Purple_Heart

Engaged Member
Oct 15, 2021
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The game is beatable without an in-depth understanding of the mechanics or a lot of effort on easy mode, at least if you've played an RPG before. Increasing the difficulty level or going for specific challenges or a special ending requires better mechanical understanding and more planning and care.

Seems pretty well-balanced to me. Someone who does one or two playthroughs on easy or medium will see most of the content, probably beat the game, and have a good time. Completionists and challenge runners have a lot to sink their teeth into.
"Probably" that's the key word here. Why does this game require multiple playthroughs to beat, especially when you're not even playing on the hardest difficulty? And more importantly, why is that the case in an adult game, where the main appeal for most players is the adult content? It's not even a roguelike or roguelite, which would normally justify repeat playthroughs.

I've already answered this, it was a rhetorical question, but I'll spell it out again: because the developer wants players to replay it. The intent is to artificially extend the game's length.

There are hidden and unexplained mechanics(like sex skills scaling with Dexterity), passives that stay hidden until unlocked with no in-game way to track or plan around them, vague edict descriptions(with unhelpful up/down arrows), trap edicts that increase control even though lower control gives you more income(with low order), and misleading tutorials(the rock-paper-scissors system is introduced in a way that actively sabotages new players' builds and only gets clarified after you lose).

On top of that, there are missing core elements you'd expect in any turn-based strategy game, like turn order display or visible numeric values for damage, health, or skills.

All of this is clearly designed to push the player into making mistakes and losing, just to force another restart. It's not about challenge, it's about padding.

This isn't what I'd call "well-balanced". The only way I could see it that way is if I judged it not as an adult game, but as a roguelite with a deliberately steep learning curve, say, like a pure Karryn run focused on mechanics rather than adult content. But even by that standard, it still falls short of actual roguelite benchmarks like Dead Cells or Hades, both of which offer better designed systems and a more rewarding experience.
 
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boringapocalypse

New Member
Feb 24, 2025
5
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Hello there. Time really flies, doesn't it? I knew I'd been around for a while, but I didn't quite realize just how long. Now that I think about it, I've probably been here even longer than I thought.


Since Karryn's Prison is an adult game, it's fair to assume that most players are primarily here to experience the adult content first, and only after that do they consider challenge runs or hunting achievements(like completing a pure run). If that's the case, and I believe it is, the game's balance should be designed around letting players explore that content in a fair and engaging way, without frustrating or punishing them.

Instead, the balance feels deliberately punishing, almost like a trap designed to force players into bad decisions that lead to failure, pushing them to start over. That would make sense if this were a roguelike, but it's not. It's an adult game, and most people want to explore the content without being "edged" into failure just to artificially stretch playtime.

The developer seems to want players to replay the game endlessly to discover everything or to just beat it atleast once. But based on the amount of hidden mechanics, vague systems, and complete lack of explanations, it's clear he either doesn't understand why people play this game, or worse, he simply doesn't care.

Let's talk examples:
  • Sex skills scale with Dexterity, but the game never tells you that. You have to learn it from guides or forums.
  • Passives: There are hundreds, most of which debuff you, and none are visible until unlocked. You can't even track them in-game without mods.
  • No turn order indicator, something even basic turn based games have.
  • Edict descriptions are vague. What do the up/down arrows mean exactly? We're never told.
  • Core mechanics are obscure, and many choices lead to irreversible debuffs or run ending mistakes.
  • People constantly ask how to unlock Light Kick, and most players probably don't even know it exists.
This isn't balance. Real balance means players follow clear, consistent rules and can make informed decisions. In Karryn's Prison, the rules are hidden and inconsistent. You're punished not for playing poorly, but for not guessing the correct approach in a game designed to obscure your options.

For a turn based strategy game, that's unacceptable. These games depend on providing data so players can make smart decisions. But here, you're left guessing, and punished for not reading the dev's mind.

Some design decisions also defy logic. For instance:
  • Slut levels decrease Karryn's Charm. So a more experienced Karryn is less attractive? That makes no sense.
  • You unlock accessory slots based on Charm, but the accessories themselves don't increase Charm(beyond +1 for each one purchased). Why? There's no in-universe logic or gameplay justification for that.
To be clear, Karryn's Prison is one of the best adult games I've played. But after hundreds of hours playing and analyzing its files, I can also say it's one of the most poorly balanced. The systems are stacked against the player, there are very few viable paths to victory, and those paths often feel neither satisfying nor rewarding.

