VN - Ren'Py - Artemis [v0.5.1] [digi.B]

The writing in this VN is TOP NOTCH! I have so far played through 5 times, choosing different routes each time. I have yet to see a point where the writing gets tripped up or falls flat. Like an ever expressive movie or novel that draws you in, it never lets go and has you riding a rollercoaster of emotions. In other words, IT'S FREAKING AWESOME! LOL

Plot 10/10

A sci-fi setting that may well become realistic in the not-too-distant future, if humanity proves intelligent enough not to destroy each other. The game is about attempts to create a higher form of AI with artificial self-awareness, capable not only of understanding and evoking emotions in those with whom it interacts, but also of having its own emotions, needs, beliefs, and possibly desires, as well as being aware of itself as a person.

We play as a talented programmer with his own psychological problems, which he tries to overcome. The game has good intrigue and quite interesting and non-boring dialogues. There's quite a bit of humor in the game, and the dialogues will make you laugh, or at least smile broadly at what's going on. There are some particularly emotional moments in Artemis where you can cry and it feels especially good if you play v 0.3.2 with full soundtrack. And after completing v0.3.2, I started playing 0.4.1. For full immersion, I recommend playing it that way.

Renders and animation 9/10

Graphics and animation are done at a very decent level, although in the first chapter and a little in the second chapter sometimes there were not very good renders. But this did not affect my impression of the whole game, because I know that this is a normal process when a developer in his 1st game learns new things and improves his skills from update to update.

Sound: 10/10
If you play v0.3.2 with uncut music first, and then continue to v0.4.1 with new soundtrack.

Summary:
This game is a real nugget and it rightfully holds a special place in the hearts of many players. I'm looking forward to the sequel to this emotional and intriguing story.

I would honestly put this up against any other game on this site. The characters are all unique and memorable, the MC has his own sense of humor, strong motivation and backstory. The world building is phenomenal, it's clear a lot of thought and love went into this conception.

I love it!!

WOW just WOW. As for 0.4 it is amazing, and the buildup has just begun? It may have some rough edges at certain points with MC and his ex in first chapter feeling like a drama porn but the story reeled me in right away nonetheless. You can relate to MC if you were a good guy who was screwed over by a lover with long history.
BUT Cassandra's motivation lacks a little for a main conflict driving the story forward. Is she really just a psychopatic-narcissistic bitch or is there more to it? I hope dev expands upon it because we saw glimpses of Cassandra's soft side from her perspective. Looks like dev will build upon Cassandra as a gray character, not just a black&white pure evil villain antagonist, so that we may end up reconciling or even as a LI for MC or not depending on choices? If not then I will feel conflicted, I don't know. I hope dev got a solid plot and conflicts for this gem. The reviews I'm seeing criticizing MC's personality generally for being too weak and too beta. I'm curious how the dev will expand upon this perspective, may even reconcile this. It is exciting to see in what direction this VN will evolve. It has a good potential right now.

Nearly everything is perfect. Only thing that I see as an good addition would be lewd SFX for the scenes. Would be a cherry on top. Other than that only thing dev has to do to succeed is keeping the plot tight, then this will be gold. You can't mess this up.

I really tried to like this because of the things I've heard of it. But unfortunately I think that made me just think more critically of it.

The MC is one of the most unrelatable ones I've come across so far. An absolute chad who is a godlike coder but somehow can't get a job? Okay

I could probably forgive that little pet peeve of mine if it wasn't for the absolutely horrendous renders in chapter one that look like they're made in 144p. This coupled with the extremely exaggerated facial expressions which makes it feel like the characters are constantly screaming at me made me quit the game early.

I can only hope that it gets better later on, but I won't be there to see it. Best of luck to the dev

Artemis is probably one of the most promising AVNs out there right now. The story is very intriguing, the characters are fun, and I hate Cassandra! She is one of the evilest people on the planet. At first, I wasn't really feeling the game since the renders were extremely dated but since Digi went back and reworked them, I have no more complaints.

v0.4.1a

Pleasantly surprised by this VN. The story & characters got me engaged pretty quick. So far i'd say this is kinda a story focused VN though certain plotlines make it feel more like a harem collector sex game. I'd probably rate this within my top 20 VNs.

Models and renders are top quality while animations are passable. Love the models of the various characters, they're my type and i'd say the designs are varied enough to cater to many preferences. The quality of the backgrounds and assets are at the higher end of the spectrum but obviously shared assets. Lewd scenes aren't the best but is good nonetheless though is pretty vanilla.

I don't usually talk about the music and sounds but hell i love the soundtrack in this VN. Fits the theme too. Dev did right with the various ambience sounds and so on.

