Hoo boy, this one.
I'll start with the less than good stuff just to get it out of the way. There is a patina of visual bugginess to this quest - player animation is a bit jank. This comes down to a lot of script systems colliding with not enough time to debug. I think Taco Chopper made the right triage choices in the wee hours of the contest though, and prioritized playability and mechanics over fixing visual bugs. Still, I really wish that stuff like the lifting tiles were working correctly, since I think it seems way less polished than it actually is.
Also, sword enemies in this quest are just hateful bastards and I'd like them removed. I can say that, since it is Mitch's fault.
Other than that this is an incredible entry. Sheik's overworld is just beautiful GB stuff, and Taco's dungeons are a level of complexity above anything else in this contest - I gotta slap some screens down here. Sheik's custom tile work is just gorgeous and gives the quest a really unique mythical setting.
Structure-wise, this is similar to Iridium and Laleia, with a short tutorial cave, 3 required mini-dungeons, and a pyramid gauntlet to the final boss and ending. The mini-dungeons each provide a key that lets you unlcok more of the final gauntlet. You can enter the pyramid early with less than 3 keys to get access to a few heart containers early, which is neat. The overworld is roughly 2/3 of a full 8x8 BS overworld - and everything is at an impressive detail level. There is a collectible currency (Secret Seashells) which unlock a higher-level sword - this does sort of break the game, but we'll get more on balance later. This has a huge number of scripts running to support it - this is running the same engine as Crucible Crest, Peril of Rectangle Country, and Three Crests - so virtually all of the items are scripted, with a coterie of custom bosses (some reused from Crucible Crest/PoRC, and some NewbieBoss or database scripts) and enemies.
The mini-dungeons are quite short, but Taco Chopper really pushed on elevating them above the ZC baseline and these are nicely considered, with non-standard room shapes, proper puzzles, and a lot of nice wrap arounds.
Game balance is really nice. I felt all of the custom bosses were tuned pretty appropriately and provided good, but not insurmountable challenges. The game does get quite a bit easier at the end since there are heart containers thrown at you, and it's especially trivial with the upgraded sword - but I prefer this to having "required optional" content. It's perfectly doable and fun with your base gear, you just have the option to get stupid swole if you want to.
This quest kind of has a story to it! Like the others it relies on some humor and lampshading the way it was slapped together, but I think this lines up a lot more with my sense of humor and feels very natural and unforced. More than that though, there's a very clear consistent theme to the environs and names that's well-considered and works at a serious level, which really elevates this project.
What can I say? I had to vote here. Naldrag can feel free to declare my vote void - I did contribute to this, albeit mostly indirectly - but what an entry. I was around for a lot of the development and honestly can't believe it got finished and is as well-done as it is. I'm pretty sure we developed some new psychiatric problems that Sheik and Taco will have to work through in therapy, but frankly - that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.
