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

This is an excellent VN. The renders are top-notch, the LIs are very attractive, and the writing is among the best I've seen in a game like this. There is next to no sexual content yet, but the story and writing are good enough to keep you playing even without the payoff of seeing sex scenes.

The story is relatively original and the plot is believable. Because the dev is clearly aiming for realism, this is definitely not one of those games where everybody immediately jumps into a sexual relationship with the MC. The amount of relationship building/developing is immense. As other reviews have noted, this is the slowest of slow burn VNs. There are hours and hours of dialogue, and to this point, there is only one possible sex scene- and even then, you only see it if you choose to pursue a relationship with a particular LI.

If you are looking for a quick fap, this is definitely not the VN for you. The amount of buildup to entering a sexual/intimate relationship with any LI can be almost excruciating, but honestly I think this may be preferable to games in which you immediately start having sex with everyone, thus eliminating any sexual tension or anticipation (and often leading to boredom). While I do wish there was more sexual content, I'm not mad that it hasn't happened yet, as it seems likely the game will be heading that direction relatively soon.

All of that said, there are a few issues I have to nit-pick with this VN (and the reason I keep waffling between giving this 4 stars or 5):

First, while the characters have unique and mostly believable personalities and the character development is generally quite good, this game falls into a few common (and honestly irritating) tropes you see so often in games like this. The main LI's daughters have the same one-dimensional, and almost cartoony, personalities as you'll find in half the games on this site: the older daughter is inexplicably aggressive and basically a raging bitch for no discernable reason, while the younger daughter is unbelievably naïve and innocent. Seriously, the younger daughter is 18, but talks and acts like she is 12 years old. When the game first started, I was dreading the fact that it first seemed like you were going to be steered into a sexual relationship with the younger daughter, who is written to basically behave like a child. Thankfully, it appears your relationship with her appears to be growing to be much more like a (hopefully non-incestuous) father-daughter relationship.

The other issue I have is the same thing that bothers me about a number of movies and tv shows: so many problems and conflicts could be easily avoided if the characters simply talked to one another, rather than flying into a rage or emotional fit without letting the other person get a word in. This is most prevalent with regards to the interactions with Suzi, the older daughter. It's not a deal-breaker as far as the VN is concerned, but I find it extremely irritating and/or exhausting at times.

Ultimately, this is a really fantastic VN for anyone who appreciates good writing/storytelling, and one I will be following closely.

Version 0.12

This will easily go down as one of the best visual novels of all time. Renders are top tier. Dev has consistently shown his dedication to telling his story without regard to demands for more lewd content. And the story is great. I really care about these characters and as the MC my protective instinct for all of them is maxed out. Only struggle now is will I choose Lucy or Charlotte?

v0.12

As a story, this is a pretty good read.
As an adult VN... Not worth remembering imo.

Models: 5/5
Very pretty models that are very unique feeling.

Expression: 5/5
I could hold skip and actually tell what was going on with the visuals alone. Pretty well done.

Plot: 4/5
Bodyguard stepdad, and the issues of his girls.
Meh.

Dialogue: 4/5
Decent conversation flow and somewhat believable.

Sex quality: 1/5
It was like sex was added just for the sake of having a touch of it.

Adult content frequency: 1/5
Saw some nip here and there.
...ya. Not a fap story in the least.

Enjoyment: 2/5
While I liked the daughter at first, her whining and inability to change mixed with the lack of sexual content just had me wondering why I was even bothering.

If you want a mopey somewhat realistic story without any focus on sexual content or really romance either, this might be interesting to read.
I'm sure that's what you're here for. lol

I don't know why I haven't rated this yet. Truly a gem between AVN games. Engaging story with a lot of drama in it, likeable, beautifuly made characters (apart of Suzi, lol) and very well made renders overall. Only dowside could be development time, but it is not that long as many games there have and updates are long enough. Generaly, Hillside is really worth playing.

Warning: no sex! And for some reason i´m doing my first run on a Charlotte path! And it was like 3am when i got to the end (v0.11). And...