Now for the characters, to be frank for now only a few have enough screentime for me draw a conclusion. For these characters, i feel devs did an excellent job with their backstory, personalities and character development, they are likeable, even the enemies. The remaining characters have potential with what little i've seen. I'm pretty certain the cast of love interests and supporting characters are one of the stronger points of this novel.

For the MC, he might be a hit or miss. He's cringe but a good guy and means well. Absolutely a doormat in a relationship. Hes also a horny bastard. One of several things that irks me is his self loathing, pitying attitude but throughout the VN, he is bettering himself and trying to step out of the shadow of his past. So when you're at the bottom, the only way is up. Hes also clingy in a way. He tries to distant himself but keeps on approaching everyone for therapy and assurance however is not willing to open up much. Its so pre-dominant in this VN its irritating. You know that 1 friend who goes around to everyone about his many problems but not willing to share them, keep it mysterious and shit, only commit minimal action after, totally lacking any conviction. I'm not trying to be sexist but he is the pussiest pussy in the relationship, basically the girl. I mean even a beta male is a more tolerable character than this man, i hate these classifications but seriously he is that frustrating of a character. How the hell a guy like this has a following of ladies is beyond me. Thank god he is not the emo teen type. And the final deal breaker, he is so annoying with his lame humour and cringy interactions(especially the romantic advances), sometimes theres choices to not be lame but you don't get points with the girls for it. I get that this is a journey of healing and re-emerging but man i wanna whip him to fucking man up. He is more vexing than the antagonist.

As for the narrative, love the setting and the storyline so far. Dev has a clear idea on what kind of story they want to craft, at least so far. Writing is probably one of the better ones out there. The conversations and interactions feel organic. Scenes critical to the storyline, are done proper, not bogged up with fillers and useless banters. What i dislike is, if you've read the above summary of the MC, too many scenes are focused on MC seeking out his friends for reassurance and confidence. Every little obstacle he bumps into, he'll revert to a helpless needy child to overcome it. Hopefully this is a harem, really liking the LIs but i highly doubt so. I do feel like the sorority/alumni plot gets in the way of the narrative, it feels like a wrench thrown into the works, trying to meld college theatrics into adulthood. I mean the VN had a good story going until this unexpected plot device, its not homogeneous. The tone and flow of the VN is similar to Leap of Faith, so if you're wondering why it feels familiar, thats why. I'm on the fence with this one, although i did enjoy LoF, i didn't quit like the awkward humor and interactions, it feels so try hard. Oh, and also this has some sandbox features, i hate them but so far its minimal and not that intrusive.

Highly recommend if you're looking for a good read or a balance of plot and lewd stuff.

Got to be the best VN I have ever read. Felt so intensely about the characters and story that I almost didn't care about NSFW scenes.
All the personalities feel fleshed out and the MC makes me truly care.
No less than a 9/10. Love it.

I never thought that I could replace 'Being A Dik' as my favorite with this VN. Clearly the best I ever played. I couldn't spot any drawbacks during my first playthrough (apart from bad lighting in the first episode, but from second episode it is great). It has some great LI's. The slow relationship building in this is so good. Also love the animations in it. So realistic (not the renders but the actions of the characters. ). And the BG score is great too. Also I feel disappointed of the lack of attention this VN has.
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Can't leave without mentioning LOF reference ❤. That was unexpected

TL/DR: Well crafted, well written, and well designed slow burn sci-fi. The MC looks great but the LI are not very attractive. Meta-plot is overall too predictable- but still nuanced enough to be enjoyable. Animations are nice- but descriptions of scene content are anemic.

Pros:
+All the tatted up characters is badass
+Some great moments of catharsis.
+End of chapter 4 was pretty climactic / an excellent cliff hanger
+Cass is a pretty good antagonist.
+There are some really nice slow burn relationship dynamics brewing. (Zelda, Dr. K, Kindra)
+Effects are nice. Music, camera pan, short narrative videos ect are all well done.
+Very good at mirroring earlier content later in the story.
+Distinct characters

Neutrals:
~MC kinda being a soft bitch in some ways, but a strong tough guy in others is pretty interesting. It sublimates the idea that a buff dude is always gonna be rocking an Alpha attitude, which is refreshing. The game goes out of its way a little too much to make him a bitch for my taste.
-Game-play factors are quite simple. You have love points on most characters and everything is tracked with flags. Dr.K also has a professionalism stat.
-Humor is generally pretty good, but the 4th wall breaking meme humor was pretty tasteless.

