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

I contemplated playing this game for a couple of months since the graphics in the header didn't really appeal to me that much. But I have to say that was an ungrounded reason. Once I opened the game and met the girls I immediately saw their appeal. This is both a popular game and a classic and with reason, to this day it is very good.

I was on the fence between 4 and 5 stars for a while but decided on 4 because of the ending. But if you like games with great characters that are more story driven than H scene driven you will probably like this one.

I played this one quite a while back, but i'm coming back now to review it.

This is quite a masterfully crafted game, it set the standard for every Ren'py VN out there, while also bringing PinkCake under the radar to being one of the best devs we've seen. (check his new project, Being a DIK, if you haven't already. It's even better than this one imo)

It's actually a pretty generic setting, you're a young adult, pretty well off, and start meeting all those girls you can surely fuck. What really brings this game to being one of the best, is the absolutely superb writing, and extremely likeable characters.

It also helps that unlike most games on this site, this is a fully finished and fleshed out story, with multiple routes and endings. Some people didn't enjoy the ending and i understand their reasons (i personally didn't mind it), but even if you don't like the ending, everything that leads up to that is a very enjoyable experience.

Overall, 9.5/10, a must-play for anyone mildly interested in a porn game with a pretty damn good story.

Acting Lessons reminds me of a boy building a sand castle on the beach.

He starts with a crude outline (introduction), then spends hours of buildup by creating beautifully shaped citadels (a decent slice-of-life story).

Finally, when everything seems perfect (one of the most believable setups of a love triangle), his play takes a turn for the worse:

Now he imagines all kinds of terrible things happening to his refined castle - a flood, a siege, the wrath of god (an overabundance of cheap drama) until his once beautiful œuvre is completely destroyed and levelled.

I like a good story and I have no problem with dramatic story twists (quite on the contrary) - as long as it's believable.

Unfortunately, at one point the writer of Acting Lessons started to follow the credo "The more (drama) the better", but that's not how a good story works.

There's only so much drama I can take before I simply stop caring about the characters and their mishaps.

It's too bad because Acting Lessons had the potential to become something unique - if only things had been toned down and kept somewhat realistic.

Meant to rate this game a long time ago, but I absolutely enjoyed the game.
The story kept me really interested and I really felt it when the twist hit.
Keep it up with the loveable sidekicks they're my favorite part of your games.

This was the first VN I played.. well, except Katawa Shoujo way back in the day, but that doesn't count, because just like Kelly in high school, it was everybody's first; in a time I didn't even know what a porn game was. But I digress. Acting Lessons is like playing a really good soap opera, not the cheesy Mexicans imported ones. It has everything in here: loads of drama, romance, comedy, friendship, plot twists, obstacles to overcome.. pain.. lots of pain.
Now, my second VN was Melody, another one that I deeply loved for a different reason actually, now by the time I finished playing Melody I was thrilled! "Are all these games like this?! What the hell took me so long to get into this?! What game next will blow my mind?" Then reality hit, not all these games are like that, so I've learned. I had beginners luck, I guess.
Now, Action Lessons is not short of its problems though. The game is way too rushed; the connections the character try to display on screen don't really have the time to set up properly, giving you a feeling of detachment.. it all feels like a really good showcase of the Dev ability for another game. Except for the friendship of the MC with his best friend, although over the top at times, that was well made.. maybe a bit too much, so much so, that since I didn't read anything about the game before playing, I thought, for a good chunk of the game, it was a coming out of the closet story.
TL;DR, the game is a great, you'll should play it.. you probably already did, the game is freaking popular, for the right reason.

This game is a god damn rollercoaster of feels. I came here for sexy times and got one of the best visual novels Ive ever played. I fucking teared up too.
I recommend this game for everyone that likes good written storys and doesnt mind that he plays this for the feels and not for the fapps.
Holy hell, I love Liam, he is the best friend that everybody needs in his life.

This game is really really good and I recommend playing it all the way through. I wouldn't play this game for its nudity though because it really isn't focused on that nor is it really done well anyway. There aren't a lot of h-scenes considering how long the game is. The animations are bland and they really are not that great. But!!!! the story makes up for that and keeps you hooked anyway.

The only thing I would say if you are just starting is that you really need to anchor down in the beginning. The game starts really slow and it will make you want to drop it. When games or tv shows are slow I tend to drop them unless I know they are gonna get better. Trust this one really picks up if you give it time.

