VN - Ren'Py - Hillside [v0.15.1] [DarkBlue]

After more than 4 years of development I think is time to make a review about Hillside current state.

While the game started with some promise back in the day, after all these years this is going nowhere and it shows. Some people criticized how the MC acted around the women and so on. The dev response was to sanitize the game to Disney levels.

Now we have a group of characters each one more extreme than the previews one. I'm talking about the main LI, so traumatized that having a male in front of her gives her ptsd. Or the younger daughter, supposedly a college student who thinks and acts like a kindergardener.
I mean, there is a general story about a bodyguard against Hollywood predators but the writing is so bad that hurts.

Renders are mid-ground, after 4 years there are avns with far better graphics but still there are some bottom of the barrel too. In any case visuals don't matter much cause the eroticism is non existant.
There was a nude pic years ago of the younger daughter taking a shower but that got scrapped cause it was not the right place to show her in all her glory or so the dev said.

Which brings me to talk about the sex scenes. I think there is one or maybe two, I don't remember cause I have seen only one with some side chick and it was nothing to write home about.

I know there are some slow burn games out there, but this doesn't have even the interest of erotic situations to keep you going.
Underwhelming.

I love it. its a great VN. Imcurrently following the charlotte and Emma Route simantanously, so basically nothing sexual happened yet, but i seriously coudnt give a fuck about that. the story is so immersive and fascinating that you dont even pay attention to that. The Characters are so interesting and full of background that i just cant help myself to be amazed by them. 10/10

Version 0.15 First Half

So want to start off by saying what an amazing story / vn to read and in my option very wholesome.

Pros:

• Story - I felt willing and wanting to read what was written. (Wasn't boring / filler dialog)
• Graphics / Renders - Very well done and flushed out.
• Progress - So don't want to spoil things but the way your character is more welcomed into his job / role.

Cons:

• Some scenes felt kind of rushed (I.E: Pool scene where MC is allowed around. You don't really get to swim and / or jumps to next scene / room.)

Only con in my option, I felt like there could of been some good renders during
All in all, 10/10 for me, it is in my top 3 for sure. Could possibly take #1 depending on the second half and hopefully more afterward <3.

story is absolutely idiotic, every male but the MC is a rapist or sexual assault perpetrator. Oh and there is basically no action on top of the stupid story. Gets 2 stars for rendering

4* for now - on verge of being a 2* for over doing the slow burn. One of the more interesting plots for a AVN, and the models are great. The writing is above average but still does not always use the best word choice, some minor spelling mistakes in newer content, and the Emma character is poorly written. Most of the other characters are well enough done

This is a story driven game, however this game is getting dangerously close to too much slow burn. Across all routes there are a total of 3 sex scenes including a HJ. This game has been out for over 4 years now, and the next updates need to seriously pick up the pace for this game to remain playable

Hillside is a fantastic visual novel that stands out for its captivating story, well-developed characters, and stunning renders. Despite being unfinished, it shines with its engaging plot and emotional depth, offering a unique, slow-burn experience that is more focused on narrative than explicit content. The models are beautifully designed, and the game's thoughtful exploration of real-life issues faced by actresses adds a meaningful layer to the story. While some may find the pace slow and the erotic content minimal, the game's strength lies in its storytelling and character development, making it a must-play for fans of story-driven VNs.

I don't normally leave reviews on this site, but this game is fantastic, and I would recommend it to anyone!

Though unfinished, Hillside shines brightly with its charming characters and promising story. To the creators: your talent is evident, your passion palpable. Keep forging ahead! Your devoted audience eagerly awaits the completion of this enchanting journey.

How? How? How?

How the fuck is this VN rated so highly? It is 100% not an Adult VN, it's a Story VN ONLY. If your looking for any type of sex, forget about it! I got annoyed after 40 minutes and just started skipping while following the walkthrough. The closest you get to any sex is him rubbing the 40 year old mother's FEET. That's it. Do yourself a favor if you are looking for an ADULT VN look elsewhere.
As a STORY based VN I would give it more stars the story starts off intriguing but then like a bad Soap Opera it just goes on and on and on and on. Like a bad Romance novel, the Will they wont they is real.

So disappointing as the graphics are great looking so I gave it a point for the renders and a point for a good story start, that sadly overstays it's welcome.

It's not a SLOW burn, it's NO Burn.

Absolutely beautiful models and clean renders.

MC is intriguing and not another horny teen with a horse cock.

The story is interesting with a few paths to take. And as much as I want sex scenes in games I play, it is refreshing that this isn't overloaded with them. There is enough lewd content to keep me happy.

TL;DR Expected slow burn story instead got a “dramatic” story with almost no action.
This is touted as a “slow burn” AVN, but it should really just be a VN that happens to have a very slight chance of sex scenes. Ultimately a “slow burn” is tolerable, if the story is good. However, in this case we get something like a snail trying to reach the moon when it comes to pacing. Aside from that the story is repetitive things like the constant “but should I talk to him/her”, which is necessary because the author doesn’t want to resolve the conflict that can be resolved with talk. The #metoo stuff could have been handled a lot better if the villains didn’t act like total cartoon villains and the same things weren’t said over and over again about it. I also found the slowness of sex scenes pointless because that’s usually for more “realistic” stories yet almost everything else seemed to be done from the point of view of an overly dramatic story teller. I will say the models look good if somewhat generic, and the naivety of the youngest daughter is very rare but does happen, usually in cults though.

Game was really good till the death of the character we know, after that it doesn't really make much sense and it feels directionless.
Dev can't decide if he wants to do sex scenes or not and the baiting is getting annoying.
Renders are pretty good and the models are decent.

I have no idea why this game is rated so high.

