VN - Ren'Py - Having a HARD Time [Ep.5.1] [Quadruple-Q]

I wanted to give the game a 4.5 but u can't I think 4 is too low and 5 (being perfect) too high settled with 4 but I think it was a 8/10 experience
It's Romance Comedy , The MC (the way I played at least) seems like INFP who suffers from ADHD xD and it's almost apparent in all dialogue options.
to me it's very important that character is so well written and alive that u can have grasp on her personality.
The sex scenes and animations look really good and make u feel rewarded, The story and it's writing is pretty decent and doesn't feel shallow most of the times.(with exception of mc getting a dick out of thin air but alas the plot needs to get there somehow)
If I wanted to list everything that does work well I would be here all night and day writing so just let me say "It's very good experience worth ur time and personally I gonna support the dec and play the updates"
I don have much complains except for few things and it goes as fallows:
1- I have no special interest or hatred for AI I'm pretty neutral but AI usage (as VERY VERY minuet and small as it is) is tad jarring the videos of characters moving is very uncanny and singing was pretty eh, I rather them not being there rather than unpolished experience that they bring to the table.
2- The sex sounds are utter chaos and I'm happy I can turn them off.
3- I wish I could do the "Weekend" content more naturally and not by save manipulation or replaying. It just made me feel like "Oh I'm missing out and it's not my fault"
4- I can see where the story is pushing me and while I don't HATE it particularly like it either I play these to unwind and enjoy myself and while I like the "Real" and "Sad" moments I don't like Fomo over girls ;-; I would be ok if "X and Y hate each other u can't date them simultaneously" I hope we don't end up at "If u want X , EVERYBODY ELSE NEED TO GO" I appreciate Realism and nice story but cmon this game isn't really famous for that now is it
Either way it was a nice play and I wish all of u and the Dev the best

Simply fantastic job. Great story, excellent animations, and super creative. One of my favorites, hands down. Not to mention, super hot characters. You won't be disappointed... unless you hate chicks with d^^^s, in which case this one may not be for you.

Version: Ep 5.1
Time played: ~5 hours

Disclaimer:
If you struggle with severe trauma and/or mental issues, please be wary of the content that you are going to experience with this VN. The story lines can be triggering for some. This disclaimer is also shown in the game.

PROS:
- Story development: Refer to the chapter below.
- Animations: There are a ton of animations which are getting even better over time. The animations have different angles and are done properly.
- Phone: Having a phone at your disposal at all times is really helpful. It contains character profiles, to be able to track who is who. You are able to send messages, which is fun to do. It has Eternipound, which is a social media app, which also is cool to see how other characters interact with each other. Your able to choose your music and the volume, and so on. Also you can customize the phone as you please. (Request: Have Seiko as a background image!)

MIXED:
- Character models: My first glance at the screenshots gave me the impression that the character models are roughly copied and slightly modified from other established VNs. I don't really like that idea, because it is hard to break the character context for a new experience if it has a lot of resemblance with a different VN. For example, in VN #1 the character is bitchy and unlikable, but in this VN she is kind and social. That's pretty risky if you are willing to take the bet. But that being said, I must say that the characters grew on me. I did have to convince myself to open up to the new experience.
- The origin of MC's extra member: I don't know why, but I personally think this is a bit lame. I mean, the MC instantly grows a massive dick when the chemistry experiment she is doing goes wrong? And what about her friend, who was standing just a couple of feet away, why was she not affected? And why did it grow in an instant? All the different stories of the other characters are so gullible, but this seems to be a bit far fetched. But perhaps the story around the cause will develop in a more believable situation. And honestly, I don't even know what a different scenario would be to suddenly grow an additional member without using magic...
- Character stats: The trajectory of the VN is being determined by the character stats of the MC, but it is not really clear how it is being used in the game. It is not necessary to emphasize how much you gain, lose or require a specific stat, but it is nice that you are somehow aware of the impact of a specific choice.

CONS:
- Secrets: Even though I get why you would add this, it is a bit too much for me. I tried my best in the beginning, but it pretty much ruined the experience for me for a short while. The competitionist in me tried find all the secrets in all the different CGs, but that distracted me too much from the real content of the VN. And in general I don't do multiple playthroughs of a VN/game, so that does not really work for me.
- Weekend activities: I did not really dive into this, but it sounds a bit too tedious and ambitious. In the weekends you are given the chance to choose one of eight activities. When hovering over the choices, it prompts you the five empty stars if you have not experienced the activity yet. If you did it once, it'll fill in one star and so on. Which gives you the impression that you need to experience each activity (at least) 5 times to fully experience the activity. But up to episode 5 you are only able to choose your activity 5 times. So this means that you need to replay the WHOLE VN up to the end of episode 5 just to see the full sequence of one specific weekend activity.

