VN - Ren'Py - Hillside [v0.16.1] [DarkBlue]

I've actually given up on this game, I don't mind slowburn, infact I really enjoyed it for the first however many hours of gameplay, what bothers me is the fact that it feels like the dev doesn't really know where they want to progress with the character dynamic between MC and Charlotte. In this universe, every male is inherently evil, a pervert and a rapist, except ofcourse MC and the mandatory buddy bro character who is present in every AVN.

Charlotte is a man hater in the game through and through, I'm not saying it's not justified given what happened to her but her reaction to men is rather set to the extreme end of the spectrum, for some it could be a charm of the game, like it was for me for the first few episodes. Many players like that sort of dynamic where you crack the tough exterior of a character little by little but where the problem arises (according to my personal opinions) is it doesn't really happen in the correct way, right when you think that you're getting through to her she flips off at MC for something that would be totally out of his control. What pissed me off is when MC saved her daughter's life, instead of thanking him she basically treated him like he's some sort of monster.

Coming on to the character of the daughter (Emma), don't even get me started on her, she is the single most annoying character I've come across any halfway decent AVN. She is supposedly an "18 year old", but she looks, speaks and acts like a 13 year old, she likes pink things and constantly compares MC to her dad. It was not a bother at first because it seemed like she was destined to become more of a daughter like character to MC but as we slowly approached the last few updates it is becoming apparent she is approaching LI territory which is seriously disgusting imo, I used to respect the dev but this change in dynamic has me rethinking my opinions of them. I may hate games with loli characters but atleast a lot of them have the decency to be forthcoming about what the game is, this one on the other hand had no such intentions.

Now this is what I call a visual novel. Just pure storytelling.
FYI: I only played Charlotte's route.

I had been itching to play a game set in Hollywood and was ecstatic to find this game. You get to date a model and enjoy the extravagant Hollywood life? Count me in. It became clear soon, though that it was not how it was going to be.

Sexual assault in the modeling/acting world and exploitation of young models is a very interesting theme. It's unique in the world of visual novels and it's something that's actually based on reality.

Renders won't blow your mind away but they're good enough to tell a story. Charlotte actually has the 'model' look. Gosh, those cheekbones!

The story is the reason you play this game. While the progression of the relationship between you and Charlotte is very slow, there are story arcs and plot points that will keep you occupied and I did not think the overall pacing was an issue at all. The characters act in a way that's understandable most of the time.(Not logical, but understandable.) The story does get a bit jumbled as the scale of the story shifts later on but nothing too significant.

What I really liked was how it gave me the feel of the modeling/entertainment world with all the photo shoot stuff, Valentini and so on. Those details really fleshed out the world without going too deep into the details.

TL;DR
If you're not looking for a quick wank this is one of, if not the best game in terms of story. Just try to follow the story as it unravels and you'll find yourself enjoying it in no time.

Nice game, likeable characters, and good story. If you are looking to pound off then stay away because the game is more story based and takes its time for us to get to like the characters. I love the plot so far and character progression is at good pace too.

Nice game, and good story. This game is more focused on feelings than sexual, which is what make this game has a good story. And all the character is still in progress in terms of feeling and sexual way, in the future i think this game is gonna be one of the best adult visual novel, well at least for me. Aaaanddd i dont what to write now. I think thats all my review for this game for now.

I really liked the game and no offense said the game is very similar to Lexi's game it's a pity that it was abandoned for serious reasons, but the game is already very cool, it's clear that the game is made with love and with the soul of its developer good luck to you game

The story in this game is amazing so far. I only gave it a 4 star because we could use more choices, animations, and I'd like to see more and longer sex scenes., Right now the game plays more like a kinetic novel.

