VN - Ren'Py - Bad Memories [v0.9.1] [recreation]

There's a lot I didn't like about this story, but it's hard for me to let that influence my rating very much because it mostly has to do with personal preference and it is still an interesting story (that I stuck with to the end) with good renders aside from that, and I can see some people enjoying it for the same reasons that I did not. But I am writing this review to share my criticisms with the author and informing any readers of what they can expect from this VN.

This story is much more restrictive than any other VN I have played
By this I mean you will rarely have choices given to you. The MC is morally questionable, not particularly nice nor the smartest, and you just have to accept this. The MC will peep and have sex with characters and it is not your decision. You do get to make some decisions however, and as the story progressed in version 0.7.6. it does seem like you were offered choices more and more. If you already play your MCs as trying to have sex with everyone anyway, then the MC is probably doing everything you would have done in the first place.

Choices that have the same outcome aren't really choices
There are a few choices I tested in the game that had the same result. Nothing was different in the reply or the next scene. Every time I was brought to the scene where I could choose where to go within the house, there was only one area that resulted in anything. The illusion of choice is really cheap and I'm sure I'm not the only one that hates it.

The demonspawn, Katherine
I just hate her and I am confused by her, but I am happy I have actual choices with her. I have much more patience than the MC, but I think even I would lose my shit with this woman. I'm sure by the end we will get a full explanation for why she acted the way she did and she'll be a good person but honestly I don't think I could ever like her. MC is kind of a dick but is right that she is unbearably rude and not a very good therapist. I only hope that the author continues to give the MC choices with her and that one of those choices will be pushing her off a cliff. But seriously, MC should not put his dick in that because whatever is between her legs is forbidden by the geneva convention.

4 out of 5 stars

Pretty decent game. Loved the models and the variety of women in the game. Enjoyed the story as well. I appreciated the length of the game as well, never really dragged to much...and while normally I enjoy a bit more "game" as opposed to pure VN, I enjoyed this quite a bit. Worth a playthrough.

TL/DR: Rather shallow approach to some heavy topics, short animations/descriptions, and aimless plot make this a rather mediocre title.

Pros:
+ Somewhat interesting premise and narrow scope of characters gave the project a nice focus.
+ Some atypical character premises with fun dialogue or quirks.
+ Kinda interesting that you could play as either a Lesbian or a Dude and get different scenes. That implementation was rather elegant.
+ Had kinks I liked.
+ Hanna is adorable.

Cons:
-Music loop. Way too short to be played ad nauseam the whole game-play experience.
-Extremely annoying/boring MC inner dialogue. Definitely don't need to read "she is so cute" and similar like 200 times. The CGs are right there to let the player decide their visual attitude already
-False Sandbox. What is the purpose of a sandbox if the pathings / choices don't even matter a little bit and there is no game-play surrounding it?
-Conversations did not feel very organic.
-Plot was somewhat aimless
-MC was kinda a cunt.
-Many of the scenes were extremely short.- with very little narrative build up or tension.

I first played this game in the early days before any of the sex scenes were added and had always meant to come back to it at some point. The story is engaging and presented well, the characters seem to have some depth, but for me the best part of this game is the art-style and the sex scenes. It starts off pretty good, but towards the end some of the scenes are amongst the best I've seen. recreation's skill as an animator and a game developer are getting better and better and I cannot wait to see where this project goes from here.

The story is very interesting and well written.
The characters are very interesting.
The "art" (character models, background, animations, etc.) is very good.

Overall 4.5/5 stars, because you can't give half a star, I'll go down to 4.

Review for ( Version 0.7.6)

Well I just have to say that I've only played through the game one time so far through what's available right now. I think this is a banger.

The story is pretty decent, but for me where this game thrives are the renders and animations. By far for me too is the fact that you can play as a Lesbian MC and work towards a harem.

Maybe my memory is failing me, but I don't think I've ever seen it done or at least not to this level. The animations for the lesbian route alone are reason enough for me to give this game 5 stars. I really love the characters in this game especially Katherine and Jada. Which is something because I really didn't care for Jada initially because of some of the things she said and did.

I'm not going to start down that rabbit trail in this review though. I just want to say this. If you are looking a PURE Lesbian experience in a VN this is the game for you. I wish there were more VNs that would shake things up and do this and for a game that offers both male and female protag options Recreation fucking knocked it out of the park.

I can't tell you how fucking hot it is to have animations of a girl looking up at the MC eating her out. Those POV shots were so good and I'm glad Recreation used them liberally. I really like when a game mostly uses that POV perspective. My heart hurts for the wait and I'm not being funny there. I'm a guy who got the "I"ve just finished a good book" " I can't wait to see what happens next" feeling after finishing what's on offer.

