man, it's so rare these days to see people show up on the forums out of nowhere and give their feelings on what they play so thoughtfully and with such kindness. i know it's kind of silly, but i just wanted to say that i really appreciated this post, and it's heartening to me as someone who used to develop quests (and wants to start again soon).
Well, if I'm decent at sharing feedback, I guess I'm proving that I could use work on returning to my posts or being a regular on the forum! This was the first I had been aware of your comment. But wow, thank you for those kind words of your own! I've been a fan of ZC for a while, but yes I know I haven't done much on the forum, so my posts probably do "come out of nowhere."
Thanks for the kind words! I'm really glad you enjoyed (I think) it! I don't pretend to be the best game designer in the world, but I do try to pull off new things, for better or worse.
I just finished this quest for the third time since I first played it in January! I think you must have succeeded in making a good "something different" quest, Russ. I like the relative brevity of it, that it's something I can finish in a single weekend when I don't feel like committing to a bigger gaming project--I need to try to develop my library of shorter quests instead of focusing on the most elaborate projects.
I think half the reason I keep coming back to this quest, though, is just so I can hear that later overworld music (after Rose is cast into the blowhole). It is so hauntingly beautiful! Where did it originally come from, and is it available as a separate track anywhere?