VN - Ren'Py - College Kings [Act 2 v6.0.4] [Undergrad Steve]

En route to 5-star game. As of v9.0, lot of potential hindered by buggy releases, imho your generic adult VN MC and crawling story. (Also as other mentioned, especially Riley's model is several levels under the "average" in this game, not even talking about Chloe/Nora levels). But, and this is a big BUTT, there's a lot to be enjoyed here and a lot to look forward.

College Kings started off great, but it has become a monotonous experience.

I believe the growth of College Kings and taking on more staff to perform tasks such as writing, dialogue, and rendering hurt the game more than helped it. The game doesn't seem to have a vision of what it wants to be. A team of people can be great for an AVN, but they need to understand how to work cohesively to make an actually good product.

The story drags on and on and on. I honestly didn't know what was going on 0.8 and forwards. Transitions are especially lacking. I didn't know what was going on because you're in one scene, and then you're suddenly in a whole new scene. There is clearly no direction in the writing. College Kings is going to have 100 acts by the time the staff finishes the game.

Romance and dialogue has now become superficial and it's like you're reading a teenager's fanfiction. When I read a character's lines in the beginning of the game, I got an understanding of who they were. Now, it feels like every character speaks the same and has the same set of morals. Lindsey, a character that I felt had a great amount of potential, got dumped off with unnatural dialogue and comes off strange. It also doesn't seem like there are any consequences for fooling around with multiple girls. At least in other GOOD AVNs, you're blocked off access from at least a few girls. There's no fun for replayability when you can just have everyone at the same time.

The girls and overall setting/background in each scene did look fantastic. There is a noticeable dropoff in quality in 0.8. This is likely due to having multiple people render. You're at the end of 0.7, but then the lighting and model of the girl changed drastically as you go onto 0.8. Literally night and day.

There was a ton of potential for this game, but it was better off as a one-man-project. College Kings needs direction in its story. The extra staff can't do what Undergrad Steve was able to do with actually make the game appealing and create buy-in.

Interpret my review as whatever you want. It may even be inaccurate in some details, but undeniably the game got worse as it grew. (And goodness gracious, the phone and text messages are overused. It was annoying to see the phone pop up as much as it did)

Initially, I enjoyed this. The animations aren't the greatest, but I can't animate for shit, so I try not to judge too harshly. The sex positions change in a weird way, like one second they're... idk, 69ing, then the next they're in cowgirl with no kind of transition. Also, some of the faces during sex are... off-putting, and there's a lot of what I'd consider "porn star" talk during sex, no matter what the personality of the girl is.

But! My biggest problem with the game is that it's... boring, with a storyline that seems like it's somehow in the background while you spend most of the game hanging out with girls who text you. Because there's so little time spent on the actual plot, the way it moves forward can be awkward at times. Like, it almost feels forced. For example, in the most recent update, all of a sudden there's gonna be a freshman brawler competition that's happening in like... a few days. It just kind of... pops up... as a thing that's happening even though the "plot" of the whole game is about two fighting frats (which is super weird and would never exist irl but that's neither here nor there) having a rivalry and each wanting to recruit the best fighters so that they can beat the other in competitions.

Lastly (I think), the "romances" feel... shallow/rushed, and it's super weird that there are pretty much zero consequences for messing around with multiple girls at once, even if they're good friends with each other. Plus (I'm so used to seeing it that I didn't even think about it at first), there's like... 8+ potential main romances, and none of them are Black, and maybe none of them are WOC period.

There are aspects of gameplay that are similar to ... another game that cannot be named... but they're not done as well, and they can start to feel more frustrating than fun pretty fast.

The game started strong but the storyline and the sex scenes are less and less interesting, combat is just annoying so you'll just save and reload a lot.

On top of this, plenty of game breaking bugs which not only stops your progression in the version you're playing but in the next ones so you'll have to restart over and over again.

I've reach my limit.

(update as of V 0.11) I don't normally update a rating unless there is a good reason. But I will for this one. Bored. I was SO bored playing the new update. There was nothing that felt organic or compelling, it was all just -scene with a girl- walk home- something happens on the walk home- get in bed- respond to text- wake up next day. The game is painfully generic. I don't root for the MC, I don't think choices really matter, and I don't feel like any progress is being made in whatever excuse for a story this is. What is the plot, undergrad Steve? What are my objectives or motives? This game is an ungratifying mess.

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I liked this game at first, but now it's just leaving me with a big ol' meh. There are a few college setting games I play while waiting for the big one to release a new chapter. This one is tumbling down the list.

Everything about it is fine, I guess. It just doesn't do anything that particularly stands out from the rest. It's a poor man's imitation of better games out there.

Story? Please, you already have a pretty good idea of what the story is. It's a college game. Our MC, Babyface McGee, is a freshman at college and is looking for a frat to join (sound familiar?). He meets a bunch of women who stumble all over his oozing adolescent sex appeal for reasons I can't comprehend. Maybe it's his skin-tight jeans and generic red game controller shirt. That's gotta be it.

