My honest take: The developer made up a really weird story about this MC who is clearly a simp for any pretty girl he's ever met. But this isn't a story about the MC hooking up with pretty girls--though occasionally it is--it's about the MC missing his chance with "the one."
In the prologue, the MC is interrupted by this girl who suddenly corners him and gives into the lust. This girl is Lynn, and she is--quite literally--the girl of his dreams. In fact, this experience with Lynn? Yeah, that's a dream sequence. The MC wakes up at the most inopportune time and is lulled back into the doldrums that are his life. He can't take it anymore, and you very first menu choice is to go hang out with his best friend that he's not spoken to in forever, Paolo, in Hawai'i... or end it all. I'm not kidding, that's the choice. Like... what the hell is this? Way to drop all of your baggage on us, we didn't ask for this shit... but okay, whatever. I guess we're going to Hawai'i.
Once he gets to Hawai'i, he hangs out with his best friend and another guy that's a buddy or acquaintance or whatever, we get very surface level introductions and that's it. Anyway, Paolo's rich. Did I mention that? No? Sorry, well I guess that's about the same way the developer drops this on us: Suddenly. Anyway, Paolo brings out the escorts for our MC and the other guy--he's so unimportant, I scarcely remember his name--and gives our MC a little blue pill to go longer and better. The escort says how much she loves what the MC is doing, says all sorts of affirmations--because repeat customers love affirmations as much as the sex--and how his girlfriend must be absolutely in love with him. Fun night had by all, moving on.
Next day, we get introduced to Lynn. She's here for a semester abroad. Did I mention she's the girl of our MC's dreams? Yeah, what a loser. Wait, did the MC just say that? Directly to the girl of his dreams?! Dammit MC, you're not supposed to actually come out and say that! MC why did you tell her you were a loser?! What is wrong with... wait what? Did she just reveal that she secretly had a thing for him, but she was too afraid to say anything? Wait, seriously? She would just sit and stare at him? The MC? The guy who is basically infatuated with this girl more than anyone--and we know how much of a simp he is, infatuation means he might stare a hole through her--and he didn't fucking notice?
Pardon me while I laugh. I can't take this shit seriously anymore.
I was trying. The faux sandbox is initially off-putting, but I was willing to work through that, and that actually got easier once I realized it was really a sandbox-on-rails--an oxymoronic term if ever there was one. No, that was no longer going to drive me away from this, but all the suspension of disbelief.
AND THE DEV, damn I forgot that. The DEVELOPER actually broke into the middle of the story with a quick intermission to ask how the player is enjoying the game and to tell us about the learning of DAZ and Ren'Py. I swear, I'm not making this up; this is too ridiculous to make up. Why would any developer ever self-insert in a meta way to ask meta things of their player base. I'm not saying a dev can't self-insert, but why can't you do this in the form of a Gary Stu or Mary Sue like everyone else. Why this "Notice me, Senpai" kind of stuff?
This was awful, and it's getting worse the longer I think and type so I'm going to stop here. 1 star.
In the prologue, the MC is interrupted by this girl who suddenly corners him and gives into the lust. This girl is Lynn, and she is--quite literally--the girl of his dreams. In fact, this experience with Lynn? Yeah, that's a dream sequence. The MC wakes up at the most inopportune time and is lulled back into the doldrums that are his life. He can't take it anymore, and you very first menu choice is to go hang out with his best friend that he's not spoken to in forever, Paolo, in Hawai'i... or end it all. I'm not kidding, that's the choice. Like... what the hell is this? Way to drop all of your baggage on us, we didn't ask for this shit... but okay, whatever. I guess we're going to Hawai'i.
Once he gets to Hawai'i, he hangs out with his best friend and another guy that's a buddy or acquaintance or whatever, we get very surface level introductions and that's it. Anyway, Paolo's rich. Did I mention that? No? Sorry, well I guess that's about the same way the developer drops this on us: Suddenly. Anyway, Paolo brings out the escorts for our MC and the other guy--he's so unimportant, I scarcely remember his name--and gives our MC a little blue pill to go longer and better. The escort says how much she loves what the MC is doing, says all sorts of affirmations--because repeat customers love affirmations as much as the sex--and how his girlfriend must be absolutely in love with him. Fun night had by all, moving on.
Next day, we get introduced to Lynn. She's here for a semester abroad. Did I mention she's the girl of our MC's dreams? Yeah, what a loser. Wait, did the MC just say that? Directly to the girl of his dreams?! Dammit MC, you're not supposed to actually come out and say that! MC why did you tell her you were a loser?! What is wrong with... wait what? Did she just reveal that she secretly had a thing for him, but she was too afraid to say anything? Wait, seriously? She would just sit and stare at him? The MC? The guy who is basically infatuated with this girl more than anyone--and we know how much of a simp he is, infatuation means he might stare a hole through her--and he didn't fucking notice?
Pardon me while I laugh. I can't take this shit seriously anymore.
I was trying. The faux sandbox is initially off-putting, but I was willing to work through that, and that actually got easier once I realized it was really a sandbox-on-rails--an oxymoronic term if ever there was one. No, that was no longer going to drive me away from this, but all the suspension of disbelief.
AND THE DEV, damn I forgot that. The DEVELOPER actually broke into the middle of the story with a quick intermission to ask how the player is enjoying the game and to tell us about the learning of DAZ and Ren'Py. I swear, I'm not making this up; this is too ridiculous to make up. Why would any developer ever self-insert in a meta way to ask meta things of their player base. I'm not saying a dev can't self-insert, but why can't you do this in the form of a Gary Stu or Mary Sue like everyone else. Why this "Notice me, Senpai" kind of stuff?
This was awful, and it's getting worse the longer I think and type so I'm going to stop here. 1 star.