If you´re like me you´ve played dozens (100s?) of AVNs. Sometimes one of those is a true gem. It´s fun, exciting and doesnt feel like porn.

The story and characters, including the MC, are very well written.

Forget porn for a few hours and indulge yourself with a fantastic love story.

I've played dozen's of games on F95. Mostly Ren'py VN's in the top 100. This by far is the best game I've played. I'm not going to lie, for most of the games, I turn on the ol'auto function and rip through the story lines to get to the good stuff. This game, this story drew me in and kept me wanting more. Despite the lack of sex scene I was completely enamored by the story line and stuck to it to the very end. Really looking forward to the next update!

Review v0.11

This game is amazing. Great renders, fantastic story. One of the few that made me close to crying at some points.

Those looking for a quick fap should go look elsewhere but I don't care. There are plenty of games like that but sadly only a few like this one.

The only thing I found somewhat confusing was the gameplay. In some conversations, love points can be earned, but it's not clear what they do. It seems the paths are dependant on clear choices, like "do I have feelings for her?" "yes" => path opens, "no" => path closes.

Anyway, the game handles this consistently so it's not a big problem, it just annoys me a bit that I don't what the love points do.

Regardless, the story, the characters and the renders are so good that it in no way distracts from the experience.

Note to people concerned about NTR. Don't open if you don't want spoilers!

Verdict: one of the best games out there! 5/5 easily

An excellent game like no other, which focuses on character development, the relationships between them and the story. It is a real pleasure to play this game and to discover the plot as it unfolds.

Big LOVE to Emma the best girl ! <3

I have finished almost 50 adult games, I can safely say this has the best story and rendering, I really enjoyed it, laughing, excitement, fear, anxiety, badge, everything at the same time in the end, it was so much. I enjoyed it a lot, the scene where Emma was about to be killed was more exciting for me than the Avengers movie, I don't know why! It's 100% due to its wonderful story, congratulations to the developer of this game, I'm sure if he turns to the directing industry, we will see the best Hollywood movies, the story was so great

Great game. Great plot, well written dialogue, lots of interesting characters. The main character isn't some pervert/horny teenager you really sympathize with him. The flip side of high fashion and show business is great, you can see that the emphasis has been on highlighting stories that have recently received a lot of publicity. Of course there are no erotic scenes and passionate relationships at all for version 11, but I think that will change in the coming updates. The relationship of the main characters is developing, spiritual and physical intimacy is just around the corner so let's have some patience.
The game is really great, but the minuses are present here too and they are worth pointing out:
- The drawing of the emotions of the main characters often looks ridiculous and absurd. For example, the main character has a completely idiotic facial expression in many scenes. This should definitely be corrected a stern military man should not look like an idiot;
- Some scenes are often repetitive, such as the constant hugging of mother and daughter and talking about how they miss each other when they see each other almost every day. And anyway, as intimidated as poor Emma is it's hard to believe that she has no friends at all at school. It's not believable that everyone in the class is an arrogant bastard we need more people at least someone like the hapless lover David;
- Many of the characters are too implausibly negative. It's clear that the glamour world is full of bastards, but this could have been played a little more interesting. There are many more shades of gray in reality; I would have liked to see more ambiguous individuals;
- The scene with the cop at the end of version 11 is weird - well, a maniac can't just let his victim go like that, it's kind of dumb.
Thank you for reading to the end!
I expect that the author will continue to delight us with updates, well, I hope that he will read my comments and make this game even more perfect

Great.
This game have good writing, plot, renders, music it have everything you want from a game. it is like watching movie with great script and everything is perfect. MC is mature do not get cocky, good humour, story just pin you. while playing this game i didn't even think about banging girls or when i will get the hot scenes no i keep playing to see how story unfold. MC is
mature so are the girls around him. His background is good military man but this is to justify he can be a bodyguard which good because he have tough opposition. it is not like other game where DEV's give army background for dramatic effect He do his job perfectly not like other game where in mind MC just thinking about banging every girl he see. Client's daughter is naive not like other games where naive girls ask you to teach them about sex very early in the game. she do not know how world works or how people can be monsters. his mother do everything to keep her innocent daughter out of harms way. and MC doesn't bank on that like we see in other games.


