VERSION: 0.2.a
Adult-oriented content can be described with a variety of terms most of which carry some stigma: erotica is fairly innocuous, pornography as well, whereas indecent or obscene tend to denote a moralist stance. Hardcore, softcore, salacious and even lewd, each conveys some overaching sentiment regarding the material at hand. Nothing, however, speaks to the most crude sort quite like the word "smut." It's sexually explicit content for its own sake, lacking in nuance or depth; the rudimentary drawing of a naked woman on a bathroom stall, the tacky poster advertising glassy-eyed women at a strip joint, the anime-harem fanfiction penned by a repressed teenager.
It's Lust Ascension Story.
The game's visual presentation is rather mediocre, burdened by older-generation models with skin that appears plastic, devoid of sufficient detail to convey any sense of realism, and hair that resembles a bundle of jumbled wires. The lighting, however, is the worst offender due to its erratic implementation: dim and unsaturated in some scenes, brightly lit and warm in others, separated by a mere line or two of dialogue. Several scenes appear washed out, the lack of proper contrast resulting in an overly bright image followed immediately by one that is drenched in shadows. Animations, of a sort, do exist, a number of static images through which the player must individually click; as each "frame" is a separately rendered image they too are prone to the same lighting inconsistencies and oddly shifting shadows.
Yet, even if Lust Ascension boasted spectacular graphics it would be a hollow experience when the script is so inherently flawed. The typical array of grammatical and typographical errors exist, such that it's hardly worth noting the incessant your/you're and there/their/they're issues which plague these games. Rather, it is the odd syntax, lack of proper punctuation and inadvertently hilarious composition that derails the dialogue.
A minor sampling, to be sure, as the game is utterly awash in similar errors...
Irritatingly, the author is also fond of exclamation marks.
Excruciatingly fond.
Every other line is punctuated by them, two, three or eighteen at a time.
Furthermore, even when the author aspires toward some degree of eloquence they neglect to consider the context and connotation of their words, resulting in peculiar lines such as "She started to rub her pussy viciously." Savagely might work, had the writer intended to convey a sense of overwhelmingly primal passion, but viciously? The word has limited definitions, meaning either cruel or violent in the common parlance. Is the audience to infer that she's engaging in self-harm? Brutalizing herself? It's a disgusting thought and yet another blemish on the script.
Tempting as it is to elaborate on the lack of attention to detail (the protagonist's tiny penis being erect for one line, limp throughout next, then erect again) or the awkward introduction of the cast ("Teressa was there" the protagonist notes, then proceeds to behave as though they don't know the woman moments before exclaiming it's his mother; "Ahhh!!! mother!!!" he shouts, following which she responds "Hi there my sweet nephew"), the game simply fails to justify such an in-depth analysis.
GRAPHICS ---------------------------------------------- 5 / 10
+ Erotic content has some decent posing and variety.
- Graphical assets, models and otherwise, are of lower quality than its contemporaries.
- Hair is poorly implemented in several scenes, appearing angular, wiry or artificial.
- Skin textures possess a plastic-sheen and lack appropriate detail. Makeup effects are overdone.
- Contrast and lighting are inconsistent; "animations" suffer extensively from this oversight.
DIALOGUE ---------------------------------------------- 0 / 10
- Incomprehensible writing, poor characterization, flat, two-dimensional cast.
- Typographical and grammatical errors of every kind, editorial oversight is nonexistent.
- Punctuation is lacking, with the exception of exclamation points that are excessively employed.
- Word choice demands reevaluation.
GAMEPLAY --------------------------------------------- 2 / 10
- Zero interactivity, reactivity or player-agency.
- Extremely linear progression, even for an alpha.
INNOVATION ------------------------------------------ 3 / 10
+ Premise has potential, albeit of an extremely juvenile power-fantasy.
SCORE ==================================== 10 / 40
DO NOT PLAY, REQUIRES EXTENSIVE REVISION
Having floundered through the lackluster content of Lust Ascension Story in less than an hour, though it felt significantly longer due to the perplexing presentation, I cannot recommend anyone else follow suit.
Adult-oriented content can be described with a variety of terms most of which carry some stigma: erotica is fairly innocuous, pornography as well, whereas indecent or obscene tend to denote a moralist stance. Hardcore, softcore, salacious and even lewd, each conveys some overaching sentiment regarding the material at hand. Nothing, however, speaks to the most crude sort quite like the word "smut." It's sexually explicit content for its own sake, lacking in nuance or depth; the rudimentary drawing of a naked woman on a bathroom stall, the tacky poster advertising glassy-eyed women at a strip joint, the anime-harem fanfiction penned by a repressed teenager.
It's Lust Ascension Story.
The game's visual presentation is rather mediocre, burdened by older-generation models with skin that appears plastic, devoid of sufficient detail to convey any sense of realism, and hair that resembles a bundle of jumbled wires. The lighting, however, is the worst offender due to its erratic implementation: dim and unsaturated in some scenes, brightly lit and warm in others, separated by a mere line or two of dialogue. Several scenes appear washed out, the lack of proper contrast resulting in an overly bright image followed immediately by one that is drenched in shadows. Animations, of a sort, do exist, a number of static images through which the player must individually click; as each "frame" is a separately rendered image they too are prone to the same lighting inconsistencies and oddly shifting shadows.
Yet, even if Lust Ascension boasted spectacular graphics it would be a hollow experience when the script is so inherently flawed. The typical array of grammatical and typographical errors exist, such that it's hardly worth noting the incessant your/you're and there/their/they're issues which plague these games. Rather, it is the odd syntax, lack of proper punctuation and inadvertently hilarious composition that derails the dialogue.
