VN - Ren'Py - Completed - Acting Lessons [v1.0.2] [DrPinkCake]

This is going to be a short review. I usually look for story rich games that has sandbox, point &click, multiple ending elements and to think i have not played this game for so long made me feel like an idiot.

The story just took me for a ride, punched in the gut ,kicked in the balls, Strangled my throat. Still it makes me wanna replay it to see what else is in the pot that is brewing. rendering and animation is high quality and the UI is smooth enough. Characters are especially well written.

I did see a few plot holes in the ending that questioned the connection to the other title.

Nevertheless

Truly a well made game. expected nothing less from the creator of being a DIK.

Played it a long time ago, probably the first Ren'Py game I truly loved. Replayed it to write a review.

I will keep it short since everyone and their mothers have reviewed this game already, and try to be specific about what spoke to me about the game.

Numerous people have tried to make a game in a realistic setting, with realistic characters. How many times do games try to convey real-life anxiety towards the future or the happiness of small successes in life, and just comes off as corny, ingenuine or unrealistic? Worries and aspirations, happiness or sadness, maybe it doesn't hit the perfect note every single time, but acting lessons makes most of it feel very genuine and realistic. It has truly tug on my heartstrings and it made me want to root for the characters.

Whether if you are looking to experience some honest and natural emotions, within an engaging story surrounded by realistic characters; or you are just tired of games with over the top, smack in the face themes and stories. Play this game already, it is a classic for a reason.

Acting Lessons Review

Not Actual Lessons
Dr. PinkCake’s games have a reputation for possessing an amazing storyline & actually good visuals. He has released two games up till now. I have reviewed both the games.
Now, let’s jump into the review!

Storyline
VNs put a lot of emphasis on the game’s plot. As I stated in my previous VN reviews, minimal gameplay mechanics exist. Dr. PinkCake makes amazing storylines for his games. If I am right, this was his first game on Steam through which he gained a lot of popularity. You get to name the main character (His default name is Jonas Redfield). This allows you to be the main character of the game!

The game’s plot goes something like this:
Could a regular guy who moves to a new town discover a lot of new excitement in his life? To move on from his problematic past and if he’s lucky enough, maybe even find the love of his life? The main character, through whose eyes we see the story, is about to meet a slew of new people and experience a slew of new events. Some were good, even amazing, while others may have left him with mental scars for the rest of his life.

The storyline spans for about 6 to 6.5 hours. If I am right, there are 10 endings. This means that your choices have a huge impact throughout the gameplay. It also adds a lot of replayability to the game since you can try the other choices to get the other endings!

Why is the story worth the trouble? It’s not an all-out sexual experience. There are a lot of emotions & drama involved. Variety exists in the game’s mood. People would come to this game for the NSFW Sexual content but I am sure they will stay for the story. Be careful, you might get emotionally attached to a character! Oh, this is a must-play if you are ever planning to play Being a DIK!

Gameplay Mechanics
There isn't much gameplay content in this apart from the player getting to choose dialogue options & other choice-making moments. Basically, the usual VN elements. Nothing unique in this segment unlike Being a DIK which has a lot of mini-games! Probably the shortest gameplay segment in all of my reviews lol.

Visuals & Audio
Apart from the storyline, the visuals & audios play a vital role in VN games. Yes, Acting Lessons has amazing visuals. The character models are properly detailed & the animations are flawless. I’ve not experienced any of the characters clipping through other characters or objects. Many other VNs have this issue which kills the game’s mood.

The soundtracks they use are vibe-worthy. I wish they added voiceovers for the game’s dialogues. It would’ve added a lot of life to the game. All-in-all, the game has amazing visual & audio design.

• A storyline filled with a lot of emotions apart from sexual content. A single playthrough takes around 6-6.5 hours.
• It has a high replayability rate since the game has 10 endings.
• The character models & animations are amazing.
• The soundtrack selection adds a lot of life to the game.

