VN - Ren'Py - Completed - Chasing Beth [v1.0.2] [Tora Productions]

This is one of those games where there's a really good premise, well written characters, but very bad execution. The game offers you choices and there's a bunch of places where you're given choices of role play, but if you choose a certain way you want to roleplay, you get basically a game over telling you that you played the game incorrectly. In essence, this game would have been so much better if it were a kinetic novel. The game overs constantly tell you that the author is trying to tell a certain story and that you, the player, are in the wrong for daring to try to choose otherwise.

All Elsaverse games are first class on the story, and this one isn't the exception. Thrilling, interesting, intriguing... You'll have a GREAT time playing it. Although it's not reauired to play all the Elsaverse games to enjoy it, I do recommend it as it deepens the story quite a bit!

One of Tora Production's best, imo.

> This is a short VN, but not the shortest.

+ We do get a complete story here.

+ I like the models used and how different they look from most VNs/games.

OVERALL:
Well worth checking out for a no-grind VN with an interesting story.

I have to follow to positive ratings of this game, played it yesterday and was positively surprised.
Awesome renders, nice story arcs, original and believeable concept about dealing with PTSD, some fantasy elements (which do not hinder the story).
Adult behaving MC, which is a fresh breath of air for me in comparison with a lot of other VN's
Women have actually a bush down there (awesome!!!) and have a normal body composure.

A game more peeps should play because it's good and COMPLETED!

I will for sure play some other games of this developer.

Excellent game. Fantastic art, character models and storytelling. Although it includes fantasy elements on the plot, it is arguably the game I have played in here that addresses adult relationships in the most mature way. The game is not long, but I would not say it is short either. And it is under the 400 MB size, which is a wonder, considering the superb quality of its visuals.

Highly recommended.

After my initial anger and frustration over the structure and design of this VN, I felt that I needed to come back explain my thoughts beyond the rant I earlier wrote.

It is hard these days to find a story that is unique and strays from the typical tropes that plague the Adult VN categories. Chasing Beth really is unique. You don't see any of the typical tropes and although the main story teases you with the "possibility" of one, the writer deftly dances around them and keeps you firmly planted in the story.

Chasing Amy truly is unique. In the same way that Leap of Faith tackles the subject of Suicide, Chasing Beth seeks to shed light on PTSD. Although the story is pretty short in terms of overall length, the writer manages to deal with such a tough subject extremely well and in a unique way. You quickly get the sense that there is more to the story than what you see on the surface and the writer does a great job of rolling other elements into the story to broaden the world the MC is in and give it a bit of a sci-fi and/or supernatural element.

Any good story isn't complete without the visuals and Chasing Beth doesn't disappoint. The renders aren't 4k quality but they are done tastefully and offer the detail and shading that you hope to see. I was impressed by just how real and busy the set pieces looked. Each scene is full of small details. The world feels real and nothing is really left out. The MC's home, looks lived in. It isn't sparse and empty looking and gives you the feeling that you could actually live there. This attention to detail outshines the lack of actual image quality and is a welcomed change. It isn't perfect and there were some things that I felt were odd or just plain gross. The character Serena has odd physical features. Her lips and facial features sometimes give you the feeling that she is choking on something. Her eyes seem to bulge and her lips are blue. She also has this really strange pubic mound that is neither full nor shaved. It really is weird.

Perhaps my biggest complaint about Chasing Beth and one that drives me up a wall is the way the choice system is laid out. There is one choice that will drop you into a sort of "game overish" situation where you get rolled back to where you made that decision. The other lets you progress. To be frank, there is only one correct choice and you get penalized for not choosing it. There is a reason for that and it is important to the story. If you do not get frustrated and rage quit the way I did a couple of times you learn some important details about the characters and why you made the wrong decisions. I have to be honest and say that I absolutely hate this setup. Its frustrating and tends to run you in circles. Just do yourself a favor, be sensible and "honest" and don't let the resets drive you crazy. The writer is trying to delve into an important aspect of the story. If you skip it all like I did the first time you will miss alot of details.

SO...... Do not be afraid to make a wrong decision deliberately. You might just learn something.

I had originally given this story 1 star. After making myself calm down and give the story a chance, I found that I was dead wrong in so many ways. Do not get me wrong. I still hate the choice mechanics in Chasing Beth and I hope the writer finds a different way to do things next time out, but it hasn't stopped me from loving the story.

This is one story that will be added to my Hall of Fame folder and kept to be played over and over.

Great story, great art, choices were real without being negative due to a very interesting mechanic. The characters looked real, no reuse of scenes or models. Very different play style to other games by the same author, no riddles or guessing games this time.

