Rising Odds

After noticing the demo for this game and really enjoying it, I ended up buying the full game on the same day, replaying everything I'd just done, and then going through the entire rest of the game to my knowledge, including every ending I could find before putting the game down. Suffice to say, I loved it! To start, this game has a fair few violent scenes, a few of them particularly upset me which is a plus for a horror/suspense game like this, the facial expressions in these scenes were the big thing that sold how horrific things were for me, they were very well done. Talking about non-violent scenes, the character's main sprites don't move around that drastically and you'll probably get used to the main facial expressions quickly since there aren't THAT many, but there's more than enough to convey all the emotions this game needs to and I think they work great. I should note a good chunk of this game's assets are royalty free, which I found generally charming and not at all a detractor from the main experience even if at first I wished the characters were a bit more unique (there's like two headshapes/eye styles basically, although the characters are colorful enough it doesn't matter too much) and there's a few instances where the style shift in background styles between those from different sources (I believe some backgrounds were individually commissioned) I found a tiny bit jarring. Again, though, I was a big fan of this game and the way all of these assets was put together worked wonderfully for me, although maybe if you're familiar with where any of these assets came from or have seen them in other things maybe it'd bother you more? I don't know, again, the way they were used was wonderful, I just wanted to comment on the stylistic divide between certain game assets and the reason why that's the case. While talking about the technical side, there are two more things I want to note about this game... one, as seen in the 4th screenshot on the Steam Page, the menu has a list of all of the characters and their names for reference... I feel like the text color picked for Shido making his name not legible was a bit annoying, even if it was nice that the color choice fit in with all of the others in this menu being rather colorful. And two, there are a few typos or errors in the text I noticed. I think there was one instance where the characters were splitting up and the wrong name was said, and several others of either the slightly wrong word or the wrong spelling of a word being used. Nothing major that inhibits clarity or anything, but to my memory most of the typos I caught were all grouped fairly close together so they might be more noticeable because of that. The actual story... well, it impressed and amazed me. I'm not a visual novel expert so I don't know if anything else in this medium has tackled a similar story, I'm sure something has, but regardless of that I loved THIS story. I won't mention the specific of the plot beats but in regard to what I figure the story was about: once I realized what kind of story this game was trying to tell I became committed to its narrative even though I was already on-board. The protagonist's journey was so compelling to me, the protagonist's breaking faith and panic, resolve and reckless actions, awful actions and dehumanization of others, and then constantly remembering his own humanity again... it all really stuck with me. When he was rude to various characters (particularly the girls, as it takes him time to sympathize with two of them which stuck out a lot to me as a character flaw) I felt bad but kept wanting to believe in him and understanding why he got to where he was, which was a journey he also had to take. I'll be thinking about Ren's behavior for quite some time, the impact of this story of him and his companions was something else. To say some negatives about the story... in some ways, it got close to the end rather fast after going on for longer than I expected before that point, and assuming I got them all, the multiple endings advertised in the description are all fairly brief, but still unique in their outcome so even that I don't totally mind. The protagonist Ren is the core of this story and one of its main highlights, but I also loved the other characters, who all had their own depth and were all in similar situations, tested by the game and all used in unique ways that I think emphasized the games main themes very well... and as such, in some ways I do wish the endings gave them all a bit more focus as a result. They're just as important there as anywhere else in the game with new developments for them even there, but there isn't really time for much to happen with them nor even the characters themselves to get to expand upon those revelations. However, I do think giving the other characters more focus and having longer endings, as much as part of me wants those things, would also end up undermining what this game was actually about, you're constantly finding out new things about every character and Ren too comes to consider their perspectives differently as the game goes on... in the end, though, no matter how much time you've spent with them and how much you think you have them figured out, they might surprise you. Or, they might not... but regardless, in any different scenario they might end up showing any different side of themself, and it's hard to know who is right and who is wrong, what pushes people to do things and who is at fault and how much any given person can be held culpable and what is safe to assume about someone in any given moment... fiction can't answer those questions, but these characters try to do so on their own terms even when those aren't the terms they're living with, and they alongside this game's wonderful, talented developer leave you to do the same. tl;dr I loved this game, its protagonist, themes, dilemmas, and characters a lot, and I'm excited for anything else that Lone Fox Studio might make!

