VN - Ren'Py - Completed - Chasing Sunsets [v1.01] [Stone Fox Studios]

v0.8

Wow, this game has it all. Story, rendering, and music are all carefully crafted into each scene with such finesse, I dare say it's perfect.
I could feel the dev really cares about this game.

Pros
- Story is very engaging. No stalling for content. Not too slow not too fast.
- Relatable reactions by MC(No cringe or WTF? moments)
- Beautiful girls. Even passer by waitresses are stunning.
- References. Very well placed and funny
- The music perfectly catches the scene's context and emotion
- Facial expressions. One of the best. I can FEEL their emotions.

Cons(sorta)
- Wish I could understand all the medical references.
- How am I going to fill the void when this ends?

V0.8

i am sure it has all already been mentioned and i can only reaffirm the justified praise of others.

though i do not rate this above or equal to leap of faith, i do consider it 2nd best just by the pacing alone. the sex scenes are better, with the developer/s showing sure signs of a deep understanding of the moment (see Jaye's hand placements during a scene in chapter 7) and able to animate the very real intensity of desire and arousal in a way many of us will no doubt see as obvious.
yet so many devs miss hand placement and body movement during scenes and turn described desire into mere fucking.

whereas L.O.F feels like a rollercoaster to experience, short but emotionally charged, this one seems more like having the day of days to remember. having the same experience but less intense and spread over a longer period.

i guess the real dividing line here is with the humour as this has only managed to make me chuckle instead of belly laugh, and that's a good thing.
i may favour the rollercoaster but, as this one is still developing, just as i described above, i suspect that chasing sunsets will be the memory we fondly trigger in future when talking/thinking top VN's.

One of the best games on this site . Has it all, story, writing and renders.

Pros
- Latest lewd scenes with Jaye is off THE HOOK.
- Best renders on this site
- Hottest cast of girls in any game
- Best looking MC - no homo
- Story is engaging
- Funny banter between characters
- Great looking UI
- Good replayability
- Quality developers

Negatives
- Animations are good, but do not have the same texture as the images.

Review after playing V 0.8

Absolute masterpiece! The characters are spot on, the pacing is first class and once I had started playing I did not want it to end. The writing is superb, it draws you in and the renders keep you there. Romance, love, hot sex, comedy and lots of pop culture references. Jaye is stunning, all of the LI's are worthy of screen time, and the icing on the cake If / when I have to make a final choice its going to be so goddam difficult.

5* game, one of if not the best VN on this site and highly recommended.

10/10 story, renders, animations, and for god's sake characterizations.

The story hits all the emotional beats it should without being extra about it. It even hit some pretty dark tones there. The MC is well thought out, has actually been through some shit, his mistakes weigh on him, but he's also got a really good sense of humor. Things from his past actually inform his actions instead of just being an excuse as to why he might be moody about something.

The jokes they hit in this are god tier. In some cases I'm just dying laughing at some of the jokes. Amber Heard's laundry day is a good one lol. Also you so far get to choose how you reunion with your sister will go. Anywhere from loving and wanting reconciliation to.......well being a bit of an asshole and really competitive, which both cases are completely understandable. That Jaye though........top tier hottness.

Did I mention the renders are really good? They're really good. If anything I think the game needs more Rikki scenes. Definitely more Rikki. Oh Tara too. Lots more Tara.

Probably the most likely thing that separates this from others is the writing. Very good writing, a catchy story, and the characters all have personalities that show through. It is very fun to read through as you play because there is a ton of great humor placed in it at just the right places. Not too much but just the right amount and it's timed well. You really find yourself falling for the characters... until you start to fall for another and then you find yourself juggling your emotions while trying to follow along. There are very low amounts of sexual activity compared to the majority of these styles, but it's absolutely worth the payoff because you have connected with the characters when things do happen. Not overburdened with choices, but some that actually matter placed in the appropriate places. Expertly crafted to fulfill fetishes of family, step family, some kind of related family maybe, and a little of the non family but taboo or just normal opposite sex attraction. It really does do this very very well without needing to fixate on the person being actually blood related or step or half sibling or whatever. It will satisfy those fetishes for you, I promise. Excellent renders, spectacular camera setup, gorgeous ladies. Even the supporting cast has a personality and plays a role somewhere so again, I go back to the writing. I am very envious of the writing talent displayed. VERY well deserving of your download space and even your financial support.
Lilly

I think this is likely one of and debatably 'the' best game on this or any site. It is amazing in all respects and likely why the characters unsurprisingly show up in so many other games. It is quite masterfully done with the most ideal woman both physically and most amazingly mentally in terms of personality and development. It is quite a clever game with cultural references and a humor I find a lot of warmth and comfort with. Overall just a wonderful game.

