access to a fairy type as well~~

- This is more of a large change, so you don't have to listen to this, but it would've been cool if, instead of ending the game, accepting the offer led to a new series of events where Cindy ends up working under the Disciples of Callu and Alice (or maybe Cindy's brother) has to save them? IDK, I think I having the story just kinda.. end, wasn't very fun.

An interesting suggestion and I'll think about it, but I don't think it'd jam well with where the actual ending takes things.

But overall, I really enjoyed the game! Keep up the amazing work :)

I put in some comments to your reply in italics. Thanks for your comments, and I'm glad you mostly enjoyed the game!

Eurritimia · Aug 14, 2023

I just found a bug: when losing the very first battle against a wooloo, I got warped to Mom's house at Lappet Town (yes, from Essentials Demo)

Never_this_again · Aug 19, 2023

There's a small new update that fixes a few bugs involving fainting, so you don't lose your partner when you black out and aren't warped to the Demo maps if you faint before going to the Pokemon Center.

The original link is still available too, just in case you still prefer that.

GangstaNerd · Aug 22, 2023

Really wanted to play this game when I first saw the title screen. Boy did it deliver, I really enjoyed the different take on the game, and how the story played out. I ended up siding with the Callu and didn't play the other side because I didn't save it for a while and it took me back from the last time I saved. I would probably force the player to make a save before the ending so that both choices can be played without having to go back so far. It was a very enjoyable game I wish there was more content, but I understand with the time constraint made this sort of impossible. Keep up the amazing work, can't wait to see more from you.

Armin · Aug 27, 2023

This game is so cool and creepy, I had a blast playing it! I had a lot of fun snooping around and trying to solve the mystery with Alice and Cindy. I was expecting an uncovering of unethical business practices at best or a homicide at worst, so what the game turned out to be was rather surprising indeed! The Callu cult genuinely disturbs me, with its scriptures, disappearing people, memory tricks, the Giedi Maximal language, and the way it "recruits" its members... it's the kind of subtle horror that grows the more things you progress through the game, which I liked! A lot of the creepiness sort of died down by the time the final few acts roll by - although, that's to be expected, since the mystery has been brought to light. (Not the horror, though! The nigh unstoppable threat that is Callu is very horrifying!!!) But having the game end with a final confrontation between Cindy and Alice, as the player mourns their lost dreams and lost friendship - the core idea this game is centered around - is honestly perfect. I thought the story was really skillfully crafted and told, and I really enjoyed it!

My MVP: Togedemaru
(I thought the battles were okay... there are Electric-types in the factory to deal with the Water-types and Bug-types in the forest to deal with the Dark and Psychic types...)

Thank you so much for making this game! ^^

TechSkylander1518 · Sep 7, 2023

On a review embargo until judging ends, so just reporting some errors real quick.

On night 2(? might be mistaken, the switch is marked Night 1-1), Bug Catcher Eric doesn't activate the right self switch, so he'll repeat if the player passes him again.

This one might be intentional, but if the player goes back in the cult's room when they're first discovered, the cutscene will play out again the same way.

This flavor text is the same in Act 4, when Alice has been wiped from Cindy's memories.

Be-Two's OT is listed as RENTAL.

Cindy is the only character with a reflection when she reaches the Ocean - you can include Reflection in the event names to make their reflections show as well.

These choices aren't put directly after a show text command, so they're displayed in a weird position.

Might just be me, but Goldeen seems a little lower than it should be.

Tile errors -

(A little hard to tell in this screencap, but that's a rock I'm standing on)

(I saw Lux reported these flowers earlier, so it's possible I just have an earlier game version here)

Visible void here -

These errors are base Essentials/Gen 8 project, but I figured I'd report them all the same -

Cramorant’s Dive didn’t affect Frillish because of Water Absorb, and Cramorant didn’t reappear that turn. When I hit it, Gulp Missile triggered twice
Barraskewda's name is too long for the databox

Sometimes Cinema was capitalized as a location name, and sometimes it wasn't, wasn't really sure if it was supposed to be consistent. (I think the same was true for Lakefront, too)
There's a few lines here where I say to put a comma before "too" - I've recently learned that's not always needed, so take those with a grain of salt lol

The font actually got expanded recently in Essentials (either v19 or v20, can't remember when), and smartquotes can be used now, so you could use them where you've usually just got the two 's.

