VN - Ren'Py - Completed - A Petal Among Thorns [v6.0.2-RE] [Lockheart]

Rating as of Final version.

I may be too much nitpicky and this game is indeed worthy of a 5*. This game is made nearly to perfection and Petal is gorgeous, so I will focus as to why I didn't give it a 5* rather than praising it for its virtues, as this game is probably one of the best on its sub-genres out there.

I think the chapter 1 bothered me too much to let it pass. I don't think the dynamic and build-up specifically on ch1 really worked for me. I don't think there the sexual tension, or rather, the start of it all was convincing to me. To me, at the start, the relationship buildup and pacing didn't really work out.

As a game that tries to portray a man that tries to hold his ground at the start of this relationship and tries to hold his urges as best as he can and is constantly pushed to his limits by the counterpart, having him show sexual attraction to her way before she does and way before any sexual tension is built really made the entire ch1 pointless and weakened a lot of his restrained thoughts later in the chapter.
To me, even if he had these thoughts before all those interactions, all that buildup, the wiser decision would be to not make it explicit until after the tension is resolved way later in the story.

Again, this seems to be really nitpicky by me, but as I see it, if it were not for how freaking hot Petal is and how well written everything else was, I would've dropped it way before I could enjoy the entirety of the story.

I want to see developers like Lockheart, who's actually concerned about creating a well written story, thrive. And that's why I try to point out the weakest parts of a great game in hopes the dev sees it (which there's a lot of them that actually read the reviews) and take those advices to heart and then ponder whether they are useful or not.

This little game is an example for other games of how the relationship develops gradually, without being too stretched. The small drawback is that the animation is a bit refined. The graphics are good, the participants are very good, the story is excellent, the animation is above average.

My favourite VN on this website in the past few years. I really loved the writing and all the build-up. This within a nice story length, it didn't feel too long, nor too short. If anything, it did make me want more, but that's solved now with it's sequel. Nice renders and atmosphere as well.

A solid game. The model is excellent and the game is well written. It's definitely a slow burn, which I enjoy, but things escalated a little too quickly for me. It took a nice long time to get to "we shouldn't..." and then snowballed very quickly into "cool, let's do everything." The reason I knocked off a star is that I found the side story to be so dull that I sped through every single scene that wasn't just Petal and the MC in the cabin.

This was the first AVN I ever played and so far it still holds up as the best.
I prefer incest games so I am a little biased in favor of them, but the story alone is amazing. I prefer games where you actually become invested in the characters and in order to do that they need to gave relatively well developed and believable backstories and Lockheart does just that.

Other than the great story, this game has high quality visuals, with realistic yet sexy clothing (not the over the top laughably promiscuous outfits you sometimes see in other AVNs) which helps keep the fantasy feeling more believable.

The pacing might be a bit slow for some, but you spend the first day or two learning more about your daughter and flirting, but the payoff is SO with it. I really got attached to Petal.

O and I LOVE how you can pick exactly what your relationship is to each other AND most excitingly you get to choose what nicknames you have for each other while in private.

Another example of why F95 is great. I wouldn't have picked up this game if I hadn't read the reviews. And now it's shot up into one of my top ten faves - sweet and steamy at the same time, and the somewhat stylized characters (Petal and family) are hot as f...lowers. Great stuff - moving on to the next in 3..2..1..

Well I can wholeheartedly say that's one of the best little renpy games i've played. Just the right amount of realism to lewd shit, great GREAT writing character and story wise, got me emotional at parts and had me really not wanting it to end.

I'd give it a 9/10 and that purely just cos i wish it lasted longer. The degenerate writing of lewd scenes, the character writing for the main characters, god man.

Really enjoyed playing. There is very little in terms of choices (it's more 'do you want to see a scene' rather than 'chose your path') but the story is rather good. There are few minor issues I had a problem with (MC's reaction to Chuck's job offer, a lot of internal monologue, and the annoyinng 'people talking their ass off during sex' that just doesn't happen in real life) but I was rather positively pleased with it.

