VN - Ren'Py - Completed - Haley's Story [v1.1 Pre-Patched] [Viitgames]

I really wanted to give a higher rating. In fact, if I had written this review before Haley's first sex scene, I would've given it 5 stars. Up to a certain point, this was genuinely one of the best incest games I've ever played on this website, up there with Chasing Sunsets (the review below me has no taste, btw) and other masterpieces.

Haley's chemistry with the MC was unbelievably sweet and satisfying at first. It's incredibly fun to read their interactions as they slowly come to terms with their feelings for each other, slowly breaching new territory while navigating their newfound relationship. I swear to God, some of their late-night cuddling sessions almost had me blushing, wishing that this game would never end. Their intimacy was so endearing and immersive that it genuinely felt like the rest of the world didn't exist.

So why the low rating? Because at some point we're introduced to a plot point that completely shifts the mood of the game. We find out about a traumatic event in Haley's past, and that becomes the center piece of the story for a good while. "Whiplash" is the only way to describe it. We're suddenly taken out of the sweetness and dipped in bitterness and anger. I honestly don't mind the concept that they used, but it should've been handled better. First of all, the game trauma dumps on you right after your first sex scene with Haley. And I mean immediately after, still laying naked next to each other. If Haley had told us about the incident the next morning, it would've been a more realistic and tasteful way to broach the topic.

After that, it feels like we're playing a completely different game. Gone are the moments of sweet intimacy, now replaced by over-the-top teasing and dry humor. Haley and MC were always playful with each other, but the writing begins to really lean on that after the trauma reveal, likely in a forced attempt to distract the player from it. Haley's personality used to be laced with devotion, playfulness and vulnerability, but now it's a caricature of a cartoon sibling that constantly insults you. Also, Haley and MC have a strange fixation with joking about Haley prostituting herself or fucking other men in general. And before you say I have no sense of humor, trust me, it's a lot. It doesn't happen once or twice. It borders on obsession, for some reason.

In summary, the relationship between the two main characters is downgraded heavily after the trauma dump. And it's not like the two things are related. It feels more like a way for the writers to distance themselves from the elephant in the room, instead of quickly addressing it and moving on. This decision leaves the tension hanging indefinitely until the ending, and we never really see the characters coming to terms with what happened. I do appreciate how we manage to "handle" Klaus, though. However, I would've liked to see better closure on Haley's side, like her parents telling her about the murder, then she walks out and falls in MC's arms, saying that she's shocked but somehow relieved, knowing that she can finally move on and that no one else will be hurt by him. That would've been much more emotional and respectful to the characters, and a great way to close this chapter of Haley's life as she starts a new one by our side.

Even the sex scenes get worse after the tonal shift. I really liked Haley's submissive nature during the good 1/3 of the game. Some people disliked the whole "daddy" thing but I found it cute and tasteful. It's a normal kink in the real world, but some people in the porn games "community" are really sensitive to it for some reason. Anyway, submissive Haley was adorable, and they could've even tied that to the story. She could tell the MC that he's the first she's ever been submissive to, and that it's liberating because there's no one else in the world she trusts more than him. Dom/Sub relationships are based on trust, and that theme could tie very well into Haley's character, considering what happened to her in the past. No need to make it a full-time thing, just something to spice up the sex scenes and the dynamic between Haley and MC. At some point Haley just... stops being submissive, and we never get to see the coveted "leash and ball gag" scene *clenches fist*

The endings are also... strange, if not abrupt. I expected the characters to mature a bit and deepen their intimacy after the timeskip, but instead we just get more of the same, and by "same" I mean dry humor and impersonal sex scenes. The endings do their job, and it's nice to at least have proper endings, but they could've been better. One thing I do appreciate is how naturally the game introduces the three-way relationships. It feels organic and believable, especially in Sandra's case. Haley is unfortunately still a clown all the way to the end, but at least the three-ways were written very well.

And to conclude this part of the review, I think "impersonal" is the best word to describe the game after The Incident™. I don't know if the criticism reached the developers, but it's like they simply distanced themselves from the core essence of Haley's Story. Moments no longer feel intimate, instead becoming very impersonal, like the writer is just doing this as a job. Haley's silliness is extrapolated to the point of satire, as if they forgot what made her special in the first place. Then we get some obligatory nightclub scenes, some quick dates here and there, a side girl joins us (or not), and the game ends. The conclusion of the game lacks emotion, as if they just wanted to get it over with.

