VN - Ren'Py - Completed - Descent [v1.0] [Ryder77]

Descent is decent - a relatively short and sweet visual novel with a handful of routes to differing endings. On first playthrough the variables might seem a lot but on all subsecquent playthroughs it's pretty easy to see how to guide the story towards different outcomes.

The art is fine, not bad, nothing special. The writing is ok - the legal plotlines are not bad really, and the ways your choices affect the game are well implemented. On the negative side our brainy heroine seems a bit slow on the uptake regarding the seedier side of events, and a few of the story arcs really railroad you into things, several times offering you choices where the outcome is the same no matter what.

Note on the sexual content. The actual sex acts throughout are pretty vanilla. However, the sexual encounters throughout are decidedly focussed on dubious consent. (afaik there are no sex scenes between the mc and her boyfriend - indeed i don't think any character that seems nice is a viable sexual partner). There are 3-4 men of various unappealing shades that the heroine can reluctantly subject herself to, and a rather rapey young lesbian. So that's the focus.

So overall, decent. If the story was longer or in more depth perhaps there could be a higher rating but this game doesn't really have enough ambition for anything much higher.

This is a well-written AVN, and packs a big erotic punch, especially considering its size and relative simplicity of design. There are games ten times as big with much better graphics that haven't captured my interest even half as well.

The lesbian paths are really good. In particular if you're into I guess what is a fairly niche kink of "straight" girls realising they have lesbian tendencies, you'll want to check it out for sure. You can choose to build girlfriend points with Eve or be more submissive to her, the former is better and more satisfying in the end, in my view. Unfortunately this is also where the game is a little flawed. After about the fifth time our confused heroine sleeps with a girl, to have her continue to deny she might have some genuine interest in girls starts to become a bit...annoying, and these sections could have benefited from a re-write in which she gradually comes to accept her feelings. This slight sour note carries through even to the endings, where despite being in an open relationship with Eve there's still a hint of doubt in her mind about her sexuality, though one of these endings does get very close to her admitting the truth.

Despite these quibbles, this is a decent effort if you like female MC/lesbian content and is worth some of your time.

Giving this a 1 star purely because of that disgusting rapist Evelyn. There is just no way to avoid her route and no way to stand up to her, she abuses and uses you by using her aunt's influence in the firm and there is nothing you can do about it.

On all the other routes and with all the other characters you have a say to go along or not, but just not with Evelyn. I didn't even finish the game, by the halloween party I decided I had had enough of that and to be robbed of any choice (you are given a choice to go upstairs with her, say no... well, fuck you, she comes anyway.... and that is just with all of her choices). It just made the game absolutely no fun at all.

I am not into lesbian stuff, I am not into completely losing control, this couldn't have been a bigger turn off.

This VN is underrated. The idea is very basic, I give you that. Protagonist starts an internship in a famous law firm and faces many temptations and intrigues that may or may not corrupt her along the way.

But what makes Descent really good is that in this game it is absolutely possible to corrupt the protagonist just a little bit, you can kind of play in those grey areas and still have a satisfying experience all around.
There are no miracles that make everything turn out all right in the end and no evil genius either. It's just really a dog-eats-dog society as you would expect from a real law firm with this reputation. Just because you are a particularly good person, it doesn't necessarily mean there is a happy end waiting for you. There are mediocre endings that feel realistic, not quite as happy or devastating as one would expect from most corruption VNs. But rather in such a way that in retrospect you ask yourself "Meh, maybe I should have been a bit meaner after all?"

The dialogue is good, the renders are okay, the characters rather superficial but still convincing. I think it's a good game overall, definitely one of the better and more realistic corruption VNs with a lot of legalese. The lesbian part felt unnecessarily abusive.

One of the more interesting corruption games on F95, that really excels in some places but falls short in others. The good news is that the places it excels demonstrate the developer's unique skills and approach.

The Good

- Quality writing, with a story arc and corruption paths that are actually believable

- Very unique to this genre, the developer recognizes that there are more ways for someone to become corrupt than just sex. And the developer uses those brilliantly, with relatively minor decisions having longer term detrimental effects, just like they do in real life.