Take my slut Karryn run, for example. What did I get for finishing it? Just some titles. No unique skills. No equipment. Nothing meaningful to carry into new game+. For a game that expects you to replay it, it does almost nothing to reward you for doing so.
Some corrections to be made here:
1. The game DOES tell you that sex skills scale with dexterity, it is in the description of both Dexterity training II and IV
2. It is pretty normal in most of the world for men to prefer fresh women to well-used ones...
3. There is no particular reason accessories should affect charm, or indeed any other stat in particular, it's video game magic gear, they just affect whatever the dev feels like.
4. Some titles are pretty powerful when equipped and the passive effects you get from them add up. Pride of the Empire is a standout example, giving 10% bonus exp just for having it with an additional +50% bonus exp and +3% stamina regen if you equip it. Titles are also literally coded as a kind of equipment in RPGMAKER
5. What is a reasonable difficulty for a moron is going to be totally different than for a genius. The devs can appeal to any kind of audience they want, but can't please everyone.

I do agree that the simple up and down arrows for what many edicts do is too vague, though if Remtairy provided numbers people would be complaining about information overlord and how the game is too overwhelming lol


Also I would just like to say that many puzzles and games you can play/solve in the history of the world are obscure or gimmicky, but that is simply part of the appeal, even if the mystery can't last.
 

Purple_Heart

Engaged Member
Oct 15, 2021
2,851
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Some corrections to be made here:
1. The game DOES tell you that sex skills scale with dexterity, it is in the description of both Dexterity training II and IV
2. It is pretty normal in most of the world for men to prefer fresh women to well-used ones...
3. There is no particular reason accessories should affect charm, or indeed any other stat in particular, it's video game magic gear, they just affect whatever the dev feels like.
4. Some titles are pretty powerful when equipped and the passive effects you get from them add up. Pride of the Empire is a standout example, giving 10% bonus exp just for having it with an additional +50% bonus exp and +3% stamina regen if you equip it. Titles are also literally coded as a kind of equipment in RPGMAKER
5. What is a reasonable difficulty for a moron is going to be totally different than for a genius. The devs can appeal to any kind of audience they want, but can't please everyone.

I do agree that the simple up and down arrows for what many edicts do is too vague, though if Remtairy provided numbers people would be complaining about information overlord and how the game is too overwhelming lol


Also I would just like to say that many puzzles and games you can play/solve in the history of the world are obscure or gimmicky, but that is simply part of the appeal, even if the mystery can't last.
1. You're absolutely right about that. But I still can't wrap my head around why the developer chose to place that kind of information in the edict descriptions instead of simply explaining it through the tutorial NPCs, where it would have made far more sense and been more accessible to players.

2. We're talking about male prisoners, criminals, in an all male prison, with Karryn as the only woman in the entire facility. Logically, an experienced Karryn should be even more arousing to them, not less. The idea that her experience makes her less appealing is questionable at best.

3. I agree. While it's not a huge issue, I do prefer when developers rely on internal logic rather than "developer magic". It would make far more sense for accessories to directly influence Karryn's charm stat, especially in a game where charm plays such an important role.

4. That so called "50% experience bonus" quickly drops to 5%, then to 0.5% as your stats increase. I've looked at the files myself, experience scaling slows to a crawl the higher your stats go. So while it might offer an early game boost, I was expecting something more meaningful as a reward for completing the game and carrying that progress into new game+.

5. My core issue isn't the difficulty itself, it's the overall game loop and design choices. The developer could've made the game far better just by clearly explaining core mechanics and including basic turn based strategy features(like a visible turn order), without altering the difficulty at all. Clear design doesn't make a game easier, it makes it fairer and more satisfying.
 
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E358700

Member
Aug 28, 2024
128
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The developer could've made the game far better just by clearly explaining core mechanics and including basic turn based strategy features(like a visible turn order)
There is not a single mechanic in this game that has straight-up fucked me more than the lack of information on when Karryn is actually going to get her turn, and how different skills impact turn order (if they even do, and the fact I have absolutely no idea is a problem in and of itself). There is nothing more infuriating than being in a relatively rough situation, and thinking "It's fine, I've been moving first every turn this whole fight, I'll just heal real quick." only to inexplicably be placed dead last in the turn order with absolutely no warning, quite literally getting Karryn fucked through absolutely no fault of your own.

Could you play better? Sure, you could argue that most times you can absolutely just prevent situations where this genuinely causes you any noteworthy issues. Can you plan for it? Fuck no. The game gives you no way to predict turn order changes, so you have no reason to plan for turn order changes since you can't do anything about it even if you tried. That mechanic especially kinda fucking blows.