When it comes to the art, the renders are nice. I'm genuinely surprised at how well the renders aged. It doesn't feel like a game from 2019, so there was clearly a lot of care put into the art. From the posing to the lighting, everything looks good. Well, the animations are pretty stiff, but they're serviceable.

As for the gameplay, it's pretty straightforward and intuitive. Some people disliked the forced relationship with Sandra, but it was fine. At least it serves the plot, and you can break up with her before even having sex. Haley's relationship with Jack, on the other hand, is completely pointless. It doesn't serve the plot and never goes anywhere. It's just fluff text.

Final Thoughts:
As I said in the beginning, I really wanted to give this game a higher rating. Haley's Story is a 5-star game ruined by 2-star writing. It starts off very, very, very good, but then it crashes tragically and ends unceremoniously. I would give it a 4/10, but the rating system makes me gravitate to a 2/5. That being said, the game can still be enjoyed, so I recommend that you try it out for yourself, see if you like it. And if you do, have fun. If you don't, I recommend Chasing Sunsets. Great game.

One of the best AVN out there, and obviously THE best in brother/sister games roster.

Characters are all great, except Sandra, but that just a personal preference.

Story is good too, no stupid plot about saving the world of mindless fuckfest. Just a good slice of life, that is calm and entertaining.

No stupid propaganda or political bullshit.

Graphics, well I never gave a shit about it, as I played games with a garbage for a graphics that've been masterpieces (Once in a Lifetime) and those with top tier renders that were pile of trash (Chasing Sunset). Those are just some of the examples, as in this game renders ARE dated, but I never understood people playing this kinds of games for renders only.

In conclusion, if you want a good story of siblingcest with additional LIs that are made good, AND the dated graphics isn't a deal breaker for you , than give this game a try, as unlike steamy pile of garbage, that is Chasing Sunset, this one IS actually a really good one.

The garaphics is little bit bellow average. The female characters are decent and a bit attractive. The story is around average. The sex scenes are quite bad. The clothes variations are weak. There is no special kink involved. The story is decent.

Great for 2019, not good now. Too many issues in terms of lengthy, boring and often redundant dialogue with little pay off, including the fact the visuals are (obviously) dated. It's simply not worth the time investment to actually get to a point where anything is interesting, cause it is almost NEVER a point where it's genuinely interesting.

I contemplated how many stars, because the first part is 5*, the last part is 1 (lacking 0 or negative).

2 may sound very harsh but it just shows my disappointment and frustration after staying up 2 nights till morning to get through this story. I think some people will give it 5 or 4, praise the first part and be upset about the 2nd, I'm a person that can't tolerate these huge emotional falls from such amazing heights to hell. could as well give 1 overall based on how I feel right now.

It took a bit of playing to warm up to the story but the whole relationship story was so great and well written. I got involved with some of the side characters because they seemed great but by the time I was getting into the Sandra story a bit more seriously I already regretted it, as relationship with Haley started to develop.

Such potential. Around the time Haley starts therapy the whole thing goes stale, then the characters got stuck / suspended. Everyone becomes 1 dimensional, feel like no one hardly reacts to anything and they just keep saying the same things. Haley behaves like an idiot for the rest of the game after those great intimate bed discussions they had in the first part that I loved so much.
Of course, a lot of stuff just didn't get resolved. After an uncomfortable and relatively long (compared to how empty it was) narration it just ends.

I went with Adriana story because you know, exciting, a hot mature (not a 32 yo "milf" but an actual mature ), being a bossy bitch and all, kinda kinky. After the story developed I thought that's going to be just a fuck buddy (+ FRIEND) story and was waiting how they handle the moving in, never occurred it's basically a breakup kinda thing where MC and Haley just stop being a couple, what the actual fuck? When they are most into each other they just stop being together, how does that make any sense whatsoever? There was no breakup or cooldown or anything it just happened like something defying lawa of physics.

I was already really upset by how Haley was clinging to that stupid car and just made me? accept it? (dunno... a watch is a gift even tho uncomfortable if expensive... a car is not a gift... I never felt that relationship was essentially transactional, especially after the bonding with Adriana over Haley issue and her divorce).

