VN - Ren'Py - Corporate Culture [v0.7] [sqwl]

I admit to really struggling to like this after playing for around 40 minutes or so. The MC just came across as a pathetic loser who has serious issues...like obsessing over a girl he spoke barely a few words too.

Elsa, his co-worker and mentor in rebuilding his persona and life, was not my favorite either. she looks plain and her personality was just too cold and bitchy for me.

I have gone back to the game after a break and it seems to be picking up a bit more now. Derek thankfully stopped looking like a retarded Emo...although he still is annoying as fuck and moronic. His simping over Alice and brown nosing to Emma makes me want to choke the idiot.

I will stick with this and see where it's going. Initially it was a bit depressing and not much fun. I revised my score to 3 stars for average based on the story improvement (from god awful to intriguing). If it gets better yet, I will revise the score again.

What can I say, there are already dozens of positive reviews about the writing in this AVN.

But I want to be more specific about why this is great writing because I find some of the reviews here very superficial.

I'll try to be as vague as possible on the specifics of the plot so as not to spoil.

The main character is loosely inspired by Edward Norton from Fight Club: he is a wounded person who takes refuge in a safe but insignificant everyday life.

One day, an equally insignificant event becomes his obsession. This obsession leads him to embark on a path of nihilistic change.

His progressively more aggressive and less empathetic attitude is not only the path to recovery but is, above all, a tool to become one of the top managers of his company.

During this attempt to rise to the top, he is not alone, Edward will in fact find an ambiguous, unusual guide.

The greatness of this story lies precisely in the ambivalence of his attitude ,which some would define as alpha. His alpha attitude paradoxically serves him both to heal and because it is the only attitude that allows him to survive in the toxic environment of a large corporation.

The question is, will Edward recover or will he be lost? Who will he be at the end of this journey?

Yes, you can't change the MC's name. No, that's not an issue. If you want some fap material, this game is not for you.

However, you want an engaging story, with fleshed out charachters, believable and witty dialogue, then this game is for you. It's true that the MC's infatuation with one of the charachters happens out of the blue, but that is addressed and expanded on later in the game. There are also a few sequances of the game where the story is told only through renders, which I think is unique and really well done.

8/10

ok everything is so cool etc just like ppl saying but,

if the 1 or 2 more update(means a year) goes building+sexual tension, this rate stars going down rlly quick just like the amnesia or many high rated games. tell me one blueballz game being successful in avn world? i dont think so.

only sex scene we have with fat ugly undeveloped neighbour which is if we delete her in the entire game, NOTHING will change in the story. So this is just one stupid attempt for not getting "NO SEX SCENE" tag from f95.

now we have half of the game(0.5) and i ll rate the game 5/5 if the other half goes non stop "action" after that looooooong character buildings. hate me or take some advice here i dont care. i am just supporter of adult gaming

The writing is pretty much top-tier , the girls are beautiful , but is a VN with low "porn" , much more like a Romance/drama novel with some "fight club" vibes.... but is very promising.
The bad thing is the slow.........really slow updates.
The MC's behavior ...., i wish is more likable.
There are no real choices ....
But have 1 of my favourites characters , (Elsa) really great writing for bad.. or good.

For now is 5/5 stars vn for me! great job.

Super underrated game in terms of popularity here. One of the best characters building and storytelling game I've ever played. Dialogues and renders on excellent level. It's too bad that updates are very rare, but considering quality behind it, it's something I can deal with.

When I started in the world of adult games, it wasn't because of their stories. The beautiful women of impossible sizes, seductively dressed or excitingly naked, were the reason. It would be dishonest to deny it.

Then I discover titles like Corporate Culture and it shatters my mind. Its leisurely pace, charismatic characters, agile and intelligent dialogues, and an exceptional graphic level, makes me not need sex scenes. Even more: they bother me, because the creator, SQWL, instead of writing more story, has "wasted time" in rendering nude images.

This is not a porn game, it's a TV series with some sex. You have been warned.

You need to take your time and get emerged in the subtle gesture and facial expression of the characters. But if you do, this is the most astonishing ride on sarcasm and dry humor you will ever find. The game is not just good, it's awesome. I am glad the developer found his heart to finally continue this masterpiece.

This game doesn't offer a bright variety of an all exchangeable harem of all so similar girls, and doesn't event try to serve every fetish there is. Instead, it focuses on only a few characters and also manages to build up deepness in the characters. The driver in the center is the symbiotic relationship to your coworker Elsa, who seems to be void of emotions - but just on the first glance. But by reducing the communication often just to just very subtle changes of facial expressions, the author manages to transport the deepness of nonverbal communication and therefore lifts the story by showing, not telling to an emotional level, in a way I have not seen like this in any other game.

