Unity - A Long Journey [v0.9.4] [Marvellous Lunatic]

Key points: Renders are great, writing is slow(but actually good), characters are interesting and feel quite real. These three details are more than nearly every game you'll find on this site. It's good.
I have played the game on version 0.4.4 so I can't say what the release schedule is like or what has come before or after this update yet, but I finished everything and the feeling I was left with was "I want more".

Other positive that doesn't matter for as many people as a lot of people probably mute their game and just listen to music, but this game has music and while I'm not sure if it's royalty free music or actually made for the game, it all fits and it doesn't make me cringe so another point in favor of this game compared to so many others.

I like writing that takes its time but I can certainly see some people finding the writing too slow. Also as of 0.4.4 the game almost entirely follows a single relationship between two characters. There is clearly a ton to indicate the cast expanding in the future, but it has yet to do so. I really enjoy the relationship that is currently present but the lack of variety for now should be noted.

This is a must play for anyone who likes hard science fiction, believable characters, amazing renders and coherent plotlines.

I cannot overstate how great the screens are in this game, there are probably dozens of frames that you could probably print out and post on the wall as artwork. Even soundtrack, though repetitive is not grating and adds to the atmosphere rather well. Production value of this game is definitely 10/10.

Just play it already.

[v0.4.4] This is some seriously amazing stuff! It's already an improvement over its inspiration in my book. The relationship between MC and Selene grows so beautifully and organically, from cautious distrust to something much more intimate. Behind the love story, there is a brooding mystery about some shady guys who are holding Selene's little sister hostage and forcing Selene to assist MC into unlocking the colony ship's systems. To what end, we don't know yet, but judging from everything so far, I'm pretty sure it's going to be great

As of 4.4, I can say this: erotic but not (yet?) intensely sexual; the story is slow, but engaging; and the female lead is gorgeous. While seemingly rather early on in development, what's here so far is solid and I'm honestly surprised there are so few reviews.

If you're not just looking to honk your goose, give this a try.

Version: 0.4.3

As of now, the rendering (+2) is the only saving grace of this game.

The game has A LOT of driest dialogue (-1) between erotic content, it can make the most horniness boy on viagra lose his boner.
You can tell the developer want to take those dialogue serious, trying to make it feel real and rich. But in doing so, forgot what make a story exciting.
I know developer want player to get to know the characters, but it endup feel like a family therapy session rather than compelling storytelling.

Also, the screenplays are too simple and weak(-1).
The game start with very little setup, the overview on the thread does more introduction than the game.
After a short cutscene, player immediately been throw into the world, no introduce of the MC, no explaining of the situation, and MC just start to acting out, it feel like you just turn on the tv and caught a mid season finale of some long running tv show airing, its very dramatic, but you have never seen one episode of that show.
Now, you can identify those character’s emotions, because you're a normal human being, you can sympathies, but at the same time you're very “out of it”, because you don't have any connection with them, thoughts and prayer is the most you can do.
Furthermore, at the start MC acting like a whining bitch, is kinda annoying, I want to slap him long before someone in the game does it.
Put it simply, bad first impressions or weak protagonist make people harder to connect with the story.
If you don't have a strong introduction scene or initial plot, you need a strong character or atleast a interesting one to lead. And a strong/interesting character characteristics are best shown by action not by words.

Other than weak writing, the camera language or the direction are also very simplistic(-0.4). It's always two shot back and forth.
Now, I know good rendering are very expensive, you want put your money where your mouth is, this strategy works for a lot of low bugget VN games, but in this game, where there are loads of conversations, is make those scene very dull and boring.
Basically, I'm saying you can use some closeups or cutaways, maybe some B-roll footage to spice things up a little bit.
It's not a big deal if you have some hot action waiting for you, but as of now, there not much arousing behind those Sahara desert of conversations.

I feel a lot of conversations can be chop up into gameplay, let player pick the topic up during gameplay section, let the plot concentrate on more "action" oriented stuff. Give the player the agency to dictate the pacing.

So... TLDR
I played this game for an hour, my boner is gone, and I have nothing to do but to vent those frustrations.

Game has potentials: 2.6/5

PS: Pia in some scenes look like a zombie. Kinda a boner killer.