I believe I spoke to the author while she was writing this, could be wrong. What she said though makes sense now that I played the game. Technically this isnt a kinetic novel, but depending on perspective it could be. Too bad that mechanic cant be reused without reducing it's dramatic effect.

Thank you for sharing your hard work and great imagination with the rest of us.

Great adult story and artwork as always, 5 stars on both counts. Playing their other games will give you more backstory on the characters in the game, I recommend playing them also. Likable main protagonist is a plus in my books. Great job Tlaero and Mortze.

Hard to say what others have not already said before.

I've been a fan of tlaero & mortze (and phreaky before him) games from the very beginning. I am a middle aged person and well written games with natural characters who are very human in their acts & behavior appeal to me a lot.

Of course, it's not really a game where the choices matter a lot, but a visual story and I like it this way. Tlaero is a master story teller and I trust her to entertain us as well as maybe teach a few lessons along the way.

Both Tanya & Tony are give valuable advice without being patronizing. They're a welcome addition to the Elsaverse. Visuals are always great with Mortze dazzling us time and again. So many times, I paused the game just to look at character's expressions and and how well they convey their feelings.

I am sure Tlaero has a plan for all the worldbuilding and setting up she has been doing and I can't wait for her version of Avengers/Justice league. I know, it won't be like action movies but a very human story with believable people with only abnormal thing being, they all are so gorgeous unlike most of us mere mortals.

(No spoilers)

Caring about someone else's happiness above your own is the first sign of actual love.

Tlaero once again demonstrates why she's one of the best writers in this business, and has been, consistently, for the past decade.

This story seemed like a departure from the previous entries in the series. While the game is nominally about the titular character, it's really about our MC Joel, whose connection to Beth is relatively minor. Chasing Beth is part trauma therapy, part relationship advice. Both are important stories that need and deserve to be told, and Tlaero's handling of these subjects seem effortlessly beautiful, but I'd like to focus on the latter.

You see, Chasing Beth gives us relationship advice columnists Tony and Tanya. While they have an essential role in the overall narrative, they are primarily there to teach a lesson to the reader. Under lesser authors, such lessons tend to feel preachy and superficial, but it's far from that here. T&T's advice on what it means to be kind and respectful, and the importance of regular non-sexual intimacy as a relationship baseline is profound. Given the primarily young, male, inexperienced heterosexual audience of these games, if even a single reader comes out a better man after playing this game, then all the effort that went into Chasing Beth would have clearly been worth it.

As for Mortze, his artistic evolution over the last decade is put on display here, and it's quite impressive. Chloe's new, spellbinding look alone is proof of that His work brings Tlaero's characters to life, with lots of attention paid to posture, body language and mannerisms, making the overall experience so much more intense.

Tlaero and Mortze deserve every penny thrown their way, and I'd urge everyone to do the same.

Another lovely story from Tlaero, with hot graphics by Mortze.

Be forewarned: this is a story-driven game, and Tlaero's narratives are for those who appreciate adult, grown-up (i.e. complicated) relationships with strong female LIs. A confident player, who can handle mature choices, will find much to enjoy here... a player looking for a quick fap should turn elsewhere.

My second caveat is that this is an 'Elsaverse' game, so to fully appreciate the peculiarities of the world -- and the connections between the characters -- you should play them in order. The game is still enjoyable if played on its own, though.

I've had the pleasure of sponsoring Tlaero's content for years, and look forward to continuing to do so as long as she cares to spin lovely little yarns like this one.

I have already posted this review in the discussion section, but since I think it deserves a best rating, I'll gladly post my opinions about the game here as well.

First of all, thank you Tlaero and Morze.
Sharing this game is a wonderful Christmas present.

I’ve been a fan since the very beginning, I played everything you published, and I can definitely say I love your work.
I’d like to share my opinion and what struck me about the game with you.
I believe this is quite a different game from the others you made. This is due to the fact that the format was focused on the relationship building, while the events that brought forward the Elsaverse overall story made the frame. In Saving Chloe we saw this format changing a little, but in Chasing Beth we see this format completely reversed. The whole game is focused on two things: what’s happening in Sangrieve and what’s happening in Joel’s mind. The two poles around which the game is built are Joel and Beth, two people connected by a painful past experience.
Serena makes the frame of the game (an important and gorgeous frame), and this results in a less intimate connection the player can reach with her. Jess, Elsa and Miranda had much more screen time than Serena had, so we could dig deeper in their mind and their character than we do in Serena’s.
However, this does not make a problem, since Chasing Beth is a different game with a different story to tell, and it manages to do that in a very elegant and effective way.

