VN - Ren'Py - Crimson High [v0.44.1] [Vertigo]

Well written modern fantasy narrative with engaging characters. This game is a bit of a slow burn, which the dev acknowledges is the intention. I generally either don't play those types of games or wait a while to play them.
This narrative and characters, however were engaging enough and for me to want to see how things unfolded. Some of the mystery does feel a bit forced, this may change if things come to light in the future, but there is a lot of "you aren't ready to know that yet" and "i'm not at liberty to discuss" It keeps the MC and the player in the dark but it starts to get a little weird when characters who have information don't share it when there appears to be no good reason not to. That minor nitpick aside the writing is good
The visuals are very good, the characters are all nice to look at and the game is clean and simple, in a good way.
There aren't a ton of sexual scenes but what is here is promisingly sexy. A lot of romance focused games, which this appears to be, suffer from boringly written and framed sex scenes. I suppose because for some reason the devs think kinky dirty sex can't be romantic, which is silly. The scenes and character interactions here seem to point to the dev being comfortable with writing scenes that have some spiciness to them which is integral to the game being a success imo.
Highly recommend to anyone looking for a well written modern fantasy; doesn't mind koikatsu models and doesn't mind a bit of a slower pace as far as the sexual content is concerned.

When I got randomly recommended this game; I was a bit reluctant since I hadn't heard of it before. The premise seemed good, and I've been straying from Koikatsu games recently, but figured I'd give it a go.

Aaaand couple hours later I pledge so I can get that juicy 12th update a week before it goes public. Like most games, the beginning feels a little rushed to the plot since no one (especially on a porn game) wants a slow buildup; but I like the concession made where there aren't immediate sex scenes. Maybe that's a minus for some people but honestly I prefer slow buildups, relationship and plotwise.

So far I haven't found a character that I wasn't at least slightly interested in, and the MC actually has a personality as well which is nice. Excited to see where this goes. Had it at 4 stars for a bit, but honestly when comparing to other 4 star games on this site, it still is a cut above imo. Really happy to have pledged for this one.

v0.11.1
Excellent writing, beautiful characters, Very good animations, these 3 things sums this game up, the character development for the LI's are done very well, the pacing is good too, And no need to tell about Miko. Thank you for this treasure and hope this keeps on keeping on for a long time.
5/5 It's a Masta Piece.

Excellent VN, by far what I liked the most is the story, it isn't overly complicated just for the sake of it, it does feel like a kinetic novel sometimes but I find that a good thing, I don't have to keep micro managing the relationship with the girls and the choices are quite clear on what they do.
Another thing I liked is that renders are not wasted, simple actions like walking, eating or looking around are reduced to a simple description, no need to make the game unusually big for a few seconds worth of renders, my only problem is the black screen that comes with these descriptions, I'd like to at least have the last render blurred in the background while there is a description of what the characters are doing.
Also worth noting is the teasing, while the game doesn't have a huge amount of sex scenes, it kinda makes up for it with the teasing, some girls send lewd photos to you, others keep hitting on you and there is plenty of hints that they like you.
This game is really worth a try if you are a fan of monster girls and don't mind reading a bit of story.

Really fun game so far, the characters are appropriately quirky and fun and the games takes its time to introduce all of them.

It's true that there isn't much sexual content so far, but the story keeps you engaged enough to keep wanting more.

It's got great music, an appropriate mix of humor/horror satisfying payoffs (so far atleast).

Give it a try!

reviewing v0.11.1

renders 4/5 - are really good, really inmersive

plot 3/5 - a bit boring but the lewd is there

music 3/5 - not the best, but not the worst either, it's ok

overall 3.33 / 5 - it's not a bad novel, you should give it a try and see how it works for you

to sum it up at the start, this game contains far too many walls of text for too little gain in terms of 18+ scenes. while the dev does warn you about porn being only one aspect of this game, and story being the main focus, i wasn't really expecting it to be so underemphasized.

the dev obviously thinks he has a cool story to tell (about "myths". now where did that come up? right, in a certain manor), which unfortunately is hardly original or interesting unless you're a twilight saga loving teenager or something like that. the inclusion of some meager lewd scenes very much seems to be an excuse to reach a wider population. we know how the "no sexual content" tag doesn't do wonders to a game's popularity, at least around these circles.

dialogs and especially inner thoughts of the MC drag on unnecessarily and we are offered an explanation to everything that goes on in the game from several different people at different times (plus the inner thoughts of course) in case we're too dense to get it the first few times. that of course means having to go through walls and walls of inconsequential, boring, unnecessary text.

as to the characters, with a few exceptions, they are mostly cliches. one character, jun, looks not one day older than 10 and acts like a 3 year old for a large part of the game. then at one point she has to tell about her personal story, her family, and suddenly starts speaking like a fully mature adult. duh! things like that never help with immersion.

graphics are ok, some girls/women are cute enough and many are not. the strongest point of this game for me is its music tracks, which fit the scenes they are played at and get introduced just at the right moment. yet for many, i can imagine this to be the least important aspect of an adult game. there are sound effects and effort has been put into them to fit the scenes too. so, the 2 stars i'm giving is more or less for the auditory aspects of the game. it has mostly been a disappointing ride for me, which btw dragged on for one whole week.

