I did something over the last couple of days that I never thought I would do. Something I may have scoffed at when i first started playing games with adult content.
I actually sat down and played through this game, and took my time digesting its story.
I never thought those words would come out of my mouth, but here we are. Im not sure what suddenly possessed me to do so. Maybe it was because I had never actually given a shit about any adult visual novel and just wanted to get my rocks off, or maybe I actually wanted to see if there was actually a compelling narrative here. Whatever the reason, I sat down and played it.
Before I give any thoughts I want to get the fact that the game is still in active development out of the way. Of course my thoughts could change at any point (especially on some of the characters), but I wanted to talk about my thoughts and feelings after ACTUALLY playing an "adult" game all the way through without being horny about it.
I am honestly shocked at how good the writing can be at times. There are characters here that at first read as stereotypes (Sage, Derek, Cathy, Josy, Maya, Chad, some other minor/side characters), but have a deeper complexity underneath. They subvert your expectations in smart, clever ways. Not to outsmart you, but to build these characters up into something more. I also really enjoyed how the narrative keeps you guessing what will happen; especially in season 2.
Another complement I can give this game is its music. Sure a lot of it is unlicensed, or if it is its by pretty unknown artists, but its used effectively. Season 1 has a few moments of brilliance in this regard, but it really starts to show in season 2. A lot of the songs I find myself enjoying outside of the game.
Lastly, the minigames and free roam events are well done. They arnt groundbreaking by any means, but do help spice things up. Adding an option to disable the mini games is great touch.
Its not all great though. While the writing can be great, there are a few blunders. Jill, Isabella, and Jade feel the most derivative in terms of writing. It feels like the seeds of deeper characters are there, and maybe they will start develop into more complex characters in later episodes, but for now there is nothing nuanced about their characters.
The whole drug subplot is totally ridiculous, yet it is completely uninteresting. Anytime it pops up I IMMEDIATELY skip it. It adds nothing to the plot currently, and has characters that I genuinely dislike.
Overall, I am kind of shocked that I like this game as a game. There are some noticeable problems with its somewhat inconsistent writing and characters, but I overall think that DPK is on to something here. Most games in this style have throw away stories thats only purpose is to peddle out erotic animations. Can you treat this game that way? Of course, but this is also a game that is doing a good job of keeping players engaged in its narrative. DPK stands out as a developer who wants to do something more than just a soulless game with erotic animations.
This turned out to be a whole lot longer than I thought it would be, but I figured that it could be fun to share my thoughts.