VN - Ren'Py - Exogon [v0.1] [Rexile]

This game has humor, good looking women and a whacked out plot that I hope Rexile has a flowchart for. I wasn't sure I would enjoy it, but I was pleasantly surprised. The graphics range from Wow! to WtF? but it keeps with the tone of the game.

Review for 0.1

So, I played Exogon. And, I can say that the game is surprisingly good. It was actually much better than I had anticipated, though the first think you will notice is the absurd volume when opening the game for the first time.

You can definitely tell that the developer enjoys meta and fourth-wall-breaking jokes. Now, from what I have seen, I think the game relies on these jokes a bit too much to its detriment. I enjoy the whole 4th-wall joke from time to time, but Exogon seems to use them at any opportunity that it can which can be rather tedious as it sometimes breaks the immersion that the game seems to be trying to put the player in.

In addition, another tedious thing is the number of text effects that there are. Now, I get text effects. They are great when expertly used, but Exogon uses them to an almost absurd degree. It took me about 2-3 minutes to read through the dialogue of some of the characters which, for a novel where reading is the main method of delivery, can make the novel seem like a hassle. If those could be toned down, it would strengthen the novel's flow.

Next, the plot. I find it to be a good plot. The 'Chosen One' plot continues to stand the test of time, and there's a reason players/readers are so involved in it. Being the MC is nice, even if some of the things happening to him seem a bit too... coincidental. Plus, the comedy mixes with the serious elements in the wrong ways. It's hard to tell when one should feel serious during an encounter or if it will just lead into more nonsense. Of course, some of the comedy is very good as I found myself laughing on more than one occasion. I am just not sure if the game is supposed to be a comedy with serious elements, or a serious game with comedy elements. Yet, these don't distract from the overall plot of the game which has kept me interested all the way.

The environment and character models are fairly well-placed. There are bits where the characters feel too static or are seen floating over the environment instead of sticking to it. The environment does feel very inconsistent sometimes as in one instance you're in the desert, then in the next you're in the most luxurious apartment building/studio/house you have ever seen. Yes, this could be explained away by the hierarchal structure of the city and the differences between rich and poor, but it still feels strange. Yet, nothing that would keep someone from enjoying the game.

Lastly, as for the girls, nothing to really complain about. The girls look sexy, and the scenes are hot. For now, two or three LIs show the desire to pursue a goal. I do think the first LI becomes attached to the MC a little too quickly given her history, but it's been handled a little more delicately in this game. Something to applaud over.

And, one last element, QTEs (Quick-Time Events), those came without almost ANY warning. Granted, I suppose that's the point, but even being given a warning would be appreciated. The time is a little short, but nothing old-man hands can't deal with.

All in all, the game is definitely not a one-star in my honest opinion. The music could use some refining, but I have never had gripes with that before. After all, music taste is subjective. I will keep up with the game. It is certainly interesting. The issues I mentioned weren't enough to keep me from enjoying the game.

4/5

Review of Exogon 0.1 aka first release

Graphics 3/5
The graphic quality is very high. However, I don't give it 5 for several reasons. Sometimes the lighting is weird, with excess of light or reflections. The post processing also has some strange things, especially bloom. Sometimes the ambient occlusion (part of the shadows) is also weird. As well as the hair sometimes. In any case you can see that the developer has tried to overcook the graphics, without succeeding, focusing more than it should in this aspect. Special mention in this sense is the use of a scene created by the modder Hanmen, where the only thing the developer has done is to change the character. Some screens are excessively bright, preventing to see the text. Finally, there is an excess of visual effects, beautiful but do not add anything, except the feeling that the graphics, indeed, are overcooked. Because sometimes this effect of lights, visual effects and post-processing prevents to see clearly the graphics or the text of the scenes.

Music and sound 2/5
There is, although I usually mute the audio and sound. The little I heard before I did it is fine, not outstanding. Some people complain about the sound. Since I mutated it... no idea Although the sound options give some problems.

Animations 3/5
There are too many videos, which makes that even in the first release the size is exaggerated. And the only thing that so much video does, usually, is just that. Increase the size of the game unnecessarily. The sex scenes have a lot of videos. You see what you have to see, that is, there are penetrations that are clearly seen, but some videos combine several camera shots, where the camera moves as if they were 3 different videos. Wouldn't it be better to have three videos with clear shots and a static camera instead of one? Besides, in one of them the camera moves behind an object, so briefly you don't see what is really important: the sexual act. In any case, they are mainly handmade, with great quality.

Gameplay 2/5
Menus and user interface are made by the author with great quality. There are no bugs, except for an image that does not appear at the beginning. The minigames also sometimes gave me problems. Under normal circumstances I would give it a 4, but the text makes me mad. If the graphics are overcooked, the text effects are 100 levels beyond. To such a level that it's more common to see text with effects than without. The worst thing is that it is often difficult to read the text due to so many effects. A serious problem in a game that is a kinetic novel, in other words: a NOVEL. There are some choices, but they are mainly to provide information, get discounts, unlock scenes... It seems that there is an affection system, but it seems that it is more to unlock scenes. That said, kinetic novel with slight elements of visual novel. There is also supposed to be humor. But it's more the humor of a kid thinking he's doing funny things than real humor. Like the author's mentions of himself in some scenes that are supposed to be funny. Possibly the funniest thing is to see how, in a game of planetary scale, where they talk about constellations and galaxies, the MC and his friend are shot down... in a MIG-29. Some things are humorous. Most of it, for me, doesn't. For young people who are around 18 years old, they might find it funny.

Plot 3/5
Although it is the first version, the general plot is more or less visible. It turns out that a self-proclaimed galactic council discovers that a “Cobra King” has escaped its control. That being is actually a fragment of a powerful object. The possessor of one of these fragments obtains superpowers such as speed, strength, etc. among others. That power is desired by many to get it in one way or another for their own benefit. The bite of a snake, a king cobra I suppose, causes the MC to be possessed by one of those fragments. The plot has certain touches of originality. At least it departs from what we have seen so many times before.

Characters 1/5
Half of them are little less than buffoons, emperors of the galactic council included. The supposed humor of the game takes them away. The other half have something remarkable. The MC is neither weak nor cowardly, that's something. But he's halfway between those who are buffoons and those who have something remarkable. One of the girls has been designed by Hanmen for, like the scene, his anisotropic mod, dress included.

Final thoughts
The game has strengths and weaknesses. If the developer would remove the weaknesses such as text effects and improve some such as graphical problems and characters (i.e., almost the entire game), this could be a great game. A remake that corrects the game's problems, done right, would send it in the right direction. As it stands now, it deserves a 3 at best.

Basic game features like Skip and mute all sounds don't work. The filesize is 10x bigger than it should be for the length. The quicktime event minigame is FPS dependent so it's completely impossible if you have a good computer.