- Sep 20, 2018
- 3,184
- 13,283
I've played through the first two chapters, though there's still some content I haven't seen. Overall I liked it and definitely want to see more, but I have some concerns.
On the plus side, the dialog is nice, the models are pretty and the animations are very good. The music is familiar, but used to good effect. I like the transparent choice mechanics (though the outcomes can still be confusing, particularly the chance to switch to Photography 201) The cast has nice variation, both in physique and philosophy, and the characters feel pretty credible; BDSM isn't my thing, but Paloma's scene was actually kinda fun. I really enjoyed getting to know the girls (and Kevon), and I suspect I would be very amenable to watching the MC make his way through college with them. Above all else, I really like the way some of the girls play up the romantic angle, which is depressingly hard to find.
But on the minus side, it's really hard not to be distracted by the kidnapped girl plotline. The game puts that plotline front and center, but for the life of me I don't see a satisfying way to pay it off. If we end it quickly it feels like it was overdramatized; if we leave it running in the background it will eventually gut the fun of the college antics; even if we hit the theoretical sweet spot, I'm not convinced we could re-integrate the victim into the narrative without her effectively upstaging any other subplots. And while I like the choice mechanics, it's hard to avoid the metagame aspects if you happen to be aiming for one of the potential kidnap victims.
I don't want to overstate my concerns; as I said, I liked the game. But I do think this game is playing with fire (Acting Lessons pun unintended but inevitable). Since the sleepover with Natalie is one of my favorite AVN moments to date, it would be a tremendous shame if the game can't stick the landing.
So good luck, devs; you'll definitely need it!
On the plus side, the dialog is nice, the models are pretty and the animations are very good. The music is familiar, but used to good effect. I like the transparent choice mechanics (though the outcomes can still be confusing, particularly the chance to switch to Photography 201) The cast has nice variation, both in physique and philosophy, and the characters feel pretty credible; BDSM isn't my thing, but Paloma's scene was actually kinda fun. I really enjoyed getting to know the girls (and Kevon), and I suspect I would be very amenable to watching the MC make his way through college with them. Above all else, I really like the way some of the girls play up the romantic angle, which is depressingly hard to find.
But on the minus side, it's really hard not to be distracted by the kidnapped girl plotline. The game puts that plotline front and center, but for the life of me I don't see a satisfying way to pay it off. If we end it quickly it feels like it was overdramatized; if we leave it running in the background it will eventually gut the fun of the college antics; even if we hit the theoretical sweet spot, I'm not convinced we could re-integrate the victim into the narrative without her effectively upstaging any other subplots. And while I like the choice mechanics, it's hard to avoid the metagame aspects if you happen to be aiming for one of the potential kidnap victims.
I don't want to overstate my concerns; as I said, I liked the game. But I do think this game is playing with fire (Acting Lessons pun unintended but inevitable). Since the sleepover with Natalie is one of my favorite AVN moments to date, it would be a tremendous shame if the game can't stick the landing.
So good luck, devs; you'll definitely need it!