Version: 0.5.4

Story driven VN heavily styled in a realistic plot. A lot of story content (perhaps 1-2hr) with some great but few erotic moments.

STORY

• The writing seeks to tell a proper narrative and not use gimmicks to show sex scenes. The root of the writing puts into perspective the "human-ness" of it all as they propel in space.
• There's a lot of dialogue which focuses on developing the characters and other subtle beats that engage what is unfolding in the spaceship. If you read it sincerely there is a great story being told. Once deep in the progression, I had moments where I genuinely smiled, like when Selene (red head freckles chick) first rests her head on MC's shoulder in the observatory room, I felt that, after seeing her gradually soften up - when a girl does that you know they are comfortable and want comfort
• Characters' personalities and ideologies are justified as we get to know them which I consider a strong point in writing to do it so naturally and without necessarily any contradictions. Along with that, there are thought out discourses between the characters that are relevant and real to modern humanity.

VISUAL DESIGN

• The rendering is on the top list of what's out there imo specifically lighting and models' anatomy. My review won't do it justice as I'm trying to be as concise as possible.
• There's so much skin detailing done... from: veins, bodily hair, pores, wrinkles, moles, freckles, the patchiness and tone variation of skin, markings and blemishes, and wet surfaces. Body parts hold to realism as well; like the dick is not "humongously" disproportionate.
• The female models' bodies are beautifully constructed. The girls so far:
  • The only girl we get the most of for this version is the red head with freckles, Selene. Who I would say is not insanely gorgeous which I consider a good thing towards the realism but she definitely has her glow-ups time to time. I like the slim thick build you went for - very beautiful body especially her torso (ribs and navel). And originally, her cheek and nose freckles didn't go with her complexion but I see it was adjusted to match the forehead and neck freckles later on.
  • Pia, the bob cut thicc ex gf, we don't see much of but what we do see is pretty good stuff. Personally I find her the most gorgeous character so far (which there aren't many available right now). My criticism would be that her veins are too visible especially since she isn't pale (but maybe she has a condition or some sci-fi related shit).
• Considering the realism the game draws on, I find it mildly disappointing that the women are wearing make-up in a setting where they are either alone on a spaceship or in cryosleep.
• The map environments all look too similar so navigating it gets confusing without the Map - there's nothing to explore right now though (except some hidden unlockable pinups).
• Animation is fluid (except for some minor glitches where body part moves too fast (twitches) in the older game builds) and has adjustable realistic speed. By far some of the best animationyou will encounter in a VN
  • The only issue is in some animations the camera moves with the characters fucking which is distracting

INTERFACE & GAMEPLAY

• Simple and sleek UI with no lag.
• Manual vertical image scroll is neat.
• Character info customisation (changing names, relations, how other characters call each other etc) is great for personalising how you want to play the story.
• The sandbox mode intervals are useless right now since the game is only 3 Episodes in that areheavily focused on the characters' predicament and not about exploring.
  • There are zero story choices to make but the VN plays well as a kinetic one.
• There's a player menu of a bunch of cool features that don't get utilised much right now such as Character Profiles, Attributes, and Relationships. It's so useless that stats are null despite story progression.
  • This all seems like the dev having a desire or sum idea of making the VN have some more gameplay aspects but inadvertently telling a composed story instead thus making the game mechanics irrelevant... until it makes a shift which could make or break the game experience.
• Minigames are a good balance between fun and mildly challenging

SOUND

• Only music - composed of a minimalist style which fits the setting. However, the music doesn't always match the mood of the scenes [v0.5.4 did make some adjustments in this but newer scenes now suffer with the same issue].
• No sound effects and ambience - if implemented; would help lend itself to the realism of the game - specifically sex sounds would really liven up those scenes.

EROTIC CONTENT

• A majority of the content will come in the form of MC ogling Selene's ass and sometimes tits and his memories with his ex-gf.
• Other than that, sexual scenes come in increments where relevant to the plot and story which are usually very immersive and romantic but lacks sound and that pizazz called character.
• [v0.5.4 OBSERVATION]: the longer and more drawn out the sex scene the better

--


Overall the VN is great for a mature story with erotic moments where it would make sense. The story is coming along well.

