V0.2.13 is out for tiers 3 & 4 supporters on patreon and subscribestar. The public release will be on Tuesday, December 24th. Content included:
Christmas Eve on my end and my first gift are two updates, heh. Though it seems like v0.2.13 actually got released here faster than scheduled? Doesn't matter, I suppose. Time for review.
V0.2.12
- I didn't expect Erina's final progression event to be
that troll-ish, lol. You and DumDum were not kidding about it being special: giving false hope before crushing it is a special treat. I couldn't help but laugh at Erina's despair when the girls yell at the goddess. And hey, looking at the slaves's old forms again is kinda nostalgic, I wonder if we have the option to use the transformation spell on the girls outside of special events, for free roaming? It would be nice.
- When Erina basically lost it in the midst of preaching and just proclaims "Yes, we the Divines have failed" I knew I would miss having Erina preach in this state, ahaha. It's a bit of a shame this will be the last time we see civilians react to a goddess denouncing her own pantheon, since after this she will fall to corruption and by then she won't be a Divine anymore, will she.
- The new religious questline is quite interesting. Didn't think I will actually have to look for random people to talk with to break the heart and hopes of a god. It is almost as exquisite as corrupting Erina. We need more of this: psychologically breaking people is part of the corruption experience, you see.
- Can't decide if I find Yukako deciding to serve her Master while the Nun is watching or the Nun's overflowing enthusiasm despite being not corrupted to be funnier. Really, the occasional taken aback reaction the Nun has, followed by her doubling down on following is the mark of a true follower. A shame she doesn't even have her own character model.
- Expected something from Yuma's quest, wasn't disappointed. The Demon Queen comes with more rather devious offers -- maybe I should give her a nickname too by this point? Given she is very prone to offering you Faustian deals with the devil which are intent to screw you over, I think I can safely call her Mephi by this point, derived from Mephistopheles, one of the most famous depictions of the Devil in literature, to contrast Mika being the Supreme Goddess.
- Speaking of Mika, she really is letting poor Anna to endure her own psychomachia (internal conflict). I am starting to think Anna's thoughts actually get worse the more she tries to resist. Corruption really does run deep, partially or not.
V0.2.13
- After the ride that was Erina's final progression, Hikari's come across as comically anticlimatic lol. I suppose the only point in favor of Hikari's corruption is how it consistently offers choices, even if limited to deciding if you prefer Hikari's approach or Ayumi's, and that's good.
- I will give this much: it is very amusing to watch Hikari loudly announce her infidelity and ruin her own reputation in front of the king and the nobles, lol. The minigame is also no longer a game, given she skips straight toward being punished, lol.
- As usual, Sortevius's quest tends to be fun. Glad to see the Dark Lord corrupting more women, Misaki definitely enjoys it. And it's building up to a bloody climax: let's hope the next nobility quest would top this one.
- Hazuki cooks up a plan. I almost feel bad for the elves since they are about to be screwed over by their princess and the Dark Lord hasn't even touched them. Anna pacing back and forth and ultimately deciding to give Hazuki more corruptive dream is as usual, funny. Finally Hazuki is about to take action, too.
- I almost miss hunting for bandits and rebels. Not they tend to be simple and straightforward, but it also gives precious EXP. Misaki is now level 16 because of three waves of bandits! It's also a nice follow up to what the prison guards say in the capital, since they claim many prisoners used the Dark Lord's invasion to escape.
- Didn't expect Bogthos to bring up children of the previous Dark Lord. It makes sense that they would seek to overthrow their dad, and it is understandable that it is believed they are all dead: not only does the previous Dark Lord believe they are more trouble than they are worth, it is unlikely Mika would have allowed unknown variables whom she cannot predict to live for very long. If nothing else, this confirms it is not time to be having pregnancy tests, lol.
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.
These two updates don't have that many content, but it was entertaining nonetheless. Naturally, I should offer suggestions to match, and I think I will make my suggestions lighter and simpler too:
- Since the current Dark Lord was a former noble and likely had his own household (even if not a large domain like the bigger noble families), it might be worth using as a minor plot point. The Dark Lord's former household and its properties might have become something like a no man's land among nobles, since ever since the Dark Lord's return it is likely the other nobles don't touch it because they fear stepping on his toes.
It likely can be used for a couple of minor events: does the Dark Lord intend to relinquish it and whatever properties there to other nobles? Might actually appease them and get increased compliance. Or should the Dark Lord claim the manor and show the world that he won't relinquish anything that is his, no matter how seemingly insignificant? Choice is yours as the player.
Besides, the slave girls might actually find it enjoyable to find out the roots of the Dark Lord's origins as a human being. Since they are that obsessed with everything related to their master, lol.
- If spilled divine essence could be of use, do you think the ones spilled during the battle with Edar, Majorius and Erina could be used after their fight? The fight combined with how Divines weaken when they remain on the physical plane drained their divinity, so it is highly probable the battle area becomes saturated in usable divine essence. If there is any future plot point which needs divinity to take, harness, or give away to the Demon Queen, then this could be of use.
And that's all I have to say for now. Light in content and rich in entertainment: plenty satisfying. I will wait for the next one.