VN - Ren'Py - Halfway House [Ep.11 - Bonus 7-8] [Az]

The game looks great, but there is so little content between the 11-12 month updates that it's a major letdown at this point. Still, and interesting story with pretty renders, just hate that it seems like it will be 5 years, at least at this rate, until we get anywhere with the story and sex scenes.

Excellent character models - expressiveness is particularly noticeable here in my view. The animation is the only let down here, being less good than the stills, but not terrible enough to be actively negative. Some other games have smoother animation which feels a lot worse than what is present here.

Very good writing which gives each character their own personality, although they fit quite neatly into their stereotypes. Perhaps that is a good thing?

The game is top quality, with great attention to details. Renders and animations are well done. The models are nice. Ashley has super beautiful face, especially when without piercings. All the bodies are sexy, from petite Emily to older and bustier Liz and Samantha. Young girls have natural compact boobs, not watermelons, a real blessing in the world of adult VNs.

The story is non-standard, interesting and with generally good, veritable psychology. It develops at every turn with new intriguing elements. Every character is interesting and makes me want to learn more about them.

The only thing I would criticize is a bit weak implementation of the love path. Main love interests have "Corruption points", and let the protagonist do more with them as the plot develops and he expresses attraction to them. It's alright. Even better, Emily has also "Love points", but if you choose to lean on them, she still remains like, "Oh, it's embarrassing... It's too fast". I would prefer adding more romantic stuff in their dialogs on the love path, and more progression from "embarrassing" to "normal" about lewd stuff, even if there are not many corruption points, because love path in real life opens girls to sex as well.

Anyways thank you Az for persevering hardships and developing this masterpiece. It's worth it.

[Ep.8]

Admittedly, I am not really a fan of the MC and the story is just kind of meh. I mean it just seems to be a day in the life of the MC and not a lot of heavy lifting.

IMO the MC is just unlikable. The girls are great and I like Luis and the other NPCs but the MC... not so much. He's not bad just kind of meh. His shtick just got a little old and there are not a lot of layers to him.

Regardless, this is a great production. It is really well done. The interface, graphics, renders, scene blocking, pacing, writing... I mean it is all really great. A couple minuses for an extremely slow release schedule, but the dev at least communicates well with the Patreons.

Looking forward to some more releases.

One of my absolute favorite VN games. I really hope the developer can continue coding again. If that happens, I will become a supporter.

But to the game. The characters are really believable. the main characters at least.
The dialogues are well written and really gripping.
I think i played through the first 7 chapters in one sitting and I cant wait for chapter 9.

Renders and animations are very decent. Nice job with the Porsche ...and the Lancia ... oh my... the Lancia.
To my surprise the story was what i enjoyed most. When the MC went to his checkup with Emily, i didn't even had my hand down my pants.
This is one of the best i played so far!

Decent, not great. The characters are pretty good, other than that there is not very much there. This is a slow burn which I usually prefer, but there isn't much else to keep you occupied in the mean time. In the later chapters character development appears to have stopped and I'm not sure if I'm interested enough to keep playing upcoming chapters.

A really great game with diverse characters and deep human emotions. It is great in the age of "throw the key away" to run into a game that treats young offenders as kids that need a break and someone that cares about them.

First of all, this is a great game and i enjoyed every minute of playing it. Sadly i encountered a spoiler that makes me to no longer play the game, but i wont hold this against the creator in this review.

That being said, we have a cast of likeable and lovable characters. The female protaganists are great each on their own. Samantha is one of the best mature ladys in any game i have seen. At least for me.

The male side characters are funny and lighten up the mood in a good way.

The story overall is really enjoyable and i cant find anything i want to complain about in the game.

So if you are interested in a a solid story with good characters and building up relationships, this is a great game.

Halfway House [Ep.8] [Az]

I recently played through "Halfway House", and I must say it was a mixed experience overall. The game offers a well-rounded package with stunning visual renders, a grounded storyline, and some moments of genuine humor. From the very beginning, it establishes a lighthearted tone that keeps you from taking everything too seriously, which is mostly enjoyable.

The game introduces us to the main character as he arrives at the halfway house from the Juvenile with his parole officer. This initial conversation sets the tone for what's to come. The main character, for the most part, is portrayed as a laid-back, honest, and somewhat naive individual, which fits well with the overall tone of the story. However, as I progressed through the game, one aspect of his character started to irk me.

