VN - Ren'Py - Between Two Worlds [Ch.9] [Drooskati]

TL;DR: The game is interesting sometimes, but not all the time.

Pro:

• Many (high quality) animations or movie clips (as backgrounds too).
• Good quality renders.
• Interesting general idea.
• The soundtrack.

Contra:

• Almost all female models aren't really attractive. In the first 3 chapters, this game is mostly spending time with not quite attractive people, which is just not that engaging.
• The story pace seems to be slow. (The writing can be a bit wordy, and the action can be far from intriguing).
• I would do Emily or the barista/barmaid/etc., but it seems it's not gonna happen in this lifetime.

Conclusion:
Despite some good elements, I'm not thrilled.

(Review is for version 4.2. Disclosure: ThorsHamster is a beta tester for Between Two Worlds.)

What happens when the real world and the fantasy world of a tabletop role-playing game begin to bleed into one another? Between Two Worlds is a fun and sometimes sexy romp through the fantasy world envisioned by a group of friends, and promises quite the adventure as the fantasy world begins to intrude on the real world.

STORY AND CHARACTERS ★★★★☆ (4/5)

The story of Between Two Worlds revolves around the main character, his girlfriend, and five other friends, along with a small ensemble of supporting characters. Each of the primary characters is well developed and interesting, and the side characters have been decently fleshed out as well. While the most interesting aspects of Between Two Worlds is the time the friends spend in their fantasy tabletop role-playing game, there is plenty of treatment given to their interactions in real life as well. Each character has their own alter ego within the tabletop game, but their personalities shine through even when they are role-playing. Consequently, between real-life interactions and in-game interactions, each of the characters is very well developed, and the reader is afforded to opportunity to invest in each of them.

The story is still in its relative infancy; as of Chapter 4, the focus has still largely been on baseline character development while laying the foundation for the core elements of the game's plot. While the progression along the main story arc is deliberate, it never feels like it is dragging. There is always something intriguing going on, and the character interactions are a treat, so even basic conversation is made interesting.

Likewise, the progression of sexual relationships proceeds at a deliberate pace. As of Chapter 4, the main character's primary interactions have been with his girlfriend, with quite a few scenes devoted to their sex life. The game promises the opportunity for encounters with other girls, but so far those have been limited to very oblique interactions in the real world and a couple of scenarios in the fantasy world. Note that, because the tabletop game is portrayed through the eyes of the players' alter egos, the sexual encounters are no less titillating than real-world encounters; and it's easy to forget that the whole thing is being narrated with the help of a game master.

Players who are just here for the lewd scenes may be put off by the amount of time the game is taking to expand the main character's scope of sexual activity, but the game strikes a good balance of story and sex while carefully teeing up for more exciting content in both departments.

GRAPHICS AND ANIMATION ★★★★★ (5/5)

Between Two Worlds features beautifully rendered real-world scenes and absolutely stunning fantasy scenes. A lot of attention to detail has been put into the settings and the character's behavior and expressions. The result is a real world that feels grounded and believable, coupled with a fantasy world that is an absolute treat to behold.

Animations are ambitious right out of the gate, and since Chapter 1, the quality has been improving by leaps and bounds. The volume of animations (as a percent of total content) is probably about average when compared to other adult visual novels that include animations at all. All of the sexual encounters contain some animation elements; only one scene fails to apply its animation where it would have been most appreciated. Sex animations are crisp and precise, with good motion and generally no discernible clipping — always appreciated when viewing activities that involve a lot of bodily contact. There are quite a few animations that help drive other parts of the story as well.

All in all, the game delivers some impressive eye candy.

SOUND AND MUSIC ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Between Two Worlds features a modest soundtrack. The music selection is good quality and generally fits the scene well. Sound effects are minimal, but what is there is well designed. Both music and sound are reasonably balanced. There is one ambient backdrop sound that I find rather noisy and distracting, but it is the exception in an otherwise enjoyable soundscape.

Note that the game is largely devoid of generic lewd sounds or other sound effects associated with sexual encounters. Use your imagination. One scene does introduce lewd sounds, but it remains to be seen whether this will become a regular occurrence.

USER EXPERIENCE ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Between Two Worlds is a fairly standard Ren'py experience, with no surprises and little customization beyond visual styling. Consequently, players of other Ren'py-powered visual novels will have no difficulties navigating the game. This is a "choices matter" game, though for many of the choices presented thus far, the impact will not be realized until future chapters. While none of the choices drastically change the overall story arc (that we are aware), a couple of choices already lead to temporary, substantially divergent branches, with entirely different scenes for the player to experience. This makes replays particularly enjoyable.