I've been doing my damnest in trying to stay away from this particular thread because, I didn't want to get caught up in all the spoiler talk about what the upcoming update will bring. But I'm ashamed to say I've failed. lol

I'll admit that I've been waiting for a few other titles to throw out some updates as well, but CS is the one title that has me going crazy in anticipation. Even though the renders are absolutely gorgeous. I wish there was a printed version of the story that I could pick up and continue on reading. Of course there are other high quality titles out there with excellent stories as well, but I don't know what it is about this particular title, but it's somehow got me so hooked, far more than other titles I'm following.

The cast of characters is very well thought out, very organic. The story arc is brilliantly conceived to let the characters grow on you in one form or another. The amount of detail brought to the renders to convey their emotions or intent is spot on. Even the villains either grow on you or you just love to hate them.

Once the slow burn start passes and the story picks up, you won't be able to put this title down. Somehow this title has managed to bring out the 'softy' in me (which only 1 other title has managed to achieve for me)

I could go on quite a bit about praising this VN. I highly recommend this adventurous story.
5/5 stars
2 thumbs up.

I've done the first 4 chapters up to this point. The story isn't really original, and the storytelling has holes in it, but unlike most VNs the focus is on the story and the lewd scenes are secondary. Even more importantly the characters feel organic as does the entry into the lewd scenes, which is most definitely not like the majority of VNs. There's a degree of verisimilitude in the relationships which is almost totally absent from some games, and there's no need for every single girl to randomly fall moaning onto the MC's dick. That alone differentiates this game from the average. There's things to like and dislike about each character, just like real life, without having to draw up characters by category (smart one, stupid one, funny one, popular one etc) and because of that the game is very engaging despite some story weaknesses. It is so refreshing to step outside of the VN stereotypes for how the MC approaches relationships and sex even if some of the standard elements are there, that for that reason alone the game would be worth playing. Add to that the the characters are mostly likeable and interesting, and that the story is engaging and has scope to be really interesting if the tale is told well, that the game is absolutely worth playing. The strength in this game is the approach to the people, and if you value that then you're really going to like this game. The writing is better in some other games, tbh, although it's really not bad here either, but there are less than a handful of games that capture the essence of relationships as well as this game does. Play and enjoy.

Oh, as an afterthought, for those who like pop culture references this game is absolutely littered with them. As soon as you see the Tommy Tutone reference at the beginning you know what this game is going to be like in that respect. It may even be a little bit excessive, actually, but for those who love this kind of thing then playing "spot the reference" is going to be a whole separate game in and of itself for you.

PEAK! Jaye is easily one of my favorite love interests of all time. Mallory is great too, don't get me wrong, but she doesn't compare to that red-headed goddess! Chasing Sunsets is one of my favorite AVNs, not because the story is fantastic, but because it's incredibly mature. There's some pretty heavy and serious topics in here and the relationship built between Jaye and the MC is so fleshed out and beautiful. Top ten romances of all time in AVN history.

VN is decent. Art work is top notch, but the story/dialogue is too much sometimes. Found myself skipping a few times.
Other reason to skip was also to get Lisa scenes.

i am getting a hint that Lisa is not really a LI for mc in this game. Will see what happens.
Will give this another try if there is an ending with Lisa


Edit - Just removed one more star, cos i just remembered Jaye. She is one of the worst characters i have encountered. I dont know why people swoon over her. Personal preferences but still. She has a very standard look and the character arc is just a mind fuck.

Beautiful girls, exciting story, excellent renders.
this is one of the best games in the whole AVN world. you never know where the story goes. The MC is clever, good looking and well equipped.
Not the usual rooms (infamous boutique) but individual styled surrounding

Most beautiful love story I ever seen in game or even in my life. Fantastic expressed emotions, top notch renders, interesting plot... It is definitely not another sex game where you try to get laid with every character you meet. This is story of one and only true love and everyone having at least a bit romantic soul should play it. Great job.