Then comes the father who I would have politely warned even stronger after the spam emails (this would be 3rd time) to just fuck off, in somewhat, but not a lot nicer words. Showing up on doorstep I would have just, fake politely (not hiding my agression very well), tell him there's no extra room for him and would have helped him to a hotel room myself, maybe offering to pay for it (as if his concern was real about saving the money, bahh, the asshole). Having the nerve to pop the question about therapy, man that guy was so obnoxious, you don't ask someone why they go to therapy no matter if they are a stranger or family. If you care about them the least you just tell them, good for you and say something positive and supportive. MAYBE if you're in a very close relationship (not living apart since years - not sure how much it has been) try to ask if you can help or ask the question in the most subtle and supportive way possible. With him showing up at session I was hoping I can just move, block his number and email and cut ties because, fuck him. No options apparently and both MC and Haley were completely oblivious the whole thing somehow. Getting an apartment just to preserve the lie? I mean come on now; if a parent cannot add anything positive, valuable to their relationship with their adult kids, then there should be no relationship. Respect for having a roof and food is all good and goes a long way, but you can't just keep majorly fucking with your kids lives, no matter what you think they do right or wrong, and expect to come out positively, what the hell. I'm talking from experience, no wonder I talk to my mom and don't really waste time on my dad. Don't hate him it's just there's nothing positive I'm getting from him since years, or perhaps decades; why bother? So I didn't understand the lack of proper reactions.

No way offered to really handle the mother except a couple tries. I had the feeling MC realized that for the past 5 or so years their mom was so shitty with Haley who in the first part of the story seemed more mature, responsible, professional, impeccable work ethic etc. than MC so a 'better' person if you want to compare that way; surely not warranting the behaviour of the mother. After realizing it, as the protective brother / lover I would have certainly challenged every single occasion when she belittled her (not sure that's the right expression but perhaps you understand what I mean), not allow even one of them to go unanswered. I mean she did say a few times he's the favourite child, but I though that's just in a way that happens in families but it's not really consequential, honestly felt pretty bad when I realized the stark contrast between how she handled her children. I mean how much could something like that fuck with one's self confidence? That should have been very important as part of healing process and should have been a recurring topic of discussion with Haley, reassuring her every time that there's nothing wrong with her and she's not inferior to anyone.
I feel the way parents handled the teacher issue was at least as bad for the long-term trauma. Sorting it (police?) and getting therapy when it happened should have been the way to minimize impact. That could have been raised in an argument if tensions mount and topic inevitably comes up, they are allowed to fuck it up because they are people but acknowledge it years later that it was a horrible way to handle it, and act a LOT, I mean a LOT more humble, instead of treating their children as children, which they are not at this point... I was not as much upset by how they fucked it up, but more of how they arebehaving now. No excuse. Also the father must have known what went down otherwise how the hell he allows her wife to treat their daughter like that? I mean the "woman!" exclamation and his first introduction already made it clear he was a tyrannic asshole so perhaps no expectations there, but it's his fault nevertheless. To me it's a miracle the kids were this normal, honestly.

The therapy did not really progress anywhere. I would have expected a few more sessions, say ~5 or whatever that is enough to show significant steps... follow up discussions between the 2 and her telling some stuff to MC... hell I expected her to completely break down as the peak of the story, only and build up from there if managed properly by MC, to hopefully get to a better and healthier Haley, and why not, a better and healthier relationship.
I can't relate in RL, no sisters and I have absolutely no dirty thoughts toward any family member (except a cute cousin in a passing thought or two when I was a kid), but in a fantasy setting I find it hot when a particularly close, intimate family relationship ends up romantic because it - in a world where all women are 10* and MC's dick is always big and hard - suggests a potentially tighter romantic relationship that one can build with a stranger, so yeah I was rooting for them. Male/female (or female/female) twins are kinda hot, forgive me for that.
I was scared about what the healing process meant for their relationship and sadly did not have opportunity to discuss it or help it either one or another direction. They could have normalized it sanitized / purified it to some extent and be stronger than ever with newfound confidence if they actually committed. I could have seen both pros and cons and even potential and somewhat realistic solutions if they meant it - move away, restrict ties to family to absolute minimum, name change, donor / surrogate kids even?
Between all of this the bedroom 'daddy' thing annoyed me to no end. After knowing what happened and seeing the idiot dad it would surely kill my desire immediately so it should have been completely eradicated by MC. The complete submissive thing, suspending responsibility, it's a great game but in this situation clearly unhealthy, not addressed. Fuck me, MC did well for a while then fell off the wagon completely; he should have managed all these things in a direction where God forbid they both have free will and somewhat different sexual (or other) preferences and still do fine. For a short while I thought the anal story, MC being big dick guy could be something where finally Haley doesn't just give in and MC doesn't let her give in to give Haley some dignity and identity; but of course, that was also screwed up.

