Ren'Py - Lust Theory [S3 E3] [Inceton]

So, this Adult Visual Novel had a killer idea, but the story execution? Trash. Luckily, characters saved the day; they were top-notch. Lewd scenes were good, not mind-blowing. If you can overlook a plot disaster for awesome characters and decent lewds, it's a wild ride worth taking

With my background in the film industry, I've learned that the most important thing is to captivate the audience with a thrilling story and stunning visuals. This is what I project into these games, an unexpected story with twists and turns and a good mix of mystery, drama and romance. And well... I'll let the visuals speak for themselves...

Awesome graphics and huge content with almost every possibility explored, story idea is good but it also makes it a bit repetative and not holding attention. Gameplay also sometimes feels repetative and circular but that the advantage and disadvantage of the story idea. Hope season 3 comes out and more story ideas are explored.

Wow, what a surprise. I had experienced good games, like those in my top 10, after 4 years of searching, and I thought that apart from a few exceptions, this ranking wouldn't change much. Especially with the nostalgia that some bring, unshakable just because they were there first. This game, and let's say the entire production in my opinion, has completely shaken things up! The sandbox is perfect (even though it's a shame at times that we can't relive an event because progress is blocked by certain conditions. We can do a "re-live," but instead of preventing the player from replaying the scene at the time of day that suits them, we can't click on it. It's a minor detail, not very important, but it's the only drawback.) The story captivated and surprised me, the concept of time is very well thought out, with some narrative risks taken but practically no incoherence, it's a great job. Thanks to this game, I understood that sandboxes of this kind were my favorite style. It's hard to say, but if all sandboxes could be of this quality, I would have added more to my top list. Initially, I didn't find the girls particularly prettier than others, but they still attract us and we get into the game. There are games with prettier models, but actually when we play, we think about it less and just enjoy. That means it's successful. I'll think about where to place it, but now I really, really want to see what the other games from the same developers are like. A beautiful discovery, unexpected.

What a shame this has turned out to be.

If you had asked me what I thought about this game back around the time when Season 1 was developed I would have said that this has the potential to be the greatest game on this site ... eventually. But man, did it go wrong.

Let's get the good out of the way: The graphics are great, some of the best you'll find in a porn game. I like the music. The voice acting can be good. With that out of the way let's get into it.

I thought the premise of a Groundhog Day scenario was genius. Not only is it a simple way for the devs to reuse renders but it is also such a great way to add some puzzles and detective work and I like my games to have some gameplay.
Early on this promised to be really engaging as all the girls have their schedules and secrets and it is up to you to uncover them and find a way to make use them.
Unfortunately the entire gameplay aspect that comes with the premise was thrown out the window. With updates coming out for Season 2 the walkthrough for a new episode could sometimes be boiled down to "sleep in bed and new content will trigger the next day if you've seen all previous content".
Mind you, this game used to have map-movement, dialogue choices, an inventory system and time management. You have so many possibilites here, like for example do something one day to get information for the future. Set something up in the morning to get a payoff in the evening. All that's gone.

Speaking of gone, the characters basically have no characters anymore.
The one character trait that every female has is that they want to fuck the MC. I replayed some of Season 1 when the Christmas Episode was added and it was jarring how different the characters were. Megan the redhead sister roommate is genuinely hesitant to do anything with the MC and this isn't simply the impression we are given but conveyed through her actual thoughts.
In Season 2 however she will suck the MC's dick at the breakfast table first thing in the morning.

Or have a threesome with the MC and their friend.
Or have a threesome with the MC and the other blonde girl.
Or fuck the MC while he pretends to be in a coma.
Or fuck the MC while he is drunk at a party
Or have a candlelight Dinner with romantic sex with the MC.
Or have a lesbian Pyjama-Party with all the other girls.

Let me remind you that this started out as a Groundhog Day scenario and only a single day has passed since she was hesitant to do anything. None of these events require any sort of clever setup. And yes, I know about the ending, but saying it's all a simulation does not make this any better.

