Ren'Py - A Better Place [Ch. 4] [TheLostOne]

this game has amazingly written characters and scenes, I found myself always coming back to this game not for the porn but to see what story additions are made each update.

Some of the moments with characters actually made me pause and think about what they said and made me really feel for them and sympathize with their story which is a big deal for me as I never really care to much about the plot of my porn but this game makes me care

the character designs well simple in some places but have just enough thought put in and make sense for each character and are easy on the eyes

the visuals overall have a very cohesive feeling and I rarely ever felt throw off by a model or texture not fitting the scene

I also love that in the Nsfw scenes the game doesn't just throw sex at you its all written into the story and things happen when it makes sense, Mc doesn't just fuck all the girls after filling a bar which may not be to some peoples liking but I love it

the only thing I can think of that is an issue would be that I feel some characters are shown more love than others and their stories are more compelling

I would give this game 5 stars but there are small things that need tweaks or fixing and as of writing the Dev is working on a QoL update that should hopefully fix some if not all of my issues

overall with the current content in the game (Ch.4) its a very fun to play and I eagerly await future updates

A Better Place
Version: Chapter 3
Type: Sandbox - Grindfest
Content: Medium
Pacing: Slow-Steady
Plot line: Find a Safe Haven - Tracing back the past
Setting: Discovered and invited to a Manor after years of isolation

Character Models: Really Good
Personalities: properly developed with heavy backstory

Music: Decent
Animation: Good but not much there to judge

Note: Almost no H at all atm. Slow start but plot really picks up at the end of Chapter 3. I would give 3.5 stars now but prolly more depending on how plot develops...

A nice little gem that has escaped my gaze for some time. This game surprised me with how quickly it charmed me. At first, I was thinking how forced and shallow the introduction of the characters felt, but honestly, after playing for a bit, I warmed up to all the characters and their eccentricities. The events and dialogue do a good job of getting you in their headspace and understanding where they are coming from, much more than the sudden jolt of a scene in the beginning. In fact, I became far more interested in the characters and their interactions than the main plot. That's not to say the main plot is bad, but rather it's underdeveloped at the moment and feels like it just exists as a means to an end.

All in all, it's a slow burn with lots of dialogue and buildup to a few distinct scenes, but that's exactly my style. I respect that there's no rush to an immediate payoff.

Pros

• Charming characters with beautiful models that really fit their personality
• Fun interaction between the characters. They all have their eccentricities that feel like they create a fun dynamic
• I like that the main character has a quirk of thinking too much, and it's commented on, and played for laughs on a couple occasions
• A nice slow burn that lets events build up and characters slowly blossom

Cons

• Intro was a little in your face and felt forced when showing the trauma of each character. I felt the subtleties in the dialogue really made me feel for them, and the "jump scare" like scenes were a little out of place
• There is a bit of wandering as I wasn't sure how to trigger an event, until I realized there was a character's page. I might have missed that intro, but definitely need to check that as there are some unintuitive requirements for some events

I really enjoyed this game. The characters are cute and well-written, the plot is engaging, and the dialogue is witty and brings me a great deal of joy. This game is a hidden gem and I really can't wait for more.

If you're worried about the grind, I would say that the grind is basically unnoticeable. There is a sort of weird RNG-mechanic (I think?) where even if you have all of the prerequisites for an event, you can still get a repeatable one you've already done. I don't know if this is random or if a specific day is required but not listed in the ingame walkthrough, but it does lead to you having too many trust points to ever feel like you're grinding for them.

If you're only here for the lewd scenes and nothing else, you might want to wait for more updates (This review was written at Ch. 2). I can't really critique the scenes themselves since I don't really have an opinion, but I can say that this game is (understandably) taking it pretty slow and, as a result, most of the scenes so far are teases.

Overall, great game and can't wait to play more!

A genuinely well-written game that draws clear inspiration from Lessons of Love, in the best of ways. The characters grow on you, and you start feeling like you want to see what happens next, rather than just skipping through for the H-Scenes. I'm super excited to see where this game goes!

Episode 1:
Pros:
- Diverse characters with very different personalities, to the point where you could probably easily tell who is talking from just the dialogue
- Intriguing story with interesting and well done darker themes as well as comedic points
- Really cute and well fleshed out characters
- Really good writing (in both H-scenes and normal scenes)
- Has a walkthrough system so you don't have to go randomly clicking to find anything (although there are some secrets that you need to go searching for if you want them)

Cons:
- None

Episode 2 Additions:
Pros:
- Character development and intrigue is perfectly paced
- Humour just keeps getting better and better
- Sparks exists

Cons:
- Currently, getting the outfits is a big grind (although the dev said that getting them all is really an end-game thing, so once the game is complete it wouldn't seem like a huge grind)

Notes:
- This was the first game that really grabbed me and I decided to become a Patron of, since I see so much potential

-Cute girls/Nice models.
-Dark topics/points spread around but not in a big concentration, at least so far but the story does touch allot of dark themes.
-A walkthrough system already in the game.
-Almost no grind for the main scenes and some grind for some extra imagens, but not much.
-A comedy sence that may not be for all but i personaly find it well delivered.
-Doesn't take long to give you it's feel.

The game may not be for everyone but i believe that it's worth to check it out as you can quickly get a sense of the writting. Due to the low score, at the time, i almost missed it and after deciding to give it a try purely because i liked the look of the models, i am happy that i played it.

I love the models on this game, but it would be good to have more personality on them, seem kinda empty at times...
The thingy with going on a empty room and wasting time was sad and annoying, hope it get better with time...
The idea of harem and kinda sandbox, seems clear to me here, I liked tho it needs to be worked on ...
Anyway, I hope it gets better and I wish good luck to the dev!