VN - Ren'Py - Between Salvation and Abyss [Ch.10 P2] [Ethan Krautz]

  1. 2.00 star(s)

    iron4doves

    This is like a 2.5 for me. This visual novel takes multiple hours to play through, and you don't even fuck any of the main female characters yet. Footjob from one, handjob from another, and handjob/blowjob from the third. This VN is 95% story/reading, 5% sex. Maybe even worse. And, there is a "decent" amount of sex content, but there is just TONS of "story".

    The story is... okay, technically unique. The dialog sucks in the beginning, but becomes okay. There are a lot of attractive women, but as is typical with a game that has a sex-to-game ratio as this one, you probably won't be able to sex all of them for another 2 years irl time. Maybe dev doesn't have plans for that to happen anyways.

    And, I think the base game doesn't even have audio? Or, maybe it does... idk, I played the modded one.

    In short, it's just a lot of fucking reading, for not much payoff.
  2. 4.00 star(s)

    bigphil963

    seriously, I want to get into this game, the premise of the story is great, renders are awesome, the girls are hot with heaps of potential for the game.
    But Damn the longer I play it the more it reads like it was written by a teen, the writing sometimes comes across as juvenile and unintelligent, missing information and jumps all over the place. honestly it gets a little frustrating.
    over all i think this game deserves 3and a half to four stars.
  3. 1.00 star(s)

    WuzzyFuzzy

    Where to even begin...

    Story/script: A convoluted mess, full of tropes that we've seen ad nauseum. For example, a male MC who appears to be barely old enough to have a driver's license, with a schlong the size of his arm. But not just any schlong...this one is magical, somehow exerting influence on all females who come near. Even though he's been locked up in juvy for years and has just been released, he has somehow managed to be with many women and is able to satisfy them all. Then, with the magic wand, all his female family members come under his spell and no matter what he says or does, they gladly take their place in the harem without nary a complaint.

    -- Cons --

    - CG/Renders are mediocre at best. All the mature women have breasts that sag to their waist. Backgrounds are poor quality.

    - Forced Harem. Forced Incest. The choices presented in game matter not one whit in regard to banging your family...er, landlady. There's no mystery here and no sense of accomplishment.

    - Maturity level of the MC is far beyond his years and makes no logical or reasonable sense. Contrived beyond believability.

    - Full of the standard tropes. Shower, peaking, hypnotic juju of the penis. There's not one original or unique aspect of the story.

    -- Pros --

    Nada.
  4. 5.00 star(s)

    Akainu456

    Overall it's a great game. I know it's a bit dark for some people here but I really like the mc.
    - great story
    - hot and thick females
    - funny but dark story
    - the mc is intriguing and never gives up
    - the game has well done animations as well
    Overall I recommend this game!!! The dev is doing an amazing job.
  5. 2.00 star(s)

    TheSkeptic1

    Renders are a bit grainy - no hi res? They're actually very inconsistent, all around. Some clearly have more effort whereas others look like they have a blurry/brushed effect?

    Why are there real images scattered throughout at random? (prison cell, squirrel)

    How is Sofia riding a skateboard on grass? The fuck?

    Why is Drake's hair blonde? Is he albino? It wouldn't grow like a white guy's hair either.

    Hospitals don't have "owners", they have CEOs, boards, etc. They're never ran by one person. And we're supposed to accept that Victoria - the "owner" - is going to do something like
    You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.
    AT THE HOSPITAL SHE "OWNS"/WORKS AT? No.

    I'm not sure what happened, grammatically, but the story started off with little-to-no spelling/grammatical errors and quickly they begin to be peppered-in everywhere. Is this another ESL dev that doesn't have someone to help with proofreading?

    The models look almost 2D instead of 3D. That is to say: it looks like the background image has a 2D character pasted over the top of it. Weird.

    I give it 2 stars because, from a writing perspective, it seems like that's where most of the work went. But it's still utterly juvenile, predictable, and ridden with over-used dynamics and scenarios that are in every VN anymore. Can't say I would recommend.
  6. 5.00 star(s)

    13531516

    This game is interesting, although I can see some may not like the early part of the story. I like models, especially Alysha. I can't wait to see more interactions with her (and other hot female characters).
  7. 5.00 star(s)

    ScroxDieded

    This is a great underrated game, although not for everyone.
    It has a fresh story with interesting characters and some hot models. Some look a little exagerated, but they're still nice.

