Lots of promise but UI/text is unreadable

[Beta Ray Shill]

I'd like to invest in the game, but to say the UI/text is rough would be an understatement. I'd go so far as to say it will probably cause vision damage in its current state.

The issue is made even worse by the fact that the text is sometimes IN ALL CAPS.

It's like the dev really wants to make it old-school tough on the eyes to read and understand the narrative/UI.

Seems pointless?

Could the text/UI not be in sleek high-resolution like most of these kind of modern pixel-art games?

Or at least the option to have that.

Also, the game is genuinely (IMO) unplayable in the non-retro 'look'. As in, the 'retro' toggle is what makes you finally kind of be able to see what's going on.

I get what they're going for, but I think the 'retro on' + modern/high resolution text/UI would have me sold on giving this a chance.

Otherwise, I can't spend several hours of my time looking at text like that.

Cheers.

[pineapple]

I would also really appreciate an accessibility option for changing the text to use a more easily readable higher-resolution font, instead of only being able to choose between the current very pixelated fonts. Changing the text background color to black for higher contrast helps somewhat, but it's still straining my eyes a bit. For me, being able to more easily read the text would very strongly outweigh the sacrifice in consistent pixel aesthetic.

[momma bird]

If it gets steamdeck verified, I'm in.

[Maybe John Helldiver]

Yall are WILD. There is literally nothing wrong with the text. Am i going crazy? Are yall crazy....? Is this a troll thread? You do know you can adjust the font AND the background color right......? This has to be a troll thread.

[foucault]

Originally posted by Jesse Dylan:

Comic Sans or I’m out!!111nnn1!!

I'd actually rather have Comic Sans than the current fonts.

[DrGNOLA]

Just about everyone has commented on the fonts, one way or other, already it seems. I'm posting just to bump this. I see the solo dev's vision, I guess, but these fonts aren't even as clear as the old Gold Box games and such, or Ultima. For the longterm prospects of the game, I certainly do hope he can find a way to make all of the game's text more legible. Glad to support the game, but It is a hard read to be sure.

[Kittah has Claws]

I don't get it, I don't have any problems reading any of the text and I am old and my glasses are not even very good.

[Jesse Dylan]

Originally posted by Kittah has Claws:

I don't get it, I don't have any problems reading any of the text and I am old and my glasses are not even very good.

I think it just differs between sets of eyes/brains. For those of us not struggling, it may be hard to believe, but we must believe them. :)

it might not be an easy fix just yet. But now the game is out, maybe an accessibility option can be added for those who are having issues.

[Panic! At The Costco™]

It'd probably be helpful if people struggling to read it could identify what kind of disability they have so that the dev can provide better support for them.

[DrGNOLA]

No disability, the font is just very poorly set and shadowed. I don't recall event the jankiest of the old crpgs this is based on having such poor legibility. Sh@t, even the characters themselves are a vomit of pixels, truth be told. You can't tell who is doing what and where half the time. I do love the game still, but there seem to be plenty of buyers here who feel similar, so I don't think the problem is us. The problem, as usual these days, is fanboys who can't accept any criticism of their beloved games. I don't care if 1/2 half a developer in a tutu in Poland made htis game--never mind a heroic solo one: if the game font is tough to read (in a bad attempt to look retro) and people/ie customers take the time to write and tell you it is, you should pay attention to it.

[sethreckless]

Yes, the pixelated fonts are headache-inducing. There is WAY too much text in this game for that design choice. I could not believe there was no accessibility option to switch to a normal, high-res font. It should be a very easy fix. It's not a disability to expect that a text-heavy game delivers its text in a way that doesn't assault the reader's eyes.

A game like FTL shows how to achieve a retro aesthetic while maintaining readability -- some of the main screen labeling text is pixelized, but when the game serves up big blocks of text that you need to read, it's rendered in a modern high-res font.

[Jesse Dylan]

Well, it doesn’t help when some people have no issues and others do. Just like some of us have to believe some folks have issues, others of you have to realize that not everyone does…

[Fae Flame]

The people saying "you need to get your eyes checked" need to get their main character syndrome checked bc people can have neurological issues like dyslexia that you have no knowledge/experience to talk about. I find the text to be difficult to parse (I don't have dyslexia and don't need my eyes checked).

[RPG Gamer Man]

Sounds like a game i need to wear my reading glasses to play. Like others say, if the text is too small, they need some kind of thing to increase text size in options. Some games have accessibilty options like pathfinder. It had so many of them, i was actually amazed on how many the game actually had. If i do buy this game, i would prefer to play without reading glasses is possible.

[Tantrumus]

Man I just bought this and all the DLC @ 55...so I hope my old man eyes dont refund.... cuz these are the kinda games I grew up on.

[Hajduk]

I have eye strain after playing for 3 hours