Ren'Py - Lucky Paradox [v0.9.5 Final EA] [Stawer]

[v0.9.5 Final EA]5 Starts
Another game that I played many years ago and only now I'm taking a moment to give a review.

This was one of the few games that I really enjoyed playing and actually reading the dialogue, without skipping through to get the scenes.

The whole plot is a bit confusing to understand not going to lie, But so far it was fine.

About the mechanics I don't have much to say, At the time it was like any generic sandbox game, not a bad thing but not exceptional.

The adult scenes are very exciting and the characters are lovely, my favourite characters so far are Charlotte, Yui and Shizuku.

Honey select harem, with some fantasy bullshit. Do I need to say more?

There are dozens of these. All the same character archetypes, the same gameplay loop, the same uninspired writing. No tension, MC with zero personality, just going through the motions. Not enough freedom or content to make this stand out like some other simmilar games.

Oh and obviously, the same annoying fantasy mystery nonsense - because once again, the dev has zero fucking ideas for any engaging stories, so he overcompensates with fantasy. No, just because a story has a fantasy setting, doesn't mean it's interesting. No, it doesn't make your bad writing any better. Seriously, please stop. You aren't a writer, it's fine, it's a porn game, focus on porn. Just write a few more lines about how she enjoys sucking your dick or something, trust me, it will be for the better.

I downloaded this one mainly for the advertised clothing customization, which I found little dissapointing. Basically you gain enough money at once, so there is very little progression. At some point, you just get the option to buy every outfit for every available character. The outfits are also lacking variety, and many of them are just regular cosplay costumes with no revealing qualities. Still, it´s good the option is there, and you get some of them in the animations. Clothing customization is something I would appreciate it in other simmilar games, so props for that.

Oh and just a note - You need a dedicated GPU or some newer iGPU to play. The game was unplayable on my 9th gen Intel iGPU laptop.

Good stories for most of the main characters, some of the best physics i've seen in an H-game. None of the characters so far look like they are anorexic/stick figure, every has muscle and bone structure that looks great. Well Done! ( More Luna content please!)

one of the sexiest and most enjoyable AVNs, and a demonstration of what you can do with honey select (i think?)
The girls are hot, some of them more fun than others, but variety is the spice of blah blah.... Looking forward to this big update !!

I remeber when i start playing, the welcoming was: grinding, ok models from Honey Select, a tone of ramdom names puke by one or two characters, and a sort of Sci-fantasy mysteri.

Then I got pacient and inmerse in the story (thanks to Maxy and Liz, I have a thing for crazy selfcenter girls) and the grinding diminish as I learn when actions drought out, and when to move to another girl to continue the story. The main plot its getting more sence, and the random names star to intertwine into a decently cohesive plot in the venue of things like Gravity Falls or Bioshock Infinite.

Honestly, even if you can have relatively early sexual interactions, this kind of mix between grinding affection and slow burn plots can be boring if you came just for the sex, I like it for what it is however I can undestand anyone who laks the pacients for this.

Finally, I give it five stars cause I'm moraly obligate to any game who has an interesting plot and a script at least at soap opera level.

As of v0.9.2f

First off, let me preface this by reminding any and everyone that this game is still in active development and thus does not wholly represent what the finished product will ultimately look like. This review is simply to sum up my thoughts about the game as it stands at this moment.

Lucky Paradox can best be summed up as sandbox style harem romance/science fantasy mystery game with themes with a secondary theme of 'family' at its core.

As for the basics of what playing a Ren'Py developed 'sandbox style VN' is like? Well, we've all played enough of them to need me to reiterate. In brief, however, they typically involve lots of reading, clicking, and varying levels of stat/item/resource 'grinding' which, more than often than not never really turns out to be that bad. Modern, lazy ass gamers simply have the patience of gnats and simply need to suck it up.. Anyway, back to the review.