I hope the sequel will come soon.

By the way, the story in this game does end the moment MC reaches for the doorknob on the way home.

Wonderful character work from Lockheart on Petal. She's quite the stunner! PAT has a great story with a really nice pace that builds to a great finale. There's really nothing to complain about with this title! Definitely looking forward to the sequels.

I am pretty mad I typed out a review and then accidentally clicked outside of it and lost everything I typed

So ill just abbreviate the main thing I wanted to say
lines are pretty fairly amusing and cute and at few moments kinda meta in a roundabout way
love the very uninspired appearance of Good Guy Greg meme uncle Chuck having not seen anyone make an appearance like that in any game

It's a good game worth playing.

The one thing I don't understand, not only about ApaT, but also about most other incest themed games, why build your game on this fetish of having a forbidden relationship, and then immedately squander it all?
In the early part of this game - the game only covers a timespan of a few days - it's handled okay, the MC is convincingly reluctant, but Petal quickly is willing to go further and further, and in the end she even plays the "I've lusted after you for a long time" card. On top of that, there's the uncle Chuck character, further normalizing the idea of having incestuous relationships.
As the cherry on top, Petal immediately leaves the door to a harem scenario wide open.

I do get the reasoning on some level, but after seeing this play out in a very similar fashion in a multitude of games, I also can't help but roll my eyes a little bit.

End of rant, the rest of the game doesn't really leave much room for complaints, the renders are good, the character models appealing, the few and short) animations competently done, writing is good and not overly verbose and the entire game doesn't overstay it's welcome.
Well worth playing if you're into the theme, but don't expect novelty.

Overall I'm satisfied with my experience of A Petal Among Thorns. It was short but I highly recommend this game.

Renders:

The renders was solid throughout gameplay. Petal is an extremely attractive woman, nothing was oversized at all, her body fit perfectly with what I'm looking for.

Animations/Sound Music:

The animations wasn't over the top, I find certain a bit obnoxious when it comes to animations. I know it may sound weird but it's okay to dial it back sometimes. The sounds made all the difference to me, not only were the visuals of making love the Petal fantastic but her moans, her breaths, that got me going. The music fit the story, it was lighthearted and nothing too heavy.

Story:

I couldn't ask for anything more, there was romance which is my favorite genre around. And the taboo of a Daddy-Daughter affair was icing on the cake. This game should hopefully show other creators out there that you don't need 5-8 different women in a game for it so be fulfilling. Focus on character building, personalities, mannerisms and make it feel authentic like Lockheart just illustrated.

I was sad that it was completed... until I found out that there would be another game similar to this featuring Bliss, let's see if it has that same magic.

Review of complete version.

I don't review often, but this is definitely a VN that deserves it. If I already wasn't giving it to them, I would tell them to take my money.

TL;DR: It's a slow-burn novel with choices that leads to a great many rewards. The story is incredible, and the characters relatable. If you want a great, fresh story, then this is what you're looking for. If you're looking for a quick fap, I'd still recommend it, but you'll probably want to look elsewhere to get you're jollies off right away.

I decided to try this one while waiting for updates on other games (on and off this site). I usually go for more varied kinks than this game provides, but the build-up and depth of the characters kept me playing.

Petal is a believable character, and the MC (or her father, or whatever you want to call him) with his reluctance to enter into a taboo relationship is a breath of fresh air. He's not a horndog that wants to fuck everything he sees, but considers the impact of their relationship on her future, as well as her psyche. Not many developers can write characters like Lockheart can, giving them deep personalities, wants and needs, and most importantly, restraint.

Petal needs someone to recognize her beauty, attractiveness, and loneliness. The MC (dad, or whatever you choose) wants and needs to rebuild his relationship with is daughters, in this case Petal, as he is lonely and depressed after his year-long comedy tour and separation from his wife.

Both find comfort and love in each other, as well as the MC discovering that he may be able to salvage his marriage with support from Petal.

