Time to play Dear Edwin!
Following an idea PVGames had, I chose to do a realtime review where I just note my impressions as I play (I'll try to avoid major spoilers).
* Just started and already love your logo, you lazy bums :D
* The title and into set up a melancholic tone really well, mostly through the use of music.
* The pixel art style fits and supports the mood excellently, with its muted palette and art nouveau aesthetic. It also has the right amount of detail, not too much, not too little. And of course, it's raining!
* First conversation and I already got to know Edwin a little bit better. A man of olden times, it seems. Not unsympathetic, let's see how he fares from here on.
* Also, he has a mysterious letter which I'd love to read again. It's not yet apparent to me how to do that.
* The train station is full of wonderous, shady things. I wish I could explore them more, read the train schedule, look in the newspaper... The little bits of information the people give do draw a clearer picture of the world, however, I'd love to hear Edwin's thoughts on the things he sees.
* I feel sad for the wife and her husband. Hopefully their train really arrives soon.
* Oh no, I hit a drunk! The little minigame caught me by surprise, but there was still enough time to react - well done! After the fisticuff, I wished I could have solved the situation with words, but it's comforting to know Edwin can hold his own.
* It appears that Edwin knows this place from earlier... Mysterious! I wish he had more to say about it. The new music has a nice swing to it!
* Bad news from the papergirl! And DOOM! I'm not sure if I dare to go on, but I have no other choice - I have to solve my case! On a side notice, it's very comfortable to being able to see at one glance which characters are important.
* Thank god, a friendly face in the bar. I wish I could eavesdrop on the bar folks' conversations... But I was able to inspect the dog picture instead, which is even better! It's good to have some new objectives as well.
* The way the plot unfolds and reveals details about Edwin at the same time makes me want to continue even more.
* I wish Edwin and the people in the streets "updated" what they say according to my game's progress (I realize that this would probably take too much time in a game jam). Other than that, it's great how the city opens up as new locations become available.
* Whew, a big story bit! I didn't mind reading through it at all, as it was interesting and well written. I wish I could make some dialogue choices however, like earlier in the story. Edwin is making all his deductions himself without my help.
No spoilers from here on!
* I found two of the three new objectives quite quickly, but was a bit stumped on finding the third one. Wouldn't have expected it to be in the same area as the other one. The conspiracy gets clearer and clearer with every new thing Edwin learns! It's also pretty cool how Edwin and his new companion pull themselves together to solve the case!
* My hunch was correct on what the conspiracy was. I don't know yet if this a good thing for me, but I suppose this is part of the fun in a detective kind of setting. I certainly feel smart for finding out - so: A good thing!
* I like that Edwin has his Sherlock Holmes moment in the end! A triumphant win!
So, here is my final conclusion:
Overall, I enjoyed the game very much!
It doesn't overstay it's welcome and instead keeps things interesting from the get-go. The characters were likeable, and I found it thrilling to see their conflicts and backstories unfold as the case was coming along.
The aesthetics are very fitting, the dialogue is written sharply, and the story had exactly the right amount of cliché that I felt welcome as a player new to the world.
The one major thing I would suggest is to add more possibilities for the player to interact with the game world and to be part of the case itself. I wouldn't mind playing the Watson to Sherlock Edwin Vayne if that meant that I could be a bigger part of the case!
Well done, guys! And good luck with expanding the game or your next game!