VN - Ren'Py - Heartsworn Abyss: NighTmaRes [v0.41b] [sky blue aster]

With other reviews lacking anything substantial I feel like I need to give an actual review and impression of the game so far.

Starting with how I discovered the game. I noticed it right after it was first posted on this site. It looked very interesting and with the dev accentuating the fact that it was not made by AI I felt incredibly suspicious for some reason. But the thumbnails looked amazing and it seems it even has VA. No way they have enough budget for this and amazing art on top of that. So I jumped to conclusions and decided not to touch it. It is too good to be true.

Since then I have seen the dev campaigning the game throughout sites and I was like damn this guy is really desperate to promote another generic NTR game. I always chuckled and moved on.

I do not know what happened to me but yesterday I suddenly decided to give the VN a shot and oh boy. It is actually very good and my doubts have dissipated. It took me 5 to 6 hours to finish all available content and here are my impressions.

The prologue manages to catch attention immediately and it felt really novel compared to other NTR games. I like the pacing of the story. At first I thought a 1 to 1.5 hour sex scene is too much but they managed to make it work. That scene is a great setup for what is coming next and I like the possibilities it presents. This novel seems to be on the slower end so if you are looking for a quick wack off I think this is not for you.

The dynamic between the MC and heroine is very interesting. Even though I came for NTR I enjoy seeing them interact so far. I think this is going to be one of those gems where great vanilla can make the netorare part peak.

The main heroine is very well written and does not seem like your average cliche anime girl who has the intelligence of a five year old. It made me feel really bad for her during some scenes.

The writing style is good. It beats pretty much anything on this website. I really like the writer’s active voice.

Additionally the UI is pleasant. Also the VA is actually very good. I am not sure how they pulled it off with this budget.

But most importantly this game is definitely made by someone who wants to create a great story and is not just here for a cash grab. It definitely needs to be advertised as much as possible so I apologize for shitting on the dev for this. I believe games like this need to be recognized by a wider audience. I already subscribed to Patreon and I hope that more budget would allow them to produce more content as so far there are not many scenes. I do not mind it since I can see there is more focus on quality but since the dev said a higher budget would allow him to produce more CG and scenes I would happily give them more money.

I have left quite a few reviews on the website and it has mostly been done out of consideration or just because I liked the idea even though the execution is meh and the game does not deserve five stars. This time I think I can confidently give five out of five. If this keeps going in this direction it might become one of the best adult games I have ever played. I want to see where the dev’s vision will go and I cannot wait to see it happen.

Very pretty character designs, solid voice acting, intrigue, world building, and very hot and intense scenes. This game has something for people who want hardcore NTR and those who want to protect their waifu from NTR scenarios.

the story is really good i find myself eager to see the rest of it. i like the ability to pick different choices/paths. the art is really good and the mc is cute. the game doesn't rlly have ntr yet but from the buildup i know it's gonna be good

Story: great
Originality: i played some games and this is really novel
Renders: wonderful
Sound, the sound is truly professional-wise
Playability: classic visual novel
Voice Acting, like really good, first time i hear male voice acting lmao

this is really really good. probably the best first start on an ntr game in this site. lots of potential that i know if the dev got resources for, they could execute it

which is why im kind of sad when i see the likes of this f95 page, but i trust the dev.

suggestions to the dev tho, he can ignore this: straightforward title could give this game a better visibility. all of the most successful tag specific games(like ntr, futa etc)have that.

Note this review is only as of version .1:

Anyways super high quality H-game from western dev. First time I've ever seen fully or mostly voiced female heroine in a western game. Art was solid, and pacing is alright so far. Can't comment too much on the NTR yet since it's a slow burn and only version .1 though I'm optimistic since this game has a really good thriller scene already (Like genuinely really good, even in a dedicated thriller action novel I think it would pass with a few edits.). Was really impressed with how that scene was built up. Dev has a good grasp of word play and how to image the action in your head. Heroine had a healthy amount of doubt and reason in them given the scenario they were put into. And you could really feel their panic and worry that I haven't felt from any H-game in the past.

Additional thoughts:
Dev has proven to me they are competent at, at least a few aspects of writing. Tension, build-up, and imagery. All of which are crucial to H-scenes, so they can write good scenes in general. Now I'm just curious if they can convert that to H-scenes specifically. Maybe they can, maybe they can't. But I choose to believe in their competency and that it'll continue into their H-scenes.