Ren'Py - Lessons in Love [v0.44.0] [Selebus]

I have spent over 100 hours playing this game. It's addicting. Amazing writing - Can go from funny, to super sad, to super hot, to just disturbing. All the feels. It is currently the longest VN ever written and is still updated monthly-ish. Highly recommended. Although may want to avoid if you are just looking for porn.

I'll keep this review pretty short.

This is the only thing I have ever actually paid for on patreon, subscribestar etc. The game is very well written and has very endearing characters who are all unique and interesting and the main mystery/supernatural plot is addicting.

Do not go into this expecting a quick fap! There are a lot of H-scenes now but they can take a while to get to.

Install the guide mod! as trying to figure out what events will help progress the main events or other character events can be frustrating if you lose track. Its much better than alt-tabbing back and forth to the wiki to find the Daisy chain of events you need to do first.

takes to long to actually have something, the animations is queen bee animation literally 2 frames, no hints whatsoever played 3 h than just gave up and put auto conversation with 0s speed and it took like 15 min to have a "sex scene" and it was not a scene more like a photo cz it had 0 animations, you miss events cz yea no hints overall terrible

Hands down my favorite game on the site.
I've never seen a western-VN that manages to craft such a massive cast of characters (35+) while managing to make all of them feel unique & so extremely endearing.

Yes, the at times very confusing sandbox structure of the game is its biggest flaw but how much heart there is in this game and its characters more than makes up for it.

This game is stupidly good.

Too good even. This game is so well-written that it makes everything else look fucking childish and archaic in comparison. There's some drama in this thread over the dev practices and people being against drm and all that. No matter how you feel about that, you cannot deny that the writing is very good. Probably because the dev is an actual writer instead of a horny hack. There's like, one character in this game I don't like out of the 36.
The only thing is that I guess it can be hard to put yourself in the shoes of the MC initially because . There's a lot of strikethrough text that is what the mc is thinking or perhaps what a normal person would say but then he says something callous and/or heinous instead because he is a deeply broken man. This leads to a lot of character moments that feel bitter, because you know that they don't deserve to be treated this way. Still, if you push past it long enough to see him changing it feels really rewarding to see the story move.

Rating this 5 stars purely for the quality of writing. Sel has changed a LOT in the past year, and I don't support him financially anymore, for reasons everyone familiar with this game know very well.

With phenomenal writing and a unique premise, Lessons in Love has inspired its own subgenre of VNs, and consistently sits in a top 3 position of my favorite visual novels (typically fluctuating depending on how much of a banger the latest releases of my other favorites have been). This is one of the very few VNs that has affected me strongly emotionally (varying between positive, negative, and conflicted, at various points of the story), which is often considered a benchmark of many great authors/artists.

The game begins with an unlikeable/emotionally stunted/traumatized protagonist, in an amnesia/isekai situation, who takes over a colorful class of female students as their sensei. The narrative has slice-of-life harem trappings, but is often more focused on delving into the (often darker) personal and interpersonal issues of each member of the cast. Denpa horror periodically ensues due to deep lore world fuckery - this can get quite dark and grotesque at times. The fandom loves to theorize upon these sections of the game, and during particularly poignant releases, I find myself pondering how all the pieces fit together all the way until the next release.

For me, Lessons in Love is the only VN which has successfully pulled off having a +30 heroine cast in which I find every single character unique and interesting, to the point that I remain strongly invested in their story through each release - this is a testament to how strong the writing is. By comparison, I find that most harem VNs are ideal with 5-12 heroines, and only particularly strong authors can pull off more while maintaining anywhere close to this level of interest. Most authors who increase their heroine count much beyond this point end up with the cast feeling diluted, to the point where I often forget who some characters are, what their personalities are like, and what situations they've gone through, between releases.

