Normally, a VN like this, I take one look at the sample renders and I'm like, "nope!"
But I was intrigued by all the positive reviews, so I checked it out, and I'm glad I did.
Don't get me wrong, this is no hidden masterpiece. It has a number of deep flaws that keep it from the coveted 4 stars for me. But there is definitely something different about this, with its own offbeat charm, and it's very, very erotic.
First, the elephants: It's a VN with choice, and the choices are both non-intuitive and have impacts, so there's desperate need of a walkthru.
Second, the English is terrible, just weird and inconsistent and badly translated. The dev is very good-natured about this, and I don't want devs to be discouraged just because English isn't their native language. But still...
Third, the MC is a sexual omnivore., and I'd say that regular girl-boy stuff is only about half the content. The dev does give you the opportunity to skip the other stuff if you wish. As the poet Terence said, "nothing human is alien to me," but I also know what I like, and there's a lot of here I skip. Chacun son gout and your mileage may vary.
Finally, these are not pretty renders, even by Virtamate standards. The aunt is straight out of Pink Flamingos. The gf is clearly a blow-up doll. And the gf's mother looks like they have to hide sharp objects when she's around.
There's oddness all over the place. Are they at high school or college? (actually, it's the lycee, which is like college prep). How about when the MC goes over to the gfs house and meets the family - the second time - and it's like they've never met before? Or the party, with the boys sitting in one room and the girls dancing in the other?
Okay, so after taking such a big dump on everything, why do I like this VN?
Reason one: Patti Smith.
Reason two: So, although the assets are ugly, the way they're used is very skillful. There's a scene, early on, when the gf's mom looks back at the MC and blows him a kiss. It's super erotic, and the kind of small, intriguing detail that a lot of better-resourced VNs totally miss. There are many of these little moments, and what they do is lift all the flaws and transform them into a weird and very interesting little world.
The erotic scenes are in general very well-composed, and there are enough VNs out there with way more beautiful assets but in comparison the sex-scenes are snore-fests.
I would suggest that this VN is a good example of how interesting situations and good composition beat out (ahem) beautiful renders any day.
Anyways, the way this thing is going... you feel like it could go anywhere. That's kinda neat, too.