I know this all doesn't matter and maybe no on cares but man, I'm super upset this story went south as much as it did. I don't know what makes these stories go on for years but if a quick closure is needed the fix should have been to cut the other relationships out with a realistic twist (they're fine and they commit) and just take a month to write a proper linear story with a couple decisions (ending in very similar things just different dialogue or few different end scenes to cut down development). The story ended but got no fulfillment or resolution out of it whatsoever. I didn't do the solo Haley ending yet just read about it and I don't feel lik doing it, it sounds really shitty. Sandra ending doesn't seem a lot better than Adriana one, they resolve anything just stay broken. What kind of life is that?

I feel like I would be better off if this was just abandoned and I would have never picked it up. I always thought stories should be finished, even if rushed just giving some satisfactory ending is better than not finishing, but for this particular instance the low quality of the second part hit me so bad I think it's worse than not having it.

What a great game. The dialogue and character dynamics were amazing. Absolutely disliked Sandra's route for some reason, but the other girls more than made up for it, especially Adriana. Adriana is peak milf with a strong but loving personality.
Hayley's banter with the MC was great too and felt like stuff that siblings will tell each other. Good job dev!

Spoilers obviously. And focus is on the negatives. Well one major negative, which involves other smaller ones (pacing, characterisation, narrative structure, and on)

Ok so, maybe it's just people like me, but if you introduce CSA as a major part of a character's history (and play it straight)...then that shit tends to hang some heavy tension on the story from that point on until there's a narrative resolution to it that's coherent with the story that's being told. It doesn't need to be all happy in the end, it doesn't need to be realistic, it doesn't need to end well, it doesn't even need to follow a narrative arc. But it needs to feel like what that part of a character's history says about their relationship with the protagonist is addressed so that, if you don't want to make that the be all and end all of your narrative then the player is ok with leaving that where you the writer want them to. That...does not happen here. And boy does that lack of resolution make the sex scenes feel like irrelevant diversions away from that hanging tension that just...doesn't go away. And why would it? The basic relational archetype for bro/sis incest is the brother as protective, nurturing, and "macho" whenever some assertiveness or strength is required for either of the first two...yet the CSA in this story is explicitly about a failure to protect, and one that's so long ago there's not really anything he can do about it. I thought the end point would be what I might call a "modern" resolution: the "traditional" resoultion would be where the protector makes up for past "failure" by getting some typically violent retribution on the abuser, the modern would be making up for the "failure" by way of being nurturing, understanding, ready to do whatever it takes (even if it's just listening or waiting) to help with the healing process. But here the story focusses mostly on the latter...then just drops the thread without ever resolving, well anything really, but specifically without any pay-off -any moment that tries to ease the sense of past failure by tying it to some clear point of her turning a corner in whatever her process is*- while including a random, hard diversion into the former that...also lacks any resolution whatsoever (like really? not even a news article? not a peep nor word in this surburban town when a nominally esteemed educator suddenly drops off the radar? nothing the mum who knows what he did and lives in the area ever gets wind of and mentions off-handedly? ...ok). I went through the story after dropping off most of the other potential LIs pretty early and even the minor diversions that popped up with Lisa (the one I left kinda hanging) felt almost wildly inappropriate. Like, I know you might be going through some heavy shit there sis but let's forget about that for a bit while I play some "will he, won't he" about potentially fucking some other girl real quick. And sure, she doesn't seem to have much problem with it, but I sure as fuck felt having the MC suddenly start acting like adding any potential uncertainty on her end about the security of your relationship was a real fucking bad move given the circumstances. And that was just trimming off one last LI hanging thread, I can't imagine how much more awkward shit might be if you're mixing in a long-term relationship with another girl, and banging multiple other women in with your sister/lover's trying to work through their past trauma.

