Unity - Completed - Love of Magic [B1 v1.6.7d + B2 v1.0.12] [Droid Productions]

(please note this review was based on version 1.0.7b)
If you enjoy Athurian Legends I would say this game is a must play.

Its an intersting new take on one of the UKs most enduring legends. beyond the obvious references this game draws on a lot of folk traditions for a lot of the monsters and character.
The writing is excellent, the dialogue is convincing enough while the events and tone are in keeping with the sometimes over the top tone found in tradional folk tales from england, Ireland and scottland.

the Renders objectively gourgous even if the bulk of the character's don't really do anything for me in 'that' regard. with this in mind the fact that i've finished the story twice in the 2 weeks since picking this game up is a testament to the quality of the game.

The combat is interesting, while not getting in the way. if your concerned about your poker skills you can wait a few seconds and it will show you a play.
The Map navigation is mostly intuitive with only one or two screens slowing you down. once you get the hang of the poker system the in game money system stops being an issue.

This is in the running for the best game on the site. This is entirely due to the story, visuals and sound for me though. I uniformly dislike all of the gameplay features such as for combat, money, travel etc., but they are not enough to subtract from what is otherwise an exceptional offering.

Really enjoyed this twist on the arthurian legend. What can I say - if you are a fan of Camelot, and poker, it is almost as if the game was made for you haha.

To those worried about the poker - it is a combat mechanic. I feel even if you don't know how it works, or are not too much of a fan, the way it was implemented should still not prevent you from giving it a try. I didn't feel it got in the way of the story at all.

I've been kind of surprised with 1.07, the last build I played through was sometime back in 0.6. This game is great, it was good before, but it just feels more fun now. Progression feels way more balanced and less stat stressful than my first play through. Granted some of that is probably somewhat due to knowing the story and having played the game mechanics, but this playthrough feels much more like "Oh, I want to do that so I'm going to do this" vs. "Crap, I don't think I have enough days or ways to get money to make that up in time because of stupid player decision X or Y".

Sometimes it seems a little more over the top 'campy' than necessary, but it's still a fun thoughtful take on the legends. The additional night pub work and the side character arcs that brought in are awesome. I love that the dev went back and fleshed out existing content and not solely focusing on the finish line of the story.

For me this falls hard into the adult game category, so much more than simply a porn game. I wish I knew of more like it. So far this is one of five games I've found on F95 that has made me think, I'm buying this, where do I put money?

I'm only on Act III in this second playthrough... I still find myself reading all the dialog... even though I already know.

This game is amazing! Came for the Fap stayed for the writing.
I honestly did not expect such a huge Game. I was turned off by the Card mechanik and almost did not play it. But you can play on casual and just press space bar if you dont like the mechanic.

This Game has an amazing story. One of the best i have seen so far. together with "bad memories" these take x-rated games to a new level. The lewd scenes in this game are a bit few but more meaningful. They are more a bonus to the compelling story.

Just download it and give it a try, after a few Minutes you will know if this is for you.

That said could have more h-scenes and i think some faces look a bit wonky

I really love it, and I'm on fire (maybe Katie had something to do with it?) for book 2!
The characters are wonderful and the story is great so far. I enjoyed it for many hours and am thrilled to further invest time. I tend to lose interest in a game quite fast, but this one held me close.

This game is really quite unlike other adult games. I feel the author had a story to tell in the first place, and wrapped that story in the guise of an adult game to garner more funding/interest.

World building: 5/5. This is the genuinely most impressive part of the game. The lore is deeply thought out and self-consistent, and expansive enough to host the epic the author wants to tell.

Combat (poker): 4/5. For a system that appears absurdly simple and imbalanced to begin with, it's actually surprising how mechanically deep and thought-out it turns out to be. There are various valid strategies and diverse ways to build around your companions. The problem is this is only relevant to side content. Main plot combat is either absurdly simple, or you win by gimmick instead of mechanics. I understand the author wants the game to be playable as a VN, but I'd rather let those players have a skip option than gimp the experience for everyone else.

Plot: 3/5 There are perhaps too many contrivances here, with the player's ever escalating absurd power level exceeding most other fantasy novels or RPGs. Even as a power fantasy game, it feels ludicrous at times. The other problem is the strong destiny-child theme detaches the player from feeling agency.

The final chapter sort of ends on a whimper, with too much promise of followup but no climatic moment of its own. It is also strange to have come all this way only to find out this is part 1 of a trilogy. Since the main character's power level and relevance went from 1 to 1,000,000 already in book 1, the other books will have to be very different in tone and structure. This would be difficult to pull off successfully, though I'm still giving the benefit of the doubt here.

Porn: 2/5 To be honest this is probably the weakest part of the game, in terms quality, variety, and frequency. Not the thing to come to this game for, nor the reason to stay. It's passable.

