VN - Ren'Py - Hillside [v0.16] [DarkBlue]

Man, sometimes i wish that i didn't knew about erotic VN's and just descovered then like in 2023 lol, because there is so many good WIP games, but they will take like forever to be completed, while there's only 3 or 4 top notch games that are already completed.

But why am i saying this? because this is one of the games that seems to be really promising, good writting, good story, good renders, good everything, but are in such an early development stage :I it got like 30/40 min of gameplay only, and i am already anxious to see this game completed. So, fantastic game, didn't saw any cons (not yet at least), but it seems that it's going to be a reaaaaaaally slow burn game, i don't like games that they just put up some excuse to have a sex scene, but it might be a little annoying if the gamee takes too much time to lead into some action.

So it's fairly early in the game for a rating to be taken completely seriously. That being said, the game is quite good so far. Some elements that are to come later, like sex scenes or further character development, may greatly affect the rating.

The story line is not the most original, but is still fairly interesting. This is helped greatly by some interesting characters that have had their back stories teased a bit, giving them some more depth than what you might normally see. I like this. I also enjoyed the character interactions. The character designs are also very well done.

So yeah, great work so far, hope to see more soon.

Hillside is definitely one of my favourite upcoming games. It's relatively new but has a lot of potential and can definitely see it becoming quite a popular game. I've been actively following the development of Hillside for a while now and am also an active member in the Discord and can say the direction this game is going in is fantastic and I can't wait to see more.

PROS
- Beautiful Renders (All the characters look fantastic and a lot of effort is put into achieving the quality presented. The renders look amazing and really draw you in to the game)

- Interesting Backstories (There isn't much regarding the characters backstories we know yet. The game is still pretty new so there are a lot of mysteries but from what I have seen, the backstories are very interesting and when they are developed more will give the characters and story a lot of depth)

- Fantastic Dynamic (The way the characters interact with each other is fantastic. Their dynamic reflects their relationship and definitely enhances the dialogue because the dynamics just work)

- Well Written Dialogue (The dialogue is top notch. The writing is consistent with the characters and I never feel like the way the character says something is something they wouldn't normally say. It's engaging and interesting and I can't wait to see more)

- Plenty of Mystery and Suspense (Like any good story, it has set up some unanswered questions that really hook you because they are interesting and are great at building suspense)

I can't comment on much else yet like romance and build up because it's too early to comment on that, but seeing this quality so far, I'm sure the game will continue to be great.

CONS
Honestly, I can't really think of any cons at the moment. From what I've seen so far, everything is amazing. When more content is released a con may be presented but for now, everything is positive for me

v[0.3]

This is turning out to be a good slow corruption game. The models are are really well made and the scenes are also good so far for an early update.

The choices have immediate consequences so you don't have to worry about constantly reading the walkthrough as you can just go back and change your choice, although it's not really necessary most of the times, the dialogue choices are very obvious.

I will reccomend playing this once for a taste of how well put together it is and then waiting for 3-4 updates to pass before playing again if you want a good chunk of new content as it is a slow paced game, unless you like playing every update.
Looking forward to how it develops, especially the mother.

I love this game so far. The renders are gorgeous and the characters seem pretty fleshed out. The dev has clearly put thought into their personalities and motivations. I've heard some criticism about it being a Lexi ripoff but there's a lot you can do with the set up of a bodyguard being hired to protect a young woman. The concept is broad enough that depending on how the story and characters are written you'll have a totally different experience, which, for me, is the case with this game. Definitely a game worth supporting.

I really enjoyed playing this VN so far. The characters have depth and it is well written. It seems like the dev has really tried to put effort into making this.

There is a fair bit of content already, but so far not many lewd scenes. However there is quite a bit of "implied lewdness" so there is a lot of room for interesting scenes. Personally I wouldn't mind if that would extend to action between the girls, but we will see what the future brings.

For anyone that is in doubt whether to play this, give it a try!

This game has much more going for it now then just a good start. The dynamic between the MC and Emma is becoming defined. The renders are beautiful. There are choices where you can lose points with no chance to gain them. Something I don't see that often. All characters have now been introduced. The story holds my interest. The unique image gallery unlocks are done in a creative way. There is tension in the plot. Something good writing must have. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about this game. As a bonus most people won't care about. It is coded impeccably. Since I have nothing bad to say, I must give it 5 stars.

Good start so far.
The plot is interesting, and the characters have depth
The ladies are all attractive.
Over all it's a good VN. Story feels like its going somewhere and the characters aren't one sided. I look forward to following this one to see how it turns out. Keep up the good work

Extraordinarily beautiful girls. The renders really are just stunning.

I like the proportions and cloths, too. Built like real people, and wearing sane, real clothes a person could actually go into public with.

I like playing a MC that has self control and self respect, and doesn't make every action based on his dick, and that seems to be the case here.

It feels like it aims for a slow burn. The dialog feels natural. Playing it, you even get a bit of a feel for how sweet and innocent Emma is, and that is good, because it gives you incentive, as the player, to want to see her protected.

I'm looking forward to updates. This could be great.

EDIT: we are at version 0.7 right now, so I wanted to chime back in.
In short, my feelings stay the same. There is real, and understandable, character development as time progresses. There are several pieces of unique drama that you feel will all become interconnected.
This game remains exceedingly well written, and I look forward to each release.