Lessons in Love uses a sandbox-lite format, though this is actually one of its weaker points relative to the games it ended up inspiring, and to other sandboxes in general. It has no built-in hint system, which can lead to a lot of time wasted hunting down events (or if you're like me, viewing the source code), and this is especially the case early on, when you don't know where all the characters hang out, and aren't caught up to the latest release (and therefore don't know the specific characters whose events you need to trigger during a specific release window). It's also moderately grindy, requiring character love and lust thresholds to trigger their events, as well as to see certain story paths (which are generally better fleshed out than the ones where you didn't meet the thresholds).

Spoiler: Not relevant for the review, but some advice for those considering playing the game.

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There are occasional event chains which break out of the sandbox for a while, often having multiple of the aforementioned love/lust threshold checks to determine whether you get certain content. This can be annoying if you didn't realize triggering a scene would start a chain, and you didn't have sufficient love/lust at the time. Some of these include puzzle sections, which are fairly divisive, and I know that some have caused people to drop the game (providing solutions is disallowed on the author's Discord) - ultimately, I feel only one of them has really been particularly hard (and you can check the source code, or look for the solutions leaked on F95Zone, if you're really struggling). The conclusion of these breakouts often does lead to some new content in the sandbox, which can be fun.

The renders are top-notch Koikatsu, and particularly stand out in terms of diverse framing, visual interest, and scene composition, for which very few Koikatsu games even come close to matching. The cast is all cute, clean, and very visually distinctive, and the backrounds are well utilized and varied. H-scenes are serviceable but nothing special, though they do benefit from the generally stellar writing. The story h-scenes are non-animated, while the repeatable ones are animated, though animations are the stiff/repetitive ones built-in to Koikatsu (no high quality custom animations). I would not play this game if all you're looking for is fap material.

The music is all excellent and catchy, and the tracks all fit well within scenes they're played in. I had never heard most of the tracks prior to Lessons in Love, but have heard the tracks since in several other games which were clearly inspired by it.

All in all, I give Lessons in Love my top recommendation. Some of the content and subject matter may be hard to stomach depending on your various tastes and tolerances, but if you aren't ultimately deterred by it, the game is a thought and emotion provoking masterpiece.

The strangest and possibly longest nsfw VN out there. Quite literally dozens of hours of content in this game full of twisted imagery, disturbing themes, cute girls, morally questionable decision making, and cute girl stuff. It's a lot more like a story that includes sex scenes rather than a lewd VN, so don't waste your time if you don't care for plot or character development.

The best VN I have ever played. Gripping story and excellent quality create atmosperic experience. Tons of content Can suck you in for weeks. If you want something good to play: this can be your choise.

Fascinating concept and a brilliantly written protagonist. Great usage of the audiovisual medium to convey both depression and horror.

The only problem with it is that it's overbloated with characters and dialogue that are not very interesting.

Goes above and beyond in world building and in it's characters.
Pretty good scenes and storyline.
Beware of mindfucking.
Not much more that can be said without spoiling the plot and it's the main thing this game has going.

Version 0.30.0

Amazing game! Not perfect though. This is a game that requires the player to actually play/read through the game, if you are honestly just looking to rub a quick one out then this game isn't for you.

Pros:

Story - The plot is great for an H-game at first it's a little confusing with the "supernatural/horror" aspect of the game but as you progress you start get a feel for it and pickup on context clues and piece the story together. Making the appreciation for the characters and the world all the better.

Scenes - Hilarious/Heart-warming/Fucked-up/Horny/Emotional/Disgusted/Awkward/Scared - You can feel all these emotions if you actually wrap yourself around the story/content of what the game offers.

Hints Page/Character Sheets - Pretty easy to understand/read on who you need to progress in order to carry the story along in case the User is stuck on something.

Variety - A ton of characters and events to love in the game. Sure not all of them will be a player's cup of tea from their storyline to their personality, and will probably make you uncomfortable. Adding layer upon layer to keep the player more invested into the story.

Music/OSTs: Pretty fitting for most of the characters/scenes/events really adds to the immersion and world building giving it more value.