Story:
To be completely honest, I was expecting just a generic college story where the MC is starting off as a nobody, trying to hide her true (futa) self. And that is mostly true, but I was not expecting the depth of development of the other characters. I mean, the stories behind the MC and her best friend Marianne is pretty messed up. But also the stories behind Lisa, Himiko and Hannah are truly tragic, so be sure that you are in a stable state of mind when you are going to play this VN. In my case it was one of the main causes why I got so intrigued by this VN. As other perhaps also stated: I came for the fap, but stayed for the story. Which is quite impressive to achieve.

Gameplay:
A VN in the Ren'Py engine gives you pretty much the experience that you expect from other similar VNs in the same engine. Some additional gameplay elements are the phone, but that is also not really unique. There are some QTE (quick time event) sequences, which are fun to do. The game also has (Steam) achievements, which are quite hilarious.

Language/Grammar:
I don't have a lot to say about the language and the grammar. The writing style is pretty solid, apart from some errors (fairy tails instead of fairy tales). The humor used in the VN is also pretty fun, since it is quite relevant en quirky at the same time.

Graphics:
The renders look good and you see the animations (and camerawork) improve over each consecutive episode. There are a couple of animations which seem a bit off (especially anatomically speaking), but the vast majority is impressive. I did have some frame issues with some of the animations, but that might be an issue from my side. I've spotted at least one AI generated animation (the video of Seiko dancing), but that's not a bad thing because it looked good. Those AI clips work perfectly fine if they are just small fractions of the content.

Sound:
The game has a ton of different music, which can be controlled through the phone. The different H-scenes have voiced sequences, so that's good. The VN even has 2 custom songs tailored to the story of the VN, which is quite impressive (and they hit like a truck). I don't know whether they are played by an artist or if it has been AI generated, but either way it doesn't really matter. It was really good!

Conclusion:
I was honestly a bit skeptic to play Having a HARD time, based on the screenshots. But the content of the VN did tick all the boxes, so it did piqued my interest. And boy, did it not disappoint. Expect tragic, but wholesome character development and enticing humor at the same time. This VN will figuratively and literally give you a HARD time. (4/5)

Recommendations:
- It is cool that there is a dedicated app on the phone for the different character profiles, but the UI is a bit weird to me. It somewhat indicates which are the closest connections to the different characters, but somehow it does not really make sense. Especially the lines connecting the characters For example, Seiko is the 3rd level connection with MC after Himiko and then Ryu or Gabriella, where the latter would make more sense since Seiko is part of the 'mean girls tri-fecta'. So perhaps abandon the idea of the connections between characters, because this can grow out of hand when the characters develop more.
- In addition to the prior recommendation, maybe add filters in the character profile overview. For example, highlight the characters which know about MC's secret. Perhaps also add bust sizes to the profiles as well.
- Doing a specific weekend activity 5 times is a bit too much. Maybe its better to rethink that mechanic, because not everyone is going to replay the game 8 times.

This VN caught me by surprise, so I will definitely keep an eye on this VN and the dev. Keep it up, Quadruple-Q!

A bit overrated game, with a saving grace that there are not too much games with futa MC.
It reminds me of a badly written latin america soap opera, but with inclusion of porn elements.
You are starting to know a LI story, and guess what? There's something REALLY TERRIBLE and TRAGIC there,
And guess what's a backstory of another LI?
Right you are, something ReALLy trAgIc and terrble as well.
In other words, usual cliches for soap operas.
Models are good, most of scenes are animated.
Some scenes let's you choose DOM or SUB route, but it applies only for the current scene, i.e. it doesnt influence other dialogues or interactions.
Moreover, if you've chosen SUB option for scene #1, you still can choose DOM for scene #2.
A bit unusual, and inconsistent from a character development perspective, but whatever.

Anyway, if a futa MC is the main selling point for you, the game is a "must play", and easily can be 5/5
If you are indifferent about futa, there are other games, with more consistency, more content, more kinks, and so on.

Excellent...

The only way I could describe this story...

How can it be so beautiful, so pretty, so nice, while at times so sad, heartbreaking and unfair.

If you were to ask me why I fell in love with AVNs, this one would be my answer, as it conveys such deep emotions and feelings that one can´t keep himself from crying at one moment, while feeling incredible happiness and joy in another, just for it to go back to sadness and gloom... This is what makes it such a beautifully crafted and fundamentally LOVELY STORY...

