Where to even start?
So... I played some adult games before. I found Lewd Town Adventures when looking for a light game to pass some time playing, and based on the nice visuals (and the fact that the game I tried to download before was a few GB in size and I was impatient), decided to give this one a go.
It's important to note that this wasn't the first game I tried, I just finished two visual novels in early development, and those, no shade to the writing, left a lot to be desired. I didn't really know what to expect, going into this one. When I played other games, it was only after watching glimpses of a playthrough. This one? never heard of it.
It's also important to note I am no professional, I don't do reviews for a living and honestly, I never reviewed anything before. This is just my opinion and take on this game as a guy who played it and loved it. Also, I should note I was playing the game in the Harem Route, so my experience should be perceived with this in mind and I am aware I missed some of the darker stuff (although certain scenes I replayed in the Dark Route out of curiosity).
But holy shit. Holy shit I was in for a treat, because this game is the most underrated game I ever played, period. Not the most underrated visual novel or adult game, the most underrated game I played, period.
1) First off, the visuals.
With some of the games I played, one thing that took a bit of getting used to was the art-style. After all, every game has its own unique style and maybe it's not my cup of tea at first. When it comes to Lewd Town Adventures, I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. This game is beautiful, the models look crisp and expressive, all the characters are vibrant, colorful and ooze personality, and the changing angles in slight animations (even when not in the H-scenes themselves) bring a lot of flavor.
This game laughs in the face of the "same face" syndrome most anime get mocked for, because every character here looks and feels like a unique character. That means there are barely any bland or boring characters, and it's mostly personal preference, but I didn't find any character or model I actively disliked.
All of the models have their charm (yes, even ugly MC and Don, they look unattractive, but this is their role in the story, so I am not bothered by it in the slightest). The settings and environments all look alive, they don't look like cheap models that were thrown around, everything looks like a coherent world you get to explore and see more of.
The hair color and hairstyle, skin tone, eye color and shapes, body types, everything in this game just feels so unique and diverse to the point where if I see the face of any of the main cast zoomed in, I'd be guaranteed to guess which one that is. They are just that memorable and leave an instant impression.
However, if I had to pick out the negatives, and there aren't many at all, it would be that sometimes, the shading might be a bit off. Especially with the shirts of Nani and Luna, they just don't look quite as detailed and as real as some of the other textures (for example, Ramoray and Stacy, who both have great texturing for their clothing) and so sometimes it pulls you out of the game to see a character wearing something that looks like someone put an extra layer of purple skin over their chest (and not like a tight bodysuit or cloth). Furthermore, when featuring blood, it tends to be a blob of solid red rather than have any shading or texture to it, making it feel less like blood and more like someone painted the floor with a red highlighter. However, These issues are very minuscule, and I honestly wouldn't mind whether it ever changed or not. Regardless, this doesn't take away from the greatness of the visuals.
2) Second of all, the writing.
This is the part where I was the most concerned. Remember the visual novels I mentioned I played just before picking this one up? Well they were short, and that was for the best, because getting through each sentence was a struggle. Good writing can easily make or break a story, and can hook you in just as easily as looks can.
I'm a firm believer that with good enough writing, any character, sexy or not, your type or not, could be attractive, and even though I found most of them to be attractive, their personalities and writing ultimately decided whether or not they were characters I'd wish for more scenes with. And just like with the visuals, Lewd Town Adventures knocks this out of the park way beyond any expectations.
The characters all have unique mannerisms and speech patterns that make them distinguishable and express their established personalities in an impeccable and immersive way. Each character is lovable and barely anyone is underwritten. All the characters get a chance to shine and even with characters that are yet to receive any major content, such as Felicia, Mrs. Principal, Eva and Zoe, their dialogue alone makes them stand out and makes you remember them any time they come in a scene.
Besides the fantastic characterization, the general writing style of the game is just as fun and vibrant as the characters and world, but knows when to get dark, serious and emotional. Some of the jokes and references thrown in there just spice the already goofy and lighthearted tone even further, and some of the scenes are so eerily phenomenal in their writing that they had me feeling some things I wasn't really expecting from something titled "Lewd". For example, the scene discussing MC's conflict about his father and the organization (Harem Route), where Rose enters the room and begins softly singing the tune from their childhood, and sneaks into the bed to hug her brother in his time of despair, that scene was just heartwarming and bittersweet in ways that are criminally good.
Whoever did the writing, dialogue in characterization evidently had a very good idea of how to balance the fun colorful tone, the meme-y humor and the emotional baggage, because they bounce off each other in a balance that I wouldn't expect, and that if done wrong, could entirely break a game. Lewd Town Adventures, however, masterfully executes this.