The girls are... I don't actually remember. There are the ones in the header photo, and the rest I can't really remember, and there are a lot of them. They are modeled nicely, though I can't say I remember there being much diversity among them. I like the redheads bold eyebrows, they are nice. Other than that, I couldn't tell you off the top of my head what their names or and what most of their stories are. The redhead is your ex and the blonde is a sorority president who is so much more than she appears! (Ring any bells?)

There is a fighting aspect (do I have to spell it out for you?) that is so cumbersome I completely forgot how it worked and had to relearn it for every update. Oh, and its animated! Kind of. There are a lot of little animated clips in this game that you will miss because they are easy to skip over. Then there is the phone... it's very poorly implemented. The UI for the phone is so ugly and basic. Also, there is a free roam... moving on.

Look, there are a lot of college games coming out that are clearly looking to mimic the success of the big papa of all college games. Some are good, some are okay, most aren't very good. This one teaters between okay and not very good for me. Most of these games do something a little different while paying homage to their inspiration or directly referencing it. This one isn't that. I mean just look for the warning on the main page.

College Kings takes itself too seriously and tries to hard. It just feels like a cheap imitation, not a rival or spiritual successor.

played this a few hours ago, and I must say it’s very impressive so far. Lauren is just the sweetest and I can’t wait to see how we progress with her in the story. I love the fact that there are two major separate routes to take, wolves or apes. It’s great for replay ability. Can’t wait for future updates!

College Kings [v0.8.3] [Undergrad Steve]

I recently gave "College Kings" a try, and I must admit that I was left quite underwhelmed by the experience. The game seems to be a clear attempt at mimicking the formula of other popular games, but it falls short in capturing the essence of what made those games enjoyable in the first place.

One of the most significant issues I encountered was the lack of originality. It felt like a cardboard cut-out project, a cheap imitation of something else, almost like a bootleg version of a well-known franchise. This left me feeling apathetic about the game because it didn't offer anything fresh or unique to hold my interest.

The story and plots in "College Kings" also left a lot to be desired. They came across as contrived and one-dimensional, with clichéd characters going through predictable motions. I couldn't help but feel that the developer missed an opportunity to create a more engaging and memorable narrative.

Character development and dialogue were also lacking. While a few characters like Imre, Chloe, and Nora stood out to me, the rest felt like uninteresting stock characters. The dialogues came across as vapid, failing to add depth or authenticity to the interactions between characters.

In conclusion, "College Kings" felt like an uninspired and cheap ripoff. It lacked the soul and originality that I expect from a game, especially one that draws inspiration from other successful titles. If the developer could infuse some uniqueness and fresh ideas into the game while addressing the issues with storytelling and character development, it might have the potential to become a more enjoyable experience. However, as it stands, I can't help but feel disappointed with this attempt.

I love this AVN! Choices are the best, and it makes me feel like I am back in College. Really hope that new updates are brining in ton of more fun, plus Ms. Rose... mmm Can't really wait.

I got hooked instantly, even though there are other great rendered AVNs out there, this one attracted me with its story and potential.

Renders - 4/5 - Some girls are unique and super hot...a couple look generic and awkward...background renders are nothing special
Story - 3/5 - This plays like the typical college VN...but there are a few too many characters and it's difficult to get a sense of how the choices are affecting your path

Overall--this was mostly fun, but a lot of the characters feel pretty flat and the narrative doesn't flow all that well. I gave it four stars based on the solid interface and the inventive choice to have two major paths.

My friends wanted me to play that one. And WTF is this? I've been told that CK has great story, nice characters and BEST COMBAT EVER MADE.

Nope, it hasn't.

Stereotypical american movie kind plot. In the very beginning we have almost "straight line" storytelling which branches after into 2 huge paths with zero actual difference. In latest updates i feel like jumping between girls with no idea whats happening.

There are a lot of girls. They are really good looking but sadly they are all the same. Poor character development made me forget ALL of their names in next day (lol).

Gameplay. Typical modern VN with Ctrl pressing, some FreeRoams and a Phone. I guess phone is the reason of all that BUGS. But wait, we have one more to discuss.

Fighting... Dude, the IDEA is great. It really is! But realization made with '00 style short animations? Meh, not for me, sorry

Also i should mention TONS of BUGS in every fckin update. I've been told Dev has quite a team so PLEASE maybe worth considering beta test?

Music - nothing worth mentioning. Typical non-immersive

Renders - Well, well done sir Undergrad Steve

Animations - good but nothing exceptional

TLDR
Plot - 2/5
Gameplay 3/5
Music 3/5
Renders 2/5
Animations 2/5
Bugs 5/5 - best feature CK has

Nothing exceptional and not worth playing.

UPD. Just played CK's last update (0.9). This just can't compete with quality of other games. I'm tired of constant bugs. Instead of playing, i'm browsing f95 looking for fixes for fckin phone. If you can't propeply code phone fckin remove it. Quality of renders still pretty average.
From VN with good ambitions to ashes. I'm done with this game.