OVERALL ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Between Two Worlds is a lovingly crafted story with fun characters, rich visuals, and an imaginative story that shows a lot of promise. The sexual content of this adult visual novel is thus far quite enjoyable, although diversity of partners is only slowly forthcoming. Fans of tabletop role-play gaming will particularly appreciate the fantasy adventures that arise during the friends' regular game nights. This is definitely a story to try out!

Very nice combination of cute girls and DnD. That is so rare combination
And actual game has captivating story (for TTRPG nerds) and beautiful ladies. Renders are excelent and still improving

Combination of realworld and fantasy world where our protagonists play their DnD adventure is pretty balanced.

amazing renders that go with the breathtaking locations
addictive storytelling
high quality writing throughout
lovable characters with different personalities
this differently deserves more popularity
underrated but highly recommended

Ok, seriously loving everything about this game so far. The story is great, the animations are as well and there is a diverse group of characters. Although they may not be the typical supermodel type they're still very cute/hot depending on the character. I'm sure there will be detractors there always seems to be, but seriously worth the time to check it out. Well done in all areas. Looking forward to more of this story.

This one has promise, but it's definitely not living up to its full potential just yet.

Most everything about the game is solid- the renders are mostly excellent, the music is pleasant, the writing is clear and believable and the characters are generally distinct.

I have three issues with the game, though each one is minor and nebulous enough that I can't really be sure how Drooskati would fix them, or even if they should be fixed. The first is about animations; while they're pretty smooth and well made, most of them don't really add anything to the game. These tend to be the ones that loop constantly. Except for one animation where the group's party is strolling down a road, I can't remember a looping animation that didn't seem forced or awkward. Not a major issue, I know, but it happened often enough that it bugged me.

The second has to do with character speech patterns. I said above the characters are mostly distinct, and they are, sorta; they all have unique personalities, but that isn't immediately apparent because they all speak with what feels like the same voice. The characters' cadence and phrasing are all the same, and it occasionally resulted in me mixing them up. Again, the writing is very competent (apart from occasionally dropping commas where they shouldn't be), but refining each character's individual voice could really make it shine.

The last problem is pacing. I can't really put my finger on it. Scene changes feel abrupt- especially chapter ends, which land very suddenly. The biggest offender here is the end of Chapter 3; without spoiling, the first two chapters end abruptly but consistently, while 3 ends out of nowhere, with no buildup whatsoever. Gave me narrative whiplash.

That seems like a lot of text describing the problems I have with this game, and it is, but that's because everything else about it is great. These issues are mostly based around my own expectations, so your mileage may vary. Whether they're addressed or not, I'm very much looking forward to more.

Renders are great
Animations are amazing
Characters are one of the most realistic and lifelike in all the VNs I played here
Story is well paced, mix of fantasy and real life settings, as well as featuring a fairly authentic tabletop RPG experience.

Play it already, solid A tier VN

I was a bit dubious when I read the description it sounded like a very ambitions project AND! it is but Drooskati delivers no problem and proved my fears to be just silly.

It is a great VN. Drooskati even does something rare, he has made a good girlfriend we deny see that very often. She is also by far the best catch of the girls around which is also rare in this media.

The RPGs are very much realistic haha honestly the DM here is very patient compared to how I was a s DM haha

The supernatural element is still in the early stages but is looking good and is very interesting.

5 Star and only going to improve I'm sure

Terrible bland and boring story very flat characters and nothing cute and the cherry on the dessert the erotic scenes are sad a loop of 5 seconds the truth is lazy the game is very boring and as I said the story and characters are flat nothing memorable the graphics are not either the great thing there are many games with better graphics.

boring dialogue. Everyone talks like they have nothing to say. the story is VERY good thought and is the saving grace for me. the lighting is not that great. it has a few sexy scenes which is a plus. would recommend.

Well written, a plot that gives good foreshadowing, excellent renders, an MC who manages to be both a good guy AND a manwhore. The juxtaposition between the two worlds is a great idea, it's been done before, but I haven't seen it this well done since Sylphine and Drooskati appears to be a better Dev in the sense that he produces more regular updates. This Rivals Eternum and exceeds it, IMO, in having me ponder and theorize about what is going to happen next. I played the chapter 3 update, and then did a full replay to remind myself of what a well done game this is!

My thoughts and speculations:

Anyway, a well done and intriguing concept, I look forward to reading more!

