DON'T GIVE UP: A Cynical Tale

Great game! I played the gamejolt demo, and saw that it was out, so I had to play the entire thing! I think its worth more than 99 cents TBH, i would of given it a dollar or two higher, but I don't know TBH. I liked the story, but at some point it got a bit to complex for me, so I kind of tuned out, and just took everything at face value. I really liked the characters though, [spoiler]and I knew tris and subris were connected somehow from the beggining[/spoiler]. Sometimes the fights made me rage, but then I figured out a strategy to beat it. The only time I needed to swap to easy mode was fighting [spoiler]ashlord[/spoiler]. As much as I prefer openworld "do whatever you want" games, I really liked this game despite its ultra-linear nature. There isn't even any currency, the progression is the same all-throughout, for every person. The only thing that ground my gears when playing was overworld movement. When you walk along a wall, instead of sliding nicely, it just outright stops you. I know you aren't supposed to hit the walls, but I like walking along walls. There were also a handful of sequencing bugs. This game is severely underrated, and deserves more attention. And certainly a higher price, maybe if it got a few new features or modes. Also, "<sprite=23> to skip dialog" I think you missed a spot when playtesting. ; )

Just as the game promised me. It is full of fun, action, adventure and an endless arsenal of cheeky sarcasm for the journey. I also love the art during the battle scenes!! The story is really good and I want to keep learning more about our MC and everyone else. This game is perfect for when I am in the mood for something not too deep to play into but just for a slice of good fun to pass some time. Highly recommend. Also there is a good sprinkle of good cameos in the game LOL, I noticed two or three (and took some screenshots while I was at it XD ) Big thumbs up to the devs and publisher!!

The overall vibe of the game is very charming. Colourful characters with awesome music. Minimalist combat system that doesn't get old. The only thing that could be improved upon would perhaps be the gap between the easy and normal mode. I played on normal mode throughout the whole game until i hit Vezel phase 2. After dying many times, i tried easy mode just to see but then it was too easy. I could almost get hit by everything and my hp barely went down. But aside from that, good work! I really enjoyed the game from beginning to end :D

Really enjoying this game so far. It's clearly a labor of love and scratches that itch for a game taking place in a modern setting. It's clearly pretty personal for the developer and you can tell they put a lot into making this. The game itself so far seems to be 70% funny 30% serious, getting quite dark at times. Much of the humor lands, ranging from relatable observations to some cringe comedy, but generally you'll be rooting for the main character as opposed to laughing at him. And there's enough humor to make the moments where things get serious really stand out. I did encounter one bug that froze my character in place and made me have to reset, and I'd have made the autosave function a little more generous, but this is a unique project and is telling an engaging story that's funny, compelling, and relatable. I recommend giving it a shot.

Once again, caveat that the binary nature of the Steam review system means I tend to grade on a curve if I don't flat out DESPISE a game. That said, I see the game this was meant to be, and it's very cute with a neat battle system. The music is fantastic, both feeling nostalgically familiar but also distinctly for DON'T GIVE UP: A Cynical Tale. Certainly there are a few tweaks here and there that could improve the game: - sometimes it's hard to go through doors, or tell which doors are active - lots of empty areas that might have been for something but didn't get finished - would like to be able to adjust text speed uniformly, rather than the first line always autoscrolls, with subsequent lines able to be skipped all at once (and possibly too fast) - more than the one save slot I overlook most of these because it's a very indie game (and feels more documentary than not), so I'm inclined to be more impressed that a single person can create this much content, vs. if this had been from a larger, established company. It is on the more difficult side (especially New Game +) if you aren't able to figure out the timing and boss patterns, but I do think it's worth a playthrough!

[i] DON'T GIVE UP [/i] is a charming game about mental illness, determination, and the power to look on the bright side of life. Typically with (very) small indie games like these (with <100 reviews) you expect unpolished "stream of consciousness" that only lasts an hour or two. This, I'm happy to report, is quite the opposite. While it does have its rough edges (looking at you volume mixing -- RIP my ears), it's an enjoyable experience with a beautiful color palette and design, fantastic music, and humor reminiscent of [i] Undertale [/i]. The combat can feel clunky at times, but was only an issue for me (keyboard+mouse user) in the last couple of battles. Definitely worth a try!

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