Some grammatical mistakes might be found upon closer inspection and from a native English speaker (which I won't pretend to be), but honestly, there wasn't anything that bugged or bothered me when playing. Yes, some of the scenes dragged on a little too much, some of them were a bit awkward and some of them are obviously there as placeholders until the next update, but these are just a tiny piece of the game's experience, and one that I won't hold against it.
3) Let's talk about the characters.
The characters in Lewd Town Adventures are, dare I say it, perfect. Each and every one of them feels full of life and personality rather than lifeless, stereotypical tropes. Even side characters like Chad and Nina's father feel developed and not out of place in the slightest, and that's saying a lot when Chad has literal pixel-art meme glasses on his face. The characters are appropriately goofy, extreme and over-the-top when needed, and deep, emotional and gut-wrenching at times. I personally felt the most connected to Rose, Emily, Tanya and Sarah, but that doesn't mean that the other characters weren't enjoyable as well.
The only character that felt somewhat bland to me was Hilda, but she felt more like a plot device the story revolves around, so I didn't mind her lack of development as she was the catalyst and her presence moved the plot forward, at least for me. I am not the biggest fan of the "sex deprived mother who needs her son's reassurance to grow self confident and accidentally falls in love with him" trope, but if pulled off right, I think she has potential, especially with the characters of Rose and Emily.
Even minor characters like Felicia, Zoe, Petunia and Natalie all have massive potential for storytelling and characterization if given the spotlight, because even they have clearly defined character traits and personalities that are unique to them and help make the world richer.
As with the designs, there are no characters I actively disliked, they all filled their roles, even characters meant to be unlikable like Don, The Boss and at times, Ramoray, were masterfully evil and twisted and gave you exactly the feeling I wanted to get from them.
Ramoray in particular was very interesting to me, and I believe she's the one that by far needs the most exploring. Mad scientists and doctors who want freedom to do their diabolical experiments are nothing new, but she had a certain charm to her that made her feel like there is more to her. Her nice demeanor didn't feel artificially over-the-top (like she's faking her politeness) neither did it feel like she had an ulterior motives at all times, she was appropriately eerie but still felt like a human being rather than a cunning omnipotent mastermind, as many mad scientists tend to be.
I think with the reveal of her displeasure with The Boss, there's a massive opportunity for her to undergo a positive change arc, and I can't wait for what the future of the game holds for her, because I think that as of now, she feels the most incomplete.
Besides Ramoray, Rose's character felt wholesome and loving in a way that made her very lovable, and Emily was one that really caught me off guard. I genuinely didn't think she would work so well. I played a handful of games with a "horny sister" trope, and between sass, bitchiness and silly innocence, which are the usual traits given to this sort of character, Emily hits just the sweet spot.
She wasn't an overly innocent sister to feed into the lolicon or corruption fetish, neither was she a sassy bitch. She was pure-hearted just enough to feel young and inexperienced yet mature enough to feel natural and like a true sister to the main character. Her attitude in the prologue was hilarious, however.
I'm unsure whether this fits in this section, but Nina's arc felt a bit creepy to me personally. I get the regression fetish this plays into, and I accept any fetish and like this game's goal of demonstrating as many as it can, I can't get over the fact that even if you make every possible decision to be a good, moral man, letting a regressed teenager have sex is a bit unsettling. I am not one to criticize adult content, and I certainly didn't mind that, especially as I enjoyed Nina's route a lot, but I feel like there should have been more build-up to the sex with Nina, and she should've been more knowledgeable by then.
MC not stopping her just because it feels good feels like taking advantage of the girl's sheltered and underdeveloped awareness, and I have mixed feelings on that. I know the game is meant to cover any fetish, whether dark, twisted or a taboo, but this route I feel could use an option to feel legal and wholesome, if wanted.
4) The SCALE.
The thing that by far knocked it out of the park for me was Lewd Town Adventure's sheer scale. I've played games with great visuals and shitty writing, and I played well-written games with meh visuals. But barely any games compare to the size, length and effort that this game showcases.
The story is justifiably long and satisfying, each character gets room to breath and the story takes its time. Nothing feels rushed in the grand scheme of things, and a game of this length should not be this overlooked.
This game feels criminally underappreciated for the colossal amount of content it offers and obvious amount of thought that went into everything, and it for sure it a hidden gem.
At the beginning, I had a gut feeling that after the prologue, there will be a rushed route with Hilda, a short route with Rose and an even shorter one with Emily, and was shocked at the number of characters and depth each one is given. This game redefined the free adult game scene for me personally, and set a very high standard for others to reach. The quality of this is unmatched.
