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

Petal... An amazing name for an amazing girl, both in appearance and personality. Seriously, kudos to the dev ... it's like he brought the best daughter I could possibly think of to life... she's like sweetness overload, while simultaneously being a believable teenager girl with personality. The MC seems to be a well-thought-out character as well. Unlike most games, this game doesn't hold its punches - you get to see both sides of the relationship between petal and his father - both the affectionate and the sexual side. And the sexual buildup is intense. The dev knows exactly what he wants to portray and he's doing an incredible job at it. This game certainly wouldn't work you would replace father/daughter with landlord/tenant because the game doesn't shy away from the fact the MC loves Petal as a daughter first but yet wants to be physically close to her. This internal conflict is intense and that also contributes towards making this game interesting. Amazing job dev.

(Reviewed: Chapter 3)

A father-daughter incest story that commits the cardinal sin of being boring.

You join the story as the father and daughter begin a vacation together in a holiday cabin. They develop an attraction to each other, each discovers that the other feels the same, and progress through the familiar 'slow burn' progression of closer and closer intimacy that will, presumably, resolve with them fucking and then living together happily ever after.

It's a familiar formula, one that can and has been done well in many games, but here it is laid out so dryly and mechanically that there's nothing to hold your interest. There's no tension, sexual or otherwise. There's no chemistry between the characters and neither of them have any inner life to speak of. The father feels airlifted from the developer's previous game, and the daughter just sounds like the same person speaking in a higher-pitched voice.

With nothing at stake, you end up with soulless scenes that may as well have been generated in Daz alongside the graphics.

Father: Ah! Daughter! I see that you are scantily attired!
Daughter: Yes, father, I am. I also notice this has given you an erection.
Father: Men get erections when they are aroused by attractive women.
Daughter: I appreciate that you get aroused, even though you are my father.
Father: I am glad because even though you are my daughter, I get aroused. Let me make a bad joke, then hang a lampshade on how the joke was bad.
Daughter: That joke was not funny, but I laugh because you are my father and I love you. Shall I do something with your erection now?
Father: Yes, but not too much more than last time, or we will have nothing to progress to next time.

And scene, repeat.

The renders are well done, and it's not like it's a bad game (hence the three stars) but if you fast forward through the dialog and just watch the pretty pictures you'll not miss anything, and possibly end up better off than if you'd stopped to read.

Review Ch. 3

Although the basic setup of the game (father-daughter romance) has been done often before, I think this game may be one of the best of them, if not outright THE best.

Why? It is mainly due to the pacing of the story. The dev cleverly added a plot device of a father and daughter spending a week of vacation together in a cabin. Quite early on, there is some beginning romantic / sexual attraction between them and they agree to explore it, but by mutual agreement only up to a level which can be considered socially acceptable for a father-daughter couple (touching only non-sexual parts, only closed mouth kisses etc.). Of course that goes horribly wrong and in the chapter reviewed, things do get already quite steamy. But the plot device of being alone together for only one week does add urgency to the story.

The daughter is also quite adventurous and has her own desires and hang-ups. This makes for a nice atmosphere which I found not creepy at all, contrary to some other games in the same genre. Instead, the dialogue is excellent and fitting to the situation. The kinks and hang-ups of the daughter, and to a lesser extent the father, also break the standard "stairway to heaven". They do things at their own pace which I found to have a very natural feeling effect.

Compared to the dev's other games, this one has a much more serious and realistic setting, which I think works really well.

The renders are pretty good. Not groundbreaking good but nothing to complain about either. I found the animations pretty well done. One of the ones I really loved was the daughter breathing heavily after working out together. Details like that really enhance the realistic atmosphere in my opinion.

If I had to name one negative, the story feels a bit kinetic. There are choices, but I *think* they mainly influence certain scenes / fetishes and not the overall story. But I like the story and where it is going so I'm not really complaining.

This is a great game in all aspects . Renders , dialogues, model, setup all are top notch. The dev knows how to create tension and forge a hot scene. Hope this project is continued as most F-D good games are left unfinished. It is way better and mature than DOD or Parental Love and the contents are good for a V2. Thumbs up!!

