VN - Ren'Py - Hard to Love [v0.24] [Qori Gaming]

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.

Story is.. mellowdramatic, and rather way too all over the place. Base concept is the rather usual you're a dad reconnecting with your long-since-seen daughter, with flashbacks to your first meeting her mother who's your first awkward love. I was vibing with that and fully on board, but then it just sorta keeps jumping into more flashbacks.. now I'm in the dad's memories of being a depressed corrupt cop who's addicted to hookers, now I'm madly in love with a French model, now I'm in a 90's yakuza revenge movie.. I get the narrative of it, but it feels like it's trying to be FAR larger in scope than it needs to be. It never really lets you get comforatable with a situation before whisking you off into another timeline.

Author seems to sorta recognize this and forces ADD sex breaks in an attempt to keep your attention, but it's more often than not some very awkward things like your French model GF suddenly demanding anal sex out of nowhere during a dramatic relationship dialogue. These are usually far too short and without enough build-up to be arousing. It makes the game feel torn between wanting to be a complicated yakuza revenge story and a sex game, and ends up doing both worse because of it.

That aside though, the models and renders are nice, and the UI and everything has a lot of polish on top of it. It feels like a high-effort project. The people freaking out over the AI are just those dogmatic types who hate anything remotely AI, the author is just running a very light img2img pass over his renders to make them look a bit less cheap 3D, like a filter, the render is still doing 95% of the work and it's not AI slop at all.

Ultimately, I do like it's foundation, but it just sorta feels like a series of overly long and disjointed flashback prologues on top of it. Maybe in a few updates when it does get through that storyline and finds the actual meat of it's story, I'll try it again and this may turn into a much more positive review. I suspect I'm just reviewing the game at a very bad time in it's story development right now.

ver 0.1 remake
so im not one of those who throw up in my mouth or get an instant hate boner anytime i hear the word AI and i dont see what all the fuss is about! i get the whole, "remaking the game is gonna make it take longer" or "the dev is just trying to drag out development to squeeze more money out of their subscribers" arguments. i do. those are both valid points for some developers who continuously do those kind of things and people have been burned by it! however i dont think thats the case here. i had to download and check this one out after the remake just so i had a foot to stand on and experienced the remake for myself so im not throwing in my two cents without even playing it. been following this one since its original release and i was a huge fan of the crisp renders and the body textures on the character models.

after playing the remade version, i have to say i was pleasantly surprised! the characters are just slightly altered from their originals (you almost cant even tell the difference in some scenes) and the backgrounds are vibrant and actually look really good! i believe its a step up from the dark and gritty tone the images and story had in the previous version. it seems some scenes have been shortened or the dialogue edited to not drone on as much as it did in the original version. this doent affect the story though which is still a gritty cop story with psychological drama and sex thrown in for good measure! it just seems like someone remembered there was a light on the camera so we can actually see whats going on in some of the renders that used to be so dark you could only see a characters silhouette

sure having to start over sucked but i did like the flashback section with Antonella and young Amber is super cute before she becomes a damaged slutty girl type. still i would have liked to see how the new renders looked for the MCs family home and the content that was in the updates prior to the revised edition update! i feel like a lot of the brooding existential crisis stuff the MC monologued about in the previous version of the game was also condensed to make it a bit easier to digest for players who get bogged down in text heavy games! this made it easier for me to follow honestly. i do miss the title screen with the 80's style bubblegum aesthetic!

my personal enjoyment of the new update aside, i saw nothing as i played through that would indicate any downgrade in quality of the renders but the game kept me engaged to a good enough degree that i wasnt going around searching for extra fingers or anyof the usual AI deformities that everyone is so quick to point out! the dev stated in their comment posted by another user a few posts back that they are only using the AI as an assistant to help with the menial tasks in rendering the images (im paraphrasing here) and im inclined to believe her as i see no issues with the rework that would make this game deserve all the hate everyone is throwin at it! think of it this way, if you dont like that the dev is using AI to help make the game then go out and make your own game without using AI and then come back (or dont, whatever)! if you dont like AI then cool, so be it, but its a useful tool when used properly! if just the mention of AI makes you sick, well there are other games out there, maybe give one of those a shot! i gave the remake a try and its not bad! i liked it in fact! if your just shitting on it because the dev may have used AI, thats not a fair assessment of this game! anyway, ive gone on a bit too long here but thats how i feel about the game and you can take it or leave it!

