VN - Ren'Py - Healslut [v0.96d] [Davie Zwei]

The following review is based off my personal experience with playing this Game/Visual Novel... I try to be as brutally honest and detailed as I can, and these are my own opinions and thoughts, from one or more play throughs... The version this review is based on is v0.4f...

Ok, this VN/Game definitely does not take itself too seriously pretty much at any time... There are some transformation choices you get to make, for those who are into feminine males or futa...

Visuals of most characters are high resolution and decent... There are some male characters that look more like female models that were modified to look like males, yet you can tell from the facial features they were actually female models... The backdrops are decent for the most part, all of which looked unique, in various resolutions... There is definitely a epic crap ton of nudity and scenes meant to seem more comedic through out most of this VN/Game...

The script is decent as I rarely ran into spelling/grammar errors... The plot revolves around a male or female protagonist (your choice) in a near future where he/she is a beta tester in a immersive (as in I believe some form of full body immersive suit that you don't get to see) fantasy world where he/she is testing out a new game patch, with his/her character class being a healer that uses sexual magic/energy to perform the various spells (which you actually get to choose some later on)... Now that being said, there is a much bigger all encompassing plot involving the gaming world being an alternate reality and some stuff about the real developers trying to take over it's world, and so on... It get's a bit weird and convoluted, but the protagonist is kind of dragged into this conspiracy, on the side of what seems like some rebel developers, trying to stop the owners/developers from succeeding...

Before I get into the criticism, let me just start off with how the story actually plays out... Most of the story and dialogue and inner-monologue is chopped full of constant sarcasm, and some characters taking everything literally when the protagonist tries to figure out what is happening... So for most of this VN/Game, you presented with an epic ton of back and forth banter that is meant to be in some ways funny... While I did laugh now and then during the initial phases of the current content, it does start to wear on you eventually...

The protagonist is primarily treated as a victim of constant bad circumstance... You do get to select many varying paths now and then, but I found in most cases even though some things worked out, eventually somehow most choices began to somewhat come back to haunt the protagonist or put him/her in possibly worse situations/circumstances... And in some cases, the writers throw the choices you made, back in your face time and time again... An example would be when you were told by a game master to get arid of your goblin companion, and if you do, several times later it is thrown in your face as though it was somehow a poor choice.. And this happens now and then with other choices as well... Some choices do work out for the protagonist initially, but again sometimes I felt like I was being punished for the choice I made, regardless if it worked in my favor initially...

There was also a moment when I almost thought the protagonist had multiple personality disorder... Such as when the protagonist was outside of the game world, in the real world, and was interacting with some other characters... In game she was constantly trying to figure stuff out, was somewhat friendly, open to discussion, didn't mind speaking his/her mind, even when he/she was constantly being trash talked and pushed around... In the real world, he/she barely spoke a few words at a time, and was extremely abrasive with the characters she/he interacted with... No comedic elements at all during those scenes... It felt really out of place, and contrasted with the rest of the VN/Game...

As to the constant bombardment of ridicule and bad luck the protagonist kept having to put up with, even if you tried to be assertive, it would just backlash... I'm not a real fan of constantly being the victim as a reader/player... Eventually the comedic value doesn't resonate as much after a while, and trying to cover up the victimization through comedy just felt like a means to downplay her bad situation, in hopes that the reader will not take it too seriously or get mad that no matter the choice made, the protagonist was screwed...

There is a ton of nudity, which is perfectly fine, as it is an erotic VN/Game... But very few actual sexual encounters, and when they do occur, some are treated as a farcical over-the-top encounter such as when she (i played as a female protagonist) was covered from head to tow in semen from one man... Where as very few sexual encounters were more on the sensual (no comedy) side, and even then they were short lived... Most sexual encounter options, where you made a choice, felt more coerced or forced on to you... As though should the protagonist take one for the team (even though he/she was reluctant to do it at all and really didn't want to do it most of the time) or try to avoid it... And no matter the choice, it was either a slightly gross experience or avoiding it just meant something else would occur, as though you were being punished for attempting to work around the gross sexual stuff...

I could go into much more, but I have a lot of mixed feelings about this one... I don't want to not like this VN/Game... As I did enjoy some parts and aspects of it... But in other cases it felt like choices didn't matter, because in the end the protagonist was damned if he/she did or damned if he/she didn't... The way most of the comedic value was presented felt good early on, but began to wear on me as it kept going on, in the same patterns of mostly sarcasm and putting the protagonist down or in his/her place... Some situational comedy was good, and some felt over played... And on a just tiny handful of occasions I was slightly confused about what was happening, as though a few pieces of story were missing...

Overall, visually this VN/Game is stunning (with the exception of the feminine looking males), and I love that this was a more Visual Novel based approach with lots of story text and dialogue... I just got worn out by the protagonist rarely catching a break, as though no matter the choice I made something was going to happen that was against the protagonist more then for the protagonist... And the comedy although funny at times, began to wear thin after a while... On a few occasions I felt like skipping past the text, which is not good for a story/dialogue based VN/Game...