If you have fluid turn order mechanics, then the player needs some way of knowing how the tide of battle is changing in order to plan and play around said changes. Being completely unable to do so just makes the combat needlessly luck based.
 
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_Ryuuga_

Member
Nov 3, 2018
127
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Screenshot_2025-06-22-08-58-05-19_b256d658d995ac698dafdc780f3e0c52.jpg Can someone tell me why heroin can't enter the pregnancy phase, even though it has entered the ovulation phase? Did I miss some event? Or maybe there is a certain chance?
 
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Purple_Heart

Engaged Member
Oct 15, 2021
2,851
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There is not a single mechanic in this game that has straight-up fucked me more than the lack of information on when Karryn is actually going to get her turn, and how different skills impact turn order (if they even do, and the fact I have absolutely no idea is a problem in and of itself). There is nothing more infuriating than being in a relatively rough situation, and thinking "It's fine, I've been moving first every turn this whole fight, I'll just heal real quick." only to inexplicably be placed dead last in the turn order with absolutely no warning, quite literally getting Karryn fucked through absolutely no fault of your own.

Could you play better? Sure, you could argue that most times you can absolutely just prevent situations where this genuinely causes you any noteworthy issues. Can you plan for it? Fuck no. The game gives you no way to predict turn order changes, so you have no reason to plan for turn order changes since you can't do anything about it even if you tried. That mechanic especially kinda fucking blows.

If you have fluid turn order mechanics, then the player needs some way of knowing how the tide of battle is changing in order to plan and play around said changes. Being completely unable to do so just makes the combat needlessly luck based.
This game is filled with "hidden" mechanics that create unnecessary confusion. Take stat leveling, for example. After finishing a battle or side job, you're shown a screen indicating which of Karryn's stats leveled up, say, Dexterity. But the game never tells you what actions actually contributed to that Dexterity EXP gain. There's no clear feedback loop, so you're left guessing what triggered the increase. This lack of transparency makes building Karryn far more difficult than it needs to be.

Most players, for instance, have no clue how to level up Mind efficiently. I only figured it out by digging through the game files, not through any in game explanation. Something as simple as a text pop-up saying "Dexterity/Mind/Whatever +X EXP" during relevant actions would've made a huge difference. But instead, we're stuck fumbling in the dark...
 

E358700

Member
Aug 28, 2024
128
263
This game is filled with "hidden" mechanics that create unnecessary confusion. Take stat leveling, for example. After finishing a battle or side job, you're shown a screen indicating which of Karryn's stats leveled up, say, Dexterity. But the game never tells you what actions actually contributed to that Dexterity EXP gain. There's no clear feedback loop, so you're left guessing what triggered the increase. This lack of transparency makes building Karryn far more difficult than it needs to be.

Most players, for instance, have no clue how to level up Mind efficiently. I only figured it out by digging through the game files, not through any in game explanation. Something as simple as a text pop-up saying "Dexterity/Mind/Whatever +X EXP" during relevant actions would've made a huge difference. But instead, we're stuck fumbling in the dark...
Yeah, the game is very good, but it's definitely a little more opaque about the mechanics than is optimal, especially when it comes to mechanics that a first time player really does need to know. This game's biggest flaw (in my opinion as a casual player) is that it can be incredibly frustrating trying to play without knowing key pieces of mechanical information, and this game has a lot of that. That, and having to repair the facilities on floor 2 every time the floor riots. Having to blow a bunch of edict points on things you already spent points on, just so you can then spend more points on other edicts is really quite obnoxious.
 

Shirafune

Engaged Member
Jun 6, 2017
2,254
3,299
Pre-Modded Game Upload (Karryn's Prison v1.3.0.95) – Two Versions Available!

As promised, I’ve uploaded a pre-modded version of the game. You can choose between two versions:

• Modded: Includes all listed mods with mostly default or untouched settings.
• Modded + My Edits: Same mod list, but heavily tweaked for a much easier and streamlined gameplay experience.

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Important Notes:

  • These versions have not been thoroughly tested. They were only checked to ensure the game launches, can start a new game, and can load existing saves. You may encounter bugs, or unexpected behavior, use at your own discretion.
  • Due to the number of mods and custom tweaks involved, it is strongly recommended to start a new playthrough or create a separate save file when using these versions. Using old saves may result in instability or conflicts.
  • I've just realized that both the Hide HUD mod and the Karryn Babe mod use the same keybind: "H". Unfortunately, I can't re-upload the entire game just to resolve this minor conflict. If you plan to use either of these mods, I recommend manually changing the keybind to avoid issues. You can do this from the main menu by navigating to: Settings > Mods > Hide HUD > Shortcut to toggle HUD or Settings > Mods > Karryn Slutty > Shortcuts > In Battle > Remove Bliss state
Great one but how do I ungyaru her? Seems there's no edicts for that or anything in mod settings that I can find?
 

hawkhunter

Member
Aug 10, 2017
390
284
I think it might be the intention of the dev that players don´t fully see through the stats building process during a run. Probably to make the game lighter to play?

