VN - Ren'Py - Jason, Coming of Age [v1.7.1-s] [CoeurDeCochon]

I'm a gamer who values narratives above all else and Jason - Coming of Age doesn't do a terrible job of creating a low fantasy story arc. However, it is subverting expectations in a way that is not feasible if you want to tell an epic journey. What starts out as a romcom turns into a fantasy novel without much of a twist. It just kind of meanders to a point where increasingly supernatural things happen without anyone wondering why.

Essentially that disenfranchises people who started playing Jason because of the initial premise and doesn't move things along quick enough for those seeking fantasy.
Also, at some point the developer integrated AI transitions that do look pleasing to the eye but they are still glaring because of AI's inconsistency. Movement flows between realistic to uncanny in a couple of seconds. Facial properties slightly change while they move from point A to B to point C.

The story is very disconnected in the beginning and when the initial payoff finally arrives you've kind of settled for different love interests already. The final moments are less impactful depending on your previous choices and LIs. The lack of railroading could be freedom, but it doesn't work when you have an LI in mind to progress the plot.

That's mainly a storytelling issue. The lack of focus early on makes you care less in the end, because nobody ever told you that you should care about this or that person specifically. So you have invent a cheesy line like (((SPOILER - "don't touch my harem" to achieve an emotional breaking point. Otherwise it wouldn't make much sense to feel so strongly and sacrifice so willingly for a street whore, does it?" - /SPOILER)))

But I don't expect developers on F95 to write creative masterpieces, so that's not a reason for me to deduct a star. It's just something to look out for as the story progresses. This visual novel lacks tension and that is mainly due to bad storytelling. So while I enjoy the visual, artistic side of things and am not terribly judgemental when it comes to the overall narrative, I strongly believe that Jason needs some serious focus or it risks to become an average experience.

Good animated art.

Decent enough story.

Fucking slow progress just building up like bush or branching out like a tree rather than advancing further.

I think i had a download 2 years ago. Or one. Either way, the latest download regressed in plot a little....

Maybe full story in 5 years if this does not drop? Or maybe that even is super kind and conservative

I played it for the first time a year or two ago. I didn't like MC and game flow but I hoped for the best. My second try to play this game was even shorter.
It's hard to believe but the dev made it worse than it was.
Visuals were OK and dev decided to make it even better. A good try but not this time. AI mini-clips do not make this game better, after some time it becomes annoying. And considering the fact that dev does not hide the age of characters and tries to please everyone it's not only annoying but disgusting as well.
Porn part... I don't get to that so I can say nothing about it. Just an important thing: we will see women of old age on a different state of undress. And no, whatever we choose, we cannot escape that pictures. From my first playthrough I was sure there was a porn scene with young adult girl in the game but I not played till that moment.
Gameplay. User interface became much worse, we cannot skip unread text, like at all, only if we read it before. Saving and loading game became significantly less comfortable, with unneeded story flow on upper half of a screen. I turned sound off in the settings but still see notifications which song is playing now (music is off but songs are playing, yeah). But I would ignore all that if text was enjoyable. So now about the main problem of a game.
At first, I need to say I played in Russian. And translation to Russian is really good. Maybe it's not a translation but original language, I don't know really. But Russian language is the only good thing I can say about the game.
Alas, it doesn't save the game from being a failure. Dev asked us who we want to play (including orientation), what kinks we like, how much body hair we like and if we like big or small boobs but all these questions means nothing. Because they change nothing. Dev already decided that MC is a horny teenager who wants to fuck everyone he sees (yeah, even his male friend). It's the personality of MC and we can do nothing about it. And honestly, it's disgusting to read, MC and his friend are like Beavis and Butthead, the same level of intellect and the same horniness. And it's only part of disgusting things in the game. Dev wrote a scene - players must see this scene. It doesn't matter if they don't like grandmas and don't find anything even remotely sexual in a sexual harassement scene when woman looking 60+ harass 20 years old young man - players must see this scene. No matter what they choose - that grandma is LI and players can only choose more or less direct approach. Forced LI is not good but in this game it's a normal thing we see time and time again.
In conclusion, all the bad things from my first try are still there and now they are not alone. There's no hope for this game.

