Very glad I got around to playing this! It's a total crime that Rosenklan hasn't gotten more attention.
Despite its simplicity, the art in Rosenklan is extremely evocative. It's always dark, but never lacking color or definition. My favorite details were the zoomed-in illustrations. For example, the cold glint of the tools which speak. The progressive 'roses' screen was also an effective choice. I recommend playing with this CRT filter for an authentic retro experience: https://github.com/mausimus/ShaderGlass?tab=readme-ov-file
Rosenklan's fairytale writing style is well executed, even dignified. Characters are distilled to archetypes with simple motivations. Do not mistake this assessment for blandness, however. Alice Gristle orchestrates these moments with care, and each character stimulates the imagination.
The gameplay is almost a point-n-click adventure. Interestingly, goals can be addressed in any order. Depending on your focus, your path through the experience could be completely different from mine. Indeed, there were multiple ways to address some puzzles. I get the impression multiple endings are also possible, depending on your choices.
I hope to see another polished game like this from you in the future! Great job!
Hey sweetie, what an absolutely lovely comment! <3 Had a tirin' day today, clickin' this open made it a lot better! <3 <3 Thanks for the CRT filter tip, too! I'm not sure I'll be THAT committed to the retro aesthetics, but it certainly looks interesting! Thank you a ton!
As you already know, I streamed your game last weekend. Overall, I really thought this was an enjoyable experience - which is quite rare for these streams 😂
It has that typical "Alice Gristle" charm to it, which has become a recognizable part of your style: The most obvious part to that style is the 8-bit, low color palette art, and chiptune tracker music, but there is also a notable game play style that seems rooted in classic NES game design, with clear influence from the original NES Legend of Zelda.
This is by far one of the parts I appreciated about the game the most; there is little in the way of fluff. You get a brief story introduction and then you are set loose upon a small, but effective open world for the player to explore freely and discover the solutions to the various puzzles on their own terms. It's simple, yet very effective.
Coming up with critcisms towards the game is difficult, but there were 2 things I think could have improved the game: First, and foremost is adding additional keyboard controls. Not everyone enjoys playing games with arrow keys, so being able to use WASD or (more preferably) rebind keys to a preferred layout would have improved the game's accessibility greatly. Second, and more opinion based, is the flute item. The flute item is the only item the player gains that neither has a nearby tutorial entity for the player to test out their new found equipment, nor does it make intuitive sense for what it can be used for. Eventually the solution was found, but finding the solution didn't feel like an "Ah-ha!" moment, but more like a "point-and-click adventure moon-logic" moment.
Regardless, you're one of only a few games that have gotten a high score on my grading system, and it was a delight to play this game. Good job, Miss Gristle!
If you'd like to watch my experience with your game, I've linked the archive below. You can click the timestamps to jump to when I start playing your game.
Hi sweetie! <3 I APPRECIATE YOUR STREAM AND YOUR THOUGHTS ENORMONSTROUSLY, more than I can convey in words! :D Both of ya criticisms are really fair too, the first one I hadn't even thought about in my blaze-arsed hurry to get the game out. :D The second one is also like, oh ya... There is a hint in the item menu, but it should be a lot clearer.
Also the lone rock that you couldn't smash was a bug I hadn't even noticed. Thanks so much, dear! <3
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Very glad I got around to playing this! It's a total crime that Rosenklan hasn't gotten more attention.
Despite its simplicity, the art in Rosenklan is extremely evocative. It's always dark, but never lacking color or definition. My favorite details were the zoomed-in illustrations. For example, the cold glint of the tools which speak. The progressive 'roses' screen was also an effective choice. I recommend playing with this CRT filter for an authentic retro experience: https://github.com/mausimus/ShaderGlass?tab=readme-ov-file
Rosenklan's fairytale writing style is well executed, even dignified. Characters are distilled to archetypes with simple motivations. Do not mistake this assessment for blandness, however. Alice Gristle orchestrates these moments with care, and each character stimulates the imagination.
The gameplay is almost a point-n-click adventure. Interestingly, goals can be addressed in any order. Depending on your focus, your path through the experience could be completely different from mine. Indeed, there were multiple ways to address some puzzles. I get the impression multiple endings are also possible, depending on your choices.
I hope to see another polished game like this from you in the future! Great job!
Hey sweetie, what an absolutely lovely comment! <3 Had a tirin' day today, clickin' this open made it a lot better! <3 <3 Thanks for the CRT filter tip, too! I'm not sure I'll be THAT committed to the retro aesthetics, but it certainly looks interesting! Thank you a ton!
Only true words! The crt filter is just an exe that you can run over anything. So if you're ever using an emulator, it's handy for that too :)
Hello,
As you already know, I streamed your game last weekend. Overall, I really thought this was an enjoyable experience - which is quite rare for these streams 😂
It has that typical "Alice Gristle" charm to it, which has become a recognizable part of your style: The most obvious part to that style is the 8-bit, low color palette art, and chiptune tracker music, but there is also a notable game play style that seems rooted in classic NES game design, with clear influence from the original NES Legend of Zelda.
This is by far one of the parts I appreciated about the game the most; there is little in the way of fluff. You get a brief story introduction and then you are set loose upon a small, but effective open world for the player to explore freely and discover the solutions to the various puzzles on their own terms. It's simple, yet very effective.
Coming up with critcisms towards the game is difficult, but there were 2 things I think could have improved the game: First, and foremost is adding additional keyboard controls. Not everyone enjoys playing games with arrow keys, so being able to use WASD or (more preferably) rebind keys to a preferred layout would have improved the game's accessibility greatly. Second, and more opinion based, is the flute item. The flute item is the only item the player gains that neither has a nearby tutorial entity for the player to test out their new found equipment, nor does it make intuitive sense for what it can be used for. Eventually the solution was found, but finding the solution didn't feel like an "Ah-ha!" moment, but more like a "point-and-click adventure moon-logic" moment.
Regardless, you're one of only a few games that have gotten a high score on my grading system, and it was a delight to play this game. Good job, Miss Gristle!
If you'd like to watch my experience with your game, I've linked the archive below. You can click the timestamps to jump to when I start playing your game.
Hi sweetie! <3 I APPRECIATE YOUR STREAM AND YOUR THOUGHTS ENORMONSTROUSLY, more than I can convey in words! :D Both of ya criticisms are really fair too, the first one I hadn't even thought about in my blaze-arsed hurry to get the game out. :D The second one is also like, oh ya... There is a hint in the item menu, but it should be a lot clearer.
Also the lone rock that you couldn't smash was a bug I hadn't even noticed. Thanks so much, dear! <3
Thank you sweetie! <3 Oldschool my middle name! :D <3 <3