Review for 0.7a

This is some amazing shit right here which honestly describes the story, characters and the graphics in this game. I honestly feel stupid I held off on playing this game till this version. The major characters are few but because of that very fleshed out.

Story: The story is a very emotional about a journey of a mom and dad and then later their children who reconnect. It's serious and quite heartfelt.

Sex: There is fortunately quite a bit of it without it being out of place. Meaning when the sex happens it largely makes sense in the context of the story.
Con: I however think the sex is also a con in a way because it does not last for as long as I'd like and I've seen it done better but in this game it's not bad by any metric.

Graphics: The women (and men if you are into them) look great and their face looks filled with character. Meaning most of them do not look two dimensional (like a guy meant to just be good looking and a girl just meant to look pretty or ugly). So I am happy about that too.

Bought and played on Steam but gonna review it here anyway for the awesomeness. What a gem. The story is not complete and on sorta climax, but I am satisfied with my 9 hour content (one playthrough in one sitting) anyway, no way they can blunder this masterpiece now.

This is a true adult visual novel, not your typical big cock dumb college kid young adult trope which is abundant. And this is not a PORN VN, this is a EROTIC VN, there are instances of casual sex but the amount is pretty realistic. Up to this point i sort of watched characters make love and flirt rather than have sex. Emotional reasons were there even for casual sex occassions, which is a pretty remarkable effort. There are multiple inner familial conflicts to spice up the story. Realistic writing and dialogues, interesting plot, good pacing, character buildup, character development, flashbacks, foreshadowings are all there. Lots of real life allegories and references. This is truly a novel. Also I appreciate the devs for limiting LIs to a few and filling their backstory and emotional baggage. It makes hard making choices. I almost felt like that last time while playing Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (obvious brunette and redhead allegory). I feel attached to everyone in the story in some way, few products in VN market can do that to me.

The visual aspect is on par with written. Renders are great, facial expressions are there. Backgrounds and settings are well developed and not half-assed like most projects. You will never get bored of looking at this game and never want to skip. The only aspect which can be underwhelming is animations, although I think they are acceptable.

This game needs higher reception overall. Go buy it and support the devs.

First off, I wanna say how lucky I am to finally start the game at chapter 6, because there was no way I could have taken Jaye's teasing.

Ok, now for the actual review. I usually don't do reviews for games with 'overwhelming positive' response, simply because there are literally hundreds or maybe thousands of other positive reviews that mine will just get lost in.

But! This game was just something special, I just couldn't hold back all the feels and thoughts inside me and I had to vomit it out somewhere.

The story, which I consider the most important piece of an AVN, was superbly done. Actual plot(which was pretty damn good too) aside, the pacing, the build-up, the backstories, and the timing which each piece of the puzzles was inserted, absolutely perfect. What WASN'T perfect though, was the exposition dump start at the beginning. But still, as hard as it would be to wrap it up, I am beginning to have faith in the writer to do it.

The renders, do I actually need to say anything? This game has one of the best looking renders and animations amongst even highly rated AVNs. But the thing that stood out for me were the expressions, I don't really have any knowledge about renders and Daz(I'm assuming), but the range of expressions and how well they capture the dialogue captivated me. The smirks, the 'trying not to laugh' faces, the harrowed looks, all of them really breathed life into the characters and did the story justice.

The characters, aside from being outright gorgeous, were amazingly designed, be it their personality or backstory. That made the dynamics between the LIs and the MC interesting and at the same time believable. Even the quirky side characters packed a punch, playing their roles perfectly to a tee. (Tara and Amanda, Ugh, GIVE THEM MORE SCREENTIME ALREADY!)

I don't really have much negatives to point out about most well made games because I'm usually easy to trick into accepting them. But I cannot, for the life of me, imagine why was there even that choice to "backstab" Jaye?! (-100love -100trust) I understand some people enjoy 'choices that matters', but SOMEONE EXPLAIN THAT CHOICE TO ME.

Most games with similarly mature or serious themes can't pull off harems as well as lighthearted ones, or those that are just fun and aren't supposed to take themselves seriously.
The harem route, however much I like them, most of the time just cheapens the experience, story and simply undermines the girls and their personalities. Because it's just that hard to pull in games that strives have a believable plot. That's why it usually came down to choices and multiple endings.