Amazing VN so far (Ch 3), the slow burn will put off people that just want a quick release but I have to say it is one of the best written VN I have played in years.
Very refreshing to see a developer that has a clear goal and story in mind, there isn't a dozen side stories that will never see closure.
The renders are great and I am excited to see where the last 2 chapters will go.
Easy 5 stars, keep up the great work.

Review based on Chapter 3:

This VN is amazing, great pacing and build up, a non complicated story we have seen before but with some great characters that have unique and interesting personalities, gorgeous looking models and a good amount of content for being so early in development. I cant wait to see more of this one!! Only negative I could find was that I think the texture for Petals body seems a little low res, not in a way that it takes you out of the experience but enough so that you see it if you are looking for flaws. Still a 5/5 game.

This game is the next DmD.

Another great one by Lockheart..... the story is well written, has some interesting thoughts and feelings. The graphics are good, the amount of content per chapter is decent and with the story at about 60% seems to be going along nicely. Can't wait for the next installments and future games by the developer.

Interesting story and character development. Well written and easy to read so far. Great quality and clean renders. Definitely keeping an eye on this one. Here is to hoping this project makes it to completion!

Another hit by Lockheart. Petal is absolutely adorable and hot. Dad is just the right amount of horny.

I loved Avalon, and didn't mind the heavy story, but this is even more fun as it is much lighter and more playful.

The build up is amazing and incredibly hot! Pacing is just fine, we all know where we want to end up, but getting there this way makes it so much nicer.

The renders are super. Great lighting, posing and scenes. Really good eye for detail!

Just don't spoil it by adding side chicks just to give us perverts a fap scene, That trope has spoiled too many games already.

Bonus points for not going for a horse-cock like too many devs these days. (Sure, it's big but at least we don't have to worry about puncturing her stomach in the future).

Can't wait for the next episode!

Review for v2.02.2

I usually wait for a game to have several updates before giving it a go, but when I realized this little gem was from the creative team behind “Avalon” I couldn’t resist and had to give it a try. I am glad I did!

Just the set-up of the story: A winter vacation, in a remote cabbing (log mansion?), where the MC & LI are semi-isolated was intriguing, exciting & unique. I love the fact that there is a clear timeline (seven days) where something has to happen. I feel like there’s a clock ticking down, spurring on the story whilst allowing for the possibility for the story to continue if the Dev team wants it to.

The game is visually striking and beautiful, Petal is just adorable.

I love the roleplay games between the MC & LI, it’s playful, cute & charming.

Dialogue is refreshingly original, well thought out, funny, and immersive.

The teasing (which I didn’t think I’d enjoy) is so masterfully executed it leaves you yearning for more…rather than frustrated. Bravo!

In short, this game checks off all the boxes for me, some boxes I didn’t even know I had. I am happy and proud to financially support this Dev team and their continued progression of the game.

Currently reviewing up through Chapter 2. I've played many games on here and this is the first I felt compelled to write a review for. This review won't contain direct spoilers, but if you want to go in completely blind as to the experience, then it will spoil some of that 'feeling', as I am attempting to sell it.

This review is long, because that's my style. If it's TL;DR for you, then there are plenty of good reviews below this one (and likely will be more above) that are more succinct. I'm trying to give a full picture!

EDIT: I have now played through Avalon (one path), and can definitively say that this game is starting out much better. If you were a fan of Avalon (Dev's first game), you will love this, particularly if some of the Avalon attempts to be funny were hit and miss for you: the dialogue in this game is done much better. It is not nearly as "heavy" as Avalon, either. At least not as of the end of chapter 2.

I do want to be clear, this game will not appeal to everyone, but everything about it hit home for me. If I could give it 6 stars, I would, and I imagine on average it will sit comfortably around 4.25-4.5 stars because of a few stylistic choices the devs made. See below for a non-exhaustive list of these. But those that are looking for this style of game will absolutely love it, and the lower score will instead likely come from people who disagree with the style, not the actual quality.

This story tries to set itself apart from other F/D VNs and games by actually having a mature, intelligent daughter who knows what's going on. She is sexually inexperienced, not sexually oblivious, in other words.

