I've enjoyed seeing the progression from this artist's first game and his most recent. I think there is real talent and vision here and that it just needs to be applied in the right way. That being said, I'll keep this review as short as I can:
The horror genre relies upon a combination of mystery, suspense, and surprise. Even in naughtier games, this effect is necessary to both the gameplay quality and experience.
Corrupt Cave had some elements of mystery about it, because the maps felt like you could become lost in them on your first playthrough. Suspense was lacking a bit due to urgency of completion being tied to enemy walking routes. But surprise was there somewhat by how each map was introduced, and how a handful of enemies worked. It was a poor quality game but a reasonably nice H experience and I don't think it tried to be more than it was. It was a first attempt, and I respect that genuine effort and time were put into it. The game reflects this in the varied levels and excursion into features that were obviously new to Deveria Studios.
Corrupt Descent was a huge upgrade from its predecessor. The tone, the goals, and the gameplay were all part of a tried and true formula (Lethal Company), but this was a welcome change of pace and it succeeded in its mission. The enemies were a bit lacking in capability to engage the player, but they were more or less complete in their animations and style. Though rough around the edges. Each map offered suspense through its pressing for the player to go out and find fuel, as well as items to afford a way out. So a player always had the possibility of becoming lost, let alone avoiding the increasingly spawning enemies. And unlike Lethal Company, there was an ending. And many 'bad ends' that made the game a better erotic game. I personally really like this game and still go back to it once in a while because it does offer replayability. Enemy paths are not pre-set over pre-generated terrain, every map is generated differently, and items all appear in different areas each time. I have a feeling that allowing players to customize settings on map generation, giving more randomized variety like different enemy hair colors / part sizes and audio bits, and making each of the enemies more surprising and capable/threatening on the map would go a long, long way.
Corrupt Depths was a holistically different experience than Corrupt Descent. I saw what it tried to be: A simple linear chase game with some background storytelling elements. And it does exactly that. I think the animations are reasonably well done, though I am still left wanting a tad bit more variety. Just a couple more that aren't simply vaginal (though I understand that is a safe bet for an animation that everyone can enjoy). The first two maps are really cool and have lots of potential, and feel like puzzle or note elements were perhaps going to be worked in at some point. But the extremely predictable enemy paths and slow, predictable chases fall short of encouraging any kind of suspense or surprise. The lack of surprise is what is truly disappointing about Corrupt Depths. The ending has a story surprise, sure, but the actual gameplay of Corrupt Depths includes nothing worth being surprised or scared over. I really wanted to love this game. But I cannot help but come away feeling as if there was a lack of ambition here. It would have been enough if enemies would suddenly stop to listen and increase their aggro range, break from their paths once in a while to do something, or if the maps were more labyrinthine and maze-like with some added background stories to tell. It would have been even better if some audio were given to enemy chases for a handful of enemies like in prior games. And I believe the player needs a greater urgency to complete each map quickly. A reason to go forward rather than to wait patiently for enemy paths to complete. There just needs to be more risk, danger, and horror.
I think Deveria Studios has ample vision and creativity. I just think they need to master the art of forming a realistic vision, and then making it into reality. Focus on your core gameplay elements and stick to improving those. If you can do that, you can make more than a reasonable H tour: You can make a good H game that everyone will want.
The horror genre relies upon a combination of mystery, suspense, and surprise. Even in naughtier games, this effect is necessary to both the gameplay quality and experience.
Corrupt Cave had some elements of mystery about it, because the maps felt like you could become lost in them on your first playthrough. Suspense was lacking a bit due to urgency of completion being tied to enemy walking routes. But surprise was there somewhat by how each map was introduced, and how a handful of enemies worked. It was a poor quality game but a reasonably nice H experience and I don't think it tried to be more than it was. It was a first attempt, and I respect that genuine effort and time were put into it. The game reflects this in the varied levels and excursion into features that were obviously new to Deveria Studios.
Corrupt Descent was a huge upgrade from its predecessor. The tone, the goals, and the gameplay were all part of a tried and true formula (Lethal Company), but this was a welcome change of pace and it succeeded in its mission. The enemies were a bit lacking in capability to engage the player, but they were more or less complete in their animations and style. Though rough around the edges. Each map offered suspense through its pressing for the player to go out and find fuel, as well as items to afford a way out. So a player always had the possibility of becoming lost, let alone avoiding the increasingly spawning enemies. And unlike Lethal Company, there was an ending. And many 'bad ends' that made the game a better erotic game. I personally really like this game and still go back to it once in a while because it does offer replayability. Enemy paths are not pre-set over pre-generated terrain, every map is generated differently, and items all appear in different areas each time. I have a feeling that allowing players to customize settings on map generation, giving more randomized variety like different enemy hair colors / part sizes and audio bits, and making each of the enemies more surprising and capable/threatening on the map would go a long, long way.
Corrupt Depths was a holistically different experience than Corrupt Descent. I saw what it tried to be: A simple linear chase game with some background storytelling elements. And it does exactly that. I think the animations are reasonably well done, though I am still left wanting a tad bit more variety. Just a couple more that aren't simply vaginal (though I understand that is a safe bet for an animation that everyone can enjoy). The first two maps are really cool and have lots of potential, and feel like puzzle or note elements were perhaps going to be worked in at some point. But the extremely predictable enemy paths and slow, predictable chases fall short of encouraging any kind of suspense or surprise. The lack of surprise is what is truly disappointing about Corrupt Depths. The ending has a story surprise, sure, but the actual gameplay of Corrupt Depths includes nothing worth being surprised or scared over. I really wanted to love this game. But I cannot help but come away feeling as if there was a lack of ambition here. It would have been enough if enemies would suddenly stop to listen and increase their aggro range, break from their paths once in a while to do something, or if the maps were more labyrinthine and maze-like with some added background stories to tell. It would have been even better if some audio were given to enemy chases for a handful of enemies like in prior games. And I believe the player needs a greater urgency to complete each map quickly. A reason to go forward rather than to wait patiently for enemy paths to complete. There just needs to be more risk, danger, and horror.
I think Deveria Studios has ample vision and creativity. I just think they need to master the art of forming a realistic vision, and then making it into reality. Focus on your core gameplay elements and stick to improving those. If you can do that, you can make more than a reasonable H tour: You can make a good H game that everyone will want.
