Ren'Py - A House in the Rift [v0.7.14b1] [Zanith]

Update 1 8/22/2024 - 1 star
I've been waiting 4 years for this game to finish so I could replay it. It was pretty long when I reviewed it 5 years ago. Now it's so fucking ridiculously long I could NEVER justify putting any time into this title now. DEVS: END YOUR GAMES. DEVELOPING A GAME ENDLESSLY JUST MAKES A GAME WORSE AND WORSE.


Original Review 7/20/2020 - 5 Stars
I laughed, I loved, I lusted, I busted. 10/10, bustin makes me feel good.

Art: 8/10
Animation: 10/10
Sexiness: 9/10
Cuteness: 9/10
Story: 10/10
Characters: some 10/10, some 6/10
Duration: 5+ hours?


Im gonna stop rating shit, hopefully you catch my drift, shits good dawg

Didn't expect it in the first few minutes of gameplay but it's really good.
The choices are well made, remind of Mass Effect or even better.
The characters are lovely too and unlike some other games you can decide if you want to do it.

Probably the best harem game I have ever played.
For me the big point in its favor is that, unlike others game of its kind, you do not need to be always in the right place at the right time. Sure there are some little things you may miss but you're not skipping storylines by mistake.

The dialogue is interesting, the girls really compelling, the story keeps you going and the animation/art, while not top notch, is pretty damn good, particularly the animation.

The scenes with the girls feel alive, and there is a decent amount of depth in the choices you can make to get closer to a girl. Also not to be underestimated is the choice of ambients and girl's clothes, which, for me, was what put the cherry on top of the cake.

I'm really looking forward to continue playing the next releases.

Great characters, art and premise. The writing is superior to most other games, the animations are top notch, and seeing relationships evolve is very satisfying and fun. Easily one of, if not the most exciting game these days.

The world and story is so good I forgot all about the smutty content in my haste to drive the story forward! Well done!
Oh, and once I remembered the steamy content, that did not disappoint either. Highly recommended.

What is there o say, I'm new to this but i place it on the top of my list of 3 games like this played. Nice characters, nice animation, i would love a bit more of the story but it's in the development phase and it's incredible what it was given to us considering it still under development.
I can only wait for it now. I clearly recommend it eyes closed, go for it, go fourth.

A pretty phenomenal game with great characters, a unique premise and strong graphics. In a landscape of games dominated by samey ideas and repetitive characters (tip for future game devs, we simply do not need another family incest harem game. There are more than enough) this game stands as a truly original vision. Great game.

This game is in my top 5. I even read the dialogue. Combat is intuitive. Not grindy but not too simple or easy. Graphics are good and the girls are not clones or copies. Solid work. I would even say this would be a great game for players new to the point and click story genre.

Fantastic game, good writing, great scenes, high quality animations. There were points when the story was enriching enough to keep me wanting more story and forgetting about the porn. Can't wait for more.

Wow this was a surprise. In a time where all the Ren'Py submissions seem underdeveloped and stale, this submission is great! Zanith really put in a lot of thought and effort into the production of this game.

I hate extensive reading in these sexual visual novels - mostly because it's boring and gets in the way of me viewing the sexual content - but I went out of my way to read more in this one because it's immersive and just good. Usually the ridiculous settings and mechanics of the game make it feel unrealistic and like just another porn game, but this story is enjoyable. And Rae, the Succubus, is definitely the perfect companion to explain it all. For those interested in great stories in their Ren'Py games, it's there.

I found that the dialogue and responses for each option I chose stayed within character and really enhanced the story/atmosphere. The difference between the player's dialogue options were clear and you could always expect an appropriate response to whatever you chose. Furthermore, the options were never too obvious and condescendingly different by being polar opposites (ie. choose hug or slap grieving woman), but they were also never extremely similar (ie. choose hug or embrace). I really enjoy the characters, I'm invested in exploring every one of their sexual and dialogue options. Dialogue options are clear and the character responses always seemed appropriate; always a good interaction - positive or negative.

I don't know the exact science that goes into making models and settings for a game of this caliber, I can say that it's infinitely better that the trash Ren'Pys that screenshot some dolls from some Illusion game and slap them onto their games. The settings and character models that Zanith uses keeps a consistent looks to them - the house feels like an actual structure and the models are unique, consistent, and honestly just good. I wish I knew more about the artistic side of these games so that I can accurately compliment this game because I know they're great but I simply do not have the capacity to elaborate on them.

I haven't heard the music used in this game before (ie. doesn't sound like Kevin MacLeod). Some areas of the game fell silent, but almost always there's good background music playing to drown out the sound of fapping. And the selection of music on Zanith's part is good, great at setting a wide range of tones from sexy to wholesome. Good music, doesn't sound like free Kevin MacLeod music.

This was a surprise, about 4-6 animated sex scenes per sexual interaction (and a lot of interactions). Like what the actual fuck. I've seen many games where the creator makes 2 or 3 2-second loops of a sexual animation (if any) per update, or they use some Illusion engine and only change the settings; but Zanith is a perverted and determined freak. Motherf*cker really animated the elf ears moving up/down and forward/backward during sex, not just the usual bopping. Fellatio isn't just head bopping, it's like- like... For the love of all things perverted, please check out the animated sex scenes in Zanith's game; they're good and have some effort behind them.

I know a lot of people look at this statement as paid for or made by the creator, but if you can/want: Please support the creator, Zanith. I played this game for less than a day now and I can already tell that Zanith is a genuinely good creator, so much so that I spent an hour of my useless life writing this review.