This is a good story so far. It has a good plot, and interesting characters. Could go for some longer updates though.

PROS
Renders are good
Story is interesting
Characters are dynamic and have backstories

CONS
Longer updates would be better
Adding actual renders to the lunch/dinner with Aki with conversation would be better than the black screen with dialogue.(Only my opinion)

Overall
This is a pretty good VN. It has a solid story that doesn't really veer off into craziness or into multiple side stories. As mention, it could use some longer updates, and some extra effort with omitting the black screens with dialogue but it doesn't take away from the actual story.
I recommend this VN, and even though updates are rather short, I look forward to them when they come out. Keep up the good work and good luck

Fantastic Game

1. The girls all great and there is a good variety of them. Some of them are shy, some are forward.

2. Story is pretty good. It is more unique than most.

3. The quality of the renders are good.

4. Wayy too many girls are forced, and you really do not have much of a choice with fetishes.

Overall, a descent, supernatural slow-burn, romance game.

Excellent game, great writing and visuals, the humor is good. Plot is enjoyable and I'm interested to see where this story goes.

I'll again emphasize the writing as well as the character development, as both are very good. This game is definitely worth a try.

It's really weird for me to start writing a review, and not be completely enraged at the "game" I forced myself to sit through. This time, I read a good story that didn't overuse humor and/or sex to hide the fact that they can't write. This is a decent little romp, an unintrusive story that, while a bit predictable, keeps you interested. I will say the scope of the story makes it feel like this won't be done until 2025, but that's to be determined. And there's 18 girls all with a love meter which adds to the idea that this might get drawn out a little. But I'm liking what I've read so far.

You play as MC, a detective that's been called to investigate the murder of a girl named Chika. Upon seeing the crime scene, it looks like she was attacked by an animal, but she was at a suburban school. After talking to the teacher and getting odd responses about the school as you search, you run into Miko late at night getting attacked. You rescue her and take her back to your apartment to fix her up before taking her home. You nod off for a bit to wake up to her deciding whether or not to bite you, finding out she's a vampire. The next day, you gather Chika's class to ask about the case and over time learn that the school is for mythical creatures. And realistically, that's about it in terms of story. At least without spoiling much. The Myths as they're called are getting hunted by an organization called POOP (people order our patties, not really but I can't remember the real words for the acronym at the moment)

Normally I'd get into all the characters, but one there's too many, and two this story's doing that thing where you meet up with someone then get one or two lines of exposition, then either something happens or they go "I'VE GOT SOMETHING TO DO" And you part ways. And that pacing is why I took off a star, it crawls forward. Which is a shame, but oh well it's not bad. The "main" characters at the moment are Miko, shy vamp that introduces you to the world of myths and the MC feels drawn to her. But as the reader you don't really feel that at all, so it doesn't translate I guess. Kana and Kagome, vamp twins you grew up with but the only hint was a picture on the MC's desk in the background and expository dialogue when you run into them at a diner. And Suzu, a tsundere vamp that is sort of at the center of this.

Those 4 are the prominent faces in the game, and you can see my headache when there's 18 possible love interests. The rest, outside of Nagisa, don't help with the case at all. But MC doesn't understand what she means. All of the other girls just kind of ogle MC and flirt. And there's two different overarching stories looming over this as well involving POOP and MC's past that are probably related and also a little predictable in my opinion but that's just me.

I guess I can comment on the sex scenes, in the fact that there's not a lot. Which in no way bothers me because I'm weird about all that, but if you want a bunch, this is not the story for you. My issue with it is the only "real" sex so far was a dream sequence which always irks me, and the event itself, all I will say to not spoil it, does a thing that makes future interactions with someone not make sense. Unless I saw things wrong, it's just a little strange.

I tried not to spoil things much and my big issue with it is it's slow pace, and that's coming from the one person on here that wants things to go slow. Just give this one a read if you wanna read something that's more R-rated than X, at least as of V0.9. I like it and hope this keeps up the good work.

I really love this game. It's an interesting story told in a good way. The MC is a guy that you really can like, a good guy but not someone that has to overthink everything he says and does. The girls are also very interesting but different which makes the story even better.

Some games it's difficult to start playing again after an upgrade, you have no clue what to do. Here it feels just natural to start playing again. I neever give a review until after 1-2 upgrades (if it's not a complete game ), this is the reason for that.

I came in search for NSFW, but stayed because of the story and characters.

The game is still in developement, but it shows great(!) promise! If you are interested in a wholesome Light Novel experience, than don't miss out on this gem!