Overall, I give this a 2.5. and not willing to round up to 3. I tell myself when I first begin every VN that I can't know how much work went into initial releases, time spent between updates, etc. However, this VN really doesn't ever improve upon itself in any measurable way. It has good writing in terms of the initial story and the characters are somewhat unique, but it grows stale for me. It just doesn't keep your attention and it's one I find myself eventually skipping entire scenes of dialog altogether depending on who's in them. The lewd content is just OK. There seems to be a bit of a plague among VNs when it comes to animation and even some static renders where unnatural movement or positioning are concerned. Especially if a character is bent over. I hate that look of stretched skin that in no way emulates what real life is like. Anyway, if your bar is low for quality character models, environment, and you just want lewd times with thin-as-a-rail ladies...you will enjoy.

Visuals

• I'm torn on this. On the one hand, you have some interesting choices for assets, textures, and lighting in the renders. It gives the characters somewhat of a unique appearance. I'm just not sure it's "unique" in a good way. If you tend to prefer scantily clad women with that "loli" appearance, you'll definitely enjoy. Me personally, I prefer thicker, jucier, voluptuous ladies.
• Rachel could be hotter. The evolution of MC from a complete aversion to her, to regular sexual thoughts is less believable for me because her body is so average.

Story

• I like it. I like that the concept involves the MC's sister being a mute. Even more intriguing is that she appears to have confided in at least one person which means she will speak if she really wants to.
• I think most of the characters are intriguing, perhaps not exceptionally so, but honestly they decently written.
• There are elements of dominance (mild), manipulation, corruption, and I prefer to have these in my VN experience. I find them to be boring without at least 1 or 2 of the 3.

Dialog

• No major issues here. Dialog makes sense, characters mostly speak in relatable, colloquial terms. I don't find any standout issues with grammar or spelling. Big plus, in my view.
• I will say the constant "Tch" and "hnn" etc do get old. Also, "gawd" is exceptionally juvenile, not funny in any way, and detracts from the enjoyment of the dialog. Dev should take note to leave it out of all future updates. Just say "God!" if that's what you mean to say.

Gameplay/Mechanics

• I like that, although there is some "free-roam", it's not sandbox-y. I REALLY dislike sandbox games with day/night cycles and repeating events. I find them the laziest and most tedious types of games, and I wish they would disappear off the face of the earth. So, thank you, dev, for striking a balance here.
• I don't care for the textbox UI/font, so it's a good thing Sancho came in to save the day there.

The mod made it 1000% better, and that's why I dock stars off the game itself.

Renders are okay, models faces are scary sometimes. Katherine's is probably the one I like the most, but both Rachel, Jada and Ellie look like they've been on hard drugs for a portion of their lives. Made it pretty hard to get into their stories. And I really don't buy the "younger sister was traumatized and no longer speaks" bs, which later Katherine throws cold water all over anyway.

Overall, Meh. Try it, you might not care so much for the women's faces as I did, the sex scenes are plentiful, and make sure to grab the mod if you like a walkthrough system.

Version: 0.7.6

Writing

• prologue done right - refreshing take on the incestuous adult VN cliche of returning to MC's old home
• balanced pace- while i'm not interested in the story that much, it doesn't get in the way of the more naturalised slice of life majority of the game
  • however since the tragedy like storyline isn't the main part of the game nor feels like it affects gameplay, I find the title of the game. "Bad Memories", lamely used
• lovely cast of ladies - each girl feels like a real person with their own set of desires and fears. just to note, all have a submissiveness (excluding the side character real estate lady) about them but to various extents

Design

• crisp rendering and lighting - the character designs stand out the most with a lot care put into their skin and hair
• quality animations- smooth POV shots. there's a detailed touch to some animations
  • like a scene where mc was getting a blowjob and his hand was animated in reaction to having an intense orgasm I never saw that before in a VN
• skinny women- dev has a clear preference for petite girls with thigh gaps as the main casts all exhibit these features. and a deep affinity for "moe" or cuteness which comes in the tight package of a redhead loli sis, Ellie.
  • personally, i cringe at the MC's cute obsession and would like less of that but thankfully, some later women encountered offer more diversity outside this niche design
• mature looking milf -if you've been around the VN scene, you'll notice how milfs are notorious for look like 20 year olds but Rachel, the mom in this, is absolutely stunning in her design - she's the only reason I'm playing the game
  • highly rate the use of pokies
• includes (minimal) sfx
• overused bg song - gets repetitive and takes away from moods that don't match it's rhythm

Sexual content

• decent sexual content- no short of quality scenes
  • mostly with the younger girls all the way to penetration
  • same for Katherine, the therapist, but might be more specific to those that like maledom or tsunderes (I do like the tsundere-ness of her)
  • and Rachel has good build up scenes but her sex scene felt absolutely rushed so that was disappointing
• each girl offers a different sexual relationship - there's a niche for everyone, whether it's the brocon, daddy girl, tsundere, teenage girl, or slow burn mom
• Rachel's pills idea was underused - while the MC does make use of it and it is referenced often in the story, the sexual scenes of it are lacking and i find it one of the more creative ways of adding drugs to a game

Gameplay

• option to play guy or girl - haven't chosen the lesbian version but it's commendable the dev did extra to give the audience that choice
• Gameover choice is bad design - if you want to force the player to have sex with Ellie then don't make it an option in the first place

Fleshed out content, mediocre story, great renders and while the girls are all nice in their own way, the sexual scenes don't do it for me surely out of preference.