I could excuse the removal of gameplay but the writing is what killed the game for me. Episodes don't exist to extend a cohesive story but to add a series of scenes that the writer thought would be "hot". With the release of the Christmas Episode this has never been more clear. In this the characters are literally different characters. It's bizzare.

Did nobody think that this would hurt the integrity of the story? The MC fucking characters that look like the main cast but aren't? How is this even a "Lust Theory" Christmas Episode when it doesn't include the cast from Lust Theory? But that's the thing - it does include the cast because that is what the cast has been reduced to: models for the MC to fuck each episode, preferably in a group sex scene. It doesn't matter if they act like completely different characters between one scene and another. Actually making them different characters is simply the natural conclusion of this approach to the writing.

It really is unfortunate since the graphics are great and Inceton pumps out releases at a pace putting other devs to shame. It looks like this game is getting a 3D sequel or remake but the graphics were never the ssue.

[SPOILER ALERT]

I suggest you to turn back if you try to play Lust Theory not only for fapping, here's why...

They should've sticked with the old name because this game is literally about a sad empty echo of someone who died around two thousand years ago from a catastrophic disaster which eradicated humanity. You're playing as someone whose memories and DNA have been preserved in AI machine, that's why weird shit happens in this game.

The MC is such an idiot (which is understandable regarding his circumstances), the story is interesting yet mediocre, and I don't even think S3 would happen. Truth to be told, I wanted to give this 2.5 but the rate system won't let me do that.

PS: I updated my rating to 2 out of 5. Very bad execution in the second season.

One of the best games and graphics !! Good story and multiple girls!
Anxious for the next chapter and hope for a good end for the Main Character and the girls, please dont
disappoint all the fans, we all want see more of this!!

What is one devided by zero?

Story
The familiar setup (horny mom/step-mom, shy sister, bitchy sister) is a trop by now but for this game it actually works quite nice and it is further extented to serve the game. The day repeat concept is interersting and I was really curios how much I can benefit from the day. That being said, I fill that the ending of chapter 2 is not a very good one so without a proper explanation in chapter 3 it might go south.

Girls
You can interact with 8 girls which is quite a lot so kudos to the developer for that. They have different characters and boosts (without exagerated boobs which is a plus for me).


Renders & Animation
The start console won me over with posting different art concept of the girs. Furthermore the game has animated sex scene and voice.

Game was going on a great pace, with a solid story and intrigue.
But.
Certain change in Season 2 (without calling out some major spoilers I will call it "duality") completely ruined everything.
Game became a total clown fiesta in every possible way.
Dind't even bother to leep playing after 3rd scene with this stupd "duality" thing.

Lust Theory (echos of lust) is a very interactive VN with the main plot a time loop. Every day you will repeat the same Thursday, see the same events and navigate through it in order to get your scenes with your family. Personaly I detest this kind of gimmick. Time loops usually means repetition and undoing of progress. The big point of time loops is the personal growth as per every movie that used it. None of this is used here. The game do not force you to do every single exact thing. Once you get to a point in a character' story you have a "checkpoint" so the repetition is reduced. Still, you will see many things over and over. That on itself pulled me out of the game, but in this kind of genre there is the important aspect of progression. The build up, the actual relationship evolution you have with the characters is what makes those type of games good. A crucial factor for games that revolve around how you get the scene instead of just unlocking it and be done. Since it's a time loop, you have to learn as much as possible and do some longshots to actually get every girl to open up on the same repeating day. It's very strange considering that you are supposed to be a family and you deal with many unknown girls. Suddenly now you lust over your sisters, mothers, randoms and in one single day you get them. It feels really strange or a hgame. I would use some aspect of feelings going through the time loop, making the girls lust for you more and more each repetition, so the pay off would actually make sense. Besides this, the animations are very well made, and the models and their expressions are quite unique for 3D, and eventually when you get the scenes they are good but nothing special. I did not finish Lust Theory 1, and just fiddle a bit with 2. It did not felt much of a good gameplay and story to hook me.