Joel is definitely among the best protagonists of the Elsaverse: he’s very well built, with a clear and structured personality, a great look, a past to tell and a few scars in his soul. I’m sure we’ll see more of him; he surely has a lot of potential.
Both Serena and Joel are broken, there’s not one character who focus on helping the other and making him feel better, they both have problems and pain, and they just support each other at the best of their skills. They have a great heart, and both feel impressive gratitude toward the other.
All these things make Chasing Beth a new kind of game in your production, I don’t know where this will lead, but I’m very interested.

I’ve been wondering, is Tanya a Tlaero avatar? I had that feeling but I really couldn’t tell.
By the way, could you please tell us something more about Tanya and Tony? I’d really love to know more about them.
One of the few things I didn’t appreciate is that, during sex, Joel followed his partner instructions (there are just a few exceptions), and I read that as a lack of initiative, which is not an appealing feature, in my opinion.

Tlaero, once again, shows her talent as a writer and as an even greater storyteller. I marvelled at how great the narrative of your game is. The intersections and narrative pretexts are brilliant, I have a great respect for you and your skills.
Mortze is a great artist, his pictures are wonderful and intense, but what really struck me was the fact that I could find extremely sensual images that had little to do with sex or sexuality. For example, the scenes where Beth and her friend spent the night at Joel’s house were not sexual, but god… I found them incredibly erotic!

As I said, I’ve played every game of yours, and the first bonus of Chasing Beth is the most erotic and powerful sex scene I’ve ever found in a Tora Productions game. Unbelievably hot. Mortze, I know it comes from you, and I just want to say that you outdid yourself, great work!
It remembered me a lot the RfJ bonus scene, but this was explosive, sensual, intense and enthralling. I love swinging, that’s a fantasy of mine, and I love MMF, seeing more scenes like that in your games would be a dream of mine.

After this game, after the bonus scene, after the years of enjoinment, pleasure, laughs, and passion you gave me, I decided to become a patron. I’ve never spent a cent for porn, and I don’t plan to do that in the future. What I will do is supporting a team of wonderful people who creates games I love and value.
You deserve it. Thank you for everything you do, you’re great.



Lucifer

i usually like the games made by this dev but this one not so much. i mean it LOOKS good and the overarching story is pretty interesting,the conversations are decently written too, but none of the choices matter at all. You get railroaded back into a subpar route if you try to make any other choice than the intended one so i dont get the point of even putting in choices at all at that point, and the characters so far feel kinda meh(though that can be that i just didn't get far enough in).

Fife out of five no questions asked. A perfect Tora Productions game.
The plot is about Joel a couples' advice columnist who is asked to do a story on a local vigilante. As fate would have vigilante is somebody who saved Joel life back in the war, so now he wants to find the vigilante and say a simple, "Thank you"
Yet, the story is much deeper. Joel will deal with his PTSD and will teach and learn how trust and communication are important in the relationship.
Writing is perfect in this one best from Tlaero and renders as always are super good.

Not the finest work by Tora... The visuals are excellent as usual and the overall story is also very interesting... But the story progression and the character development is very bad... Felt as if there was no depth to the characters... In the earlier games of the elsaverse, the characters seemed more human. I liked Elsa cause of how she grew. I liked Chloe cause of how she changed. Granted their story was divided up into 4 full length games, there may not have been much time to flesh out their development in a proper manner in this game. But even in Tora's earlier short stories that showed detective Won, I somehow understood why she came off as angry and rude and was able to relate to her even though much of her backstory was not told. But in this game I can't seem to care for the characters at all. Why does Beth need to save people, why does Joel need to connect with people. I can't seem to find satisfactory answers to these questions even though half of the game basically is a backstory. Maybe future stories can answer these questions and I'll be able to appreciate this one. And also Beth comes off as one of the most cliched characters in all of Tora's games so it's kinda difficult to like her.

All in all a decent game but if you've seen their earlier work you may be disappointed.

P.S. - if you've not played the earlier games what the fuck are you doing here... Play them first or you'll be left with a lot of questions. Also, they're crazy good.

Chasing Beth is a great story-driven story. Not only is it heartwarming but well written, It instantly draws you in and slowly exposes you to the secrets of the MC. If you like a story-based Vn then definitely give this one a read.

This duo is just insanely good. Keep on putting out really good stories with amazing visuals to back them up. People that have already played some Tlaero and Mortze games know this. If you haven't yet, what you'll find is an amazing story with fleshed out characters and fantasy grounded in reality.
The sex scenes are top tier as well and the visuals like I said just add to the whole experience