RPGM - Down the Neko Hole [v0.27.00u] [Towerfag]

Very rough game. The characters are cute but the implementation is terrible.


Good
- Cute Characters

Neutral
- Real time combat.
I think that this as a concept has merit, but it is unfortunately dragged down by the poor control system.


Bad
- Extremely clunky controls.
The camera control and movement of the protagonist is very janky. Having to jump is incredibly frustrating and taking fall damage after missing one or running off a ledge is painful
The characters move speed is buggy and too fast when dashing and too slow when not using it
You can softlock yourself by jumping from various places and getting stuck

- Minimal Guidance
The game is not good at telling you what to do or where to go. The very first quest of the game just has you running around randomly without any help.

Has good potential, the 3d setting for the game gives a ton of character compared to the usual rpgmaker games we see on this site, the characters are also fun and cute. The combat is also real time and not too janky so that a bug + for me as turn based games can get pretty stale after a while. As for the downsides the camera angles can be a bit funky sometimes and the game occasionally crashes but if you remember to save often it's not a huge issue.

It has potential and certainly unique gameplay blending 2D and 3D.

But.

The bugs just don't make it worth it to continue. I had some kind of memory leak that almost completely froze my entire pc, sequence breaks, items not doing what they say they'll do and the straw that broke the camel's back, images not loading in and getting constant error messages.

I kept playing until the last mentioned bug because hey, atleast there might be some good porn and the story is somewhat interesting, but if I can't even see the images then what's the point.

The game is extremely unclear on what you need to do, I wandered around aimlessly and talked with everyone and everything to progress because as soon as you've been lead to the blood manor very early on, you're told nothing about what to do. I spent a long while trying to find some way to get past the maids, but nope, apparently when you reached that point the game has opened up and all the closed places were now open. Well you met a guard storming out of the blood manor, so go to the guild, do some quests, are you able to talk with the guard get some info? Nope, you're supposed to exit the city and go talk with a witch and break into her basement to continue...

With no indication that's where you're supposed to go. The game doesn't even say anything like "Well, I can't seem to get into the blood manor and talk with the one in charge. I'll have to find some other way.". It phrases it as if you have to figure out some way to get past the maids to progress, sneaking, jumping puzzle, anything. But that's not what you're supposed to do at all.

TL;DR Frustrating. Don't play this game untill much much later. It has potential to be interesting, but it's such a mess at the moment. Can't even comment on the porn because only got to see one scene of still images in 2 hours of confusion running around (a very dissapointing handjob scene).

3D perspective can get trippy with structures in the way of the view. But it has a different experience. It's fun to travel around and discover secrets this way. The story by itself is addictive on a whole other level. The art in this game is wholesome. Thanks for making it!

As of version 0.24.03 I've pretty much enjoyed this game its pretty fun and has some interesting points.

Pros:
- The gameplay is pretty unique with 3d being implemented
- With the current version there is a good amount things you can do in both of the 2 acts
- Feels open and allows room for thoughts on what to do
- Characters are pretty fun
Cons:
- Platforming tends to be bad (especially in act 2) due to instant death if you fall in most cases and sometimes you might fall all the way through even if you land on it
- Can be confusing on what to do in certain situations and can be not very clear on what to do
-Pretty buggy at times (to be expected) and sometimes has moments where you got to reset the entire game to get rid of it

All in all, this game is interesting and should be given a fair shot with how unique it functions. If it got rid of instant death for failing to platform correctly it'd be better due to how delicate some of the jumps tend to be. It should be more clear on what to do due to how sometimes you don't even know when or how things happen without some form of guide or luck. Although these flaws are here its still a fun game where there is a good amount to do and enjoy and if you tolerate the small bugs and awkward platforming then there is a lot to enjoy with this game.

It's unique and the art style for the protagonist is really nice, but there are some bugs and fps sinks that ruin the experience. At the start of the game it's quite confusing as well as to what is going on.
I personally think it's decent, but there is some work to be done, for it to get any sort of major recognition on f95.
4/5 for the uniqueness and for the sexy tanlines of the protagonist.

This game feels like it has great potential but is being held back by the engine itself. Its reminiscent of old 3d RPGs from the ps1 with a rotating camera but everything about it is so fucking clunky and terrible. The camera is constantly getting caught on walls or blocked out completely by trees. In small corridors its just constantly zooming in and out to compensate and it becomes so disorienting; either that or some walls dont even have collision and the camera just looks at the wall from the void so you can't see shit.

The 3d aspect is a sound concept that has worked before in various ways like this one but the fact that its being forced into an RPG maker engine is both impressive and frankly stupid as fuck. It just feels so incredibly clunky with an active battle system that seems like it wants to be strategic but eventually becomes brute force everything until it works. I haven't gotten too far into the game but the attack you start with, assuming you can get different ones that is, has you jump forward so positioning is funky since you need to jump into it. Also the charge attack is a pain in the ass because it forces you to be stationary so using it becomes running away, charging, and then unleashing it and repeating it which basically leaves the combat with no actual flow to it.

