VN - Ren'Py - Hot Sand of Antarctica [v0.09] [Grinvald]

Great! Objectively probably only 7.5/10, but considering that the best games on this site set pretty high bar.

And yet I still gave this game 5 stars. Why? Because the game is worth remembering, and the number of games about which I can say the same is probably can be counted on the fingers.

Some people seems to say that sex scenes are very good, but the story and conversations between characters is just crap. Absolutely disagree!

Played this game primarily for the story, it turned out to be excellent. Maybe a little crazy, but if the author does not drop the bar and is able to intelligently explain and fit it all into the world of the game, it will be top-notch. Surprisingly, I find the plot is even more fun and interesting than in the famous twin game, which in other aspects has a clear advantage.

And yet I'm afraid it's the story that will ruin this game.

???

It's just tooooo big! Now the game has been in development for several years, as I understand it, and yet it feels like a barely finished prologue. And no it's not that the game is very short, although it certainly could be larger for 0.7 version(it's actually 0.07, just noticed), the main thing is that the author apparently has very ambitious plans.
For example, as many people have already noted our partner from the beginning of the game, that you can even give a name(!), appears for a couple of minutes and then we never see him again in this version of the game. Or the karma system, which also disappears.

But like I said, it's more about the fact that the game barely started. We've been shown a bunch of all sorts of story branches, the main characters, the start of the big events and... it seems like the main game is finally about to start... but nope it's just ends. At this rate it's going to take 10-15 years if not more for the whole game to come out.

In other words it will probably never be finished. Sadly.

Let's quickly run through the rest of the aspects:

Graphics.

The graphics are good. Nothing incredible, but quite well done.
Although not the level of a cinematic movie, as in a similar game.

Sex Scenes.

They are there. They are okay. Nothing more than that.
None of them is particularly memorable.
However, I think you can say that the sex scenes are slightly better than average.
Unfortunately only the basic package, no fetishes/kinky stuff... yet.
Incest? Well its step/non-incest variant understandably. By the way, it was pretty funny to see how the author twisted it around with all the characters to make it "NOT" incest. But then again, incest nowadays can hardly be called a fetish, it's quite standard. There's a little hint of BDSM thematic with one of the wives, but considering the plot situation, that's not going to happen anytime soon.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. The MC, as always, is not equipped with a dick, but with a fucking baseball bat.

It's a game. Not great but not horrible.
- Renders look kind of dull.
- I don't usually harp on dialogue being boring unless it's a game that's trying to tell a story. Which, unfortunately is what this game is trying to do. There's also some typos and just feels kind of awkward.
- I got kind of bored of the plot early in. Just seems like it'd be better to focus more on the action than some deep, overlaid plot in terms of writing. You got warlords, savages, and mysterious people living somewhere else and I just can't seem to care about any of it. It's almost like there's too much at one time instead of letting it build up.

Of these three things, renders can't be helped if the dev doesn't have good equipment. As for the other two, that can come with experience.

So I can't really fault the dev. More importantly, I don't rate anything below 3 stars as long as it doesn't piss me off with things like broken English, pseudo-political bullshit, convoluted mechanics. etc.

Still those three factors make it kind of boring for me.

I am thoroughly impressed with this visual novel. It is post-apocalyptic, and you play a strong and intelligent MC, which is always great. Because it's post-apocalyptic, you have the kind of traditional gender roles and harems in the society, which is great, and you have your own little harem, because you're second in command of one of the bosses. You've managed to be strong, smart and loyal enough to survive the apocalypse, and you've earned your rewards. The setting feels realistic, with attention to details such as food, water, gas and ammo.

The characters are all really good. Characterization is very well done. The sexual scenes are REALLY GOOD! You get a lot and it's great.

But the story is where this novel just keeps getting better and better. It already started off good with your role in what's currently going on, and making a few choices. But then the story just keeps getting more interesting and mysterious and thought out. There's a lot of potential here! I can't wait to play more.