"...she is working with my mother in the coffee shop. She has no choice because of our finance problems."
This is in reference to one of the protagonist's sisters, yet the author refers to "my mother" then "our" problems.
"My Step-Father Dave."
Why is stepfather hyphenated and capitalized?
"Now he is jobless and seats all day in the sofa and watches tv and makes my life a living hell."
No punctuation whatsoever, the abbreviation for television isn't capitalized and "seats" is improperly conjugated.
"....all of them they were like models. Dressed with the summary outfits."
Fractured sentence structure with the redundant address (them/they) and baffling use of the word "summary." What is a summary outfit?
"Instantly my body started to fill hot a tingling filling enveloped me."
"Fill" rather than "feel" and the ludicrous notion of having felt a feeling.
"Here you go sweaty."
Sweaty? Sweetie is a term of endearment, ostensibly what they intended, but in this fashion the speaker is instructing them to do something that induces perspiration.
"She started to walk in front of me and I was couth by the movement of her ass checks. My pants started to grow again."
He was "couth" by the movement? Couth means refined, an "uncouth" person being boorish. Amusingly, though, the sight caused the protagonist's clothing to increase in size.
"Her mouth is Devine! I do not know how she could fit all of my length inside her trough."
For some reason the woman referred to in this line named her mouth Devine and owns a trough... presumably for feeding her horses? Whatever the case, fortunately it can fit "all of my length" quite comfortably.
A minor sampling, to be sure, as the game is utterly awash in similar errors...
"How I got here and what journey?"
"...you will also need some help to pool through your journey."
"Did everything that just happened was real..."
"Ahhh!! You're the most beautiful woman I ever so."
"So that answers weather was real or not."
"I wander how would feel to have him deep inside me."
"I never knew that he thought that way of me, or that he felt this way about me."
"She is such a sexy woman, ass and tit's are out of this world."
"Lory took her place at the table and mother broth my food."
"I will get him for how his treating my mother and my sisters."
"After 5 min a girl came out of the elevator and she was coming my way."
"Including this law firm, everything that was built and made in history, only for you."
"Cleaning, cooking, and cleaning the master and satisfy you, this are my duty's."
"...kissing me on my neck working her whey down..."
"The warm filing of her mouth and the filling of her throat..."
"...maybe this journal would make more light on everything."
"Now start liking only making me come and drinking my juices will you be cleanse of all the dark energy."
"The warm filing of her mouth and the tightness of her trough made me lose my mind and exploded immediately unloading my load down her trough."
Irritatingly, the author is also fond of exclamation marks.
Excruciatingly fond.
"Ups!!! She noticed!!! I'm busted!!!"
"I need some answers!!!!"
"Oh!!! She's an anal freak!!! Naughty of you big sister!!!!"
"Ahhh......!!!!! Jack!!!!!! Yessss....r....!!!!!!! Mmmmmmm.......!!!"
"Ahhh! Yes!!!!!!!!! I'm cumming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Meeeeee ......... Tooooo......!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"If you want to go somewhere else, please let me know. Or if you want anything else!!!!!!!!!"
"Ok! By!!"
"Ahh!!!!! Oops!!!! By sir."
Every other line is punctuated by them, two, three or eighteen at a time.
Furthermore, even when the author aspires toward some degree of eloquence they neglect to consider the context and connotation of their words, resulting in peculiar lines such as "She started to rub her pussy viciously." Savagely might work, had the writer intended to convey a sense of overwhelmingly primal passion, but viciously? The word has limited definitions, meaning either cruel or violent in the common parlance. Is the audience to infer that she's engaging in self-harm? Brutalizing herself? It's a disgusting thought and yet another blemish on the script.
Tempting as it is to elaborate on the lack of attention to detail (the protagonist's tiny penis being erect for one line, limp throughout next, then erect again) or the awkward introduction of the cast ("Teressa was there" the protagonist notes, then proceeds to behave as though they don't know the woman moments before exclaiming it's his mother; "Ahhh!!! mother!!!" he shouts, following which she responds "Hi there my sweet nephew"), the game simply fails to justify such an in-depth analysis.
GRAPHICS ---------------------------------------------- 5 / 10
+ Erotic content has some decent posing and variety.
- Graphical assets, models and otherwise, are of lower quality than its contemporaries.
- Hair is poorly implemented in several scenes, appearing angular, wiry or artificial.
- Skin textures possess a plastic-sheen and lack appropriate detail. Makeup effects are overdone.
- Contrast and lighting are inconsistent; "animations" suffer extensively from this oversight.
DIALOGUE ---------------------------------------------- 0 / 10
- Incomprehensible writing, poor characterization, flat, two-dimensional cast.
- Typographical and grammatical errors of every kind, editorial oversight is nonexistent.
- Punctuation is lacking, with the exception of exclamation points that are excessively employed.
- Word choice demands reevaluation.
GAMEPLAY --------------------------------------------- 2 / 10
- Zero interactivity, reactivity or player-agency.
- Extremely linear progression, even for an alpha.
INNOVATION ------------------------------------------ 3 / 10
+ Premise has potential, albeit of an extremely juvenile power-fantasy.
SCORE ==================================== 10 / 40
DO NOT PLAY, REQUIRES EXTENSIVE REVISION
Having floundered through the lackluster content of Lust Ascension Story in less than an hour, though it felt significantly longer due to the perplexing presentation, I cannot recommend anyone else follow suit.
