boringapocalypse
Member
- Feb 24, 2025
- 162
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Some corrections to be made here: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:
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.
- 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.
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:
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.
- 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.
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.
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.