Others - Completed - Artificial Academy 2 [Mini 12.7] [Illusion]

  1. 5.00 star(s)

    bloodbirthe

    This is one of my top 5 favorite H-games. Whether or not *you* will like it depends entirely on how willing you are to engage with a true sandbox type game.

    Unlike most games on this site (which are misappropriately given the sandbox tag, due to them giving the player a paltry selection of choices in an otherwise scripted experience), this game is a true sandbox, in that it expects you to build a story almost entirely within your own head. As for tools, the game gives you to use:
    1. its detailed character creation software, complete with highly customizable personalities.
    2. its academy gameplay portion, which serves as a light narrative framework for whatever story you choose to invent.
    That framework is focused on the academic escapades of up to 24 students (and one teacher) at a Japanese school. If controlling the salacious affairs of fictional students doesn't sound appealing to you, then obviously this game isn’t for you. But most anime fans are probably the type to eat this shit up.

    Before going on, the obvious issue that most people have with this game is with modding it. Of course, you can still play it in its vanilla form (almost) but the mods add such significant graphical improvements and content additions that I’d describe them as essential. That's right, if you want to play this game, you should take the time to READ THE INSTRUCTIONS and follow every last detail of the Modern Installation Guide. I’m not saying you need to install every mod or texture pack, of course. If you don't give a shit about your character’s eye textures or mouth color, then obviously you shouldn't worry about adding those files to your game. But you should appreciate that these are things you can easily mod if you feel like it. The modding community for this game didn't document and explain every little change they made, but they did successfully add a lot of new ways to tweak characters and make them more unique, so I think it’s true that they've done great work.

    If you don't feel like getting creative with any of the finer details, then this game comes with a whole class of premade characters that you can try out before even opening the editor. If you’re a new player, then I’d recommend doing just that. Experiment with the defaults before trying anything else. Then, you will have a better idea of which things are useful to change. It is necessary to experiment, if you want a rewarding experience.

    Now, when I think of this game’s unique appeal, I think of its roleplaying and relationship management aspects. What many people don't understand about sandbox games like this, is that even though it's possible to make yourself a god who succeeds in every interaction (there are even in game settings to do so), there is more entertainment value in failure and self imposed constraints. If one of your classmates is in a bad mood and tells you to fuck off, then you should color in the details (in your own mind) of exactly why they're mad, and imagine what your character would realistically do next. If you play out the game while tracking the triumphs and failures of your class of students, imagining and roleplaying reasons for their changes in grades, rivalries, and romances, then the H content in this game will become much more meaningful.

    It's worth noting that the LLDH system is not perfect. It’s still difficult to have relationships develop organically, and choosing how to interact with NPCs is hardly distinguishable from deliberately manipulating the system. The biggest flaw of all is that once you’ve got a character in a relationship, there’s not much else to do with them. The game becomes stale, so you’re probably going to either start on a new character, or have their relationship fall apart.

    I really wish there were more ways to keep relationships interesting after having sex. Illusion has tried introducing item collection, and even crafting, to games like AI Shoujo and Koikatsu, but I feel like that is an inadequate solution to the problem of wanting further depth in a relationship. Personally, I wish they tried expanding their LLDH system to one that incorporated 16, or even 20 axes, instead of just 4. Imagine if there was a special axis for friends who only spend their time studying together, with unique dialogue to match. For relationship partners, you could have a unique point system for taciturn relationships, and a separate point system for clingy or sex focused ones. Illusion could also have incorporated more group actions, potentially leading to character statuses like being a third wheel. There are many ways to develop characters and relationships, and I wish Illusion focused on those more in their subsequent games. The most important part of my suggestion is that if the LLDH system were expanded, then your actions could lead to more variable outcomes, and make relationships more unpredictable and interesting. Despite its predictability though, the LLDH system is still the closest that Illusion has come to developing a full fledged dating simulator within one of their games, so I’ve got to give it some credit.

