VN - Ren'Py - Completed - Leap of Faith [Ch. 8 v1.0.3] [DriftyGames]

4.5/5
Amazing Characters, tragic and beautiful.
prepare to cry if you see it through

Thank you for this beautiful emotional adventure I was led on.
PS: it was unfair that she is so damn likable while being the most tragic

Very emotional story, addresses some serious issues, it is crazy how much effort some of the AVN games gives to story compare to the AAA games these days. Great lovable characters, I atleast got two of my top favourite girls from this AVN. Has decent replay value. Overall I highly recommend it.

Let's speak first about the elephant in the room (Short Review if you don't wanna read): Is this game 5 stars as current rating suggest? No. But it is still quite good. Story is ok enough that it wants keep on playing, development detail is top notch and graphics are nice. If you don't know what to read and haven't give it a try, go do it. You will enjoy it. Unless you just wanna fap. Or a masterpiece. Then, move on.


Long Review (but trying to keep it short enough that is actually useful).

Writing/Plot: this is probably what you will my stand different than most. This is a game with not much plot. Yes, that is exactly what I said. Don't get me wrong. The story will make you read and you will be interested in the characters, but there is no "main conflict" in the plot. It is more like a sequence of interactions between the characters, that by the very own nature of the characters generate the idea of conflict. Overall, if you had to summarize it, story is:

1) guy recovers from broken relation
2) guy mets mysterious/special girl
3) guy mets a lot of "everybody loves me" other girls
4) small conflict happens
5) guy lives happily ever after

This out of itself is not bad, but as a drama/conflict lover myself, the lack of an actual plot and some real conflict going on just takes lots of points from me. In fact, super light spoilers ahead, the only emotional moment for me was not because of the story itself, but something else. You will understand when you get there.

Writing itself is not bad at all, actually. The author does manage to make for compelling dialogues and those sequence of interactions are executed in a very positive way, mixing drama with comedy and some unexpected elements.

Characters: Characters are not great but good. While some are particularly interesting (game is clearly written with Cece as main LI), some are cliche. Biggest critique in my opinion, as it tends to be, is MC. He is just bland. And if you know me you should know I don't mean that in the standard "he is not an alpha" kind of comment you see so much from some users here. I mean it in the sense of he is too generic: nice guy, kind of cute, no real flaws. I woulnd't go so far to say he is a Gary Stu, but I would say he does show up with some Gary Stu spectrum features.

Graphics/Music/Enviroment: Let's start with graphics. They are quite good. Most girls are cute, some significantly more than others (sorry Kira). Nothing to love or hate too strongly. I did enjoy the level of detail for the enviroment. You can see the developer put a lot of work here. In fact, you could say the enviroment is the highest point of the novel. Detail is all around, from the cellphone apps, to the music chosen to other features. Quality here is top notch

Sexyness: Kind of boring, honestly. If you are here for private NSFW time, you are in the wrong game.

Would this be my first recommendation for someone new to the genre? Perhaps. But it would not be my recommendation for masterpiece in the genre it is trying to be. Acting Lessons does a better job for that in the formula of the 5 steps described above. It would definitely be one I would give to a friend who just wants something nice to read without hits below the belt. Sometimes that is all you need.

I’ve played Leap of Faith in full almost 2 years ago, but I had to play it all over again a few days ago, and I cried again, and I laughed again, because that’s what this visual novel is about: emotions, feelings, all of them. Up to this day, Leap of Faith is still my favorite completed visual novel, there is no competition for me, DriftyGames is that talented. Don’t get me wrong, other developers and other VNs are super great too, but none of them can bring so many various emotions in just one game.

It all started in March 2020 and it shows a little (renders and animations get better chapter after chapter though), but as soon as you immerse yourself into the story and the characters, you just can’t stop, you can’t even take a break until you have seen ALL the 9 main endings (not counting Chris and if pregnancy or not). Talking about the endings, that’s where it hurts a little as most of them are super short (Lexi’s ending is damn funny but is not a real ending).

Thank you Drifty for such a wonderful visual novel, I can tell that you poured your heart into it, and I hope U4IA will give me the same chills, best of luck with it!

Great game, with incredible music, and some of the best-written LIs, one of the most emotional games made me emotional multiple times, but this is also paired with great humor, a true emotional rollercoaster of a game, very high quality everyone should play through this

What can I say, it made my eyes sweat. Constantly thinking about life and relationships the story resonated with me in a weird way. I enjoyed playing this game and would love to experience again for the first time if I get a chance.

