Finished the patch this morning. I shared some notes in the discord, but Iāll provide a full summary here.
Overall, the hack is strong. It has a very clear identity and I appreciate that almost all of the units have some element that provides a nice twist on their class or āarchetypeā. Itās a really different sort of FE experience and it was refreshing to play. I could see this being a fun game to try and figure out how to LTC because of all the funny gimmicks.
Combat generally was good. Even if you choose not to take advantage of all the skills and class gimmicks that are available, you can still largely approach the game as you want. Thereās a lot of neat setups you can do and the matchup oriented gameplay w/ the big triangle helps shake things up.
My biggest complaint in general is around the cognitive load. The hack does expect the player to keep track of a lot at once. I donāt think you need to add any chapters to pad this out and chapter 1 makes for a perfectly fine intro. Some additional clarity around stuff like leylines and how they work (ie that anyone can use them), as well as reducing enemy count in a few places will make the game feel a bit easier. Some of the turn 1ās in particular were long and it made making a mistake punishing, albeit I donāt mind this too much because resetting early is less punishing than late. All in all, the game really expects you to pay attention and youāll be rewarded if you do, but it definitely isnāt a good ākick back and chillā style FE, which is fine. For what youāre aiming to do, itās done well.
Narratively, it still feels like the crew is mostly dicking around and itās unclear what the overarching plot is, or reason. Thereās a lot of namedropping, character backstories, and lore, but I definitely struggled to grasp why it mattered or what was at stakes. It kind of feels like Ellerie is a protag in an episodic cartoon where each map is its own self-contained tale. However, by the end it started to come together more and I think future releases will largely remedy this, and the 7ish chapters of setup will have more payoff, so Iām keen to see what you do there.
Unit wise most of them felt pretty solid. Some of the more standard-ish units felt outclassed, but everyone did their jobs well enough. Iosaf is probably the most lacking and could use something to give him a secondary niche besides ādoubles some stuffā and ābetter combat when near deathā, since the other axe units offer not much less killing potential for way more utility (Fran can fly, Tower has heal and big stats, Pomelo has the boat, etc.). He was probably my easiest bench choice. Everyone else competed much better for their slot.
Iām curious how long the game will be. Given the reduced EXP share and how slow gains were, I felt like I could use the more jeigan-y units without much issue. I did train the heck out of Gecko and she was epic, but most of the other units didnāt get past level 5 or so, most 3-4.
Other than that, I am super impressed with what youāve done here and admire your creativity. Every map has something neat going for it, and I can see that having broad appeal. I can see some of the VQ influence, but I found myself thinking more of A Vestrian Tale (lots of stuff to do on the map, general party dynamics), Bloodlines (custom classes and map gimmicks), and The Heroes We Deserve (humorous and light tone, map gimmicks, multiple bosses on each map) throughout playing the game.
Favorite units: Gecko, Tower, Vermillion, Mince, Justice (the log summon)
For those reading this, I highly recommend you give this hack a play and share your feedback. For me, there are def some ideas Iād like to test out in my own work, too.
Thanks Rivian and everyone who supported this.