The conversation in this game is witty, snarky, quirky, and cute. If there was a single strength this has over others of this genre, it would absolutely be the dialogue between the characters, and just how big their personalities are. A lot of love is going into the writing. It hasn't let up in chapter 2, either, it's still just as fresh and fun.

There are a few potential turn offs for certain users, though. As with anything in life, the dev(s) cannot please everyone. These are what I see people potentially complaining about:

• Slow Burn. This will be a longer work.
• Barbie Anime Eyes. Lockheart seems to do this for all his works, and it can be a huge turn off for people. I've always been attracted to beautiful eyes, so this hasn't been an issue for me.
• Romance. This isn't a quick fap. There is a sensual, romantic tone to the entire story, and while the sexy stuff is surely coming, that is not the main theme of the work. The sex will always come secondary to the story.
• Linear VN style story. It gives a few choices here and there, but so far they've had zero real impact on the story.
• Some dialogue will be seen as cheesy or expositional. The only reason I include this is that the story attempts to be very real, with cute dialogue and dramatic turns here and there. Because of that, the 'mistakes' will stick out a bit more than in a work you're not required to take as seriously.
• It seems to be strictly Male Dom, Fem Sub. Not in a heavy way, but the daughter definitely takes a submissive role, at least in the first 2 chapters, and I don't see that letting up unless it's done through "role play" in the story. To many this is a positive, but to some it will be a deterrent.

With that said, I'd also like to talk about the great aspects of this VN that should appeal to almost everyone:

• The music and sounds. There are a few sound effects that play ONCE to get your attention, and then there is very romanticized, soft music that plays in the background of most scenes. The music and SFX actually enhances the experience, rather than just being included so they can say they included "sound".
• The dialogue. I can't stress enough how well the personalities are written. Exposition exists but so far it's been kept mostly to a minimum.
• Petal (the daughter). She's adorable. Even if you disagree with the physical aspects (the anime eyes), I don't think anyone will complain about her personality. She's so damn cute.
• The renders. You can see that in the pic examples. It's not just the models, either, though, the background and objects are also rendered pretty well.
• A wide array of customizable fetishes. We haven't even gotten to the meat of the story, and the devs have already teased some fetishes in a VERY creative way (I won't spoil it).
• Customizable "titles" for each other. If you want her to call you "poo face" during sexy times (which is a different title than normal times), you can absolutely have her do that. And you can set up her 'sexy times' title as well.
  • My only complaint with this is that it'd be nice if the devs added a 'nickname' as well as a 'relationship title' for the MC. That way if you want to use "Father" for the relationship, you could also have her call you "Daddy" or whatever else when she's talking to you, rather than 'about' you. Or if you run with "Guardian" you can have her call you by name, instead of awkwardly calling you "Guardian" at times.
  • I personally had "Daddy" set as mine, and while it usually worked fine, she refers to "my Daddy" to someone a few times and it comes off awkward. I'd like to see her referring to me as "Dad" or "Father" and calling me "Daddy" instead.
  • It would require an extra tag to call out in the story (and some of the current dialogue tags would need to be modified), but overall I feel like it would be a huge addition to the story and wouldn't require much more programming. Lockheart if you read this: please consider adding this in!
    • From Xianne's Quirky Intro, changing it to (in bold): "Your name is [first name] [last name], Petal is your [relationship], you are her [MCRelationship], she calls you [title]..."
• It doesn't make you feel "icky" while playing it. This is the story that other F/D wincest games and VNs, I think, were trying to tell, but failed because the author lacked the creative juices to build a story that felt believable.
  • You're not banging a harem of supermodels behind your "she's definitely 18 years old I promise" daughter's back that magically happen to all be bisexual and turned on by your relationship with your daughter, while also being written as "the good guy" despite objectively being a creep at best, and a lying, cheating sexual predator at worst.

The buildup and feeling is more "We really, really, really, REALLY want to fuck each other's brains out because we're intensely attracted to each other, but that's fucked up because incest is bad. How far are we willing to go, while also being able to maintain a safe moral high ground if this all falls apart?" This game is truly "not like the other girls", so to speak.