The best game I've played from this site and the most emotional game I've played.

Several of the key elements of the story are pretty far fetched. However, the characters had the right amount of quirks and flaws to make them all interesting.

The dialogue felt natural and solid enough that this would have still been a decent game without the adult content. I played through the entire thing in only a few sessions and it was good enough that I ended up hurrying through some of the adult scenes to get to more of the story.

Your choices do matter which to me is a huge bonus.

The music is great. Normally music is only something I notice if it's on the poor side, but this game does a great job of picking the right music for the scene.

The events range from fun and lighthearted to about as dark as you can get. There is one point where you are warned about content and it's the only time I've ever considered a content warning seriously. I saw that message and my heart sank. What followed was a severe sucker punch to my emotions that I was not prepared for. I don't cry from reading books or watching movies. At best some of the most emotional ones might get a single tear from me. But this game had me full on dirty crying.

I do want to eventually go back for another playthrough to see how some of the other choices turn out, but that will have to wait until my psyche is ready to handle this again.

This is the only AVN that's so good I'd recommend it to people face to face.

Unlike most here i didn't go much on this game.

For me the women jump at the MC way too easily, no part of the game feels romantic especially with the never ending social commentary which makes most of the game feel like a lecture(nothing wrong with social commentary but it has its place and an AVN is not it).

There is no main plot, its all about the love interests which wouldn't be too bad but sadly the game turns into "Cece and the others" because even if you pick another girl Cece's story and mood clearly dominate the game.

The adult scenes are in a word terrible, there is nothing arousing about them, they are way too short and most of the time you cant see anything also the constant talking spoils the mood.

The characters all feel individual with there own personalities but they have a super amount of baggage which dealing with takes up most of the game.

Choices do direct the story which is good but they are way over complicated with a choice from early in the game locking out a choice much later on, trying to navigate them is like walking on a mine field.

On the plus side the game is more real than most others, the conversations are natural and realistic as is the setting and characters.

Story 1/5 (no main plot)
Art 3/5 (ok)
Sex 1/5 (not much to see)
Fetishes 1/5 (lesbian)
Choices 2/5 (over complicated)
Characters 3/5 (realistic but lots of baggage)

Really great story, but a small part of me can't help but feel this would be better as VN than an AVN.
Take the effort that was put into rendering and animating the adult scenes and pour it into the less fleshed-out portions of the story.
(I'm looking at you, Steph.)

Might just be my own views on the subject matter, but sexy and depressed don't really go together, and this story definitely has the potential to leave you feeling depressed at several points throughout.

(Also, Cece's sister kinda looks like Alfred E Neuman from Mad TV.
Not really relevant to the review, but I got a good laugh out of it.)

In any case, I can see why so many rate it so highly, and why they put it behind very few other AVNs.
It's a great story, with mostly well-written characters, and solid dialogue.
Worth a playthrough or two, although you should be aware that it touches on some pretty dark topics. The game gives you a very direct warning prior to the most significant of these, and even gives you the option to skip it, but it's worth knowing going in for those with their own struggles.

Some people compare the tragedy with Acting Lessons, but they're in different categories as far as I'm concerned.
One is more loss, trauma and grieving and the other is more inexplicable, seemingly innate mental illness. If you struggle with the latter, you'll probably have less trouble with AL than with LoF, and vice versa.

never have i seen a better written story. the amount of time it takes to get through it is perfect, other than you just wanting it to keep going because it is so good. nothing drags on for to long making you lose interest, ever thing is realistic enough for you to relate to, even the deeper topics . i have never wished i could experience something for the first time all over again like this in my life, i wish this could get enough attention to make a movie based off it for the amazing was it covers the topic of depression., it real and doesn't sugar coat it , but makes you feel the emotions that the characters feel. Drifty, it will be difficult but if you ever top this i cannot wait to see it.

Thank you,

This might be my favorite AVN right now...

Overall, the story is great. The paths are good, emotionally brutal, but good. The characters are good, some are excellent, the music is great. The cameos are magnificent. I particularly enjoyed Jaye from Chasing Sunsets appearances, because I played that one right before this one...

I've played a lot of these kind of games and used many tissues, but this was firsth where I needed them for my tears. Good writing and complete package. Didn't expect to get amotionally hit, but glad I did.

An experience I needed right when I played the game. Exceptional story that I hope others can benefit. The music selection is also thoughtful and top notch. Added a few new songs to my favorite play list.

