VN - Ren'Py - Hard to Love [v0.22 Remake] [Qori Gaming]

Hard to Love Remake 0.22 (note that I never played the original, just looked at the images from it)

This game has gorgeous renders/models but has some awful writing and a convoluted story that just isn't enjoyable. The visual storytelling is quite good and usually pretty sexy with the renders keeping things feeling alive. The girls are almost all hot and have somewhat distinct if otherwise shallow personalities. However, both the characters and the events are rarely presented in remotely believable manner. The telling and pacing of the story is as rushed and schizo as the the characters are. No payoffs/moments feel earned (they just happen) and the lewd content is extremely unsatisfying (see section below). The entire story so far feels like an attempt to speedrun what could have been an interesting narrative that the author doesn't know how to handle in order to make progress on the remake. It's hard to get truly invested in LIs (outside of their looks and sexy behaviors) when there are such foundational issues.

The first two episodes felt like a the fever dream of a teenager with ADHD that watches far too many bad young adult romances, soap operas, and procedural crime dramas. The writing was incredibly bad, the characters are all insane, and everything was so rushed and lacking in believablility that it made it hard to get invested in the backstory that's supposed to underpin everything that follows. It's a gigantic problem when the backstory fails to connect to such a large degree and would have been better left even more ambiguous to make the relationships and love seem more believable. Nothing that happens feels earned by the writing and that's something that continues to remain true for most of what follows as well. I nearly quit at this point.

Starting in the third episode the writing style starts to improve and there's some sexy dialogue but the overall story itself remains pretty garbage. Any characters I feel invested in I know I'm only interested in seeing more sexy renders of them in hot situations and not really anything that the story actually made me feel for them. There's an overarching story and theme where the MC seems to be at the center of something larger but the gameplay makes it feel like it's mostly just stuff happening and then makes attempts to make it feel as if there's a larger level of manipulation going. Either way it isn't a great experience to play as the MC.

Most of EP3 and EP4 focus almost solely on content for one LI each and if you're not at all into those girls you're kinda SOL for almost the entire episode. In EP3 you can at least tell her to get lost if you're persistent about it but there's no such option in EP4 (which sucked because I did enjoy EP3 content so choose to let her stay but most of EP4 I wanted nothing to do with and had to just fast forwarding through as much as I could once I found I couldn't get her to just leave). I thought there would be better options given how may LIs there are but how the game mechanics and harem building aspects are going to work in practice aren't yet clear for me.

I've already briefly mentioned it but since sexiness is the one thing the game sometimes has going for it besides the great renders, it's worth reiterating: lewd content is some of the worst I've seen in an avn in quite a while. Instead of animations (that may be added in the future) it currently just shows a small number of renders and awful screen shaking effect to represent movement. There are plenty of games that pull off really hot lewd scenes with zero animations. I'd be fine if animations weren't used - but that requires making better selections of renders and improving narration/dialogue of the scene to compensate. It seems like it's just laziness or rushing to continue remake progress that's getting in the way.

On the topic of the remake's renders vs original version renders: After doing image comparisons of both versions, the use of AI filters on the new renders make certain aspects look worse or too fake/generic while other times they look notably better than the pre-remake renders so I don't have a strong feeling either way about it here (though the filtering does need to be toned down on some of the images). I will say a lot of changes were clearly made besides the AI filtering thus far and I can understand how people would be pissed if they were enjoying the original.

I may revisit this game out of curiosity if it makes substantial progress but I currently can't recommend the remake in it's current state. It does seem to be improving a bit as it progresses (though I personally didn't care for the content of the 4th episode) so not all hope is completely lost... but there's a lot to be done to even make this remotely worth playing despite a number of hot girls and largely attractive renders (and this is already the second attempt).

I tried real hard to appreciate this project. The game clearly has passion behind it, which is evident, yet I cannot endorse its quality.

To clarify my point, let me recount my experience with the game. I noticed this game and decided to give it a go, particularly because it was labeled as a “remake.” Perhaps it was my own-preconceived notions that soured my impression, but I must admit - when I encounter a “remake,” I expect it to be based on an existing, complete product, but perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself.

Upon downloading and playing the remake, I was surprised that the content concluded in under two hours. “Okay, maybe I discovered the remake early in its development; surely, the original has more substance,” I thought. To my surprise, I found that the current remake essentially encompasses the entire first season of the original. Here I am, pondering - are my expectations too lofty, or is there genuinely so little to it? It pains me to feel this way. It's apparent a lot of love has been invested in this project, but it goes right by me because as soon as I begin to get immersed, it ends.

