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

This game has some really good writing, for a porn game. The plot is a little cliched but still keeps you hooked and the characters are great flaws and all. There is a bit of railroading the MC but that is to be expected.

Graphics are a bit dated and the animations stilted but its serviceable.

Music is fine if not a bit generic.

Overall a really great experience. Plus it has a beginning, middle and an ending! Imagine that an ending!

Was not expecting such a deep game, this isn't just a porn game but a artistic masterpiece, I have yet to play Being a DIK but I feel I must now, kudos to the author of this wonderful game.

When I play these games I usually go down the lust route rather than love - fuck as many girls as possible, which in this game I accomplished, and while I didn't really like Megan, the game is an emotional rollercoaster where for once your actions really do have consequences which makes you crazy.

At the time of my writing this, AL has a rating of 4.5 or so, and nearly 600 pages of discussion. I cannot for the life of me understand just why. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd chalk it up to BaDIK's influence, which admittedly had an impact on my own expectations from the outset, too.

See, I think one major problem with this VN is that it's just inconsistent/unfinished. You get these quintessential Telltale notifications to indicate major choices and consequences, and the dev even makes an admirable attempt at implementing some of your (minor) decisions. Up until a certain point where it's arbitrarily decided you do this but not that.

Just to illustrate what I mean:
Why does MC fall for Megan, despite my choosing every option to show otherwise? You get plenty of choices to shut the others down, but when it comes to MC's feelings for Megan, your options are either wishy-washy or do fuck-all. If MC's ex was a cheater, wouldn't it be logical for him to have an early option to put his foot down and say, frankly, he wants Melissa or Rena instead, no more lies. No, instead we are a complete pushover who waits until he really does become a cheater (you have to if you want the others and not the wallflower) because, ostensibly, he is mentally retarded.

Perfect example of this behaviour:
Midway through the story, you can get Melissa to confront you about the two of you (after your just having fucked Megan). You get a fucking flashback sequence of Melissa giving you unambiguous signs that she is fond of you. Your reaction: Wow, I held her hand, kissed her, had sex with her, saved her from an abusive stepfather, selflessly gave her best friend and herself food and shelter -- you mean to tell me all of those things meant something to her? :surprisedpikachu: Not even a hint of fucking irony in sight.

I've read somewhere on this site the dev is from Sweden, and I can well believe that, but I mean, fuck me running, why does he have to be so aggressively Swedish? I feel as if his idea of a romantically involved, albeit emotionally abused, man is a wee bit skewed. Perhaps I am unfair in equating the protagonist with the author -- after all, to his credit he didn't go for the low-hanging interracial cuckold fruit with Liam -- but I swear, if he intended that scene where you're cucked by your fiancée and a gay-looking Indian man to be a genuinely heart-wrenching moment, I don't think he succeeded. The real kicker was a reference to this scene in the last chapter. Your ex found your life as a crypto-rich homebody too dull, so she cheated on you to make you care and liven things up again. Your reaction at the time was to flee and feel betrayed. Your reaction in retrospect? Well, she was wrong but for the right reasons! There's just no winning in this fucking game, no suspension of disbelief, unless you're spiritually Swedish.

(The game gets an extra star for including Melissa because she's cute. I'd pull her out of a house fire any day.)

Even 4 years after completion, this game game still haunts me. Amazing game and was my first entry into the VN world. Wonderfully crafted story with a dash of romance, humor, and a choice so traumatizing it had me laying in bed for two days trying to process emotions I never though a "porn game" could make me feel.

Strange times we live in...

It's a fantastic game, together with Acting Lessons they are very good games.

From Acting Lessons I love his story, it is very moving.

You can tell from DrPinkCake the love he puts into his works. A five star.

A truly magnificent story, a well crafted game that shows that it was made with care and quality in mind. Expect to be in for some really good faps and also a very, very difficult decision that will leave you scared for life.

This game broke me
10/10 characterisation, believable, breathing people, god tier writing
It's almost 4 years old at time of writing but visuals still look quite good
heartbreak, trauma, romance, and twist after twist after twist
normally after I "finish" a game I go back and unlock everything
this might be the exception

Rena love <3

One of the few games I have enjoyed from begging to end, and actually been able to finish it.
The story is compelling and believable. The cast in general is great. It feels awesome that are some things just out of your reach and control.

I fully believe that DPC wants to inflict as much pain and suffering as possible on his readers. Acting Lessons is able to pull off an out-of-place plot twist pretty well and the story beforehand is great too. Liam and Melissa steal the show and honestly, I don't think this AVN would be as good without them. Hopefully Being a DIK is less painful...

Story: 8
Characters: 8
Emotional/Rational Character believability: 7.5
Style: 8
Renders: 8
Music: 7
Overall: 7.75

________________________________


Story:
Like I start every VN review so far: It requires suspension of disbelief to be enjoyed like it should be enjoyed.
The story is rather simple, but the simplicity doesn't take away anything from the game, rather focuses it really well. There are some mature elements to the story. And like in real life, sometimes life makes choices for us, choices that make or break us. Something a lot of people took issue with this game, expecting a fairy tale. The game does have balls.

Characters:
The character pool is rather small, but as stated before, it's focused.
Some girls are nice, some are rather forgettable. But the game has one of the best bros on this site in Liam.