At the script and technical level, it is a good graphic novel, but the developer has to work more on the quality of the renderings, almost all his renders have "noise", they look dirty, it's a shame because the great work behind it, recommendation, if you don't want your renderings to take so long, limit the scenes and reduce the less relevant characters in your story, beyond this, I recommend it.

Game breaking bugs.

Advertised renders are cool but its nothing like it in the real game.
Looked average for me.


Horrendous management on file size!? compressed version is under 1GB and the released size is 8GB + and possibly more in the future!?

Im going to rate the game according to render, animation, models choice, story.
render 3/5
animation 3/5
model choice 4-5/5
story 4/5

overall 3/5 because the render just can t retain my attention to follow through the above average story.
On the bright side, the developer has tried really hard to improve on the criteria i stated above with each new update.
So should you download and play ? Well if you don t mind with average render, the story is nt bad. However, if you want some A plus experience, wait for few more updates for the quality of its renders and animations to improve first before trying it.

I will definitely re rate it again in the future.

This has quickly become one of my favorite games in the industry. The dev clearly is dedicated to his craft and I hope he continues pushing forward. I really enjoy the fact that you there are two different major paths, and then a ton of smaller choices throughout the game.

At first blush, College Kings may seem superficially similar to other college-set games. There are dorms, classrooms and fraternity settings, copious gorgeous women, hot teachers, male rivals at an opposing frat, etc. But it is a game with a distinct voice and approach, namely that you're attending Fight Club: The School.

College Kings's unique angle is that the frats are basically MMA training centers. Having downloaded based on good experiences with similar games and CK's high rating (and not reading any summaries), I was pretty surprised and found it a refreshing take. Other games have the fun, frat life on lockdown, so the take of, hey, let's make this sexy-times college also a light action RPG is great.

My one gripe, and it's a minor one unless this drags for years, is that the 0.7 version numbering is misleading. There are a couple of actual sex scenes, and an adequate number of lewd scenes. But go in expecting a game that's 70% finished and you'll be disappointed. Other top rated games listed as 0.7 have 50+ sex scenes. It's possibly 70% done with chapter 1 of 5, so bear that in mind.

That said, the writing is sharp and funny, the models are super hot and the animations are good with a noticeable improvement as the game progresses and the fighting mini-game was a nice challenge without being a pain. Really good game that I only imagine will get better.

So far, this is definetly a good game. The girls are very hot, the story is good and i liked the MC (he is not a douche nor an wimp). I also liked tha amount of choices and the atempt to make it looks like reality.

My problem was: the hottest models are the ones i wouldn't like to stay, while the "ugly ones" are the ones has the personalities i personaly like.

The ex girlfriend is hot and likes the MC, but cheated on him before, so its a no go. Chloe is also hot but will probably cheat on MC with is roomate and is a manipulative bitch, so, perhaps, there is an incoming NTR tag for her. Albrey is the third one that is very hot, but she is a total slut and doesn't like romance... this is hard.

Thats only my opinion tho. I liked this game a lot and recommend it.

This is clearly a game for teenagers...I know it has a college setting, but still the whole thing is average for my tastes. I could not get very far into it as I quickly lost interest.
It's overrated IMO.

- Some typos. Writing is flat, dialogs are plain. There are some painful "funny" lines/jokes' attempts that just made me facepalm myself.
- MC looks dumb
- Renders are nice but sometimes people have strange facial expressions
- Music doesn't fit the situations...at all

Just played through all the main girls' paths (Chloe, Riley, Aubrey, Lauren, Emily, Penelope), and I must say I really love this game a lot.

While the college setting is a background that I may be too familiar with, the story is told in a way that it really distiguishes itself from other games.

The girls all look great, and each have their own set of unique and very endearing personalities (haven't seen anyone that I dislike yet). Looking forward to the events with each of them.

Also, being a fan of MMA myself, the fighting tournament between the 2 fraternities Wolves & Apes is pretty good.
Fight mechanic I admit can be challenge to get it right, but it's also pretty interesting.

Looking forward to seeing how MC's story unfolds, and his road to becoming the champ.

Nice game. Likeable MC and female characters. Renders are neat and so the animations. The story is interesting and easy to follow. Very recommendable for anyone who wants to have a good time and like school setting games with a good background

It's not bad but, the renders, the the sex scenes, the plot, all of it, it fits comfortably in it's genre but there's nothing here that stands out either. If you're a fan of the genre it's a new one to play and it's decent enough at what it does if you're cool seeing renders that don't particularly stand out. If you're not, it won't convert you but you probably won't hate it either.
It's 2-3 range, it's not the best, it's not the worst, it just is.
I round up to 3 because it has a bit of walkthrough/gallery mod support, which does make me want to round up, and because I would say it's slightly improving, so if I had to guess if it might jump to 4 or drop to 2, I'd give it the benefit of the doubt.