You assume the role of a nameable PC most characters call Lucky, or some variant thereof. Though he is clearly meant to be a digital 'you', the PC has a much more pronounced personality than some other games of its type. Whether this is good or bad largely depends on you and your preferences as a gamer. I personally am not the biggest fan of a PC having an 'overtly developed' personality simply bc I prefer to insert into the role myself and have the world react to my choices more than anything. In that sense, this game is much more of a VN than a traditional sandbox. YMMV on whether that's a good or bad thing though so that's all I'll say there.

As far as customization and player interaction goes, yes. There is some based on dialogue choices/stat manipulation, but still feels secondary to the more pronounced VN side of the game. Again, YMMV on whether this is good or bad. I personally think these elements could be stronger but oh well.

Having said that, there are plenty of chances to interact with the characters and gain stats with them, which is itself pretty good, if not fully living up to the potential it could as other games in the genre have in favor of focusing more on story.

As for the story itself? Well, the main narrative itself centers around trying to figure out the mystery of the little, isolated town of Argleton and the mysterious mayor who calls the shots while the individual stories of the PC, heroines and associated side characters all add context to different sides of that broader main narrative mystery while being more focused on their own personal problems that may or may not intersect with other characters' stories. Overall, each story is interesting, if a bit awkwardly written. Where these stories do suffer, however, (at least for me) is that the separate stories and heroines don't interact more with each other than they could, especially due to the small nature of the town and with many of them living with/knowing each other. This is more noticeable in the early parts of the game and is slowly, VERY slowly, being addressed. It's honestly the same problem Harem Hotel has with its narrative, but much better handled than in HH imo. Just something to keep in mind and to watch out for to see if thngs change, assuming it's something you're concerned about.

Aesthetically, the game has a very 'cute and colorful' style that definitely plays ups the almost 'dreamy' vacation vibe Argleton is trying to create. You know, a very 'slice of life' sort of vibe.

The layout of the UI, and especially for the heroine/character page, is very well designed, clear, and doesn't at all feel too cluttered. That said, and as many elements and character content hasn't been developed yet, feels unfinished. Something that time and future builds 'should' solve. I'm personally interested in what 'perks' the various heroines will give you and how it'll affect gameplay runs.

As for stat grinds? There's a lot of workarounds to streamline and make it easy for you. If you still think there's 'too much', then you're probably playing the wrong kind of game. I like this sort of thing so I admit some level of bias due to being an old gamer used to spending hours level grinding in old SNES RPGs. This isn't even close. Some later quests and storylines make use of various stats too, so just be aware of that. Not a bad thing, and if anything, should be fleshed out more but... again, early in dev.

As far as 'choice' goes...well, you do have room to pick who you want and ending with for both the story and heroine endings, but I have mixed feelings on how well taht will be implemented due to how strong the story elements are compared to the sandbox. It's more of a 55/45 split between story/sandbox so I can expect some difficulty making this work if there isn't enough content to make those choices really feel like they matter, as opposed to more conventional sandbox games with lighter story.
About the only real complaint I have for the interactions is the lack of variety in lewd content for the girls.... There's some nice bits with the event related scenes, but not nearly as much with the repeatable scenes... Again, something I hope gets expanded on in future updates.

Overall, the game gets a 4/5 for what i's managed to present already and the potential it has in future builds that will, hopefully, take address my earlier complaints. A solid 4/5 game so far that jsut... hasn't quite gone far enough yet in anyone area but is still worth recommending to try out for yourself.

I appreciate authentic character designs, and what sets this game apart is its departure from the commonplace designs found in many lewd games. Instead of the repetitive feel that often accompanies such games, this one stands out with its unique character creations. Additionally, the storyline diverges from the usual, offering a refreshing narrative that enhances the overall gaming experience.

Beyond that, the game is not only enjoyable but also user-friendly, making it easy to immerse oneself in the captivating world it presents. The delightful animations, coupled with a plethora of costume options, add an extra layer of enjoyment to the gaming experience. I'm genuinely enthralled by this game and eagerly anticipating future updates. Kudos to the developer for treading a distinctive and commendable path – you're certainly on the right track.