    The translation could use some work, but I'll still give it 5 stars because I think that the current rating doesn't do this game justice. But beware, as I've said, this is not for everyone as there are some dark stuff, such as rape/blackmail and gore.
  8. 5.00 star(s)

    TM REDUX

    Honestly great VN, has a character archetype that is Strong and knows what he wants, and is not afraid to do what it takes to get it, and puts his family above everything. The MC makes sure to punish those who deserve it, and i always love a good revenge story.

    Characters 5/5
    Renders: 3/5
    Sex Scenes: 5/5, MC rapes someone, just a warning
    Plot: 4/5, love a good revenge plot
    Overall 4.5/5
  9. 2.00 star(s)

    RoadWulf

    I put off playing this for a while, even though it had a good review rating.

    Now I know why I did. The writing in this is horrible, it takes huge leaps of logic. We're introduced to characters and things happen fast with almost no character development. This feels like it should have been a sandbox with the way it jumps around with no regard for building any kind of story. If it wasn't for the supernatural stuff and the violence this would be just another crappy incest game.

    A hacker friend who has powers, maybe, you never go into it. Suddenly we go from headaches that you only hear about once to IT MUST BE WITCHCRAFT!

    Not to mention the doctor woman. Like, the MC just suddenly knows she's Drake's mom, it's never even fucking said by anyone. It's bad writing surrounded by hot girls. People praise stuff like that all the time, but it's terrible. The story concept is great, but in practice is plagued by bad pacing, weak characters, mediocre writing and poor follow through.

    Disappointing is all I can say.
  10. 2.00 star(s)

    drcynic22

    Honestly, difficult to get through. Renders are now pretty outdated and VERY grainy. They improve a bit as you go, but not much. Story doesn't make a lot of sense and there's quite a bit of mood whiplash in terms of the behavior of your character, although that's been covered in other reviews here, so I won't rehash it. I gave it two stars because it's not completely irredeemable, but I wouldn't recommend this one.
  11. 5.00 star(s)

    piv

    Excellent game, wonderful graphic and super sexy characters. MC's mom is super sexy, and other characters are gorgeous too. Very good start, can't wait for upgrades! The gameplay is easy and the story is interesting too.
  12. 3.00 star(s)

    desmosome

    [Ch.3 Part 2]

    I enjoyed this for the most part, but objectively, I couldn't quite say that it is 4* ("Good"). It's somewhere between average and good 3.5* seems about right.

    The visuals are self explanatory. I'll just say that the animation isn't all that smooth and the render quality is slightly below average for this day and age. The models... are ok for the most part. The comical body proportion on the mother might put off some people.

    The writing is... about average in my books. It will not appeal to everybody. I will explain my understanding of the broad direction of the story without spoiling too much.

    “Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.” This quote from Nietzsche is the first thing you read when starting this game. I think this is the main theme behind all the crazy and confusing things that are happening in this plot. What we are seeing is perhaps the descent of the MC into becoming the monster that he wants to fight. The title of the game seems to point towards this theme as well. There is a dichotomy in the MC. He wants to protect his family at all costs, but at the same time, he is perving on them and actively undergoing steps to "corrupt" or seduce them. He tells himself and the audience that it's because of love, but hmmm.... it doesn't always come off that way. Also, while being this protector to his friends and family, he is a ruthless killer and rapist to his enemies (arguably against his family too lol). Again, there is this dichotomy. He is really straddling the line between salvation and the abyss.

    Now if I had full confidence in the writer's ability, I would praise the complex characters and themes. It's just lacking that polish and delivery. I can't quite determine how much of this is actually a fluke, a goof, or intentional.

    Some characters do have pretty unique and interesting traits. The mother especially is quite well realized as the battered woman who endured so much abuse over the years, becoming extremely timid with low self esteem. It could appeal to the "submissive mother" fans once we get more scenes with her.

    The more specific plot elements in this game are confusing as all fuck. I am generally quite good at reading between the lines and following a story, but I was left scratching my head multiple times. They name drop characters we never see, new factions come into the picture left and right, some motivations are hard to decipher, and some situations are said to be dreams when there was hardly any indication that it was. Of course, when used deliberately, all these things can be a tool for story telling. I'm just not quite there with the author on this one. I'd say the execution is lacking a bit.