I don't know if u guys changed script writter or not, lust theory 2 stories is so much worse than lust theory 1, many of the content are random and annoyed.

Don't write meaningless content or try to be philosophical, the writter couldn't handle it.

Not to mention Emily is a terrible new girl, her face and hairstyle looks like a Barbie! For real?

I gave the game an excellent because I really enjoyed playing the whole first season. And I would like to start by congratulating the creators.

That said, I think the final release deserves a fix. It's details, but on a final release of a good game, I think that kind of care is worth it.
The 4 fixes I think it needs (some are not properly fixes):
- Hidden events (the ones from the bathroom and bedroom) should be replayable.
- There should be a sort of an end. Like after you have finished all storylines, you pick up the skate or whatever and a final sequence starts that ends up publicizing Lust Theory Season 2.
- If the name of the game has changed just assume it and change it everywhere. Or Lust Theory is the name of the series where Season 1: Echoes of Lust; Season 2: Shadows of Lust; Season 3: ... (I haven't played season 2, name suggestion is just an example)
- Details, the ingame mobile phone starts by pointing out to 21 scenes, in the end there are 27. but then there's a bug with 1 of Megan's scenes so you can only complete 26 because one disappears after day restarts. It's quite annoying to end the game and have that 26/27.

Shenanigans:
- On a side note, and don't take as a harsh critic because the storyline is pretty good and I can tell all the hard work put into it, having all those minor changes having a great impact on each repetition of the day. That's not so easy to fabricate. Anyway, I think that if although the day was repeating there was some kind of a shadow, as a dream, of the previous repetition in the next day events, it could have rendered a bit more credibility to the storyline and even new lines to develop the story. Maybe an idea for a future game.
- I totally didn't get the freeze time power thing. To be honest, I'm not even sure it was part of the main story or just part of one of the hidden events, that's how unimportant it was. When you start a fantastic scenario you set a few rules, that people accept as normal... that's your new world where action takes place. Changing the rules you had set so close to the finish line, as a minor side line event makes no sense to me. It felt like it didn't belong in the story. I'm not sure if that new power will become something important in Season 2 and this was somekind of introduction to it. If that was the idea, then the final event I said was missing should be the discovery of that new power to be developed in season 2.

Season one:

Positives
Voice acting! I love voice acting so it was a neat feature. The renders and (few) animations are fine, not as high quality as other games but fine. The storyline was tight and the concept (time loop) was fun.

Negatives
The MC is a moron, there is no disputing this fact. The way they integrated nude scenes with their little red button was awkward. I'd prefer a toggle so you can just have everyone naked or in fetish costumes at all times.

7/10

Season 2

Positives
Animations. Lots and lots of animations, yes some are better than others, but overall they're pretty good.

Negatives
There is WAY too much dialogue its just never ending conversations last forever and the story just goes on and on and on. It feels like a chore in some cases. Sex scenes 'speeds' having to press through button prompts is just annoying and seemingly the devs agreed as it disappeared towards the end.

5/10

Overall I think the game is pretty good, but the writing and story have lost their way, not sure how a season 3 would work .

This was my first AVN and while I'm glad it introduced me to the "rabbit hole" of Ren'Py visual novels, I really can't give it a good rating.

The writing is sometimes good, at least in season 1 ; some scenes are very exciting, and the jokes are fkin hilarious at times, which I really didn't expect... but it's also very, very bad most of the time. I guess multiple writers were involved. I wish the MC wasn't such a bumbling idiot all the fucking time (and what's with the dreadful haircut?).

Also I hated the Christmas Special at the end of S1. Pages and pages of pure cringe. At least it's non-canon.