When the story is truly so captivating that it catches you off guard and makes you feel the sadness the characters go through, you can rest assured that you have found...

a
perfect
AVN...

It should be illegal for a porn VN to hit you right in the feels time and time again like this one. The writing is really superb, the characters are nuanced and (mostly, since it's still a porn game) believable and the graphics are pretty great. I only have a handful of VNs I support financially but this is definitely one of them.

There are a few things about this game that don’t sit well with me. First, there’s no denying it’s derivative of Being A DIK (BAD)—it borrows its models, font, style, cell phone/social media mechanics, school setting, and even tone. Second, I’m struggling to suspend my disbelief that, among other things, literally every woman in this school has sexuality fluid enough to fall for the futa MC, especially when her own sexuality is so rigid.

That being said, I love this game. It strays from BAD in a few ways that I consider beneficial—we get dom/sub content, we get incest, we’re getting hints of impregnation content, and the author really knows how to write a sex scene. The nonerotic writing is also excellent. As much as I can’t help but think of BAD’s "start of chapter childhood flashbacks" every time they happen in Having A Hard Time, those thoughts are rather quickly replaced by the sadness and other emotions evoked by the powerful writing. The storytelling in this game is excellent.

Overall, if you can accept the game as a love letter to BAD and just roll with the porn logic of a hypnotic cock with hyperspermia, you will love this game. I strongly recommend it.

Excellent game, it is very few games that can enter so many characters and keep them all unique and all interesting. The story telling and the character development is top-notch and has great potential to keep expanding for a longtime.

The graphics might be the only subpar thing in the game considering the other elements. Does not mean graphics is bad, maybe character design feels a bit old but still is pretty good.

Wish the best to the developer, hop they continue developing the game long-term, the storyline and characters all give it a lot of potential for it.

Well done! With this update, this game went from a game I'll sometimes play because it has those tags I like, to a game I genuinely look forward to updating. I like all these broken little characters enough, and these sex scenes are awesome. I look forward to them ramping up in the future.

Great game I realy liked almost everything, the music, story is very good in my opinion.

Sometimes it gave me a boner, sometimes it gave me tears, sometimes in made me happy.
I am at episode 5 now, i dont know if this is the end now because i,m not done yet but I will keep watching this game and the future updates.

The game goes from extremely silly to deeply serious while keeping the emotions at their highest all throughout. It's really a particular VN. Although it recycles a lot of well used tropes, and even characters from other VNs, it still manages to be it's own fresh thing, and you can feel the dev puts a love of attention and care into it.

"I came looking for copper and I found gold"... Although in this case it would be better to say "diamond" because here we have one of the best AVNs on this site and I can't believe that I am saying this about a game with a futa MC...
But it deserves all the praise, although... of course, it could be better buuut has as many good things... good story, good lewd scenes, good narrative, characters with depth and charismatic, it's very easy to empathize with the MC, although some gestures are somewhat repetitive I love them because the characters look expressive... I don't remember another AVN that made me laugh, come and cry... Liza's story was too much man...
My only complaint with this game is that the story is linear and the time of appearance of the LIs is not well managed... For the rest, we just have to wait for the Dev to continue improving and learning because this AVN has a lot of potential although for me it's already one of the best and I say this as someone who has played virtually every AVN renpy on this site, this is one of the best written. Although I repeat, isn't perfect and there is a lot of room for improvement but so far it is undoubtedly a 5 star AVN and that it's saying enough about a game that shouldn't be even halfway through in the story because of all the potential it has... The only thing missing is that the Dev doesn't end up stagnant and I mention it because in the last chapter you can feel the stagnation a little, I mean that's how I felt it... Let's hope they're just my ideas and Dev has well-planned what to do with the story

Ooohh and I almost forgot, my last complaint... Why in the hell "condom sex" exist in these games? Can someone explain to me? I mean, Dev takes advantage of "the magic of writing" to invent that a woman can grow a penis out of nowhere but we are still enslaved to having sex with a condom? Seriously?????? Duuuuuuuuudeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!! Don't kill me like that!!!!

I think this is my third review. I never comment, much less on a VN; it's extremely rare that I read them; I'm just here for the fap.
But this one... this one is worth it.
They all have depth, they're all broken somewhere, like any human being.
There are really parts that make you laugh.
And I really have no negative points to point out.
I'm not a native English speaker, so if the text isn't well understood, I'm sorry.
It doesn't lack anything, nor does it have anything extra, and that's saying a lot in a work that isn't finished yet.
Very good
But I'm giving it a 5 because there's no half star.

