RPGM - Abandoned - Elyon's Way Remake [RE] [ProjectLaguna]

It seems like the old version of the game has been deleted from the site or replaced with this one, so I'll update my review.

I will point out first and foremost, that this is a demo, so things are likely subject to change or evolve throughout the development of this game.

I have to say that not really that much has changed, besides the new art which I'll speak about in a moment.

Gameplay wise, the game has not changed in the slightest. There's still very little choices you can make as a character, at least when it comes to the village.

In the village, it seems due to her father's background, the character gets the worst treatment she can possibly get. Everyone will consider her an outcast and she won't really have any choices in things besides very few ones that don't really have much meaning or effect for the character.

In this sense, the game could definitely improve a lot when it comes to storytelling and in-game choices. Could perhaps be interesting if the village had a bit of a different flow to it, instead of just get to the village let everybody call you an outcast, get mistreated by everyone and everything in the village, trigger sex scenes to figure out more about the story.

There's also the fact that you have different stats in your game, which still doesn't seem to do much really, and aren't exactly explained in the game? What gives you lust, and what does lust do in the game? What gives you seduction points, or insight, and what effects will those things have in the game. I would honestly like to know those things as according to the description of the game your choices will have long-lasting effects in-game

Story is the same thus far, there wasn't really anything new added, in fact it feels like there may be some things lacking in the remake in comparison to the original, certain sprites that were done in the original game and added a bit more immersion to it, aren't here now. I do not know if they'll be re-added as development progresses, but hopefully they do.

Now, about probably the thing that they gave the most emphasis on and that, as far as my understanding goes, it's why the game got remade from scratch. Artwork

I have to say, I am a bit mixed about this new art-style. There are a few scenes where this new artwork is a step-forward, but there are also a few other scenes where the new art hasn't really helped. For example, the shota scene which was one of my favorites in the base game as well as the stall scene in the village have changed for the worst. While mainly all of the other scenes have benefitted at least a little bit. As I said before, there are some details in the scenes that haven't really translated to the remake, which I hope they do because they added a nice amount of immersion to the game

Outside of scenes, the in-game sprites have changed quite a lot and it's a nice touch to see the remade environment. It's also more unique, as character sprites are different right now and it shows that the developer is trying to go for authenticity and uniqueness with it's characters. There are a couple of times where the old sprites are shown, mainly for the main character, but I appreciate the little details.

It is a short demo overall, so there isn't really much more to say. The game shows promise and it has quite a lot of areas where it can be improved on.

I will keep a close eye and see how this game develops in the future.

This review is directed to the latest version posted in this site, which is the Demo version.

based on version 23.05

So far it seems like a kinetic visual novel, although there are armor and weapon slots, not sure if some combat is planned.

Very rape-y. You play as a girl who gets raped by every other man she meets, then shrugs it off and goes on like nothing happened. Sometimes it is avoidable, but then you are missing out on the only lewd content there is (at least so far). The parts that have choices are also weird in that the choice itself rarely implies sex, but it actually always is basically a choice between "have sex" / "don't have sex". For example, guy wants money to cross a river, you can either pay or ask "is there some other way?" and the MC asks it as in "some other bridge". The guy replies "yeah, you can suck my cock", to which she replies "oh wtf, I didn't mean that. oh well, let's suck it". Would make much more sense to then have a "do it" / "don't do it" choice (and better yet "suggest only handjob" or something like that to give some actual player choice).

There are some stats like lust, seduction and self-control, that change based on which choice you select, but I have not seen how (if) are they actually used in the current content.

The art is not animated, hand drawn, very well made.
Warning: there is (at least) one scene that depict giving a handjob to a child.

A little rant: of course it includes the classic porn logic of "get raped -> lust increased". Cause we all know how much people enjoy being raped. It would have been better and more real the other way around: if you want to increase lust, you have to put her in situations she enjoys, you get penalized for situations she does not enjoy. The current way there is actually no choice - of course you will choose to have her raped, it's the only erotic content provided by the game AND it implies you will get more content later. But that takes away any roleplaying there might have been. Might as well not include the choices at all.

I like the art. Story is off to a great start. Lots of events in the first release. My only complaint is that I'd appreciate more images used in the scenes, but that is offset by the number of scenes themselves.