This visual novel game is an absolute masterpiece in every aspect. From the captivating storytelling and well-developed characters to the stunning artwork and immersive soundtrack, it surpasses all expectations. Every decision feels meaningful, leading to multiple riveting endings. A true gem in the world of interactive storytelling. 5/5 stars without a doubt!

There's nothing terrible about this game. Its just boring. Visually its okay. The sandbox is just a bunch of empty locations that rarely have anything to do. I have two big gripes about the game however. 1) The writing is very awkward and ultimately gets in the way of enjoying the characters that are kind of interesting 2) The main story is some stupid awful mystery about your missing friend and a parallel universe, and for the first 6 hours of the game this is primarily told by one character occasionally talking at you about it, and it feels completely disconnected from any of the other characters and what they are doing.

None of the game's strong points are really stand-out good, especially in 2023. Its just kind of... a lot of mediocre content and bad writing. But no part of it is actively offensive soo... 3/5.

Review for v0.9.0f

I write this review having returned to this game multiple times throughout its development, and at the same time, never once reaching end of content. I think that alone tells you a lot about my feelings towards this game.

I truly want to like Lucky Paradox more than I do. But man, let me tell you I just do not give a single shit about the plot. I do not care about finding Anton, our missing friend. I do not care about the magical alternate reality shenanigans. I do not care about this mayoral election that we are fated to be a part of. It's all so boring and convoluted. I just want to focus on one thing: running a restaurant with the love interests. Unfortunately that's not what this game is really about.

The writing is best described simply as strange. Probably in part due to translations, but the point stands. The MC is a goon, and the way some characters act/talk is just a bit out there I guess. It does make some of the love interests endearing in certain ways weirdly enough, but at the same time I find a lot of the deeper moments suffering again because of the strange dialogue. It's hard to put into words honestly, but you'll quickly get what I mean if you play this I'd think.

I think this game suffers from that classic sandbox trap of having way too big of a scope. Now what is good about this game is the sheer fact that it has a shit ton of content compared to most games on the site. You could play this for hours if you wanted to. But even then, there's a lot of characters/content that are either lacking in depth or straight up dead ends. Further, events are just so all over the place that it feels like you're being pulled in 10 different directions at once.

The main love interests are fine, and I enjoy the game most when I can just focus on all the small events with them. But then the game drags me back kicking and screaming into a plot I do not care about where I'm watching the MC tweak out for the 5th time because "AGHHHH WHERE IS ANTON GAHHHH" while I'm fed more vague information about a weird parallel world.

Also have to mention that I despise having a hardcoded nickname that everyone uses instead of the name you give the MC.

If this had been a simpler and more focused story about running a restaurant with cute girls I'd probably love it. Instead I have what feels like a hodgepodge of different ideas that don't quite mesh well enough to keep me as truly engaged as I'd like to be.

The writing style in this game varies, but it tends to be subpar most of the time. Although the main storyline is interesting, it is often overshadowed by the dull and uninteresting quests that you have to complete with unremarkable characters.

This game features many H-scenes, so you might enjoy it more than I did. For me personally, those scenes didn't really add much to my experience.

Its not that the story is really bad, but it is a bit boring and plots arent great either and the girls also has some plots but they are also just meh.

No rape tag either, Maxy ties you up and when you reject she rapes ya? really? and MC does fuck all not mad not trowing her out of the house nothing...

Some times the story just ignore choices you made, like Liz in the forest if you back out so nothing happens, then next time you talk to Liz you talk about all that happened in the forest and how Liz want to try it again and sexual accidents happens and so on, bit annoying if nothing has happened at all and it also leads to a handjob where Liz ask "was that thing really inside me?" and MC "thats a fact" stuff like thats ruins the game when you never fucked her.

Choices is a weird thing as well, when someone ask if you want to fuck her and you say no, she will still come on to you constantly and even give handjobs and shit to MC who again is a submissiv idiot that cant say no.