    A big detractor for me was the choice and points system used in this game. You are presented with a series of choices like "Look at ass vs Don't." If you look at ass or generally be pervy, your character gains +1 corruption (not shown in base game). If you do the gentlemanly thing, the MC gets +1 love. Essentially, the choices are designed around the MC's moral compass. That's great so far. The problem is that literally nothing (save for 1 instance) changes in the narrative based on the MC's corruption/love stat. If you choose not to perv, you just get a "...." and it skips the minor interaction of looking at her ass or whatever. If I had to guess, these points are primarily for determining the ending, or perhaps for a huge route split later on. You will not get any play by play variations in the MC's personality.

    As you can see, this is quite on the rails. One important thing to note is that while most games of this type default to a story that makes more sense on the "good guy" route, this one might actually be written with the corruption of the MC in mind. The +love gentlemanly choices are all basically just "null" choices that omit some portion of the script you would have got otherwise.

    This got overly long, but I guess I wanted to be thorough. I did enjoy this because I am quite a fan of "corruption of the male MC" type of stories. I am interested in how far the MC will go to defeat his enemies and protect his loved ones, possibly becoming the monster himself in the end. Objectively, the game lacks polish in all aspects which makes it hard to rate it as "Good." It may be average, but it's certainly doing something interesting if you are into the themes I talked about in this review.
  13. 5.00 star(s)

    Antonie van Leeuwenhoek

    Truth to be told, i was alarmed with the rape tag hence hesitated to try it out, and after trying i should say that it was a false alarm, try once and you'll get the idea. MC is the alpha male willing to go at any extent to save his family and friends if required, has the unique power to remember last few minutes of deceased by touching them. Crimson town seems to be in the midst of darkness ruled and infested by the beings who aren't worthy of a human. MC's peculiar character suits the way story is progressing. Characters and renders are great, only problem is the proportion of his dick looks like he has been blessed with third hand.
    ..............
    Update (chapter 5/2)
    Wow, I'm in love with landlady, little too thick for my taste but her facial expression kills me every time. All girls are gorgeous tbh.

    Improvements I'd like to see:
    (1) Even though i have noticed some improvements in the animation, it still feels more mechanical like a machine work than a normal body movements.
    (2) angles could be better and more zoomed in, and I'd recommend more pov than third person view.
    (3) change his shirt or full attire if possible if you guys won't mind.
  14. 4.00 star(s)

    Deleted member 3589835

    Great game the characters are awesome and the story is definitely unique. However, the biggest issues I had was keeping up with the storyline it was very hard to follow following Chapter 2 part 1. Chapter 1 had great writing with good character development, and was also easy to follow. But once Chapter 2 hit it was as if the DEV was trying to cram all these different plot ideas he had without taking the time to explain it all fully or relate it to the big picture.

    The story would just jump to an event and I was left completely confused as the people weren't properly introduced there would be unexplained flashbacks, and at that point I just gave up trying. I will keep an eye out for future updates but for all tense purposes during chapter 3 I was completely lost with what was going on with the explanation of witches and some organizations it seemed alot of things were introduced way too fast.

    After a full two chapters of buildup that the MC was dedicating to revenge that plot line it seemed, was completely discarded with almost no mention of it in the newer chapters. Having a lot of different subplots is great if done properly. But if done improperly it can completely hamper the story progression and makes truly appreciating the story a hassle for viewers.


    However, with the negatives aside for those looking for a quick fap this game is not the one for you. There's about a total of 4 actual sex scenes total and the rest are just kissing and dry humping, so this game is definitely a more story based slow burn. So if that's what you like this is the right game for you.
  15. 2.00 star(s)

    Hahn1900

    Puh not good...

    First the obvious, the renders are really not good to look at. Its not the most important thing for a game, i admit that, but nontheless good looking renders are a huge plus, and these are just not good at all. I played a lot of VNs with "not so good" renders cause the writing was great, with good story and good characters, but thats the second thing about the game...

    The writing is poor and the characters too. The MC is a mix out of several personas. First loving and caring, than extremly violent and than even a disgusting rapist. Sorry a real psycho in my book... i get the violent part sort of, considering the background with the father, but raping and blackmailing a woman is completly out of character here... his mother was abused, raped and beaten, and know the MC is doing the exact same thing... yeah that doesnt work for me... and sorry i dont wanna play a rapist. Stopped the game at that point.

    And i know, my english is not perfect, but i am not developing a game in english... if you do so, at least get a decent proof reader... its kind of google translator english, hard to read most of the times.