Season 2 was way too long, and the end -which I won't spoil- is utterly disappointing. I skipped most of that excruciatingly boring mess.

I'd give S1 a 4/5 rating, and S2 is 2/5, with the ending at 1/5.
So I'd give it 2.5 stars but I can't, and this game is already too highly rated.

The renders are nice so there's that (Zoe is ugly though. All my homies hate Zoe)

So, this review is mostly for Season One, though it will touch upon part of Season Two as well. If you want review for both seasons combined, read elsewhere, as this isn't (technically) that. I'll explain.

I would give Lust Theory Season One (aka Echoes of Lust) 5 out of 5 stars, I thought it was well-executed, and if you buy the game's initial premise, everything else just flows from there.

I know, some people don't care about story, they're just here for the sex animations or whatever, but honestly if that's all you want, there are easier, less bandwidth and time-consuming ways of seeing that. But whatever, everyone has different tastes/goals, I can only speak for myself.

But for me personally, the only reason to play an adult visual novel is to get invested/engrossed in the story/situation in a way that straight-up porn or animations don't provide. It's the same as playing an adventure game vs. watching a movie (which some people also don't understand the point of, but that's nothing to do with this review.)

The point being, from both an animation perspective, visuals, story, voices, and interface standpoint, I give season one five stars. Some parts here and there were maybe a little tedious bordering on semi-grindy, but not enough to adversely affect the score, and if anything it just makes it that much more rewarding when everything works out properly.

I might have deducted half a star for the MC being stupid on the last day, but I understand that was setting up things for later. Though for being an allegedly good student, he was rather dense at times.

But on the generous scale of "porn game writing", it was fine.

Which brings us to Season Two, aka why this is four stars overall, aka why this is mostly a review for season one.

I give season two 3/5 stars, which is me trying to be generous in light of the fact that I have not technically finished playing season two, because I just couldn't be bothered. So much so that I was compelled to exit the game and come here and see "Is it just me? Or is anyone else a little bored/annoyed by this?" And lo and behold, I was not.

Because I didn't make it all the way through season two, there are elements I can't speak to, that others have covered more thoroughly, so check those out elsewhere. But the short version, and why I stopped playing, is two-fold: one, the MC feels SO much dumber this time around, maybe due to "cabin fever" of being cooped up in events, but he's the one who decided to just slightly vary things. And the "don't have to go there/talk to them/do that" feature of season one, which was fine there, is ramped up here to a degree where I almost wonder why I'm given any choices, because many times there's only one or two things that CAN be done at a given time, so why even have me jump the MC through the navigation/clicking hoops.

Secondly, the LI's from season one have seemingly been rewound in their interest levels. I get that this is perhaps the easiest way to re-gamify progress with them, but it just feels weird when, to use Cosplay Girl as an example, she goes from willing to do all sorts of sexual things with the MC in season one, to not wanting to seem easy in season two.


Do I think that warrants it a 1 or 2 star rating? Nah. Not only because it earns goodwill for season one, but also it kept me mostly engaged through what I'm guessing was chapter 4 or 5 of season 2. (At time of this review, chapter 9 is out, and based on what I've read, I haven't played 8 or 9, and not sure I ever will.)

If Inceton adds full voice acting for S2, then I might give the full thing a go later, because I enjoyed that aspect of S1 (though I realize not everyone did), but until then I'm walking away from this one, with as much of a good impression of it intact as I can.

So, the 4 stars is an average of season 1 (5 stars) and season 2 (3 stars), the breakdown of the latter being graphics (5/5), sound (3/5), animation (5/5), interface-gameplay (3/5), and story (1/5). (So really a 3.4, but that's not a choice.)

Good art. Good characters. Good story at the beginning, but very disappointing at the end. At last updates I had the feeling that the author was simply tired of this game and trying to finish it as quickly as possible. But it's probably better than leaving game in "work in progress" state forever .