5) The story of Lewd Town Adventures is a 10/10.
Imma admit, I'm not the biggest fan of "evil organizations" plot lines. Often in sex games, the main plot gets really boring really quickly, and the side-quests and character routes are what hooks me in. In Lewd Town Adventures however, due to the main character actually being involved in the organization and being a part of it, that I think made the organization stand on its own as an actual entity with its own personality.
There's room for discussion about the moral dilemma the organization brings up, and there are some genuinely good people in there, like Rose, Stacy and Stella, some morally gray ones and the evil ones, namely Ramoray, Don and The Boss. In addition, the hierarchy and structure of the organization was explained very early on, and I was glad that the "missing key card" plot point wasn't an excuse for an exposition dump about the organization, but rather more concerned about developing characters like Stella and Pamela.
The mansion felt mysterious and cryptic at first, but as you explored more and got introduced to more characters, it managed to preserve the eerie and unsettling atmosphere while still feeling homely and familiar each time you explored.
Exploring the laboratories and scientists was especially interesting to me, because seeing their heinous experiments first hand brought forward a bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they could cure diseases, defects and save millions of lives (demonstrated by how they saved Nani and Sarah), but on the other hand, they conduct horrifying experiments on women with the intent of selling them and profiting. Now, this decision, when looking at the situation from their point of view, makes perfect sense.
They explore the boundaries of advanced science without limits to restrain them, they use their skills to make a lot of money, and that money allows them to keep going, a seemingly perfect lifestyle to passionate scientists, but seeing how pursuing this dream career cost these scientists their humanity is honestly heartbreaking.
This humanization of something as generic as "evil scientists" and "fucked up experiments" brings a lot of life to the organization, same for the lifestyle of the trainers and escorts, living their dream lives, making tons of money and having a lot of sex.
This begs the question "is the organization really that evil, or did the rules of society we built make it seem evil?" and regardless of the player's answer, I love how the game raises this question, because you're practically living this question in-game.
The Boss twist was honestly cartoonishly silly, as appropriate for the world of Lewd Town Adventures. It had zero build-up or foreshadowing (from what I could see, anyway), but once you get past this funny reveal, it actually amplifies the emotional turmoil and impact of each event by a lot. The implication of The Boss wanting you to be his successor but seeing you as disposable makes the organization all the more scary.
Besides that, the side stories were all fun, had great pacing to them and felt unique and hooking. Nina's was really funny and cute (if you ignore the regression implications), Emily's was wholesome and sweet, Rose bittersweet and Nani's was tragic. There were admittedly characters I cared for less, such as Sophia and Lily, but that's not the characters' faults, but rather a subjective opinion, and it's great that there are so many characters to appeal to different people. Even though I didn't love those two, their scenes still weren't boring and they still had a lot to bring to the table.
Obviously, the game isn't done yet and so it stopped fairly abruptly, but I have confidence in the development and I'll get into my own personal suggestions shortly.
6) Other details and thoughts.
From what I've seen, the prologue is a very controversial part of the game. I personally didn't mind it as much, as it established some key characters and served as a bit of nice storytelling, and even though imagining MC in real life is horrifying, as his entire body is practically implanted, in-game I do like the sillier, less generic "hot anime boy" look, and the eyes crack me up every time. He doesn't feel like a stud walking around town, he feels like an average decent looking guy, and he plays an active role in the story, making decisions and moving the story forward. Some games tend to have their protagonists be passive, in order to not take away focus from the girls, and so the protagonist is often underdeveloped. In most of the games I played, I wouldn't be able to tell you how the main character even looks. Lewd Town Adventures' MC is memorable, funny, silly, and good-looking enough for an adult game.
The references and nods to pop culture that are scattered throughout are a great addition that makes this colorful world even more self-aware and fun. Whether it’s seeing Squirtle and Wartortle on the beach, Tatsumaki, Aqua, Nami and Winry at the mansion, Nani Pelekai having an entire route of her own, or references to Dragon Ball Z and Michael Jackson, this game makes it obvious that it’s a fun-loving experience that doesn’t shy away from including silly stuff for the sake of good fun.
The playability is quite simple, the map and hints systems all work well, there aren't any excessive unnecessary features, and the only thing I found to be underdeveloped was the computer in MC's room, as I felt there was more potential to it. Nevertheless, the gameplay was fluid.
However, the hints sometimes tend to be a bit too vague, leaving you in the dark about what routes you need to progress in and to what point. Having so many routes and needing to progress all of them can be disorienting, and while I very much appreciate this game not holding your hand, I think an option to reveal which routes exactly need to be progressed would help, as well as spare the creator from answering "how do I meet x?" or "I talked to y, how do I do z?" all the time.