As a avid Fan of VN and Koikatsu,this is safe to say one of the best story driven games out there.sacrificing sexual content for an actual functioning story and relationships is a big plus in my eyes and also grounds the game in realism.the horror tag as in"detective solves a case"was used for a few games i have seen,but none work this well and are this believable as Crimson High.

the girls seem distinct,cute,brash,flirty and everything in between.there is something for everyone,from a cute but bratty tsundere,to a shy and adorable handholder(looking at you jun hehe).their introductions and handling of the creator is also top notch,they dont jump on the MC´s dong after 3 words exchanged,and they also give the MC a realistic chance at conversations,decisions and whats going on in general.

the Story is the biggest plus in my book.funny,serious,heartwarming and or straight up terrifying,it has everything a good story in a VN of a porn game needs,id go as far as putting it up there to great games like Eternum and once on a lifetime in terms of atmosphere and story telling.

so good on ya Vertigo!please continue the game i love so much for a long time coming!

This is one of the best avn I have played so far, the storyline is so interesting and always ends up on a cliffhanger ! Can't wait for the next update! For people who looks for good story and not just seggs, I highly recommend this one.

Overall this is a really fun game. The models are adorable. You can tell there was time and effort put into each one of them. The story is interesting. It's something i can keep coming back to cuz it keeps my attention. The gui and menus look great. Easy to navigate and use. I highly recommend this game and i look forward to seeing how it progresses.

I never provide reviews of games due to two reasons: first it isn't really possible to meaningfully review an unfinished project and second there's generally enough reviews/general information about the game that adding mine to the pile wouldn't really cause a meaningful difference. In this case I think the comparatively small amount of reviews and overall quality of the project deserves more words written on its behalf.

What this game does well:
1. Character designs and dialogue is grounded and interesting. In most cases I can tell which character is talking based on their dialogue rather than the name on top of the box which is pretty impressive.
2. The story itself is intriguing and provides a backdrop for the characters to shine. I would go so far as to say this particular story has legs even outside of the context of pornography which elevates it head and shoulders above basically all of its peers.
3. The main character interacts with the world in a way that is equal parts realistic and tongue in cheek that I found pretty engaging. Your results may vary, but there were a couple moments of internal dialogue that totally caught me off guard in a good way.

What this game doesn't do well:
1. The main character's appearance. There's something really off about their face that I can't really put my finger on that's kind of disturbing to look at. The good news is that they are rarely seen since this is mostly a POV affair.
2. While the story is engaging it's definitely a little ridiculous at times. There were definitely points where I found myself scoffing about how amateur hour the protag is as a detective. Like, you really don't see a problem with getting romantically involved with literally every one of your potential suspects? No issues that two of your childhood friends are not just at the school but could be directly responsible? MC should be sacked, they are not fit to be a detective.
3. This isn't porn, not at this point at least. I think there's one sex scene about 45 minutes in if I remember correctly, but honestly most romcoms have more sex in them than this project. If you boot up this game expect head pats, flirting and that's pretty much it.

But is it even game?
1. No it isn't, this is a kinetic novel with choices that, to my knowledge, just slightly alter the specific scene they are included in. This could change in the future but see point one to why I don't usually review games.

So why Five Stars?
I get it, this review probably seems pretty negative considering how much I rag on MC and the lack of graphic content. Frankly, I wish I didn't discover this game so that I could have read it when it was finished instead of waiting for more updates and providing a review at that point. But that's basically the highest praise I could give any sort of media which is what lead to this review. This game is entertaining, well characterized, well written, well rendered and I can't wait to see more in the future.

Updated review for v0.18.2

The game has really grown on me. I've come to really enjoy a lot of the characters and have gotten more and more invested into the story. There's a lot going on, and I like that.

This evolves from a rather interesting detective story into something more complex as the game goes on. The biggest draw for me is that it's taking it's time to tell a good story. A slow burn for sure, but it's working so far.

I think one of the best parts of the game is the dialogue. As you would expect from being a detective, there's a lot of investigation and inner monologue trying to piece together new bits of information. But there's also a lot of inner monologue outside of that. I think it all reads pretty well. A lot of it is used to add little details that weren't rendered to scenes. A line saying what the MC ordered at a coffee shop, and then maybe something odd that he saw and then moves on to the next scene. Is some of it fluff? Sure. But I like the extra bits it adds and fits with the detective theme imo.

I don't think the game is without faults though. I find a fair amount of the character designs hit or miss, and while I don't mind lewd scenes being spaced out, a lot of the ones we do get don't feel that gratifying to me.

Something worth mentioning: this is a rather linear visual novel with a very large cast. That means you might be waiting a long while before seeing content from you favorite characters. I think it's done a decent job trying to give everyone enough screen time, but it still is what it is.

I think it's pretty enjoyable for fans of slower burns. Check it out if that's your thing.

Review as of version 0.6.2

Really enjoyable visual novel.

The storyline, cast and themes shown are amazing and I'm definitely looking forward to the next release.


Only problem I've got is that I found it before it was completed ^^' just thinking of having to wait for the next release makes me sad :3

Game would be really good if not for the fact that the main culprit gets revealed to the player in first hour or so of the game, making entire intrigue pointless and shattering any sense of immersion as we players are left to simply observe the MC trying to solve the case instead of doing it with them.
It's a single small scene that should either not be included in the game or should be changed in a way that player doesnt get to know who the culprit is.