The writing is excellent. Quirky humor that never outstays it's welcome, intertwined with heartbreaking and beautiful moments that make you FEEL. A game that makes you FEEL is always a win. (Hannah in EP5, omg!)

The characters are where this game truly shines, especially the later chapters. They're well rounded and deep, with meaningful motivations. You're met with the stereotypes, but then are made to realize that there's so much more to them then just the persona they convey.

Which leads me to looks. The characters are diverse in not only looks but personality, with each bringing their own flavor of unique to the table.

Graphics exceed the standard, with creative angles and razor sharp edits. Animations are amazing as well, with a plethora of diverse sex scenes to enjoy.

And of course we have our main character. An absolute thrill to experience as you witness her growth (wink, wink) throughout the story.

Excellent music with some soundtracks seemingly tailored for the game (see ep5). Like almost all things in game, it's diverse enough to never be boring and is never out of place, playing at just the right moments for specific scenes.

Overall I cannot recommend this game enough!!! It's an absolute must-play for those who enjoy a rich and engaging story with their sex games.

Nice game. I like the way the plot develops. I think the dev is doing a great work and I hope the game will continue to be developed. I want more And want to see what is going to happen in the next version.

This is the only futa-centered game I can remember that I've stuck with - all the others haven't managed to keep my interest for longer than an hour or so. So at least for me, this is rather well done. The story set-up for the futa is pretty silly, but gets the job done and doesn't really matter.

What really impressed me is the dark and heavy themes portrayed through different characters. I really teared up in episode 4.

I like most characters, the renders are good and consistent and the variation in animated sex scenes is really great. The music is pretty solid, and although the sex sounds are ripped from actual porn (I'm guessing) it works better than I expected and is a nice touch.

Can't wait to play more - please keep up the good work devs!

As of chapter 5 - It's a really good story with some real funny moments, that visually is good too. If your put off by it being a futa game don't pass by, its worth sticking around for. It may seem strange to say but the futa aspect is not a critical part of the story, its portrayed as an accident. The rest is great and if you want you can skip some of the physical scenes. The LI's are okay in terms of looks but could be better, with no one who is beautiful. I guess its a bit more real-life realistic rather than a typical AVN. However the range of characters and personalities is excellent with the writing offering a fantastic range of emotions. I really like the FMC, she has a great character and looks much better here than in BaDIK. The Lily situation is handled really well, giving you options in the story which most devs don't give you. Light or dark its up to you, which is great to see. Lucas is done well too. You do get BaDIK Derek vibes in that he seems the goofball comic relief but adds depth later; its still done well.

I don't quite get the weekend content. The job option seems quite significant but the others don't. I'm also not sure why you are only allowed to see one scene each time. Surely we could do two each weekend, if there are such few opportunities to choose them with so many to get through. It seems a bit of an afterthought to create something different visually with the game but it doesn't really add anything so far. I think it would be better to choose the best of them and integrate them into the story.

There is only one issue for me and it's why I don't think it's 5 stars. Lots of the FMC's problems could be solved by wearing underwear. I don't understand why she would choose to always go commando in every scene. It's not like this would ruin the story. She could still have embarrassing issues when aroused but it just seems an unrealistic decision by the dev. No one would wear a dress and swing free or be out on a windy day. It's something that repeatedly makes me break immersion in the story and say why do that. Junk that size is hard to control for a guy with max experience and she's a complete noob, but she never even considers underwear or even tight shorts with dresses. It just doesn't make sense. 4 stars.

Thought I'd found a quality futa game. I had. But now...? From the bottom of my heart, sincerely, a resounding, heartfelt "fuck you" to the Dev for having me crying like a bitch at the ending of "Chapter 4 - Smile". Boner obliterated. 10/10 would recommend.

/edit:
And the Robin Williams quote to tie it together in the interlude. Jesus christ. Why would you utilize weaponsgrade emotions like this in a porn game? More!

VERSION: Ep.5
SUMMARY: One of, if not the best Futa game I have played.
RATINGS: (out of 5):

NOTE: The following categories and scoring method are my own criteria and may require more context. Additionally, scoring is based on the state, and what is in the current version and not what may or may not be.