The story looks very intriguing, because there's some supernatural elements at play as well, which for now mixes well with the realistic setting as the mysterious things continue, and logical sense hasn't been broken yet. But i struggle to imagine how this is all going to make sense in the future, but i very much hope it does. Right now it's at the perfect time of realism, mystery and intrigue, with a lot of potential for the future. I hope it's realized, because this could be very great. Can't wait to continue.

Interesting setting, I love post-apocalyptic scenarios, the characters models are superb especially the redheads are gorgeus! The renders are of high-quality and they pair well along the story, I can't wait to see what happens next!

This game is a hidden gem. An incredibly interesting story, decent renderings and ok animations. If the story wasn't as good I would probably have rated it 3.5 stars on the technical merits, but the story really and the pace really elevate it. It's the most interesting VN I've ever player so far. Highly recommended.

great game so far, only a few things that bother me a little like


otherwise there is not much to complain, maybe a suggestion that would make the lewd scenes even hotter like a bit more dirty talk while the animation is playing. otherwise i really like the game and appreciate that people like me that don't have a problem to share their harem member with each other got some pretty hot stuff. pls more of this.

I am since a good amount of time on this website and have played probably about 150 games.

But this is the very first time I write a Review.
This game is so beautiful written and developed, not only the characters but also the post apocalyptic story as setting.
If u are a man and do not want to be like the MC than I dont understand u.

Keep the excellent work up @devs im excited for more!

v0.07

One of the few VNs and post-apocalyptic themes i thoroughly enjoy.

This VN has a straight forward and simplistic approach to the storytelling which is the beauty of it. So, no long winded pointless banters or awkward and cringe short conversations. Every scene is to the point and conveys the plot direct. It also has a good balance between the sexual content, the romance and the main story.

Models and renders are gorgeous, i'm really liking the models for the love interests, mind you they have the anime-ish features(big eyes etc) which i'm not a fan of but somehow it grew onto me. Also it helps that the the facial features are done well, makes them feel alive. Lewd scenes are good and more on the romantic side while the animations are pretty ok.

The characters i'd say are the other main factor(besides the narrative) that carried this VN, specifically the 3 red heads. I'll be frank, majority of the LIs don't differ much from each other overall, they have similar backstories, agendas, wants and needs etc. Pretty much cookie cutter harem characters. However their character development and the romance progression are beautifully narrated. Especially the twins, their opposing personalities really bring out the best in the relationship with the MC, further enhanced with the inclusion of their mother. There's also a social dynamic between the various characters and love interests, for example one of the twins doesn't like your second wife(possibly due to competition) while your first wife has a feud with your other girl. There's some tension and drama between them which makes the various relationships feel grounded and alive.

The plot is pretty much the mix & match of various typical post-apocalyptic stories you'd see in other media but is still an enjoyable experience. Post-apocalyptic earth ruled by warlords, degradation of technology and scarce resources like in MadMax. However overtime there's hints of strange phenomenon(possibly paranormal) and sci-fi elements thrown in. I'd say there's nothing inherent bad about it nor good for now, though it is probably because the narrative is still in the early stages. The writing overall is quite solid.

Highly recommend this VN, not the cream of the crop but one of the top few VNs out there.

Love the game, love the characters, love the sex scenes, love the story.

So why only 4 stars?

Well, the story has some major plot holes in the backstory and the current state of the game world.

Having said all that. suspending my disbelieves, and just seeing it as a post apocalyptic world set in a more normal setting (like Australia), it makes a bit more sense.

To sum it up: I think the game is awesome, the characters are cool, the sex is sexy and frequent, but I had to suspend some disbelieves to really get into the game.

First of all, im not a native English speaker, so sorry if i make any mistakes writing this review.
-The setting of the story is interesting, post-apocalyptic setting with mutants, ghosts, clones, etc... but the story itself is really bad written, the characters felt shallow, there is too much text describing things that no one cares about...
-The talk between characters doesn't feel real. Most of the time the way they talk is something that you wont see IRL.
-The game introduced a karma system in the first chapters and as the story progressed it was shown that it didnt matter at all.
-The game needs a better PR; even I that im not a native speaker found some typos and strange things.
-I like the renders, the character models and the sex scenes, even if they arent the best.