This VN/Game will definitely appeal to some folks, and it is definitely original... I just wish the protagonist wasn't treated like such a victim a majority of the time... You may think a choice is the right choice, but it eventually comes back to haunt you or bite you in the butt... Will I revisit this one? Most likely not, because after 4+ hours of play/reading, I think I've seen all that this one plans to offer... And in some ways it just rubs me the wrong way...

This is my favorite game at the moment. From the animation style, story and humor, and obviously the kinks and different routes to go. Can't wait to see where everything goes and I hope we get updates for a long time.

Deceptively ambitious, complex, and fun.

When I saw the name and the (character creation) preview picture for Healslut, I expected the story would be little more than a bimbo main character going from one sex scene of dubious consent to the next, but this game has some vertical movement! The world, party, and quest elements of the game all establish a strong setting, making you feel like you're in an rpg. There's a group of supporting characters you can really get attached to for unique reasons--even the one character who objectifies the MC from day 1 has a rounded backstory and (seemingly) an arc of improvement. The story just feels alive.

I have no objective criticism of the game so far, but I am a little worried that the author might be overwhelming themself with all of the branching paths in this game. You can change the main characters' genitals, you can customize your character with 2 spells/passive traits, and of course there are multiple characters you can begin committed relationships with, and all of these happen fairly early in the story. That makes for a lot of replayability and a lot of content for us to enjoy, but I've seen a lot of authors burn themselves out trying to keep up with their branching options. I hope that's not the case for this author and this game because Healslut is a great body of work so far! Check it out!

Really interesting game. I read a few reviews before playing, so I expected it to be good, however even with high expectations I was still surprised.

It has an amazingly deep branch-out story that while it inevitably leads to the same place, the characters with you, the events you've seen, who your character is and how their treated by the party are all vastly different based on your choices. - They cater ridiculously well to each little choice, in a way I've not seen before in a game like this and perhaps in any game.
I hope they keep it up as they release more, as there is a big conspiracy theory involving the (ingame) games developers and some moderators. I won't spoil anything, but it looks potentially epic.

The writing is immersive, mostly realistic, and very comedic when it wants to be, I chuckled out loud a few times, and I'm a grumpy cunt. Only dialogue complaint I have is when it transitions to the real you outside the game... but in the game... yeah, yeah. So you see a girl and her father, without spoiling, the MC got really, really possessive over a towel. I feel like a choice here would have been good, since if they were going for 'your MC is autistic' they are being inconsistent with it. As that was for sure an exclusively autistic response whereas in the games game and other situations, he is not, or we get a choice about it. - Other than that, it was a very well crafted story both in the games game world and the games real one.

Right now, there are not too many sex scenes, if I recall... about 9-11 big ones that show up in the gallery (for several play-throughs and focusing each party member one by one during each, mind) and a handful of minor ones or small events. Though they are very good and enough to get you off, or at least get you motivated to do so.

Oh and to clear up the complaints with the 'Male Protagonist' tag thing, you choose between a male or female IRL, then your game character (inside the game in this game) is always female. However, you do sometimes go back to THIS games' reality to play as the male character. Take that how you will, but it's really not a big deal at all. Also, he/she can become a trap/sissy. But that's not officially released yet, just the choice for later is.

TLDR: It's an awesome game, i'd highly recommend playing. You can easily get many different play-throughs. There is a vast combination of events based on who is alive and how the party sees you that even in my many sessions, I did not see all content. There is even a huge loot slut arc for example that completely changes the events you'll see that is completely missable and needs specific things done to even know it's a possibility. Very promising.

This must be the best fantasy-adult-themed game I've ever played. Real interesting and cute characters for all tastes, dialogues filled with good humor and a real well-developed plot, really above all the poorly written corruption/prostitution cliché situations.

Very cool so far though far from final state and short as it seems to me. Really fun to replay several times due to huge amount of choices. My personal suggestion is to add system of corruption and /d things like tentacles, bugs and so on. Anyway, solid 5.

Incredible Game! I am really impressed with the amount of impact that your choices have on the story as it unfolds. I expected the choices to be relatively meaningless, like a telltail game, but instead it the choices have a major impact on the party as you move through he game. How all the members teat you, what they're rolls are in the party, and even certain party members joining or leaving depend on your choices.

I also really enjoy how the main character reacts to everything. This MC is constantly surprised and uncomfortable with the world around her, which make everything seem more relatable.

This game has a good amount of variety with replay options. I personally enjoy the artwork and presentation style of the storyline. I also like the options for choosing the players own path through the scenes. Even the mostly static art style is good, it allows faster updates through focusing more on events and storyline instead of rendering full motion for everything. My only question.. . when do we get access to the armor in the first screen? That is some hot looking armor. More games need to have armor like that imo.