    Still getting 2 stars, cause there are games out there that are much worse. But there are multiple universes between this games quality and the quality of the real good ones out here.
  16. 2.00 star(s)

    Before I Forget

    This game could be great, the problem the story which should be your main draw or one of them at least tends to be hard to follow. Proofreaders should be an necessity when making games. Having a solid proofreader can make or break a game.

    Renders:

    The Renders are Mid, grainy in some areas and good in others.


    Story:

    The story is really dark. Abusive psychotic father who likes to beat women, including his own pregnant wife, get mauled down by our hero main character. The MC is sent to some facility as a result and doesn't return home until he's a full adult. The story contains graphic violence, which is noticeable on faces of the MC and his poor Mom. The story also features Rape and some forced content.

    The dialogue was still a glaring issue for me, there's the grammar on one hand and the "Landlady and Tenant/Roommate" business. This game is written with incest in mind and playing it without a patch is like grinding your testicles on a cheese grater. I'm hoping a good PR rescues this project, because I think it's something there story wise. The MC could've inherited the psycho gene, and I think it's something to observe. I will note that he was beaten badly by 5 thugs, that will change anyone's mental, especially when they started talking about raping his Mom and Sisters.


    Gameplay:

    It took me a minute to fix the settings of the Text to my liking, but I did eventually. I didn't have any bugs so that's a plus.


    Characters:

    MC seem like a protector-Hero type and showed his vicious side when dealing Drake's mom Victoria I believe her name is. It was a graphic scene and possibly hinted at a change in the character, I thought his scenes with the younger sister were a bit forceful also.

    Mom/Milf I love her, despite the redundant tropes "I shouldn't be doing this, I'm his mother" type nonsense. I really enjoy her, makes me wanna protect her. The other two sister aren't really worth mentioning sorry.

    Edit: Ch 6

    Too many rushed, lackluster sex scenes with important characters. The gapes are gross and overboard, nothing is optional, this game is a letdown.
  17. 4.00 star(s)

    sotorojo

    A pretty good game. Worth playing. The renders of the women are quite good. The story is ok, but has some gaps, and new characters and strange developments are thrust into the story without much lead-in. I would have liked some choice in key pivotal moments, such as when he must choose to be a monster and enslave Victoria, or instead romance her into obedience and subservience.
  18. 1.00 star(s)

    Avaron1974

    Wow, well then....

    It's like 2 entirely different games rolled into one and they don't mix very well.

    One minute the MC is a loving, caring person on the verge of romance with the girls close to him .... 10 minutes later he's violently raping a woman.

    I'm not into rape at all and for the MC to do it twice to the same women in the space of a few scenes .... no thanks.

    Romance story, tale of violent rape .... pick one, they don't mix.

    Edit - thought i'd give it another go, see if anything had improved and it's got worse.

    That romance tag needs removing. This isn't me being "salty" this is a case of there is no romance in this game there is only 1 route and it's down the dark path.

    MC is a dick to absolutely everyone including those he claims to care about. Getting a blowjob from "little sis" who's never done anything like that, clearly can't handle it and he forces her to choke on it until she passes out.

    That's pretty much par for the course with every girl he goes near. There is no romance just douche nozzle sexually assaulting everyone in the game.

    On top of the rapes and assults against those he doesn't care about.

    MC is a cockwomble. There are no routes, there is no salvation. One character tells him not to turn into his dad who was an abusive dick but i'd argue he's already far, far worse.
  19. 4.00 star(s)

    DracoXXX

    TBH this game is way better than I anticipated. The story is dark & alluring which is not something quite common here & that peeked my interest. What the game lacks is choices the game is automatically set to make moves on everyone but I'd rather have the choice to pursue a particular LI if possible. Sure who doesn't love a harem but still I'd like to avoid some girls if possible (like lil sis) cuz it ain't exactly my kink. Sex animations would have given this 1 a major boost & would've taken it sky high, still right now there aren't a lot of sex scenes. Gotto be honest I fuckin enjoyed the Dr sex scenes they were really exhilarating. This game is definitely a Dark horse
  20. 5.00 star(s)

    TSL_JOK4R.

    the story is good and the game is moving in a good pace.

    the models are amazing 10/10 specially the mom.
    i hope the we dont get too much charecters.

    no sex scenes in the game at the moment ( only a BJ) but thats ok the game is moving along in a good pace and i don't think the scenes will take a long time to start raining on us.

    i recommend you try it.
    good luck dev.