VN - Ren'Py - Onhold - Lost Hope [v0.08] [CNSAM]

i really want to like this game, it has so much going on and the LI's and other girls are good. the 'free roam' moments suck because there is no apparent way to know what to do. i saw No shaders indicating where to click, it would have been better to simply have a linear option list to do in those times. i don't disagree with other reviews, they make valid points. this is just my take on it.
well with the release of 'Dream', this game makes a tiny bit more sense. this game is very convoluted, that's Hard To Follow, because it jumps from past/present and to different worlds. and often has no segway. the gammer and wrong word usage are hard to follow on top of that. (i'm not so good a spelling so i can't complain there). But our hero/MC is missing his past, so the harem tag confuses some. the girls all, or mostly, know each other and know they are his harem even if he doesn't. the AI writing may be the problem. some of the girls, Ciri, in particular have multiple appearance changes through out the story, as if the artist forgot what she was suppose to look like. (big FACE Changes). with all that being said the story starts to drift from what is the original plot (which made sense) to something wide open...it almost felt like several different people wrote this with very different thoughts on how the story should go. the middle was the best part, the ending.. gave me a bad headache.
i would still say continue. STORY BOARD IT. set the path and don't worry about how to please 'everybody' that won't happen. i do want to know what's going on in This story, and i feel like DREAM is just another part of it. so i guess i haven't LOSTHOPE yet. but i think i need to wait a while for you to decide what you are really try to do. 2 great ideas...

(According to a bug, was removed, I'll update soon with new version)
Lost Hope V0.032 Review
This game is strange because I like it and I don't like it. It has a lot of negative points to it, but I like it in spite of that. Usually I'm more detailed in my analysis, especially in reviews, but I'm gonna sum up points and if you want more details find my post in the Lost Hope thread.

Pros
-Good Renders
-Very Good Models (Love Ciri)
-Interesting and ambitious Story
-Good/stylistic transitions
Interesting characters
Cons
-Grammar... It's hard to read at times.
-The MC is a bit of an asshole at times (to be fair, this is more in the beginning, he seems better later)
-Cliche Set up Story MC has amnesia
-Character development feels capped because SPOILER MC's already been with all the main cast in his past because they were in his Harem prior to his amnesia

The only thing I'll say is that there is some rape themes. No one gets raped in the story, but one of the LI's was abused by dudes with mom forcing her to get together when she was 15. It's not 100% confirmed, if it's false, I'll delete this.

My favorite character is Ciri. She's sweet. Besides the main story, there isn't too much to say about the characters so far. Pretty simple characters.

I'm sorry to say, but this is an absolute mess.

The renders are all over the place, ranging from quite good to absolute terrible.
Given a single indie-dev with probably limited hardware, i can be quite lenient in that regard tho.

Spelling/Grammar is a huge issue - but that's something that could be fixed (somewhat) easily.

Biggest (and hardest to fix) problem is, sadly, the storytelling itself.
Logical issues, jumpy plotlines and too little (background-)info or dialogues/reactions that leave you with "wtf just happened .." moments made this .. let's call it "an experience".

I mean .. some random guy teleports, seemingly out of the blue, onto a spaceship with one of the (severely wounded) LIs in tow. Tells the MC something along the line of "it's all ok, and btw .. she's my sister", and the MC just goes "well .. ok then". /)_-)

I don't expect Shakespeare out of an (A)VN and i can forgive quite a few things, but if it's consistently like this it makes me angry.

To end on a somewhat positive note: Apart from the above, the premise itself does sound quite interesting and a good basis.

Renders are good
Not a fan of the jump between world thing
It just make story more confusing
Half the time you clcking stuff to get to the new scene
No bug
Never play with sound
The jumping between world just made me confused One moment you in a cyberpunk world
Next moment you laying on top of a girl

After playing the last update and having played one of the early releases before, this game deserves another chance imo.

A lot of weak points have been solved, and there are a few outstanding things to discover in the game, especially on the technical part. You'll see some animations and interactions you don't find often here. The art is improving as you advance in the game, the dystopian backgrounds are worth the sight.

Is the Writing good?
No. Don't expect a literary work here, but it's understandable and some parts seem to have gone under proofreading, so it's a lot better than it was before.

Is the game polished?
No. There are a few bugs here and there, but nothing that can't be solved with time. It's a rough gem in the making as some impressive stuff is achieved at times.

Is the story good?
It was hard to follow in the first releases. It's much better now, there are more transitions, it jumps less from one scene to another, and there are more explanations. Now, I got the story, and it's quite good.

Are the girls hot?
I liked some of them because they were quite unique. A lot of variety, aliens, cybergirls, elves, lolitas, milfs... It's sometimes a bit anime-like, sometimes a bit more realistic, but the balance is good

Is the technique good?
Yes. Especially on the animation side. There are some amazing ones.

Is art good?
Yes. Considering the dev's potato machine, it's a real achievement to get this quality of renders.

PS : There is a point that made the reading difficult for me: it was hard to differentiate the MC thoughts from his dialogues. Once I understood that [MCname]inner meant MC thoughts, the story became much clearer. I think that's a point that might have confused some of the players and given the sensation the story was a mess. Hopefully, this will be improved, because it's a detail that can make a difference. Anyway, good luck with the game, I know it's hard to get appreciation when the English is a bit lacking, but there are some hidden talents lying around there for sure