7) Suggestions, concepts and subjective opinions.
As stated in the beginning, I have played only the Harem Route thus far, and so I can only comment on my suggestions for that route. I honestly don't think I'll be playing the Dark Route, as I love the characters too much to put so much time into seeing them hurt for the sake of kinks. I felt bad for characters like Chloe and Nani, and I think playing an entire game this way is just not the experience for me. I respect the fetishes it presents and the audience it's for, but as I am not a part of it, I won't be suggesting anything for the Dark Route here. I'm sure others would do it instead.
Secondly, I am not a professional and these ideas are less of a criticism and more of a "give me give me", as I will just be presenting my own thoughts. What you take as a creator and a team from this feedback is up to you, and I'm sure the audience of the game will be pleased either way.
So let's get into it. For characters, I'd personally be happy to see more from Eva, as her story cut off short, as well as for Elsa. I think that Eva is a gorgeous addition and her BDSM thing is a great edge to her character, but I wish there was more to her, with the option to have a route that concludes in having a relationship with her that isn't motivated by solely domination. She's great when she's not in her costume, and while it's good she appeals to the BDSM lovers, I think her normal side deserves a chance to shine too. As for Elsa, I wish to see more of her shy girl persona and her yandere tendencies come to light and explored, and maybe for her to undergo an arc.
Besides them, as I stated, I think that Ramoray needs a lot more story to flesh her out properly, whether you get to bang her or not. Also, Chloe could very much use her own route. She doesn't even appear in the hint book and I think it's unfair to her character, that was a lot more significant than others who did make an appearance. I think that perhaps an arc of saving her from the organization and getting to know her properly might work. Rose and Emily could always use more content, as they're the "main cast" of the game, and so charming and lovable, especially their interactions together when bringing Hilda home. Lastly, Tanya needs to be developed further. From the start, she was the devastating example of the lowest in the organization's chain, kept alive but as a tortured pet. I think that saving her soul and bringing her back to life would be a wonderful experience to showcase MC's heroic traits and strong resolve.
For the ending, while I have no idea what's planned for the game, I do have my own suggestion of an ideal ending. The tone of this game, focusing around collecting girls and the route literally being named a "harem" I think that concluding by having all the girls you met and learned to love inside one place (perhaps the house you can purchase, or the mansion after you take down the organization and repurpose it to be your harem and home), would be much better than a simple "The End" screen followed by credits.
When building the ending to be a reality of the MC living with his girls, I think by that point, updates could be made to add quests and short, simple, light-hearted story lines with different girls and characters, and a great opportunity to show very unlikely and unique dynamics, such as Rose and Nina, Elsa and Eva or Tanya and Emily, just to name a few that come to mind.
I think that releasing updates with several new storylines in this post-game every once in a while could keep the game refreshing for the Harem Route lovers and bring a conclusive end to the plot, but keeping the world you learned to love alive.
There's no feeling worse than finishing a game you love, and while for most Visual Novels it's the inevitable, I think that for Lewd Town Adventures, it could be a chance to open a new world to live in, with a new tone, after all the emotional traumas and baggage has been solved.
I know it might not align with the current plans, but I truly think that this ending would be phenomenal for this kind of game.
Maybe you could explore the giant house, with each room having a different set of girls to interact with, talk to or get naughty with, that move around throughout the day. Adding more and more interactions along the way, until it's an entire new experience of its own. Obviously, this is very long-term thinking and probably a fantasy, but this is my own personal dream ending.
7) In conclusion, Lewd Town Adventures is a great game.
It really is fantastic. A roller-coaster that makes you feel every emotion you possibly can, from sadness to anger to wholesomeness to laughter, this game has tons to offer, and it really is made for everyone. I don't mind experiencing even the worst of the worst when it comes to kinks, and I'm sure the Dark Route wouldn't affect me negatively or anything, but I prefer playing the good experience, and for a game that boasts being the lewdiest out there, it appeases the harem enjoyers just fine.
Honestly, if anyone asked me for my recommended adult games out there, this one would be at the very top, and I can't wait to see the fan-base grow, as it should.
This game deserves every bit of praise it has, and a lot more than that.
Fantastic job Jamleng, amazing job to the writers, artists and team involved in the production. I respect you so much for making this experience.
I do apologize for the unholy length of this review, but I felt like I had so much to praise and talk about, and I hope you didn't mind it too much, because I wrote this 100% because I care so much for this game after playing it and I feel like it has massive potential. I look forward to it's development. Good luck making this game, and oh my GOD do I want to make an artwork based on it right now. Maybe Emily? Or maybe Rose? Who knows.
