(V1.0)
Here’s what this game is: a short VIRTUAL NOVEL that explores themes of NTR, jealousy, humiliation, and corruption in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. It’s the equivalent of a short story (a visual novella?).
Here’s what this game is NOT: a long, sprawling sandbox style game full of places to explore, harem members to obtain, and opportunities for the MC to assert his dominance and manliness on opponents.
Much of the contempt and vitriol on the thread is basically from people upset that this game doesn't suit their personal preferences. It’s like complaining, “Pulp Fiction is a terrible movie because it’s not a romantic comedy.” It would be nice if people could accept it for what it is instead of getting bitter for what it’s not, and wasn’t ever intended to be.
I like 3Diddly’s approach here. It’s a solid premise set in an interesting location and a difficult conundrum MC has to deal with. If the dev were to someday expand on this overall concept—add more characters, locations, quests, etc.--it would be a welcome addition to the adult gaming landscape. I also like the artwork. As per usual, 3Diddly doesn’t spend much time developing dynamic environments that characters interact with, but instead uses simple, but effective, 2D backgrounds. As a result, the focus is much more on the characters, which he renders in compelling fashion.
My only complaint is something I think could be fixed, and it has to do with the tone. I get that post-apocalyptic stories are bleak by design, and that’s fine. But I think the "gut punch" could be a bit stronger. The prospect of losing a LI to corruption would be more emotionally potent if there were more occasional elements of happiness, innocence, and beauty associated with her. This could be done with a few brief “lighter” scenes. I’d like to know more about who she is (or was, before the apocalypse), how she was innocent, and what exactly the MC loves about her (aside from the fact that she’s hot, which she certainly is). Some of these lighter touches do exist, but more of them might make the emotional impact stronger.
But overall, this is an intriguing and entertaining offering from 3Diddly, and worth the download. I hope he shapes the tone a bit more, or possibly expands it into a bigger game. If he decides not to, however, that’s fine. I’d happily download other short VN’s he decides to develop.