About the reviewer:
I’m playing or have played over 70 games a few of which have completed. When I first started playing these games (DmD was my first), I simply read the description and if it looked interesting I downloaded it and started blind. As you might imagine, while it worked out well for DmD, that strategy often proved unproductive. Then I stumbled on F95zone and my approach changed.
Now I read the reviews, search through the discussions seeking feed back and have walkthroughs available as a fallback. I generally don’t play games early in their development but I watch for new games and if their reviews are compelling from players whose opinion’s I respect I will play them early. Even if I don’t use a walkthrough, I’ll often skim it to get a better sense of the structure of the game to determine it I think I’ll enjoy playing it.
The Review: Acting Lessons by DrPinkCake
Version: 1.0.2
Time played: About 8 hours
Current progress: Played through to all endings
Mods: None
Cheats used: None
Walkthrough(s) used:None
Bugginess: - Clean game no exceptions encountered very smooth play
Observations:
Despite the negatives expressed in this review, I want to be clear that this VN is well worth your time to play. However if you’re looking for quick fap material this is not for you.
I played this VN (it’s not really a game) a couple of months ago. I wish I could give it two rating. One star and five stars. For an adult VN the general quality of the writing is well above average. The girls are attractive. The interaction in the story is engaging and draws you in. The sex scenes are adequate, but for the most part are ancillary to the story which is the central draw. Despite a few flaws, Liam provides a nice counter point to the tone of the MC. The renders are good. If not for the issues discussed below this is easily among the best VNs available here. Hence the strong desire to give it five stars.
Unfortunately this technically proficient story and the relationships that the characters build with the reader/player are base on a complete con job on the part of the author. As of the date of the review Acting lessons has 582 reviews, for a VN that had its final release on August 12, 2019 some 14 months ago. Whether positive or negative the vast majority of the reviewer express an intense reaction to this VN. A reflection of their response to the con job. It is the response to the con job that sets up the reader/player that provides the burning desire to give this a single star and only because zero stars is not an option.
The core of the con job is a complete spoiler to the story and is discussed in the flaws below. If you haven’t played yet or read a spoiler in other reviews you’ll want to play it before you do. I recommend that you play it cold without a walkthrough.
Flaws:
Liam:
Liam is presented as a terrific best friend to the MC. This is true in someways. He looks out for the MC and attempts to keep him grounded and self aware. At the same time he hides critical information from the MC for far too long and the stunt with the tattoo leaves the reader/player wondering if DrPinkCake has any real understanding of how close friends actually treat each other. The only reason that the MC allows the tattoo is the guilt he feels over Liam’s personal circumstances. No true friend would guilt you into such a stunt, and no tattoo artist would perform that tattoo without explicitly asking you if you wanted that tattooed on a visible part of your body.
The major flaw is a meta issue between the reader/player and the author. It is discussed in the following spoiler.
Summary:
Quality game. Depending on your reaction to the spoiler you’ll either love it, hate it, or if your seeking strictly fap material not care and be generally disappointed with the whole thing.