What makes it even more weird LIs will also be forced on you, you can turn down alot but at some point MC will just fuck Shizuka in a training fight, it makes no sense since you have always had the choice to say no, but not with her, and i sure in hell dident want to since i wanted to be more faithfull to Yui, and you cant go on with the game without doing it.

It feels like dev got really lazzy and said fuck it lets forget about making choices late in game, so when ever you do a quest you end up fucking people you might not want to fuck, its a idiotic thing since you always had options to say no, but even those you have turned down you will now fuck, like Kaede or Shizuka or who ever, you just stop having any kind of choices and it becomes a boring fuckfest game, that ignores any kind of emotions you might have towards the LIs, and its just not fun fucking someone you hate.

After playing 75% of the game where you can say no, to then destory it by removing choices forcing you to fuck who ever is more then idiotic it simply destoyed the game.

Also no pregnancy tags but LIs talk about it alot which is a bit annoying when its not there.

The only LI i really cared about was Yui but her storyline goes from ok to absolut weird and making no sense Yui is apprently a leader of some sort of mafia, but shes getting beaten up by everyone? including those whos only job is to protect her.... and she gets slapped in the face by some domination bitch whos supposed to take orders from Yui....none of it makes any sense, not sure if its an attempt at a funny story but it does feel like a joke having 3 young girls in charge of a mafia and having some weird woman act like shes the boss....and as always MC is useless and it only gets more idiotic as you go, MC now has to challenge the 3 girls for a fight but instend of training hes now put in charge of training the guards of the mafia while having 0 experince and ignoring the thing he was supposed to do.....and the only way MC can ever do something is by cheating since hes an absolut loser him self, he really is a very boring MC.


Alot feels kinetic like how girls constantly comes to you and ask you do go somewhere or do something and you just cant say no fuck off bitch i got other plans...MC just dosent know the word no so your just forced to follow what ever path games want you to follow.

Its kinda amazing it being a sandbox game and yet you have little to no controle with what you do in so many cases.....

It also a bit of a supprise that some girls are still in develpment stright from the start of the game, same with stuff like perks on the girls there are barely any that arent in development, game is 4½ years old so it makes you wonder if dev just forgot all about the girls and the other stuff or if they are just NPCs that will never have any meaning other then being a NPC but then it should say that under their profile instend of in development.
There is like 11 characters that is in development since day 1....i mean really 4½ years without doing anything with them, sounds more like nothing ever will.

Virgin scenes is pure shit MC just slams it all in at once and there is no blood no pain no nothing, girls just saying AHHh same word when she cums which is also rare for the first time, so its just meh dosent really feel like a deflower scene in any way considering LIs like Yui whos never even kissed anyone or Charlotte thats never done anything due to her familie, it was a huge disapointing scene with both, alot of devs gets this worng and it does lose some points on that as well.

Animations arent bad but there could have put in a bit more work to atleast make the first time special, it wouldent really take much more work and the rest of the scenes are like 2 small animations so in other words to short.

Music is alright its standard background stuff nothing special.

Decent use of honey select for the models and animations, adequate amount of content overall that is unfortunately dragged down by the story.
Lots of girls that cause a dozen different plot threads that are all moving at the pace of continental drift, some events have the literally zero plot movement and just waste time for no growth or change.
The main plot hook of a supernatural town has also gotten to the point where it's just non sense and just piles of mystery atop mystery.
The gameplay itself is the same generic stat grind the majority of these ren'py VNs come with,boring and merely a time gate for content.
A mediocre, unfocused and plainly dull game.

Do you like managing and discovering? If so, this game is for ya. Why? You may asked. I'm not gonna spoiling the game, give it a try. I'm not gonna lie, you'll love this game. Enjoy the game, cheer.

This is a really good game overall.

The characters are great, and most of the LIs are hot. There are one or two with ridiculously big boobs which I am not a fan of but I love that they didn't go overboard and make every single LI like that, the way some H games do.

The graphics and art are excellent, and the lewd scenes are pretty good. I would like to see some more variety and dirtier content but it seems to be heading in that direction. MC needs to eat out some of these LIs (69 would also be great) and I would love to see some threesomes (the one with the French girls was kind of a let down.)