The renders are the only decent thing about it.
The rest is mediocre at best utter garbage at its worst.

For main cast we have:

The MC. Generic dude with traumatic past.
The abused/raped supermodel.
Her daughter that is so naive that she's borderline retarded.
Her alcoholic aunt, a slut.

I found the story to be quite boring... nothing ever really happens for a long time. Then you get a few action scenes and the aftermath of those gets resolved very quickly.

This game is bad as a novel because it's boring and as ADULT VN it's even worse because almost nothing ever happens.

I rate this game 2/5 for the renders.

+ a great story that I enjoy
+ the renders are beautiful
+ there are the models, the supermodels and then Charlotte, who is in a whole other league of her own
- the end of the story is still a long way off and further developments could take years
- for some, the slow pace and the "mere" eroticism rather than sex scenes may be a minus (for me, on the contrary, I like it in the case of Hillside)

very polished game, great writing and although there is hardly any sexual content there are lots of sexy renders sprinkled throughout. all the girls are unique for the most part, although kayla and lucy have similar personalities with throwing themselves at the mc.

a few cons: emma is too naive and innocent to the point that it is unrealistic and kinda ruins the immersion. imo the was poorly handled cos there's no music/sound - the mod adds some but its just not the same level of polish as the rest of the game
the dialogue occasionally feels rather stilted
also there is no harem which made me sad, but i think having a harem would probably ruin the game tbh so its for the best, even though it makes me very sad!!!!!

I'm giving this novel the full score. I've been quite hesitant to read this one since I'm not so sold with the renders but dammnn.. it feels good that i didn't decide to pass up on this one.
I like the story so far, this whole slow-burn romance/drama got me all hooked. None of those fast paced one-time sex scenes that makes a visual novel soulless. Somehow i ain't one of those harem-schtick fanboys who loves those kinds of trope.
Although i did notice the lack of BGM in the game but then I just added the mod (would've deducted a point if it wasn't for that)

This is probably the story that touched me the most out of all the visual novels I've played, I was completely enthralled while playing it, I wanted so much to keep a good watch over this mother and son, the daughter was so adorable, and that there was that heartbreaking modeling single mom, and I have to say that this developer brought a very good storyline to the table, and even though there was very little erotic content, I enjoyed myself immensely while playing it!

This game is very unique and executes the premise well. The plot is emotionally driven and highlights real experiences actresses in Hollywood now face, stating how we need to acknowledge this and fix it in the real world.

The LIs are convincingly well-written and beautiful and I appreciate the slow burn due to the significance of the story. Urge all slow-burn lovers to play this and consider it a highly important story that takes the AVN medium to a serious level of being beyond a simple porn game.

Only seen a few devs attempt something like this and this one does so wonderfully. Appreciate that hard work and look forward to the next updates!

THE BEST VN I'VE EVER PLAYED.
there's almost no sex scenes but the story is just brilliant.
hope it will be updated soon

To make it clear right off the bat, this is not a porn game, this is an interactive novel. Most of the choices are just being nice or being an asshole, and the nice choices obviously give you points with the girls. You get to choose the girls you want to pursue, but it's not a harem game. With that out of the way, the main focus of the game is the story. I was surprised honestly how much it pulled me in. It starts off a bit slow but gets more serious as the game goes on. The story is pretty dark, if sometimes unbelievable. The characters are written believably most of the time and so it's not going to really pull you out of the immersion. That being said, I do wish there were a bit more choices in the story outside of the girls. I really would have liked to punch out a few characters. Overall, if you want a deep story that has a lot of dark elements that will keep you hooked then this is the game for you. If you're looking for a porn game or a game with a lot of sex and lewd scenes, you will not find it here.

After playing through this VN, there are parts I like, and parts that I find frustrating, as it could have been even better than I feel it currently is.
The models/renders are very nice. I've no particular issue with the lack of animations.
This biggest issues I have is with the story and the behaviour/dialogue of the characters. I like the Tinseltown setting with the veteran model who has experienced trauma and abuse, with a naive teenage daughter, and facing harassment from a stalker(s). As others have pointed out, the villains are unrealistic, especially the mogul who isn't bothered to shout out who they want killed. The daughter seems to act like a tween/early teenager rather than someone about to graduate high school. Also, Emma seems to be someone who cries when she thinks a spider is in her hair, but doesn't think they need counselling after being held hostage at knifepoint. Ditto, Kaylah after being molested apparently is fine to want to sleep with MC the next day, and continue with her next photoshoot within a day or so. Also, MC must have Wolverine's healing factor after blocking the knife with his forearm. No hospital visit, and no bandages needed.
The slow burn storyline is fine by me, and I'm interested to see how it all plays out. After what Lucy mentioned of her jealousy, I was reminded of the sister in The Bodyguard but it didn't seem to go that way.
But could someone explain to me as I think I missed it, was the detective a serial killer? I get that he was trying to frame the boy Emma had in the friendzone, but was it meant to be related to the movie producer guy? The pacing seemed all over the place with that scene as well. Was the alley 5 mins down the road from the house? If it wasn't for the tracker, MC would not have found Emma, but how did the detective know if MC would even show up? How long was he waiting? And I get that the police may be corrupt, but it seems like the entire police station is on the take?
I found a couple of scenes amusing. The expression on MC's face when Suzi beat up the bullies was hilarious, and when FBI agent Fox overturned the table, I imagined that if her skin was green, she could have been She-Hulk.
Overall, I have given this a 3/5 as I would like to have been given more choices for situations as it seems the MC (and also the reader) is being carried along without able to affect the story. And the behaviour and dialogue of the characters just doesn't seem realistic, especially the villains.