VN - Ren'Py - Leaving DNA [Ep. 3] [Impious Monk]

Without a doubt the finest AVN on this site. While it is true that the sex scenes are sporadic and the animations are average, the overall presentation feels REAL: the story, the dialogue, the relationships, the emotions, everything is just so well-crafted.

From the first scene to the end of episode 3 I was gripped by everything, from deep empathy with the victims, really immersed myself into the life of the MC and the mystery is better done than most TV/Movies.

Honestly, it is a clear 6/5, best on site.

Overall excellent AVN so far. A little lacking in sex scenes, but when the story and characters are compelling, it heavily makes up for it. I also appreciate how much the plot moves along with each episode, the first was a good introduction to the world and characters, the second expanded on it and introduced real stakes, and the third has kicked things up a notch and gotten things really moving. The characters are all very fun to interact with and see their stories, I am enjoying Jamies the most, but I can understand why the others might be favorites as well. Overall, I want more, and can't wait for more updates. 9.8/10

I really liked the game. At the start it was quite boring and i almost dropped it. But when the story developed it become a very good game in my opinion. The personality of the characters are very interesting and the plot capvating. In the path that i choose i didn't see any sex scenes at all, but this doesn't strike me as a downside to give less than 5 stars

Great VN with interesting and intense story and well written dialogue. Characters are realistic and believable, girls are good looking, MC is likeable and yes, the game is a slow burn, but feels very natural - I chose Jamie's path.
Have to say, I shed a tear or two in this one.
Looking forward to next update.

I can't lie this game is 10/10. I have never had a games story line that had me so hooked. Other games just seem to give too much information and just drag out and make me wanna do something else but I actually care bout the story line. The love interests are good looking and realistic. Just perfect.
The only let down is aminations during sexual scenes are a bit meh. But still one of best played so far, that good I'm writing a review. I can't wait till episode 4.

I don't think I've ever been this captivated by the plot in an AVN. Exceptional!

I fell in love with legal dramas after watching Francis Ford Coppola's the rainmaker and more recently Netflix's Lincoln Lawyer. This game is near about right up there with them in my opinion.

I've always been prejudiced in favour of the defence attorneys because it felt like they were the ones standing up for the little people. But this VN opened my eyes to the fact that the prosecution is also just as important and both are important cogs without which a democracy cannot function. Never thought I'd be talking about this stuff while reviewing a porn game, but that just goes to show how exemplary of a game this is.

The chadacters are likeable. The mc feels like a real person. In fact I even find myself roleplaying as him. Instead of thinking about which dialogue options would get me the most sex scenes (there are maybe half a dozen of them spread throughout the chapters, not counting the "dream sequence (?)"), I am thinking about what would the character actually say? Maybe he'd be someone who's emotionally stunted who just can't commit to healthy relationships based on mutual trust and understanding. But not consciously. Or perhaps, now that he's in his 30s, he's starting to realise that there needs to be a conscious effort on his part to undo the years of emotional repression that he has subjected himself to. The LIs are also likeable characters who feel like real people. I don't just want to pound them but actually for the mc to date them and for them to companions to the mc in his quest. Which brings me to the next point.

I'm absolutely enthralled by the story. I genuinely cannot wait to learn what happens next. I am constantly at the edge of my seat. Not that there are in jump scares or anything of the sort. No that would be cheap. But it's just the setting and the evolution of the story. Who's lying? What are the missing pieces? What's going on with this special organization? And what happened between the og members?
But to me the most important part is, what's going to happen to the sister. She's a developmentally challenged young woman and the first time the MC visits her, and her carer is reading to her, ngl, my eyes were a smidgen wet. I don't think I've ever wanted to protect a character this much in a VN. Best thing is that it doesn't feel forced. It doesn't feel like the game needs you to care for her. But you end up doing so just the same. The illusion of choice. Brilliant.

I hope the the dev gets as much support they need and then some. I too will buy it if I ever have the means. But till then I wish them the absolute best and nothing else.