The back to life story of the mc, mixed with hardball corporate culture, is captivating. The renders and art are excellent. However, the erotic in this game is not caused by plain display of a lot of nudity (so far), but by the subtle constant power play between nearly all characters. And this works for me far more rewarding than to see just another set of bare tits. Its a must-play.

Smart and well written. If you are here for the sex, this game is not for you.
If "Charakter" and subtile humor is important, this is the one!

Chemistry between the MC and his "villian" friend Elsa is so good, that even these two probably never find together, the journey itself was totally worth it.
More of it, please!

I like stories where the main character, overcoming difficulties and injustice, rises to the top.
That is why I have been following the game since the very first update. There are excellent renders, interesting dialogues and characters.
And the game would easily get 5/5 from me, if not for a small detail - the game is already 3 years old.

During this time, the plot did not significantly move forward and the personalities of the characters remained at the same level at which they were at the very beginning.
MC is the same pathetic simp with mental problems, Elsa is the same manipulative bitch, Alice is still fake.
There is no progress.

Reading the fan comments, I see that all they expect from the game today is to get another batch of "funny bunters" with Elsa. It's pretty pathetic.

(Version Reviewed: v0.5)

Corporate Culture is one of the most interesting games that I've played. It has a wonderful premise of a loser corporate monkey trying to improve his life with the influence of a new coworker of his. The story revolves around our MC's simping of the daughter of one of the main shareholders of the company. It's largely a one sided romance that hasn't borne fruit yet. But, forget about the object of MC's desires. The players can't help but feel intrigued with MC's enigmatic friend and that is the sole reason to play the game. Our interactions with Elsa are nothing like the interactions with any other AVN LI. She's simply mysterious and quite likable while being a little annoyance too. There's no music until the latest update. Very little sexual content too. The renders are excellent. The story telling is on another level compared to other AVNs.

Overall - 9.5/10. One of the best stories on this site.

English: 7
User Interface: 3
User Experience: 4
Art: 8
Dialogue: 1
Story: 3
Opinion: 1
------------------------------
Avg: 3.86/10

I cannot fathom how or why this is rated so highly. The first thing that happens is non-renamable MC, Edward, starts narrating his life, he doesn't like anything, doesn't do anything, doesn't even listen to someone that approached him to ask a question. And this girl, Alice, that has said THREE SENTENCES to MC, he's suddenly obsessed with her, wanting to prove to himself that she's this high class imperfect slut that can be his? Why? To the point where he ignore friends/coworkers entirely just to go make a fool of himself? In the opening sequence, I think there's maybe 15 lines that AREN'T said by MC. And everything builds to subscribe to this "alpha male" bullshit. "I gotta be so alpha (even though I look like a failed youtube musician) that this unremarkable girl I for some reason am completely obsessed with will love me." That is the whole premise of the story. And every girl in between now and having sex with some girl he talked to BARELY, is practice to be used. She's a prize to be "obtained" he actually used that word. It's completely disgusting and having to listen to no one but MC at all times is taxing. The only positive I can say, like everyone else, is the renders are decent looking. But I guess this is marketed to a certain kind of person. Sociopaths. That's who I'm talking about, if you didn't catch on.

The long and short is if you think like this or hold anyone that tries to be like this in a positive light for doing so, I'm a little sorry for you and you should value people more than you do currently. The English is fine, a lot of weird phrasing, but fine. UI/UX is mostly stock but colored black and gray. The art is a bunch od DAZ assets, it's kinda hard to make it look bad. The dialogue and story is the garbage alpha male regurgitations of a failed MMA fighter. Sure, it's good to better yourself, but at the cost of everything and everyone around you? Wow. I am not the target audience for this, I never will be. Obsession and sociopathic tendencies are not good nor healthy, if you or anyone you know does this please get some help for your mental heath and take care of yourself.

A visual novel about an Incel ascending into a Chad.

That's basically the whole premise of the story. That's basically the whole objective of the MC. Yes, the writing is pretty much top-tier (and hell, story had some emotional moments of relatability!). Yes, the whole thing, graphically, looks pretty good. But, ultimately, after the first half, the game's enjoyment will hinge on whether or not you like interacting with a certain unavoidable character: Elsa (she's some Stacy-lite chick who basically bosses the MC around and he just bends over backwards for her ofc. Some beta male kinda shit, innit?)

Really wanted to like this because it's not terrible at all! The dev really put some effort into making this. But it just drags on and on and on with Elsa and MC bantering about things I don't care about and this Incel MC, ya know, trying to be less of loser. It just ended up being a bore. Lol.

