This is for v0.3
The game has been fairly consistent throughout it's releases but if something changes dramatically, I will update the review.
The setting:
Years after a Great Collapse of civilization, humanity exists in a retropunk state, under medieval-inspired systems. Those higher in the hierachy have access to impressive technology even if they can't replicate it, reverse engineer it or use it to to it's fullest extend. The rest live in communities that depending on the location may seem inspired by Roman or early European standards. The big city looks like something you'd see in the Gladiator, while the villages something out of the Witcher or the Vikings TV Series.
It also features underground vaults, remniscient of the Fallout franchise, where the bulk of technology is stored.
While I didn't exactly understand the concept, it seems to exist 2 types of humans. Normal ones and mutants. Additionally the mutants seem to be manufactored in the vaults or through some other faction that I can't explain at this moment. Mutants are improved humans, to various degrees and they seem to be rare. Additionally there exist monsters called Dwellers, that look like ghouls/zombies and seem to be feral without the capacity for communication.
Currently, a virus has infected the entire population, causing fertility in women and low testosterone in men, which creates a "coming apocalypse" scenario unless a solution is found.
This solution exists in the form of the protagonist who is a mutant with expansive mutations, probably created as the solution to the problem by some secretive party. While infected, his body seems to be resistant to the virus, leaving open multiple scenarios for resolution, like becoming the ultimate breeder or giving his blood to scientists to synthesize a cure.
The setting features magic, although it seems to be rare. One of the main girls is a sun seer, with an ability which sounds like absorbing the power of the sun to power spells like teleportation, visions and firebased attacks.
I think the Fallout inspiration is very clear. From the setting to certain dialogue with one of the characters.
The society:
There exist different states with their ruling systems. The ruling classes are well off while the rest depend on their station. Currently there exist a lot of intrigue coming from the leaders of satellite societies and important village who try to gain power in expense of the current ruling class. In the relevant geographic location, the current leader is the Imperatrix, the wife of the former Imperator who died. The reasons for his death seem to be suspect, with a lot of people thinking that his wife poisoned him. He seemed like a harsh ruler, interested in progress in the expense of his people and the Imperatrix is seen as a weaker and sneakier ruler.
Another prominent faction is Cerberus. It's not clear if it's a man or an organization, but they seem ruthless and willing to fan the flames of rebellion with the intent to gain power for themselves.
Lastly we have the leaders of important locations, like the one the Protagonist was raised in. They exist in close proximity to places with high technological significance which gives them power.
The Crown is weary of these factions and she seems to have taken steps to antagonize them, but we don't know the extend of these steps and the events happening in the start of the game are confusing and obfuscated with lies and intrigue.
The rest of the people are remniscient of standard Medieval and Roman tropes. There exists slavery, Inns and a Colliseum. The commoners work as farmers, fishermen, miners, tailors, innkeepers, traveling merchants and mercenaries. The jobs which are specific to this setting are speculators and technologists. The former are scavengers of technology, while the latter try to make sense of the scavenged technology.
Scientists seem to be rare and "faction" based although I could be wrong. However the protagonist's circumstances seem to point that way.
There also seems to be a notion that "good and strong" men aren't that numerous. I'm not exactly how it looks in general, but there are a few scenes that make it look like the majority of them are small and weak, probably due to the lack of testosterone. You will hear a lot of whining about it and you will see men with unimpressive stature, but we will have to see more to get a clearer picture.
The story and the protagonist:
While his name and monicer are customizable, the story follows Mateo the "Dreadwolf", a speculator who seemingly lost his parents as a baby and doesn't have memories of them and is told that he inherited his moniker from his father, who was very similar in both stature and viciousness in combat. He was raised as the adopted son of the "Patrius" of Aqua Palma, a relatively small port town near what seems to have a significant geostrategic location, due to it's proximity to a mine. He is an impressively built man, an exceptional and cunning warrior with a stoic and dominant personality. He is a well liked person in the community, opinionated with an obvious regard for the common folk and while not very savvy, he seems to be of above average intelligence although that interpretation depends a bit on how you view the "tips" given in the minigames (more on that later).
He seems to be in a very special predicament.
It is revealed that he is a mutant with unusually extensive mutations, but he himself had no idea. The fact that he is a mutant makes it seem like he was lied to by the Patrius about his parents because mutants are created in a lab (the specifics elude me at this time). He is a known figure to the ruling class and his status as a renowned warrior makes them view him as a significant threat in case of a rebellion.
The story starts with
the Dreadwolf procuring a technological relic from a mine and delivering it to the Patrius' son, Dante, who is technologist. Some time after, an assassin sent by the Imperatrix tries to kill him and retrieve the relic, but due to his winning personality she rethinks her mission and lets him live. She proceeds to steal the relic and the coming day we also learn that the Patrius was assassinated, which prompts Dante to take the reigns of the village and send Dreadwolf to the capital in an undercover mission to destroy the ruling class (who he blames for his father's death) from within.