I played this since the first release, it has changed a fair bit from what I can recall and its maybe a bit better, so here is my breakdown

Pros:

1. Gorgeous models
2. Intriguing story, kind of...
3. MC is not a complete idiot so there is that...bit of a white knight complex going

Cons:

1. Animations are not really that great, it feels unnatural
2. Story is kind of all over the place, it doesnt flow, never did. I believe the writer is trying to create more intrigue through creating "disconnects" in the story, only give us part of it even if its not really a revelation.
3. Continue with story: The characters are unreal, particularly the primary love interest, the sister and even mother. These characters seem like that all have their own psychosis and brand of sanity. The MC included. It makes connecting with any of them difficult to put it mildly.
4. Not sure much changes with the choices provided, so far only thing I really noticed is that there is less content with some choices however the other content is still there, making me feel the choice was a waste, content is always better imo, especially when there doesn't seem to be much difference either or.

Other comments:
I do appreciate the new style of the game, but I am a bit wary of developers who change the game up when it was already going through developer hell, slow updates etc for some time now.

Hopefully with this new style the dev can get us back to where it was in terms of the last version of the game quickly and get on with the rest of it without dragging supporters along as before...

Absolutely bizarre choice to ditch the great-looking models in favour of AI. Having played the INITIAL initial release, and appreciating the models there, the AI in the NEW initial release just don't hold the same appeal

Honestly, the game's greatest asset was the models, because the story itself still wasn't very well fleshed-out...at least, not enough to make 99% of the characters even remotely likeable

The father was a gigantic douche, the mum didn't have much going for her (besides the model used for her), the sisters...well, one was just a cold fish and the other needs serious psychological help. As for the MC himself, he's just as bad, going from angry to indifferent on the emotional scale, and indecisive everywhere else. The only "decent" character was the daughter, and even she was lumbered with a friend who's bizarrely competitive for the MC's attention

We had absolutely ZERO character development in the span of two seasons, and barely got to know many of the characters billed as LIs. Why is that? I'm not sure, but it certainly didn't help in any way. The MC treating others poorly or allowing himself to be treated poorly were also major sticking points for me, because I genuinely can't fathom either why his dad and one sister hate his guts, or why he'd actually choose to move home and live with them. It doesn't help that the dad and sister hardly ever show themselves except to hurl insults at MC, either. It also makes zero sense why he'd send his own daughter to live with his family knowing how half of them feel about him

He's also supposed to be a hardened police officer but finds himself stuttering like an absolute moron the ONE TIME he was about to get laid. All in all, just poor writing

All of these aspects of the game could've worked better if they weren't so full-on, and, honestly, maybe that's the entire point? Make it "hard to love" or even like any of these characters?

And in fact, we didn't have a single sex scene in the game to begin with (well...one ALMOST sex scene where you end up either cockblocking yourself or getting cockblocked by another character depending on your choices). This adds to the utter frustration of it all, especially because the devs decided to remake the entire thing

But at least the models were incredibly well-designed, and maybe, in time, the supposed LIs would grow on...some people. Now, however, the best things the game had going for it were completely thrown to the wayside. Instead, people have to wait EVEN LONGER for character development and sex scenes, all the while lumbered with these sub-par AI images!

Also, WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU DECIDE TO REMAKE IT AND STILL MAKE IT A COMPLETE COCKBLOCK? If my other reasons for giving this one star weren't more than sufficient, this alone would've done it for me

This was a tough play, I dropped it part way through the second season.

The writing is the most difficult aspect. The MC is a witless, spineless loser that you just cannot get behind. He is constantly struggling with himself, whining and rolling over for everyone. The father is an absolute asshole, thankfully his involvement is minimal. ALL of the women are some flavor of psychotic. The mother is all over the place, both sisters are aggressive jerks. There just isn't a likable character to be found, and its not even as though you could route for the MC in any of the scenarios.

The art is pretty decent most of the time, though there is a fair bit of wet hair and it looks terrible every time.