    At the end of the day, it’s up to you to choose how much you want to roleplay before cutting to the H-scenes. And even if you don’t find the roleplaying aspects of this game enjoyable, that doesn't take anything away from the fact that the character modeler and animated scenes remain both incredible and groundbreaking, in their own rights. I’m not someone who plays this game consistently for years on end, but I really can't stop coming back to it and making new characters occasionally. At present, I think of it as the greatest sandbox H-game that exists.
  2. 4.00 star(s)

    MachoGuy

    In this game you can live your fantasy of being the puppet master and bring any fantasy you have to life in it, you create your own story, you live it or just watch it unfold.

    PROS:

    - Voiced

    - The H-scenes are hot

    - The characters look great!

    - Infinite possibilities

    - The world feels alive


    CONS:

    - The Games is almost broken and ridden with bugs, most of them not game breaking and easy to fix tho

    - Very confusing, even the task of choosing your PC it a battle.

    - The community is horrible, this the only con that affected me and the reason this game dosen't get a 5 stars rating. The community will actively try to screw you over while trying to fix the bugs or just give you some pointless answers, or just send you to an overcomplicated guide that at the end of the day would not have any information about your problem.

    Try not to take it personally tho, they do this to anyone since the game was released (I've checked that, they always been mad at you for not already knowing what they know)
    _____


    If you don't interact with the community at all, this game is a pure masterpiece who will entertain you for years most likely.
  3. 2.00 star(s)

    dr.pervet

    I would give it a higher rating but it does not work on windows 11 and none of solutions work so unless someone gets around to get it working on modern computers i would skip this and play 7koikatsu instead
  4. 3.00 star(s)

    GeriatricFed

    Gameplay: 3/5, for a game made in 2012/2013 it runs really well and is pretty fun to click around. It does show it's age with the movement system and when all the students are in the classroom, be ready for an FPS drop. Main issue is the interaction system always forcing you off the page, making each interaction kind of a slog. The module system provided by mods is a great bonus that adds depth.

    Story: NA, No story in the game whatsoever, something simple would have been nice or a method to setup a certain scenario within the entire school.

    Art: 5/5, making characters is fun and they look good when you put some time into it.

    Overall: As a package it's nice, being able to see your characters interact, grow to like each other and build relationships is nice but the experience is pretty shallow even with mods. You will need to read the wiki to understand what to do and how to work the game which is a bit annoying but not bad once you learn.

    The install process isn't hard, just time consuming. Like anything else, your experience may vary, but if you have a modern setup and decent internet it'll fly by.
  5. 3.00 star(s)

    wardeco

    TL;DR: The truth is, I don’t get it. I see all the 5 stars reviews and I cannot seem to fathom how or what they seem to see in this game that could possibly be worthy of more than 3 stars. Not really worth it, for every aspect the game has there are better options out there (see conclusion).

    The Game: AA2 is a sandbox relationship simulation game in a school setting, with 3D graphics and animations. You create a class with various students and a teacher, all of which can be handcrafted with the physical conditions you desire. You can set their personality and modules (which basically changes their behavior) to make each of them more unique*. Each of the NPC have a personality and can assume/change multiple moods depending on chance and player and/or NPC-NPC interactions**. The game happens in an academy consisting of ~35 smaller areas***.

    * - The personalities you can set seem to only alter the NPC dialog, mood swings and chance of success in each kind of interactions.

    ** - Just like the personalities archetypes the moods only change the chance of success in interactions.

    *** - Which are 80% empty with no possible interaction, as the dialog or interaction types do not seem to change depending on the location you’re at (with the exception of “hidden” sex location where you must have the NPC following you to be able to see/interact with).

    The Review: The truth is, I don’t get it. I see all the 5 stars reviews and I cannot seem to fathom how or what they seem to see in this game that could possibly be worthy of more than 3 stars. As you start the game one thing that’s clear is the total and complete lack of information the game provides. As you play, use the save editor, though you discover that there are 3 stats INT, STR and club performance that decrease daily but you can increase by studding/succeeding in class, exercising/succeeding in sport class and succeeding in club activities, respectively. But of course, these stats seem to affect nothing in the relationship simulation aspects (exception: some modules increase the liking to intelligent/strong chars).

