Info about Paper Lily - Chapter 1:

Official game description:
_Something terrible has happened. You can’t bear to think about it - but you can’t live like this anymore. You stopped attending school, you haven’t left your house in months, you have no reason to get out of bed anymore. There are no choices left.  
No choice except... that strange golden letter.  
It’s time to get your life back together.  
One last try._  
Paper Lily is a story-driven, psychological horror RPG where each puzzle has multiple solutions and outcomes. **There is always another way.**  
Follow Lacie's story as you explore a dangerous hidden world, solve puzzles in multiple different ways, and face strange enemies. The game is playable in about 4 hours and contains multiple endings depending on your actions.  
Paper Lily - Chapter 1 is the continuation to the prologue, Project Kat, but it can also be enjoyed without having played it.  
Out of Context Features
-----------------------
*   Multiple ways of solving puzzles!  
*   Touch grass, and trees  
*   Minigames where you press buttons and push boxes around  
*   Call your mother  
*   Harmless Snack™  
*   Various things made of paper  
*   Bunnies (or whatever those things are)  
*   Demons  
*   Fast demons  
*   Social anxiety simulation  
*   Table salt  
*   ...Is that Kat? Nah, probably not  
*   Bathroom etiquette  
*   Death

Release date: 26 Jan, 2024

Categories: Psychological Horror, RPG, Single-player Story, Puzzle Solving, Exploration, Multiple Endings, Choice-based Narrative, Real-time Combat


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Engaging Puzzles & Horror (weight 0.76): The game is highly lauded for its well-designed and interesting puzzles, which offer multiple solutions and are often challenging but fair. The horror elements are effectively implemented, creating suspense and an eerie atmosphere without relying heavily on jump scares, making it accessible even for non-horror fans.
- Stunning Art & Visuals (weight 0.7): Players consistently praise the game's exquisite and unique art style, which blends pixel art with anime-like elements and detailed illustrations. The visuals are described as beautiful, atmospheric, and a significant highlight, showcasing immense care and passion from the developers.
- Exceptional Story & Characters (weight 0.69): The narrative is consistently described as captivating, rich, and emotionally impactful, with a non-linear plot and intriguing mysteries. Players also highlight the well-written, memorable, and endearing characters, particularly the protagonist Lacie, whose journey and interactions resonate deeply.
- High Replayability & Exploration (weight 0.48): The game offers significant replay value due to its numerous choices, multiple endings (including interesting 'bad' endings), and abundant hidden secrets and easter eggs. This encourages thorough exploration and experimentation, rewarding curious players with new discoveries and lore.
- Immersive Atmosphere & Soundtrack (weight 0.34): The game excels in creating a deeply immersive and unique atmosphere, often described as cozy-creepy or dreamlike. This ambiance is greatly enhanced by a phenomenal soundtrack that perfectly fits each scene, guiding emotions and intensifying the overall experience.
- Unbelievable Quality for a Free Game (weight 0.33): A recurring sentiment is astonishment at the game's high quality, extensive content, and polished experience, especially considering it is a free title. Many players express a willingness to pay for it, noting it surpasses many paid games in its genre.
- Personal & Emotional Impact (weight 0.2): Many players describe a strong personal connection to the game, often becoming deeply immersed and emotionally invested. The game frequently evokes powerful feelings, leading to repeat playthroughs and a lasting impression.
- Strong First Chapter & Series Potential (weight 0.07): Chapter 1 is highlighted as a complete and brilliant experience, effectively building upon the prologue and setting a strong foundation for the series. Players are impressed by its length and content, eagerly anticipating future chapters.
- Accessible & Player-Friendly Design (weight 0.07): The game is noted for its accessibility, offering simple controls, moderate difficulty, and convenient features like mini-game skip options. This design makes it enjoyable for both casual players and those new to horror or puzzle genres, without sacrificing depth.
- Highly Praised RPG Maker Title (weight 0.07): Paper Lily is frequently cited as one of the best, if not the best, RPG Maker-style games available. It is celebrated for elevating the genre with its exceptional quality, story, and overall execution, making it a standout title.