1. Model Visuals..................... : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. General Visuals................... : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
3. Animation Quality................. : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
4. Character (Persona)............... : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5. Story Quality & Pacing............ : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
6. Writing Quality & Dialogue........ : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7. UI & Game-play Mechanics...........: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
8. Playtime & General Quality.........: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
9. Sounds & Music.....................: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
10. H-Content & Fetishes.............. : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Average: X of 50 possible points giving a X% rating i.e. X stars.

PROS:

1. Great looking FMC and LIs
2. Animations are very impressive
3. Writing is also very good, structured and reads well. No bloated or monotonous droning on text that the player feels compelled to skip.
4. Dialogue and characters are unique, have depth and personalities.
5. Per above point the AVN touches on many profound aspects like love, death, loss and joy, which makes it feel very real and authentic in terms of story.
6. There are also several light hearted and comedic events that take place and I found them few enough to not overwhelm the game with silly try hard comedy. This has actually some pretty good humourous moments to it.
7. Music is pretty good, fits the scenes well and clear effort was made here for immersion.
8. Per above point, the same can be said about general sounds like interactive ones, alarms, doors and also the lewd scene sounds are rather good, they fit the scenes nicely and push that sexual tention well.

CONS:

1. The acceptance of the FMC suddenly being a futa is a bit silly, its too easily accepted for the MC and everyone else.
2. Per above point, she steps into the futa role very easily and assumes a more male or manly role to have sex with most other woman and LIs. Though in fairness, being a lesbian, the FMC attraction to woman is a strong driver of her interest and having a cock kind of justifies it even more, so not a CON really as much as an observation and actually a good way to justify the plot (or part of it). Here a game like Package Perfect stands out a little more, as the MC is born this way yet very "shy" and reserved about being that way and not wanting people to know, because the "condition" is unnatural.
3. Listing for sake of listing something, though by no means a con really, as what is here is done very well, but kinks are not fully explored and there are some avenues that can be brought into the game. Pregnancy is a big one and one that seems will be implemented, I only hope its done often and well

FINAL REMARKS, OPINIONS & SUGGESTIONS:

NOTE: The following remarks are my personal opinions and thoughts, which may provide more context and could be useful to the developer.

• The FMC becoming a futanari, this change is life altering and with her being a lesbian, one could argue having a penis now flies in the face of that, that and she could easily have been very depressed by this event. Yet here its taken in the stride by herself and everyone else too easily and naturally. Explaining to people what happened and them accepting it as readily as they do is just too easily achieved, and, lets be honest, being a futa is actually freakish and wont be just accepted as "it happens".
• Based on my ratings above, you may think that I forgot to rate this game, but it is a very near flawless AVN, at least for me its hard to find any faults or issues really. The only gripe or issue I could have is the overly used FMC face which features by now in many games all thanks to Being a DIK where I believe this female face first featured. That said, I do think its a beautiful face regardless of over use.
• Per above point about kinks, there are several thing that can be introduced still to this AVN to push its kinkiness further and I hope it does happen. Things like urination, fisting and one that that has been alueded to but not yet introduced is pregnancy. There can be others like BDSM etc, but point is there is room for more without breaking anything in the game. I do hope things like pregnancy are not simply mentioned but actually visually noticable as time goes on, there is nothing worth than having an AVN where the MC knocks up a chick and is told she is pregnant but you never get to see it visually or have any sexual relations with her while visually altered.
• I recall when this AVN was released, I was not very open minded about futa content, mostly because it flies in the face of realistic settings. Then girl on girl action is kinky, but also incredibly boring unless there is a cum shot ending or creampie. That said, coming back to this game I can say that I am very impressed. Surprisingly so, it does many things very well and I am thoroughly looking forward to seeing what comes next and following its progress.

TLDR:

A very impressive game (AVN) the first I have ever given a flawless rating and again because I simply can't find anything really wrong or that it does poorly. I would highly recommend this AVN and support the creator with its further developement.

Episode 5

Main plot about the MC´s dick situation is pretty good. But it is small part in the game, as every woman have their own stories that take majority of the game. Conversation options didn’t create the illusion of meaningful choices, nor did they require to read the story.

In paper, these characters have interesting background and situations, but for me they did fail to resonate. Maybe it was because the game has this "who are we fucking next" tone. Or maybe it was the poorly written suicide arc. Maybe because these two don´t mix. There is a point when a good fuck is not enough to fix a broken person, and i don´t want that shit in my goofy AVN games. More serious AVN games is a different thing.
But loved the MC and how she acted when her dick got hard.

Sex scenes are great and alone make this game worth checking out. I specially love how MC really fucks these women. Great animations helped a lot. Graphics quality is good, but nothing was specially great.