    The game is 100% sandbox, as in there’s no history or events in the game (unless you consider random NPC interacting with the player as one – I don’t). And I’d say that that’s precisely what ruins the game to me as none of the characters have ANY depth. The points that should add depth (personalities archetypes and mood swings) seem shallow as it only alters the interaction success chance.

    The conclusion: I don’t recommend it, there are better options out there. If you want a school setting simulation you better off trying HSS+ or the likes (played another similar but different, don’t remember the name). If you want sandbox games with handcrafted 3D models and animations you better off with The Sims games + kinky mods or Life Play-like games. If you want a relationship simulation game well… I don’t know (not really my kink); but there are various VN out there that could probably work.
  6. 5.00 star(s)

    Wolf Larsen

    So many years later, this game still provides a fantastic experience. It's simply the best game made by the eroge 3D developer Illusion in terms of gameplay. And one of the best adult games ever made.

    In this game, you create and customize your characters and put them in a school (thus the name "Artificial Academy"). You can make each of them unique by adding traits to their personalities, assigning their virtues, strength, intelligence, sexual orientation, and more others customization options such as the modules (modded traits).

    So you can pretty much create any type of situation you want. A harem, everyone fucks everybody, a more regular school with monogamous couples, an all-girls school...

    It's really interesting to see how the NPCs interact with the player character and with each other on the school map (free-roam style). There is even the possibility of a yandere character might murder someone. Check the Anime Sharing wiki page for info about the gameplay mechanics if you ever feel lost.

    And it's still great to play in no small part thanks to the community still supporting it. The downside is that it can be a pain in the ass to install, but it's worth it. Here are some basic helpful tips:

    - Use the Modern Installation Guide for AA2. Follow carefully all the instructions there. Use the mini torrent as recommended in the guide to download, don't use the other links.
    -You should also read the requirements right below "Installation" in the guide. All of this is included in the AA2 mini torrent, you don't need to google for them.
    - All ppx mods are simply drag and drop in the data folder, except for JMCP which has a file that goes into the AAUnlimited folder as well (plus putting one of the "sets" in the data/sets folder) and you should activate it in the "script" when launching the game.
    - For the uncensor (CIV), which is not on the Mediafire folder alongside the CC, you should activate MKIII in the launcher under AA2Unlimited
    - Windows 10 users should activate the win10fix in the script
    - If you feel lazy about creating your characters, you can check the card sharing section and download and drop them into the "data/save/male or female" folder - let the game extract the files when asked
    - Subtitles for custom personalities go into AAUnlimited/Subtitles, always pick NoDim (ND) option for personality files if available, they are also drag and drop in the data folder


    And the cons of this game:

    - Although characters can organize orgies, it always happens in pairs, there are no threesomes or group sex in the game whatsoever. A male character can join two girls having sex if they are both his lovers, but you will just get a black screen and some dialogue.

    - A possible con for some people is that the straight H-scenes are more robust in terms of options in comparison to the homo ones, although the mods enhanced the lesbian ones and made the gay ones possible. You can disable and enable gay sex (male x male) in scripts>unlocks>settings>homosex when launching the game. Males do not moan during h-scenes by default, only when applying specific mods (but you should download the fixes on Mediafire anyway to avoid issues).

    - Mods added 3D rooms for H-Scenes, but they are not available everywhere on the map. Some funny stuff happens like being teleported to a beach upon entering a certain room to have sex with a character.


    It's still a great game, however. It might look a little overwhelming in the beginning, but once you get into it, you might find yourself coming back for more and wasting more hours playing it.
  7. 5.00 star(s)

    Golden Idiot

    Version: Final

    Many games on this website make me feel like sex is just an after though, just additional content added later, but not this game, sex is the first and only reason you progresses in this game.
    In all honesty im impressed by the massive amount of customisation and positions, by far one of the best games to play if you enjoy personalising everything.
    Although i would not call this game with an extensive story, it sure as hell makes it up with the ability to explore the open world and make your own stories, you just need a little bit of imagination.