I know that my words can't do justice to his creation, so do yourself a favor and try the game.

Lockheart is one of those underdog developers that deserves more support than he currently receives, and I am proud to say that I am one of those supporters.

Give it a try, you won't be disappointed.

Very well written story with some nice animation not just in sex scenes. I love the pace of this story. It is certainly not too slow or too fast. The story only covers several days, that is , less than a week so thank you Lockheart for not making this a slow grind. The progression of the actors relationship is perfect. I rate this 5 star. The author promises a sequel (A Moment With Bliss) and it’s sure to include relationship with his other daughter(s) and hopefully his hot wife. Can't wait. In the meantime I am going to have to check out the authors other completed novel called "Avalon".

You've rented a cabin to spend a week of vacation with your daughter. It's a simple plot all about the interactions with your little dove.


Some bullet points:

• Good graphics
• Hot dirty talk
• Fluid animations

Some (minor?) criticisms
Perhaps because it tries to be semi-realistic, it felt like the daughter was way too relaxed about her sexual advances. That downplays the taboo a lot. On the other hand I liked that the dad wasn't just thinking with his dick and took some convincing before caving in.

Secondly, the daughter's eyes are unusually far apart. Imperfections can make characters feel more real, unique and - funnily enough - attractive. However her eyes just kept distracting me and not in a good way. If the sliders for eye size and space had been turned up a notch more she downright would've looked like an alien.


I recommend this to those looking for a father/daughter story.

Best Daddy-Daughter game in this site without a doubt.

There were tons of content and taboo during the game, but the thing that got me was writing. Especially the part where Petal was amazing.

We played a lot of D-D games in this site but in my opinion the most important thing about these games are dirty talk.We all know you start with a little peeking, 1-2 touches kisses, handjobs and blowjobs but this game offers you much more. She sometimes does things you dont expect, an example
Renders : 4.5/5
Writing : 5/5
Story : 4/5 ( classic incest, nothing more nothing less.)
Dirty Talk : 5/5

Thanks for this amazing game, keep up the good work, expecting the sequel to come soon

I just finished and my thoughts are "I want more!"

It was made clear that it'd be just a prequel to a bigger story and I appreciate that and truly look forward to the continuation, being hit with it at the start really helps cement it instead of just in the ending, as it tempers your expectations, that being said:

The game is amazing, relatively long and would even work as a standalone. You get fleshed out characters, side characters that don't feel like NPCs, emotional moments and the build up is well executed,.

while it might leave some wanting more of the "good stuff" I can almost guarantee it'll play a greater role in the followup as well as introducing us to most of those characters that'll play a part of it already, instead of going "oh whoopsie, these are people you haven't seen before but they're part of your group now!" which is a touch I truly appreciate

A well made game both visually and narratively and if you want a teaser build up with promise of more in the future, this is a definitive must-try

I appreciate the dev starts off letting us know this is only part 1 in a series of upcoming games/VNs for this related story arc. Then at the end the dev also clarifies this 'part 1' is basically a prologue to a larger part 2 project.

+ Great intro to the characters and story. I'm hooked and looking forward to the rest of the series once it's developed

+ Without spoiling things, I'm already rooting for the MC reconciling once back 'home'...you'll know what I mean when you play.

+ Just the right amount of erotic talk, teasing, and corruption. I didn't feel like it was rushed nor drawn out too long.

+ I definitely want to know what happened with Chuck and Rose.

OVERALL:
An engaging VN for story and eroticism.

The game is very well made, Petal is fantastic and all the teasing is very sexy and realistic.
Despite all the games of this kind, the team was able to be very original.
Looking forward to the sequels, keep up the good work!

Ok this is going to be a very quick review.

1. The game is extremely enjoyable the model of Petal is very nice indeed.
2. The game builds slowly but teases throughout and you are eager to want more.
3. Great writing (yeah there are a few cheesy lines) but the story is good.
4. I am really looking forward to seeing the next installment.

Thank you for an enjoyable game and I eagerly await part 2