Here's my spoiler-free review for the version v0.12.0 Part 1
(I'm a busy man, so I won't be spell/grammar checking my review for a lewd game, I'm sorry to disappoint :c )
Gameplay: 4.75/5
Gameplay is the basic free roam RenPy experience, you spend time with your students to increase their affection. Based on a student's affection level and the character location, an event may or may not be triggered. There's also "Main Events" which focus primarily on the main story. It's simple and it works with the game.
Progression: 4/5
The current progression system of the game is it's only fault at the moment. During my first playthrough I wasted a good amount of time trying to find out how to trigger the next main story event in order to progress further in the game. Some of the Main Events require the player to find "Secret Events" which was confusing for me as a new player to the game. A few of the Main Events also required the player to progress further with a particular character/student in the game.
With all this said, I do however believe this will change some time down the line, so it's not really a big deal to me at the moment. Plus, the discord members were able to help me out whenever I needed it.
Art & Animations: 5/5
They're not that many animations in the game at the moment, but the ones that are look great.
The art in the game is fantastic, each scenery, character feels unique in the game. I'm not very good at art myself, can't even draw a stickman. So, not really good at describing it either. But, the ART BE PRETTY, you feel me?
Music: 4.5/5
The music in the game is not bad at all. Hell, I jam out to the current main menu song. The only issue that I have is during some events, the same song continuously plays for a bit too long. Some events in the game are quite long (which I love) which makes the song repeat itself a few times. Wouldn't be an issue if each event at it's own tune. But practically speaking, that would be difficult to achieve. Once again, music is great but a few tunes can get repetitive.
Story: 5/5
I will be including the writing for the game in this portion as well. Before we continue, let me just make it clear that although this will be my first review on the site, I heavily critique movies and games. The story and writing in Lessons in Love is near perfection. It makes it even more impressive the fact that this is a lewd game. The story is intriguing, confusing, and inspiring. The writing is comical, adorable, and caring.
Characters: 10/5
One thing that every great story has to have is interesting well written characters and in Lessons in Love almost every character is well written. As you playthrough the game, and start interacting with each character more and more, in your head (well at least in mine) you'll start to create your own "voices?" or tone in your head for that character's dialogue. That can only be achieved if the writing is consistent to fit that character's personality. Each one of the characters have a unique personality, some are cliché and that's perfectly fine. They're comical and serious moments with almost every character. Also, I never felt annoyed or displeased whenever you are "forced" to talk to a particular character in a Main Event. Mostly because every conversation was interesting and felt real in a way. It's hard to maintain a characters personality but at the same time have it slightly changing as time goes on in the story. The fact that Lessons in Love can achieve this is impressive.
I mentioned earlier that each character has "Character Events" which can be triggered as you progress through the game and keep increasing their affection level. Each character has a good amount of events, no student is unused or ever felt "left out" to me at least. All received the same level of passion and polish as the rest. There's so much more I could say about the characters in the game, but it's more worth it if you find out the rest on your own.
Developer: 5/5
Why does the developer have a section in my review? Because, a developer(s) of unfinished games is just as important. Some great games have been taking it's sweet time to finish their product on purpose. Personally, I do not wish to support a game like that.
The developer of Lessons in Love (Selebus) does not fall into the category I mentioned before. Selebus tries to releases two updates a month, with solid amounts of content, or addition in general. Not because he's rushing the game. But, because he enjoys it and cherishes the story and world he created. Also, he understands and appreciates that fans are willing to pay monthly on his work. He takes this serious, as his real job like more other developers (in the same situation) should. I don't know how long he works on the game everyday, but I'm willing to bet it's about 40 hours a week. Like what a normal job would have you work. I haven't been following the game for too long, but the hard work and dedication is what drove me to write this review, and to become a Patreon. I can't stress the importance of this portion of the review enough, many games on this site have uncertain futures, or deliver updates on a 6month basis which is absolutely fine if their content supports that long of a time-lapse from release to release. Selebus delivers the same amount of content in a 2 week span that others take 4 months to deliver. If I'm certain about one thing, it's that Lessons in Love has a very bright and long future (assuming Selebus doesn't change).
Overall Score: 5/5
This game has plenty of content at it's current state. I recommend playthrough the entire game whatever version the game is in when you read this review. If you enjoy, support the students (Selebus), join the discord and take a break with the game. I won't be replaying for a few months to allow the new content to build up.
If by chance Selebus ends up reading this review, I would like to thank you for making a great game. I'm sure you hear it all the time, but I really mean it. YOUR vision and execution of it is nearly perfect.
Good Job Homie
Wanking Score?: 3.5/5
I'm not going to include this score into the main review, nor will I go in depth with it. If you're looking for a quick wank, this game is not for you. There is a solid amount of sexual content though, but it will take a good min to reach it. This score will also increase with time.