"Leaving DNA" is a captivating visual novel that took me on a thrilling journey through a world of genetic mysteries and moral dilemmas. The story is rich with twists and turns, keeping me hooked from start to finish (Episode 3).

The protagonist, whose choices drive the narrative, is complex and relatable, making the experience feel personal and engaging. The girls in the game are wonderfully crafted (love Jamie), each with her own unique backstory, personality, and connection to the central mystery. Their interactions with the MC are heartfelt, sometimes tense, and always meaningful, adding emotional depth to the story.

The game's art is stunning, with detailed character designs that really bring each girl to life. The atmosphere is immersive, drawing me deeper into the narrative with every choice I made. The way the game explores themes of identity, ethics, and what it means to be human left a lasting impression on me.

Overall, "Leaving DNA" is a gem for fans of mystery and sci-fi, offering a thought-provoking experience that's as beautiful as it is intense. Highly recommended and one of my personal favourites.

Review based on Ep. 3.

One of my overall favourites. As a fan of procedural cop shows, I was very much into playing an AVN with such vibes, and boy, did Leaving DNA deliver.

Pros:
1) Very good visuals.
2) One of the best stories in AVN gaming, and it actually has screentime to help it develop.
3) The MC is very capable and handsome, but has his limits and flaws.
4) Great writing. Visiting the MC's sister is… difficult, in a good sense.
5) Humour.
6) The number of LIs is not that great, but they are very well-made, and I absolutely adore Jamie and Malena.
7) Specific girl: Jamie. She's the best "childhood friend" and "friend's little sister" ever because, as she and the MC are older than most examples, she's not some little girl but a successful adult woman and a professional in her own right. And still unbelievably cute.

Cons:
1) A bit too much involvement of the topic of rape. I feel uncomfortable being unable to punish the perpetrators right away.
2) That friend's story in the cafe early on… Well… Coulda been shorter.
3) Little sex so far.

5 stars!

Excellent! Mind-blowing, Fantastic, Legendary, Amazing, Jamie for life ! Amazing story, well-developed characters, well-researched and engaging scenes, beautiful renders, deep characters, fantastic side characters

Definitely in my top 5 favorite VN's. If you don't mind going through emotional content you are going to enjoy this. The only negative thing I can say is that I wanted more, so can't wait for the next episode to come out.

As at end of Ep 3, this is a great game so far. Interesting story, great writing and characters, a couple of hot LIs and a strong but flawed MC. It looks to be strongly romantic and, at times, emotional.

Too Long; Won't Read: Leaving DNA is easily one of the best VNs on this site, but it won't be for everyone. The heavy themes this game tackles may cause distress to some people, and the focus is on building realistic relationships over gratuitous sex. With the pace of updates announced and observed, this game won't be finished until 2026 at the very least. You have been cautioned!

That said, a more in-depth review of individual aspects:

• Story: Brutal and realistic, there is no attempt to sugarcoat the hardships some people may face in their lives (sexual assault of all categories, childhood trauma, gang violence). It isn't portrayed graphically, but it can still resonate with actual victims. The courtroom elements are fairly "realistic", but all my experience is from Hollywood so take that as you will.
• Characters in this drama are all portrayed well enough, though some choices are way too on the nose in regards to their consequences - to the point that there are a few moments in the story where you have to make "out of character" choices in order to stay on certain paths. The MC is an
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• Art: Superb quality, not the best I've ever seen, but those that beat this game are even slower to develop and require 4K displays to take full advantage of - a.k.a. not really feasible for the average consumer. For comparison, playing a game like Dreamland makes my M3 Macbook dangerously hot, this one does not. Sure, that one has even more detailed scenes & animations, but it is not worth it to hear the fans spinning on a desktop PC while playing a "simple" VN game.
  • The music tracks are finely selected... when there is music. Only emotionally charged scenes have some, with some casual exceptions. Courtroom scenes have none whatsoever, and makes an already "tedious" experience of just reading text worse. Not to say bad, just worse overall.
• Animations: In my single playthrough of the game so far, I've come across exactly zero. I doubt this is the result of my choices within the game, as it seems the game doesn't feature any scenes for any path so far. Certainly a negative, but I have to point out the fact that this game will not be sex-focused at all. There will be sex, but it won't be the reward nor the catalyst for plot (there may already be sex in the game, but it probably requires "riskier" choices than mine). This is a methodical character-builder game, and sex is a byproduct of the choices you will make. This isn't your quick-wank game, not by a long shot.

