What a pleasant surprise.
Eruption Imminent puts you in the role of Ashe, a young futa/woman, as she struggles with her transition into adult life. The game is filled with believable characters, a universe that’s filled with possibilities, and lewd content aplenty.
-- The Great --
- MorriganRae has a flair for direction; framing, depth of field, and composition are all on par with the best of them
- The same goes for production design, there are no empty white walls, the environments are filled with props and the decor is always appropriate to the setting
- The cinematography is also top-notch; scenes are properly lit, and the choice of luts/post-processing gives the visual a velvety touch
- Characters are all unique and well-defined. Evelyn is a peach that I’m looking forward to, uhm, interacting with more in the future
- Wonderful and whimsical title
-- The Good --
- The dialogue is funny, in a good way, I even laughed out loud, which is a rare occurrence for me. It’s also believable, and authentic, and serves the characters right as it used to learn more about them, and not simply be a means to offer information
- MorriganRae wants to build a fictional world, but chapter one only offers a glimpse of it
- Although there are no animations, and there will never be as the dev sets the expectations during the introduction that this game is a VN, the lewd parts are quite good, thanks to MorriganRae strong suits pointed out above
-- The Meh --
- The pacing is a bit all over the place. Some scenes drag on (ice cream parlor, beach), while others (foot massage, encounter with Shaw) are of the right length
- MorriganRae wants to tell a story, and as a chapter one, it’s understandable there will be exposition, and this one has lots of it, which could’ve been cut down.
- Dialogue may be good, but the story itself is filled with tropes/stereotypes, either for characters or situations. Some examples:
-- The Bad --
I only have one bad thing to say, and it’s about the character “Delilah” who is the younger sister of Fiona, Ashe’s best friend. The dev offers a sort of “warning” in the beginning, which offers the player a chance to learn more about the game and the fetishes that will be explored throughout the story, and that includes “adult teens”. If chapter one is any indication, all characters are either of the same age as Ashe or older, save for Delilah. She has a crush on Ashe, and although her introduction scene is cute, it broke my immersion because she looks quite young, and the moniker “adult teen” seems quite a stretch to me. Given the age of other characters, this one seems to be tacked on, perhaps only to attract players who have a penchant for Loli. To each their own, but I find this break in consistency unfortunate.
-- Conclusion --
Don’t let the “meh” section cloud your judgment. I had a great time playing chapter one, and I’m very much looking forward to chapter 2. MorriganRae certainly has strengths, and they shine. If he focuses more on the writing; softening the stereotypes, bringing nuance and adjusting the pacing, this game will become a gem in no time.
Eruption Imminent is truly a labor of love and a valiant effort. If chapter 2 is as good, I’ll be glad to support onward, and you should consider doing the same.