So... I played some adult games before. I found Lewd Town Adventures when looking for a light game to pass some time playing, and based on the nice visuals (and the fact that the game I tried to download before was a few GB in size and I was impatient), decided to give this one a go.
It's important to note that this wasn't the first game I tried, I just finished two visual novels in early development, and those, no shade to the writing, left a lot to be desired. I didn't really know what to expect, going into this one. When I played other games, it was only after watching glimpses of a playthrough. This one? never heard of it.
It's also important to note I am no professional, I don't do reviews for a living and honestly, I never reviewed anything before. This is just my opinion and take on this game as a guy who played it and loved it. Also, I should note I was playing the game in the Harem Route, so my experience should be perceived with this in mind and I am aware I missed some of the darker stuff (although certain scenes I replayed in the Dark Route out of curiosity).
But holy shit. Holy shit I was in for a treat, because this game is the most underrated game I ever played, period. Not the most underrated visual novel or adult game, the most underrated game I played, period.
1) First off, the visuals.
With some of the games I played, one thing that took a bit of getting used to was the art-style. After all, every game has its own unique style and maybe it's not my cup of tea at first. When it comes to Lewd Town Adventures, I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. This game is beautiful, the models look crisp and expressive, all the characters are vibrant, colorful and ooze personality, and the changing angles in slight animations (even when not in the H-scenes themselves) bring a lot of flavor.
This game laughs in the face of the "same face" syndrome most anime get mocked for, because every character here looks and feels like a unique character. That means there are barely any bland or boring characters, and it's mostly personal preference, but I didn't find any character or model I actively disliked.
All of the models have their charm (yes, even ugly MC and Don, they look unattractive, but this is their role in the story, so I am not bothered by it in the slightest). The settings and environments all look alive, they don't look like cheap models that were thrown around, everything looks like a coherent world you get to explore and see more of.
The hair color and hairstyle, skin tone, eye color and shapes, body types, everything in this game just feels so unique and diverse to the point where if I see the face of any of the main cast zoomed in, I'd be guaranteed to guess which one that is. They are just that memorable and leave an instant impression.
However, if I had to pick out the negatives, and there aren't many at all, it would be that sometimes, the shading might be a bit off. Especially with the shirts of Nani and Luna, they just don't look quite as detailed and as real as some of the other textures (for example, Ramoray and Stacy, who both have great texturing for their clothing) and so sometimes it pulls you out of the game to see a character wearing something that looks like someone put an extra layer of purple skin over their chest (and not like a tight bodysuit or cloth). Furthermore, when featuring blood, it tends to be a blob of solid red rather than have any shading or texture to it, making it feel less like blood and more like someone painted the floor with a red highlighter. However, These issues are very minuscule, and I honestly wouldn't mind whether it ever changed or not. Regardless, this doesn't take away from the greatness of the visuals.
2) Second of all, the writing.
This is the part where I was the most concerned. Remember the visual novels I mentioned I played just before picking this one up? Well they were short, and that was for the best, because getting through each sentence was a struggle. Good writing can easily make or break a story, and can hook you in just as easily as looks can.
I'm a firm believer that with good enough writing, any character, sexy or not, your type or not, could be attractive, and even though I found most of them to be attractive, their personalities and writing ultimately decided whether or not they were characters I'd wish for more scenes with. And just like with the visuals, Lewd Town Adventures knocks this out of the park way beyond any expectations.
The characters all have unique mannerisms and speech patterns that make them distinguishable and express their established personalities in an impeccable and immersive way. Each character is lovable and barely anyone is underwritten. All the characters get a chance to shine and even with characters that are yet to receive any major content, such as Felicia, Mrs. Principal, Eva and Zoe, their dialogue alone makes them stand out and makes you remember them any time they come in a scene.
Besides the fantastic characterization, the general writing style of the game is just as fun and vibrant as the characters and world, but knows when to get dark, serious and emotional. Some of the jokes and references thrown in there just spice the already goofy and lighthearted tone even further, and some of the scenes are so eerily phenomenal in their writing that they had me feeling some things I wasn't really expecting from something titled "Lewd". For example, the scene discussing MC's conflict about his father and the organization (Harem Route), where Rose enters the room and begins softly singing the tune from their childhood, and sneaks into the bed to hug her brother in his time of despair, that scene was just heartwarming and bittersweet in ways that are criminally good.
Whoever did the writing, dialogue in characterization evidently had a very good idea of how to balance the fun colorful tone, the meme-y humor and the emotional baggage, because they bounce off each other in a balance that I wouldn't expect, and that if done wrong, could entirely break a game. Lewd Town Adventures, however, masterfully executes this.
