VN - Ren'Py - Abandoned - Last Call [v0.4] [Thunderline Studios]

Not counting graphics, music and the fact that you can reject girls I can't say anything good about this game.

Spoilers


There is basically nothing going on in the game, except for some funny drama and "organizing" events in the bar, which are meh.


I won't say I enjoyed myself, I wanted to see what vibe the protagonist has with one seemingly main girl, but there's not much content with her because more important is the uncle and the cook who have him as a victim of fate and some old alcoholic regular with whom I started skipping conversations after a while.
I do not understand how it can attack 5 stars at all, but it is not for me to judge others, for me the max rating is poor.

Good game.

Nice graphics.

Rather unique characters.

Just one common point (in two characters. Yes I admit it's not all).

The LIs will ghost the MC. You could say there is a reason.
You would be right.
However the justification does not make it fair to be the victim of ghosting.

A natural reaction would be for the MC to be jaded or flighty around any signs of abandonment after one or two ghostings.

Why do I say this instead of saying he should be "manly" and put up with shit?
Brother simp kept a conversation going for a month, including two weeks of the cold shoulder/silent treatment.

I don't know why this game attacks 5 stars...for me it was just average game with quitte nice renders but that was it. There was not many scenes and nothing creative. But it has to be said that for older game really good graphics.

Good game, good renders. A slice of life simple story which takes place around a bar in a small town. There are different models with different personalities. They are funny. Well this is not usual harem. So keep different saves for each girls. Well looking forward to know about the GF Fiona's story. And waiting for the return of Morgan. Ofc waiting for MC'S relationship with Annie become official. Hoping KJ accepts the MC's proposal. Looking forward to more of. Bobby's content

Overall it's a good game worth playing. Keep up the good work dev

+ Slice of Life story
+ Different models
+ Good pace
+ Sound and music
+ Writing

- No animations

This game is very slice of life meaning that it moves pretty slowly. MC is kind of pussy which is off-putting. The love interests are varied, but I wasn't even interested in most of them as I found their personalities somewhat boring. If you're looking for a slow paced slice of life type of story that isn't really going much of anywhere, then this could be the game for you.

I was debating on whether it should be an official 3 or an unofficial 3.5 and felt like 3 is pretty good. It's not a bad game but idk if it's really good either and that is because there's nothing really special about it.

It's written well with a rare grammar or spelling mistake here or there but it's pretty clean for the most part. The renders are good and the women look nice with a good little variety to them. Not all shapely and thick and not all thin either. You have a mix of mostly younger women and a milf and older woman mixed in here. There's no pointless sandbox or blue balling or anything like that so the game is decent in that regard.

The game however loses points in its story/dialogue, its characters, and (as strange as it is for me to take points away) its sex scenes.

Main story is pretty straight forward, dying uncle has no family to look after him so MC leaves his college life behind to come to the aide of his uncle and help run his bar. The story really takes place with the characters around and while they're not bad characters they're pretty strange. A quirky cute type waitress, a foul mouthed rough rugged cook, some other misc. npcs around, the mysterious thick rebel girl who's not from here but has a ton of secrets (that you still only find out little about), the cougar milf who's all over you one second and then not interested in you once you sleep with her a couple of times, and mc's ex gf who he leaves behind for out last character, the also foul mouthed uncle who is on death's door.

I have to agree here with another reviewer in that the LI's are not particularly good here, as the mc's ex gf (which 9/10 times is a bad idea) is not particularly likeable, seeing as she has thrown a bit of a fit because the mc chose to be a decent human being and move to look after his dying uncle and help him out. Guess she's mad because mc's been gone for longer than he originally told her, but instead of communicating this, she just stops responding to mc one day and then later posts a picture of her being kissed on the cheek by some random guy. Obviously this is supposed to be taken as the motivation for MC to get over her before she comes back and explains this as a misunderstanding (which is what it's already looking like is gonna happen) but still I mean she doesn't give you much a reason to like her.

The next biggest one would be the fellow out of towner, who seems to have the "rebel" look to this town's inhabitants because she dies her hair and has a few extra piercings, also she dresses like a regular girl in her early to mid 20's but that makes her stand out in this town I guess. Anyway she's into the mc right away but she's the type to have skeletons in her closet, and she'll half share them with you but not really tell you all of what's going on and shut you down should you try to get the truth out of her, meanwhile mc will tell her his whole story from the get go. Ultimately she's interesting but if you're not overly into her or have good amount of patience to spare, not really worth all the trouble and games she wants to play.

Speaking of games there's the cougar milf who is the first woman in game to show mc interest, but once she has a romp or two she quickly makes it known that this is as far as it goes, and even if you want to just keep hooking up, she hasn't shown interest since she finally sunk her claws into you the first couple times. Though she will continue to mention how much mc is a catch and how good a guy he is. Kinda confusing all things considered.

