Unlike last time, I got the opportunity to sit down and play 0.2.8 and 0.2.9 fairly soon after it becomes public! So let's get to it.
V0.2.8
- Erina's thoughts when the Dark Lord is influencing her is frighteningly realistic, it is plenty good. A large part why it works is because the horror of her situation and her empathy for the Dark Lord's slaves are working against her; which is amusing since she is a goddess and yet her corruption is banking on her feeling mortal helplessness. Delicious.
- Ah yes, the crowds are slowly doubting Erina. The best part of seeing a religion failing is the exact moment the domino begins falling. Seems I can start seeing people openly doubting Erina by level 3...
- Gotta say, I am enjoying the prison game with Erina more than I should, even if the Dark Lord can't win yet. There is something inherently amusing about a goddess of purity and a lord of corruption playing tug with a poor mortal woman's mind on the balance.
- I think Yuma's corruption is getting... easier with each level. That's not a bad thing since it is a consequence of corruption, but it is almost disappointing that Yuma's choices are increasingly easier to discern and Yuma herself is easier to gaslight, lol.
- The second Archangel has that "beware the silly ones" energy, definitely more dangerous than the first. The Supreme Goddess's plan is reasonable in theory, though she would need "inciting factors" to worsen the overall conflict and make her plan reasonable in practice. So to speak, the Supreme Goddess relying on a certain element/factor to see her plan through would make her more realistic, as it is easier to get overconfident when you think "I have a card no one else has". I will save the idea for the suggestions.
- Finally, the people have started to see that worshipping the Dark Lord is the way, lol. The fact it is a member of the clergy which proposes it is the icing on the cake. I like how Yukako still has persuasive power for nuns even as a literal succubus. The overall progress of the religion is still very early, but I like how even the first step is basically "what kind of deity is the Dark Lord?" to the populace. More nuances should be considered, though I will save that for suggestions.
- Yet another quest where the Demon Queen gets to take advantage of the Dark Lord again. I have a feeling we won't be seeing that journal of hers again until we get to corrupt someone higher in the ranks of the Demon Army, someone close to the Demon Queen herself. Well, at least we get another treasury of the former Dark Lord.
- Ferox is a lot more... gung-ho than I expected. Given how he betrayed the Demon Queen, I would have expected a cold, ambitious demon. Instead we get a quick-tempered general who is better at destroying than he is at building, much less ruling. The idea that Ferox might have been tricked into thinking the Demon Queen plans to betray him also reeks of conspiracy... interesting.
V0.2.9
- I said it once and I will say it again: Hikari is sooo easy, lol. First humiliation conga, now she is getting competitive with her own daughter in sexual services. Soon enough, Hikari would be asking you why you are not doing more depraved things with her, lol.
- As usual, Hikari's prison game is not a game, it is just us insulting the IQ levels of everyone else in the room. I almost want the next level to spice things up a bit -- I will keep the idea for suggestions below.
- I am not that surprised the Elves are even less prepared for a war than Hypatia, but it does mean they would be more desperate. Trying to use chokepoints in their territory to stall the Dark Lord's Army would need coordination, requiring Elven important figures to lead operations such as supplies and fortifying. The elven important figures being present would mean they are vulnerable to infiltration, especially because the Dark Lord is a small, mobile force which can subvert and corrupt small numbers of people to his will. I think it will be a good idea to add such key targets when the Dark Lord bulldoze the elves.
It is also plenty obvious by now that Hazuki is experiencing these dreams because someone is trying to make Hazuki open to the idea of accepting the Dark Lord ruling her and her people. I was initially thinking the Archangel previously touched by the former Dark Lord was responsible, but given how blatant these dreams are, I am starting to doubt that. If she is an Archangel going rogue, wouldn't she be more careful with showing visions to mortals? Unless she can keep it a secret from even the Supreme Goddess...
- I quite enjoyed Sortevius's next quest. Subverting another nobility's investigation and brainwashing a witness into giving false testimony? Count me in. And we are going to rebuild the former Dark Lord's capital, too? Sortevius has the greatest ideas despite being human. I chose not to rename the former capital Athurgaul, btw.