Overall: 5/5 The overall star rating is not based on an average or anything like that. Simply I have to give it a 5/5 since the execution of the game already exceeds the vast majority of other games on this site.

I'm not going to write a big review like most others, they have said everything that needs to be said about how awesome this game is. The only disappointment I had with this game was the fact I finished it. I was sucked into the excellent story, and was sad to see it end. I await the next installment of the series.

I was a bit hesitant at first to get into it, but the developer does a good job here. With balancing the story, combat, engaging characters, and nicely done graphics it's drawn me in and I have come to like it more and more. With different characters, body types, and personalities it at least doesn't feel flat with different tropes being used, which is easy with something like this.

The Magic is engaging, although I was never much into Poker its not hard once you look at the board strategically and think chess like, where you may make a smaller hand to take a better one, and multiples, later on. With allies combat it relatively easy and it's been well balanced so far.

Sex scenes are nice, and with the different characters fits their personalities as you and the character find out more about himself and his influence on those around him. Some of the girls are well drawn, hot, and I am looking forward to scenes I haven't found yet.

Definitely worth the time!

Pros:

• Good back story that is consistent
• Hot looking characters
• Easy combat (at times it even TELLS you the best hand to play!)
• Variety and Quests that you sometimes puzzle out a bit
• Hidden encounters

Cons:

• UI can seem flat, with clicking from one spot to another, and its branching paths so not always easy to get to the main one
• Finding the next steps to the Quests can sometimes be tough, would be nice to know which steps have been done

BOOK 2 (Update of review to include Book 2. Original Book 1 review is below)
(What follows is a repost of my review of Book 2 of this game on Steam)

Summary: A fantastic, engaging, and enjoyable Adult Visual Novel

First if you haven't played Book 1, stop right now. GO GET IT. Play it, and then come back to this secure in the knowledge that Book 2 is even better.

Why: This is the second 'book' in a trilogy and while it offers a recap of Book 1, you are robbing yourself of a great deal of context and fun by jumping straight into Book 2. If you love the game, you'll be glad you got Book 1. If you hate the game, well, you can hate Book 1 just as easily as Book 2


What this game is:
The game is a rich, detailed, fun hybrid sandboxed (yet linear) adult (NSFW) visual fantasy novel.

The action takes place primarily in Camelot, which lies in a parallel reality connected to our own world. The game has magic, kings and legends, humor, sex, main quests, side-quests, politics, modern armies, demonic hordes, elves, werewolves, gods, demi-gods (multiple pantheons), mages, sorcerers, necromancy, prophecies, betrayal, dungeon crawling and a climactic struggle for the fate of the world all woven together.

The 'card games' tag refers to the combat system (how the MC visualizes order and chaos during magical combat). While combat is a significant activity and you can do plenty of it, it doesn't require any great poker ability (and is mostly optional if you just hate it) so don't come (or stay away) just for the cards. There are different types of combat magic that can be employed in combat and different opponents have differing capabilities and resistances. For example Poison has no effect on metal golems, etc.

Lots of references, shout outs, jokes and nods are buried inside. There is also a wiki, walkthroughs, and a vibrant community out there.

The game combines narrative, visuals, and music in a masterfully crafted story and world.
Mechanics are cherry picked all across the genre and implemented with precision and care by a long time professional game developer.

You will laugh out loud, you will tear up, you will be excited, you will read and re-read sections of dialogue, you will stay up late to find out what happens. And when it is all done you will come back and play it again (and again) finding new depths every time. What you won't be is disappointed.

If that checks a lot of your boxes you're in for a heck of a ride.

What this game IS NOT:
This is not an FPS or twitch game. Nothing is 'timed', you can sit and think about a play for hours if you wish.
This is not a card game. The game uses cards, but it isn't some solitaire game. The combat uses some basic poker scoring as a battle mechanic, but that's where the similarity ends.
This is not a kinetic novel. This is a game and you have agency outside the primary story points. Your choices won't stop the story itself, but they will affect how things unfold along the way. If you don't build up your 'Military Points' (MP) Camelot's army takes heavy casualties, if you focus on MP will you have enough cash or Realm Points for other actions? If you opt to save one city, what happens to the one you don't?

Warning
If there is a problem with this game, it is that it raises the bar on AVN game play. After playing, it is not uncommon to see a player opine that it has 'ruined them' for other AVNs.
It's worth it, but you have been warned!



SUMMARY
This is the AVN you have been looking for.
Enjoy!


BOOK 1
Summary: I would give it six stars if i could.

(What follows is a repost of my review of this game on Steam)

This is a fun sandboxed adult (NSFW) visual fantasy novel.