Lust theory is a game with great renders and girls. They are beautiful, that is for sure. The clothing is of "always the same" variety but with the "day repeating" setting it is somewhat justified, so again, it's okay.

What killed my interest is two major things in fact
1) the story. A "day repeating" scenario will certainly not be in the most easy and credible story level, and I accepted this premise. Hell I was ready for a "no explanation" option but then came the... I do not know the words to describe it.... "story explanation" in the game, and I was totally lost.

2) the sex scenes. With a scenario like this ("day repeat") I should have known beforehand, maybe, but in fact I expected more still. The problem I felt was that at some point all "vanilla" things are done: blowjobs, handjobs and vaginal sex are most of the scene. Sure, some girls get an anal scene, okay. There is an occasionnal threesome.
But after a while, it's "repeat the idea". I get that there is not a million of alternatives when it comes to sex and that with like 8 girls, there is a risk of repetition. BUT still! I expected some girls to have a focus, or something special.
When I play a game with many girls, seeing all the girls finishing to have the same kind of scenes in a different order stops to be entertaining.


There is a season 3 planned, and I'm curiousabout it so maybe the score I give will go up again if I play it, but I don't expect it afer the ending of s2.

Story is interesting and characters good but theres few things makes this game annoying is that.

Mc is annoying he sometimes acts cool sometimes moronic.

Characters is good too but sometimes they act out character like she wants sex or some other thing but something happens then bam she becomes annoying then you need to do this thing again later thats annoying i am not gonna lie.

One character that ruins party yet MC cant do anything about that annoying prick even with so called repeat thing he always suffers from it and that annoying moron always gets away this is not gonna lie minus 1 star from me.

Harem member or chicks makes no sense sometimes they like mc and sometimes they just like annoying or even beyond annoying to go near their personalities changes 180 sometimes.

Story is too high for to complete not gonna lie and its risky i dont know how author gonna handle it.

So this is bad game ? no its not but some things annoying if not for them i can give solid 5 star to this game but sadly with that annoying things my score can be lowered to even 3 star but still sex scenes and character models good so thats plus for me.

Is it just me or is the writing suffering in the last 1/3 of the game.
It seems it was just one copy pasta of an openai generated dialoge.

intro: tongue battling for dominance (LMAO)
m: "i have byg dyck"
f: oh he has "byg dyck" i must try it feels so goood
f: i coom
m: sweat drops. i coom
m: kkthxbye

and the ending.... oh it was all an ......

Disclaimer: At the time of writing this review, I have only played the season 1. I liked it enough that I purchased it on Steam in order to show my support to the developer/Inceton games.

Review:
A well built adult game with a simple story, fantastic animations, quality voice-overs, and secrets.

Things I liked:
+ Character models/renders
+ Animations
+ Voiceover
+ UI
+ Pacing
+ Hints & re-live system
+ The core concept behind the plot (won't spoil it for you)
+ An MC who actually uses his head (both of them)

Things that could have been better:
- Story was a little weak.
- The MC never really tries to investigate why things happen the way they happen and just seems to go with the flow until he is forced to notice some changes - it would have been nice to know if he was a little more curious (maybe this was addressed in season 2, I am not sure).
- A slight turn off was the unnatural attraction to the MC that some of the "more closer" NPCs have for him (they seem a tad too easily attainable/unrealistic. Would be nice if there were more reasons behind why they feel the way they feel just to make the story more immersive - again haven't played season 2 yet, so it might have something on this).
- This is more of a personal preference, but I am not a fan of rape/non-consensual sex in general, and this seemingly normal MC uses this as a means to get closer to one of the characters. This could have been done in a different way (like using hypnosis or something clever), but it is what it is.
- Could use some more male NPCs, a couple of non-romanceable female NPCs (who are there for story reasons) and some challenging events to spice up the story and expand the world. While I say this, the current setup still works well enough for a fap game.

All in all, a game worth your time if you are looking for a pleasant but private distraction.