Version: 4.2.2
Score: 3/5
Playtime: ~8 hours for different paths and variations
Note: At the time of writing, the game has been marked as abandoned. I'm posting this review in the spirit of providing feedback to the developer, in case he's still considering continuing this title.
TL;DR:
Lineage or Legacy offers strong family drama and choices to shape the MC. A rushed two-year time skip and a forced spicy scene break his believability. Sharp visuals and decent music, but some odd models add a veneer of uncanniness. Rushed love interests and weak player agency keep this from an easy 8/10.
Gameplay:
Choices shape the MC’s personality and stats. Respect and Rude stats change how he talks to others and unlock different content. Strength, intelligence, charisma, and education stats open unique dialogue or events. However, stat changes are challenging to track, and missed opportunities aren’t shown. This hurts replayability, as players don’t know what choices unlock new paths. Color-coding choices (blue for events, red for personality) could guide players, especially as a New Game+ feature.
For example, a rude MC gets kicked out of the bowling alley with Alex, blocking April’s path but unlocking a hookup with Piper. A Charisma point lets Kaylee invite the MC to the library. Choosing to sit with Fiona leads to a club invite, where the MC uses his dad’s credit card. In Chapter 4, his dad takes the card away for this. Some choices feel forced, like accepting Linda’s bet after sprinting or joining Piper’s party despite being on a studious/respectful path. Unavoidable events, like Savannah’s scene or a coffee date with Torrie, ignore player intent.
General:
The story tracks a rich kid escaping his strict dad to college. After saving Kaylee from harassment, he’s assaulted and starts training with Charlie and Barron. A two-year time skip shows his physical glow-up, and he graduates as a Chad by losing his virginity in a sloppy one-night stand with Savannah.
This new sexual experience lights a horny fire under the MC's ass, and he starts to socialize in college. After a heartfelt message from his mother, he decides to take a 2-month break from college to visit his family, where he faces pressure to join his dad’s company. Family drama shines in Chapter 4, but earlier inconsistencies and forced scenes hurt the flow.
Adult:
Spicy scenes focus on quick hookups, often lacking buildup or care. An unavoidable scene with Savannah (Chapter 1) sets a casual tone. Later scenes, like Linda’s bet, brothel visit, or hookup with April or Piper, can be avoided but feel rushed. There's also little focus on comfort or foreplay, which isn't appealing to players who enjoy romantic slow burns.
For example, April’s quick first time after bowling lacks motivation, making her feel like a flat power fantasy. With access to all the apps and male attention, why does she pick the MC to pop her cherry after a 15-minute conversation? Similarly, Savannah’s forced scene turns the MC into a horndog whose thoughts often clash in a 'respectful'-focused playthrough.
The game leans hard into casual sex, which feels forced for romance players. Incest hints with Sylvia aren’t in yet and may stay out due to platform rules. Emotional depth, like the MC’s feelings after hookups, is missing. Instead, after trying to strike up a conversation with Savannah at the hospital and getting shot down, even if the player decides not to pursue her, he'll still run back to the hospital to get her number. This is a 21-year-old guy with most of his uncontrollable horny years behind him. He's shown as a monk-like figure who doesn't even consider socializing, going to a party, or having sex during the 2-year time skip. But after he dicks Pandora's box, chasing tail is suddenly all he can think about.
Visual:
UI:
Overall, the UI is polished and customized, with a few exceptions.
The character overview is messy and doesn’t sort love interests by role or location. April and Piper missing from the grid is a bug. Disabled buttons, like “Load” in the gallery, don’t look disabled, which can be confusing.
Characters:
Character models often look too old. Faces and oversized proportions, like huge breasts, feel unrealistic. Alex’s feminine model with male pronouns suggests FtM trans coding, but it’s not addressed. I hope Alex isn't a secret 12th LI, because this would undermine any representation of him being one of the guys. That said, the reworked models, like Savannah’s, look younger and better.
Scenes/Renders:
Environments and posing are sharp and detailed. Family and social scenes stand out, but uneven model quality pulls the experience down.
Animations:
Animations are decent but sometimes off. Fast motions in spicy scenes make physics look unnatural.