Overall, I give this game (Episodes 1 - 3) a 5/5 stars, not because it excells in all aspects of the visual novel genre, but because it goes beyond in some - and lags in others.

Be warned: this game will take a long time to complete, and updates are scheduled at a 8-month release cycle, with the last (Episode 3) released in Q1 of 2024. Should you still decide to give this story a whirl, and love it - prepare to wait for it to finish in several years (unless the solo developer can drastically improve their workflow by hiring more animators).

Good renders and amazing story. Not a lot of choices but those that exist have effect to the LIs. Not a lot of LIs but all of them have different personalities and call the attention to the players. The only part of the game i dont like is when we need to see the court room parts because they dont advance the story. recommend the game.

Pros:
- Very realistic characters, their looks, personalities, well-written backstories. The way they speak and behave - it's some real peace of art, they are just, I dunno, alive I guess.
- Writing/Dialogues in 99.99% - absolutely flawless.
- Combination of HQ Renders and Music in general, which makes scenes in a game very cinematic.
- Great story, I admit - I struggled a bit at the start, but after getting into it I just played it non-stop for almost 17 hours (at least according to steam). Good thing I bought it on weekends. Some scenes I replayed few times in a row - they are just THAT good. (The scene, when MC visits his sister for the 1st time - probably one of the most touching in VN's, for me at least)
Don't get it wrong, while there're some funny moments here and there, mostly plot addresses very serious topics. And the game keeps you in suspense almost all the time.

Cons:
- Didn't find any.
Actually nope, there is one downside - now I'll have to wait for next chapter.

The setting is great, I find the whole law enforcement background really interesting. The story is quite intriguing and definitely kept me interested, though it feels like it's nearing its completion while the rest of the game, the love stories especially, have barely even started.

In general, there are hardly any sex scenes at all, depending on your choice of LI you might not see a single one throughout the entire 3 chapters out at this point.

I am still curious how the story will continue, though it seems like the development is quite slow.

Leaving DNA is a good lawyer/detective-focused AVN full of drama and interesting plot that will get you hooked into the story.

This is probably one of the most well written AVNs out there with serious plot and interactions. One thing that I like about this one that is different from most "western" AVNs out there is that it didn't shy away to include slice of life moments. This includes normal people interactions and adequate character's exposition that it really adds up to the world building of this game. The court/office scenes and character's conversation are great.

It has great renders and the animations for the lewd scenes are well done. The characters also looked very detailed, even other minor characters have unique different features. The love interests in this game are all unique and interesting. It has only 4 main LIs, but the LIs are diverse enough that I'm sure each one of you will find your type. All of them are also well written with interesting backgrounds. Even I who's mostly bias and into mature/older looking LI got interested in the tomboy LI in the game.

One of my complaints about this AVN is lack of songs/background music. I mean of course some scenes have some music, but a lot of the time there is none. There is so much dialogue without music, it feels quiet a lot of the time. The other one is that there are not that many animations or just lewd scenes for a game that's been in development for this long.

Overall, I'm happy with what I see so far, good AVN. There’re still 5 episodes left out of 8, based on the developer's projection. I hope the next episodes will have more lewd scenes. There should be at least one scene for each LI per episode.

This VN is F95zone hidden gem, it's super high quality but seems like not alot of people know about it. Small following but engaging story and renders + animations + characters.