And it's so refreshing. With a second chapter having been released that's just as good as the first, from an apparently trusted developer in Lockheart, I highly recommend giving this a try. If it's not for you, then it's not for you, but this story left a profound impact on me, and I wanted to share my experience in the hopes that someone on the fence reads this and decides to check it out.

Not sure how much the choices matter at this point but the story line and imagery are excellent and very provocative. Looking forward to seeing more. I hope that as the story develops we get to see more fetishes. Optional ones of course. Creampie, Water sports, pregnancy...etc.

Lovely game so far. Sweet, cute, wholesome. I loved Lockheart's other game Avalon and it seems this is going to fall into the same category. Awesome. Renders are great, writing is great, and Petal is just absolutely adorable. Can't wait for the future.

Great game.
As I posted in the thread somewhere:

I love the pacing in this game. It makes sense. He is nervous about it being inappropriate, but has really hard time controlling himself because he does see her as a woman more and more. She is mature enough and sure enough of herself to know what she wants and does take charge when she sees an opportunity to do that. Feels like she is far more in charge of the whole thing than he is as she feels less inhibited by the taboo and just wants to explore everything.
P.S. I am not a foot guy, but her toeskies really are adorable.

Click to expand...

The game just feels natural. Sorry that's the best description I can come up with at 4:30 in the morning.

I had her call me Daddy. Mommy seemed weird. Penis and all that. I want to play with Petal. Give me more Pet Play please! Give me spanking and BDSM. I LOVE the direction this game is taking. Hurry up and give me more! (BTW freeloaders I support this game and you should too.)

Its customizable unlike so many others, I find it interesting story. Wish it continues. Leaves me questioning are there more characters or disaster happens they excursion leaves them trapped?

Currently there only 2 characters and Story unfolds as progresses it paints a different picture.

Here I was thinking Rose was dead but I got further to end Hero and wife are separated because falling out love, and bored in bed which is proceeding to divorce.
Find out further Wife aka Rose likes rough sex/Rape fetish.

Hero/Rose's husband dislikes this fetish, it probably made wrench into marriage in first place. Doesn't excite him. He has force himself be mean. Which was unnatural of him.

To me makes me think Rose like revisit her first rape over and over again? Relives it by having rough sex with her husband? I think that just really out there I think she sodomized the relationship she wore the pants.

Great story so far, and from an author who knows how to tell a story, make hot scenes, and great characters. The MC is a failed comedian, but he is still funny IMO. Petal is a sexy little minx who knows how to get the MC's blood flowing. Can't wait for the next chapter!

The slow burn writing in this VN is fantastic, the premise is great, the visual model for Petal is just cartoony enough to bypass the uncanny window. Perfect.

Nothing is sexier than good banter and innuendo in a taboo setting, and this game has it in spades. The part where Petal is teasing the MC with pet-play talk, knowing full well that it is driving him up the wall... damn that was good. I hope that when Lockheart gets to the more explicit parts of the game he can keep that level of drawn out playfulness going. I would like to see Petal imply, suggest, cajole, and even beg for everything naughty and nasty to be done to her, and have it take a long, long time...
and then I hope she really pushes her limits and gets happily dominated, bound, punished, exposed, humiliated, etc ... and remains playful and cheerful and sassy throughout. Is that asking too much? Lol
Good luck with this one - it's a great start!

What an excellent beginning. Plenty of avenues to open up the relationship between the first two characters we met here. The Dev plans on introducing more girls, to give us a variety. The models are well done, and the dialog feels real. This game gives us a somewhat slow burn.
EDIT: Lockheart has a way of inhabiting these characters so well, it almost feels like this story isn't fiction. As with LH's previous VN, AVALON, I found myself tearing up during a scene--it felt so emotional and raw and beautiful. LH has hit another dimension here. There is such a fine art to making your characters believable and real and including sex. This Edit is for Ch. 3.

Excellent writing, really good content for a first release and the graphics are just top notch. I will sub to this. It was a really nice surprise.

I cannot wait to see how this one progresses. So much potential..