Whispers in the Bitter Frost

this was really good! i liked the story and characters a lot :D

(SPOILERS)

really love the concept and how it's presented; going from marcus' pov to avelina's was pretty effective in showing a situation that seems completely normal from the outside, but slowly becomes more unsettling. there isn't any real confirmation of something bad happening, but the way characters talk, the little details that feel off-putting, build the eeriness until the eventual plot unravels. it feels very subtle; enough to make you think that it might be just your imagination (did marcus actually call on avelina's room or could it have been just a dream...?) the storytelling and the way the mystery is told is really clever, and kept me really intrigued to know what was actually happening without giving away too many clues. felt like i was watching a thriller/mystery film at some points haha. and i loved how the supernatural elements were foreshadowed; bringing up religion throughout the game made the eventual reveal feel unexpected and totally fitting within this world.

the characters are really great!! marcus was really charming and his determination to help his "masters" and then avelina in any way he could, even by swordfighting, made him really likeable; avelina was really endearing and i really wanted her to find out what's really going on (the scene when she realizes she and marcus were married and the ending scene were really well done), and whenever she cried i felt so bad haha. i love how you're not told she doesn't remember a lot of things, but the way she acts and talks about things in her life made it clear; great use of show don't tell. love how seemingly kind and loving ricardo is to his "wife" before the reveal, and how his attitude towards marcus can just be seen as tipycal rudeness towards a servant. and belinda and carlos were really charming, honestly they totally convinced me they were genuine kind people lol. and finally, ophelia was a great helpful-character-who's-actually-divine-intervention, i love that trope so much haha (tbf any story is better with an elder who gives the mc matches and gasoline-).

obviously the focus is on the plot and not the gameplay, but i enjoyed a lot of small mechanics. the swordfights were fun and something you don't see in a lot rpg maker games, and the dark hallway part was really tense, such a cool use of gameplay, sound and lighting (i got hit a looot of times, maybe i'm bad at chase sequences lol). while i liked how the things you could interact with were highlighted, it did make the game feel a little too linear at times, and like it was holding my hand a bit too much. i understand they were necessary to highlight stuff that could blend in with the areas that are more open, maybe it could've been used only for big zones so you feel more free in the small ones? that's just my opinion tho.

overall, this was a super intriguing plot told with really great art!! (the character designs are really good and expressive :D) and using the 'fear the devil' theme from the jam to tie into a fictional fantasy religion was super creative. i really enjoyed this! :>