I dont want to sound racist and the "veteran" users will know what i mean by saying this as a few years ago the forum was full of this kind of games.. This game is the perfect example of Russian games. They got good graphics but the story, writing and conversations are on the low side.

I was doubting if giving a 3 or 4 star review because if the author fix things, like the insubstantial writing and make the conversations between characters feel more real, this is easily a good 4 star game.

The VN overall is very good. The story telling is very descriptive without it becoming repetitive or boring and the player is usually engages with the story developments and doesn't skip over the dialogue. Most characters are given proper character development and it is shown howtheir relationship with the MC came about. The character models are quite good and the art in this game is quite amazing. Lastly, the game contains a good amount of animations and the lewd scenes are really good. Oh and the most important point is the MXCis a badass not a wimp.

very good story and character settings,

the sex part is already a 5-star and the story is even much better.

the story is so thrilling that I even would stay up over night to go through it.

waiting for the coming content

Very reminiscent of Desert Stalker. If you enjoy the setting and vibe of that game you'll love this. Writing is good, art is fine, characters are all well written and likeable, setting and story are both exceptionally interesting.

Only concern is the development time. The game has been in development since 2021 and it only has 2-3 hours of play time to it.

Writing's bad. Let's get that out of the way. This game has one of the worst names on this platform. It describes itself as a game where some dude named Mongol 'lets you' have 3 wives. You go in with low expectations.

I have real, tangible mixed feeling about this game. This release is one of the most complete I have ever seen for a kinetic novel. It has some of the best 3DCG you will find on this platform. The sex scenes are well structured, the audio is tasteful. The action sequences are incredibly well executed but there's still plenty of adult content.

But beyond these action and sex sequences, you really feel the bar drop when exposition is needed to fill that space. The pacing is great, the sequences are great, but the writing and plot devices used to get you from scene to scene are all over the place. There's a scene in this game where a group of soldiers in ancient egyptian armor come in and beat you down, juxtaposed with the setting and lighting of a boring, normal house. In one breath we're in a desolate stalker style harem shelter town and in another breath we're in the MC's clean, early 2000's poorly furnished apartment. It really takes you out of the experience.

The game's dialogue is poor and needs to be rewritten. You have 3 wives, and 2 daughters. This release is establishing all of those relationships and setting up the world building. It's setting up for you to overtake Mongol and run your harem town, and that could've honestly been where this game started. It's trying to tackle too much to get to where it wants to be, and shoving too much garbage into the experience to push the plot. The amount of writing in this game should be substantially cut down with an edit.

For a game that has such violent content, the sexual content is on the vanilla side. I don't need gore in my sex scenes but I'd love to see choking, sleep sex and consensual non-consent. The karma system is notably absent from the game after you get through the intro sequence. If choices and consequences are to become available in this game, I'd like to see those choices revolve around darker sexual content with the core characters in the game.

Understanding how difficult it can be to make a game like this, on execution alone, I'm giving this release 4 stars. Good.

Initially was interesting with the post-apocalyptic mad max setting, with karma system and where decisions impacted your standing with certain characters.

• Then the game basically does away with that ENTIRELY as you progress through the game. The karma and influence stat doesn't show up again after an hour into the game.
• There was a buddy named Hawk that you get to name, but he disappears from the game after an hour into it. The game just introduces stuff and then forgets about it.
• It then becomes basically a kinetic VN and throws up all these various different story elements...There are invisible ghost people, then savages, then clones and the latest thing introduced seems supersedes the previous thing.
• Renders are ok. Sex animations are ok.
• The English translation is a bit off.
• It's annoying that the game keeps throwing the stepdaughter thing in your face. It seemingly lets you reject that as a story choice, but keeps throwing all these sexual situations with them over and over again.