Cons:

Repetition - After progressing deep into the game's story you can notice a repetition... (Progress Relationships -> Main Events -> Progress Relationships Main Events and so on) This is with most VNs and honestly it did get convoluted at times in this game with certain requirements and I got annoyed, but with how deep I was already and appreciating the game and wanting to know what happens next it didn't really feel like a chore because it was that enjoyable.

A lot of characters - Double Edged Sword - With an objectively "complex" plot to follow you throw in a cast of characters with their own subplots that still tie their way into the story. While this does add to the game's content and giving the players wanting "more" content it does also strike that some of them feel they are foolproof plot devices just for the hell of it. Still adding to the story but not leaving a major impact.

Neutral:

Dialogue/Monologue - there are scenes/dialogue/monologue of the game that will make the player feel uncomfortable, depressed/sad, and cringe to where it would turn people off from the game. I wouldn't call it "Edgy" per se. If you do not like that then skip/skim through it. This game is not for the faint of heart.

Conclusion: TLDR -

This is a game you will have to play through if you extremely desire to get to the H-scenes. Just play through the game and you'll appreciate everything about the game more and enjoy it. The plot is good, most of the characters are good, and the H-scenes are good.

Game has way too much grinding and is unplayable without the hint mod. Even with the hint mod installed there are times like "broken world" where you have to hit random stuff to get out.
This game could've been good, but between the dozens of hours you'll spend grinding, the terrible writing, and the ridiculous file size, I'd suggest you find something else worthy of your time.

Played back in 2018, gave it another go recently, but was painfully disappointed.

- The early chapters were nice, got really invested in some of the characters, it felt like the author really gave a damn about giving them depth. But the more I play, the worse the experience. As of now, there are simply too many damn characters, and I only care about a select few. The problem is, I have to progress through every other character's plot to get back to the plot lines I care about. If I have to hold down the ctrl button 90% of the time I'm playing, that really isn't a fun experience.
- The writing turns very pretentious and infuriating very quickly. Oh god. Stop shoving that big pile of edgy ramble down my throat please, it hurts so much, it really does. I can't stand it anymore after the 50th time the game tells me what the author thinks about nihilism.
- The structure. With this many characters, the love/lust grind just kills my patience for the game. The "gameplay" devolves quickly from a ordinary visual novel into a "spam click all the different locations until something happens". Can't tell you enough how much I've grown to hate that crap. Just please get rid of that and turn everything into a linear, ACTUAL visual novel can ya? I really don't need this sandbox shit when everything is linear and I have to talk to every single character anyways.

I get it, the author probably has a lot of emotional investment into this project so that's why the writing is the way it is. I really wish I was able to get through those cons and find out what the fuck is up with Maya because I was really invested, but damn, I know I won't because I ain't gonna come back to this game again, sadly. Was mildly fun while it lasted, I guess.

Review for 0.30
Probably the best story on this site and I'm willing to give the game a 5 star just for what the story tries to do, despite its flaws in every other aspect. It's a VN that's unnecessary long and hard to get into. I'd strongly recommend people to stay away from this game at its current state. If you do have time to waste though, you should try reading to the end of the first beach event to get the idea of what this game is.
Pros:
- Very engaging characters, which is something I think very few adult games can achieve. They all have more to their stories then what they show on the outside.
Neutral:
- The story is linear, there are only some important choices that affects how characters behave towards you. Some people hate this, I don't really care.
- While Chapter 1 is decent, the story gets better from the second half of Chapter 2.
- Not a porn game. Very few sex scenes and not a lot of work put in. Shouldn't matter if you're into the story.
- This game is 60% slice of life 20% (very) depressing 20% mystery. If you only like the mystery then this game is not for you.
- Lots of awful things happens to the girls that may make you feel uncomfortable. I personally like this aspect of the story.
- The horror is not scary and I'm easily scared. They only add a bit of lore into MC's story.
- MC is a massive dick. I personally think this is necessary for the type of story this game tries to tell.
Cons:
- Interleaving 33 character stories into one. This means if you are only interested in a few characters you'll have to go through 4-5 hours of dialogue with others before you get to continue their story. It's also why characters feel one note even after 50 hours into the game, they are still in their introduction events and only a few of them get development very far into the story. This is something I don't think can be fixed.
- The game is unplayable without guide mod. Triggers to events are hard to find because there's just too many ways to trigger them.
- The "puzzles" in this game are not puzzles, they force you to remember the most obscure parts of the story. Use the puzzle guide.
- This game, like every bad sandbox game, forces you to repeat events to increase affection to unlock new events. Use saveeditonline.com and set every character's points to 100 for a better experience.
- Dialogues involving the MC is unnecessary long and only have 50% of real content.
+ MC VERY often go into monologues that are not required to understand the story. I'd recommend skipping all of them.
+ MC also makes sex jokes and stupid banter every three lines. Try skimming through them.

