VN - Ren'Py - How to Fix the Future [v0.3.2] [mr.moonmi]

It is a shame really this game falls short of being perfect by an inch just because some dev decisions.

As to break it apart:

+ Audiovisuals - 5/5. The renders, animations and soundtracks are all movie-tier production quality. OUTSTANDING.

+Characters and Relationships - 5/5. I like the overall roster. There is an option for everyone. Every major character is good-looking and different per se. Romance with Cathy is so good, it is one of the reasons to play this game.

+Lewd content - 4/5. Satisfying. Some lewd SFX would be appreciated though. Mostly casual vanilla sex. The introduction of certain kinks was a bit over the top and crass imo.

+UI and Polish - 5/5. Very good. Looks like an AA title. Couldn't be better.

+Dialogues - 4/5. Generally readable and not boring.

-Plot and Setting - 3/5. (Chapter 1 - 2/5, Chapter 2 yet, 4/5) As I typed above, all the ingredients are good quality. Only thing left is to execute and consolidate them in a suitable fashion. There were bits which I found very good and sections that were so meh.
Chapter 1 is mainly the intro sequence as the roster finally takes shape that will drive the story forward. I have problems with the methods in which way the elements are incorporated into the plot. The way of getting gaming buddies, the news anchorwoman etc. to the main story tests the limits of credibility (deus ex machinas all around) which doesn't suit the overall tone of the novel. Logical errors presenting themselves everywhere literally distracted me and killed the enjoyment that I had. In chapter 1, the novel cruised back and forth between the lines of a goofy teen drama and a serious scifi drama. As you can guess, I was not fond of teensy parts.
It seems writing in Chapter 2 continues in a serious tone as it should be. Hope that we will not encounter the convoluted mess that was in Chapter 1.
The fact that this is a time-travel game makes it also walking on thin ice. Only thing this game needs is consistent plot and character development, complying with the tone that dev has set. Juggling between different themes kinda breaks it for me and hope dev stops doing that.

- Also gallery can use a hint to locate locked scenes.

I have a lot of trouble writing reviews for games that everyone likes, because there's usually not much you can say that hasn't already been said.

Given that - I'm hooked. There's something special about this game. I enjoy games like these where the plot drives the sex scenes as opposed to the opposite. The renders are absolutely beautiful, extra care was taken with the lighting and composition of shots. The character models are spectacular too.

That being said - this game has been out for 2 years now and we're only through one chapter (albeit a long, action-packed one). I worry that this is a dev who has bit off more than he can chew, and that we're never going to see the end of this one.

I'm normally not a fan of science fiction in these types of games so i didn't expect much from this game but DAMN... One of the best game I played. There is "only" one chapter for now so its still a bit early to completely make my mind about it but I at least know for sure it won't be bad. I say "only" but the first chapter is still a good amount of content and you can really begin to enjoy the game and get to know the characters. Overall the story is intersting, the characters feel deep and different, the renders are AMAZING. I am looking forward to the next chapters for sure, great work !

Amazing renders, hot girls, interesting story (although also confusing) and decent replay value between different MC attitudes (dark, light, neutral).

There is only one negative which I unfortunately consider a bigger negative, and that's the insane push for one of the girls.

There are only so many times I can say "No, not interested", or act like a jerk towards that girl, or ignore her, or let her hanging, before I start getting annoyed at game pushes.

There is an unavoidable "romantic" scene with that girl (not H, but pushing towards romance), which also annoyed me, since it came out of the blue since my character literally disagreed with the girl on EVERYTHING up to that point. 0 points, no mutual interests, yet the romance is blooming. WHY?!?!

It feels like a game is pushing for some kind of twist with that girl that will test their relationship, but it's overdoing it in my opinion.

Other than that, I'm impressed how easy it is to avoid unwanted content. Futa content? Select "Nope" option, disabled. Dom content? "Nope" - Disabled, etc.
Genuinely impressive there are options for all kinks for when you do, and don't want them.

Great job so far, and I can't wait to see where Dev takes the story, probably most confusing part since I genuinely don't see which direction it will lead to.

Cool dynamics between characters and nice renders Quite like how trans stuff is handled, also nice to see possible future relationships between characters you are not going for, this might change though. Its only chapter 1 atm. Poggers!

