[Public] Hotfix build v.0.4.2051

Figure this would be a good place to put some feedback since I don't use discord. I've been a supporter since release in 2020 but haven't actually played since the update that added the drone minigame in, so coming back in after a few years and seeing how the game has progressed has been really fun. It feels like the game has progressed a lot more in the last two years than it did over its first two years, and is now a proper alpha instead of a tech demo. The additions of tutorials is also great, it makes the game feel a lot more professional. There are some thoughts and criticisms I have: The minigames are fun, but I think don't think they should be a priority. The drone minigame was a nice distraction and the Battlezone-style mission was cool, but I think they take away from the selling point of Mahou Arms: the action. Mahou Arms is remarkable as an h-game since it's an actual game, and the gameplay is fun. Most h-games are vns, and most h-games with gameplay are just rpgmaker games or very basic sidescrollers. Most of the h-games that have good gameplay are strategy games (Kamidori, Sengoku Rance, etc.) so Mahou Arms is unique for being a 3d hack-n-slash that looks gorgeous to boot. Personally, I would be more interested in more levels and combat than another minigame. On the the hack-n-slash gameplay, I think some more fine-tuning is needed. It's very fluid and fun to use once you get a good combo going, but basic enemies can also feel really spongy and the lack of (afaik) moveset guides means you often have your combos break as a result of experimentation. Having the inventory properly implemented was cool to see but I hope that we'll also be given ways of customizing/specializing the movesets. The other side of the gameplay are the h-scenes. It's neat there is effort to actually make them part of the gameplay and it's a lot less esoteric now that the tutorial exists, but it does feel like they're only intended to be fully enjoyed as part of the gallery given how jumpy the hearts can be and how slow your own ability to follow them is. The big thing I think I need to comment on is the characters. I remember back when the roadmap was released in 2020 there were plans for adding 'girl c' after Susan - I can't remember whether this ended up being Seiko or was intended to be someone else, but personally I wouldn't have more than three. Some of that is pragmatism speaking given how long it took to actually implement Susan, but part of me thinks more girls at this point would be a bit of a waste; Amelia consistently dominates Susan in the art polls and the only time we got Piro art it involved Amelia. This isn't to knock Susan or Seiko or Piro, just saying that you got a winner with Amelia and I think playing to that strength would better. One other thing I thought of was the clothing destruction system; it's a given in games like these but MA being 3d and action makes good use of it. Since we have an inventory system and the most common request on the art poll is Amelia/Susan in different outfits - wedding dresses, school uniforms, bunny suits, etc. - why not take advantage of that and add unlockable outfits ingame? It'd be keeping with hack-n-slash tradition, better show off preexisting systems and make the game and h-scenes more replayable. Those are the biggest thoughts/criticisms I could think of after a week of on-and-off play, and I'm really happy to see how far the game has come since the last time I played. Can't wait to see what you guys make next for Mahou Arms.

anon