Unbelievably great. One of the greatest animations i have ever seen + great characters, each unique and charismatic.
Story is great enough, lots of interesting references and unusual game mechanics.
Navigation is simple,inventory is simple. Very smooth and great interface.
That's how the great game must look like

great cast of girls, the scenes are nice. can take a while to go to the thick of the game but no matter to me. just needs more development and time, some of the stories haven't been 100% completed, but will still provide hours of fun. It's a good one.

Review:

Music: 8/10
The music is okay

Graphics: 10/10
The Graphics are on point & the animations are smooth af.

Storyline: 10/10
The whole story concept is kinda refreshing and interesting.

Gameplay: 9/10
Intuitive Navigation and not that much grind to get Items.

Characters: 9.5/10
The Characters have a 3-dimensional personality and are overall beautifully designed.


Overall:
9/10
This game is one of the top games on this site.

This game has an interesting story and a very refreshing approach on different things. It feels a little bit grindy but not so much, that it would bother. Characters are interesting as well and the renders and animations look beautiful so far. I will definitely keep an eye open for that game. Very good work, keep it up. This can be one of the top harem games in the future.

What a fantastic game! The characters, writing and story are fantastic, Caitlin is just so innocent/precious, Naomi made me enjoy gentle femdom, Azraesha gives off "Yennefer" vibes that make you crave for more hugs, kisses and "quality time" from her and you cant help but pity the misunderstood Lyriel.

Every character is well written and the pacing of their "routes" and the main story just blend in so well that you dont realise it without having to specifically follow the guided instructions in the phone.

I would give this game 6 stars if i could.

Excellent game.

Story 5/5
Animations 5/5 and 2/5 explained
Graphics 5/5
Characters 5/5
Personalities 5/5

This game has a solid, well written story, with a nice amount of choices. The women have great personalities, and each have their particular charms. This game is easy to follow, has plenty of things to do, many repeatable events, and even a walkthrough added into the game. The animations are well done and very smooth, although it pains me to admit, I'm not a fan of the constant camera movement .

Outside of that, this is easily a 5 star game and well worth a playthrough.

I don't know how i got to this game, BUT im glad I did. At first it was very short (one of the first releases) and i was like "I will try it and see if it is good or no". I must confess at first i didn't care about the plot only about the sex stuff, this feeling about this game quickly left and i played it again, now with actually reading what was going on, and OH BOY i wasn't disappointed at all.

Gameplay:

-> The art in this game is VERY good and animations are well done and smooth.
-> Each one of the girls is unique and they will quickly find a way to your heart, even without fucking.(Rae is still on top of scoreboard for obvious reasons )
-> Walkthrough was very good decision and it helped in many ways.
-> Adding map into game was very good too, as it helped with getting from one side of the house to another.
-> Overall the UI is quite simple and it's not distracting.
-> A plot in this game is unbelievable, main story line and even side story lines will pull you into playing this game for maybe hours without you even noticing. (Note for ZanithOne: Please make the dinner scene where Lyriel will join)
-> What i don't like about this game is waiting time before every update, it's not long but with game this good is hard to patiently wait.
-> I don't know what else i should say about this masterpiece.

Overall i recommend this game to every user on this site. And i hope one day i can donate to help ZanithOne in developing this game, until this time comes i will wait for next update and cheer for it. Keep up the VERY GOOD work Boss.
Also English isn't my native language so sorry for any mistakes i made while writing this.

Honestly, one of my top favorites of harem based games. Characters are interesting and funny and development between the MC are superb. I also love the interaction between the characters as well, as it adds more dimensions to the story.

Nothing bad that I can add to so far, literally played it for hours straight and didn't realise that time had flown by. Keep doing what you're doing. Can't wait for this to be finished!

I've been on this site for a while. Played through A LOT of trash games, excellent games and anything in between. But this game.. It Instantly rose to one of my top3 games to be excited about. Here's why:

Artstyle: It's nothing super special but refined. Very much so, scenes are great (good animations!) and the positions and tempo feel on point. The characters are hot. Like very. Not a big fan of the busty pirate but the rest. Gimme. (<3 Azraesha)

Story: Not like I would ever disregard a harem story with a diverse female cast. The whole magical side of it really gives the developer freedom in what and who to add. I approve. Pace of how everything unfolds feels natural and doesn't blueball you for ages.

Gameplay: Typical gameplay through H-scenes, choose what you like and watch it unfold. Great for one handed navigation. The developer even added a shortcut system to places which I highly appreciate (seriously, some games make you click way to much to reach places).

All in all I can't really criticize my experience with this game. I just hope for the future, things get a little more depraved as you grow stronger and well.. as always, not gonna say no to more girls. Especially well crafted ones as the current cast is.

Would highly recommend you check this game out. It's a good couple hours of gameplay and worth every minute. To the developer/developer team: Great quality work! Keep it up, you earned yourself a Patreon.

It's pretty good and one of the best Ren'py games out there. While it's still in early version (0.4.5 at the time of this writing) there's a pretty good amount of content already. The character models are hot, specially main girl (forgot her name, you know what who i'm talking about lol)
I usually not interested/mildly interested in dialouge in games, let's be real here, lot of you are here for... other reasons. However, House in the rift manages to structure it's dialouge amazingly well. While the other games makes dialouge extremly tedious with unnecessary dialouge that goes on for ages, House in the rift avoids that problem, making it extremly easy to read and that's one of it's biggest pros. Another thing is the animations. The animations in this game is a breath of fresh air, as a lot of renpy animations tend to be same trough all the game , and while it gets the job done, it feels extremely nice to see a game that has more focus on animations). The soundtrack choice is excellent. It's extremely moody and comfy. Very memorable as well, i can still hear the main tune of the game inside my head. It feels this game has more thought and character put into it and for that, it makes it one of the best renpy type games out there.
Hopefully, developer of the game does not get burnt out on this, I would love to see more)