However, based on what I've seen in this game, Mal and Jaye seems to have fun competing with each other for attention, egging each other on, without the usual jealousy and envy (much), which just feels bad for the player.
The dynamics of the 2 main LIs and the MC, the plot revolving around their ties to one another. I wholeheartedly believe this game has that potential to implement that sacrilegious option. Though at the moment, it seems to be heading more towards the 1+1 option on either side. (I don't want to choose...Please don't make me choose between two angels.)

Alas, I dislike games that lets you choose EVERYTHING, because that just hampers the writer's creativity and flow in my opinion. I always enjoyed being swept up into the world a writer has to offer, once I decided that I like what I've seen, of course.

So kudos to the devs for this amazing game, and I look forward to being brought along on this possibly once in a lifetime adventure.

Simply amazing, that's all. This game should be way more popular than it is.

This game has a lot going for it, but the writing is what really stands out. Sure there is still some porn logic, but it's head and shoulders above almost anything else I have seen on this site.

Story: 5/5

What really works for good writing on VNs like this is just the simple trick of actually knowing the general outline of the story beforehand. The writers seem to know what they are going for and have a plan, that alone will do wonders instead of just making things up as you go along.

The pacing is also very good and progresses at just the right pace, and more importantly maintains consistency. I never felt that any parts were dragging on or were too rushed.

Characters and Themes: 5/5

Technically the relationship with Jaye is not really incest, but even still the way their romance develops is extremely well done.

Unlike a lot of AVN MCs, the protagonist here is not just some random good looking dude with no personality. You can actually feel his emotions and understand the appeal of what women see in him (apart from the ripped bod and big dick that is).

Progression and Choices: 5/5
The choices you make actually seem to matter quite a bit, the game gives you a lot of freedom in how you act, towards others and shapes the way other characters react to you.

Afaik, there are no gotcha choices, all choices seem to have realistic consequences and you don't need to religiously follow some walkthrough, just use your brain.


Renders and Animations: 4/5

The renders are very good, the earlier animations are pretty subpar, although they have been steadily improving at a remarkable pace. Which brings me to my next point.

Sex Scenes: 5/5

This is not primarily a fap game, so there aren't too many sex scenes, but the ones that are, they are incredibly hot.
Despite my previous complaint about early animations, the sex scenes still shine incredibly well because of the writing and buildup to it.

So many AVNs make the sex seem so mechanical by just describing what they are showing almost like a transcript.

But this game actually focuses on what the characters are feeling, and that's insanely hot.

Overall (Upto Chapter 6): 5/5

This is a very good game, that I would definitely recommend to anyone that's looking for more than just a quick fap.

Boy this game has a lot going for it!
The renders are great but the models are all the same and a little bland (super tight, toned and beautiful but insecure and all virgins, lol) but this is but a minor setback for me. The body language and facial expressions are very well done, without being too obvious and corny.
I think the story is awesome and original. Of course, there are holes and a bit of nonsense but all in all, very enjoyable!
There is a fair bit of humor in this, even if the main tone is a little more on the serious side and the setup is somewhat believable, which is a very good thing to see in the sea of bland and straight-to-business games on here!
I respect every different culture, gender and beliefs but it's a breath of fresh air to have a very well worded dialogue with almost no errors in it, ha!

I love a slow burn and "real" emotions (must be my romantic side ... says the guy on a fapping game site!) and would be ok if this wrapped up pretty soon after 0.7!

5 stars from me, this might be my favorite game on F95 yet!

There are not a lot of games out there that'll keep you interested in the story, make you laugh, and lead you to empathize with the characters. This game will. I felt like the story started a little bit slow, but the setup was worth it. The artwork is superb, as well.

You'll find plenty of games with the same tired plot lines, the same cheesy dialogue, and even the same character renders. This is NOTHING like that.

Chasing Sunsets is unique. The dialogue works. It reads like it was written by someone who knows how to design a plot, has the talent to translate that into words, AND has a good editor to fix the inevitable screw-ups. Oh, and did I mention the artwork?

I only wish I could play it for the first time again. And again.

So far, I'm enjoying this VN; for some reason, I had skipped it on several occasions, and now that I've played it, I see it was a major mistake. It has a great combination of dark drama and comedy, the visuals are gorgeous, and the plot is excellent. This is going on my "can't wait for the next update" list.