Excellent story. May be brutally relatable for some of us. There's not heaps of lewd content, but I was so gripped by the story that I never stopped to notice. The writing is well above average in this space. The render quality overall is good, but nothing to write home about. Highly recommended to those who have struggled with loneliness in the past, but not if you are currently in a dark place as the game may be a bit soul-crushing if you relate as much as I did.

The game rewards being an asshole, and being nice makes you a loser. Classic alpha/beta debunked shit.

It's an incel's viewpoint of the world essentially. I have no idea how people love the writing so much. I don't think the dev has ever even held the hand of a woman much less slept with one.
Then again looking at the reviews people seem to love this a lot so I guess it has a niche to fill after all.

It's not bad, but despite the nigh perfect grammar, pacing, etc... The MC's behavior is just a little too much to stomach at times, so I can't in good faith recommend it beyond 'give it a try, I guess'.

Why do I dislike the MC's behavior? Because often times it actually feels like I'm inside the mind of an incel, or a schizo, or maybe the school shooter you never saw coming? The dude is incredibly ill and borderline crazy, and while a lot of this is supposed to be... uplifting? It just seems like it's sending the entirely wrong message, and I don't see where the big reversal on it all is going to come from.

Some concrete examples:
- First 10 minutes or so of reading was incredibly unpleasant. MC is a dude who's pretty much given up on life, and it's tough to read. Really reads like school shooter, about to kill himself, etc. vibes.

- The dude talks to himself. A lot. Now, that isn't a problem -- we all do it -- but it's written like how a mad man would do it. Fun at times, but ultimately, I don't find it to be the likable kind of crazy, a.k.a eccentric.

- There's one scene where the MC gets mad, drags a character around, and then goes on this angry, edgy, narcissitic rant about all the things he's going to do in retaliation for spoiler things. Why can't he be calm and normal? Why does he have to give school shooter vibes? I'm supposed to want to root for this guy, for christs sake.

- Longass flashback where we find the reason for the MC's crippling depression is... melodramatic at best, childish at worst. Not to mention the flashback seemed to come from nowhere, with no real obvious foreshadowing I could see that that was the MC's problem all along. Whole sequence just kind of fell flat for me and painted the MC in a worse light. More foreshadowing? More reasons for me to emphasize with the MC? Idk, the sequence just didn't work for me and only made me hate the MC more.

- Our MC starts making some progress with women, and as one of them's confessing to him, he quite literally goes crazy-eyed and starts arguing with himself internally on whether to use her for easy sex or not. Shit is batshit insane and not cool at all, but no one in the game seems to be saying it's so. Hate it.

- He exhibits some behavior that is about the most quintessential incel shit for trying to get a girl to like them that I almost cried. I've had real-life friends that did the shit the MC's doing... at more than half his age. It's just, agh, can you make this guy come off as a bigger loser? If the ending somehow comes out as that entire sequence not being about the girl playing him, I might lose my faith in humanity. Holy shit.

-There are some scenes where the MC almost 'whines' a lot, and while the initial banter is great, I feel there are a few scenes where the banter ends up being dragged on for just a little too long. Once the jokes and arguments start getting repeated, that's when we're reaching the tedium of a real-life argument as well, and I just want to tune out and leave. The initial part is almost always good though, so it's more the extra stuff to soldify the MC's personality as insufferable that makes me annoyed.

Anyways, TLDR?
Read my first paragraph. Just wish the MC were more sympathetic/likable/at least showing signs of becoming more likable instead of worse.

v0.4.5

The writing is literally a korean/japanese soap opera/romance drama. And that is a good thing. The only difference is, so far theres no rival or antagonist for your love interest and you can choose your ending girls.

Currently too early to do a complete review but so far this is very promising.

Wow! What a fantastic game! I have had a blast playing it and cannot wait for future content. The tone is grave, even harsh, but the story is fantastic. So far, Alice may be the dream girl in the game, but to me Elsa is the real star. She has so much presence in the story and plays such an enigmatic and important role in the plot. She really feels like the main female character in the game.

I rarely become a patron of any developer, and when I do, it is always a one-time thing, as I sadly can't sustain many expenses over time. But this is one of those rare cases in which I am becoming a patron, even if it is for only a brief period of time, to say thanks and support the creator of this fantastic game.

Keep up the good work!

Dear viewers,
If you can live without massive sexual content and you like emotion-driven stories, then welcome to this game.
Some of the characters are very well-written (like Elsa).
Moral dilemmas are interesting and the corporate setting is funny.
The sofa-history scene is a masterpiece.

Slow burn but good.
Renders are good.
Story is interesting.
MC is loser but slowly becaming alpha(Maybe).
Music is good.
Overall good.