But maybe worse than any of that (though related), and this might just be much more of a "me" thing but it...it really starts to feel a bit more like some hard taking advantage when there's sex going on with someone who hasn't fully processed their past trauma when you're framed as like a nurturing, parental kinda figure. It makes the sex feel more like something she might not have chosen were she on the other side of that process, cause it could seem like an unhealthy response to an irrational fear of losing the only close, safe, secure person in their life (irrational either because you could always remain as close as you both wanted to whatever happens, or because the typical degree of separation that forms between family as they progress into adulthood is something they could come to accept as natural or ok with more time and perspective). And while that might just sound neutral in the context of a story with this kind of content (just because there's sex involved doesn't of necessity link everything in that area to past abuse), the choices of her kinks in this story seem almost tailormade for making shit seem like a coping mechanism or something. Like, she's taken advantage of by a much older guy and clear authority figure when she's underage in part by him exploiting the innocence you get in teens of that age...and the adult kinks she has with her brother involve wanting to be disciplined sexually by an authority figure for being bad (at times for being a naive yet naughty temptress...which is literally what the abuser said she was doing to him to justify his abuse...like...JFC), being childish, impulsive, and immature, and she approaches the bro/sis relationship by basically saying she can't/won't have any say in whether you two cross the line and would rather have you take responsibility for her sexuality for her so she doesn't need to have any sense of agency in whatever happens, it just happens to her (like...abuse...tends to).
Just...idk how to finish any of that. Suffice it to say that, playing through to the end I started to get an ominous sense that there was going to be some sort of narrative twist where it turns out the point the writer was going for was actually that "incest is bad, mmkay", and that you actually shouldn't have gone along with her pushing of the intimacy boundaries because that was just feeding an unhealthy coping mechanism or whatever. It didn't be that way in the end, but maybe saying I was feeling that sense pretty fucking strongly as the story went on can convey just how...discordant things felt at times.

*and yes that kind of narrative contrivance (where trauma or mental illness or whatever is magically just "solved" at some point by way of finding the correct solution) can seem very contrived, but shit even in reality people do get better relative to how they were suffering before -people who come out the other side of a depressive episode eventually stop wanting to die and start being able to feel some joy and shit, people who overcome addiction start to find a life outside of the shadow of their addictant even if overcoming it is always a process in their lives- and even a narrative aiming for realism can create resolution by focusing on any one of those small moments that naturally occur as shit gets better: take a pause and get a bit weepy when you see your depressed lover smile for the first time in months or whatever.

And also, finally, yeah her becoming extra childish towards the end was both very weird given...all of the above (the story tries to get a lot of mileage out of framing your lack of insight into her healing process like something's going wrong, like she's lying about going to therapy, etc., which makes the shift in characterisation seem like yet another warning sign of shit going wrong) and...well also given all of the above, but this time in the sense that because it's not a warning or a red herring it seems really out of nowhere. And the pacing towards the end really falls off (I thought that was just cause I dropped all the other women but reading a few other reviews that doesn't seem to necessarily be the case), while the ending(s?)...wherever they were really didn't feel like endings or conclusions or natural high or finishing or satisfying narrative points. Which would probably be fine in a true SoL game, but not so much in a game with an unresolved CSA arc and a pregnancy ending in a story that tries to take incest seriously but never even brushes up against the question of biology as it might relate to fraternal twins having a kid (and shit I don't know the biology, it might be totally fine in most cases, but it's usually a pretty big angle when it comes to incest so leaving it entirely unaddressed in a pregnancy ending makes the ending seem even more incomplete/abrupt -and yes I know this game is technically supposed to be coherent as a...idk, really close childhood friends(?) kinda story so anything really heavy on the biology would seem wildly out of place in that context, but you could at least still hint at it within a more conventional-sounding "the doctor did a genetic or whatever test as part of a routine, or because there's maybe some inheritable disease risk somewhere on someone's family line and it all came out healthy" line dropped in somewhere)

Editing to add that the pacing and structure is actually kind wonk from early on. I get why both Haley and MC would push for his relationship with Sandra despite/because of their feelings for each other, but the system of choices ends up feeling much less impactful given the force of narrative inertia if you don't want to go along reasonably exactly with the direction it's heading. You can pick most/all of the choices that aren't in the direction of getting closer with Sandra and still end up spending a decent chunk of the story in a relationship that feels too separate from the one developing between Haley and MC -important because, given both their relationship and the relationship with Sandra are the ones carried by that inertia, the less reason there is for their connection the more pointlessness the player will feel through the story the more they are checked out of one of them. Playing from the perspective of someone who went with Haley pretty exclusively from the start, there were hints here and there that Sandra's role in that context might be something like a "beard" for their covert incesting. But it never ends up committing in that direction, at least if you're indifferent to Sandra throughout. It might push more in that direction if you aren't indifferent to her, but if it does that doesn't really help with having the relationship with her feel kinda pointless to be stuck with if you are.
More generally given how heavy the relationship with Haley is and how committed the writer it is to exploring it, the fact of having other women around seems kinda superfluous. Or at least, given this is Haley's story, it would seem that any other potential LIs should've been included on the basis of their connection to her and her journey specifically as much (or probably even more tbh) as on any connection with the protag.