Story: 10/10
Graphics: 10/10
Sex scenes: 1/10
Characters 10/10

English: 7
User Interface: 6
User Experience: 6
Art: 7
Dialogue: 4
Story: 6
Opinion: 5
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Avg: 5.86/10

As of right now, before even replaying this story. From what I remember it's a difficult story to rate. On one hand, it puts a light to real world horror stories that happen every day in hollywood. On the other hand it kinda uses that as a framing object for MC to eventually have sex with the victims of that awful shit. I'm well aware I'm one of the few idiots on this site with an actual conscience, and as such I can't "enjoy" a lot of the actual garbage on this site. But this story walks a very fine line between hero complex and taking advantage of scared women based on the plot twist of Batman v Superman. (ie a character having the same name as someone else.) That, added with the late 80s characterization of some bullies and plot "twists" that can literally be seen before the plot is even laid out, just makes so many story points flat out boring. But it also gets points not being the same awful plot 90% of the other "games" on here have. And the joke that MC is so bad at his job he's supposedly "the best at" that he couldn't stay up past 9pm to walk around and find some cretin jerking off in their bushes is laughable at best. And the writer still manages to have a fucking stupid horny brain character insert with Steve and I wish there was a version of this with him cut out of it.

The story is pretty cliche, you're MC, a bodyguard for wealthy people. Suddenly MC's called by world famous supermodel Charlotte to protect her daughter Emma. Only MC does the anime exclamation grunt "!!!" She has the same name as... The sentence trails off as you rightly assume "MC once guarded and fell in love with another woman named Emma." The twist is: the now dead Emma was best friends with Charlotte while MC was working with her. Anyways, MC takes the job as some sort of self redemption. He learns Emma is being stalked and tormented BY THE ONLY OTHER MALE MENTIONED IN THE GAME so far. Wow. Imagine that. And Charlotte being a superstar coveted by every rich male in the industry has severe androphobia due to past experiences and is hesitant to hire a male bodyguard. But the mischievous sister, Lucy recommends MC to hopefully fight that fear and have a male presence around. She also serves as early game sexual content, being the trope of sexually forward, self conscious sister of the "world's hottest woman." And from there its banal day to day nothings while MC screws the sister then snowballs into learning about a corrupt billionaire sex ring. Like, if MC was a cop, I'd understand, but all of that couldn't be solved by a bodyguard that doesn't WANT to deal with all of that until he's eventually in a relationship with one (or all) of the women in the house.

One of my big issues with the writing happens in a lot of these stories. When Lucy tells MC about the times Charlotte was attacked, suddenly MC has this fake brain blast like "I know she's not telling me everything I HAVE to know it all." When? At what point in the dialogue did Lucy seem like she was holding something back? He had that thought mid-sentence even, so she wasn't even really done talking. And why would she even have to tell him? It's someone else's trauma, not a secret that prevents MC from doing his job. That he SUCKS at by the way. Every bad event in this story could have been prevented if MC actually guarded a fucking body. Break in? Stay up later than 9 on a school night. Stalker? Look out a window for once. Possible kidnapping? Follow the girl you're supposed to be protecting while she goes on her first date with a piece of shit. They all hold MC on some pedestal, but he really just doesn't do his job. And every interaction with Emma. She acts like an 8 year old. EVERY GAME ON THIS SITE does this. If there is a daughter, the writer's only frame of reference of a younger girl is just that, a brain dead toddler that pouts. She's supposed to be a young woman getting into the fashion industry. Not a little girl that likes pretty clothes. And it's not even just her, MC pokes at her like a kid too, to the point where he lets her paint his nails for him. I mean, come on.

And at the point you make the "big Charlotte decision" there has been exactly ONE point where MC and her share any iota of intimacy. "Oh... I can't deny I feel something for her." Outside of the night MC saves Kaylah, all she does is kep distance and all he does is say "Yes Ms. Lloyd." Like, as a character, yes Charlotte is a likeable mother-type and despite her troubles, seems like a decent person. But beyond (failing at) doing his job, MC hasn't had any personal moments with her. It feels like a rush, as at that point it was what, seven episodes of an adult game with minimal sexual content? I, personally like the burn, let them have more than just a common enemy and him being contractually obligated to live with her. But people paid for this, I'm sure the brain-dead brigade stormed in with "I pay FIVE whole dollars a month for this, me want sex." So it rushed that, and then the story snowballs into the Epstien-esque sex ring and police investigations.

The truth is at this point, I don't think this will ever be finished. MC has barely held hands with the main LI all the while screwing Lucy and/or Kaylah. And with what's building up, it seems like Emma and possibly Suzi are going to be LI's? Emma is the most brain-dead, childish, naive little robot and it would feel completely disgusting to even hint at a romantic relationship with her. So that makes one of the good points, the characterization of Charlotte, also a huge weakness, as all other LI's just are compared to her. And that's half of their personality. Kaylah wants to be just like Charlotte. Lucy feels worthless always compared to her sister. Emma wants to be stong like her mother. And Suzi isn't even on the radar yet. All that added to maybe one update a year? This is going to be milked. Which is unfortunate.