Love this game!! (and i'm a french old man) story start nicely, and to be honest, i'm waiting for something with the asian granny, and maybe some others... Let's see where this game lead.

This game feels like it's gone through hundreds of versions. Almost every time, the plot is completely changed.

I finished the last version, but this one took me 10 minutes to become tedious, with tons of AI videos. Then they force first-time players to not fast-forward—is that just a blatant attempt to show off?

So I uninstalled it. I don't find watching static images turned into AI videos enjoyable at all; I'm already tired of it.

How many more times does this game need to be remade, honestly? Has there ever been an update that simply added content and allowed old save files to be used? Instead of each update forcing players to start over?

Music is fantastic. Renders are top notch. Story is so much fun to read. The lewd scenes are ridiculously hot. I played the original version and this rework is 1000 times better. I will be closely watching for the next release.

TL; DR
Very unusual and very hit or miss product.

Wonderful techno demo of modellers and animators skills.
Terrible AVN.
Devs added to the game all the cool features they could think of.
Collectible easters, RPG-like stat system, QTE events.
Why?
Obviously, because they could.
Somewhere in the process usability of the product dies, but when did it matter for the demo product?
It's the 1st time I see AVN with so much tips explaining to me all the cool features and how to transiton between different screens and modes.
Since when do we need a manual for a porn AVN?
On the positive side, visually its real real good.
Devs definitely saw real human beings, thus all characters in the gamer look like actual people with photorealistic quality, not default DAZ models with super models proportions and plastic skin.
On the negative side, simply couldn't load the save from the previous day.
It was there, it just couldn't be loaded.
Very nice kinks variety, but quantity of content that has been in development for 4 years is not promising.
Definitely give it a try if you don't mind somewhat over complicated interfaces and menus, glacial pacing and meh writing.
If not fhe graphical side it would be 3/5.

Great Graphics and story. Immersive story. Love the multiple pathways. Worth Trying out. Can't wait to see more updates and future content. So far this game is worth the time. Everyone should give it a try.

Absolutely excellent game! Especially in a part of animations. Have not seen a such the realistic renders and animations in the porn games with hairy pussies (btw pubic hair is optional). Natural women rule! I recommend this game.

revolutionary animation and finally the first developer to learn how to work with AI. I would appreciate a translation into Czech, but the game is still great. The story is branched so you can play it again and again and the game will entertain you for many hours. I believe that you will not be able to get enough of the great visuals. Each character is unique. I recommend❤

Nice looking girls but so far this game is not much better than when I played it quite a while ago as well. In fact there is barely any extra material from then which would indicate any updates since then are well, shit.

This game is still a game of forplay with some really, pathetic tiny sex tossed in for good measure. Seems like the Dev. wants to make a story but is so stoned they can't figure out what kind of story they really want it to be. Is it a sex story? Ummm. No. That would be to fun. Is it a love story? Ummmm. No. That would be too nice. Is it a mystery? Ummm. Hell no. To exciting. Is it a puzzler. Ummmm. No. Again too fun. I know. Lets make it a horror. But shit I don't really know how to write one of those. Lets sprinkle it all together and see what grows. Yeah that's it.

Not very thrilled with what is gpong on here as I can't really wrap my head around the BS that is being pushed here. Guess I just haven't got high enough yet.

Nice looking characters. Have no fucking clue where any of it is going though. Want to like them but sadly they are written so damn badly that I can't attach to any of them. Especially not the so poorly presented family members. And those are usually the ones you bond to first. Nope not here.

Character has a job but has been there ONCE in the whole thing. Not even sure what that fucking job is as he has been a technician, a plumber, and an electrician all in one day. WTF? Like I said, how do you bond with this insane BS? Its all over the damn map.

It gets a 3 only because the girls look nice. The teasing has been sexy. And there is a shit ton of teasing. The game environment has been nice as well. But that is far as I am giving the Def. Nice at. The rest has been a complete clusterfuck with no coherent rhyme or reason to it. The story is incoherent and completely pointless. Oh and the fucking 40's cliffhanger ending? LMAO. I don't know about that. My dude is apparently the antichrist so I am not sure I am interested in returning after that.

