[0.05]
Choosing a rating for Apocalust is one of my biggest challenges in life. Some of the best renders I've ever seen in porn alongside character designs that are all the way up my alley... How could it possibly go wrong? Let me count the ways.
First, the flow of the plot is all over the place. One scene, you're in a run of the mill incest simulator. The next, you're getting strange powers from an alien artifact. Then, you're helping your dad develop the next Viagra. These threads have so little overlap that you'll feel like you're randomly switching between several different porn movies. While later updates might generate some connective tissue in the story, there's still the problem that the discontinuity is already irreconcilable. You would think that acquiring supernatural abilities would completely upend the MC's life, but instead he wakes up the next morning and helps his
mom caretaker with the groceries like it was any other Sunday.
When it comes to gameplay, Apocalust gets downright insulting. You will be presented with the simple dialogue options you're accustomed to in any other visual novel. Sometimes, your decision will net you
+10 Lust Points. What are lust points? How many do you have? Can you cash them in for a reward? Nobody knows! It's possible that the developers are using them as a not-so-subtle hint that you picked the option that gets you more lewd scenes later on. But then, why does the completion of a scene net you +
50 Lust Points?
But there's also a point-and-click interface that shows up sometimes. It's refreshing that we are given the choice of how to make a sex scene progress. How would you like to massage Evelyn? Your choices are:
- Click her shoulder to massage her shoulders, or...
That's it. That is literally your only option. Why does this interface even exist?
Every time you see it, there is
only one way to move the scene forward. I could have just done that without the point-and-click interface, clicking to move the story forward like any other dialogue prompt. On top of that, the game has the audacity to put a hint notification in the corner, in case you needed help doing the
only action possible. Like I said, it's a bit insulting.
Deep down, Apocalust is a kinetic novel punching above its weight. While I'm not a fan of kinetic novels, at least they're honest about what they are and don't waste your time with the cruft. Bad gameplay is worse than no gameplay, and although Apolust's gameplay isn't exactly
bad, it is entirely unnecessary and, frankly, bewildering in its current form. I would encourage the developers to give serious consideration to what they actually want this game to be upon completion. On top of that, the script needs a major overhaul: Just make one central plotline (the supernatural powers seems like the obvious angle here) and make everything else orbit around that.
Although I've been extremely negative throughout this review, I do think you should give it a look if the screenshots interest you. The renders really do set a new standard for the industry. Even the "stills" are animated, so characters are visibly breathing, which does a lot to makes the "boring parts" come to life. Just don't get too attached. Treat Apocalust not like a game, but more like a high quality motion comic. Hopefully, it becomes something much better than that in the future.