Common complaints:
- Confusing Puzzles & Progression (weight 0.31): Players frequently found puzzles to be overly difficult, unintuitive, and often required external guides to solve. This led to frustration, getting stuck, and a general lack of clear direction on what to do next or how to progress the story.
- Disjointed & Unresolved Story (weight 0.23): The plot was often perceived as confusing, disjointed, and lacking clear connections, especially towards the end. Many felt the endings were anticlimactic, repetitive, or didn't provide satisfying resolution, with some optional content feeling pointless.
- Lack of Horror Impact (weight 0.23): Despite being marketed with horror elements, many players felt the game failed to deliver a consistently scary experience. Horror moments often fell flat or were undermined, leading to a mixed perception of its effectiveness.
- Unsatisfying Achievement System (weight 0.22): Achieving 100% completion and unlocking all achievements was described as difficult, repetitive, and often impossible without a guide. Specific requirements for achievements were obscure, and some players reported issues with Steam achievements not unlocking.
- Inconvenient Save System (weight 0.21): The game's save system was a significant source of frustration, with too few save points and no option for direct saving. This led to lost progress, repetitive gameplay for achievement hunting, and issues with exploring alternative endings.
- Tedious Combat & Mini-games (weight 0.21): Combat segments, particularly the 'bullet hell' dodging, were found to be slow, tedious, and a waste of time. Mini-games and boss fights, like the Miss Knives encounter, were often difficult, frustrating, and required excessive trial and error.
- Unrewarding Side Quests (weight 0.18): Side quests were often unclear, felt disconnected from the main story, and offered no tangible rewards. Many items obtained for side quests could not be used in the main story, making them feel pointless.
- Localization Deficiencies (weight 0.03): The game suffers from poor localization, particularly for Chinese, with translations feeling machine-generated. The complete lack of Korean localization was also a significant drawback for Korean-speaking players.
- Poor Character Development (Lacie) (weight 0.03): The character Lacie was perceived as underdeveloped and uninteresting, with limited interactions that made it difficult for players to connect with her. Her introduction felt shallow, and her overall design was criticized.
- Control & Technical Issues (weight 0.03): Players reported issues with controls, finding them difficult or annoying, especially with default keybindings or joysticks. Bugs like game crashes, freezing, and audio problems also detracted from the experience.
- Long & Repetitive Death Screens (weight 0.02): The death screen was criticized for being too long, boring, and repetitive, consisting mainly of a blood splatter that took several seconds to fade. This added to frustration, especially given the frequent deaths.
- Rune-Related Progression Bugs (weight 0.01): Players encountered bugs where runes disappeared or could not be given to the character Rune, leading to being stuck. Missing a rune from a previous location could necessitate replaying or reloading to progress.

Gameplay feedback:
- Psychological horror puzzle adventure (weight 0.21): The game is primarily a psychological horror adventure with strong puzzle elements, often compared to titles like Undertale or Omori. It blends exploration, decision-making, and light combat/dodging mechanics within an occult-fantasy setting.
- Rich branching narrative and endings (weight 0.21): The game offers extensive replayability through numerous branching paths, multiple endings (including 12-13 'dead ends' and one 'true ending'), and alternative solutions to puzzles. This encourages players to explore different choices and actions.
- Variable game length and completion (weight 0.2): While a single playthrough to the true ending can be completed in 3-7 hours, achieving 100% completion, including all endings and achievements, can extend playtime to 7-13 hours. Many players found themselves replaying to discover all content.
- Puzzles range from simple to challenging (weight 0.2): The game features a wide range of puzzles, some being straightforward and logical, while others are quite challenging and require significant thought. Optional puzzles often lead to secrets or achievements.
- First chapter offers substantial content (weight 0.05): The current release is Chapter 1, which provides a significant amount of content (4-6 hours for 100% completion). Players are looking forward to future chapters, which are expected to expand on the story and gameplay.
- Skippable difficult segments (weight 0.05): The game includes options to skip challenging parts such as mini-games, boss battles, and chase sequences. This feature helps players who might struggle with action elements or prefer to focus on the story and puzzles.
- Minimal combat, focus on dodging (weight 0.04): Combat is not a primary focus; instead, gameplay often involves dodging enemies in bullet-hell-like segments. There are occasional boss fights, with the final boss being noted as particularly challenging.
- Walkthroughs often used for secrets (weight 0.02): Many players found themselves using guides or walkthroughs, especially for discovering all secrets, optional items, and achieving 100% completion, indicating some hidden elements are difficult to find organically.
- Hidden details and easter eggs (weight 0.02): The game is rich with hidden jokes, meta-elements, and numerous small details and easter eggs. Thorough exploration is rewarded with discoveries that enrich the overall experience.
- Pixel art with diverse visuals (weight 0.02): The game utilizes a pixel art style for its world, complemented by regular art for characters and CGs. It features diverse locations and is not built on RPG Maker, allowing for more fluid movement.
- Dead ends return to save point (weight 0.02): Encountering a 'dead end' or dying in the game typically returns the player to a recent save point, allowing for quick retries and exploration of different choices without significant progress loss.