I must also highlight a significant aspect - the remake seems to be a soft rewrite of the narrative, rather than an enhancement of visuals or animations. Regarding animations, the original features basic ones, typical of many visual novel games. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, except that the remake has omitted them entirely, which seems like a strange decision. They may not have been amazing, but their replacement with static renders seems counterproductive.

In conclusion, while this game has clear passion and potential behind it, the overall experience feels incomplete and underwhelming. The brevity of the content, combined with the removal of key features like animations, makes it hard to fully enjoy or recommend. I genuinely wanted to appreciate the remake, but it ultimately falls short of providing the depth and polish one would expect. With further development and refinement, it might grow into something more, but for now, it leaves much to be desired.

I've played this game back when it first appeared on this site and I always enjoyed it. The story was intriguing to me and I instantly fall in love with the characters (Amber especially). So what I typically do if a game catches my attention I play a couple updates to see if it's something I would enjoy and wait for about 2-3 updates to fully dive into a game this was one of those instances.

I was kinda caught off guard by the Remake and slightly disappointed but, after waiting a couple updates for the remake I decide today to play the original work and the Remake. In my opinion the Remake is a 1000% better. I list a few reasons why I believe so.

The renders are so beautifully done the major thing for me was how sharp and perfect the backgrounds look a lot of people dislike Ai but i think it looks beautiful if it's done right, the Love Interests are all gorgeously rendered, the story has a better pace as well the added context with this remake really makes it stand out and, as someone who playing erotic games focusing on the story first I'm more emotionally involved with the characters in the Remake over the original.

The characters in my opinion are more lovable if that makes sense and with this Remake I feel more time was put into building more of a foundation with the love interests and not having it feel so rushed.

Now I'm in the minority when I say this not everyone was a fan of the Remake and it's understandable Remakes are hit n miss sometimes. All I ask through is give it a chance I was apprehensive at first and found myself comparing the original to the Remake. Once I stopped comparing and played the Remake at face value I found myself pleasantly surprised by how much I loved it.

Best of wishes to Yukana❤ on this project and all future endeavors can't wait to see what happens next!

I have not tried the remake yet, but the old version is very good so I have high hopes for this game!
Well, it's not all roses, the timeskip is a bit strange with characters feeling slightly out of character, maybe they can smooth that out in the remake..

I would give the remake between 3 and 4 stars if you could do that. Honestly the game feels split into two games. On the one hand are some pretty characters and their scenes that get more sensual over time. The sad part is there are not many animations but the dev shakes the picture instead. I think nothing would be better than that. It's really irritating to watch the picture just shake back and forth. The models deserve better than that.

The other part though is the drama with the previous love interests who both left the MC with little or no explanation. It is kind of depressing. The girl who almost signed up to be a lifetime hooker and then left with no explanation brings more negatives than positives. It feels like misery porn with the questions surrounding where she went. The same goes for his first GF. I almost wish there was an option to just move on and focus on the LIs around him. Constantly dragging up these women just keeps bringing up why they left and where they went. The MC has a bunch of interested women around but the story keeps bringing up these two depressing women.

I don't think there is a good excuse for either of those women so beating the player over the head with them seems pointless.

Anyway I think a 3.5 star rating is fair. The game could benefit from less heavy drama though. The remake is pretty good despite the dramatic story. I thought there was a lot more arguing in the original game so that is a plus.
Some of the model changes definitely improved the characters too. It's worth a play even with the sometimes depressing story.

I never played the original version, so this is a 'remake' review.

I hate this game...it made me cry, it tugged at the heartstrings and I was like a blubbering fool...emotion is such a weakness!!
However, the characters are unique, the dialogue is imaginative and thoughtful...the writing was actually quite philosophical in places...made me think about life and love, and losing everything...

I wasn't expecting much from this creation, however, it delivered a deep, meaningful experience, that I was absolutely invested in...certainly one of the better games I have played on this site.

It's worth mentioning that this is yet another "remake" situation. In the case of Hard to Love, this dev stopped progress entirely, went radio silent, then restarted the whole VN with little warning when people expected actual progress on the existing VN. So be warned. If they did it once, they will do it again.

