VN - Ren'Py - Cheerleaders [v0.2] [Lounatick]

This review is against 0.2, which is very early indeed. I'll come back in a few releases and check again, and modify or delete the review if things have changed.

Pros:
* Nice renders, very attractive girls

Cons:
* Not a single character in the game is likable. Maybe it's trying to become a hate-fuck fetish think, idk
* Got that whole weird "cheerleading as a way of life" thing going on you see in a lot of incel fiction, not a huge problem but not great either. Be helpful if there was some explanation for why these girls are treating their after-school activity like a cult
* Again, it's early, but instead of setting up some plot and starting to work it, the game is just spamming us with characters and plotlines. It could work out ok, but this seems like a dumpster-fire in the making

Promising Start here even if short. Girls are gorgeous and it's an original twist on the female MC corruption story with sub/dom paths. Dialogue is solid even if the some of the characters behave a bit over the top to the point of being jarring.

HOWEVER, it seems to be setting up waaay too many side plots which should be a big red flag for anyone who's been around the block for a bit here.

In the meantime, it grabbed me enough to want to follow it's progress.

I'm giving it 5 stars although this update is definitely just a demo, much remains to be seen.

BUT there is a lot to like her and things that are not so common. The models and renders are all good. The setting is good if not especially creative. The mechanics and the plot haver a ton a potential!

Femdom, lesbian, school setting, these are tag combos you don't see much. The harshness/corruption mechanic could be very fun. There's a lot of characters introduced so lots of possibilities.

I hope we get some mother/daughter, not sure if the dev has that in mind.

I'm not gonna lie, as soon as I read the first review that basically says "It's not a male harem game, so I don't like it" Lol.. well that instantly made me want to try it. LOL

It's just the first release so right It's basically just and introduction to all the characters, with Elana being the main character, who's goal is to win the national cheer championship. It also appears that at times, you will get to make decisions for the other cheerleaders effecting their fates as well.

Quick summary: It starts with Elana subverting the previous captain and booting a majority of the previous members off the team and recruiting new members, instantly setting up the narrative that there will be bad blood between the two groups. Not much beyond that so far other than getting to make a couple of decisions setting a couple of different styles for Elana... she can be strict and teasingly mean, or empethetically nice, allowing the girls more freedom.

Right now I will just say this:
1. All the girls a crazy hot. Always a plus
2. The story is ambitious and has lots of potential with Elana's reputation and pretty much entire livelihood hinging on success or failure. How far is she willing to go to win? How much will she be willing to do herself? How much will the other girls accept, tolerate, or not? All questions to be answered in future updates I guess.
3. Lastly, in terms of devolpment, to say the first release is short would be accurate... but the dev has said that the plan is short monthly updates, not long drawn out big updates, in order to get more frequent feedback and make adjustments accordingly. So if this just a months work or so, then to say production is not there is dead wrong... if... and I repeat "if" the dev can truly keep this pace and deliver, then in terms of content in just 6-7 months this game could have more content then some stuff I know has been on this site for 5+ years lol.

So.. for now my rating is easily 4 stars, but because this is an early release that is easily subject to change depending on how things proceed from here, for better... or for worst.

It's got good models, currently it's very short. I like the aim it has in mind, but it really needs a lot more content to back it up. Hopefully the developer makes more and keeps going. I will say the tag "Male Protagonist" was misleading, I expected to have the choice to be either a male or female in the same role corrupting the girls, but no. You are forced to be the head cheerleader (female) and you have the option that affects "dictatorship" which is really the wrong term to use here. It should be between either assertive/dominant or submissive/unambitious. Calling it a dictatorship makes the person playing feel like the bad guy, but not in a sexy way, more in a dystopian hell-scape "it's all my fault" sort of way.

If I could actually change the gender of the character I'm going to play as and the wording for some things was changed it'd be better. Also an intro scene for each cheerleader so we get to know the team would help with making character's memorable.

Otherwise, good effort, nice models, good basis for the plot from what I've seen.