And I wanna be clear, my rating for "English" is not just how well some broken English is presented. It's spelling, flow, and just how it feels to read. And A LOT of this feels robotic. A lot of phases just aren't said the ways they're presented in this. And it's all british spelling but 100% based in L.A. I dunno just something about feels not quite all there. The UI is mostly edited and looks alright, and the UX wasn't broken or impacted by it. The art is fine. A lot of dead faces and stuff but it looks good overall. The Dialogue would be better if Emma was mute. Every line she fumbles out, she acts like a child and the ONE time she's told "no" she pouts and cries like an impetulant spoiled brat. The story isn't bad. It feels like I've seen or read this exact story somewhere, but it's executed fine, so my opinion is middle of the road, I guess.

Not very much sexual content, though it is certainly titillating. But where it is lacking in pornography, it excels as art. This is one of the best stories in a visual novel. Absolutely worth a play through if story is what you're after.

One of my favourite games right now.

I'm 100 presents invested in the story and the characters.
I pretty much adore all the female characters.

Having said all that, the story is a VERY slow burn. It is also VERY monogamous. I guess, there is some paths where you can possible have sex with more than one LI, but It looks like you can definitely only end up with one LI.

The story is not done, so plenty of unknowns and unexplored relationships still in the game, but it's all part of what keeps me on my toes.

100% recommendation.

Hillside is the most slow-burn AVN I've played to date, and players who want to get to the lewd stuff right away are doubtlessly going to end up frustrated -- but the story is solid and the renders are beautiful.

The renders and character designs in this game are great, and all the characters have interesting backstories, complex personalities, and their own motivation. The narrative head-hops from one character to another, which might not be to everyone's taste, but I found it really deepened the understanding of the characters.

There is also a lot of low-key tension in the story. It gets borderline comical how often in this game a character will go from trusting the MC, to totally distrusting them, and back again, particularly Charlotte, who can't seem to figure out how she feels about MC no matter what. I found this added a lot of fun to the story.

My only real issue is that Emma as a character is meant to be 18 and in college, but that quickly falls apart under scrutiny. She's extremely naive and her "college" is very clearly a high school. The story surrounding her starts out relatively wholesome, but it's obvious she is moving toward LI territory, which could be distasteful to some players.

Not exactly a "con," but the environments in Hillside are generally very limited. A great deal of the game involves the three main characters in the house knocking on doors and checking on each other. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it allows for a more interesting story, but if you dislike lots of long conversations in living rooms and kitchens, this game might annoy you.

Overall, I had a lot of fun with it. Gorgeous game to look at, largely wholesome story. A good time but unlikely to be an all-time favorite.

Okay I have no idea why people rave on about this VN so much.

Storywise it's not bad but getting a bit over the top with the amount of villains who have it in for Charlotte and Emma but I guess we have to have the threat factor an ever constant I suppose. It's almost like a cartoon with baddies coming out of the woodwork. The school stuff just felt silly though.

Also, why would the baddie who went after Emma before MC stops him permanently, tell Charlotte to keep the MC on and not get rid of him...thus making his own plans harder? also why did he recommend MC? it just doesn't make sense.

Characters...okay I'm just going to say it...probably upset all those simping over them but fuck it.

I find Charlotte annoying. I get the whole abuse thing and she hates/distrusts guys because of it but damn I find her schizo persona annoying. I actually tried her path until the part when MC kills the dude and she starts coming out with how she can't be near him but admits to her sister she would have wanted him to kill her attacker...oh ffs. At that point I restarted and went for Lucy who has a more appealing personality - apart from when she bosses the MC around.

Suzi...talk about a massive bitch who needs drop kicked into the nearest waste bin. Her screaming, aggressive rants make her the most unappealing ungrateful stupid bitch ever. I wish MC would tell her to shut the fuck up! I couldn't stand her.

Emma is actually pretty sweet but naive as hell thanks to mommy dearest treating her like a 5 year old. So far it's hard to see her as a LI as she is so immature despite her figure. Feels a bit creepy to be honest.