The main character has a habit of incessantly verbalizing his thoughts. Initially, this was a quirk that added a touch of charm to his character. However, the writer chose to exaggerate this trait, making it almost insufferable. It felt like an attempt to make the main character more endearing, but it went overboard. Even when other characters called him out on his behavior, he continued in the same vein, often coming across as an unaware dunce.

As for the supporting cast of characters in the halfway house, they initially appear as stock tropes but quickly develop unique qualities that make them stand out. Among them, Ashley emerged as the most compelling character. Her assertive, sexy, and edgy personality, combined with complex vulnerabilities, made her interactions a true treat. She had the most captivating storyline, overshadowing the rest of the characters by a significant margin.

One concern I had was the pacing of the story. By the end of Episode 8, only a week had passed in the game, despite the supposed six-month duration of the arrest stint. I found myself wondering whether the story would rely heavily on time skips or if it would stretch out over an extensive number of episodes.

In conclusion, "Halfway House" has its strengths in storytelling, character development, and humor. However, the main character's constant verbalization of thoughts can be irritating, and the pacing of the story may leave players questioning how the remaining months will be covered. Despite these drawbacks, the game offers an engaging narrative and memorable characters, especially Ashley, who stands out as a true highlight.

This is an excellent game, with a creative premise, an interesting story and beautiful artwork (including animations). It has moments of real eroticism, as well -- not just dumb titillation -- which is a major plus for me.

Three warnings, though: (1) this is a slow burn title, so don't expect a quick trip to the fap zone, (2) with strict point thresholds, you're probably going to need a walkthrough to access some content, and (3) updates are very slow -- my sense is that the Dev is a perfectionist.

The characters are well fleshed-out, likable, and believable as individuals. Yes, the three main paths/love interests are all based on cliched types, but they each have a surprising twist or two that makes them interesting. The MC is a flawed but fairly compelling individual -- he has made serious mistakes but is far from a loser. Even the minor characters are well thought out -- there are no two-dimensional placeholders. Bravo.

The one thing that worries me is that the Dev's storytelling ambitions seem to have exploded a bit in the past two episodes. I just hope the plot doesn't get away from him, by becoming too unwieldy or complex, with too many characters. Don't get me wrong: I like the new characters a great deal, and find the twists in the story worthwhile... but given the slow update time, these new threads could take years to resolve.

Bottom line, though: this is a great game.

I cannot express how great this game is, my entire adult gaming collection has been completely demolished by this one game. It's literally set the standard in my eyes but I gotta say it is a little frustrating when I focus solely on one character but somehow manage to still not have enough stat points with the character to have a special scene with them but all in all I would definitely recommend this to everyone who seems remotely interested in adult games.

I don't think I have enjoyed the story of a VN since forever. This game has great visuals and a well thought out system but even with the well made nude and sex scenes (no actual sex yet), I found myself invested in these characters and their story. There are only very few games that manage to capture my attention to the point that I don't feel like skipping the text for the scenes and this is one of them. After playing, I immediately became a Patron.

I almost skip this game because the description is doesn't seem that interesting. At first I thought we gonna play as another delinquent horny teenage boy who go peeping and pervert on all the girls in the house. But it turn out the MC is quite mature and he have good reason for being in Juvenile. And the story is quite interesting. Not just another go around peeping on girls and fuck them all story.
The render is nice. The girl is beautiful and even some of the male character is likeable. Some of the dialogue is hilarious. Emily is super cute.
There is a choice system and so far you can avoid sex with the character you don't like I think.
This is just a personal opinion but the only thing I don't like is the MC whine too much for such a tough guy who got in trouble because fighting.
There is soundtrack so you don't have to play in silence or have to go open your own music in the background

First things first its not a VN its just another kinetic novel with loads and loads of do as i say or you wont see any sex scenes, pointless one choices and fake choices which really do nothing, example: choose not to apologize and the very same day the story overrides the "choice" and you get "i kinda like her and i want her to like me back" then forced to apologize, so if you don't like the characters you wont like the game as you cant not choose them either.