Then there's the waitress. I mean I didn't do her route but she's cool. If you're into the young, girl next door types, then this one may appeal to you. She has a bubbly, fun, exterior but she's going through some things. You help her out, she fools around with you a bit and that's pretty much all for now.

LI's aside and then you have mc's uncle and the cook, and while they're alright they are just that. Alright. Nothing remarkable other than the fact they have seemingly limitless amounts of nicknames to try and call MC soft. Which leads to dialogue. Whoever wrote this loves to use nick name and name calling in their banter as nick names will be thrown left and right at ALL characters and by all characters. I've never seen so many nicknames for things like tall, and short, old, and soft. Dialogue while not bad is more kinda meh.

Then the sex scenes. Same thing, meh. They're rendered well but it's like a moving slide show. No animations, and they're over pretty quickly. Length of the scene isn't the problem here just I think they would be nice if animated but that could be a style choice, still it's not as good as other decent or less than games here so I guess I detract for that.

All in all this game is alright. It's nothing groundbreaking and the content is not that much at this time. It's just an okay game. If it seems interesting to you give it a go. It's good enough I'll keep my eye out on it, but it could be a lot better and I'm hoping that it gets there.

The story is not very interesting, it tries to be emotional, but I don't really care about the sick old man.
The girl cast is varied, but unfortunately, I don't like most of them, in fact there is only one girl that I find attractive.

I would give this game 4.5 stars if I could, but I'll round it up because the pros outweigh the one solitary con.

The writing- the most important part of these kinds of games for me- is superb. Characters act like distinct people. They speak like human beings. They drive the story in believable ways; they feel real. When one of them is happy or hurting, I feel it. Too often in VNs I scoff at a character's actions or choices, finding them ridiculous or embarrassing and made for the sake of moving the story in a particular direction; there's none of that here.

The story itself feels genuine. It doesn't really feel like a narrative arc so much as a set of starting plot points that naturally progress by virtue of the characters' personalities and choices. Simple but fantastic.

The art and music are, again, amazing. The women are all uniquely sexy but, like the men, very believably human. Also, Morgan. Nnngh. The music tracks can be loud at times and maybe a bit repetitive if you leave the game running in the background for too long, but they're absolutely perfect for setting the mood.

The only problem I have with Last Call is the sex scenes. They're well rendered, and I think that with some love they could actually be sexy, but as they are they're just about 5 still frames per position, spread through what should either be a properly animated scene or have actual text describing the sensations of the characters involved. They feel incredibly bland and empty.

TL;DR: 4.5 game; sex scenes desperately need work to actually be sexy.

Like this game a lot! The writing is really good and humorous, I really like the premise of the story, and the authors leave enough "mystery" in it to keep you wanting more. It's nice to see proper spelling and dialogue in one of these games (yeah, I'm one of those damned "grammar Nazis" ), and it's great to have a believable main character. He's not much to look at and he isn't hung like a mule - just like most of us.

Overall, a fun gaming experience that makes you care for the characters in the story. To me, that's the key to a great VN. Nice work, folks!

Came for the scenes, stayed for the feels. Great renders and story.

The only lacking thing I would say would be the lack of animation when it comes to the intimate parts. Otherwise, it's a top-tier game.

Tl;dr: This game lacks in only one department, the rest is all top notch:, The visuals, the story, the characters and even the chosen music are all excellently crafted. The sex scenes however....
First things first:
The story reads like actual people are talking to each other, (especially like when they have been drinking) which is very rare in porn games IMO. As a whole it is also well paced, maybe a tad fast for some, but for me it didn't drag itself out solely for the purpose of being 'slow burn'. Dialog choices do not seem to matter all that much though, so take that how you will, it didn't bother me.
The game has a lot of music and it fits really good in the accompanying scenes, really nice since most VN's are silent affairs.
Renders are all top notch quality, too much lighting in a lot of scenes since I never saw a pub this well lit unless it was cleaning and closing time. Not perfect but it didn't detract from what was going on on screen so I can give it a pass.
The characters are all models with each a unique style, feel and personality to them, even the side characters. Again a big plus over most VN's.

Now the sad part: the sex scenes are not bad, they are just short, often just a collection of thrown together renders almost that do tell a story, just not a very fleshed out sexy one. And since it is supposed to be a porn game...that loses you points right there.

Absolutely Incredible! A truly exceptional achievement - the artwork is amazing, and the female characters are super hot - but what really makes this stand out is the fact that all the characters are throroughly fleshed out and truly believable and way the story develops is completely engrossing. I've enjoyed many VN's, etc, but I've only ever found a tiny number to be genuinely moving, and this - not to mention the fact that its also hilariously funny in parts with a truly light touch that runs through it. A+++.

I remember I tried this game before, but there was little content. Regardless what it did have was excellent.

I haven't played this new update, since I thought the game was abandoned. About to play it, if something went downhill after the great start I'll change this rating.