Emotional/Rational Character believability:
Overall I'd say they are fine. Having being my first game of this type, and had nothing to compare it to then so I would've said great before, but having played different titles since then(including the authors new game), I can just summarize the characters here as fine. Liam being the best one.

Style:
The game's choice of character clothing, locales and so on is fine. Nothing too fancy, but serves the game well.

Renders:
Body proportions on some characters and their design looks like it's from a different game, but nothing to really be vocal about. Overall serviceable.

Music:
Disco dance track that blast from nowhere is the highlight.

Overall:
This was my first game of it's kind, that came recommended by someone who knew I like good stories, no matter the medium. Would be lying if I said that at first I wasn't a bit turned off by playing a "porn game", but I'm glad I did. Even tho Acting Lessons is a flawed title, I'll be forever grateful to it for opening the door for me to so many other great titles and a dope community.

Overall the game is more than decent, and "Being a DIK" is a clear evolution for the author.

Replay Value:
If you can swallow that pill again, sure, the other characters are interesting enough to warrant more runs.

Acting Lessons is a really good VN, though it handles the adult situations that you may not be prepared for. I am talking about physical abuse (not be your MC), death, and depression. If you are OK with these themes, then I think you will find this to be quite enjoyable. I do find "Being a DIK" to be superior in comparison, however. If you haven't played either, then I recommend trying that one first, unless you'd prefer playing a complete game instead.

Wow. What a rollercoaster of emotions this game was. I d never thought I will tear up when playing a porn game.
DrPinkCake is a story virtuoso. He is one of a kind and his games are always top, especially the story.
This one gets really dark at points, but it is a good story nonetheless.
I am glad he took a bit more lighter approach with his other game Being A DIK, because towards the end of Acting Lessons the mood to fap kinda eluded me. Still tho, a good game, great story. Animations are a bit rudimentary. You can see DrPinkCake was testing the waters and learning the ropes.
Definitely recommend this game, but be prepared for some dark twists.

Acting Lessons is a classic adult VN. I played it about a year ago, then jumped into the dev's newer game, but Acting Lessons is the one I think about more.

I prefer this to the dev's new game even though it is more linear and less interactive. The other game is too clunky and too frustrating to get into the story with all the sandbox elements.

As for this game, the story is very good and gets you invested quite quickly. If this game was a sandbox I don't think the dev could have nailed the story and characters this well.

Melissa in my opinion is one of the best love interests I've encountered in any AVN. The other LI's are good too. I would rank Rena as no 2.

It would be cool if more adult games were like this: where the story and characters take center stage and the adult scenes were added for realism ( where movies cut away, adult games show in full). Not the other way around, where the story is just tossed onto random porn sequences.

Yeah I pretty much checked out after the sadistic choice. Being forced to choose between two people you care about is a 'Josef Mengele special' and is not a recipe for a good time, at least to me.

It reminded me somewhat of some of the stunts pulled by DMs at the D&D table to force players into shitty situations that they didn't enjoy. If that was the objective, then yes it does score some audacity points.

It was a good story, and I found myself liking the characters a lot, but I don't think that heavy-handed gut-punch did anything to enhance the experience. I think it diminished it.

Still 4/5 though, cheers.

I was somewhat skeptical as i haven't fully adapted to 3D and still somewhat prefer 2D, but wow the story was actually really impressive and good, at least the ending i got was really emotional, the others are still good don't you worry, i have to give this a 5 Star because story for me beats graphics/programming.

I'm late to the party on this, but holy shit. I was expecting a good time, but didn't expect a great story, the build up was very unpredictable and I thought some actions will have consequences, but didn't expect nearly most of it have consequences. the moments in the story were intense and make me worry on what will happen. 5/5 great game

Writing: 8/10
Imagery: 9/10
Kinks: The story is compelling enough for me to ignore whether there's kinks or not
Overall: 8.5/10

One of the first AVN/Renpy's games that I've played, apologies that I took this long to give a rating. Anyway, straight to the review, I love that this game unlike most VNs where the choices don't matter whether it's mostly cum inside or outside, this game's choices matter and it affects/impacts future storyline. I actually have several playthroughs just to see the different endings that each character ends up with. My first playthrough is Rena, then Melissa and Megan (even though she's the main girl), then Ana etc. It really makes you feel for each character, especially Liam (what a great bro), though I don't like how they force you to choose between Rena and Liam during the camp story arc. Long story short, it was a great game and still is, even after 4 yrs since the game was released. Will always have a special place in my heart since it's one of the first AVNs that I played and sets a high VN standard for me that future VN games aren't able to easily reach. Again, love the pregnancy but no scene, would give 9/10 if there's one.

It's been a while since a VN evoked such powerful emotions.
There maybe some weak sides of Acting Lessons but story is surely not one of them. It is good, it gets you emotionally attached to the characters and you start to feel the real sadness/anger/happiness (depending on the actions you take). I have never seen a game focus so hard on consequences of even small actions and it makes you ponder whether something small you did IRL might actually affected your life at large.
Definitely one of the top VNs ever created.

One of my Fave Five. The story is unexpected and sad. Very human and complex characters. Despite knowing what's coming I've still played it a few times. Life isn't all about the physical gratification all the time. Sometimes the feels gotta feel too...

One of the true classic of AVNs.

The story is deep, and disturbing.

This game will more than like fuck your mind up, which in the avn market, is a pretty rare feat.

I can only recommend this one.
The story is one of a kind, renders are a bit dated, but considering the age of the game, this can't be held against it.