The art is good and the design is nice but it really clashes with the game itself. Normally it doesn't really seem that jarring in other rpgmaker type games but when you've got a fully functional camera system in a 3d environment and active cutscenes that actually take part in the overworld it just feels off when it suddenly jumps to a CGI with no actual transition. It feels like if this was a better game with good graphics it would render the cutscenes in the overworld rather than jump cut to CG. Also the overworld graphics are constantly jittering and flashing like the engine is having a hard time keeping everything loaded. No 3d, small 3d, full 3d, with and without vsync, it just occasionally fucks up with some graphics for a split second and its just constantly throwing me off.

I fucking loathe the dialogue. Towerfag did the same shit with princess and conquest where the dialogue just flows like absolute dog shit. Ellipsis everywhere and constant pausing for the sake of roleplay as if it was being voice acted through text. The flow of text is slower than a drain in the middle of the forest completely blocked by debris. It turns a quick 2 minute dialogue dump into a 10 minute wall of slow ass text that just takes forever to get the point across. Combine that with a lot of filler text that doesnt need to be there (you really could cut out a lot of the roleplay text that is already being shown in the game actively, like someone turning a lamp on or sitting down) and it really becomes this slow ass slog that feels like it wants to be more like a visual novel. Unfortunately there are no text options so you have two choices: either deal with it and waste your time waiting for the constant pauses in the text to resolve so you can read it, or press the shift key and have shit skip so lightning fast that it's literally impossible to keep up with the story or have any idea what you have to do next because it isn't a visual novel and there is no roll back to read what you missed.

Speaking of, the direction of this game just isn't quite there. It feels like it wants to be like an old PS1 game where you explore freely and really get a feel for the land but then has literally nothing of interest worth exploring. You get into the end city and are told to look for clues but have literally no idea what the fuck you're looking for. Try to go into doors and you're constantly told you don't have time, talk to people who have no idea what you're talking about, follow a trail that doesnt exist until you eventually find where you have to go or just accidentally stumble upon it in the first place.

The concept is there and is basically like a made in abyss sort of thing from what I can tell with some first impressions but without the passion for diving and more about following a story. A game like this has promise and a high amount of potential but ultimately I feel like the engine is holding it back. Something like this probably could have been done in a different engine but I doubt Towerfag knows anything else other than rpgmaker so they forced it to work here. It certainly works but its clunky, frustrating, and at times pretty ugly to look at. It would have been better in a different engine better deigned for this type of game or just left as a typical 2d rpg that is expected of this engine.

A hidden gem of a RPG game in the making that needs polished and shined. A RPG style game that tries it's hand at 2.5D view but falls short. You play as Neneko the catgirl (female protagonist) who has recently lost her roommate (her brother?) and will stop at nothing to get him back. As the developer said, she will have many "misadventures" on the way if you so choose to let curiosity get the better of her.
Along the way, Neneko will learn that her roommate's disappearance isn't the only one. Before she knows it, she is on her way "Down the Neko Hole" to get to the bottom of the mystery once and for all. As the game is so appropriately called. The question is, can she make it back out with her roommate and any of the others intact?. The plot of the game itself is memorable enough and even has a nice rogue-like dungeon crawler ring to it. Sadly, this is not a thing... yet...

About the state of the game 8/25/21 thus far though:
The camera often gets blocked by objects or obstructs the players point of view of the character making combat difficult. Combat is live action and not turned based.
Navigating from such an awkward view point can also become a annoying hassle. I'd prefer at times to play this just like any other old RPG game from over the top 2D view just to get a better overall angle from the game itself and performance.
It's a very unique camera angle to say the least not often used and hard to implement just right. It would probably help if the objects the character passed by would become more transparent or partially see-through (opaque) so they would not block the view. The best I've ever seen was in a game Sqaure-enix made called final fantasy tactics where not only could the player change the height of the camera itself but the angle as well. Anyway, moving on.

There is even a fishing mini game within the game. Imagine that, a cat girl that can actually learn fish for her own fish! ^_^ Amazing! Give a person a fish and they can eat for a day, teach a person to fish and, well... you know the rest.

I played this game for a few hours and decided I liked it enough to share my thoughts on it's current development state. No surprise there coming from an old school final fantasy fan though. I would love to be able to pay for & play the full game once it's finished and be able to get the rest of the story. I see potential in this but at this time it just simply needs more content. The game needs completed. It is not ready to yet be reviewed in such an incomplete state. This is not by any means a final word. By all means play it just to test it & also let everyone know what your thoughts/ suggestions are. Not only will you feel better for doing so but the developer will also get some much needed feedback on how they can improve their game little by little. There is a balance to all things...