Some grammatical mistakes might be found upon closer inspection and from a native English speaker (which I won't pretend to be), but honestly, there wasn't anything that bugged or bothered me when playing. Yes, some of the scenes dragged on a little too much, some of them were a bit awkward and some of them are obviously there as placeholders until the next update, but these are just a tiny piece of the game's experience, and one that I won't hold against it.
3) Let's talk about the characters.
The characters in Lewd Town Adventures are, dare I say it, perfect. Each and every one of them feels full of life and personality rather than lifeless, stereotypical tropes. Even side characters like Chad and Nina's father feel developed and not out of place in the slightest, and that's saying a lot when Chad has literal pixel-art meme glasses on his face. The characters are appropriately goofy, extreme and over-the-top when needed, and deep, emotional and gut-wrenching at times. I personally felt the most connected to Rose, Emily, Tanya and Sarah, but that doesn't mean that the other characters weren't enjoyable as well.
The only character that felt somewhat bland to me was Hilda, but she felt more like a plot device the story revolves around, so I didn't mind her lack of development as she was the catalyst and her presence moved the plot forward, at least for me. I am not the biggest fan of the "sex deprived mother who needs her son's reassurance to grow self confident and accidentally falls in love with him" trope, but if pulled off right, I think she has potential, especially with the characters of Rose and Emily.
Even minor characters like Felicia, Zoe, Petunia and Natalie all have massive potential for storytelling and characterization if given the spotlight, because even they have clearly defined character traits and personalities that are unique to them and help make the world richer.
As with the designs, there are no characters I actively disliked, they all filled their roles, even characters meant to be unlikable like Don, The Boss and at times, Ramoray, were masterfully evil and twisted and gave you exactly the feeling I wanted to get from them.
Ramoray in particular was very interesting to me, and I believe she's the one that by far needs the most exploring. Mad scientists and doctors who want freedom to do their diabolical experiments are nothing new, but she had a certain charm to her that made her feel like there is more to her. Her nice demeanor didn't feel artificially over-the-top (like she's faking her politeness) neither did it feel like she had an ulterior motives at all times, she was appropriately eerie but still felt like a human being rather than a cunning omnipotent mastermind, as many mad scientists tend to be.
I think with the reveal of her displeasure with The Boss, there's a massive opportunity for her to undergo a positive change arc, and I can't wait for what the future of the game holds for her, because I think that as of now, she feels the most incomplete.
Besides Ramoray, Rose's character felt wholesome and loving in a way that made her very lovable, and Emily was one that really caught me off guard. I genuinely didn't think she would work so well. I played a handful of games with a "horny sister" trope, and between sass, bitchiness and silly innocence, which are the usual traits given to this sort of character, Emily hits just the sweet spot.
She wasn't an overly innocent sister to feed into the lolicon or corruption fetish, neither was she a sassy bitch. She was pure-hearted just enough to feel young and inexperienced yet mature enough to feel natural and like a true sister to the main character. Her attitude in the prologue was hilarious, however.
I'm unsure whether this fits in this section, but Nina's arc felt a bit creepy to me personally. I get the regression fetish this plays into, and I accept any fetish and like this game's goal of demonstrating as many as it can, I can't get over the fact that even if you make every possible decision to be a good, moral man, letting a regressed teenager have sex is a bit unsettling. I am not one to criticize adult content, and I certainly didn't mind that, especially as I enjoyed Nina's route a lot, but I feel like there should have been more build-up to the sex with Nina, and she should've been more knowledgeable by then.
MC not stopping her just because it feels good feels like taking advantage of the girl's sheltered and underdeveloped awareness, and I have mixed feelings on that. I know the game is meant to cover any fetish, whether dark, twisted or a taboo, but this route I feel could use an option to feel legal and wholesome, if wanted.
4) The SCALE.
The thing that by far knocked it out of the park for me was Lewd Town Adventure's sheer scale. I've played games with great visuals and shitty writing, and I played well-written games with meh visuals. But barely any games compare to the size, length and effort that this game showcases.
The story is justifiably long and satisfying, each character gets room to breath and the story takes its time. Nothing feels rushed in the grand scheme of things, and a game of this length should not be this overlooked.
This game feels criminally underappreciated for the colossal amount of content it offers and obvious amount of thought that went into everything, and it for sure it a hidden gem.
At the beginning, I had a gut feeling that after the prologue, there will be a rushed route with Hilda, a short route with Rose and an even shorter one with Emily, and was shocked at the number of characters and depth each one is given. This game redefined the free adult game scene for me personally, and set a very high standard for others to reach. The quality of this is unmatched.