I highly recommend.

Thank you Drifty.

This was the most emotional VN I've ever played! Characters & plot lines were excellent. However, I can't give it a 5 because it was the most limiting VN I've ever played too. Most choice/path driven VNs allow some "off path" fun and they let you get a lot deeper into the story before making you choose, or better yet, your choices add up at the end. This is the opposite; you have to almost choose right away and every other LI is blocked forever. For example, I just finished my first run and I have 5 more LI Paths to explore, some I've never even had a single scene with.
The sad part is that I feel small tweak could've fixed this; move the "house party" to the end of the story, so MC can explore other girls then it culminates at the house party for the path sealing choice. Just my thoughts...
In the end, it's still worth playing, but definitely use the DLC help option; those tips are invaluable since there's so many divergent options.

Pretty good story, kinda short? If the sex scenes were better it would be a easy 5*. Solid choice for a nice read with some wank in between.

I didn't experience the whole game tho, maybe that's why i think it's short, just did cc and lexi routes. Or maybe it's cause i read the whole thing in one sitting, and don't really know how much time i spent? Anyway that attests to the fact that is a interesting story.

I did not stop until I finished Cece play through. this one almost brought me to tears at times and a whole range of emotions. I will play through the rest. All I can say is that Leap Of Faith is in my top 5

This is one of the best AVNs of all time in this site, IMO.

A story that prioritizes substance that can survive without its NSFW scenes, it also effectively tackles a very sensitive and serious issue that will lead to some incredible emotional gut punches.

Great writing that consists of layers, good dialogue, balanced humor, nice callbacks, rewarding character arcs, and excellent screenplay.

Realistic characters that perfectly complement one another, and would simply leave a mark on you after playing. I mean, TWO of the best AVN girls of all time and one of the best "best bro" characters are in this game, so 'nuff said.

It also has one of the best, if not the best, soundtracks in any AVN ever. A soundtrack so well curated, each song perfectly fits their scenes and the characters, amplifying the effect and memorability of the scenes. The songs are so good that they deserve to be added to your liked songs on Spotify.

As this is the developer's own leap of faith, this game is very personal and it is evident in the story, its characters, and its music, resulting in a wonderful experience that is meant to be enjoyed at least once by every person that likes a good story.

Rating: 9/10 (5 stars). Definitely a must-play AVN, and play it with the music restoration mod.

This game is incredible and is a MUST PLAY AVN. The story is original, the characters are interesting and you care about them in a completely unique way.

If you like lewd scenes you probably won't find it that incredible, but the girls are very beautiful and each one has her own style.

To the developer, I just have to say congratulations. I believe you achieved your goal and managed to pay tribute in a beautiful way to the memory of this person who is so special to you.

The only thing i think could have been better were the quality of renderings and animations but as the Dev mentioned many times in game he had hardware limitations and had to do a lot of optimizing to be able to render in a reasonable time.
Finished the game with and i think i will repeat 2 more times with other characters as partners.
Really enjoyed the game, wasn't at all expecting the drastic emotion changes it caused me, and also shook me to the core as i've been through some problems too, Anyway, thank you for the amazing game, haven't played much of AVN'S but this one for sure ill remember

Unpopular opinion, but I think this game really isn't anything special. I've seen countless people hype this up to be one of greatest AVNs of all time and I honestly just don't see it.

PROS:
1. Good looking renders.
2. Is actually finished, unlike the vast majority of AVNs.
3. Good replayability (if you liked it in the first place) due to having to pick a single LI to pursue (I picked Cece, who seems to be the most popular pick).
4. A few somewhat unique and interesting mechanics, e.g. the social media app "Nuke", being able to take pictures of some moments etc.

CONS:
1. Robotic and mediocre looking animations during NSFW scenes (also terrible angles).
2. No real "plot" (by plot I mean there is no particular goal in the story, besides just going through relatively random events whilst pursuing the LI you picked).
3. Mediocre looking LIs. Now this one is very subjective, but personally I found all LIs (with the exception of Cece, who in my opinion is above average, but nothing amazing) to look mediocre.

Overall, I don't get the hype behind this game, I mean sure, it deals with some heavy topics i.e. and handles them pretty well, all things considered, but that doesn't necessarily make the game any more interesting.
Again, this is just my opinion, but since the reviews for this game are overwhelmingly positive I thought I'd share a different perspective for anyone who'd like to hear it.