What an infuriating, meandering, self-indulgent game.

Its saving grace is the proficient writing (that urgently needs an editor) but everything else is complete crap.

The sandbox is created in a way to frustrate the player as much as possible. The "gameplay" consists of blindly clicking on a number of destinations until by pure luck you match the EXACT time and location necessary to get an event. GOD FORBID there'd be a hint on where to go? That'd invalidate all the cool gameplay.

Please note that this is basicallly a VN. There are hardly any choices at all. At this time it probably has more text than the Lord of the Rings and 95% of it is the regurgitation of the same, singular 'thing' each girl represents. All the girls are completely one dimensional and for most of the "game" never move past that. Did you know that Ami loves her uncle? And is jealous of everyone else? No? Are you sure? Here's another 20 events to make sure, you are REALLY aware of that.

There's also 5% of plot advancment and a tiny bit of character advancement and the game can be good at those points, but it's like pulling teeth to get there.

Don't get me started on the arbitrary, convoluted, stupid riddles that only seem to exist for the dev to check if you read and made notes throughout his quest to write the next War and Peace. Given how much of a d... he is outside the game to just about everyone, it's not unlikely that he just enjoys pissing off his fanbase.

I'll get the cliff notes version once they build a library to house all the text of the completed version in 2035. Thanks.
I am sure Ami will still obsess over her uncle and there'll be 287 new events to make sure I know.

Simply the best Ren'py VN ever made.

Diverse and charming characters. The author has an impeccable ability to write engaging dialogue and story arcs.

It's a long long grrind. However I say grind in the most kind sense, as I've played through the entire story 3 times.

If you're after a quick Hentai "get your rocks off" type experience, this game is not for you. However if you want something real, something with endless depth that makes you look inward, something that makes you feel and connect to the characters, you will find it here without any doubts.

100/100. I compare any other VN to this as the gold standard.
The Maya/MC arc is one of the most interesting interpersonal stories ever told.

I love this game. It's probably the first one that got me hooked so much. And the plot and mysteries in the game intrigued me as hell. I even replayed the game, read the game's wiki, joined the discord community, although the result was only more questions. The character interactions are also well written and the humor is really good. I read it back in 2021 and still look forward to the next updates with trepidation. In general, I highly recommend.

Well, this game is a journey.

Author definitely has a vision. Not the sort of vision you would like to get in your everyday life, but he certainly has it.

Characters in the game are deep. So deep that at some point you'll get tired of digging and start wondering, what are you doing there.

Then there are some psychodelic and horror-ish scenes. IMO - they're pointless and could be safely removed without any damage to the rest of the story. But, as i've already said, author has a vision for this game and he's following it.

All in all - not my cup of tea.
But the game is good. models are nice, facial expressions are fine-tuned, story keeps progressing. It's definitely worth checking out.

It maybe or maybe not has a questionable content but as long as its just the game, there is no problem at all. After all there is nothing as bad as killing and we do this in literaly every famous game.
Masterpiece story and great characters. shitty dev but we can deal with him