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

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.

The interactions between the two siblings are the core point of the game. The romance is adorable: they talk with tenderness and joke around; you can see it through their physical affection, like playfully biting a nose, hugging, kissing a forehead, or giving a foot massage.

The story feels more like a slice of life: the drama is minimal, and the plot doesn't have significant developments, which is fine. Still, the scenes got a bit repetitive, and the ending felt rushed.
The dialogue is written very well. It's not cringy, has good humour and few mistakes.

The visuals are nice. Our main girl Haley is beautiful, in particular her lovely red hair with that braid. There are a few other attractive girls, but, unfortunately, I didn't get to see much of them. The sex scenes are good, but not very diverse.

To conclude, this game is far better than your run-of-the-mill ones, where you fuck a girl after barely talking, and everyone has an enormous dick/boobs.

I really enjoi the game i play this game far back when it was not done.
now i just played the full game
i like the story of these game its nice and enjoyable.
Pros: good story, solid characters, the graphics are pretty nice to i like them not the best or worst there are fine enough.
Cons: sex animations are bad and boring this is a adult game after all so thats importante, the endings they were very weak could had been better for sure most endings looks like the game end out of nowhere.
Overall solid game i enjoi playing the game.

The first thing appreciated is that the game is complete, which can't be said about many games. That being said, the game's plot starts to decline at the halfway point with the "twist," which is entirely unnecessary, and by the end, it becomes a drag to get through.

The visuals are nothing spectacular, but Haley's model is excellent, so I give it that nod.

That being said, the best part of the game is the characters. Not all of them are hits, like some side characters (only Sandra and Adrianna have any depth to them), but Haley and the MC are what save the game, despite the "twist." The connection between the two feels genuine, and both are likable. It can't be stressed how bad some main characters in these games can get, especially the MC character, but this is one of the few MC characters that doesn't come across as an asshole and/or a complete moron. Unfortunately, both of their characters take a hit at the "twist," which is unfortunate, and it takes a while for them to bounce back.

While this is not a masterpiece, I can appreciate how a COMPLETE game gives likable characters that make the game worth it despite the story's decline.

Haley is a really lovable character. She can be a bit selfish and imposing, but it's always focused on keeping the bond between her and the MC strong (and it is her story). I enjoyed the day to day events and banter with the characters, even when the choices were fewer and far between towards the end (on the Sandra/Haley path, but I felt most of the decisions were set once the ending autopilot kicked in). Loved that the story worked in poly relationships rather than just having a "choose one" final choice at the end. It was also fun to see Haley and Sandra bond and become more intimate over time. Like many have mentioned, I wanted more depth and follow-up to some of the side plots, as well as at the ending/epilogue for some of the routes, but I still enjoyed the story enough to feel that it was worth the time investment.

This is probably the best game on this site and the fact that it took this long for me to find it is criminal. I think I might genuinely be done with f95 because its been a week since I finished this game but I can't stop thinking about this game and how it makes me feel. Jesus christ.

The story and the characters are absolutely phenomenal. The game is called "Haley's story", and yet the dev managed to fill a world with lovable characters but never forgets who we're playing the game for.

There's a bit of lag when animations load up but I think my laptop just sucks

To keep it short and simple: there is a surprise rape* revelation in this game, yet it is not present in any tags. Heavy gut-punch out of left field that completely shifted the tone of the game.

It is not shown as there are no scenes of it happening, but it is canonically stated as something that happened and is thus completely unavoidable.

Also stated at some points as it being "consensual" though looking at the circumstances things get very murky. Add to all that the fact that the game's resolution to events are woefully underwhelming and this game managed to go from something I was enjoying quite a bit to becoming a complete shitfest.

To someone like me, the broken expectations hit so hard that it made me lose trust in the developer, as a couple of other devs have as well due to how the contents were managed. And I'm honestly sad to say this, but there it is.

My rating is a reflection of how the content was presented and how it made me feel as a reader. For deeper analysis of the game, please refer to the other ppl that have reviewed this game and go a lot more in-depth in their takes.

Still, I do feel that my low rating is entirely justified due to me coming into this game expecting one thing and then receiving a visceral gut-punch out of the blue. Had it been tagged with the appropriate rape tag, I might've still played the game and given it a much higher rating after adjusting my expectations (despite my utter despise of LIs being raped or having a rape backstory, regardless of if it is shown or merely stated).

Solid game. Bearing in mind the game started development half a decade ago, the art is not bad. Writing is pretty good and the plot isn't overtly complicated.

If the game had finished how it started, it would easily be a 4* star game and I might have given it a 5. Unfortunately the first half or so of the game is of much better quality than the last half. I also wasn't a fan that you are forced into dating a character for a while. The back half of the game was clearly rushed to completion, especially noticeable in the path endings. The back half of the game also has spelling mistakes and wrong character identifiers whereas was not so much an issue with the first half.

The blonde neighbor also should not have been included in the game given how little content there is with her character, and how much content exists for other LIs. There is a ton of content in this game, to the point where about 25-30% of it could be cut with no impact on the story or character development.