HTML - Debasing Grounds [v0.5.5] [Rax Lorax]

This review is written based on the latest (free) version, v0.23. TL;DR in the final "Overall" section.

Storytelling/Premise:
The "selling point" of this game is that it's an open-ended/open-world text game where you can go anywhere and do anything. And, at first, this really worked on me. I got really immersed in the setting, started writing my own journal to keep track of quests and occurrences in Notepad, and had a great time exploring the town. This is where the game shines most, in my opinion. I found myself getting to the bottom of a mysterious missing person case, searching for work, and wondering how I was going to survive as a total outsider in this tiny settlement. But as I kept exploring, I quickly noticed a few problems.

NPCs:
For one, NPCs feel very stiff and repetitive. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of difference between any of the NPCs, and most of my interactions with them went exactly the same: I would greet them, they would randomly start non-consensually making out with me, I would click the "return to chatting" button, and they'd proceed like it never happened. Sometimes, they'd say "aww c'mon but don't you wanna have sex" and I would just be like "no" and they'd walk away. I don't know if it's a bug that caused all of the NPCs to go straight for a kiss in all of my interactions with them, because it even happened with shopkeepers and whatnot, but since I have no way of knowing personally, I'm just going to assume it's intentional.

In later builds of the game, I would like to see basic NPCs have some variance in how they treat the player. It would be nice if, at the very least, some NPCs would be kinder and less cold to you, while other NPCs will be harsher when trying to assault you.

Progression/Gameplay:
Another issue I encountered is the marked lack of progression. I get it, this is a super early build of the game, but I really wish there was at least some kind of objective to work towards. In my first few in-game hours, I already managed to get myself a nice flat to call home for a meager price of like, 15 silvers, just by asking nicely. It really takes away from the "dystopian hellscape" feeling when my life in a game called "Debasing Grounds" is already more successful than my real one.

I would like some more content about really struggling to survive, having to do immoral and undignified things and put yourselves in dangerous situations. Just anything to really hammer in that you're a literal nobody with nothing to their name, while dangling that carrot of a comfortable life in front of you. Some other job content/gameplay loops would also be nice, allowing PCs to put their various skills to work, but I assume this is planned already.

Sexual Content:
Speaking of struggle, I found the non-consensual content really lacking, both as in "it lacks substance" and "the game lacks it". At first, I was playing the game carefully, assuming that since it was self-proclaimed inspired by other popular sandbox text games, I would have to take similar precautions as I would in those. However, as I previously mentioned in the NPC section, NPCs rarely tried to take advantage of me except for to make out with me at random and then just go back to talking like nothing happened, even in the bad parts of town. I had to go to comical lengths to actually be raped, such as going to a gang-affiliated barbershop and asking the barber to shave my pubes in front of the other customers... then refusing to pay. Even stripping entirely naked seems to have no effect aside from people noting it when you begin a conversation with them.

When a non-consensual scene does happen, it's just not very thrilling either. So far, in the scenes I've encountered, there's two sections. The first one, where they're describing what happens before you're assaulted. In this, you get to choose between four options: "eager", "reluctant", "stoic", or "defiant". Then, depending on the option you chose, the scene is described to you over about one or two paragraphs, depending on the option you chose. Afterwards, your character takes a significant stat hit to anxiety, but nothing else really changes as far as I'm aware.

Though I appreciate the departure of this game from the tedious "combat sex" of its contemporaries, it goes way too hard in the other direction by making sex scenes essentially just a blurb. Even in consensual sex scenes, you basically just get the option to pick the position or randomize it. Aside from that, the (short) text for having sex is the same thing every time. A little interactivity, perhaps even tied in with the existing relationship tracking system, could really go a long way here. In its current state, the sexual content feels like an afterthought.

Overall:
Overall, this game has tons of potential to be one of the most original and open-ended text-based games out there. The storytelling and writing is great, and the game keeps you firmly immersed in its world... until you realize there's less to it than you thought. The game struggles with meaningful content, both sexual and non-sexual. Despite the bleak setting, surviving comfortably in the town is surprisingly simple and easy, though you might die of boredom once you realize you have nothing to fill your character's time with. In its current state, I can't recommend that you play this game unless you're someone who is interested in the genre and wants to play an early version of what may become the next big text game. This is definitely one to watch the development of.

It gets a five from me for three main reasons.

1. I'm a long-time fan of DoL so anything that reminds me of it instantly feels like a masterpiece regardless of its quality

2. I feel optimist about how this game is going to turn out in a few months, considering how every recent patch adds quite a lot of depth (and they come out very, very frequently)

3. Cocaine

Text-only sandbox set in a dystopian settlment that is "lawless" in the context of megacorp dystopias where security is often just another kind of gang. It looks like it'll have some interesting mechanics for relationship histories, although getting stats up can be fairly grindy and I save-scummed ALOT because you're frequently moments from a gangbang in a number of areas of town. Combat and sex don't have much interactivity, mostly choosing how you go in and then what the result was based on skill check RNG.

There's still a number of deadends and some not too serious bugs, but it's a decent platform for something.

Edit: I feel it's time for an update since a number of releases have passed.
(v4.5)
There's still some location bugs in the dialog, but it's definitely improved. There's still mostly scripted scenes with story NPCs, but you have some interactive sex options when it's not a story/quest encounter.