This game could have fallen to that category but DEV have good script and a great mind to not give in demand and just add unnecessary sex scenes. you will not feel the lack of sex because story and dialogues are good. like AWAM could have been better if DEV's dialogue, those annoying little kids had better role.


This is one of the few games that do everything perfect. MC care about their client and do not think about them as just walking sex dolls. which is hard now every game just focus on sex rather then story. You will not get Sex scenes even in episode 0.11 but it is good needed for story development. now i just wish DEV do not make it all goody goody and end it very soon. everyone should play this game for once to get the idea how to make games without being cringy and how you can make games without putting sex scenes after every 5 scenes


good luck DEV you are great. i want to contribute to your mind blowing project atleast one time , i feel bad enjoying this game for free but in my country i'm having issues with Patreon due to our reserve bank banning monthly auto payments so Patreon do not accept cards from my country
and everyone having problems as soon as i find any other way or it solved i will contribute.

OMG!!!

First off the models are gorgeous. The story is so engaging that I stuck with it and read through the entire SUPER long story, despite there being ZERO sexual content. I mean, sure there is some brief nudity but seriously... If I had known I wouldn't have started the game. That said, the models and story are both very solid.

It's just kinda of a bait and switch. There are arguably 5 women for the lead character to develop a relationship with, and at the beginning it even felt like some sort of harem was going to develop. But no, NOTHING! Not one scene with the MC and ANY of the women.

I hate both that so much time was sucked into this with no payoff, and that I know I will play the update. Sigh.

Version 0.11

After 4 hours of "gameplay" (it's a VN just reading and choosing some options) this is my opinon.

Is it a good story? Yes
Does it have good dialogue? Yes
Are the renders good? Yes
Do you like the characters? yes, i want to protect Emma with all my heart

Have I been blueballed for 4 hours of reading? YES

Version played: v0.11
-A slow burn but a worthwhile 1

Ok, lets get a few stuff cleared first. The renders are very nice, like crystal clear and great quality. The female characters also look attractive and so does the males. I would recommended to use the mulit-mod for the ambient music.

Now the main cake of the review. The MC's role in the story reminds me of a typical Liam neeson movie - MC gets back into town for reasons or a job, meets a cast of characters then unexpectedly gets involved in a big plot or conflict which he was actually running away from. All I am saying is the story is very down to earth, no magic or fantasy, just realistic. That's not a bad thing as the pacing is good and the female characters especially the daughter is particularly naïve, something that we have all gone through during our adolescent times.

However I would encourage users not to play this version yet until after 0.11 as the story just reached a small peaking point . Let me reiterate, the game is great and the story is good, it is just at a cliffhangers which may frustrate impatient readers. Also there's no sex scenes at all yet, just fan service like watching an ecchi anime,

Definitely bookmarking this and coming back in the future.

I don't remember how I ended downloading Hillside, but it was quite a discovery.

At first, I had difficulties to find an interest into the story, I thought it will the classic trope of “Alone mother hire big guy to protect her family, and it ends up in a harem style household”.
I couldn't have been more wrong. The story evolve slowly, each character being treated with a deep background story, often dark and twisted.

I found myself overwhelm by some scenes because they felt too real, too unsettling to be just brushed off. The game successfully depict the way I see the star system, full of pervert, intrigue, and secrets.

As far I have being in the game, there's not so much sexual content. It's mainly resolved on spying, voyeur or blackmail materials which I amn't quite found off but those work very well with the storyline, adding to the dark, twisted background.

This game push all the wrong buttons in me, but in a good way. It a pleasure to find this kind of gem in all the F95 library.