Set in modern day England (err, sorry Katie, Scotland!) with magic, kings and legends, humor, sex, main quests, side-quests, a parallel reality 'elsewhere', elves, werewolves, gods, demi-gods (multiple pantheons), demons, mages, sorcerers, necromancy, prophecies, betrayal and a coming fight for the fate of the world all woven together.

The 'card games' tag refers to the combat system (how the MC visualizes order and chaos during magical combat). While combat is a significant activity and you'll be doing plenty of it, it doesn't require any great poker ability so don't come (or stay away) just for the cards. There are different types of combat magic that can be employed and that different opponents have differing resistance to. For example Poison has no effect on metal golems etc.

Lots of references and shout outs buried inside. There's also a wiki, walkthroughs, community out there.

If that checks a lot of your boxes you're in for a fun time, pick this gem up.

This game is extraordinary.

The one (1) area of possible improvement is the animation quantity quality. The animations that are there (especially after act 1 and 2) are either good enough frame-shifts or pretty solid video files. A statement which can be said about 99.5% of games out there.

Why does this game still get 5 stars if it has "room for improvement"?

1) the very best world building on this site. Even if every plot point was previously detailed in the Wide World of Arthurian Legend (I only know the basics) the story is perfectly paced, and described to the player.

2) top tier character narrative design. Most games about assembling a harem don't focus on who the haremeers were before the MC came into their lives. In this game everyone had a life before you get there and lived in a world you didnt know about. They have allegiances to outside factions and have plans that might not always align with yours.

3) the sandbox element is well handled, not too much grind - some sections feel a little same daday over and over a couple times. After act 1 this subsides a decent amount and afaik the game starts becoming more of a VN around act 3 or 4. If you hate sandbox games (like I do) this one might work out for you.

4) the broads and sex acts are varied and hot. Woulda liked more animations but the dialogue makes up for it. Also the cumshots look very good not like someone spilled whiteout on a headshot.

Impressive writing and interface. I like that a total fantasy world has been carved out with a lot of thought and humor and the dialogue is probably the best i have seen in a VN or RPG. Days and days of gameplay. I even grew to like the card combat system. Good twists and turns. I'm hoping it goes on for a while beyond day 105. GREAT WORK. This should be getting lots more attention than it has. THANKS!

Genuinely impressed by this game, for me it is engaging in a way that no other game of this type has been in the past. I'm actually reading the dialogue instead of skipping it and I'm invested in the characters. Even the mechanics are novel and at least entertaining. I had played all the top rated game except for this one, and honestly I'd put this at #1 overall.

Great game!

I'll start by saying that I avoided the game for a long time. "Love. Magic. Poker." just didn't do it for me. I'm both happy and sad about it. Happy, because when I finally played it I got treated to one of the best experiences from a game on this site I've ever had. Sad, because I missed on a year or so of rapid releases, great community and great game.

And the game is great.
For starters it has something like 30 hours of content in it. Content that's well worth the time.

Story.
I was very skeptical going in. Then I spent 30 hours straight playing the game until I finished it. The story swoops you, grabs you by the collar of your shirt and never lets you go. I can't go in to details, the spoilers would be massive, but I'll say that it's one of the best stories written in porn games. Period.

Characters.
All the characters are unique and special. While a few get less screen time then the others, this doesn't change the fact, that they are all well-rounded, have their own personalities and quirks. MC is relatable and actually likable. The main cast around him act like normal people - calling him out on his bs, or mistakes, being called out on theirs and reacting mostly how normal people would react to the craziness around them.

Writing.
I rarely focus on writing, but I think this game shows exactly what good writing can and will do for the experience. You can hear the characters talking in your head. If you are not on the floor laughing at some points - you don't have a sense of humor, period.

Music
Best soundtrack ever. I usually mute most games on this site, since the music is either sub-par, doesn't really fit the tone of the game or is sporadic. Not here. The soundtrack is great. It will put you in the right mood, make you sad, happy, pumped or intrigued.

Graphics.
A lot of attention to detail. Character portraits move. Character cur-outs move. Not to mention, actually nice cinematics. I'll be honest, the graphical fidelity of the game is about average. It ain't 4k, whatever. But it's good enough to not put you out of the mood.

Gameplay.
It's solid. Nothing stands out to pester you. There is an RPG aspect to it and there is a combat engine. The combat system might not be for everyone (I suck at it a lot), but the difficulty levels help with that (drop on easy and spam the "auto" button and you can breeze trough the fights).

Overall, I love the game. I just sank 60+ hours on two back to back playthroughs. Give it a try, I doubt you'll regret it.
And a last point about the community and the developer, who are extremely cool and nice even to filthy pirates like me. Join the discord, ask questions and have fun. Great people all-around!

Seriously, play the game. You won't regret it!

Quite a surprise for me,this one is. In truth, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this one, even after watching the trailer. I almost didn't even try it because of the battle mini-game but I am very glad I did.

