#queen beast

Happy new year everybody!

But somewhat more seriously its simultaneously fun & impressive. Its art, as many have commented, is pulled right from an alt-history timeline mash-up of Slayers & Record of Lodoss War, with a deftness I haven't seen in a long while (for a free indie VN at least).

And I think what it does best is how much this goes beyond the art - its plot & writing slots right into the feel of the genre too. It blends detailed worldbuilding, ero comedy, super edgy nightmare fuel, and more all together. Its a little rough at the beginning to be honest, but once it hits its stride and you acclimate to its tonal pacing it flows really well.

For myself I appreciated the socio-economic realities that are woven into the story; the protagonist is a miller and you will hear organically about how that job functions, the impact of declining infrastructure on the local economy, different governance structures in the kingdoms, and so on. Its never the focus but a lot of fantasy stories these days take certain worldbuilding components as a given, which this doesn't, and I appreciate that. As much as it can for its short run-time, at least.

I have seen a bunch of commentaries that downplay its erotic elements - statements to the effect of "oh it has nudity but its not an eroge, its focused on the plot". This is technically correct, it isn't an eroge, but that implies that erotic engagement is not a focus of the story - which is false. That definitely ranks in its top 5 priorities - that is how the best of this genre works, it doesn't believe pornographic elements inhibit narrative development. For some people I'm sure it does - those people won't like this game. If you aren't in that camp I think it works well as a tonal hotpot of a story.

The background art is also just really strong:

Welp, got these guys up for the 10th anniversary of the final wave of Hero Factory, Invasion From Below.

Better looks:

CAN YOU HEAR ME | I HEAR A SOUND