RPGM - Completed - Neko Bathhouse [Final] [monotool]

I'm on a Monotool spree, playing pretty much every game.
And in my experience (played Minamo's Island and Yokoshima Salon), this one has the most focus on gameplay, which is funny because this game is older than those other titles.

I really like the main core gameplay idea, you have to get coins that spawn randomly without losing all your fatigue, the more you stay on the level the better your chances of getting more money but the higher the risk for failure. But there are two fundamental problems, intrinsically the game only gets harder, the rewards get better but your character stays the same (no matter your skill level, there is no technique to win over RNG), and the bathhouse gets filled with so many pervs that you have to cheese the game, stay for less than 30 secs, get lucky with the RNG and get out because if you get caught, you will have to restart the game or lose all your money.

And extrinsically, this doesn't make sense. It's an erogame, you want to see the scenes, you aren't supposed to run away from the pervs, especially when each perv you unlock has a unique scene. You have better luck unlocking the "black ring" and have infinite stamina or enjoy the gallery after finishing the game.

Everything about this is average, with the gameplay being on the lower end of that scale. Basically, there is nothing wrong with the game that some tuning couldn't cure. You can't enjoy the animations without losing all your coins and starting over. Considering it is a very grindy game, that grind should be the source of the entertainment, not the most frustrating part. Overall, the payoff doesn't overcome the disappointing path to get there. Amusing premise and dialog let down by inconsistent game play.

This game is pretty much pure smut with the thinnest veneer of story. I'm not saying that as a bad thing - it just is - but that does mean I'm judging it based on that, as opposed to some other RPG with a sprawling story or compelling characters.

You play a really minor catgirl (she has cat ears and that's it). She runs around a bathhouse collecting coins while men try to grab her and do sex things to her. She then uses those coins to unlock different types of men to evade in the bathhouse (for an increase in the coins awarded per pile), or unlock one of a couple of side scenes.

The gameplay is pretty simple. Different men have different move speeds, attack patterns, and phases while grabbed. Escape before you're overwhelmed. Sprinting makes you fatigued. If you get grabbed, trying to get away causes fatigue. Not running makes fatigue go lower. If you have over 300% fatigue when grabbed, that round is over, and you lose all your gold, while being fucked for quite a long time (unfortunately, no CG there, just sound). If you're late in a run, one solid grab could be all it takes to end it, as you get dog-piled by everyone spawned, especially if you're fatigued from running. The controls are a tad floaty or finnicky sometime (this is just an RPGM game after all) but not maddeningly so.

Art is OK - Honestly it's a bit lower-resoultion than I'd like, but cute and expressive enough. Actual animation is a definite plus. Screenshots aren't misleading.

Sounds are OK too if not varying wildly. Fairly understated, doesn't do anything weird, but not standout.

Story is... well, like I said, basically non-existent. You do this because you do.

I completed the game in a touch over an hour, no cheating or guides. Gallery unlocks on unlocking all the potential enemies, not including the handful of "bonus" scenes you also need to grind some cash to unlock.

Overall, I like it. The game is basically just a delivery method for the porn. It doesn't try to dress that up with an attempt at wild, complicated mechanics that fall flat, or waste your time - basic challenge with an OK reward. Only thing keeping it from 5 stars are just a few niggles that I mentioned above. Slightly higher res art; Some slightly more varied voices; An engine that's slightly better suited to the gameplay; Not full-on story, but some occasional description in the sex scenes might be nice; Some actual "game over" CG rather than blackness and sounds. Nothing game-killing, but one or two of these would put it a touch above "good".