Character writing and dialogue is odd.

[RunicRhythm]

It can't just be me. Please tell me I'm not going crazy.

I've been watching through the game a bit to see if it's for me, and the way that all the NPCs talk and even the narration is written is just slightly... off. Like the grammar is wrong or they speak in this sort of stilted way.

It reads to me like a bad translation or something. For a 40$ game, I guess I'd just expect better? This is the kind of stilted writing I'd expect to see in a fanfiction or something. (Not ragging on fanfics! I like 'em a lot! But I don't have to pay 40 bucks to read a fanfic!)

...also, come on. For a game like this that's clearly aimed at being cozy and attempting to step off the backs of giants like Stardew and Story of Seasons, you **CAN NOT** have characters repeating dialogue between each other. Or if you're going to try to do this, you need to hide it really well. I watched someone talk to two different NPCs in a row and they said the same exact thing.

[Cake]

Originally posted by RunicRhythm:

It can't just be me. Please tell me I'm not going crazy.

I've been watching through the game a bit to see if it's for me, and the way that all the NPCs talk and even the narration is written is just slightly... off. Like the grammar is wrong or they speak in this sort of stilted way.

It reads to me like a bad translation or something. For a 40$ game, I guess I'd just expect better? This is the kind of stilted writing I'd expect to see in a fanfiction or something. (Not ragging on fanfics! I like 'em a lot! But I don't have to pay 40 bucks to read a fanfic!)

...also, come on. For a game like this that's clearly aimed at being cozy and attempting to step off the backs of giants like Stardew and Story of Seasons, you **CAN NOT** have characters repeating dialogue between each other. Or if you're going to try to do this, you need to hide it really well. I watched someone talk to two different NPCs in a row and they said the same exact thing.

It does feel off. It feels like ChatGPT, especially the repeated dialogue lines.

The writing is jarring and disjointed. The first NPC that I had a "chat" with thanked me for getting rid of the jumbles. I had no idea what that was at the time and was confused until I realized that they all share lines and their reactivity to the world was artificial. There are hints of personality in some of the quest dialogue, but not enough to be convincing. Very little of the writing feels organic or conversational and the story quests are oddly spaced out so it doesn't feel like you're being introduced to the world or that you're being immersed into an actual narrative, just the mechanics of game play.

The shocker for me was the fact that the NPCs have no individual story quests, personalities or even lines that are unique to them outside of quests. They're even advertised as "colorful characters to bond with," I guess they just meant visually. Writing is pretty big selling point for me so I refunded. Everything else is appealing and I'd love to revisit the game if the developers are planning on addressing this in some way, but $40 is a lot to ask for a fully released game with NPCs that feel like they're in early access.

[RunicRhythm]

Originally posted by Cake:

It does feel off. It feels like ChatGPT, especially the repeated dialogue lines.

The writing is jarring and disjointed. The first NPC that I had a "chat" with thanked me for getting rid of the jumbles. I had no idea what that was at the time and was confused until I realized that they all share lines and their reactivity to the world was artificial. There are hints of personality in some of the quest dialogue, but not enough to be convincing. Very little of the writing feels organic or conversational and the story quests are oddly spaced out so it doesn't feel like you're being introduced to the world or that you're being immersed into an actual narrative, just the mechanics of game play.

The shocker for me was the fact that the NPCs have no individual story quests, personalities or even lines that are unique to them outside of quests. They're even advertised as "colorful characters to bond with," I guess they just meant visually. Writing is pretty big selling point for me so I refunded. Everything else is appealing and I'd love to revisit the game if the developers are planning on addressing this in some way, but $40 is a lot to ask for a fully released game with NPCs that feel like they're in early access.

Wow. That's, uh... rough. The whole point of these games most of the time is to build bonds with the rich world and characters. Either that, or to minmax profits, which definitely doesn't seem to be the intent of the game based on the marketing or way that selling your items is designed.

It's extremely disappointing because they chose a very pleasing aesthetic (god, I love fairy stuff!) and had some good ideas (like the clear inclusivity attempts in hairstyles, pronouns, etc) but these kind of things can't sell a game on their own. Not even close. The fact that the game is in this state, out for 40 bucks, and already has 2 dlcs planned that total to at least 20 dollars is indicative of the devs priorities.

I know everyone can't be Stardew Valley, but that game has had like 4 free updates, including an entire multiplayer patch and content equaling nearly what was originally included in the base game. And it's made by one guy, basically! (I know he was financially supported by a partner, but this is an entire studio. They should be fine.)

I also know this is slightly off topic, apologies. I'm just really disappointed in the state of the game considering i was really looking forward to it.