I would also like to see the stats have more meaning, like have scenes / events require a certain skill level in a given stat more often, to make the grinding feel more worthwhile. On the same note, it's a bit too easy - you can get the restaurant up to making a ton of money daily very quickly and easily, and the library system is OP - I think you should have to use a timeslot/action to read a book to increase a stat, rather than it just happening for free automatically every night.

Overall though, way way way above average and looks promising, hope they keep adding a ton of content.

Review of version 0.8.5 not finished though.

Pros:
- The graphic style is nice
- Decent H scenes
- Lots of nice looking girls...

Cons:
- ...but many of them have no meaningful interactions
- the story overall and for girls is mediocre, so you don't really care for them apart from their looks
- need to find and trigger specific events to progress story overall and for girls and there is no clear info what is needed next. Absolutely hate that in VNs
- pointless grinding (can use cheat mod to avoid)
- poorly optimized despite lack of animations

Overall:
I would rate this 5/10. It has potential but for me its ruined with pointless free roam with grinding and hunting for clues to unlock next event. It's not difficult but boring and boring is the worst thing in a game.

I like genuine character designs. many lewd games have similar character designs and make you feel you play same games. not this one. also story is different too. last but not least it's easy to play and has very nice animations with different costume options. I really like this game and waiting for new updates. thanks dev, you are on a very good path.

Lucky Paradox is an amazing visual novel. There's an amazing cast of characters with diverse personality traits and a very well wrote, interwoven story. There's a very good, compelling story that's scattered throughout the world with tons of puzzle pieces for you to put together to connect everything together, and a LOT of lore. I cannot say enough good things about this. The models are gorgeous, the music is lovely and the characters are endearing and if you haven't had a chance to check out this beautiful piece of art, I would highly recommend you do so. I have nothing but love for it, and I've been playing since its conception and do not regret a minute of my play time. Cheers <3

Lucky Paradox is a very average adult game. The characters look good and most are unique in personality and look. The main problem in it is the lack of direction in the game design and writing.

I like the character models in Lucky Paradox. They are all unique, except for the characters that are related. The characters all have their own unique personality which is another plus. However, I will say the character development can vary greatly in quality. There's also way too many characters. I don't know why so many game developers think having 10+ women to romance is a good idea. Most games that attempt this fail and Lucky Paradox is another example of spreading out the content way too thin.

The gameplay is very whatever. A lot of it is just following the in-game guide. You have to level up your stats and make a decent amount of money to see all the content but you can skip this with the cheat mod if that bothers you (the grind without it isn't that bad). The gameplay is very similar to a lot of other dating sims. You go to a location at a specific time and do a specific action to trigger the event. The guide makes this pretty easy to go through but it does feel tedious.

The writing is good when focusing on character story. There's definitely some grammar problems but not enough to bother me (If the creator reads this, I'm open to editing for free). The main story plot is very generic. This is a game that should just focus on being a dating sim rather than another adult game with a tacked on mystery story.

Overall Lucky Paradox has its problems but it's worth a play if you've played a lot of the popular games on F95 already. The sex content is pretty good and it doesn't take an obtuse amount of time to play everything. I don't know if there's really a way to fix the problems the game has at this point but hopefully the creator learns a lot from the experience and makes a new game after as they have a lot of potential.

TLDR: If you like how the characters look. you'll probably enjoy Lucky Paradox. A lot of it is very average but thats not always bad when you're looking for something you haven't played before on F95.

I want to like this game, you can tell there is some real effort put in it.

Good:
Art is good, be it girls or the environnements. Lewd scenes are well done but far too short (1 or 2 animations, a couple renders)
Lots of thing to do in game.

Bad
story is very inconsistant. between the globish and the weird post death theme (
gameplay although varied is boring and feels grindy since you can't do much with money earned.

Overall/TLDR: not a bad game especially for a lewd game but it could benefit from the help of an English-speaking able author.