No time to for a movie - delete "to"
This is your brothers room. - brother’s
It’s alright Cindy, you can go. - It’s alright, Cindy, you can go.
I wanna watch a scary movie with Cind! - wasn’t sure if this was a typo or a nickname
Do you need me to patch up your Pokemon? - Pokémon
Hey girl… - Hey, girl…
Why do I always end up on the recieving end of these things? - receiving
Do you remember the Old Man Callows? - pretty sure "the" shouldn't be there
Hey Cindy, hey Alice. - Hey, Cindy, hey, Alice.
See you later then… - comma after later
You want a pizza though? - pizza, though?
If you’re still open after we’re done we might - comma after done
Stefan’s is open all right for two pretty girls like you. - pretty sure you meant open all night?
Wouldn’t recommend it though. - it, though
Emergency Pokemon Center and Mart - Pokémon
It’s not much but better than nothing. - comma after much
The Pokemon scurried off… - Pokémon
Don’t worry, you will all be betting a very generous severance package. - getting a very
Dude, why did the old Callows change the bottling company?
Wouldn’t want the old Callows to see this. - "the old Callows" seems like a weird phrase here? I might just not understand the dialect the workers are using, though
Oh nevermind, it’s open. - never mind
Uh, yeah on the back. - Uh, yeah, on
We sound way to confused. - too
We’re watching a movie together later, okay Sport? - okay, sport?
Thanks dad. - Thanks, Dad.
But unless it starts raining we’ll probably walk back home - comma after raining
That’s okay too, but don’t - That’s okay, too, but
Ah, the two burglers. - burglars (this one might just be regional)
Hey, if you two find the property deed for Stefans shop lying around - Stefan’s
Some else who wants to make a score - Someone else
Still not sure about the title though. - comma after title
If you tell Dad I snuck out, I’ll tell him you’re about breaking into houses again! - this one's not really a typo, but it feels weird compared to just "you're out breaking into houses"
I wanna break into the old house too! - comma after house
If he breaks in too that makes it mutually assured destruction. - If he breaks in too, that makes it
Hurry, Cindy please! - Hurry, Cindy, please!
Anyway let’s go get my brother. - Anyway, let's go
they analyzed contained a so far unknown - so-far unknown
There’s p-people singing but I don’t understand anything of it! - singing, but I don't
Ever since, we have taken care of our brothers’ affairs here. - This one might not be a typo, I just wasn't sure if it was plural brothers, as in the cult, or singular brother, as in the affair of Callows
Let’s go Kevin, we have to run! - Let's go, Kevin, we
No, mom, of course not. At least I think so. - No, Mom, of course not. At least, I think so.
Hey uh… - Hey, uh...
we sometimes had blackouts too. - blackouts, too.
My heads also real fuzzy. - head’s
Oh come on! - Oh, come on!
Hey girls. Find anything - Hey, girls. Find anything
Take one of Stefans trusty delivery Pokemon. - Stefan’s, Pokémon
There’s a programm running on the screen. - program
What is this whole place even? - place, even?
Apostles will decide your faith - fate
Damn you Cindy! - Damn you, Cindy!
I’m actually not sure, its all a little hazy. - it's
I might stop by at your brothers later - brother's
from my place for him, then I’ll head back too. - back, too.
If not I’ll see you at the shop tonight. - If not, I'll see
Hey pal… - Hey, pal...
Hey Ar’Valos… - Hey, Ar'Valos...
damn I wish I would. - damn, I wish I would.
I don’t feel so good Ar’Valos… - good, Ar'Valos...
You have been touched by Callus blessing. - Callus'
Hey brother, I got your Kindel - Hey, brother,
It worked for Marcus, so I assumed it would work for you too. - you, too.
If you can get it back it might just allow your world to stand - back, it might just
If it’s so easy then you go get it! - comma after easy
If left unchecked they could disrupt the portal. - comma after unchecked
That’s one disturbance taken care off. - care of.
Callu has taken a hold in me too. - in me, too.
Your Pokemon have been healed. - Pokémon
You wish to reveal our existence to your world, for that it may fight back while you slowly succumb to the calling of Callu. - should be "so that it may"
Hey girl! - Hey, girl!
And damn is it talkative. - And, damn, is it talkative.
You don’t mean to tell me you declined Be-Ones offer? - Be-One’s
Okay girl, sorry. But it’s in there. The ocean I mean. - Okay, girl, sorry. But it's in there. The ocean, I mean.
Oh shut up, I came here to rescue you! - Oh, shut up,
To Virbank, to PokeWood. - PokéWood
Alice you’re my best friend, and I won’t - Alice, you're my best friend,
And our movie might still be my ticket to PokeWood. - PokéWood
Please, just give me the camera Alice. - camera, Alice.
No… no I don’t think so. - no, I don't think so.
Pokemon Rangers suspect that - Pokémon
However, do not approach her, you might put her, as well as yourself in harms way. - her, as well as yourself, in harm's way.
And this concludes todays update. - today’s

TechSkylander1518 · Sep 19, 2023

And now for the rest of the review!

I didn't even realize the personality quiz chose the starter cat! That's so fun!