Cons:
-Not a big fan of the bulk of the game's sexual content being flashbacks / imaginary.
-The female character's body types are far too homogeneous.
-Some of the female characters faces look really fuckin' janky. (Naomi's face change is a thing of nightmares- she looked good chapter's 1 and 2 but now she looks like an alien wearing a human skin mask.)
-Game is far too predictable. You can basically see where all of the plot lines are headed.
-The scene content is really underwhelming. The game goes for all visual and almost no novel on them- so its just a bunch of short loops with very minimal description. Boring.
-Lots of overly libertine women.

Undeservedly high rating. Renders at the beginning of the game are of very poor quality. It's just a shame. The protagonist is an adult man who prefers to cry into his pillow instead of solving his problems. The story is delayed. Not interested. Boring.

Will update to a full review once the game gets finished.
So far a very fun game, great crossovers, great and diverse cast of characters, funny trivia.
Looking forward to the rest of the game and will support for sure.

This game feels more like a VN with porn elements than a porn game. The story and characters are written incredibly well and while a lot of tropes (all genius MC/friends) exist, it doesn't feel so far removed you can't enjoy them.

I was hesitant to try this game because I'm not a SCI-FI type of a guy and preview renders looked average. But once I started this game and played it for a hour I was hooked, its more than just renders. The story is so much fun and the characters is loveable and in Cassandras case dislikable.

Dialogues and overall humor is just brilliant and so funny. The jokes really hit and are straight comedy. What I really like is the small moments in the game where the characters just vibe of each other and just hang without need for lewds. Not many developers who have pulled this off.

Aiden is probably the best written MC across all VN. Hes goofy guy with a big heart even though he has been trough alot and you can take alot of positives from his "story".

This game looks great and has the best animations I've seen in any VN, they are long , realistic, and very smooth. Soundtrack fits the game and scenarios nicely.

Top 3 game on this site for sure, and highly recommend for anyone who wants a laugh and a great time.

Awesome! After playing through the current content (0.4) I'm stunned and speechless, absolutely fantastic work so far. I love the whole idea, characters and the making. And a S/O to special guest star Lexi <3

Pros: Really good graphics and music. Some animations exist as well. It's big and lot of effort certainly went into it.

Cons: I expected it to be something more. It is labeled as sci-fi but It's actually closer to a soap opera. Yes the action goes in 2040s or so but this world is generally the same as our world. Yes, the story involves building some android but most time you do unimportant chit-chat to some gals. As others said quite a few of them really don't matter in the story and work as some kind of filler. Oh, and the erotic scenes are quite rare.
So it's easy to lose interest as it happened to me.

The game is also quite heavy in GB and happens to hang on my computer while other ones don't.

What a game! I enjoyed every bit - great story, renders, characters, smoking hot girls, well written dialogue that feels natural, MC that isn't a loser, total creep and potatohead like in many other games, nice lewd scenes, great animations, great humor and.... did I say smoking hot girls?
Eagerly awaiting more and I'm happy to support on patreon!

A masterpiece in adult VN entertainment. This game just punches at a weight class above so many other titles, it feels like a labor of love.

Heartfelt story, vulnerable and hilarious MC. I love the mental images we get from his imagination, it really makes it feel like you're the main character even though they're established in the plot. A bevy of GORGEOUS women who are constantly walking around in hot fun outfits that aren't always perved out, but super sexy nonetheless. Some great animations, lots of visual storytelling. Could go on and on.

Also some great mental health awareness and acceptance that feels really poignant in this day and age.
Just a wild slightly futuristic romp that grabs you by the balls and the heartstrings and doesn't let go until you love all the characters and cum at the same time.

Eagerly awaiting any future updates. Give me more Reina, Kindra, June, Cass and ZELDAA.

I just finished chapter 4 and holy sheit that ending !!

Kindra best girl! But something tells me that's about to change ...

Must play 10/10

review for v0.4.1
One of my favorites games. Its a story driven VN with sex sprinkled through out.
I love the author's sense of humor.
The chemistry between the characters is top notch, it has a wide range of people in the story and they are all unique and interesting, making you care about them and want to see how they interact with each other.

Story: 4/5
Its centered around the MC's trauma due to getting screwed out of a company deal by his would be fiancé. But its not a huge dramatic focus on it, instead it shapes his interactions as he tries to live as best as he can with all the interactions he has with the others around him. The main story focuses on AI and robotics and his interactions with a female sorority. It makes for some funny scenarios

Art: 5/5
The models are all unique and great, and the environment is well made. Without spoiling anything, the main "objects" in the story are rendered absolutely beautifully

Sex scenes: 4/5
They're pretty good. animations are fluid, renders are pretty hot.

Sound: 5/5
Good sound utilization, Great bg music selection

overall id give this a 5. must play