- Those longer term effects are used quite effectively, with the main character having to make subsequent decisions that reflect the choices she's already made. Again, very realistic approach that very few games in this genre even attempt, much less succeed at.

- The decision options are actually quite sophisticated for the genre. The main character isn't forced to do anything, and her options are generally more interesting and realistic than "Choice A: Have Sex, Choice B: Game Over". Very refreshing.

- The characters have a little bit of depth, some of them at least. And they have motivations beyond just corrupting the main character. Some of them are likeable, some not, some in between. Most at least understandable. Again, just like in real life.

The Not So Good

- The story definitely introduces characters that become very unlikable. And it makes the player look forward to some sort of revenge element. But again, just like in real life, that revenge never comes. Not that that's an awful thing, but it's just a little unsatisfying.

- The renders are sub-par at best. The sex scenes are awkward in some cases, and there are no animations. The story is still good, and the situations that lead to the sex scenes are still compelling, but it's hard to look past the low quality of the renders.

The Cardinal Sin

- One thing all female protagonist corruption games seem to have in common is that the main female character is very attractive, and almost always the prettiest character in the game. That isn't the case here. The first few chapters of this game go out of their way to make main character look homely. But honestly, the 3d model used for the main character just isn't very pretty, so even when the game later tries to make her look good, it doesn't really work. Lisa and Ashley are both far more attractive than Christine, so the the idea that Christine is the primary desire of the male characters just isn't all that believable.

Overall, this game has great writing, a believable story, and realistic decision points. That alone would be worth 4 stars. The renders and 3d model choice bring the average down. That said, if this game were remade with high quality images, animations, and a more attractive MC, this is easily a 5-star game.

"It's up to you," the game description says...except it's not. At all. You get forced to a lot of scenes in this game, especially when it comes to Evelyn who can't take a hint to f*** the hell off. I chose to refuse going out with her only to be forced to go because the MC is "free." Refused ALL her advances only for a forced sex scene to sprout out of nowhere. Consistently being rude to her, hoping for the route to close, but it just won't. She's the absolute worst part of the game. The creepy IT guy is leagues way better than her. At least I, as a player, had a say if the MC pursues his BS.

This (complete, it's rare enough to note) game is interesting but very grim. Be warned.

The MC will fall int o the most corrupt work office environment possible.

The story is quite good, with many branching. However the art is not very beautiful, and the (rare) sex scenes are not very detailed, nor high quality. So I'd say play it if you like the theme, but don't expect too much.

Not bad, not great either. Character development and erotic content would be 3 stars, but it gets an extra one because of the lesbian coercion to a female mc, wich is pretty rare and well written. Don't go that path if you empathize too much with the MC and don't like to be manipulated into sex though

This is a really interesting game in that it's pretty well made, a decent story, well written text, designs are good... But the plot is just so depressing and the evil outcomes unavoidable. The other reviews do a good job of explaining these aspects in more detail, such as the unlikeable characters, forced Eve route etc.

But the game's actually helped me understand my kinks better. Normally I like corruption style games but I realised it's most exciting for me when the MC has a modicum of choice - I prefer a willing descent, instead of blackmail and rape. There's no awakening of the MC's own sexual desires in this game, because she only exists for the pleasure of others.

I tried a 'good' route for a while but it was depressing how unavoidable certain situations were. For example, early on you have the option of doing something illegal to get info for a case. You get pestered 2-3 times about it, and if you keeping refusing someone steals the info anyway. And if you don't use it they frame the theft on you!

Some people may thrive on this, but it's not my cup of tea

Pros:
+ Somehow interesting plot
+ Female protagonist (hard to find good game with female MC so every try should be noted)
+ Multiple endings depending on choices

Cons:
- No animations
- Nothing special about sex scenes
- Characters aren't exactly interesting

Basically it's a game where almost every character is trying to fuck MC for their personal gain and she can refuse or do the same (fuck them for her own gain). It's also a game where almost every choice is wrong and you just get lesser evil (or not).