There is only a small world to explore at this time and I will agree that there is a lack of lewd rewarding or other content for an H-game. Regardless of what the dev may think or want, this is what almost everyone plays an adult game for: No BS. No excuses. Truth. If you make an adult game it needs a good amount of adult content to go with it and satisfy period. That's just how it is.
Otherwise what's the point in playing if there is no or very little reward?. As an adult it's obvious what the most "satisfying" adult reward is. If I wanted anything else I'd just be playing a regular game or a kids game. But those become just another boring game after a while... Hopefully this will be something that gets much improved as the game is developed before it is too late. Don't take what's already there out. Add more! A game that offers lewd content but doesn't deliver is a major turn off.

Some of the dialogue is humorous & funny which adds to the enjoyment of the game but it also is incomplete and needs work at this time. There is much left unsaid at times or is simply incomplete. The environment itself encourages players to explore and talk to the various number of NPC's for clues as to what's around them and where to find it. There should be no shortage of mischief for a cat girl to get into after all... Besides, curiosity killed the cat as they say. Good thing she has 9 lives. I'm especially intrigued of the story that will be added with the mysterious witches hut... Because what's a witch without a cat... girl?.

References of other things seem to even be getting implemented for that nostalgia itch for those that know, giving even more enjoyability to the game. So long as the references fit in, in a way... there are secret spots in the game I found while exploring that you can just tell something interesting is going to be added.

Much of the content though is simply missing due to it being an incomplete game leaving the player in a state of wanting. It's a lot like reading a book 1/3 of the way through but not being able to read the rest until it's available. Every game & movie to me is like a book waiting to be read. But I prefer games over books because books don't have physical moving pictures and animations that you can see with your own eyes in real time. Not only that but books have to describe everything whereas in a game or movie you can simply see it or be shown. Would you rather talk about food or eat food sort of deal. But just like I won't purchase an incomplete book, I will not purchase an incomplete game. That's like asking for someone to pay for half of a completed painting promising they'll finish it later. It just leaves you wishing it was finished while it is waiting to be put on display in all it's artistic glory then and there. Sadly, some paintings never get finished. Many get forgotten.
By all means support the game if you wish but I prefer the reward to be given at the end so there is no chance of getting let down. When a person gets burnt too many times they learn to stop stoking the fire...

Unfortunately the game itself is being built & updated slowly. I'm already worried this one will also not get completed. The project is clearly huge and much is still to be clearly added. Hopefully the amount of detail being put into it is the reason why progress is as slow as it is. Which would be a shame if it weren't to get completed though given the amount of thought & dedication already put into it. Without the will & passion to complete something however, an idea remains just that, an idea without completion. Like I said, I want this game to flourish. I want this flower to bloom. Because if it makes you smile, it's worth it. I don't expect to be able to revise this review for some time to come. But at least the game is coming along... The question is, "will we ever see what lies at the bottom of 'the Neko Hole?' Will we ever know how it all ends? Is it something special or will it be just another forgotten failed game?"

- "Only time will tell for certain..."

If the pics of the game intrigue you, by all means try the game out for yourself and at least let the dev know if not everyone, of what you think. I was only hoping this could be a start... This game isn't a stupid idea, it just needs a better & more proper execution. It's soo close to being an enjoyable good game that you can see the potential. That is goood. Build upon that... Bring it out. Or will that be all it ever is like so many others before it? Only time will tell for certain...

The progression is slow, the gameplay isn't that good, the whole "3D" thing inside of a RPG Maker game just makes it hard to see where you're supposed to go.

While the designs for the characters are, for the very least, looking sharp and neat, it's no good if you don't do anything with them while adding so many new ones instead of focusing on, idk, our fucking main characters?
With the dialogue progression of a Seinfeld episode, the characterization doesn't seems to going anywhere either.

Through extracting the files, I found 21 CGs (including scene variations) for total of 9 scenes as of current version (v0.9.00). I wouldn't comment on the quality of these CGs, but we got a bathing scene with MC's attempted groping among the busty main cast, a tentacle vaginal fuck scene with an unrelated character for 1 CG, bullman fuck scene for Shina with day and night variations (each uses 3 CGs), MC handjob with the guard in the intro (4 identical CGs), and MC masturbating (5 CGs)...

Yeah, I get it, the developer want to focus on the world building instead of the SEX. But with all this time and money used in the development what turns out to be isn't what their general demographic want, the scenes weren't good, neither were the other basic things; all with very little improvement over the year with each version including the numerous bugs, no wonder everyone's complaining about the game.

Tl;dr this game could have been good, but the dev keep being a dick and make no attempt to polish his craft.

I have a really beefy PC but was getting awful fps as soon as I leave the house. Might be something specific about my setup, not sure. Basically unplayable for me so I can't speak to content/quality outside of that.

Lackluster cg, poor gameplay, disorienting game platform. Could be great in the future but for now it is not worth playing.

Only 3 cg's in the game, this is early early early development of the game. camera is really poor as well and the game is harder to navigate than others.