- Is it coincidence that Rina's quest has plenty similar themes as my previous suggestion? It is still distinct though, what with the rebel actually turning himself in. I am interested to see further plans from those who would like to assassinate the corrupt nobles of the Hypatia capital, and more importantly how this will turn out.
The last two updates have been great, so time for suggestions:
- Since every generation of Heroes since Zereth was able to wound the former Dark Lord, and in at least one case even taking off entire limbs like an arm. I think it would be a good idea to have the Divines have access to these portions of the Dark Lord's physical form.
Perhaps not just from previous Heroes, but also from Romanos's victory over the Dark Lord at the beginning of the game. It can be easily justified as Romanos, Misaki and Yukako offering up the Dark Lord's remains to the Divines like a sacrifice ceremony.
Having portions or remains of the Dark Lord's body, as one of the masters of the physical realm, most likely would allow the Divines to study how they might truly incarnate with a physical body which isn't "leaking" Divinity like their usual ways of appearing in the material world. The Supreme Goddess having this kind of card could easily make her overconfident, especially since it means she is one step ahead of the Demon Queen currently still studying ways to invade the spiritual realm, much less the "newborn" Dark Lord.
- An important aspect to any religion is religious offering. The very fact the Dark Lord had converted all the women in the Hero party of Romanos is a well-known, so I think it will be interesting to have the populace eventually come up with the idea of offering women they deem attractive enough for the Dark Lord in exchange for boons. This is something every single slave in the Dark Lord's harem would be very happy about, I imagine.
Obviously, the commoners are not going to do that anytime soon -- excepting potential desperate individuals -- but the nobility of Hypatia is both corrupt and self-centered enough that they would do just that. Especially now that the Dark Lord has recently been overruling/denying a lot of nobles (Hikari's prison game). Sooner or later, they would look for a woman good enough to be offered to the Dark Lord in the hopes of gaining his favor.
- An amusing idea to spice up Hikari's prison game is simply to add Ayumi into it and have her insult the nobles, her father, and indirectly her mother too. Like, the next prison game would be Hikari at level 3, by this point both her and the spineless king should be cowed enough that adding Ayumi to the court wouldn't be a problem. And I am sure Ayumi will relish any chance to get back at her parents...
For now, that's all. As usual, feel free to not use the ideas if they aren't conforming with your plans, though I do think they are, haha. It's been nice update: I will be waiting faithfully for the next one.
It has become a habit of sorts to review per two updates, so let's pick up the slack with 0.2.10 and 0.2.11.
V0.2.10
- Have I mentioned that I love gaslighting Erina? Corrupting her into thinking getting corrupted into sex-addicted slaves of the Dark Lord is a form of love is probably one of the funnier bits of this playthrough so far, it tickles my sense of humor. And can't help but notice the heart pupils she starts to exhibit during the corruption progression event, too. Level 3 means we are close.
- I like the detail of the Dark Lord starting his religion is mentioned in Erina's preaching. It is the little things that show our choices have an impact which makes these games fun. And like usual with level 3, it is funny to see Erina losing it to her own intrusive thoughts.
- Finally I can beat Erina in the prison game, hah. It is a bit of a letdown that we can only start beating Erina in the tug of corruption and purification starting from level 3, though. It means we can't win fair and square. But then again, the whole point of being a Dark Lord is winning by any means, heh.
- The first story cutscene is quite interesting. We got more hype about the past Dark Lord and especially the Supreme Goddess's plan. I think I will call her Mika from now on, derived from Mikhail which means "who is like God" since the Supreme Goddess definitely acts like she is the only Divine who really matters, and in a way, she really is the only who matters in the war.
Mika's confidence in her ongoing plan mirrors the Demon Queen's self-assured smugness -- the parallels between them make them all the more
desirable as corruption targets. I do hope Mika is wrong about the Demon Queen though, I don't want only the Dark Lord to ruin the Goddess's plans. The bigger the egos, the funnier their blunders become...