Lets' talk about Hard To Love BEFORE the "remake" for a second. Before the remake, Hard To Love struggled narratively. The story was meandering and hard to follow as a telltale consequence of a lack of proper storyboarding and outlining. There was a jarring time skip between chapter 1 and chapter 2 where apparently MC had been fucking an LI in the interim the whole time which caused drama, but the drama didn't make a whole lot of sense because it wasn't fucking explained clearly... Let alone the shitty fact that eagerly anticipated sex scene took place offscreen in a porn game...

Secondly, the characters were notably unlikeable and unrelatable. Like every damn one of them. Characters with flaws are one one thing, but these characters were each shit human beings. Thirdly, the dev frequently made significant changes to the code mid-project resulting in saves breaking nearly every update.

All of those were fixable problems though. The saving grace for this VN - and the reason why so many people came back despite the problems - were the renders. The renders were fantastic and the girls were hot. And despite all the problems, the dev seemed to finally be stabilizing and making forward progress...

... Then they went quiet...

Suddenly when a new update was announced, it wasn't the next chapter like everyone was expecting but a starting-from-square-one reboot but with AI filters ruining the one good thing this VN had going for it...

Oh, but what about the other problems the VN had? Well...none of that actually got fixed. It's the same awkward storytelling and the characters are all still unlikeable cunts. But now in addition to all that the AI filters bring a whole slew of other problems such as:

• None of the characters look the same. Some faces change from one render to the next...
• Clothing with complex designs can't be redrawn consistantly by the AI so it looks like a living organism
• The usual AI uncanny valley shit like girls sometimes having 7 fingers on one hand, limbs fused to other limbs, pussies 2 inches up a thigh instead of.. you know.. where it's supposed to be...

Furthermore since the dev adopted this AI trash, they've completely abandoned animations altogether because AI can't be animated. So now instead of learning how to do proper sex animations, this dev has opted to just shake the entire screen to simulate movement during sex scenes. It looks embarassingly bad.

TLDR: The "AI remake" ruined the last good thing this VN had and none of the other problems were fixed. Gone are the gorgeous renders that set it apart from other VNs visually, and now it's an eyesore.

As such, I really can't recommend this dung heap to anyone that doesn't get a hardon from AI body horror and uncanny valley.

The games rework is an absolute masterpiece. This is the best example you can find of a well used AI in a VN. I really hope this becomes the norm because the renders are one of the best on the site. Can't recommend it enough!

If you rate the project, it is neutral, but there is no such assessment in the incentive.Render
and the characters are nice.The plot couldn't be more banal, GG is trying to get a job (like another GG in a similar college game, etc., etc.) in general, it's stuffy. To be fair, the dialogues in the game are not the most banal and not degenerate, the characters and the rendering are pleasant - but as they say , they have seen better .And the whole project can be described in words - I've seen better. Respect to the author that develops the project, but again a couple of buts.If you want an interesting story, you definitely don't come here, if you want a project where every couple of minutes there will be scenes of + 18 - you are also clearly not here (yes, there are cupcake scenes, but they occur every 20-30 minutes, depending on reading the text) And it took me 3 hours to complete 4 episodes. It should be understood that the project is in early access and episodes will be released.Only again, I think episode 5, which is due to be released in July, will be the last, although I may be wrong. If you really don't want to do anything, then you can recommend it at a discount, the rest of the Project Passion, Bare Witness and other top projects 18 + I fully appreciate the project when all the episodes come out, and now it's a pretty average novella + 18 where there are more dialogues at times than scenes +18

The plot is everywhere. The girls are cool, but the sex is very easy and not very well designed for a visual novel/game. Maybe when everything is ready, it will make more sense. and it's a shame that the old soulful and lively game is no longer there

Story premise is good, very disjointed in the flow. Sex .... have to wonder if the person writing ever had sex when the guy comes multiple times in the scene. Please, don't try and hold the reader up to unrealistic expectations. Sex scenes also don't flow with the story, just appear from out of nowhere. All that being said, better than a lot of the trash out there. If they put more story in it than flagrant sex, might be worth while. Right now though, no. Needs some proof reading as well (nothing major). Characters with the MC also change so quickly, that you have no investment in the people.

Hard to Love

The first season was epic. I read it and was a story filled with fun, love, humor, drama and sex with characters that genuinely made the reader care about what happens to them. It was so good
but instead of going forward why remake
recent updated unnessary
like to see moving forward to story line
maybe few side character

What a discombobulated mess. The only thing this game does right is the quality of renders on the models. Everything else is an example of how not to make one of these games.

