Solemn's Peak

just played through the demo and i have to say that it's awesome!) it's a classic RPG with a clear goal set for the players, great world-building, memorable characters (especially the main party!) and well-done level design!) the premise is quite simple - our main character, Dawn, has been having dreams about the Solemn's Peak, a mountain that is fabled to grant wishes, and so, she assembles a team of two friends - her adopted sister-priestess and a trusted samurai friend who is afraid of ghosts and they all set out to conquer the Solemn's Peak and rid Dawn of her visions once and for all!) the game's pacing is very carefully done, the town of Shimo's Embrace has clearly been put a lot of thought into, and the abadoned house location has a lot of cool puzzles and things to explore!) all in all, the demo for the game is a job well done, Pokefan-Dezclaw!)

now i'll go over some of the small, but, nevertheless, great details about the demo that i have found while plaing - all of them make the whole game all the more worthwhile!) firstly, the animated NPC's in the town of Shimo's Embrace make the game a lot more lively and add a lot to the atmosphere - i especially love that headman Aegis' house has maids working around in it, cleaning up and tidying the whole place, like in an actual rich guy house, jajaja!) maybe Aegis has a thing for maids, too - who knows... next, i love the details of the library and the ability to read up on the game's lore - it's a very neat little thing but it just shows how much care you've put into making the demo, Dezclaw) next, i liked that every character in the main party is dressed accordingly to the weather - it's a nice little detail that makes the whole journey more and more believable, while also once more showcasing your attention to details, Dezclaw!) and finally, the interactions between the main party in places like the library or the abandoned house are hilarious to read and give the three chaps a lot of characterization!) also, loved that instead of fighting the ghosts upon seeing him (like you usually do in RPG Maker games), Lou instead exorcised him - it's a nice little trope breaker that i loved to see in-game!)

but, alas, there are some problems here and there with the demo, too - they're all rather small and by no means make the overall experience bad, but adressing them in future versions would be great!) firstly, the game has some typos, text errors or misspellings here and there - Pokefan-Dezclaw, if it's not hard for you then i'd suggest that you gloss over the dialogues of the demo next time you sit for development and rid them from all of the little mistakes here and there - while you can still clearly understand what every character is trying to say, i think that ridding the game of these mistakes would definitely make it better!) next, in the abandoned forest there is a steel door in the upper section, that, when interacted with, transports the players... unto itself, and then dissapears, without moving you to another location. is this a trick by some of the mountain's inhabitants or just a bug? oh well!) no one in the party is able to equip the buckler or the iron armor, which is kind of weird - i thought that at least Henry, with him being a samurai and all, would like to put on a set of some good old plates... well, maybe this is reserved for some other party member that will join Dawn, Lou and Henry while they're traversing the mountain - who knows!) and, finally, the exit from the library instead transports to the entrance of the bedroom in the abandoned house - to be precise, to the one near the exit/entrance to the second floor.

overall, the demo left me with a good first impression - it was well done, clearly had a lot of attention and love put into it and also had great world building, which is something you don't see often in RPG Maker games, so, props to you for taking your time to develop the lore of the world, Dezclaw, and thank you for putting out the demo for the world to see - it was a great experience through and through!) i wish you best of luck, nerves of steel and lots of inspiration while continuing the development of Solemn's Peak and any future endeavors you might embark on!) take care!