Overall, a wonderful game that I highly recommend. The only reason I am only giving this four instead of five is due to the shoehorned choice introduced at the end. I neither want to spoil or write a lengthy, rambling review so I will stay concise. The story has an interesting twist, but shoves a particular "choice" in a cliche and frustrating way. This is only made even worse by the excellent writing and characterization prior to this. I completely understand the presence of this, but to say there are 22 endings, but no matter what the player does, they are forever reduced to this one immutable forced plot point/direction. A new game after completing it once and doing everything unde4r the sun doesn't seem to ever change this. The refusal to have even added 1 out of 22 possible endings without this confounds me. So after still rambling, this one point is really the only negative of this game (other than some poor animation), just a massively frustrating and confusing one to have no matter what.

Yet, despite this it is still a good game and highly recommended. So close to being one of the best on this site.

Positive Points:
+The story is simply amazing
+Different path/ending
+3D model
+Liam the real bro

Neutral Points:
*A bit more of sex scene would have been better

Negative Points:
-Animation

Conclusion:
Just for the story Acting Lessons deserve 5/5 stars. The game give you so much feel and emotion that it's a real pleasure to progress and replay the game to get all the ending. Finally a game with a real sidekick that is a bro and not an asshole, you're happy de build your relation with him and get reward for it. The only negative point is the poor quality of the animation but the scene are still pretty good. One of the best adult game I've played, I totally recommand it and the other game from DrPinkCake : Being a Dik.

Test done on version 1.0.2 (Complete game)

Best game i’ve played so far. From start to finish the game had me so hooked and invested I wasn’t thinking about routes and unlocking the lewd scenes anymore. 11/10 Might not be able to touch it a while after my first play through. Kudos to DPC for this masterpiece

Excellent game packed with humor and a dark twist. The story is good and the characters are fun to get to know. Can't say too much not to spoil the fun. Try it, you won't regret the time invested, for sure.

I never had a game story just f****** powerful ok the sex things are all good they ok but it was the story that really caught me because my main focus when I play the game was the main girl you meet and her friend and pretty much both of them fall in love with you and you fall in love with both of them but then later on you got to make a real jacked up decision and then his best friend has cancer I don't want thing the game was pretty good the story was extremely good excellent job pinkcake

After finishing the game, I have to say that except the last episode and it's really really odd discoveries, the story was almost perfect. Characters were well-written and hot.
One of the most notable things about the game was the black guy. Unlike most games, this black character was a real friend, and not a cheating bastard who bangs every girl in the story.

Man I swear I just wanted to fap, but I found myself attached to my ingame bestfriend, and I got so much feels for the story. Wanted to save both megan and melissa tho. I'd rate this an honest 9/10 cuz I just wanted to save both my girlfriends

One of a kind story. Not the average erotic game you can just get away with a hard on. I was so curious every moment how it's going to end, and the ending was not what I expected.
Exceptional story line. Looking forward for more stories from the author. Love their work.

Very good, immersive, sad experience. Started out not terribly impressive, but has some really heavy development. Not something you want to play for a happy wank. Truly excellent game, but will (probably) make you sad. Like many good works of art, actually.

For real! Highly recommended! This is so good. I just can't believe....in the end what a tragic story I hope being a dik doesn't end up like this....I can't get over it. I freaking love that one too. Anyway I will wait for more DrPinkCake to release some another good game, just like this one.

Amazing writing, characters, and story. I'm not ashamed to admit it made me cry the hardest I've cried in probably 5 years. I don't know if I have the strength to do more than one playthrough. Without spoilers, the game punishes the player really hard emotionally for trying a harem route. Tons of endings with meaningful decisions.

I saw this game recommended all over this site and thought I would give it a shot. I will say I was not disappointed in any way, this has one of the most well crafted stories I have ever played. It is heart warming and heart wrenching, I smiled and I cried and it left me thinking about what happened for a week after. I would highly recommend playing this but would also caution that if you are going through a rough point in life you may want to save this one to play later.

Don't read much about the game before playing. It's very easy to eat an unwanted spoiler. Believe me I did, people don't care much.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Just finished it. I liked it a lot don't get me wrong. There's not many games here where I actually read all the subtitles. It's just not the kind of game you expect to play in this genre, or at least not what I am used to. Even with that, one of the most complex stories I have seen here. It's just overly dramatic. Like it just bases the attraction of the story by basically shocking you with a bunch of unexpected sad things. Sometimes one after another which can get a bit ridiculous. Being used to the generic games here where you are just a chad fucking all that moves, this was very different and unexpected. As others have said, you definitely don't expect to play a game here that makes you so damn guilty of the slightest cheat. Like in order for it to have a happy ending, you have to reject a lot of the opportunities and that's weird in these kind of games.
It's different. It's good. It's one of the best novels here. A MUST PLAY.