But I do really like knowing such details.
Is there a guide or list or anything within the almost 2300 pages that explain what raises certain stats?
I always thought using blunt attacks increases str and so on. Having items quipped raises charm more likely....
 

ayylm4a00

Member
Mar 5, 2018
105
330
Some design decisions also defy logic. For instance:
  • Slut levels decrease Karryn's Charm. So a more experienced Karryn is less attractive? That makes no sense.
  • You unlock accessory slots based on Charm, but the accessories themselves don't increase Charm(beyond +1 for each one purchased). Why? There's no in-universe logic or gameplay justification for that.
It's management, it's to prevent you from being too powerful and make the game easy.
High charm = They take more pleasure damage. Otherwise you just full their bars in 2 turns and they have less time to touch you and give the next passive. And you're perhaps being unsatisfied with the term Charm used instead of something like "Purity" or "Virtue"
 

AMT7922

Newbie
Apr 13, 2024
42
34
But I do really like knowing such details.
Is there a guide or list or anything within the almost 2300 pages that explain what raises certain stats?
I always thought using blunt attacks increases str and so on. Having items quipped raises charm more likely....
There is a steam guide that explain what action gives stat exp.
Otherwise you just full their bars in 2 turns and they have less time to touch you and give the next passive. And you're perhaps being unsatisfied with the term Charm used instead of something like "Purity" or "Virtue"
You can do that with a mind build with marbled reality. I find growing charm stat is a waste for slut build. You get enough accessories to hit 69 for 5 accessories slot, it's better to grow endurance/energy/dex instead. I rarely have any issues getting enemies aroused/horny and no amount of charm will help with Angry prisoners.

For combat, there is an accessory and item that gives percentage boost to charm if needed.
 

Purple_Heart

Engaged Member
Oct 15, 2021
2,851
4,749
No i mean the mans keeps nutting no stop on karryn so the scene never ends, they just keep going lol, infinite libido
Check the settings for each of your installed mods, some of them might be affecting enemy behavior. I'm not sure which one specifically, but it's worth investigating.

I’ve turn the devices on but i still can see them in accessories, only toys on bed
They're referred to as "toys" by the mod, so if you're fighting against nerds, it's possible they might be able to use them on Karryn. I'm not entirely sure though, I don't use that feature myself, so this is just a guess.

Great one but how do I ungyaru her? Seems there's no edicts for that or anything in mod settings that I can find?
You can disable the tan skin tone from the main menu by navigating to:
Settings > Mods > Karryn Slutty > Cosmetics > Skin Tone > [PREVIEW] Tan Skin

I think it might be the intention of the dev that players don´t fully see through the stats building process during a run. Probably to make the game lighter to play?

But I do really like knowing such details.
Is there a guide or list or anything within the almost 2300 pages that explain what raises certain stats?
I always thought using blunt attacks increases str and so on. Having items quipped raises charm more likely....
I've checked the game files, almost every action you perform during battles(including side jobs) grants at least one type of experience. For example, using Cock Kick gives both Dexterity and Strength EXP. There are a ton of different actions, each contributing to various stats, and documenting every single one would be a massive task that most people won't bother with. However, if there's a specific stat you're aiming to level up, I might be able to help you more effectively.

It's management, it's to prevent you from being too powerful and make the game easy.
High charm = They take more pleasure damage. Otherwise you just full their bars in 2 turns and they have less time to touch you and give the next passive. And you're perhaps being unsatisfied with the term Charm used instead of something like "Purity" or "Virtue"
As far as I know, Charm doesn't directly affect pleasure damage, but I'm not entirely sure, so I could be wrong. What I am certain about is that Charm passively increases enemy pleasure each turn.

In other words, if Karryn has high Charm, her presence alone causes enemies' pleasure bars to rise every turn, even if they aren't touching her or themselves. This effect becomes even more noticeable if you use the Reality Marble skill, which further boosts her Charm.
 

hawkhunter

Member
Aug 10, 2017
390
284
You really don´t have to go digging but I would like to try a stupidly high str (and stamina secondly) stat run. Got all the titles and so on going. Trying to use str attacks mostly.
If you know a hand full of str exp triggers off your hand that would be fun!
 
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