Also, much as all the focus on negative might suggest a lower score, I'd say the extent to which I've felt compelled to comment on this game is something I take as indicating a fair amount of good and interesting it has in parts of it, even though I don't feel that many of them came off or came together well (or as well as they might have) in the end.

Edit: Lots of spoilers below.

In the plus column it tries several new things with the incest genre, which is admirable and it's good to see developers trying new things.
1) No dead dad or uncle, no romance with mom and 3 other sisters. It's just the sister, and it's been a long time coming (which plays into the fantasy of someone having been into you forever and ever, and is satisfying, especially if they seem to be cool and are attractive).
2) No return after 7-10 years. They've been together the whole time. This takes more work to build realistic relationship with ins and outs and preferences and annoyances, which they do pretty well.
3) Gradual and believable romance/attraction, well written, including jealousies and natural progression over time. One of the best of any game I've seen, with the little things that make up a traditional romance. This is the best thing about the game, honestly.
4) Deals with uncovering old secrets once the romance blooms, including sex abuse, like is often the case - new confidence/security in a relationship brings out trauma from previous relationships.
5) Deals with the aftermath of sibcest with the parental unit who figures it out.
6) Smart, interesting love interest - Haley is fun and interesting and unpredictable (for a good part of the game).
7) Uses a crossover with another game as a key plot point, not a guest appearance.
8) Follows through on how oddly other people feel about the sibcest, and the sibs come across as creepy in threesomes, "Join us!" A freaked-out third point in a triangle that includes siblings seems more realistic than, "well, there's an erection, we better do something about it."
9) People actually have jobs and things to do and those aspects are part of the story too, compared to stories that are like, 'well, I'm between sexual escapades so I'll watch TV.' Work is integral to the plot of them staying together, of the relationships that they build, and of ways that their personalities come out.
10) The MC isn't a dick. He's a normal, nice guy who watches out for his sister and is generally nice to people.
11) Most other males in the game (and there are other males) are not predators/psychopaths or clowns. They're just dudes.

In the minus column (related to the numbered items above):
4) SA: Breaks the problem well and semi-realistically and then deals with oddly. We don't actually know what happens in the end (if you've played Alexandra you can guess). How they bring in the characters from Alexandra is kind of cool, and re-emphasizes those character's personalities. That's cool. BUT! It's a lot of build up and I felt frustrated and protective of Haley (well done) but then it just disappears and she doesn't ever find out. She gets closure through therapy, which is cool, because it doesn't go as planned either (cool). It was unsatisfying. It's a complex topic and healing/resolution is going to vary from person to person, and maybe folks don't want to wander into that, but if you're wandering in, you know. Wander out, don't just turn the lights off.
5) The whole getting a new apartment and then trying to hide it from dad was where I started skipping, it felt extraneous. 1-2 interactions and hard conversations and then let's be done. To be fair, I can't think of a lot of interesting ways to drag out 'Dad found out we're banging' but it is realistic to think they'd get found out eventually.
6) Haley does seem to change personality in the third act. It's funny writing but it's not consistent with who she was earlier.
8) The throuple endings are not very satisfying, the third wheel always feels sort of sidelined. Maybe that's the point, that it was always about the siblings, but it came across as underwhelming. With that much build up the big things that happen later would feel more satisfying if they had more heft.

Very good, the dialogues, the relationship between the main characters, the story - everything is fine. There is no excessive concentration on minor characters, so everything looks very harmonious.
Good animations, Haley is very cute.

I could take the score off for the ending, but why?

Great story/animations, just two things that take it down a star.

1) Story forces you into something early on in the game, kind of annoying considering I was making all the choices to try and avoid it.

2) Random sinister music for no reason out of nowhere

Edit: Haley starts randomly acting like an actual child for no reason and its just weird, knocked down to 3 stars. Finished the game and it was alright, might do another path some other time.

One of the best avn I've read.

Story - 5/5, simple plot with a simple setting, nothing special. But what made this vn great is its well-paced narrative. The MC and Haley's relationship slowly and naturally developed. There's an element of slow-burn romance but it's not a drag. The main conflict was satisfyingly (and realistically) resolved. My only criticism for its story is the rushed ending.