Don't think I'll need to, though. Real Happy this was not cancelled/abandoned, it was a very charming start.

I don't know - the LI's just don't really feel like LI's
Kelly Jo is all over the MC at first and then she just decides after having sex with him a couple times that she isn't interested anymore - which is fine, she wasn't looking for a relationship anyway. But it is just an odd series of events with her. She just goes from hot to cold for no real reason. I mean depending on your dialogue choices, she can say that the MC seems like he is getting too attached to her and she isn't looking for a relationship. But even if you choose the options of acting like you are fine keeping things casual, she will still basically tell you she doesn't plan on hooking up with you anymore.
Then the MC moves on to Morgan - by your 2nd date you basically have to decide if you want her to be your girlfriend. Which is fine, but then shortly after she just disappears and leaves town with her dad due to some legal issues.
Then you have the bartender/waitress (which I am spacing out on her name). You have this odd exchange with her where to help her deal with an ex-boyfriend and some of his jerk friends, you send them a disk pick from her phone to get them all to stop bullying her. Then to help her get over her loneliness- you sexually service her, then she decides to have sex with you, then afterwards she says she isn't ready for a relationship right now and the next day your dialog with her is like nothing ever happened. It's just really odd.
Finally you have your girlfriend Fiona. You had been apparently dating her for several years, you leave to go help out your dying uncle and after 2 weeks of being gone she just starts ghosting you - won't respond to your texts or emails. Then you see a picture on social media where she has a big smile on her face and a guy is kissing her on the cheek. Then at the end of this update you go home (to your uncles house) from the bar one day and she is sitting on your bed and says hi to you and the story ends. I mean honestly you could totally see this coming, but who cares she's pretty much a bitch.

So all the LI's at this point in the VN are shitty options. They will all have sex with the MC after one date (or not even a date) and then right after will act like nothing ever happened. What little backstory you are provided for Fiona - she seems like she was kind of a bitch before the MC left, then she is definitely a bitch after the MC leaves. So hopefully in the next update, when the MC has a conversation with her, you are given the option to throw her ass out of his bedroom and tell her good riddance.

The LI's are all pretty attractive, so I guess that gives you something to work with. But I really don't feel much connection to any of the LI's.

Interesting game where you can hardly empathize with the characters neither the MC nor the player.
I honestly think, the best thing that could happen to the MC is to fall in love with another girl who isn't a LI. The girls are boring and uncharismatic + boring rushed sex + underdeveloped romance.
There's annoying things but the worst is Max coughing in every damn scene and the terrible choice of music .
The story is unimpressive but renders and female characters are beautiful.

How did I feel about this game......utterly bored.
I don't mind slow burn stories where romance has to be built up but I couldn't figure out where this game was really going or wants to go. The MC has been away from his girlfriend for like 2 weeks (I think), writing her every day but being ghosted in return and he learned that she might be seeing someone. He has internet and a phone, can't he just give a call or check her social media for f...k sake ?!
MC lacks of personality, at least I couldn't feel anything special through the dialogs, which are a total boredom and seem to last forever....
Renders are nice and the ladies are cute.
Sex scenes are anti-climatic and felt mecanic.
All in all, this game has potential but need a good rework/rethinking and a better writter.

Not a single, aside from MC, likeable character. It's a typical bullshit story of a young guy who has to be nice to everyone while no one gives a flying fuck that he (MC) is throwing away his life and his long time relationship to look after a piece of shit uncle. All the typical tropes are here. A superficial bitch, a bubbly teenager, a slut, etc. Boring.

Lot's of potential here, of coures, it was all too short. looking forward to all the good things our hero will accomplish as a by-product of all of the resolved frustrations of the women in his life, altho, just because I'm greedy, I wish there were more. <laughs> I do like this kind of "good path" story where the MC is an all around good guy & his daliances provide nothing but fun & joy.

Had to mash my mouse through mountains of text for about 10 minutes to even see anything sexual. By that point it was so anti-climatic I closed the game and deleted it.

Way too much text. Had to see the dad cough about 4000 times inbetween every other sentence... twice would have been fine to show us he's ill, jeez.

You also don't have to animate (badly) someone walking into the room.

I can honestly say that I didn't expect it to be this good or have this much content already (as of v0.3.1)

The story, the characters, all the written stuff is simply excellent, CG is beautiful for all the characters and environments and especially for the women. Ambient sounds (as few as there are) are well implemented and although this kind of music isn't something that I would normally listen to, it's also not just random background music, but matched to the scenes and environments and didn't bother me much (and since it's correctly bound to the music channel, it can be muted by the music volume slider - a simple thing often incorrectly implemented in Ren'Py games).
Also, didn't encounter any bugs.

And what is always a very important quality for me is that all the females are correctly proportioned within the normal limits, something you don't see too often in adult games. Each and every one of them. Even the very old ladies (I'd prefer not to see them naked, though ).

A beautiful game both story wise and visually.