I dont make reviews for many games, but i really need to take this out of my chest!

I think this has a GREAT potential to be something really good like Depraved Awakening or City of Broken Dreamers.
Im not a big fan of IA but this really enhances the experience so that is a big plus without a doubt. Big ups for the Render guy!
I think the Node Save System is cool and lets you keep track on alternative choices.

BUT there is so much fluff with no flavor:
- the Fake Chart that makes you take that doesnt even open you to new dialogue or options.
- Too many characters with no reason but put more characters.
- They want to dabble on incest but they dont go much further (for now).
- Even with the really good idea of the Node Save System, there are no so many choices (For now) like really makes you want to dabble on the alternative choices.
- Locking the Skip text/Fastfoward option post game is awful, i know why some devs do it but please just DONT.

A Real negative for me is the writing. Like the story is kinda messy and im not a big fan of Supernatural Brainwash Charisma MCs like i really want it to be like a Normal dude being naturally charismatic and REALLY being a Coming of Age story.

Big Potential in this game but PLEASE fix this issues

Oh my God, what an absolutely awesome game! It's like stepping into another world. The video sequences are superbly done, allowing you to immerse yourself in the game right away. But the story is amazing, so back to the topic at hand. It takes a little while to get into it, but then you can't stop. The plot is so well thought out and exciting that you become addicted and want to keep playing for hours. The long texts could be a slight downside. I have to admit that I was a little put off at first. But honestly, you get used to it very quickly, which is important because the dialogues and cutscenes are a fundamental part of the story. Not only does it have breathtaking graphics and thrilling movie sequences, but also an exciting plot that captivates you. Simply magnificent!

Oh mein Gott, was für ein absolut geiles Spiel! Wie direkt in eine andere Welt. Videosequenzen sind hervorragend gemacht, was es ermöglicht, sofort in das Spiel einzutauchen. Aber die Geschichte ist der Hammer, also zurück zum Thema. Man braucht ein wenig, bis man reinkommt, aber dann kann man nicht mehr aufhören. Die Handlung ist so gut durchdacht und spannend, dass man förmlich süchtig wird und stundenlang weiterspielen möchte. Ein kleiner Wermutstropfen könnten die langen Texte sein. Ich muss zugeben, dass ich anfangs ein wenig abgeschreckt war. Aber ganz ehrlich, man gewöhnt sich sehr schnell daran und das ist auch wichtig, denn die Dialoge und Zwischensequenzen sind ein elementarer Bestandteil der Story. Es besitzt nicht nur eine atemberaubende Grafik und mitreißende Filmsequenzen, sondern auch eine spannende Handlung, die einen in ihren Bann zieht. Einfach grandios!

Seemingly, the latest update brought nightmarish AI animations and funny design choices, like locking the skipping text option, make the save system a "Create your own flowchart" thing and... character creation? I was slightly interested in the game thanks to a previous version, but this one killed it.

I'm not entirely sure why this is rated so damn highly. I have not read any other reviews, but my guess would be is the other reviewers mostly only looked at the visuals. That's it. They look at the renders, and animations and are like "BEAUTIFUL! 5 STARS BABY! YEA!" But, I have looked far past that in my own review, and I will break it down.

Okay, for starters the game is what I would consider a "Gilded Game". By gilded I mean it has a thin layer of gold on the outside, that is the surface level but a rotten core on the inside. So imagine a candy apple dipped in gold, but it's a rotten apple under the golden shell. That is this game.

What brings it up to a 3 star game instead of a 1 star game is the rendering / animations. The development team did a great job with that, but not much else. If it was just this render guy working another good dev I'd give it 5 stars. The render guy comes through clutch making this awful game tolerable.

Render Guy? A+ Job well done
Writing guy? Failed
Coding Guy? Failed

Why did the writing & code guys fail?

Code guy fails for trying to be unique, but in the process becoming worse than the norm. Skipping text is blocked until you make it to the end and start a new game. Then the saving mechanic is awful. It tries to build it's own unique save style with different color codes, and a weird mechanic, but ends up making it far more difficult to use than just a normal default renpy save setup.