It's really not bad concept for game but it's execution looks average at most.

V1.0

Needlessly frustrating without a single likeable character. I don't think I've ever played something else where I wanted to punch every single character in the face. Even the main character is so dimwitted and spineless that she's impossible to not find annoying. Initially, I thought this was meant to be satire, but even if it is, the exasperation induced by the plot/characters runs counter to any arousal that one might feel, and I would think that arousing the player would still be the chief goal of an erotic game.

I can't believe I completed an entire playthrough. Damn, this was depressing. Guess I should've expected it from a VN called Descent.

This story centered on a woman trying to progress through an internship at her dream law firm is absurd, as this one woman is put through every wringer you can imagine and has precious little to show for the effort. This story centered on a woman descending through the Nine Circles of Hell is on point.

Everyone in this story is a terrible person.. except maybe the secretary, but she's a gossip who tells all of your secrets (business related or not) so maybe she's not that great either. This includes the MC, the only choices you get are bad choices.

The graphics are ok, but none of the H scenes are particularly impressive. Most of them are basic and very short.

Music/sound exists, but is very scant.

Giving the dev a second star for basically telling a story that lines up with the title and hitting you with the unpleasant reminder that it was never going to end any other way when you come full circle at the Ninth Circle. Poetic.

Seemed okay, but the unavoidable Eve scenes made this a hard pass for me. YOu get an option to say no with a (No lesbian route) tag, and then no matter how many times you save and reload, you are in a lesbian situation.
I dot have an issue with Lesbian situations per se, but eve is just disgusting. It was HER I wanted to avoid.
Not gonna finish at this point. Sorry.

I've never played a VN where I prayed for the choice to fling the MC off of a rooftop to end it all.

All game long, Christine is constantly being blackmailed into doing things she's uncomfortable with, mainly in the form of sexual favors, just to survive her internship. Couple that with being forcibly paired with her boss' niece, Eve, who either spikes Christine's drinks or pressures her to drink until she is blackout drunk to have her way with her, I found the story terribly depressing to get through. You can't even say "no" most of the time, without failing. Eve always pressures her into sex because saying "no" just causes Christine to meekly ask her to stop before being forced to have sex with Eve or whoever she plans to set her up with.

I can't really knock this VN for being bad. The writing and story is good but it feels like the only option throughout the whole thing is to submit to blackmail or lose your internship. By the end, I just wanted to be given the option to tell Eve, Lisa and Chris Eric to fuck off or let Christine just end her life because she is so unhappy throughout the entire story.

This game was excellent, with choices having minor to major impact on scenes that you will get to see.
This game also hits a lot of my buttons. Being a smart, hardworking and pretty girl that uses sex to get further ahead at work or otherwise. Being a cuckquean, connecting with her boss, her judge, proving client services. Her life would have been a dream come true for me.

Descent is rapist-as-a-love-interest. This game really needs NC and rape tags. Eve is an unavoidable predator that sexually assaults the MC multiple times ("she says no but she secretly wants it" said every rapist ever), and not a single character in the game seems to have any idea what "consent" means.

If you are into NC/rape, I suppose this could work for you. Otherwise, avoid avoid avoid.

Liked playing as a female character. Good change of pace with seriously good renders. Definitely liked the lesbian flavor with a more dominant lesbian - that's where the reall good stuff is in this entry. Definitely worth a run through or two.

Definitely decent Descent! It's quicker than I expected, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. There also feels to be a lot of actually meaningful branching in the paths, which made me feel like it would definitely be worth of checking back into this one day.
Extra star for fact you play as female protagonist.

This game has a good and catching story. Even it is short it allows to play different paths.

Moreover I'm big fan of office corruption and that is one of the few games including office that are finished.

The graphics are good, not very good but good enough for playing.

Give it a try. You won't regret it.

This is one of the best games I've played. It does not have the best scenes, or super great characters - but the main character is slowly going down (if that is what you're trying to achieve). The scenes of loss of control are amazing. Getting the feeling across