5) The story of Lewd Town Adventures is a 10/10.
Imma admit, I'm not the biggest fan of "evil organizations" plot lines. Often in sex games, the main plot gets really boring really quickly, and the side-quests and character routes are what hooks me in. In Lewd Town Adventures however, due to the main character actually being involved in the organization and being a part of it, that I think made the organization stand on its own as an actual entity with its own personality.
There's room for discussion about the moral dilemma the organization brings up, and there are some genuinely good people in there, like Rose, Stacy and Stella, some morally gray ones and the evil ones, namely Ramoray, Don and The Boss. In addition, the hierarchy and structure of the organization was explained very early on, and I was glad that the "missing key card" plot point wasn't an excuse for an exposition dump about the organization, but rather more concerned about developing characters like Stella and Pamela.
The mansion felt mysterious and cryptic at first, but as you explored more and got introduced to more characters, it managed to preserve the eerie and unsettling atmosphere while still feeling homely and familiar each time you explored.
Exploring the laboratories and scientists was especially interesting to me, because seeing their heinous experiments first hand brought forward a bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they could cure diseases, defects and save millions of lives (demonstrated by how they saved Nani and Sarah), but on the other hand, they conduct horrifying experiments on women with the intent of selling them and profiting. Now, this decision, when looking at the situation from their point of view, makes perfect sense.
They explore the boundaries of advanced science without limits to restrain them, they use their skills to make a lot of money, and that money allows them to keep going, a seemingly perfect lifestyle to passionate scientists, but seeing how pursuing this dream career cost these scientists their humanity is honestly heartbreaking.
This humanization of something as generic as "evil scientists" and "fucked up experiments" brings a lot of life to the organization, same for the lifestyle of the trainers and escorts, living their dream lives, making tons of money and having a lot of sex.
This begs the question "is the organization really that evil, or did the rules of society we built make it seem evil?" and regardless of the player's answer, I love how the game raises this question, because you're practically living this question in-game.
The Boss twist was honestly cartoonishly silly, as appropriate for the world of Lewd Town Adventures. It had zero build-up or foreshadowing (from what I could see, anyway), but once you get past this funny reveal, it actually amplifies the emotional turmoil and impact of each event by a lot. The implication of The Boss wanting you to be his successor but seeing you as disposable makes the organization all the more scary.
Besides that, the side stories were all fun, had great pacing to them and felt unique and hooking. Nina's was really funny and cute (if you ignore the regression implications), Emily's was wholesome and sweet, Rose bittersweet and Nani's was tragic. There were admittedly characters I cared for less, such as Sophia and Lily, but that's not the characters' faults, but rather a subjective opinion, and it's great that there are so many characters to appeal to different people. Even though I didn't love those two, their scenes still weren't boring and they still had a lot to bring to the table.
Obviously, the game isn't done yet and so it stopped fairly abruptly, but I have confidence in the development and I'll get into my own personal suggestions shortly.
6) Other details and thoughts.
From what I've seen, the prologue is a very controversial part of the game. I personally didn't mind it as much, as it established some key characters and served as a bit of nice storytelling, and even though imagining MC in real life is horrifying, as his entire body is practically implanted, in-game I do like the sillier, less generic "hot anime boy" look, and the eyes crack me up every time. He doesn't feel like a stud walking around town, he feels like an average decent looking guy, and he plays an active role in the story, making decisions and moving the story forward. Some games tend to have their protagonists be passive, in order to not take away focus from the girls, and so the protagonist is often underdeveloped. In most of the games I played, I wouldn't be able to tell you how the main character even looks. Lewd Town Adventures' MC is memorable, funny, silly, and good-looking enough for an adult game.
The references and nods to pop culture that are scattered throughout are a great addition that makes this colorful world even more self-aware and fun. Whether it’s seeing Squirtle and Wartortle on the beach, Tatsumaki, Aqua, Nami and Winry at the mansion, Nani Pelekai having an entire route of her own, or references to Dragon Ball Z and Michael Jackson, this game makes it obvious that it’s a fun-loving experience that doesn’t shy away from including silly stuff for the sake of good fun.
The playability is quite simple, the map and hints systems all work well, there aren't any excessive unnecessary features, and the only thing I found to be underdeveloped was the computer in MC's room, as I felt there was more potential to it. Nevertheless, the gameplay was fluid.
However, the hints sometimes tend to be a bit too vague, leaving you in the dark about what routes you need to progress in and to what point. Having so many routes and needing to progress all of them can be disorienting, and while I very much appreciate this game not holding your hand, I think an option to reveal which routes exactly need to be progressed would help, as well as spare the creator from answering "how do I meet x?" or "I talked to y, how do I do z?" all the time.