Speaking of the battle card game, I do wish it gave more control of the hands placed to the player. I noticed a few times the hint system gave me a weaker suit that was available, and I could not place a more optimal suit.

With that aside, this is definitely a treasure of a game once you get going. The writing is very well., including the use of slang. The art is original and very well rendered. In an honest opinion, the poker UI could possibly use an addition to attack animation when the hand is set, but as stated that just an opinion of mine for a more flashy eye catch.

The use of actual myth and legends of old is very well versed and shows some good research was done on the theologies of such. That to me is a very grateful sight, as one that has done a lot of research on it myself. A HUGE Kudos to the dev(s) for the way they successfully weaved all the pantheons together, while keeping them intact. I wish there was mention of the triple goddess, Maid, Maiden and Crone, in it. Maybe Book II will have a mention of her.

Absolutely a game worth playing and supporting!

Actual has a story, and great writing, I have replayed this more than any other game. Fully developed and believable characters and interactions. Developer works hard and is constantly upgrading and expanding the game.

I am not a guy who does Ratings but I have to say the story is realy good
had full story games that had a less Interesting story so I had to give this one a rating

It may sound dumb but atleast for me is true for me in this game : Came for the sex scenes stayed for the plot, and I dont regret a second

but I have to say, in Case you just want a Quick fap this game is not for you in the genre "quick fap" there are games with more sex and more animations in that case
Most of the Scene feel so good because you know the Characters

besides that the game is a full 10/10 for me
I even found myself laughting at some scenes what in it self seems wrong I think for a Adult game but still felt just good
I got mad when someone attacked someone of my squad and felt real good when I killed them

I would say for everyone who likes games like " the DeLuca Family" this is a must play

Love of Magic is a VN with some of the most interesting repeatable events in VNs. You are a young powerful mage whose power inevitably will lead to a young, heroic death or ascension to godhood. You go to a school of magic and meet a bevy of beautiful girls who have their own powers. Working together you fall in lust/love/fuck with them and adventure into a magic realm adjacent to earth with your teams powers adding to your own.

What sets Love of Magic apart from other VNs (other than very good writing/renders) is it's clever, fun poker combat. Never lasting too long, but also not pointlessly clickthroughable, the card game is simple enough with some cool add-on powers to make winning more certain. You can bite off more than you can chew, but either run or reload when that happens.

Very fun, pretty sexy, clever and a good time.

TLDR : Truly amazing game. Worth every second, and then some.

Pros
Story:

• The story line and dialogue are light-years beyond other adult game, and many AAA games. I genuinely can’t stress how well done the dialogue is. The conversations flow seamlessly, and the writing is constantly drawing you in deeper to the world being built.
• Every character is intelligent, and fills a unique role in the story. Nobody feels superfluous, I found myself genuinely interested in every conversation. I stopped multiple times to look up Celtic/Gaelic mythos so I could learn more backstory to the characters.
• Too many more to list.

Gameplay:

• The poker combat is unique, and very well thought out. The gem system and changing party members keeps it feeling fresh, and truly changes the way you approach a fight.
• The location fast travel feature is a huge timesaver. I wish more games would implement something similar.

Cons

• The sex scene CG is passable, but not the best.
• The quest log needs to be expanded.

Other
A couple of the party members truly break the combat with how OP they are (lookin at you Molly), and lightning gems feel a bit busted.

It would be cool if an infinite combat mechanic was introduced. Like a tournament of sorts. It would be nice to be able to test different gem types and party member combos outside of Elsewhere.

This is an interesting entry for this site in that you could remove the sexual content and still have a game. The poker combat system is a refreshing and enjoyable take. The story and characters are fun and engaging.

However, if this were just a game with no sexual content, it would deserve a 3/5 right now. My biggest gripe is with the time system. "Morning" is the only time you have to go on the adventure/combat mode, and it is often occupied with other events. The adventure/combat has a good premise, using energy to explore, but the balance of the energy cost to activities isn't quite right. Nothing sucks more than to get unlucky and end up with one unused energy that you'll expend exploring and therefore can't use on an actual event.

These items could be easily addressed by adding an "Afternoon" time slot with all the availability of the morning, and rebalancing the energy expenditure during the adventure mode. Allowing the player to gain energy as they level up or having rest sites restore energy would be good moves.

As with the game mechanics, the sexual content would also be only a 3/5 by itself. The renders aren't bad and the erotic writing is rather good, but it's not terribly special. Unlike most sandbox/dating sim games, you can't get sex on demand. Accessing the "Memories" on the computer isn't the same as a proper scene replay or on-demand encounters. I do appreciate how each character gets a different sexual path instead of the typical manual -> oral -> vaginal -> anal with lots of foreplay and other activities included.

Combined, I'd give the game 4/5. Good, but not the best experience I've had.