• Yep, you guessed it! This game is flawless in my books. I faced no issues throughout my gameplay. Your gameplay experience may vary.

Conclusion
The reviews on the game’s page don’t lie. This game doesn’t have overwhelmingly positive reviews for no reason. I highly recommend playing this game & then playing Being a DIK! It is surely worth the full price but you can buy it during a sale to save some money.

Rating: 5/5
(I would rate it 6/5)

honestly fantastic and one of the classic VN's, sometimes a little frustrating because it feels like you are forced down paths even when you are actively trying to go down them just due to plot line progression. decent game regardless

Good pacing and character building ruined by abrupt ending in trolley problem.

It's probably a bit unfair to rate the game based on the standards of six years after release, so I don't factor in the quality of graphics and animations.

Positives include the portrayal of the sidekick Liam and the fluent pacing of the storyline. I also liked that "rejecting" certain LIs did not make them magically lose their affection for the MC and eliminate them from the story.

On the negative side, this story ends very abruptly in a trolley problem that's supposed to be dramatic and meaningful, but it's just lazy storytelling. For this reason alone I'd advice to stay away from playing this game, even if some consider it a classic. (And, yes, the animations are hard to watch by 2024 standards.)

Simply the best adult game I've ever played. The character designs are perfectly balanced, present to satisfy all tastes, and in their diversity and realism make the experience all the more majestic. PLEASE take notes developers. This is how you make characters. Just look at the differences between all of them.

The story is particularly gripping, interesting and full of humanity. The pace of the dialogue is well balanced, so you'll never get bored of the game. Truly, this game has reached a level of quality that should inspire all developers. There are interesting stakes, situations that sometimes remind us of our own lives and make us feel a bit like we're in a TV series. I really loved this game. Thank you for everything.

A masterful work that transcends the universe of video games.

Video games aren't your thing, but do you like movies? It is an excellent movie or series that could well be broadcast on any streaming network.
It's true, unlike a movie, you have many decisions to make, which they say determine the endings.

By chance I found a gem for a few that everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy.
A masterpiece in which sex ends up being anecdotal. And look, I like sex!

Chapeau!!!

This is a true classic! Good story, good pacing, good graphics, excellent humor, well written, with some emotional roller coasters, and choices that have consequences - simply a must-play. What a pity that it takes so long to develop a good game.

thanks for creating this game

pozitiv:
-very good humor
-user friendly
-good grapic
-very good and interesting story
-eazy to understand the dialogs
-good choices
-cake rating
-great and emontional ending

negativ:
-hard to feel yourself as mc
-can be depressing

I've never contemplated my choices in these types of games before, always went in with the mindset to just see as many scenes with as many girls as I could, but this totally turned that over its head by making me face actually appropriate consequences for my actions all while throwing some crazy dark curveballs around the end.
Super impressive how impactful this was despite being such a short experience. I genuinely don't feel ready to replay this to see any other endings.

Acting Lessons [v1.0.2]

Pros:
+ Completed game

Cons:
- Choices don't truly matter
- Fairly linear story


I came in with high expectations, which was a mistake on my part. The plot twist wasn't that shocking and a certain unavoidable event felt more annoying than tragic or sad, mainly because of my inability to care about or connect to most of the characters.

The game isn't for everyone and feels a little outdated at this point. There are plenty of people out there that enjoyed it though, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Overall Rating: 5/10

Just a short review.

Well, I've played this game more than a year ago and I almost forgot to write a review about it. Truth to be told, I haven't been able to finish it yet because the bad things people said about the story. Here's the reason...

If you like watching Fargo (both movie and TV series), I think you'd love this game. Definitely inspired heavily from that show. I really love Fargo, but to be honest I don't think I'm gonna enjoy something similar in the shape of an AVN, especially with multiple choices that could've prevented the whole story to happen.

Personally, I would give this game 3 out of 5, but overall I give it 4 stars.