I don't know quite what to call it other than "personal style", but I feel like there's some elements that stay consistent across your games that are fun to see return! (Granted I haven't played IIII yet, so I guess I'm just basing that off two games lol) Trainers giving items after battle, using FRLG assets conservatively so characters are still distinct, minor trainers that still feel like their own people, it's fun to see it all brought back again! And of course, the cosmic horror - I'm actually not quite the biggest fan of cosmic horror compared to other forms of horror, but I do enjoy your approach with it! (And I have to admit, it adapts much easier to Pokemon than other forms of horror would, haha) I feel like Callus has more of a distinct identity and story here, too, so it's fun to see you've only improved since Little Academy!

And the atmosphere created here is really nice! All the flavor text is great, and the lighting in the forest and highway strip was great!

I LOVED the flavor text reveal that Kevin had been erased from existence - the horrible reveal being put in the subtlest way possible was so great. (especially when you as the player are checking in anticipation that something's wrong, hehe) I feel like you've got a lot of great horrible realizations here - realizing why Callows has a water company, recognizing the faces in the ocean, realizing why nobody's heard of his wife...

It's embarrassing to admit I needed it, but I appreciate the skip option for the stealth segment, haha.

I thought the horror movie nicknames were a cute touch! Although admittedly I only caught Audrey and Amityville... And maybe Cindy, if she's a reference to Scary Movie? Would love to hear the ones I've missed, haha

I'm honor-bound to say, I always appreciate running shoes at the start!

The default load screen feels especially boring when contrasted with the title - I think just re-using the title for the background would look a lot better.

I forgot to mark where it happened, but the flavor text sometimes switched from first person to second person.

The load/save UI still displays badge count, which seems unnecessary for this game.

I feel like the mom is noticeably RSE compared to everyone else... something about the outline and proportions...

I feel like it'd make more sense for them to face each other directly here.

You can go back home with Alice in tow? Seems a little strange.

The description for the Exp Distributor doesn't really make it clear that it's already on - I thought "Turning on this special device will allow" implied that it wasn't already turned on.

This is nitpicky, but I feel like Cindy should just immediately use the lantern after filming, rather than have the player open the bag and use it from there.

There's a couple times when Alice doesn't use a contraction when it feels like she would - there's one "cannot" (forgot to mark where), and the line "If you are still sure this is a good idea" feels like it'd be more natural as "If you're still sure". That might just be personal preference, though.

As fun as the font is, I feel like it loses some of its purpose when there's no way to translate it... I'd been taking screencaps thinking that there'd be a key to decipher them later, but instead every line is basically left up to the player's imagination and based on context clues, so the lines could have just been the same every time. (I mean, I guess it's not that different to see the actual dialogue, but like, ending 3 definitely feels different reading Alice's responses!)

It'd be harder both for you as a dev and for the player if the cultists could see Alice, but at the same time, it feels weird that they can look right at her and nothing happens...

I might've just gotten turned around, but I thought this was a sidepath that just didn't go anywhere? Kinda frustrating to go through it at the underwater speed.

I thought it was kinda sad that Kevin didn't make an appearance on the trip down! I know everyone in the sea was doomed anyways, but felt like he got extra forgotten, haha.

I think it'd be nice to get automatically healed between the Apostate Battle and the battle with Alice. I know the healing fountain is right there, but it feels like the trek back interrupts the story at the peak.

Since you can't save after the battle with Alice, you'd have to go through the battle a second time to see both the "Take the camera" and "Take Alice" endings, which is a little rough. (I guess it's kind of hard to fit in a moment to save without stopping the cutscene, though)

There's not anywhere to buy Revives, so if you've used them up trying against Alice, you have to fight without them. (which is doable, but frustrating)

jeacky · Nov 24, 2023

i played multiple times so i could see all the endings. XD
it is good thou i must say i was about to give when i was at the mansion. It was frustrating. my PC is not the fastes so i had my problems i saved after every henchman . Just so that i musent repeat those. But battle wise its fast level curve still no prob.

Completed To The Lake

To the Lake

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luxdiablo

Berserk Inferno

Never_this_again

Trainer

Eurritimia

Novice

Never_this_again

Trainer

GangstaNerd

Madness is like gravity

Armin

☆★★☆

TechSkylander1518

Wiki Dweeb

TechSkylander1518

Wiki Dweeb

jeacky

Novice

Completed To The Lake

To the Lake​

About​

Features​

Screenshots​

Credits​

Download Link​

Resource Pack​

Berserk Inferno

Trainer

Novice

Trainer

Madness is like gravity

☆★★☆

Wiki Dweeb

Wiki Dweeb

Novice

To the Lake

About

Features

Screenshots

Credits

Download Link

Resource Pack