Expected this to be mediocre, but damn, this was hotter then expected. Love the setting, and the writing is just good enough to make it fun and entertaining. Really love this authors work, and hope he keeps updating this

Ver 0.4d
I was hesitant to play this one, though I'm glad I did. As others have said, the visuals are pretty good for a VN and the writing is hilarious, well thought out, and not too wordy or short. So far, I've yet to find a plot-hole or contradiction. For the novel length, the characters are pretty fleshed out and have actual personalities. In the beginning, I can't say I liked any of them; but, as you play through you learn more about why they each act the way that they do.

The replay value comes from making different decisions, which all matter (ironically something I usually dread), and learning more about each of the characters, who they are, and how your influence changes the story.

Story wise, it's refreshing for the genre and very entertaining. As of this version, it appears that while it ends on a cliff hangar, it's more like an end to volume 1 in a series. More story is coming, but the first arc is pretty much wrapped up.

Technically, I only found one minor bug and it wasn't game breaking, so I'd have to say everything is fairly stable.

A few things of note:
1. It's a VN. It has A LOT of choices for a VN, but it's still a VN. That said, almost all of the writing is dialogue and the pacing is quick, but that's just the style; which I really enjoyed.

2. As a VN, don't expect inventory slots, complicated stat mechanics or anything like that. There's no journal to keep track of you choices, but it's not hard. You get in-game feedback on how you're doing via occasional chats with one of the characters; who is pretty blunt, so no guessing needed.

3. It's a touchy topic but I feel like it has to be said for clarity. In this game, futanari does not equal hermaphrodite; they don't have both sets of plumbing down below. A bit of a let down IMO, but nothing I'm not willing to accept.

BTW, this comes from someone that reads novels a lot. And while the isekai and "video game world" genres are bit played out, this VN is a welcome addition.

A novel concept of storycraft in this site. MMORPG, magic fantasy world, Sci-Fi, real life of a normal asocial nerd... it's a bit of everything, combined with good amount of adult content of course. Good quality writings and well designed choice-based branchings. Renders and animations are enjoyable, too. Content is still somewhat limited as of V0.4d, but there's unlimited potential to look forward to.

Some people who feel deceived by the "male protagonist" tag and give this game one star are doing a disservice to an overall funny, creative and sexy piece of work that, for me, would easily find itself on the top 10 games of this site. I don't mean to spoil anything, but you do get the option to play as a male character. Let me explain that further. Healslut is an unfortunate, or rather fortunate, experience of a stereotypical asocial gamer who, due to a mysterious malfunction, got stuck playing as, you guessed it, a slut who does healing in a Sword-Art-Online type of virtual reality MMORPG. The catch is, you do have a say in what your avatar would look like throughout the course of the game. The greatest strength of Healslut is its character design. Every character in this game is unique and pleasing in their own ways. You can't help but find reason to love them all.

Now I get that we all have different preferences and some just don't want to see themselves as a female character. That's why you should be careful of tags like "female protagonist" or "transformation". Please don't take it on the developer if you don't like the game. That is not a fair assessment of their hard work.

Good game with a simple but intriguing story in a cyber-virtual mmorpg world switching between reality with twists and nice humor, well-written dialogue between characters with plenty of choices which do have an impact on story progression, even if some are minor as well as a gender choice at the beginning of the game for the main character. The visuals are very pleasant with distinct and interesting characters and well made intimate and sex scenes most of which are optional depending on your choices in-game. Overall a very tightly written well-done adult vn with good visuals as well as heart and humor.

One of the best games I've ever played!

Positive:
- Characters are well defined each with specific personalities
- Intriguing and well writen storyline and conversations
- The game will frequently let you make own decissions, each time tweaking the game a little in the near and/or further future, but not in a way that the game roadmap would completely change, which is good! (personaly I don't like games where developers try to put too many different fetishes and roadmaps into one game; this game stays true to it's main roadmap and fetishes while still letting you tweak the outcome a bit to your preference ^^)
- Nice animations and pics!

Negative:
N/A (I really can't think of anything)

Cheers,
L

Best game I have come across in a while. Funny, great rendors, and I'm interested to see where the various plot lines go. I like that there is a separate IRL plot line as well. Hopefully development on this game moves quickly.

I don't know why there is Male Protagonist tag when you can't even play as a male protagonist. Waste of my time downloading just to find that out. The CGs aren't that good its alright, I have seen much better, would i say its worth your time, i guess if you like this genre other than that its pretty bad.

This game is still new but have a lot of potential.
As a player you have a lot of choice influencing the course of the game an building the ,,perfect'' party.
Great dialogs and mix of kinks. Loot puppy for the win ; P

This game is absolutely incredible. Some really great writing, with characters you get to really know and care about, and some truly hot, kinky sex scenes. This game is one in a million! Can't wait for more.

Just too much fun, though I constantly have the sneaking suspicion I'm missing vast swathes of content based on my choices. Which, I guess, is a good thing.

The good humour of the whole thing is much appreciated.

Yeah, if you include a Male Protagonist tag you should really have a male protagonist, and not try to hide behind the idea that the male protagonist is playing as a female character. I realize that technically the male protagonist would be the gamer himself, but the problem is that the gameplay primarily seems to take place in the 'MMO world' not having the option to select gender and go from there really seems to be a bit disingenuous.