+ Animations are extremely good, nothing to complain about
+ Renders are flawless to me
+ Characters look extremely realistic
+ Writing is very advanced and alot ot thought in every sentence by developer
+ Very good cases that makes for a good read
+ Playable on the phone
+ Top notch lewd scenes
- Could have more soundtracks and sounds, and animations aside from lewds
+- Slow starter in beginning
+ Nice UI

I appreciate the depth of thought demonstrated in the writing. It tries a little harder than simply evoking familiar tropes and archetypes (which aren't by any means bad; honestly a lot of games on this site could be better if their creators understood how to do this more effectively). The protagonist and the people around him have rarely rivaled depth and complexity to their backstories and the relationships they've already developed with themselves, their objectives, and the people around them. I'm not going to suggest it's perfect but it shows far more effort and sincere interest on the behalf of the writer than I am used to seeing in modern AVNs.

My main criticism would be that it often meanders into some conversations that, while perhaps more realistic in their durations, can feel a bit tedious for a reader who has already ascertained the salient points.

As an autist I can relate to some amount of ignorance/selective intelligence on behalf of the MC, and I understand that it's one of the easiest ways to ensure that a story builds and maintains suspense, but I still find characters who are wildly inconsistent in demonstrating their strengths decreasingly sympathetic especially when their denial/improbable daftness becomes tediously repetitious.

I found the Friday evening exchange with colleagues regarding one of this site's key, disproportionately heavily represented, fetishes (whereby tenants are drawn into sexual relationships with their landlords and/or landladies and fellow tenants) very amusing and interesting since I absolutely agree with the points being raised about how profoundly unethical, inappropriate, and even unnatural the concept is and I imagine that exposing some of the less commonly cited reasons why such relationships are not just taboo but typically unlawful may prove an unpopular move in communities with similar makeup to the one in this forum. Nonetheless, as revolting as I find the topic I appreciated the boldness and novelty of discussing it in this format. Although it seems all but guaranteed that, depending on player choices, an intensely implausible instance of inadvertent, ignorant, incest may be imminent, or at least the suspicion of such an eventual situation is being very deliberately cultivated.

The admittedly thus far scarce scenes are quite well done, if that's what you're here for, the creator forewarns they may feel 'vanilla' but I am one who acknowledges that vanilla is the most popularly produced flavour of ice cream in the world because it's among the absolute best; it's everywhere because it's that good.

I look forward to seeing more of this game and, in a one of the better futures, more games like it.

LDNA seems like a passion project for the developer. It excels in the things it does well to the point it can hang on storywise as a sfw title, even if you cut out all the smut elements, which is pretty much the biggest compliment I can give a porn game creator.

Pros:

• (mostly) believable storyline with sympathetic characters
• overall writing and dialogue make the game world feel lived in; many funny/reasonably witty interactions
• if you are a law student/law practitioner/fan of legal drama shows/crime series, you'll likely enjoy the game's story even more, especially the various detailed conversations between characters
• renders and animations range from okay to good to great
• Jamie is as cute as a button, one of the game's highlights

Cons:

• limited replay value and decisions so far, flirting with the kinetic novel tag
• pacing issues; some scenes drag on and on
• the protag suffers from the well-known Gary Stu syndrome, meaning he's a very special boy, although not to an insufferable degree
• the non-threatening black best friend (usually not much of an issue, but here it stands out with the hilarious college background story)
• the update roadmap given for the latter stage of development, considering the slower pace of updates so far

Overall, I enjoyed it. It stands out as one of the more 'mature' and serious projects for the right reasons. I'll give it a 4.5/5 if I could, but the good far outweighed the annoying, so 5/5 it is.

On the one hand, I really like Jamie and Aghavni, and it’s great to have an MC that’s actually attractive for once instead of just inexplicably being a chick magnet, but on the other hand, he also seems a bit too good at everything, and that whole scene at the bar with Emmeline and her friends was absolutely horrible; being “random and quirky” doesn’t make you interesting, and Malena is a walking stereotype.

Will update as the story develops.