One of only 2 games on here that i literally check every week for updates! I don't think i even have a favorite characters.. as each of them are amazing in their own way. The story line is pretty cliche and re-used but at the same time i love it for some reason. Not sure if the individual chararaceters are just so good that it makes up for it.. but there is enough of it between the sex related scens to fill in backstory and add character development that i enjoy.

I apologize to the developer for ignoring this game for so long.
I confess that whenever I saw this game in the latest updates tab, it didn't really catch my attention. Maybe because the girls are not very attractive at first glance (I apologize for my ignorance), but playing the game, yes, they are very attractive and very beautiful, not to mention that you end up falling in love with each one of them.
As it's impossible to play all the games here, I always look for the ones that contain the tags I like, and this one had one, although it's not really what I like, maybe one of the reasons I've neglected this game for so long.
Well, let's get to the evaluation.
I have many games that I like, but even among them, some I skip the dialogues from time to time, when they get lost, or don't add anything really worthwhile, or when you realize that it's just to give volume to the match. And that didn't happen in this game, it really hooks you, making you want to know what's going to happen next, what's going to happen.
I really enjoyed the story, with interesting dialogues and not childish or silly.
I loved the girls (I'm glad I gave them a chance), I liked their personalities, even the therapist (who I hated at first) but I ended up liking her a lot, in fact, for now, I liked each one of them.
I really liked the animations. I like it when the developer lets us select our preferred angles.
Anyway, if you are looking for a good game, with good characters and above all, a good story, I strongly recommend this game. Don't be an idiot like me, who judged a book by its cover.
To the developer, congratulations for this great game, and may you keep this pace until the end.

when I think about how a porn game should be, bad memories is the first thing that comes to mind, it doesn't abuse fake drama, it doesn't abuse overexposure, it doesn't take a thousand updates to get to the point, and of course it doesn't take 4 years of updates to see if the mc manages to have a boner, it's a perfect game imo, it takes itself seriously enough to hook you, the dialogue doesn't have much text and it's fun, the dev's meta jokes are great, I love the renders, the girls (especially kat and jada) are great, the sex scenes are very well done, in short it is a very entertaining and fun vn, I was surprised by the end of the last update but I really want to see what the dev is going to do . And if I have to give you a negative point, it would be the space between one update and another, but I know that the dev has two games and will not have much free time, so I guess not that bad.

ps: english is not my first language, sorry for any mistakes there may be

Played as a Female MC and i have to say that i don't think i have seen a better lesbian game on this page yet.

the story is interesting,the animations are pretty good and the girls are looking awesome. only thing i normally don't am a fan of is things like
mind altering drugs, specially if you take advantage against people that have to use them. but in this game it wasn't creeping me out.

so if you were considering to not play it because of the Drugs tag, give it a try it's not as bad as you might think. because the MC isn't a creepy pervert.

looking already forward to future updates, love this game

WOW!...i could say so much about this game but it wouldn't do it justice.
good story (could do with a little fine tuning)
the renders are gr8...(sexy milf,cute dilf and friends and the side chicks are sexy enough to keep the player wanting more.
fantastic so far.keep up the good work dev.

i will be subbing when i get paid next.

Quite good on a technical level, clean renders, good lighting, good use of D-force, okish designs, and that's it.

Obnoxious MC, a story with an uninteresting text wall, and beyond the technical section it has absolutely no nothing special.

Nice game with pretty girl and especially very naughty . I hope i can see more with Rachel too, alone with her or at least with Ellie.
very nice also the fact of being able to choose if one saw to be a man or a woman at the beginning.
Keep it up, I can't wait for the update.

This game is amazing, good characters and story 10/10, can't wait until they complete it.

Then the cast is interesting:
- the tsundere psychoterapist
- the mom figure and his story,
- the little sister (Ellie) are really cute,
- the ellie's best friend are naughty and funny


This game is undroppeable.

Generally more of a 2dcg person that enjoys a good plot and the right kinks but this was a great change of pace. The game isn't very long and can be finished in a couple hours but the writing is good and not too long, the renders look great and the pacing of scenes is almost perfect.

It feels like the creator knows what they want, which is, good old adult content with no bullshit keeping the user from getting what they want (which I feel often plague 3dcg content).

This was written on update v0.7.1, I played as a male and chose to follow every path possible in a single playthrough.

Beautiful game, beautiful girls.
Rare thing: you can choose male or female protagonist, and female part is suited jyst fine.
Beautiful game, beautiful girls.
Rare thing: you can choose male or female protagonist, and female part is suited jyst fine.

Really good game! Really enjoyed the story and the characters so far. Not a huge fan of Ellie, sadly but the other characters more than make up for it. Some really good animation in here as well.

7.0/10