Sound:
Music fits scenes well. Some tracks stand out more, but all match the mood.
Sound effects are rare, like an alarm clock or phone notifications. Nothing else pops.
No ambient sounds leave scenes feeling empty.
Novel:
Narrative:
The title “Lineage or Legacy” works on two levels: the family’s legacy vs. the MC’s own path. In Chapter 4, family drama shines as the dad pushes the MC toward his company, while Sylvia feels trapped in her gilded cage. The MC is eager to graduate but misses home and is now unsure where his road will take him and what he'll do after graduation.
The narrative could do with a little cleanup.
Quality of writing:
Dialogue is decent but flawed. Grammar errors, like “your” vs. “you’re,” and small plot holes/inconsistencies need fixing. Forced choices, like automatically joining Piper’s party or thinking manipulatively about Eliza, clash with player intent. And, more of a personal preference, I think emotional depth is too thin, worsened by the MC's earned physical growth but unearned socializing skills.
Conclusion:
Lineage or Legacy aims high with family drama and choice-driven paths. A bad time skip and forced scenes, like Savannah’s, make the MC’s growth feel fake. Rushed hookups like April’s flatten love interests into power fantasies. A respectful MC’s sneaky thoughts, like plotting against Eliza's relationship, are frustrating. With 11 love interests, intimacy feels rushed, and I wouldn't be surprised if the culmination of choices and requirements will make it easy to accidentally close paths. Color-coded choices, introspection/consistency, and slower dating could push this to an easy 4/5. For now, it’s a flawed but fun ride.
Score: 3/5
Playtime: ~8 hours for different paths and variations
Note: At the time of writing, the game has been marked as abandoned. I'm posting this review in the spirit of providing feedback to the developer, in case he's still considering continuing this title.
TL;DR:
Lineage or Legacy offers strong family drama and choices to shape the MC. A rushed two-year time skip and a forced spicy scene break his believability. Sharp visuals and decent music, but some odd models add a veneer of uncanniness. Rushed love interests and weak player agency keep this from an easy 8/10.
Gameplay:
Choices shape the MC’s personality and stats. Respect and Rude stats change how he talks to others and unlock different content. Strength, intelligence, charisma, and education stats open unique dialogue or events. However, stat changes are challenging to track, and missed opportunities aren’t shown. This hurts replayability, as players don’t know what choices unlock new paths. Color-coding choices (blue for events, red for personality) could guide players, especially as a New Game+ feature.
For example, a rude MC gets kicked out of the bowling alley with Alex, blocking April’s path but unlocking a hookup with Piper. A Charisma point lets Kaylee invite the MC to the library. Choosing to sit with Fiona leads to a club invite, where the MC uses his dad’s credit card. In Chapter 4, his dad takes the card away for this. Some choices feel forced, like accepting Linda’s bet after sprinting or joining Piper’s party despite being on a studious/respectful path. Unavoidable events, like Savannah’s scene or a coffee date with Torrie, ignore player intent.
General:
The story tracks a rich kid escaping his strict dad to college. After saving Kaylee from harassment, he’s assaulted and starts training with Charlie and Barron. A two-year time skip shows his physical glow-up, and he graduates as a Chad by losing his virginity in a sloppy one-night stand with Savannah.
This new sexual experience lights a horny fire under the MC's ass, and he starts to socialize in college. After a heartfelt message from his mother, he decides to take a 2-month break from college to visit his family, where he faces pressure to join his dad’s company. Family drama shines in Chapter 4, but earlier inconsistencies and forced scenes hurt the flow.
Adult:
Spicy scenes focus on quick hookups, often lacking buildup or care. An unavoidable scene with Savannah (Chapter 1) sets a casual tone. Later scenes, like Linda’s bet, brothel visit, or hookup with April or Piper, can be avoided but feel rushed. There's also little focus on comfort or foreplay, which isn't appealing to players who enjoy romantic slow burns.
For example, April’s quick first time after bowling lacks motivation, making her feel like a flat power fantasy. With access to all the apps and male attention, why does she pick the MC to pop her cherry after a 15-minute conversation? Similarly, Savannah’s forced scene turns the MC into a horndog whose thoughts often clash in a 'respectful'-focused playthrough.
