VERSION: 1.0 (Final)
Lust Epidemic represents NLT Media's initial foray into the gaming sector, having established themselves primarily as an adults-only CG comic creator, a fact that shines through in the lackluster gameplay and is elevated almost exclusively by their art.
The novel attempt at intertwining their narrative in the expanded universe of their comics is marred by minor yet prolific errors throughout the script, from failing to appropriately capitalize terms ("
He was looking for father parker...") to missing punctuation ("
They want to take our students Dear.") and baffling grammar ("
A women like you must have everything..." OR "
And is has to be asked..." OR "
I can't not handle who you are.") Humorously, of the many words they misspell several are among those you'd expect a pornographic studio to know ("
Masterbating").
Worse yet, the design itself is nonsensical: when asked to locate a book with a purple cover the obvious location for such things, the library, will yield absolutely nothing. No progress, no clues. You must enter the women's bathroom, locate a keycard on the floor, use that to break into a random office, employ a key (discovered elsewhere) to open the desk in said office, thereby acquiring another keycard for the adjoining room where, lo and behold, you'll find the purple book!
Straightforward, huh?
The game, essentially, requires a walkthrough if the player wishes to progress at a reasonable rate or, at the least, accustom themselves to routinely checking the Crystal Ball for hints. It's shoddy design and prone to collapsing if challenged. Even should you be aware of a "puzzle" solution or item's location, you'll be incapable of solving them until the designer deigns it possible. When the logic that determines your progress on a linear path is so circuitous as to leave the player stumbling about blindly, or to impede any attempt at resolving conflicts with alternative solutions, the designer has failed.
This extremely roundabout method of quest-progression, reminiscent of a Metroidvania title designed by a team that had only vaguely heard how they function, persists throughout the entire game. Most of your time will be spent matching keycards to random doors, acquiring an item or two in order to obtain another, hoping that the chain will eventually culminate in a scroll entitling you to perform some form of sexual act with one of the women.
Sadly, even in that respect there's disappointment to be found: most of the scrolls, if discovered as they become available, relate to acts the women are initially unwilling to perform. Rather arbitrarily each will increase in affection for the protagonist (as dictated by a six-point heart meter) that, in turn, unlocks the types of sexual activity in which they're willing to engage. Consequently, you are repeatedly foiled when attempting to escalate a physical relationship with any given woman and have no control, whatsoever, regarding whom the protagonist pursues. Say, for example, you wish to increase your relationship with Valerie such that you can transition from mere handjobs to something more intimately penetrative: you're entirely out of luck. Your progress is at the designer's whim and no amount of desire or preference will alter the rate at which you acquire hearts, unlock scrolls or engage with any of the women.
This tedious design principle also significantly extends the playtime; I'd speculate that, if ported as a visual novel in the Ren'Py engine, the game could be completed in no more than two hours. As is, Lust Epidemic will require more if played with a walkthrough and exponentially more if attempted without guidance. For the record, my 100% playthrough demanded no less than 9 hours and 12 minutes (arguably, much of that time was spent attempting to progress without a guide and a significant portion in browsing the erotica).
That much aside, there's no denying the redeeming factor: the sex scenes.
Lust Epidemic puts most games to shame with its sheer variety of infinitely-loopable animations, from teasing and breast play, to oral, anal and vaginal scenes, including lesbian and group content. Although those added in later updates are of higher quality, as a whole the animations encompass ample motion to convey a sense of genuine fluidity (with physics being applied to the breasts, ass and legs). Clothed portions are stiff but serviceable, and facial expressions often remain fixed, but never so much as to be distracting.
Graphically, the models are unique, particularly in a field so dominated by Poser-based constructs, reflecting a clear artistic choice to approach realism without necessarily aiming for a realistic asethetic. Hardly cartoonish, the women nonetheless fall somewhat shy of the typical high-resolution characters seen elsewhere and, undoubtedly, will age dramatically better as such.
Acknowledgement of the audio should also be made; although the sound effects are primarily drab, undoubtedly derived from stock sources, the erotica accompaniement is well orchestrated and the female dialogue is often voiced. The musical score itself is almost entirely lacking, failing to include any track that is even remotely memorable, yet provides some atmosphere during the mundane gameplay.