First of all, if it existed, I would have choosen "I recommend this game but with a BIG warning." In truth, I found it quite difficult to decide wheter to reccomend the game or not. I decided to do so because I think the writer for the scenario could cook something intersting if given more funds, but that is just my (hopeful) opinion. Let me address the good things first and then I will say what's the main problem of the game. The game is fun. The core concept of "killing game with a hidden weapon" is a really cool spin on the genre. I think it could've been more interesting if [spoiler] the gifts were somehow selected by the players beforehand, [/spoiler] but considering the setup that couldn't have been possible in this case. Still, a good idea which was executed decently well. The whole game has an amaeturish vibe, which however doesn't hinder the enjoyment. The cast is quite shallow, but considering the length of the game, that is to be expected. That said, I particularly enjoyed the interactions between Ren (the main character) and Shin. They really feel like two old-time friends. [spoiler] The third loop, in which Ren goes on the offensive trying to win the game is by far the part I enjoyed the most. His plans to kill others, while protecting himself and Shin, are really interesting, and the final twist of the Host being a player is the cherry on top. I believe that part really captured the essence of what a time-looping killing game should all be about. [/spoiler] Now for the problematic part, and the one which soured the whole experience. The ending is horrible. I don't know if it's just because I have experience in both time-looping and killing game genres, but I kind of saw one of the twists of the ending coming, and I suspected the other could be true ([spoiler] to be exact, I suspected Shin as the mastermind/mole from the start, but I became convinced after the end of the third loop. Also, I thought that there could be someone else looping, but mostly as extrinsic motivation, as it would have made the game more intersting. [/spoiler]). That wouldn't be a problem, if what happened afterwards was interesting. But the thing is... nothing happens afterwards. The game gives you a choice, and it ends. It seems like after you select all four choices it changes and gives you the one for the true ending, but it doesn't. It seems like the game is setting up towards the final act, but the final act is cut. Come on, why even make such a big deal about the [spoiler] derringer [/spoiler]? What use does it even serve? So yeah, the game is fun, but know that the ending will leave you massively disappointed.

I enjoyed the story. My critique would be on the limited sprites and backgrounds, and I noticed typos. I recommend this game if you like death games!

Fun game. It's fairly short, but it's worth the price for sure! A timeloop mystery that got me having butterflies in my stomach in excitement, something not many games manage. Haven't finished the game yet, but so far it's been a real blast!

Rising Odds is amusing to me in that it’s the bare minimum of what you can do with a death game premise. Basic backgrounds that look like royalty free assets, barely any sense of presentation whatsoever, the amateurish writing with many typos, the barebones ui, the “how to draw manga” art style for its characters where the characters literally have same face syndrome, etc. Hell, even the setting is the bare minimum. In a way, I do find charm in that this is like some guy’s Newgrounds project or something. Unfortunately, I don’t think it lands by the end. Edit: I was told the dev actually paid for the assets, I didn't intend this as an insult. Don't make me deter you from buying the game despite what I say! Indie devs need income! [spoiler]The core hook comes in two forms: everyone gets a unique “gift” which functionally allows them to have a method of killing others or defending themselves and the existence of the time loops. The time loop twist is a massive cop-out out but it’s probably the only way the narrative could have made leeway with its premise. It’s a novel way to play with the conventions of death game narratives. But man, the logic is so baffingly stupid at times. In one scene, the narrative insists that showing Shin Ren’s gift wouldn’t have resolved the suspicion he has of Ren and the narrative wants to drag out the scene until… it makes him actually show him the gift. It was such a cheap ass way to build tension, I get the idea is to convey Ren is overthinking ♥♥♥♥, but overthinking doesn’t mean you just dismiss the most obvious, easiest solution. Then there’s the utterly baffling decision for everyone to meet up in one of the small rooms for some reason, which is never properly justified all in order to reveal the gas bomb twist. How in the hell does no one suspect something unusual and weirdly convenient when everyone knows one person has a C4, let alone the possibility that someone else could have a gift that could kill them easily in a small space? Or the part where Ren ponders if it’s a good idea to use the bear trap in front of Kuro’s door and concludes it isn’t… then decides to do it anyway because…??????????????? I get he wants to kill Kuro, but when the character himself makes a clear argument for why this is a bad idea, why go back on that? Even more laughable is that Ren decides to do this anyway despite telling Shin his gift, why the ♥♥♥♥ would you be this ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ stupid after overthinking ♥♥♥♥ and knowing Shin isn’t above suspecting you for murder? Isn’t he supposed to be ultra paranoid over people suspecting him? What the ♥♥♥♥? It gets worse how the plot contrives itself to make Shin defend Ren’s attempted murder despite the fact that he has no reason to view Kuro as guilty nor do we get any implication that he would be fine with Ren making that attempt. Shin’s arguments in defence of Ren is incredibly stupid. Why the ♥♥♥♥ would they make VERY reasonable accusations of Ren’s culpability but refuse to search his room because Shin says “it sets a bad precedent :D ?” In what world would that work on ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ anybody? The narrative is trying to sell me on this idea that Ren is constantly overthinking ♥♥♥♥ but I, someone who barely thought about this ♥♥♥♥, could tell how much of a disastrously stupid idea this was. Yet the narrative contrives some ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ to have Ren somehow get away with it. It gets more aggravating how often the game gives you so many non-choices. In most cases the intent is to convey the thought process of Ren but there are a number of cases where there's a decision that seemingly "matters" but just loops back into the same route regardless. makes these choices feel so pointless and I don't think the slightly different routes add much to the narrative aside from maybe one exception. It makes me wish that with this game's core about trust that there was more decision making relating to that in that it plays into what the player thinks about who is and isn't trustworthy based on their inclinations rather than Ren's. The number of variables to that is probably too much to ask for from a title developed under these circumstances in fairness, but it would absolutely make its conceit more interesting. With that said, one thing I will credit this with; however, is that it does a decent enough job of conveying how far gone Ren is after a certain point. The Host lampshading how unexpectedly callous he is with his method of “winning” is a great scene, and I do like how he internally justifies killing someone as innocent as Orihime. But god, the C4 twist afterwards is such a lame twist. This is the point I realized that the narrative refuses to punish Ren for his hubris and always has to find a way to bail him out of being punished for his own awful decisions. This was the point it got particularly irritating to me, especially on the premise that Shin somehow figured it was a good idea to plant a C4 in this room at the most convenient possible time, which actually is made worse with the later ending twist in mind. The interesting part of this narrative is Ren losing his mind and getting consumed by the rules of the game, yet it feels disinterested in giving him any semblance of karma for it. The 4th time loop is where it gets interesting in terms of Ren’s characterization. He’s reinvigorated to ending the game and save everyone but he’s still deeply paranoid to the point he still views others based on past murders and obtains a fatalistic perspective of every person. I like that the narrative challenges him on this, reinforcing the thematic thrust on trust and the factors that cause these issues. That the trust we have in others is contingent on the conditions they exist in and it's such a fascinating hook. It's why a later scene where Ren learns to trust Celty is great as it exemplifies how the experience has made him come to this realization. Then comes the mastermind twist. The way this was introduced is totally out of left field and I can’t wrap my head around how Ren could even come to such a wild conclusion. Frankly, the logic of two time loops existing simultaneously and functioning on independent deaths is convoluted. But I do love how through this Shin becomes a foil and all of the unbelievably absurd things he does in the plot begin to make sense. But while I was on board for this twist for at least shaking the foundation of the narratve, the game just ends there and the endings are laid out to you in the lamest way. None of the endings seem to be cognizant of the rest of the cast and it doesn't even tell you who the host was or why they agreed to this whole thing. The best parts of the narrative were about Ren's trust issues and to have the one person who he unconditionally trusted be so deceptive was a great paradigm shift. But the ending just throws that away, making all of the interactions Ren had with the rest of the cast feel like it came to nothing and even on a plotting level, it leaves out so much meat of the main cast and even its premise JUST for this ending to exist as it does. It concludes on the note that the only thing that matters is Ren's relationship with Shin and any conclusion the player is given on that is barely even half-assed. I was up and down with this title the whole time but this is where it just lost me and made me put it in "not recommended."[/spoiler]