Great game! The quality of the models and backgrounds is on top, as is the story, the dialogues and lewd scenes, I would like better and more animation on 4, in any case it is not critical.
At first glance, it seems that this is a typical visual novel about the future, of which there have been more than a few dozen over the past 1-2 years, but the presentation is extremely different for the better, one feels the reality of what is happening and immersion in what is happening due to the logic of the narrative and well-described characters.

A+ game. This is how you do porn games right. It might be a slow burn, but it actually has an engaging story and likeable characters, which makes the steamy scenes 10x better. The fetishes are also great and include olfactophilia, which is so often overlooked. Given the pace the game is going right now, it feels like this is going to a very long game, but if the quality keeps up, I'm very excited for it.

One of the best games I've played recently. I was really sucked into the game and felt attached to the characters.

Visuals 5/5
Not just the models are superb, also the backgrounds, lighting...top quality

Story 5/5
Very captivating with real depth to the characters. I really have no clue where this story is going to end but I'm looking forward to finding out. Also the choices you make have real impact later on in the game. Futa content was great and makes me longing for more.

How to fix the future v0.2.4

Good game with good graphics. Beautiful models and story seems interesting. Bdsm isn't my thing but it's avoidable. And there are many other kinks. Characters have their own characteristics. Game also got humor elements. Big plus of the game is renders they are well polished. Writing isn't bad either. Overall I enjoyed the game looking forward to next updates. Keep up the good work dev.

+ Renders
+ Models
+ Animations
+ Humor

Kinda broken English. Took me out of the story.
Some of the character models look great but it's not like there's much to see so far anyway. Don't really even feel any kind of attachment to the characters.
The stats and branching are kind of confusing. Doesn't really make for a smooth playthrough if I don't know what I'm missing or what the stats even do. It's not complicated, it's more like there's no real direction or point.
Renders look great but just kind of mediocre overall. It's gonna be a "meh" for me.

Just excellent...

Very nice Renders, in fact i like the models of the girls most out of all games i played so far aorund here.

Interesting story, i dont like timetrevel stories... most of the time i hate them... but if you keep them simple they work fine, like back to the future, the time machine... they are held simple in a small environment without getting to complex, and than its works perfectly. Other movies or books want to tell too much complex things and than its getting ridiculous.

So an advise to the DEV, keep the timetravleing thing SIMPLE. Or it is getting out of hand an than just absurd.

So back to it... many different girls and characters, with different background and behavior, i like that... of course, everyone follows a certain stereotype for itself, but thats ok.

The dialogues are very good, nearly flawless english too (if you dont use mods, dont blame the DEV if you use mods and get engrish... its not on him) with a good portion humour, and everything needed to get you entertained. time flew by reading this VN.

Different kind of kinks are served too... not everything is my thing, but you can avoid everythign you want, and see what you desire... perfect balance.

As i get it, there is no option for a harem. And i like that, harem games are kinda dumb, they are just for the fap... story driven games with harem are making no sense at all. But i can sense that there is a way to be with more than just one girl in the end...

Getting to the lewd scenes... for this amount of content in a story driven game, there is already pretty much lewd going on. I would say, the scenes are ok, nothing that i rember long i think... the lewd content is not the strong trait of the game and the DEV.

The animations are above average, but most of the time very short. But put really effort in them and they are a plus to the game. I like them overall, but they could be much better. But for a one-man-crew with not that good hardware as he states, its okay like this.

Background music is nearly perfect, like that very much... adding very much to the mood and fits perfectly every scene, keep that up!

The characters are all likeable, some more, some less, but everyone is at least interesting (besides Jacob, can do without him so far... but maybe he wil get his part too in the future) and you can already start to care for everyone, even the dominatrix.

Overall its a 5 star game so far, but still at the beginning. Its more like an intro, a pretty long one.


pros

- perfect renders
- interesting setting and story
- good background music
- likeable MC with decent looks, and kinda "average" not the "perfect buffed muscle girl magnet" we can see in so many other games. Well of course he has a magic dick... but that was to be expected.
- interesting characters with really good looking models
- decent animations (maybe the only part of the game whit lot space for improvement, but it doesnt matter that much to me)
- decent amoutn of content so far its only 8 months since the initial relase...

cons:

nothing comes to mind so far.


Hope the updates will come in. the DEV is doing everything alone, ok he is by far not the only one out there, but not many are trying to deliver this high quality as a side job, hope he can pull it off in the future.