    One of the best games i have had the pleasure to experience on this website.
  8. 5.00 star(s)

    Deleted member 1838467

    This is genuinely the one of the best porn games I have ever played. I have never had this much fun in any porn game besides this. This game is hilarious with the amount of customization you can do and how batshit insane you can get people to act in your game, there is quite literally never a dull moment.

    Seriously if you are reading reviews and thinking about playing this game stop reading and just play it you wont regret it. It can be a bit of a pain in the ass to install your first time, but its all trial and error and you'll eventually figure it out pretty easily. Honestly I'm just here hoping they release Artificial Academy 3 because that might be truly the best porn game.
  9. 5.00 star(s)

    munstre

    The only true porn game. It has sex as a gameplay mechanic and sex scenes as the game's objective. I haven't played a single game that incorporated its ero material into the gameplay this smoothly. In most ero games,the porn scenes are usually either a "punishment" mechanic, some kind of restorative mechanic, or some kind of an "achievement earned" screen. AA2 does it perfectly.
  10. 5.00 star(s)

    GoldenRetriever123

    Version: Finished

    Well this is by far the most unique dating sim i have played yet. Its an open world, with the ability to create characters like in a sort of sims-like style that allow you to have near endless customization with the help of mods.

    The setting is japanese high school that has been corrupted by Slaneesh the lust God and you are part of that. You can even fuck right open in front of the class if you want, but just be awere of the consequences. You can have a love triange, you can do almost anything that involves sex and romance, which is quite fucking impressive level of roleplaying.

    Just be prepared for a fat GB download though.
  11. 5.00 star(s)

    Hitman98

    One of illusion best and a true classic, not really into character creation in general but spent a good amount of time on this one, there is also so much community content that do add a lot of hours once you get bored of playing vanilla.

    It is the bane of illusion game for me but no story or anything of the type is a downside, it's really just a sex scene simulator and a chara creator game, there is some kind of dating sim system but it's rubbish.

    Really recommended, can appeal to anyone to some extent !
  12. 5.00 star(s)

    bobjones9792

    A modern classic.

    Its one of Illusion's best games, and could even be considered when the company reached its peak.

    Imagine playing a Sims game which focused more on individual personalities and dramatic stories that emerged. Just reading the old Hongfire forums about the conflict created from mixing in different characters was worth getting to know the game, and personally I think its the closest thing to an accurate (if obviously simplified and porn focused) school "relationship" simulator we are going to get without advanced AI.

    The H-scenes, like all Illusion's games, are animated nicely in 3D, while the basic game is in a lower resolution with simplified characters to keep speeds at acceptable levels. There's no plot, but there's plenty of stuff going on. A lot relies on imagination here, since you can't actually see or hear most interactions your character isn't involved in, but the effects are definitely present, and characters can act very differently from one other based on traits, personality, orientation, and more.

    Depending on the target of your character's affections, there can be a lot of grinding, but there are cheats as well as save editors to make things easier. Some traits combined with low virtue can make it incredibly easy if all you want is to H some girls.

    This isn't really the game's strong suit though, what makes it enjoyable is setting up scenarios, such as guy A is dating girl B who likes A but is being exploited by guy C and as a masochist likes it, then is caught during sex by A who breaks things off and ends up with girl D, but girl B is evil so she kills D. You just can't get this complexity in most games with relationships without a canned story line, and all this can happen organically just from a combination of character attributes.

    The only negative is understanding and setting up the game. If you absolutely hate learning game mechanics, and creating characters, you can still play but its probably not going to be much fun. You really, really need to read the wiki, and start small to properly enjoy things.