Among the developer's lesser foibles are the routinely overlooked details, some of which are outlined below...
- The game begins somewhat after dusk, during a storm courtesy of an approaching hurricane; appropriately, the "weather app" on the home screen of the player's phone displays the atmosphere as cloudy-with-lightning and a rather unusual temperature of 84 degrees. As the game progresses over the course of several days, whether it is noon on a sunny day or the deepest, darkest moment of night, the display will never alter in the slightest: it's always the middle of an extremely hot rainstorm.
- The entire cast, during the last interactive gameplay sequence, escape by crossing a ravine across which you've fashioned a makeshift bridge with a metal ladder. The security guard remarks that it's a little weak, but should hold so long as it's supporting only one person at a time. The scene then displays the characters striding across it in groups of two and three.
- In order to reach the aforementioned ladder-bridge area you must ascend a cliffside. To accomplish that feat, the protagonist was required (earlier in the game) to acquire specialized climbing footwear. Somehow the entire cast manages it without that benefit: a fat and lazy kid, a pregnant young girl, a man with a broken leg and a veritable bevvy of MILFs in high-heels.
GRAPHICS --------------------------------------------------------- 10 / 10
+ Ensemble cast that runs the gamut from teenage girls to curvacious women, along with a smattering of rather unattractive male models, each depicted in a style that encompasses the best of realistic and cartoon aesthetics
+ Animations that span the conceivable scope of consensual sexual activity, each with various looped phases; decent, if limited, motion throughout the body that enhances their fluidity
+ Ability to acquire and alter, at whim, the women's attire during erotic sequences including a rudimentary X-ray system for visualizing the moment of orgasm
+/- Most erotic sequences include multiple perspectives, sadly without direct control
DIALOGUE --------------------------------------------------------- 4 / 10
+ Decent characterization, albeit of overwhelming unlikable individuals, in a script that delivers some passable sense of mystery
+ Several scenes, notably the erotic, possess voice acting to enhance the mood
+/- No player-agency in the script, whatsoever, least of all during pivotal moments of interaction; strictly linear storytelling and reliance on heavily-scripted sequences may alienate certain players
- Grammatical and typographical errors aplenty, though most are relatively minor
- Stereotypical personalities across the board, including ascribing oafish attributes to the heavyset character, nerdy to the short, spindly young man with an ill-fitting haircut and a slutty persona to the woman who owns multiple sex toys
- Dialogue during the erotic scenes is of varying quality; detracts from the action when certain exclamations appear more robotic than empassioned
GAMEPLAY -------------------------------------------------------- 5 / 10
+ Extensive playtime and inclusion of minor puzzles, in line with most adventure-types on the RPGMaker engine
- Tedious moment-to-moment interaction with arduous chained activites required to achieve simple tasks
- Does not permit experimentation (using items outside of their pre-designated points, such as a shovel to shear the limbs of a shrub) nor non-linear acquisition (obtaining said shovel prior to the moment the designer dictates)
- Requires an overreliance on the hint system, or access to a walkthrough, in order to meaningfully progress
INNOVATION ----------------------------------------------------- 7 / 10
+ Adventure and mystery aspects are reasonably developed, while expanded narrative universe of NLT Media products (comics) enables fans to relish interacting with their favorite characters via a unique medium
+ Erotic animation scene replay and free-choice "Play" area are extensive, allow for a decent array of input and are easily navigated
- No player-agency in gameplay or dialogue
- No respect for player preference where the love interests are concerned; the player is incapable of altering how the protagonist interacts and may not avoid undesired amorous activities
SCORE =============================== 26 / 40
WORTH PLAYING... PROVIDED YOU HAVE THE TIME, TISSUES AND A GUIDE
Recommending Lust Epidemic on the basis of its female cast and sexual content is an uncomplicated affair, requiring scant equivocation for fans of big-breasted mature women; however, players interested in a more niche array of women, a sophisticated story, particularly likeable protagonist or gameplay that elevates itself above tedium may require more convincing. Even so, players are likely to find something rewarding if only after downloading a complete savefile.
