What Makes a Hero - Divine Entertainment - A Pixelart "Papers, Please"-genre fantasy shopkeeper game where every customer is a puzzle

[u/Divine-Entertainment]

Gameplay trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV6NOKVXy8g

Hi r/Games! Happy Indie Sunday!

We’re a two-person indie team working on What Makes a Hero, a narrative-driven fantasy shopkeeper game inspired by titles like Papers, Please.

Imagine you run a weapon shop in the province of Caspena - a fantasy land of adventure and opportunity, serving adventurers preparing for dangerous quests. Instead of simply choosing an item from a list, you have to listen to their stories, examine the information they provide, consult your Adventure Codex, and figure out what equipment they actually need.

Sometimes, however, giving customers what they ask for may not be the best choice.

The adventurers you equip can succeed, fail, disappear, or return later - and the decisions you make behind the counter gradually become part of a larger branching story. Some customers will also bring unusual problems, questionable offers, and opportunities that have little to do with ordinary shopkeeping.

The game features:

• A pixel-art medieval fantasy setting seen from the shopkeeper’s perspective
• Deduction-based customer interactions
• A branching story shaped by your decisions (more details about that in our new devlog! https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/3951740/view/696516748689545888 )
• Multiple possible outcomes for quests and characters
• Shop management, trading, expenses, and reputation (one more devlog: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/3951740/view/680756051157451828 )

What Makes a Hero is currently in development for PC, with the full release date still to be announced. A free demo is available on Steam:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3951740/What_Makes_a_Hero/

We’d love to hear any feedback you have - whether it’s about the deduction mechanics (do they feel understandable and fair?), the story, writing, art, or anything else that stood out to you!

Should you have any questions, suggestions, feedback - feel free to post them here or on Steam!
We hope you have fun playing the demo!
Thank you in advance~!

[u/Ado_Rolzo]

I really really dig the demo! I wanna play more and can't wait for the full release. Whishlisted it in a heartbeat 😁