    Highly recommended, just play the thing.
  13. 5.00 star(s)

    Doom Marine

    I played that game years ago, and it was fun! ^^
    it's like a great sims, only porn and you have a school to manage.
    I really liked it, even if the characters are blank, you can give them a fun personality
  14. 5.00 star(s)

    Agul

    The gold standard of not just Illusion games, but of H-games in general. AA2 is the game we've been waiting for a sequel for, but it's not like it's lacking in content at this point.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    In short, AA2 is a Japanese HS simulator where you can design a whole class of students (including teacher) and play out school life by socializing and otherwise competing with your classmates. This alone makes it much more customizable and non-linear than a lot of porn games, both eastern and western, but it's the modding scene that has helped the game endure. That and in the nearly six years since its release, nothing else has come close, leaving us with only the faint bitter hope that Illusion will stop pumping out garbage and give us the sequel we dream of.

    AA2 Mini is the definitive way to play the game, and plugins and guides are available for a wide range of tastes. It might also interest my NTRbros that the game allows multiple characters to compete for the affections of another, leading to some interesting situations based on character attributes and mods. (Walking onto campus and finding your waifu's virtue has cratered and Chad Thundercock is slamming her ass behind the dojo. You start some shit and she is forced to choose between you - hope you asked her what her opinions on food are 999 times.)

    If you want futa, gay, harem, scat, feet, just about anything, it's here or can be found by lurking on a certain imageboard. The game really is a gem and I would encourage anyone to give it a try, if not keep it on your hard drive for you are doomed to revisit its greatness. If you came for vanilla or just because you're hot for teacher, there's plenty here for you guys too. Make an incorruptible maiden and hold hands behind the bleachers. There's parameters to ensure she's immune to everyone else. Pretty sure there's a yandere plugin too but don't quote me on it.

    Load up on supplies and seal yourself in, there's more than a few sweaty hours to lose playing this game.
  15. 5.00 star(s)

    Borol25

    I played that game years ago, and it was quit fun! ^^
    it is like a little "god simulator" and you rule the school.
    I liked it a lot even though the characters are blank you are able to give them there own fun personality.
  16. 5.00 star(s)

    PlayDat

    After playing Custom Maid 3D 2 i didn't expect this game to stand against it, but it actually does in its own way.
    Tip to those waiting for it to download/unpack/install: in the meanwhile go check on Hongfire the list of mods for it, most of them are custom clothing, hair, personality and gameplay enhancers (but nothing for events and additional stuff to do unfortunately).

    Edit: I also strongly recommend AA2 Unlimited, a mod that adds a huge amount of functionalities, extras and, most importantly, personality modules: these modules are basically scripted traits that create custom events and add interesting traits to both NPCs and PC.

    Now to the actual review.
    The game offers various way to pass time: simulate a japanese school life, interact in many different ways with other students and teachers, get a partner (or multiple ones) and enjoy H-stuff.
    Artificial Academy 2 was pretty intertaining for about 15 hours or so (including modding and fooling around with cheats) but after that it gets a bit boring due to the limited amout of content.
    I strongly raccomend it nonetheless as it is actually pretty good for an H game, and worth mentioning that it is fully translated.
  17. 5.00 star(s)

    Subaru Lancer

    Review :
    + good character creation with personality and traits
    + max 25 Character per Class (1 Teacher and 24 students)
    + customizable uniform per character
    + go socialize directly or just go auto and watch your character socialize
    + dialog based on the situation and relationship
    + many ways to have sex with ya partner..... or harem
    + decent replay experience
    + playable on lower spec pc with "playable" framerate (tested by me with 64mb vram)
    + patting

    - not much thing in game and character creation without mod (AAU, AAFace, NoDim, HEXA mod collection, etc)
    - limited to area around school
    - almost same dialog everytime
    - somewhat pain in the ass to install the game (except when you get em from /aa2g/ in 4chan /vg/)
    - troublesome with windows 10 for some reason

    Summary :
    play it, its interesting to play and nice character creation. you can make ton of character and place them in a class for social experimenting or just for a quick faps via cheat. yes there is a lot limitation but thx to mod that give more stuff in the game.

    Personal Note :
    > dont use "All Random" button unless you want abomination
    > creepy is best girl