Writing guy fails because the story is not coherent enough, and jumps around a lot. So, you start by talking to a therapist? That asks your sexual orientation? Straight, Bi, Gay? Okay... And this does nothing at all for the gameplay or scenes you can get. Picking gay does not make it so you get only gay scenes possible, and picking bi does not add any gay scenes, it's straight scenes, with the option for a girl to be a t-girl. So, that initial choice on what sort of content the player wants is a total non-starter. You are going to get straight scenes with optional t-girls no matter what you choose.

A lot of the coding is unnecessary fluff. That changes none of the gameplay. It's like add 10 points to figure out where you are sexually when it comes to being respectful or a peeping tom? Wtf? The base pick your stats change nothing as far as I can tell, and are limited.

The game has far more potential love interests than actual scenes with any of them.

Then they waste even more of the render guy's time by forcing in 5 different pubic hair options for all the women love interests... It is an unnecessary bloat to a game that is already slow on what is developing. That means every sex scene / animation is going to need 5 different animations / renders based on the level of pubic hair!

So, by the writer / code guy adding the pubic hair feature they have essentially multiplied the render guys load by 5 for all the sex scenes, plus the t-girl options added as well for some of them... It's bloat!

When in reality almost all players would be happy with either just always "Smooth shaven" or "Neatly trimmed bush". Very few men out there want a big thick forest of pubic hair, and guys who like that are usually satisfied by the neatly trimmed bush.

Honestly the render guy should just run, and start his own game, with a new team, or join an established game.

I don't know what the team makeup is... But if it's all 1 guy... They should just abandon the project and join up with a competent writer / coder who will be able to direct them how to actually make a game.

Story wise there is not much there... It's like you are some 25 year old dude that has 2 best friends. A red head and a black dude. Then you get this cat that transforms into a furry, or a clown chick that wants to fuck you. Plus you get this magic amulet and a hooker almost gets you killed rescuing her, but you talk to the therapist in the beginning. And you got a new job at some office too, and there is this t-girl there that wants to bang.

They don't know how to write a coherent story or build a plot... It's like just throwing spaghetti at the wall and calling it art. And choices seem to either mean almost nothing, or a lot.

v1.7.1-s

In latest patch we got lots of new things, but also some of the old stuff didn´t make it in this patch. Biggest updates were prologue and AI videos. I personally love how sexual build up and AI videos flow so well together. In prologue, the lingerie shop scene was masterful showcase of this. Sure faces look little off, even so much that they don´t look like a same person, but asses and breasts did look almost real at best. With good use of camera angles, loop usage and perfect amount of jiggle movement, some loops did look even sexier than regular porn.

If AI videos can get to quality of best cases from this game and cut work needed for animations, I am all for AI clips in every game. Not saying that we should accept when faces in AI clips look totally different from base game. Like the main red head had so unique face that AI did butcher it pretty badly by making it more general looking.

The game has perfect plot for AVN game, good writing (love the magic semen cum shots) and already great looking sex scenes now made better with tons of video clips (some looking superb, some little weird). Only thing we need is that this game would stop restarting. Some authors try to create masterpiece, without ever finishing. Some make same game again and again. Both are valid ways to milk customers, but not to make memorable games.

The graphics and characters are very good. The dialogues are also very good. Congratulations to the developer and I hope they keep updating. One of the best games out there. I will be eagerly awaiting the next update.

bad decision after bad decision im not against the background AI but relying 100% on it for even unnecessary ugly animations yikes the story is not worth the removal of the fast forward button , i dont get those change thats just feel like lazyness

Hard locked skip forward button, played it before but I won't waste time clicking for hours to get to the same point in the story, Using New OS, so that's the end of this I Nothing else I can say. .................................

I just tried playing for the first time. I have to say that the graphics are beautiful, the characters look good, the plot is interesting. Although very interesting, but the AI is used too often, making the quality and charm of the characters disappear. And the movement seems to not care about the work done. The movement is lifeless. The reliance on AI is okay, but now it is used too much that the charm of the game is completely lost. I feel like it should be another good game, but the AI ruins it. Really disappointing. I will give only this score for now. My feelings.