Performance notes:
- Mixed PC performance (weight 0.02): Player feedback on PC performance is inconsistent. While some players report smooth gameplay even on low-spec machines, others experience high temperatures and frame drops, requiring resolution adjustments.
- Small game size (weight 0.01): Players appreciate the game's small installation footprint, noting it takes up very little storage space, which is seen as a positive 'old-fashioned' characteristic.
- Bug-free experience (weight 0.01): Multiple players reported a completely bug-free experience, indicating a high level of polish in the game's stability.
- Incomplete settings menu (weight 0.01): The game includes a settings menu, but players found it to be lacking in comprehensive options, suggesting it is not fully developed.

Recommendations:
- Highly Recommended Game (weight 0.49): Players overwhelmingly recommend the game, often giving it perfect or near-perfect scores. Many express strong enjoyment and consider it a must-play, especially given its free-to-play status, with some even suggesting it's worth paying for.
- Eagerly Awaiting Sequel (weight 0.34): There is immense anticipation for Chapter 2 and future installments. Players are excited to see the story continue, with many expressing willingness to pay for subsequent chapters and hoping for a swift release.
- Appeals to Specific Genres (weight 0.19): The game is highly recommended for fans of RPG Maker horror, psychological horror, story-rich games, and puzzle-adventure genres. It also appeals to players who enjoy titles like Omori, Undertale, and Ib.
- Play Project Kat First (weight 0.04): A significant number of players advise playing 'Project Kat,' the prologue, before starting this game. This is often recommended for story continuity, to appreciate developer progress, or because save data can carry over.
- Desire for Enhanced Horror (weight 0.01): A few players hope future chapters will feature more thrilling chase sequences and lean further into the horror elements, suggesting a desire for increased intensity in the genre aspects.
- Consider Turkish Patch (weight 0.01): One reviewer specifically recommends trying the Turkish patch, indicating a potential localization or community-made improvement that some players might find beneficial.

Other player notes:
- Strong Desire to Support Developers (weight 0.11): Many players are impressed by the game's quality, especially given it's free, and are actively purchasing supporter packs or expressing a desire to pay for future content to help fund the developers.
- Connection to Project Kat Prologue (weight 0.06): Players who enjoyed 'Project Kat' (the prologue) were eagerly awaiting this game and are curious about the narrative connections or references between the two titles, despite some initial perceived disconnects.
- Lacie's Character Intrigue (weight 0.04): Players are deeply interested in Lacie's character, her backstory, and her future role in the game. There's a strong desire to see her return in Chapter 2, potentially interacting with other characters.
- Desire for Language Localizations (weight 0.03): Players are requesting official translations into languages like Spanish and Italian, with some even offering to assist with translation efforts, indicating a desire for broader accessibility.
- Admiration for Small Development Team (weight 0.02): Players are highly impressed that such a high-quality game was created by a small two-person team, often using the Godot engine, highlighting their appreciation for the developers' efforts.
- Comparisons to Renowned Indie Titles (weight 0.02): Players frequently compare the game to critically acclaimed indie titles like Undertale, Deltarune, PM, and The Witch's House, indicating its perceived quality and similar thematic or stylistic elements.
- Low System Requirements (weight 0.01): The game's small file size and low PC requirements make it accessible to a wide range of players, including those with older or less powerful computers.

