Naomi: Breaking the Queen Bee - Act 2 Part 1
I like to believe I'm the target audience. I turn every degenerate toggle on with excitement. This VN nails the fundamentals but fumbles the main attraction, so it cancels into a 3/5.
Production Quality - Solid
The presentation is well directed. Creative use of CG transitions, good camera work and angles. Feels like the creator thought through each scene visually as a whole. No awkward standing around talking. No one-off CGs that are beautiful but stiff and disconnected from what's happening on screen. The visual language is more mature than most VNs here.
Pacing is tight too. Nothing dragged out too long. Information and backstory drip fed at a consistent pace. No complaints.
The Male MC - Does His Job
Seems to have an interesting past and goes straight to the point. No fluff, not a simp, no unnecessarily long writer self-insert monologue. He serves the role I expect from this genre perfectly. No cringe, does the job, doesn't take too much spotlight from the girls. The balance is right.
The Problem - Naomi
Here's where it falls apart. I expect a lot from her since she IS the title and main focus. She IS the VN. But she's not very interesting and doesn't have high synergy with this genre.
Character Writing: She's a dumb horny bitch just like the appearance suggests, and right now there isn't more to it. Not end-of-the-world boring, but would I keep up with this multi-year VN project just for her? Nah. She gets horny at lightning speed, and after every training she just shrugs it off like a dumb bitch would. It's not satisfying to see and doesn't feel like we're making progress.
For this kind of single-girl focus VN I want to fight a multi-phase Dark Souls boss with twists and turns. Instead I got a 1HP mob that dies from a touch, drops trash loot, and respawns instantly like nothing happened.
Visual Design: Also not my taste at all. Even her friend looks more like protag material. Naomi's design seems too noisy? This might not be a straight con, just not my thing.
Chemistry Issues: Her synergy with the male MC isn't particularly great either. With such an interesting male MC I often ask myself - is this the most interesting story from his life? Would the most memorable girl he encounters be Naomi? If not, why are we following this story instead?
Bottom Line
Strong fundamentals attached to a weak protagonist. This VN would be perfect for me if we switched out Naomi.
I like to believe I'm the target audience. I turn every degenerate toggle on with excitement. This VN nails the fundamentals but fumbles the main attraction, so it cancels into a 3/5.
Production Quality - Solid
The presentation is well directed. Creative use of CG transitions, good camera work and angles. Feels like the creator thought through each scene visually as a whole. No awkward standing around talking. No one-off CGs that are beautiful but stiff and disconnected from what's happening on screen. The visual language is more mature than most VNs here.
Pacing is tight too. Nothing dragged out too long. Information and backstory drip fed at a consistent pace. No complaints.
The Male MC - Does His Job
Seems to have an interesting past and goes straight to the point. No fluff, not a simp, no unnecessarily long writer self-insert monologue. He serves the role I expect from this genre perfectly. No cringe, does the job, doesn't take too much spotlight from the girls. The balance is right.
The Problem - Naomi
Here's where it falls apart. I expect a lot from her since she IS the title and main focus. She IS the VN. But she's not very interesting and doesn't have high synergy with this genre.
Character Writing: She's a dumb horny bitch just like the appearance suggests, and right now there isn't more to it. Not end-of-the-world boring, but would I keep up with this multi-year VN project just for her? Nah. She gets horny at lightning speed, and after every training she just shrugs it off like a dumb bitch would. It's not satisfying to see and doesn't feel like we're making progress.
For this kind of single-girl focus VN I want to fight a multi-phase Dark Souls boss with twists and turns. Instead I got a 1HP mob that dies from a touch, drops trash loot, and respawns instantly like nothing happened.
Visual Design: Also not my taste at all. Even her friend looks more like protag material. Naomi's design seems too noisy? This might not be a straight con, just not my thing.
Chemistry Issues: Her synergy with the male MC isn't particularly great either. With such an interesting male MC I often ask myself - is this the most interesting story from his life? Would the most memorable girl he encounters be Naomi? If not, why are we following this story instead?
Bottom Line
Strong fundamentals attached to a weak protagonist. This VN would be perfect for me if we switched out Naomi.