Characters - 5/5, Haley might not be the prettiest girl among the world of avns, but she's one of those that have a real personality. She's quirky, funny, and caring but can be annoying sometimes. MC is also good, he genuinely cares for Haley from the start and has a natural chemistry with her. Other characters are also good and played a role in the story.

Lewd scenes - 4/5, sex scenes are not the best but they're still hot because it's easy to become captivated of Haley's beauty and personality.

Music - 4/5, just a normal bg music, nothing special.

Overall, Haley's story is a role model of what an AVN should be with its well-written characters, good dialogues, and interesting story.

really enjoyed the dynamic between the mc and haley. Their relationship seemed really organic and it felt real which is something not easy to do in these games. The only thing holding me back from giving this game 5 stars is the lackluster animations

Just a quick one.

You won't get much help from reading this review I guess.

I can just say that I liked this story a lot.
It seemed very realistic.

And I legit wish Haley was real and my sister or girlfriend.
I love her teasing, humor, fun personality.
The other characters are interesting too.

Definitely worth a replay.
Slowburn, Sex, a DECENT MC lacking the anoying horse dick stereotype.
And a fun/interesting/tense story around the "how did MC and Haley start a relationship?"

Overall it's a good VN. The good and bad thing about this VN is Haley. Haley is the only character really intersting and unique as you can see her personnality through the text. It's good and bad because all the other characters pose as NPC at best, annoying at worst.

Why am I forced to date the black girl (forgot her name) at the beginning for example.

But well, Haley's story is worth playing this game overall that's why 4/5.

pros: girls are hot.
cons: everything else. The protagonist is forced into a mediocre relationship, with a girl who's far too good for him, and then ends up spending the story getting closer and closer to his sister. No choice about that either. I have a problem with anything with mandatory infidelity, even if it ends up with a happy ending. (Not sure about this one, since I won't play to the end.)
There isn't really a plot, just some people working at a job.
Sex scenes are ok. Nothing special.
The girls aren't one dimensional nymphos, but, at the same time, they don't appear to have much identity outside of the path of the protagonist's cock. I have no idea what they like to do, what (most of them) do for work, what they're working towards for their future, what matters to them, etc. It makes them really uncompelling. Just like the game as a whole.

Starts pretty good but by the story's midway point I kind of started hating the two main characters, which prevented me from finishing the game.

Disclaimer, it's a siscest game, so if you're not into that then run for the hills. All in all the sex scenes are... pretty good, but not particularly hot or memorable. I can't exactly point to any that I'm going to remember in a week's time.

Now I need to get into minor spoiler territory to explain my rating: Haley has repressed sexual urges from something that happened to her in her teens, and she wants to act on these urges by being submissive to a daddy dom. She wants this person to be her brother. Sounds like heaven.

This situation might have actually helped her heal (along with therapy) and have been hot at the same time, but the MC absolutely refuses to explore anything of the sort with her in a way that almost makes it look like he's just not that into her. It's seriously weird. Maybe he's insecure. I know I would be if I was a potato head with extremely limited facial expressions.

Anyway, lost my boner, it's not coming back, and this is a porn game so that kind of shit is important. 3*

This is a good game which unfortunately goes downhill in the last third or so.

To start, Haley is well written and is a nuanced character, until the third arc that is. There are other characters but it's Haley who stands out because, well, it's her story.

The plot can be broken down into 3 arcs. The incest arc, the SA arc, and the final arc.

The incest arc is done very well. Both the MC and Haley show restraint at first and you can clearly tell that they are fighting between what they want and what they know they shouldn't do. There are also several choices in this arc which can affect the story, mainly regarding relationships.

The SA arc had the potential to be amazing but didn't even get close to living up to the expectations. I'm honestly baffled how the writer could line up so many ducks in a row and then not even try to shoot a single one. Some examples:

- Haley has repressed thoughts about what happened, but simply never talks about them. Ever. We the players never see what Haley is actually thinking about the situation, nor do those thoughts affect the story at all.
- Haley's mom knew of the situation and appeared to blame Haley for it. The mom is never confronted and this is never followed up on.
- A second, similar victim of a different SA finally admitted it to herself because she was worried about someone else becoming another victim. This is mirrored exactly with Haley and the Predator's stepdaughter, but then nothing happens with this plotline. It goes as far as to have Haley meet with the stepdaughter twice, but she says nothing each time and then the plotline is dropped completely.
- Haley goes to therapy and we never know what happens inside nor get any indication that it actually made any difference.