+ Animations are smooth as sex on lubed silk.
+ Characters have depth and story.
+ Choices matter and don't just throw up a no effort game over.
+ The dev is really nice and updates it frequently

- I finished it, multiple times.
- There's no galley yet.
- The gnome only get's 1 real seen it's height discrimination.

Everything until chapter 3 has been such a joy to play, the renders are not exaggerated, the music is not all over the place and have a good and believable pace, can't wait to see how the fantasy slowly takes over and were this trip takes us.

This is a good rising star, hopefully if it continues it will have someone that we could equate to the same reals of Caridbis.

I wanted to wait with my review for another chapter, to make sure this wasn't a fluke and having played chapter 2 now I can happily say that it wasn't. Not only that, but given the time since the last release and the quality of the graphics, I also think that this is a sizeable update for the development time.

Basically everything about this game is great.

You have a fascinating story with a large cast of diverse characters, sure some might not be the most original, but overall it is impressive.
The renders look great, the girls are beautiful, without looking like dolls or supermodels. They look like girls you could actually know in real life, that is, if all your female friends had perfect bodies for their type.

There's humour, and it works, there is well done dialogue, the descriptions work and are well crafted. The writing simply is really good.
It might not be fantastic, but it's such a mark-up compared to so many of the games shared here.

There is porn, but it's not that much, although Oscar does go out of his way to give the MC enough to show he's a horny little fucker.
Speaking of Oscar, I love that he and his boyfriend Kenny are shown as real people, with their own quirks, not at all reduced to being the "gay friend" characters.
Anyway, back to the ecchi what is there works, but this isn't a porn game, it is a visual novel telling an interesting, MATURE story. So if you just play for the nasty, forget this game, do not try it and then give a bad review, because you were looking for pure porn.

Okay, now to what does make the game stand out from other games with characters and stories done as well, and there are two factors.

This game has absolutely gorgeous assets.
This is way above any other fantasy game I play or played here, from the costumes to the creatures, to the environments, the buildings etc.. It is absolutely amazing, how good everything is set up and how brilliant it looks.
You can tell how much love and attention was put into this, no matter where the assets originally come from.

And the other thing are animations. They are fantastic and not just during sex, in fact I don't even remember right now, if there were any in those scenes.
No, just regular animations, characters walking, camera driving through a tunnel, the animations in the action sequences.
It's just absolutely amazing and definitely on par, if not better than, any I've seen in any visual novel using renders and CG.

This is a real gem, if you are in any way interested in story-driven games, in fantasy settings or especially if you yourself play or played pen and paper RPGs, you owe it to yourself not to miss out on this one.

Highest rated VN I've seen on this site and fully deserved. The story is intriguing, the women are cute, realistic and each has her own depth, strengths and vulnerabilities.

In terms of visuals, the animations are often breathtaking and add to the sense of immersion.

I'm already missing the characters and will likely play through again before the next update.

This VN has a TON of potential.
Love the renders
Love the story (so far) It is refreshing to see a story that is not a copy and paste. Sure some aspects have similarities but essentially it has a breath of fresh air.
Characters have interesting personalities. I have my eye on someone other than MCs GF. (uh oh)
I'm excited to see where this goes and see you in the next update!

Very nice looking and customized girls
Very decent animations and overall good renders
You start with a girlfriend right from the start, that's original. She is really nice and easy going, with a good sense of humor.
It's only the first release and you can already feel a lot of possibilities with the group MC is hanging with.
Quite a lot of contend even for a 0.1
The story will probably alternate between the real world and a fantasy one (they are all RPG players), with a magic touch.
An original game really worth trying

I've played chapter 1 and I was enamored with the characters, their distinct personalities, their quirks and attitudes.

I loved those animations simulating life,
the story, while slow and steady, is going into an interesting direction.

Solid 4 for the story, script and the girls, and 5 stars for the perfect English. Story has good pacing, and the characters are believable. Nice to see a game where the MC is not a total douchebag, like in many of these games.

Fantastic start for a promising dev. Loved this. Every bit of it. Solid, consistent writing. Great-looking characters that don't have the cookie-cutter look so many other AVNs fall prey to. An interesting premise that I look forward to seeing more of.

I was especially pleased to see actual, real-world RPG books on the table during an RPG session. I know, it's the weird, little shit that makes me happy. Regardless, it was a nice touch and it made me like the game just a little bit more.

There's a promising future ahead for this game. Can't wait to see where it goes.