The Story is just all over the place with all the flashbacks and past accounts that really leave you uninterested and just skipping through tons of dialogue that serves no purpose other than to bore the player. It's ok for some flashback scenes but this game sends you into a flashback for a whole chapter. You might as well be playing a different game and story. The author needs to learn to stay on target and focus more. The real interest is what is happening in the most recent time line and those relationships, not a bunch of randos fro your past.

People talk about animations not being great. What animations? There are none. Those scenes primarily just have the screen shake around a little bit with a static image. That's not an animation. In one scene you didn't even know you put your dick into a girl until later on during the static image when she mentions something about it.

And on that note about sex scenes, they are done very poorly. Often then are just skipped. You get some build up and then get into the sex scene and then the next frame the scene is over and you're in the aftermath. There is one scene where two women ( won't go into details as not to spoil) tell you that you are about to experience something very few people ever get the chance to experience. It gets you really excited for the encounter. The game shows a couple of pictures of it beginning and then the scene ends and it's over. What?!?!?! You don't even get to enjoy the most awesome hyped up thing.

Save yourself some time and take a pass on this one. I don't know how this thing could possibly be a remake. A remake of what? How bad was it before?

I really enjoyed the remake.
Seemed necessary, but I got really involved with the current progress of the game... so unless he speed up, I really can't give a better rating...
Overall, I found interesting how the characters approach with the MC... it's not forced as usually is...
They're pretty, even if he's using AI, it's a good AI, so I'm quite satisfied...

Really loving the remake so far. The art is astounding and the storyline is quite interesting. Would like some animated scenes though, hopefully they are coming soon in a near update. Looking forward to more!

This game was great, before the latest remake. When the dev decided to rely on AI for everything, even the coding, it really fell through the cracks. The animation WAS good, and now. I had high hopes for this back when it came out. Maybe they will fix it.

I really really loved this game before the Dev tore it down and started the remake. I guess he got tired of posing each character for each shot.

Before: The story was a little spacey but the renders and girls were breathtaking.

After: The renders are still decent. However, the story seems like it came from an old shotgun. You have no idea where it's going. The dev is just spraying and praying.

It's like a Japanese ADHD child wrote a story in a therapist's office after watching John Wick and CyberPunk 2077.

The renders have potential and the Dev deservers praise for those. Yet, the plot will leave you confused and disoriented. Like jerking off to a fashion show featuring fat homeless chicks. It might get you across the line, but it'll leaving you wondering what the hell just happened.

When I saw the new art style I hated it, but after playing the game, It doesn't really bother me. The story in the remake is actually a lot easier to follow. The only reason I am not giving it 5 starts is because the original had animations and this one doesn't and during the sex scenes there is a shacking screen effect that you can't turn off and I just don't like it. Other than that, I think it is actually an improvement from the original. You just need to get used to the new art.

Edit: I actually decided to update this to 5 stars as of 0.22. The story and the characters are so much more enjoyable now. There is minor stuff with the art because of the A.I but 95% of the art in the game looks really good in my opinion. I can say now that I am very excited for future updates.

What Makes It Shine:

1. Engaging Dialogue: The writing in “Hard to Love” is a standout feature. The dialogue feels authentic, and the characters’ interactions are both heartfelt and relatable. You’ll find yourself invested in their lives and rooting for their happiness.
2. Stunning Character Models: The visual aspect of the game is top-notch. The character models are beautifully rendered, making them some of the best-looking I’ve seen in a visual novel. Each character feels distinct and memorable
3. Immersive Music: The background music enhances the atmosphere, pulling you deeper into the story. It’s subtle yet effective.

I'd say im being too generous giving this a 4 star rating, simply because I don't wanna see this game go down the dumpster, despite it's flaws. The game still being in it's earlier stages, there's enough time to do the corrections wherever needed.

To start of the game is all over the place. It's like playing " guitar hero" version of a porn game.. like there are multiple timelines of the MC's life and you have to constantly jump from one timeline to another, causing mass confusion. the game started perfectly with the present and a past flashback, and it was good, but then there was another flashback and another... The story doesn't let you be one with the characters doe to it's constant jumping here and there.

The renders itself are good and the characters are very likeable. i may not know how to write a story, but i do know there are better ways of telling a story that whatever the mess this one is.