These plot points were set up and the MC was pointed in their direction only for every single one to be yanked away. It's almost like the writer just decided that he didn't like the plot and wanted to remove it entirely.

The last arc dealt with Haley and the MC trying to hide their relationship from their parents and get a new housing situation. This one was easily the worse of the three arcs. The game became a full on kinetic novel at this point with no choices. It also, in order to keep with it's internal timeline of weekend visits, therapy on Wednesdays, and other appointments, had tons of unnecessary events happening that just bogged down the story. Some of these events were literally 3 sentences long because the author seemed unwilling to just timeskip past a few days, so they would shoehorn in random stuff each day.

But the worst part of this arc by far is the complete Flanderization of Haley. Haley went from a nuanced character to a comic relief character who didn't take anything seriously, ever. She went from a silly but normal person to someone whose entire character was silly even when it didn't make sense. Her constant jokes and quips got old extremely fast and were often in unrealistic situations. I couldn't stand her by the end of the game because she came off as trying way too hard, all the time. I thought at first that her constant joking was maybe a defensive mechanism against the SA that would be eventually torn down, but no. This meant that a very serious story was being told with a completely unserious main character who didn't give it the respect that it deserved. No wonder it didn't work.

Overall the game started out good but as it went on it was clear that the writer seemingly lost the drive to follow their own plotlines or even keep their own main character consistent. It's a shame because if them had given the SA arc the attention that it required it could have been a unique and very impactful story. They laid out all the pieces for themselves and then just
didn't pick any of them up.

A firm 3/5 for me
See other have some very similar opinions as I do, and have voiced them well so I wont bumble around too much

+Everything and Everyone looks good
+I like how the MC and Sisters relationship built up
+Didn't notice any big spelling or grammar errors (I'm not the best at either so whatever)

-Didn't like being forced into a relationship(not Haley). I can see how it added some drama to the story but I personally just didn't particularly care for Sandra, nice gal just didn't appeal to me
-I kinda just stopped really caring about what was happening after a certain point, and I know that's a personal thing but still. MC and Sister got together and I kinda felt like it was complete, and Wasn't interested in anymore drama happening

A firm 3/5 - Like the Pictures and the Animations, but left the story after a bit

Haley's Story might as well been called "The brat and the beta".
Guys, if someone treats you like Haley does the MC, grow a spine and kick her out.

This game contains plenty of sex- and erotic scenes, if that's your main reason for playing these games, you'll be satisfied. If you're looking for actual characters and a story arc, you'll be left wanting.

Graphically, the game is pleasing to look at. Its scenes are generally well-done, and the animations are fluid and mostly look great. Some animations have very jerky or unnatural movements, but these are the exception.

Spoilers below.

This AVN is much more on the kinetic side of the spectrum. While the early game offers choices, they're mostly for players to choose which paths and endings they're on. Other choices are meaningless in the progression of the story, except for the choice if Hailey should grow her pubic hair or not. This choice is respected for the rest of the game.

The first mistake this game makes, is forcing the MC into a relationship with Sandra. Haley will make her move on the MC, cheating on her own lover, and the MC will cheat on Sandra. Not only Haley, but every love interest requires the MC to cheat on Sandra with them. It's only halfway through the game where it's possible to break up with her, but by that time all other paths will have been closed.

The game's second mistake is not incorporating Haley's trauma from sexual abuse into the actual story. We could've learned how it shaped her personality from a young teenager until now. How it still influences her decisions and behavior today. We could've learned to understand where her brattiness and abrasiveness comes from, why insulting the brother she loves so much gets her off... But that's not what we're getting. The middle third of the game deals with her abuse in a very shallow way.

The third mistake, is that the game isn't consistent with Haley or the MC's behavior. Except for the constant that Haley will always get her way (unless she drops the issue herself, or changes her mind), she'll switch between being dominant and submissive. She'll hint toward the MC that she likes getting manhandled, but the MC rarely mans-up enough to actually do it. The MC also switches between being a doormat and being assertive. Though he'll only be assertive in favor of Haley. Like standing up to their father, and pushing Haley towards therapy. He'll never actually put his foot down against her, and can't even sleep one night alone without pining for her.

I'm conflicted... It was awsome at the beginning, with a touching plot I must say, sadly, it looks like at 60% of the making the developer decided to abandone it for some reason leaving many things unanswered. I just don't get it. Even with that, It was an enjoyable experience. Haley's personality is very unique, I understand now why it is so recomended.

Overall, I'd give it an 8/10.