In fact, this is one of VERY few games I play each release, for. I usually wait for several updates, so I can go back in and get more content. With this game, because of how easy it is to follow the story and characters, and return to it later without feeling lost, I always play the new updates as they happen, just to enjoy it a little more.

Yes, lewd content is SLOW to develop.
I'm 100% OK with that. I want story and characters too. And I get that here, and that makes Hillside a great game.

A promising, though very short, episode one. The premise is reused (bodyguard for a young, vulnerable girl) but the approach is new. This game leans heavily on the multiple protagonists, if you are looking for a game that features a Male Protagonist prominently, and dives right into the action, this isn't the one for you. As of the second update the "Main Character" (character you name) is only in the game for 5 minutes, at most, and doesn't do much of anything. The focus so far has been on building up the relationship between the mother and daughter, showing the audience how important that connection is to both of them, and that they are both keeping secrets from each other. Unfortunately, it will be awhile before we see any real content do to the size of the updates by the developer. The current amount of content is still that of a demo or pitch for a game rather than a game on it's second update. Many would be best served by waiting several months for the content to build up into a playable length longer than 30 minutes (that's a generous estimate of the current length).

Pros: Well done renders and relationships between the mother, her sister, and the daughter.

Cons: The daughter looks and acts much younger than 18, the MC is barely in the game and fails to have a mature and professional interaction with the Mother when he is interviewed by her. Minimal choices are currently available.

I have to agree with @RonSwanson5768 on a ... Alright Probably not worth the joke but I do agree, though I wouldn't be too strict : the elder sister should be a part of the story (not appearing all the time, the phone call with her was awesome).
And that makes my segway... Love the game, lots of good humour and though there is only little content at the moment, the characters are very nice! Cute renders and the characters seem to be sweet, I'll gladly stalk all of them

Anyways good luck to the dev and I can't wait for more, keep going on this path!

Too much of a slow burn with the storylines of each character and still no decent amount of sexual content. At the pace this game is being made I would wait at least another 3 to 4 years before it's actually good. Dialogue between the MC and Charlotte needs to be completely rewritten from the beginning. Not really sure how anyone can give this game higher than 3 stars in it's current state.

This intro albeit short is proof of DarkBlue's capability to create characters feeling real, unique, and with whom one can emotionally connect very quickly. I'd rate the graphics to be in the top 10% of F95 games, great attention to mimical expression and nicely diverse body models. Reminds me of an early AWAM, no fapware, but an actual visual novel. I have joined patreon immediately after playing v0.2. Can't wait to see the plot develop and thicken as well as relations unfold.

(Updated for v0.3)

So far I gotta say I really liked this game, after the 0.3 update it is still rather short, but you definitely get a sense of how the full game will be, and it is very promising.

While short, it has a good flow to it not too slow, not too fast. And it doesn't bog you down in long monologues.

It seems like this game will focus on having more "realistic" and in depth interactions which will make it much more enjoyable.

So just some criticism/advice for you going forward
- Going forward try not to branch out, by this I mean focus on the three characters you have model, sister, and daughter
-don't be tempted to add a bunch of other characters, because that will just slow you down
- The MC's dialogue should be a little more consistent, his maturity level seems to fluctuate a bit particularly with the mother
- Try to minimize long scenes without choices
- A good trick for this is to through in short responses, and remember they don't all have to be meaningful it can just be (Good morning/how are you?) it keeps people much more engaged.

I really liked everything added in the most recent update, and look forward to seeing the next one.

Edit for v0.4:

This visual novel is actually really good. The renders are very nice and there are some complex characters introduced. They feel very natural and their personalities shine through. I have come to feel something for the characters and it's such a hard thing to make people love your characters as a writer. This game succeeds in that regard.

The story is very engaging and there's a clear "mystery" that keeps you wondering. The latest update was quite sizeable in length and I was very impressed with it. I can comfortably say this isn't a game to sleep on.

I changed my rating from a 3.5 to a 5. I genuinely think this game is going places. Check it out.

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Edit for v0.2:

This is a game I will look forward to playing. There isn't much content just yet but most likely we will begin the main plot line of the story in the next update. I like all of the women/girls we have met so far so I think this one could be interesting. The renders are very clean and crisp as well.

Keep an eye on it and try it in the future. Has a lot of potential.

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0.1:

Bah, really could have used more than 5 or 10 minutes for a first version. Hard to get an actual idea of how I will like this game.

The premise isn't unique by any means but certainly can make for an interesting game, from what little we have seen, we have a bit of an inexperienced and naive daughter and an overbearing mother. I'd guess there may be 2-3 LIs unless new people we haven't heard of yet get introduced.

The renders are pretty nice but the models don't seem to be unique. This is alright though as I found them gorgeous. From the small scene with the MC he seems mature which I'd much rather prefer over the eager horndog MCs we often see.

For a first version this definitely is better than most of the stuff I find on here and I'd say this has potential to be very good. That being said, me finishing this version in 5 minutes is pretty disappointing. Recommendation: put this on your watch list, keep an eye on it and try it out in half a year. With what I've seen so far this game has a promising future and hopefully with some support the developer can pump out some good content within a reasonable timeline.

Conclusion: solid 3.5. Hard to give it any higher because of how little there is. Good start otherwise.