Rising Odds it's a game with a compelling narrative that, despite some issues, manages to hook you until the end. Nevertheless, it has some clear issues with the way that choices are presented, their influence on the plot and the different endings available. I can only recommend this game to people who really liked the demo for what it is. The following text will have spoilers so I really discourage anyone that hasn't played the game to read it. [spoiler] The endings are pretty bad, I can't lie. I don't really want to see the endings as something that completely destroys the experience, because that isn't true, but the way they're all presented to you in a list by the end it's somewhat underwhelming. Moreover, there are almost no choices that actually matter. There're no "deaths" nor abrupt endings lead by a bad choice making it all to feel pointless until you reach the final 20 minutes of the game. Where the only choices that actually matter are if you want to kill yourself for your friend and how you answer to a short quiz. I think that a game like this really benefits from the aspect of trying to find your own answer by piecing up the clues that you have available but it's impossible for you to ♥♥♥♥ up until the Quiz, which isn't really that interesting because, despite the interesting revelations about the plot and the rest of the cast, it ultimately rewards you with another mediocre ending that makes you feel completely unrewarded. Nevertheless, despite how much I dislike the endings of this game, and how much I wish for the artstyle to be more unique, and the use of ren'py to be less obvious, I can't lie to myself, the game charmed me and I played it in one sitting. It's the first game of a really small developer, and I hope they keep making games and improving on their journey. [/spoiler]

Kind of interesting little death game, there are some issues but it is overall decent, the endings are poor though

I enjoyed the romp. Not a long game (~3 hours) but I take that as a positive. As other reviewers have said, the ending(s) are the weakest part and I thought there should have been a true ending, maybe gated by a password or sequence. But I'm happy it didn't overstay it's welcome.

I feel the game was cut short. If you've ever played DX Mankind Divided, this game is like that narrative-wise. The first three acts are great, but the story falls apart in the final act. Initially, the game presents lots of mystery, lots of intrigue, lots of good stuff. But all of that is cut short. Maybe the dev was trying to rush a release later on? idk. The last act throws a bunch of stuff at you all at once, and then you have to select an ending from the Endingtron 9000, which doesn't wrap up much of anything. Oh well. At least the game is easily moddable. Modding in a better ending is very doable here.

I love murder mystery visual novels. Too bad they’re so scarce. If I see one I’ll eat it up immediately, and this one is no exception. Overall, I enjoyed it. The author really understands what makes these games good and how to pace a story. The playtime is fairly short (around 3-4 hours), but there are no scenes I’d consider filler. Honestly, I prefer that. The music choices are great too. Pretty solid for a one-man game.