(Reviewed at 0.4.2)

So, this is not a good game... by the standard of porn games here.

Yes, there is sex scenes but they are rare so far and not really at center stage. Instead this is a very story focused game. It'd be just as good without them. And boy... it is an original and well written story.

Some of the criticism is very valid. There is a lot of introspection and the day to day events are repetitive and longer and more detailed than they (seem to) need to be. Having said that, "A long journey" is a show piece of how good writing can carry a game. While it is true that the pace is slow and exposition could be tightened significantly, I love it the way it is. The interaction feel natural and real. I am invested in the characters and their thoughts.

This is a remarkably well made game. It is obvious a lot of thought has been put into it. Go play it (and support it if you can) for that. It's not just another college-step-bro-harem incel fever dream. I am very thankful for that.

Edit: Oh and minigames are fine. They are well integrated, short and easy to solve. No need for pearl clutching over it.

Definitely one of the better stories combined with renders out there. The relationship growth between the MC and one of the LI's is realistic, enjoyable and has a lovely pay off at the end of the last chapter.

This game is currently really, really good and has potential to become one of the best on here.

Game is fine but the use of minigames within is really annoying and stops the whole game from being fun, thus it only gets a 2 star rating, many people hate these minigames and it will hinder the Dev from getting as many readers with them, especially when they appear to be hard to solve

Fantastic all around. The art is amazing with all the characters looking appealing (in my opinion of course), the story is surprisingly engaging, and the dev does a lot of custom audio work into it as well. It seems like it truly is a passion project and as long as the developer can keep their interest, it has the potential to be the next big game.

What The FUCK is going on here?

I wonder how its even possible this game isnt crazy popular by now.

As far i played, it offers a very solid story. Not the casual "Step-Bro i am stuck" bullshit u find in so many games these days. Writing is fine and it seems fresh and interesting.

The visuals are easy better than 95% of the stuff you find on the F95. One can clearly see the dev is highly devoted to this project.

If you ask me ... try it out and support the dev if you like it! This game is my personal surprise of the year :-D

Absolutely incredible in every single way! The scale of the game in terms of areas you can free roam, the depth of character backstory and personalities is astounding! And best of all the character designs and animations are top notch! I was absolutely blown away!

I would like to first note that if you're looking for a quick fap this game is not the one for you. However, if you enjoy an engaging story line with great character development and lots of potential with occasional sex scenes that (are very well animated) then this is the one for you! Great job dev! I look forward to what you have in store for future developments!

Version Reviewed:
v0.3.0.

A very nice game, it's not Ren'Py but the Developer has done a great job making it act very similar to Ren'Py.

The story is engaging and the renders are top notch, especially the lighting. There is a mini game that I am pretty sure the Dev was inspired by the Mass Effect series which was a nice little touch. I am curious to see where the story goes. The story is certainly unique and original especially compared to a lot of other games.

I'm giving this 4/5 out of 5 stars but it's not a 5 star game IMO due to the quality of the writing, mainly 2 things:

1) The MC is a giant horndog, and is constantly ogling every woman. It's hard to take him seriously when every few dialogue lines we see his internalized thoughts about how sexy someone's ass is or how he wants to fuck them. I get that it's a porn game, but the story presents itself as an intriguing sand and grounded sci-fi plot. But then we have all these side comments by the MC that are honestly kinda juvenile and it cheapens it a bit. It happens way too frequently and is distracting from the story. Sure, build sexual tension and let the sex scenes happen, but I think it can be done better and with less juvenile writing.

2) Speaking of internalized dialogue, there is a lot of it. Most of it is the MC wondering to himself what to do next but I feel a lot of these thoughts could be slightly shortened or shown through actions rather than written out in such verbose detail. It's nice seeing his thought process but some of his thoughts are quite repetitive and can be inferred by the reader rather than written out.

Hopefully this feedback helps you and I will definitely be looking forward to the next version.

Top notch renders and all around visuals. Animations are fantastic and very fluid. The characters all look very interesting and unique. Engine is very fleshed out and the UI is really nice and clean. As for the story, it seems like a breath of fresh air as its not your generic VN story. Looking forward to the next updates and good luck.