Alright, this is my first review, I'm usually more of a lurker, but I thought this game deserved something said about it.
DISCLAIMER(S):
Since I've hinted at it already let's start with
Sexual content / Kinks :
If you can't stomach or are turned off by spankings or other forms of disciplinary punishments (though it never sinks to the extremes) then don't play the game. The mechanics and the story relies heavily upon those.
Otherwise, even if it's not your cup of tea but can "suffer" it, the game has a good variety of sexual content to offer, from the vanilla to some more advance kinks. The various characters offer different type of relationship with the MC (from the "leading sub" to the "prickly but needy princess" and the "sex addict") so everyone can have their favorite(s). You WILL have to see a minimum of content with every character in order to advance the story along but a good amount can be avoided or at least not repeated.
There is also a separate toggle for FemDom content and receiving spankings as the MC that cut very little off the content (and has an in-game explanation), though depending on your playstyle/planning skills it seems those can be mostly avoided, so it seem to work as a safety net against "boner-killer" moments or to prevent completionist from going nuts over those last percents.
Gameplay / Game mechanics :
This actually is a game, not a visual novel with some minigames thrown in, working like a "dating-sim": you have several locations you can navigate between from the early hours of the day to late at night, meeting characters or triggering events, while tracking some stats. This makes the first portion of the game sometimes a little grindy (especially if you are like me and don't want to multiquest while hunting RNG triggers) but ,and it is somewhat cleverly explained and made light of in the game, the system changes and gets more streamlined halfway through (at the time of this writing).
You have the option to replay in the first part once you clear its main storyline with added "cheats" so one can power through and get all that was missed later and easier.
With a few logical exceptions, there is no time limit, you are in an infinitly repeating week so you can your time if you need/want to get every event in a variety of order. (content that get locked out because of the story can be "dreamt about" in-game)
The UI is good, including in-game event/quest tracker and hint system.
Most (and later all) navigation and choice buttons are all in the lower portion of the game screen, meaning no waving the mouse around all over to click this door or that character as the screens change.
It avoids the "big ultra wide centered choicebuttons" so common in Ren'Py games so that overly enthusiastic clickers don't have to reload because they didn't even saw the choices they made in the middle of a convo/scene they skimmed through.
Graphics / Renderers :
Overall, very nice high quality renderers, both for backgrounds and characters.
There is a step-up in quality when the first part of the game is done along with gameplay rework.
The setting changes from the usual bland, expensive looking apartments/houses with sparse modern furniture that you see reused (without any in-game justification as to why everyone lives in a designer house) seen so often in a lot of games. It is still very expensive looking but with variety and looks like the actual real life thing, and it has a justification.
There are some animations, from the 2-3 repeating frames to more "video-like" ones that are very nicely done.
Characters :
The MC is personable, not too memorable but not an empty shell either, which is perhaps the perfect mixture to be able to tell a story (this is not a sandbox game) and to be able to detach oneself as the player when we don't agree or don't project into what is happening.
He is realistically designed, not looking "so-awesome-it-ends-up-bad" or "with-soooo-many-muscles-where-are-my-'roids-?" that can be seen often. He has a realistic big penis, not a third leg, not a weirdly colored one (that end up looking sickly), just a big shlong, emphasis on the "long".
The women are all gorgeously designed and all distinct, with a look going well with their different personality. I have my favorites according to my tastes but they are all very well done and all have something to like. I would wish for more (meaning there is already some) diversity of the ethnic kind, but they are all well differentiated, and this is a "huis clos", the cast is voluntarily kept in low numbers, and I'll take quality over quantity any day.
The design of Rachel sometimes gives her a serious case of "cat/snake's eyes", but it's not too distracting, some might even find it appealing.
Story / Writing :
This is actual English, putting aside the few typos, and I never found anything cringe-worthy.
There is an real effort to avoid "hand waving", everything makes sense and often gets explained, nothing seem to happen "just 'cause". That's appreciable because the suspension of disbelief never get too strained allowing the player to stay in the story and makes for a better experience.
The story seem to flow rather smoothly as an understandable (predictable?) consequence of the characters involved, so no big giant twists, but no staring at your screen thinking "WTF? that's bullsh**!" or "what the hell just happened? Makes no sense!".
Conclusion :
This is a very good game already as it is, with lots of content, likable and lickable characters, definitly one I recommend if you can handle (or paddle) the hanky spankings.
One to play and follow. I won't say support because I am not at this moment and that would seem hypocritical, but of all the games I've tried on this site, it has earned one of the top spots on my "support wish-list".
Nota Bene : It's a long review, I know and I don't care.