The story is nothing but tired Clichés over and over again
The characters are again all Clichés, you have Ashley an angry Dom prostitute and just a horrible person(someone you have to make excuses for their attitude just to be able to talk to them), Emily a love stuck young girl(who talks crap to you all the time) and Samantha a 40+yo probably ex-pornstar who is a huge tease all the time and then gets mad when MC does or says anything, and none of them are people you would want to be around let alone date and without that the game is nothing but boring conversations about regular things like what to eat, chores, games, etc...

MC is a very very creepy guy who tries to act like a playboy and cant keep a single thought in his head, if MC thinks it he says it which makes him really dumb and acting like a hyperactive 12yo the rest of the time dosent help.

As for sex scenes, playing it any other way than the exact way it wants you too(don't make your own choices) means you will see more naked men than women(which at 8 chapters is very poor for this type of game) which is what i got on my playthough and i didn't like any of the women enough to play it through again so i cant really say how much there is, all i can review is what i saw which was four incidents of if you reversed the genders sexual assault/harassment on the MC but it was done to a guy so its all ok men like it(sarcasm).

On the plus side the art is very good and the game works well, i don't know if you would consider it a plus or not but it is much more realistic than most other games, its about a halfway house and your life there which is what you get in a realistic way its just a little boring and really who wants to live out that situation but if you do then this game is the best at it.

Story 3/5 (ok if you like that kind of thing)
Art 4/5 (quite good)
Sex 0/5 (none on my play through)
Fetishes 0/5 (none)
Choices 0/5 (just point builders nothing that directs the game)
Characters 0/5 (nothing good about any of them)

This game has his high and low so 3 Stars for me.

I do like the characters even if you have not a lot of choices to make.

The story is the best part of this game so far even if you don't have that much impact on it (i repeat myself)

The worst part of the game: I play with no tuto or helper, and i didn't get a scene at all from chapter... i don't recall that's how it is bad!

Seriously you can't make a game where you must have a playthrough to see some sex scenes PLEASE!!!! According to the rare few choices have made this game is empty

I'm not sure but it seems that there is no middle road and you must made a choice about a girl and stick to it... or i don't know .

Chapter 8 was great about character development but wayyyyyy too long, especially with all the readings you got a double summary at the end. Save me god!!!

The aspect which save this game is the characters are well written and adorable! Even if i didn't see any progression since 4 chapters...

This game is definitely a slow burn, but so far it's been a good story. It's an interesting premise that pulls of the wholesome but dirty blend better than most adult game stories, and doesn't have the need like so many other games to force incest into the story. Characters are awesome, renders are beautiful. It amazes me how detailed some parts of the game are without having to rely on the same 3d models that so many other games use (like that park, you know which park I'm talking about that shows up in what seems like 90% of the DAZ games out there, might be a slight exaggeration). Story is intriguing and I'm curious how things will play out, but I am worried it's going to take a long time for this one to ever be finished. Anywho... Definitely in my list of top 10 adult games and I've played a few hundred or so now over the years (don't judge me).

Cool plot and characters. I love how creator didn't give the main girls giant boobs. He is trying to force us to perceive the character as a person, and not as a doll. And they still hot (especially Ashley ) I respect that. But, and there is a problem, I feel almost impossible to choose Emily to Ashley. She just too much better overall. Story line, dialogues, temper, libido... she even looks better.
And the problem is that in games of this type, story will throw Emily on you, cause she also needs screen time, and MC will have feelings for her... And you, as player, will be sit there and think: "Bro. You can't fool anyone. We all know who is the best girl. Stop wasting time here. We don't have anouth affection points so she won't even show us her boobs. Let's go. C'mon."

The very high rating is extremely deceptive.

Even though the "narrative" is cohesive there is very little of it considering ho long the game has been in development.

Also, it seems none of the choices are in regards to plot progression, but only in regards to lewd-progression, which is pretty meh (both content and choice-wise).

Adult scenes are very lacking for such a longterm project, but that would be fine if the plot was developed further - I think a snail would call this pacing slow.

Overall not a bad game with an interesting premise - but there's really not much reason to play it before it's complete I think.

Just the fact that the dev doesn't use pre-made poses and models is enough to win me over, but I have to say, the photography and characterization in this game are some of the best out there. I also like how the dev has a sense of sensuality and eroticism, it's evident by how they do poses and play with the characters' clothes.