Emotions:
- Satisfaction (weight 0.28): Players are highly satisfied with the game's exceptional overall quality, especially considering it's a free title. This includes a captivating story, beautiful art style, engaging puzzles, memorable characters, and rich content with high replayability and multiple endings. The game's ability to exceed expectations and provide a fulfilling experience, often compared to top-tier indie games, is a major contributor.
- Excitement (weight 0.16): Excitement primarily stems from the game's high quality, engaging narrative, and challenging gameplay, which leaves players eager for more. A significant cause is the strong anticipation for future chapters, particularly Chapter 2, and the desire to uncover more lore and story developments. The thrilling and immersive experience, including boss battles and exploration, also contributes to this emotion.
- Admiration (weight 0.08): Admiration is driven by the game's outstanding artistic and narrative quality, often highlighted as exceptional for a free or indie title developed by a small team. Players praise the unique art style, beautiful music, compelling story, well-designed characters, and meticulous attention to detail. The game's ability to blend genres seamlessly and deliver a 'masterpiece' experience garners significant admiration.
- Anticipation (weight 0.08): This emotion is almost exclusively caused by the strong desire and expectation for future content, particularly Chapter 2. Players are eagerly awaiting the continuation of the captivating story, further character development, and the resolution of unresolved plot points. Many express willingness to support the developers financially for upcoming installments.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.05): Players find the game highly enjoyable due to its fun and engaging gameplay, immersive story, and well-crafted puzzles. The appealing visual style, memorable characters, and atmospheric music also contribute to a positive overall experience. The game's ability to provide entertainment and a good time, even for extended periods, is a key factor.
- Surprise (weight 0.04): The primary cause of surprise is the game's unexpectedly high quality and extensive content, especially given that it is a free title. Players are often amazed by the depth of the story, intricate puzzles, and overall polish, which far exceed expectations for a free game. Unexpected thematic shifts, jump scares, and the game's ability to change player preferences also contribute to this emotion.
- Appreciation (weight 0.04): Appreciation is largely directed towards the developers for creating such a high-quality and detailed game, particularly because it is offered for free. Players value the effort, care, and artistic merit evident in the story, art, music, and accessibility features. The game's ability to provide significant value and a rich experience without cost is a major factor.
- Frustration (weight 0.03): Frustration arises from various gameplay challenges, including difficult or unintuitive puzzles, confusing navigation, and inconvenient save points. Players also express frustration with bugs, long death screens, and a perceived lack of guidance or hints. The difficulty of certain boss battles or achievements, and issues with item management, also contribute to this negative emotion.
- Joy (weight 0.03): Joy is experienced through the game's fun and engaging elements, including its captivating story, enjoyable puzzles, and charming characters. The game's beautiful aesthetics, touching narrative, and the overall positive experience of playing, often shared with friends, contribute to this emotion. Discovering secrets and achieving endings also brings joy.
- Love (weight 0.02): Players express deep affection and love for the game, often citing its overall quality, captivating story, and unique art style. The emotional impact of the narrative, memorable characters, and well-designed puzzles contribute to a strong personal connection. Many reviewers quickly fall in love with the game and its various elements, considering it a favorite.
- Engagement (weight 0.02): Engagement is driven by the game's ability to completely captivate players, often leading them to lose track of time. The compelling story, thought-provoking puzzles, and the impact of player choices encourage deep immersion and replayability. The desire to uncover all lore, secrets, and achievements keeps players thoroughly invested in the game world.
- Disappointment (weight 0.01): Disappointment stems from various aspects, including anticlimactic or ambiguous endings, perceived inconsistencies in the story, and the game being unfinished or lacking a sequel. Players also express disappointment with design flaws like limited save slots, lack of quality-of-life features, or the game not living up to certain expectations regarding horror or puzzle elements.
- Fear (weight 0.01): Fear is caused by the game's effective horror elements, including scary moments, unexpected jump scares, and a creepy, unsettling atmosphere. Terrifying music drops, sudden monster appearances, and psychologically horrific aspects contribute to players feeling tense and scared. The game's ability to deliver genuine fright, even with 2D art, is noted.
- Amazement (weight 0.01): Amazement is primarily triggered by the game's exceptionally high quality, especially considering its free price and development by a small team. Players are astonished by the detailed pixel art, intricate animations, rich content, and compelling story. The game's ability to deliver a 'masterpiece' experience for no cost consistently evokes this emotion.
- Curiosity (weight 0.01): Curiosity is fueled by the game's mysterious plot, unresolved lore, and the presence of alternative paths and secrets. Players are eager to discover how the story will unfold, learn more about the world and its characters, and uncover hidden content. The ambiguous ending and unanswered questions strongly drive the desire for continuation and further exploration.
- Gratitude (weight 0.01): Gratitude is expressed towards the developers for their hard work, effort, and generosity in creating a high-quality game and offering it for free. Players appreciate the incredible experience provided, as well as accessibility features like language localizations and options to skip difficult sections.
- Immersion (weight 0.01): Immersion is created by the game's captivating atmosphere, compelling story, and well-integrated music and visuals. Players feel deeply drawn into the game world and narrative, often losing themselves in the emotional weight and environmental details. The game's ability to fully capture attention and focus is a key factor.
- Affection (weight 0.01): Affection is primarily directed towards the game's charming characters, particularly Lacie, due to their cute appearance, personality, and development. Players form strong attachments to the characters and the game itself, often describing it as 'dear' or 'falling into their heart.' The overall appeal of the game's design also contributes.
- Desire (weight 0.01): Desire is expressed for more content, such as future chapters or sequels, and specific character interactions. Players also wish for quality-of-life features like character customization, alternate clothing options, or fast-forward in cutscenes. The demand for additional language localizations, like Spanish or Korean, is also a significant desire.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion arises from disjointed plot elements, abrupt story transitions, and a lack of clarity regarding certain mechanics or objectives. Players struggle with hidden information, plot holes, and difficulty understanding the storyline without playing prequels. Unintuitive puzzles and conflicting game elements also contribute to this feeling.}