7) Suggestions, concepts and subjective opinions.
As stated in the beginning, I have played only the Harem Route thus far, and so I can only comment on my suggestions for that route. I honestly don't think I'll be playing the Dark Route, as I love the characters too much to put so much time into seeing them hurt for the sake of kinks. I felt bad for characters like Chloe and Nani, and I think playing an entire game this way is just not the experience for me. I respect the fetishes it presents and the audience it's for, but as I am not a part of it, I won't be suggesting anything for the Dark Route here. I'm sure others would do it instead.
Secondly, I am not a professional and these ideas are less of a criticism and more of a "give me give me", as I will just be presenting my own thoughts. What you take as a creator and a team from this feedback is up to you, and I'm sure the audience of the game will be pleased either way.
So let's get into it. For characters, I'd personally be happy to see more from Eva, as her story cut off short, as well as for Elsa. I think that Eva is a gorgeous addition and her BDSM thing is a great edge to her character, but I wish there was more to her, with the option to have a route that concludes in having a relationship with her that isn't motivated by solely domination. She's great when she's not in her costume, and while it's good she appeals to the BDSM lovers, I think her normal side deserves a chance to shine too. As for Elsa, I wish to see more of her shy girl persona and her yandere tendencies come to light and explored, and maybe for her to undergo an arc.
Besides them, as I stated, I think that Ramoray needs a lot more story to flesh her out properly, whether you get to bang her or not. Also, Chloe could very much use her own route. She doesn't even appear in the hint book and I think it's unfair to her character, that was a lot more significant than others who did make an appearance. I think that perhaps an arc of saving her from the organization and getting to know her properly might work. Rose and Emily could always use more content, as they're the "main cast" of the game, and so charming and lovable, especially their interactions together when bringing Hilda home. Lastly, Tanya needs to be developed further. From the start, she was the devastating example of the lowest in the organization's chain, kept alive but as a tortured pet. I think that saving her soul and bringing her back to life would be a wonderful experience to showcase MC's heroic traits and strong resolve.
For the ending, while I have no idea what's planned for the game, I do have my own suggestion of an ideal ending. The tone of this game, focusing around collecting girls and the route literally being named a "harem" I think that concluding by having all the girls you met and learned to love inside one place (perhaps the house you can purchase, or the mansion after you take down the organization and repurpose it to be your harem and home), would be much better than a simple "The End" screen followed by credits.
When building the ending to be a reality of the MC living with his girls, I think by that point, updates could be made to add quests and short, simple, light-hearted story lines with different girls and characters, and a great opportunity to show very unlikely and unique dynamics, such as Rose and Nina, Elsa and Eva or Tanya and Emily, just to name a few that come to mind.
I think that releasing updates with several new storylines in this post-game every once in a while could keep the game refreshing for the Harem Route lovers and bring a conclusive end to the plot, but keeping the world you learned to love alive.
There's no feeling worse than finishing a game you love, and while for most Visual Novels it's the inevitable, I think that for Lewd Town Adventures, it could be a chance to open a new world to live in, with a new tone, after all the emotional traumas and baggage has been solved.
I know it might not align with the current plans, but I truly think that this ending would be phenomenal for this kind of game.
Maybe you could explore the giant house, with each room having a different set of girls to interact with, talk to or get naughty with, that move around throughout the day. Adding more and more interactions along the way, until it's an entire new experience of its own. Obviously, this is very long-term thinking and probably a fantasy, but this is my own personal dream ending.
7) In conclusion, Lewd Town Adventures is a great game.
It really is fantastic. A roller-coaster that makes you feel every emotion you possibly can, from sadness to anger to wholesomeness to laughter, this game has tons to offer, and it really is made for everyone. I don't mind experiencing even the worst of the worst when it comes to kinks, and I'm sure the Dark Route wouldn't affect me negatively or anything, but I prefer playing the good experience, and for a game that boasts being the lewdiest out there, it appeases the harem enjoyers just fine.
Honestly, if anyone asked me for my recommended adult games out there, this one would be at the very top, and I can't wait to see the fan-base grow, as it should.
This game deserves every bit of praise it has, and a lot more than that.
Fantastic job Jamleng, amazing job to the writers, artists and team involved in the production. I respect you so much for making this experience.
I do apologize for the unholy length of this review, but I felt like I had so much to praise and talk about, and I hope you didn't mind it too much, because I wrote this 100% because I care so much for this game after playing it and I feel like it has massive potential. I look forward to it's development. Good luck making this game, and oh my GOD do I want to make an artwork based on it right now. Maybe Emily? Or maybe Rose? Who knows.
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