Amazing renders, so high quality and good amount of story
Great credit to you as a new developer, love the different options and can't wait to see what comes next in any future updates. Absolutely smashing it so far keep it coming and I hit it the patreon too man

It's time for storywriters to move on from stupid MCs who doesn't know what he wants (other than to bang his mother), always can't tell what's happening around him and keeps asking stupid questions, yet inexplicably have everything fall into place around him, and he's somehow a hero even though he didn't do anything. The side characters are great, even Octavia, who can be divisive amongst players, have a strong direction of who they are and what they want (and it's not like we're given agency to make those choices either).

This mirrors the game itself: the worldbuilding develops really well, but the main story is a bit lost, it doesn't know where it's going. The overarching big idea is there, but the substance and the details need to be fleshed out quickly.

Overall 10/10

Not every game is for everybody. I am reading some of the other reviews and, honestly for some of them, I really don't know what they're complaining about. The games art work is visually stunning! The writing was GREAT. I didn't have any issues with the characters or their backstories. If the main character was this Rockstar at life then he wouldnt be so accepting of being thrust into a position to change the future and, save the world. He would be too busy trying to get back to the life he already established for himself. I only wish I had more choices and more chances to put people in their place. But I am 100% Keeping my eyes on this one. This could easily be Top 10 Games on here, arguably Top 5.

To the DEV: Great job! Keep up the good work! You've got a fan!

0.2.3
It's pretty good. Story seems to be a primary focus, so the sexy stuff is secondary, and that's a bit disappointing. It's difficult to avoid comparing to other titles, because it's got a whole bunch of ringing similarities, which is actually a positive in this case.
I will be watching, this could eventually end up being one in the top 5 on F95, or it could slip into obscurity. Will depend on the dev. I wish him/her/them/it good luck and godspeed.

Character design and renders are very good but almost every other aspect of the game is bad. The story is dumb and the character personalities and development is abysmal. The animations are bad and the game would be better off without them. The dialogue and story feels very immature. Would not recommend at all if you care about any thing other than the visuals cause it's bad.

6/10 Overall
4/10 Animations
3/10 Story
8/10 Character design
4/10 Character development
8/10 Quality

Game gives you options to reject some things but in the end in doesn't matter, This Octavia seems to be more focused on her fantases and kinks than actually saving the world, and story is quite incompletre and weird, The renders are nice tho, we will see where it goes from here because it is in its early development. Meh

Ok so far the game looks really great. The renders are just gorgeous and the women look amazing. By the looks of it you can avoid kinks that dont interest you which seems nice and the story is sometimes a little bit far fetched but is mostly very enjoyable. I can wholeheartedly recommend this game to anyone

I have mixed feelings after playing this VN. I don't want to be discouraging, but would like to suggest some things that, in my humble opinion, would help improve the quality of the VN's narrative. However, I will start off with the good:

THE GOOD

• Renders: it is obvious that lots of effort has been put into the renders. The shadows are well managed and the characters pop from their environment. The images are far from flat. Props to the developer on this!
• The women: phwoarrrr. Nuff said.
• The premise: the setting and overall premise of the story is interesting and is a great setup for a "You got more than you bargained for" type of story, where the author can comment on the unpredictability of life i.e. the butterfly effect.
• NO SANDBOX!!!! Huzzah! I hope it stays this way.

THE COULD BE IMPROVED

• The MC is unlikeable and unrelatable: he is your typical loser late teenager. He is shown to be incompetent (sleeps at job), not proactive in changing his situation (plays video games all day), and not sympathetic: he has no problems other than disliking his job, but even his desire of a more purposeful life is voiced by him after he has been given some purpose.
  • An incompetent character is an unlikeable character, unless sympathy is established with the character through other means (e.g. personal struggles, humour etc.).
• The MC rambles a lot in his thoughts. Given that MC is unlikeable, the monologues become uninteresting and tedious. The inner dialogues should be minimized as much as possible, if not removed. The monologue when MC fell down over a girl was particularly painful.
• Some of the humour does not land because of the clumsy wording. More thorough editing or removing those lines could help.

There are plot holes in the story (spoiler section). This is the main stuff that ruins the narrative for me:

All this is not meant to be disparaging, but instead highlight to the developer that this VN could be truly outstanding and something special if the narrative and characters were tightened up. I wish the developer all the best for the future.