Lucy is the stereotypical "slut" type of char with a heart of gold underneath but living under big sis's shadow which makes her vulnerable and bitter.
She is fun though, especially compared to the other females in her family.

The chars just swing back and forth too much at times and half the time feel like cliches out of a cheap dime novel. One really annoying thing is how the big bad ass MC acts scared when these women start getting aggressive with him. Really? You can be professional but still not take shit from clients. I doubt most bodyguards would. No way I would take that kind of crap from a client, they would be told to button it or look for a new bodyguard. Suzi would just be told to shut her toxic face..

Renders are very average, nothing that jumps out compared to some games on here. I can live with that if the story and chars really draw me in though but unfortunately in this case, nope.

Updates are pretty slow for this game and there is very little adult scenes which means probably by the time you get them it will be near end game. For me that's not a problem if the love interest hooks you so much that it's worth it. I don't feel that with any of them in this, so I find it more a case of losing interest over time than being invested.

All in all I just found this a completely average VN that left me wondering what all the hype was about. I also found myself not really caring much about the characters apart from Emma really.

I wont be bothering to check for future updates but good luck to the dev regardless.

The stated focus of the game is emotional connections and I think it achieves that, knocks it out of the park. I felt sympathy, frustration, joy, worry. The love interests are likable and very good looking. The story is good; I want to see how it plays out.

The thing that keeps me from giving it a 5 is the amount of lying/lack of communication between the characters. So many times I thought, "Ack, if they'd just be honest and talk to each other they could solve all their problems!". That can be really effective storytelling up to a point -and it is here. Past that point it can feel contrived. Personally I went from being invested ("I care about these characters, I hope they learn to trust each other") to simply frustrated. It's good to be frustrated at a character because that's a real human emotion. It's not so good if you get to the point of being frustrated at the game itself.

TBH I made it to chapter 8 and I had to express my thoughts. I'm certainly not quitting the game because I like it too much overall. If my view changes by the end, of course I'll adjust my rating.

simply the best adult game/novel I have ever played.
Best characters
Best story, the player is always focused
Best images, girls are designed at the top
Best everything

Please continue in this way. I wait for every update

(Version Reviewed: v0.13)

I loved playing Hillside.

The renders look great and the characters all look perfect for their nature and the environment they're in. There aren't any animations and possibly that is something that the game could improve on.

The premise as well as the story is excellent and quite grounded despite it being set in the in-game equivalent of Hollywood. The characters are well-fleshed out and they have their own growths. Their interactions with the MC have been quite well written.

There is no music in this game, so that counts against Hillside.

The game is a slow-burn especially with the main two LIs and since the MC spends most of his time with them, it is difficult for him to spend time with a girl that would love to have sex with him. The lewd content is quite limited despite it being three years since the game started development. But, it fits the story telling of the game and it's something that will pay off greatly when the story nears completion.

I must admit that I dislike Emma. She's so naïve that it's a turn off. She talks like a child most of the time and the drama surrounding her was quite boring for me. That being said, Charlotte is a great LI. I loved how she's slowly feeling secure about being around the MC after each update.

Overall, I'd rate it at 8/10. The only reason that it isn't a 9 is that Emma irritates me to a frustrating degree. The ones reading this review might not feel the same, so go in expecting a great game all round.

I've never written a review on this site but wow this game is top notch the story the models did i mention the story i was so wrapped up in it one of the best visual novels i think i have ever played.

I really like this game. Visually, it's a top-notch game on this website. The game has amazing models. the women are hot, although sometimes the models seem a bit off. Off the hook! It's a complex plot if you're into that. There are plenty of H-scenes, and they are very nice. A game not to miss. 200 Wow, reviews. It deserves more.

A SLOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW burn, with a ton of heart though. This game is gorgeous and you find yourself really caring for the girls and their shitty situations. This VN is excellent overall, but I think it could use 1 or 2 more crumbs of sexytime while it builds

This game is providing a very good story, strong characters personality and a real amazing rendering. I'm really waiting for more content in the future. But I don't understand why I need to write more than 200

Literally the best VN I've ever played, Shoutout to the dev man, I love slow burning VN's and the dev does it so well. Hell its a slight tear jerker too.
Renders are peak , story is peak, models are gorgeous. Can't fucking wait for the next update