They also let you finally adjust the sexes of all the NPCs (including being able to zero-out entire populations). You can also set it so sexes are there, but you won't be approached (outside of scripts) by sexes to which you aren't attracted. Most of the stories/quests are based around submission/slavery (It is "debasing" grounds, afterall), and unfortunately there's still an emphasis on prostitution or getting shared in most storylines (it may be trending to let you avoid it, but as of writing, with those settings turned down it would spawn clones of NPCs and they'd talk to themselves like they were pimping/sharing you), and genderbend/sissification still shows up. You also can't really control NPC orientation without code editting, so unless you zero a sex, you don't have much say in whether you walk in on straight/gay/lesbian etc hookups.

You can also dom/top if you want and enslave NPCs, but that takes a bit more grind as a lot of it requires unlocking a dungeon. Sub's more my thing, so I didn't really look into it much.

All in all, I've got a soft spot for text-based games for the amount of customization they usually offer, and I like rough-sub content. My preferred style is to only have sex with my dom and cuckqueaning so I wasn't thrilled with how limited that was available. Your partner cheating is still mostly limited to RNG of you maybe catching them in a bathroom stall and story NPCs that in past involved them getting topped.

I've enjoyed it quite a bit so far, and it's rare that I'm able to keep coming back to most games consistently every time an update is released. But I've been able to, and I enjoy it just as much as I did the first time.

I look forward to seeing how the game develops from here!

Currently one of my favorites if not the top one. I love non linear games that give the player the chance to explore and get in trouble freely. The menus and stats are at times a bit overwhelming and I'd appreciate a larger font size. What I like the most is the presence of different factions which make it possible to fall into your "enemies" hands, although that part of the game still needs more content. There's seem to be good progress with each update too.

The game is interesting. The lack of art is off puting at the beginning but the freedom and customization make up for it in my opinion. I found some scenes to be quite hot and dark. I personally LOVE those themes so I hope It continues growing with more contento. Good luck with it

An ambitious and original concept. Unlike most adult games that are very streamlined and linear, this one allows you to play as in an open world game, with a completely customizable character.

I like the fact that the text for the sex scenes is not based on repetitive descriptions of the acts, but more like short erotic stories, customized for your character. The world seems hostile and manages to create a feeling of constant danger for the player. The future gameplay seems to be focused on a kind of social climbing within the different factions of the world.

All in all, in my opinion, one of the most exciting projects at the moment.

Has a lot of potential and depending of how it goes it could become a rlly good game close to Lillith's Throne. Right now theres not a lot of content though and its pretty buggy but definitely worth checking out.

The reputation and character upkeep mechanics are fresh and creative. The system shows potential and room for growth. However, it's still a buggy mess(v0.14): Several buttons end in a deadlock, or print no text at all.

The scenes are sufficiently dastardly for its dark genre, although I find it odd that my character tends to get aroused even when I choose the defiant options.

Right now, the limited content makes me feel railroaded to the few options I can find.

I was never a fan of pure text games. However, this one sparked interest as I seem to like it. Text games are usuallyhard for me to follow due to the slow pace (reading) and the vast amount of infinite possibilities imagination can offer. However, I got stuck when the bar closed. There is a button saying "keep buttons" and that's it. You cannot go anywhere else.

WARNING: This is a review of the early version of the game (version 0.12) I'm judging it based off of the period I'm reviewing it.

This game is a great concept build but as wide as an ocean, shallow as a puddle, and like an ocean it's very easy to get lost in. My biggest gripe is with the structure of the game, you're pretty much thrown in without explanation of where you are, what you're supposed to do, or even where to go, which makes getting into this game a nightmare. You may make a really good OC/MC only to get frustrated with how hands off the dev made any direction or even instructions to the world and what you can/can't do at an early start. I recommend the dev make a tutorial level to where you go to the town, to teach players how to play, what stats mean, and where to go afterwards.

Sex scenes are fine, nothing too exciting rn and prostitution for instance is barebones not to mention how hard it is to get into any good situations due to that lack of direction/explanation I explained earlier.

Pros:

- Character customization is good
- Generally the world makes sense and lore is fine

Cons:
- No real (or good) journal with directions, game is easy to get lost in
- No direction for a main story, not really a con but lacking some structure to an otherwise good potential
- While character customization is great, all sex scenes are text based and really underwhelming so far. Not bad for an early build but nonetheless not exciting enough rn.

This game has good potential, but rn is lacking and obviously needs more updates, content, and improvements. I look forward to seeing it grow, though I may wait an update or two to play it again to let it get the improvements it needs.

What Smirk said in their review is very true of this game. Playing on v0.10b, lots of bugs that lock. The few interesting jobs you can work seems to be bugged such as a the maid one. Money has no real use since their isn't like a hotel you pay to stay at. Over all it's more interesting then a lot of these HTML games here, but it's a concept build that he charges money for.

Update: Still same issues as of 0.18

As of version 0.10b, it's pretty bare bones but it does show where the creator is headed with the game and I am excited to try it again later when the bugs are ironed out and there is a bit more content. What is there is mostly well written and I love the oppressive tone that the writing sets (reminiscent of one of my favorite games, Degrees of Lewdity). A lot of work seems to have gone into the UI, and it works quite well for the most part. The only thing I really found lacking with the UI is keyboard shortcuts for those of us who like to use keyboard instead of mouse for navigation.

Aside from being light on content, what drags the game down for me is the copious amounts of game-breaking bugs (i.e. bugs that force you to reload a save) - exacerbated by the lack of a "back" button. The UI breaks after visiting some locations like the clothing store and there are random infinite rape-loops when transitioning to another zone, so you need to save constantly.