Really good game with beautiful renderings and a fun and touching storyline! I thoroughly enjoyed the journey, but the finale was absolutely gut-wrenching! Really enjoyed the way this game tugs at your heartstrings and while it makes me want to tug something else!

After i finish this game, i write this review based on thinking that i play this game for the story. Character, Developments, sex scene and Point/RP system is GREAT.

I like the story at the start, but it fell off because of the abruption of conflict and it always give or take choice which make me question alot. Then it becomes spiral of conflict but the ending cant really do any of the character justice other than bros Liam.

Feels like more of a closure for the ending instead of fulfilment for the whole game with great characters. Kinda sad about it.

Everyone who loves DPC's newest game loves this game as well, even if it is more serious in tone when BAD is supposed to be more light-hearted in comparison.

A detriment to this game is the quality of the lewd scenes and renders, but the story more than makes up for it especially when you consider this game was released a while ago and while the dev was still inexperienced.

Only play this if you are ready to deal with such topics and expect more than just a porn game.

Pretty good game with good cg and a decent story. However its extremely linear for some of the major plotlines and I feel cheated for trying multiple times to get a different end result. The choices lead to more sex scene but the story is largely unaffected. Makes the choices feel a bit meaningless in the grander plot.

5/5 for me because the story and feeling I get from this game.. I like my feelings being carry away.. in happy laugh, sad, tears, and anxiety.. I love it all.. it's mean the creator it's doing good job with the story.. and I hope BaDIK have an good ending.. and btw I think this game can be call it happy ending.

An amazing game that first showed me how emotionally powerful these adult games can be.

"Came for the sex, stayed for the emotionally rich stories".

It was especially nice that this story didn't contain anything supernatural, and that the other guy(s) in the story aren't shitty in some way. I might argue that the best story in the game is between the protagonist and his best (guy) friend.

I found the big-turning-point-but-not-quite-ending-but-still-a-surprise-twist to be a little lacking in hindsight, but everything else is so well done this game definitely deserves 5 stars.

Treat yourself... and be ready for some serious emotions.

I really enjoyed Acting Lessons a lot. The great immersive story, plot twist, great character design and development. The plot twist really caught me off guard, you will not be prepared. Acting Lessons also has one of the best bros that everyone could hope for. There's also a very nice message at the end of the game. Sure there are places that can be improved on, but overall it is definitely a very enjoyable experience. Played through this game 3 times to check out the different endings for the 3 main LI's, and I loved each of the endings, with Rena's being my personal favourite. Would've been nice if there is an ending with both Megan and Melissa tho.

Pros:
-Immersive story
-Plot twist
-Great Renders
-Good character development
-Some pretty nice bgm

Cons:
-Can be pretty depressing
-Below average H scenes
-MC seems to always drift towards Megan's love
-Close up scenes on the faces can be creepy at times
-No ending with Meg & Mel

Gameplay:
Visual Novel with variations paths
The game is centered on a story where you will have to make choices that will slightly or strongly affect the ending. The principle is that you have to immerse yourself in the story, so don't think too much what is the best choice to unlock stuff, choose what you feel right (it's really important). You can replay to explore other paths.

Story:
This is a good story, about relationships, with a huge dramatic twist. I really like the writing, and the way it lets you some kind of choice for the MC (limited to the MC perspective). Which have consequences... But also, stuff are also unavoidable. There is humour also and characters are touching with depth. So, big up.

Graphics/Animation:
This is a 2018 game, and the graphics are really good but may feel out of date today. Yet I don't think so. Just animations are a bit more simple.

Sound
Well, not much to say. Music is there and works for the ambiance of the scenes, but not much sound effects.

Overall impression:
I wasn't prepared for the crazy twist.You may play the game like others porn games to get the lewd scenes like trophies, but you'll get fooled. DrPinkCake is playing with your emotions, and make choices more heavy than other VNs. So, 5 stars for this experience.