Could use more variety.
Some female areolas are colored funny/mischievously in the first part of the game. This is fixed in later renders. constants. 1. the game has great characters of all ages in the sex part the game is slow but that doesn't matter being a kinetic romance game for me that's enough. if you are looking for a game with fast sex and a lot of penetration this is not the game for you just letting you know... 2. game has a great story about an ex-military who works as a security guard for a girl named Emma this is interesting and the his relationship with this girl and her family makes it much more productive for the outcome of the path you are following and there is also a step by step in the game that warns you when a little heart appears it is because you did something right so for me this is a positive point 3. and there is also Emma's mother Charlotte who hired us for this but unfortunately she is also suffering abuse and threats at work this shows how realistic this game is this is something that happens in the real world and that makes this game perfect for me It's not just a game that I spend my time on but I enjoy it with pleasure. everything that happens and will happen from now on so i advise you to play it enjoy it and be patient if you are here to see great emotional romance scenes happy moments this is your game now if you want something fast full of corruption and sex is not for you sorry.

I like most of this game, but there are some things that I dislike so much it makes it just an average game to me.

Things I like:

I like the characters for the most part, although some are a little one dimensional. I also do like the relationship building, and character building done. The renders look good, that girls are all really good looking. The writing is for the most part competent and easy to read.

Things I didn't Like:

How can people be as dumb as some of the people in this game. The story is interesting, but to get it all to fit DB made the characters be so stupid sometimes, drives me nuts sometimes. Most of the twists in the story are predictable, and to hide this fact the characters sometimes act so dumb. Like, the MC is in security, it's his job. How can he no notice lots of things? I will not make any spoilers here, but if someone blurts something out to you they clearly shouldn't know, no warning signs go off? So much dumb!

Also, what is the deal with Emma? She's 18 in the game, looks 18 in the game. Is a very sweet and nice girl, very easy to really like her and want her to be happy, but, she acts like she's 14! I guess I kinda understand what the dev was going for with her.. it just gets kinda odd sometimes.

As I said I do find the story interesting enough and like the characters enough to want to see where this is going, plus to actually see some lewd scenes. But I hope that the naivety of some of the characters is removed as they grow more. As the story comes to it's conclusion, I will most likely revise the review. Like I said, I like the game, but the blind dumb shit that some of these characters do and turn a blind eye to just brings it way down for me.

Slow Burn City:

But fuck it's worth it to me. Top of the line renders, extraordinary cast of characters with Charlotte and Emma being the leading ladies. Haters can hate but Hillside is great, as of version 0.11 there's no sex scenes but I think that's about to soon change.

Played at Episode 11.

I'll be honest, the first time I played the game, I didn't like it because the female characters, honestly, are not that attractive according to my profile that I like the most (girls with more curves, bigger breasts and butts), but leaving that aside and going to the main of the game, it has a mysterious and immersive story around the characters in the story, making it keep us drawn to understand what really happened in their past.

some criticism constructive! we know that others man in the game is not important, but the Dev can do the Make the extra men very different from the MC. Emma's School Guard and Charlotte's Helicopter Pilot look pretty much the same, and they still look like the MC! surely he should have made these two with different hair and skin tones, it would give more immersion in the game, small details always improve the aspect of the game.

If you're after a game just for the sexual content, this is the wrong game for you.

Now if you want an interesting game with an excellent story, you've come to the right place.

Story: 5 / 5.
Character appearance: 3.5 / 5.
Renders: 4 / 5.
Sexual Content: Not yet.

2 hours in I realized I hadn't hit one H scene yet, and I didn't care at all. Good, tight writing with grounded character growth and situations make for a fun story. Good renders that don't try to overdo it with a reasonable cast keep things moving.

My only criticism is that the character Emma is likely going to be dateable, and I think that's a mistake. I won't pretend to know the exact rules for crowdfunding sites are, but I think making Emma 16, in high school, and off limits would serve the story better, but its a small gripe in the wider scheme of things.

Really wanting to see what's next from the author in this story and future projects.