- Gotta say, I am liking the direction of religious quests from Yukako, the priest and the nun. Given this is the first time in recorded history that humanity's religion has changed, violent reactions are expected. So experimenting with a group of people as a control factor is the safest and most practical way of learning what to do, and what not to do, when starting a new religion. Plus, more rebels mean more EXP, and that's only good. And, Rina offering a victory celebration by presenting her butt is inherently entertaining.
The priest bringing up about how the Dark Lord's slaves are to be seen is very thought provoking. I ended up deciding to elevate their status, since all of the slaves so far were formerly mortals, so it's quite suitable to make them akin to Dark Saints in service to the Dark Lord. Not making them goddesses in the Dark Lord's pantheon of divinity is also a way to keep them distinct from the future goddesses who will fall to your clutches -- those like Erina, haha.
Additionally, I chose to make corruption be seen as a reward, since gaslighting an entire population that offering their free will is a reward is inherently funny. And with that in mind, I also choose lax offering, to further distinguish the Dark Lord from the Divines who appear to be quite demanding on the lifestyle of those who follow them. Misaki was obliged to marry the Hero for example, and Yukako might have been taught to be chaste.
- I like the new Bogthos's quest. Just going to the new alternate dimension gives me a sense of anticipation, the mind screwy nature of the warps as you go there. And then the new layer of reality is introduced: yhe constantly moving background gives the impression of a primordial, fluid form of reality, and the fact only the Dark Lord, the Demon Queen and the Supreme Goddess could access this place reinforces that.
The previous Dark Lord's preparations are quite thorough and far reaching, honestly I am starting to get suspicious that he might have prepared a way to return back to life at this rate, lol. And it is notable that the notes he left in this layer of reality is
far wordier than the one in Zereth's tomb. It shows how careful he is, because the one in the Tomb could potentially be discovered, while the one here is far less likely. His words of encouragement remind me of Lucifer from Devil Survivor when you defeat him: "Aha ha... Belberith (the game's main villain) stands no chance against you..."
- It quite surprises me where the fucker which carried the clue of where Ferox is in the town, lol. He even tries to warn you. Unfortunately for him, he should have just run. Would have prolonged his life for a few minutes, at least.
V0.2.11
- Like I said before, Hikari is disgustingly easy, lol. Misaki wasn't even trying to make Hikari think your way, and watching Ayumi getting cocked at the throne and a few taunts is all it takes to make Hikari bend your way. Her competitiveness is refreshing though, and I quite like being given the choice to tease Ayumi by telling her mother is better. We need more choices to tease our slaves! Tell them they need to do better! See how their minds melt from that. It's part of what makes corruption fun, heh.
- It is quite funny that not only Hikari really enjoys getting degraded by the Dark Lord, she even finds reasons to dislike others doing the same to her, lol. Seeing how Hikari sourly watches as Honorius and that random noble put her down is cathartic in a different sense. It's refreshing, especially since we know that reaction will escalate in the next level.
- Oh hey! Ayumi joins us for Hikari's foolish courts! Though unfortunately, unlike my suggestion from before, Ayumi isn't that much better than the nobles since her mind is singularly tracked on whether a proposal sounds like it will help her master or not, without confirming the noble's legitimacy. A bit of a shame that Ayumi lost her politucal savvy, but the highlight of the game is the following sex with Hikari in hiding anyways, so kudos.
- Gotta say Sotervius's latest quest is nice in that it is actually reasonable for the guy to request the Dark Lord's personal intervention, since this kind of delicate operation can go wrong at any moment and corruption power to silence witnesses without killing them is convenient. It is also nice that Mika's "positive" interference is becoming increasingly blatant. Meaning the Dark Lord will learn about the nature of these convenient coincidences soon enough.
- More Hazuki dreams. It's actually kinda cute to see Anna pace back and forth while mentally warring with herself about her actions. And it's nice to get confirmation that it is actually Anna sharing those dreams with her powers, even if the revelations in the last update make it clear this is also part of Mika's plans. Put simply, Anna is dancing in the tunes of two people: the Dark Lord's corruption, and the Supreme Goddess's scheme. Poor Archangel.