Hot Sand of Antarctica is a kinetic novel masquerading as a visual novel about a mega-chad living in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world.

It's a pretty game. I liked the renders and character models and the scenery was pretty decent too. There's a handful of good sex scenes so far but... that's kinda where the praise ends.

Every single character is paper thin. I'd guess this is because there's too many characters and not enough time to spend with them all. Every girl has a backstory and no real personality or agency. The main character's daughters probably receive the most focus, but that just gives them a little personality. One is spunky and the other is shy. That's really all you can expect from the girls.

The main character is just as bad. While the game dives into his backstory a lot, it doesn't provide him with a personality. Outside of his ability to kill basically anyone he meets with anything at hand, he doesn't appear to have much in the way of emotions or opinions. Stuff just happens and he goes along with it.

Finally, the story runs into similar problems as the girls. There's just too much going on to focus on any one thing. There's invisible people, clones, mutants, psychic(?) hallucinations, power struggles, and harem politics all taking place in a post apocalyptic world. While any individual aspect of this list could work out on its own, or even a couple simultaneously, all of them running in tandem just makes things feel messy and crazy. It's hard to get a baseline of what can happen when fantasy/sci-fi aspects keep popping up at random intervals with no previous explanation.

Finally there's the choices in the story. There's maybe a dozen all told and they dry up maybe halfway through. The majority are right/wrong choices, several are opt-in/out, and none of them seem to dramatically impact the story in a significant way. This is a kinetic novel, not choice based.

Overall, I feel like the game isn't worth your time. While it's pretty with some good sex scenes, the vast majority of your time will be spent clicking through the largely uninteresting and almost totally random story where nothing is what it seems, anything can happen, and none of it makes sense.

As of 0.07

Visuals: 5
Characters: 5
Story: 4
Writing: 3
Animations: 5

One downside to the game is that the English is not always perfect, but it is not so bad that it detracts from the overall experience. The single reason I am not giving it 5 stars.

This game proved to be an enjoyable harem adventure. Despite the somewhat unusual premise of hyenas and pythons in a desert version of Antarctica, which contains 90% of the world’s ice and doesn’t have land. In this world, there are no laws standing in the way of incest and the women have long since accepted it as a part of life. Which is nice.

One of the things that sets Hot Sand of Antarctica apart from other harem games is that it presents a more believable scenario. In this post-apocalyptic world, the main character has proven his worth in scavenging and combat. As a result, the women in the game are attracted to him because they know that being with him means increased chances of survival.

The flow of the scenes and the pacing of the action were well done, and the renders look amazing. The action scenes were well-paced and the intimate scenes were also enjoyable and not rushed. The characters' personalities and development are not as fleshed out as I would have liked, but I hope this improves in the future.

In conclusion, I highly recommend Hot Sand of Antarctica for fans of harem style games who are looking for something unique and different. I hope to see more updates for this project and look forward to seeing where the story goes next.

A good incest harem power fantasy VN. Nice looking LIs with pretty good renders and decent use of environments that helps set up a fairly believable world for the narrative to take place in.
Sex scenes are again decent with a focus on male dom and the relationships, that seems about as far as the kinks are going to go.
recommended for anyone looking for decent harem power fantasy porn with good renders.

You're an alpha-male survivor in an apocalyptic world where even Antarctica has been turned into a desert. You take multiple wives and bed your daughters. There's violent intrigue with underworld bosses, clones, and cloaked soldiers. The story bits are interesting and mature, and the sexy bits are perverted and well animated. A surprisingly entertaining game!

Look past the futuristic dystopian setting and medieval sexual politics - actually don't look past those, because if you like default female submission with the odd feisty dame you'll love this - and HSA is refreshingly detailed, well written and plausible in a Mad Max/Waterworld way. The choices are few and far between, most don't matter, some do. The real spice lies in the family harem, which is why the sparse dialogue in h/scenes is such a drawback: the scene with the two wives is just an image gallery when it could be so much more. With that sorted out, HSA would be top-tier.