The game leans hard into casual sex, which feels forced for romance players. Incest hints with Sylvia aren’t in yet and may stay out due to platform rules. Emotional depth, like the MC’s feelings after hookups, is missing. Instead, after trying to strike up a conversation with Savannah at the hospital and getting shot down, even if the player decides not to pursue her, he'll still run back to the hospital to get her number. This is a 21-year-old guy with most of his uncontrollable horny years behind him. He's shown as a monk-like figure who doesn't even consider socializing, going to a party, or having sex during the 2-year time skip. But after he dicks Pandora's box, chasing tail is suddenly all he can think about.
Visual:
UI:
Overall, the UI is polished and customized, with a few exceptions.
The character overview is messy and doesn’t sort love interests by role or location. April and Piper missing from the grid is a bug. Disabled buttons, like “Load” in the gallery, don’t look disabled, which can be confusing.
Characters:
Character models often look too old. Faces and oversized proportions, like huge breasts, feel unrealistic. Alex’s feminine model with male pronouns suggests FtM trans coding, but it’s not addressed. I hope Alex isn't a secret 12th LI, because this would undermine any representation of him being one of the guys. That said, the reworked models, like Savannah’s, look younger and better.
Scenes/Renders:
Environments and posing are sharp and detailed. Family and social scenes stand out, but uneven model quality pulls the experience down.
Animations:
Animations are decent but sometimes off. Fast motions in spicy scenes make physics look unnatural.
Sound:
Music fits scenes well. Some tracks stand out more, but all match the mood.
Sound effects are rare, like an alarm clock or phone notifications. Nothing else pops.
No ambient sounds leave scenes feeling empty.
Novel:
Narrative:
The title “Lineage or Legacy” works on two levels: the family’s legacy vs. the MC’s own path. In Chapter 4, family drama shines as the dad pushes the MC toward his company, while Sylvia feels trapped in her gilded cage. The MC is eager to graduate but misses home and is now unsure where his road will take him and what he'll do after graduation.
The narrative could do with a little cleanup.
- The two-year time skip doesn't show any personality growth, making the MC's transformation from bumbling and awkward fatty to confident and witty Chad unbelievable.
- Early chapters mention Sylvia getting along fine with their father, but Chapter 4 doesn't show this. The MC said he communicated with his sister using notes, but they're shown to have a good and close bond later.
- It's said that Sylvia is 18 months younger than the MC, but he's 21 and she's just had her 19th birthday.
- The MC tells different people he'll go home for a few weeks, a month, or two months. It's not clear why he decides to stay home for two months; there really isn't a reason for being absent for this long, unless the narrative wanted to make certain he could intern at his father's company for several weeks. A visit of a week or even two weeks would make a lot more sense for someone this close to graduating.
- Forced moments, like a respectful MC plotting to “make a move” on Eliza despite her boyfriend, clash with player choices.
- It's often difficult to guess how much time has passed between two scenes. I would love a notification showing the day of the week and general timeslot an event is taking place in. (e.g., Friday, afternoon)
- A rude MC’s cocky thoughts match his actions; he's more driven by lust and is very cocksure. A respectful MC acts kind but thinks manipulatively, like eyeing Eliza after choosing to respect her relationship.
Quality of writing:
Dialogue is decent but flawed. Grammar errors, like “your” vs. “you’re,” and small plot holes/inconsistencies need fixing. Forced choices, like automatically joining Piper’s party or thinking manipulatively about Eliza, clash with player intent. And, more of a personal preference, I think emotional depth is too thin, worsened by the MC's earned physical growth but unearned socializing skills.
Conclusion:
Lineage or Legacy aims high with family drama and choice-driven paths. A bad time skip and forced scenes, like Savannah’s, make the MC’s growth feel fake. Rushed hookups like April’s flatten love interests into power fantasies. A respectful MC’s sneaky thoughts, like plotting against Eliza's relationship, are frustrating. With 11 love interests, intimacy feels rushed, and I wouldn't be surprised if the culmination of choices and requirements will make it easy to accidentally close paths. Color-coded choices, introspection/consistency, and slower dating could push this to an easy 4/5. For now, it’s a flawed but fun ride.