- I like how both Sortevius and Bogthos emphasize the blank slate status of Authurgul and its importance moving forward. Cultural, commerce, and command. In the end, I chose to follow what the past Dark Lord would have done: a mixture of humans and monsters, both for guards and for administrating the city. We are a blend pot of corruption, but corruption is meant to draw out the greatest potential of what we corrupt. That's the way of the Dark Lord.
- I can't believe Ricinus actually would blatantly threaten the Dark Lord and his slaves like that. It is genuinely laughable. The slaves have spoken, and the Dark Lord has decided. I do hope this smug snake doesn't meet a merciful end, lol.
The last two updates have been great, so time for suggestions:
- Since every generation of Heroes since Zereth was able to wound the former Dark Lord, and in at least one case even taking off entire limbs like an arm. I think it would be a good idea to have the Divines have access to these portions of the Dark Lord's physical form.
Perhaps not just from previous Heroes, but also from Romanos's victory over the Dark Lord at the beginning of the game. It can be easily justified as Romanos, Misaki and Yukako offering up the Dark Lord's remains to the Divines like a sacrifice ceremony.
Having portions or remains of the Dark Lord's body, as one of the masters of the physical realm, most likely would allow the Divines to study how they might truly incarnate with a physical body which isn't "leaking" Divinity like their usual ways of appearing in the material world. The Supreme Goddess having this kind of card could easily make her overconfident, especially since it means she is one step ahead of the Demon Queen currently still studying ways to invade the spiritual realm, much less the "newborn" Dark Lord.
- An important aspect to any religion is religious offering. The very fact the Dark Lord had converted all the women in the Hero party of Romanos is a well-known, so I think it will be interesting to have the populace eventually come up with the idea of offering women they deem attractive enough for the Dark Lord in exchange for boons. This is something every single slave in the Dark Lord's harem would be very happy about, I imagine.
Obviously, the commoners are not going to do that anytime soon -- excepting potential desperate individuals -- but the nobility of Hypatia is both corrupt and self-centered enough that they would do just that. Especially now that the Dark Lord has recently been overruling/denying a lot of nobles (Hikari's prison game). Sooner or later, they would look for a woman good enough to be offered to the Dark Lord in the hopes of gaining his favor.
- An amusing idea to spice up Hikari's prison game is simply to add Ayumi into it and have her insult the nobles, her father, and indirectly her mother too. Like, the next prison game would be Hikari at level 3, by this point both her and the spineless king should be cowed enough that adding Ayumi to the court wouldn't be a problem. And I am sure Ayumi will relish any chance to get back at her parents...
These updates are mostly build up, but they are still great. As usual, I will offer free suggestions:
- On a more minor thing, I think it will be handy to have the Dark Lord create a compendium of sorts, listing most characters both major and minor. Something like a profile (for corruptible characters, along with their 3D models), along with a summary of who they are and what the Dark Lord knows about them.
It is a handy way to remember everyone relevant, keep up with lore revelations related to the characters, and it is also a useful way for players to
see each model without having to repeat scenes. Plus, the compendium updating as the game progresses is a good way to see what's being changed lorewise with each update, too.
- Related to the new layer of reality, wouldn't it be interesting to experiment with what happens to things which die when brought there? What did the monsters which the previous Dark Lord bring to that place get reduced into when they die there? Perhaps dark energy which all monsters were born from?
It is also worthwhile to confirm the previous Dark Lord's theory about how other beings might not survive in this place. We have a couple of weak Divines captured besides Erina: once the other two have outlived their usefulness, it might be worthy to experiment with what happens when Divines get brought to this place. The place might deconstruct a Divine's natural essence entirely, allowing the Dark Lord to understand the true nature of the composition of Divine beings. This can be an additional way (besides Erina) for the Dark Lord to learn about Divines, their essence, and how their powers over spirituality works.
In short, my suggestion is general experimentation with what happens to stuff which die in the layer of reality introduced in v0.2.10, as it providees opportunities to reveal lore points in related to essence of of various beings.
That's all I have to say for now. Gotta say the last two updates are neat despite the relatively little content, and I like that. Feel free to use or ignore the suggestions: I will wait for the next update.