The dev controls the pacing in a very interesting way, making the players think of the next action instead of taking a step back and thinking about what is happening. Even if the player spots that some things don't line up as they should, they quickly forget about it because the next encounter is right around the corner. The presentation follows multiple points of views, unrelated to the protagonist, and keep the reader up to date with what is happening, although it hides the "why" of things.
The characters:
Click the spoiler for a small description of the major characters. All mentioned females are potential LIs.
Patrius: The leader of Aqua Palma who adopted the protagonist. He is a capable and ruthless leader and people around him think that he is at the edge of madness. He is assassinated early in the game.
Dante: The son of Patrius who assumes leadership after his death. A mostly unsuccesful techonologist, he has a specific brand of humor and self confidence issues, having been raised under his father's shadow with huge expectations. He sends Dreadwolf to the capital although his reasoning is a bit suspect.
Gaius: The leader of the Praetorian Guard. A level-headed and intelligent man who has some history with Dreadwolf.
Enzo: The adopted son of the Imperatrix. A vicious and petty man who has a huge opinion of himself. He is quite a popular character.
Cicero: A senator who seem to be more savvy and cunning than the others. It's obvious that he has some machinations and Enzo is part of his plans.
Cerberus: Either a man or a shadow organization (unclear at this point), who is the enemy of the Imperatrix. (I wouldn't be surprised if Cicero and Cerberus are related, although there is no definitive proof at this point)
Faustina: The Imperatrix and the wife of the late Imperator. Most think her a harsh woman although it's probable that it's her front, to project a strong image. There is a rumor that she poisoned her husband. She wants her own child.
Luciana: Adopted daughter of the Imperatrix, she is assumed to be the best technologist in the world, has serious self confidence issues and tries hard to stay out of her mother's shadow. She is in a relationship with Milena's brother, who causes huge problems for her, but despite that she tries to support him claiming that it's her duty.
Aquila: Recently adopted daughter of the Imperatrix. She seems like she was recently adopted, is kept a secret and she wants to prove herself to her mother. She is the assassin sent to kill Dreadwolf and steal the relic.
Milena: A biomedical doctor who leads the efforts of the capital to combat the virus. An intelligent, sexually open but also frustrated woman who enjoys bloodsports and is a fairly good conversationalist. She spent a lot of time under the previous Imperator, attempting to find a cure through mostly unsavory practices.
Safiya: A sorceress introduced in the beginning as a mercenary and is currently imprisoned in the capital. She is quick to anger and has bitch defenses but she is also sultry and attempts to help the protagonist win in the arena in exchange for him asking for a pardon in her behalf.
Disclaimer: The adoption angle is a bit murky at this point because it seems that in this setting, it's possible to create humans completely artificially. We know that Luciana and Enzo do not share Faustina's DNA because we are told exactly that, but it's also possible that they were commisioned instead of being adopted through the system like in real life.
Visuals and Audio:
Not much to say about the visuals other than they are well made. High quality renders, I find the girls beautiful and unique, the combat scenes are impactful and the backgrounds have a lot of detail and good lighting. The animations are scarce but they have good detail, I didn't notice any clipping although there exists some jerky movement.
I found the audio very uninspired. It's good that it has music but I don't feel it's appropriate for the scenes. Ambience is way too cheerful when the background is bleak and dark, the combat music is also cheerful and upbeat, it fails to create tension during dramatic moments. Still, better than nothing, but a missed opportunity nonetheless.
Sexual Content:
Currently it's scarce but it's fairly good.
Safiya is guarded but the protagonist is too attractive and manages to break her walls, playing a game of dominance. Milena is shown to masturbate watching the protagonist fight in the arena, and later (if you have enough points with her), she is "forced" to blow him. Luciana also has a scene where she tries to relieve some frustration in the shower, and Aquila watches the protagonist taking a shower.
It's obviously a slow burn but it's tasteful and considering who MC is, we can expect them to be unable to walk straight in the near future.
Gameplay:
I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I have a lot of peeves with gameplay in Visual Novels because a lot of them give you choices that are pretty much arbitrary. This VN gives you a very specific framework to guide your choices. It uses both a hint panel and dialogue based hints, expects you to pay attention and it's consistent.
For example:
Early in the game you have a debate with Dante. A panel exists that gives you some information about his character and the results of the choices are consistent. They are not obvious, and if you are not very proficient in english you may have more trouble than intented, but the design is really good.
During the prison segment, you get to fight in a pit to have a chance at claiming your freedom. Again you have a panel with hints on each fight. Some hints are more obvious than the other, but the results are consistent with the expectations. Some confusion is natural, but eventually you will get the rythm of the game and make better choices.
Later you fight as a Gladiator, and your "trainer" gives you specific tips that you have to follow. If you do things right you will have a lot of control over the result.
Closing comments:
A very well made game with clear direction. If you like the idea of retropunk setting, mystery/intrigue and a very dominant protagonist, you will be right at home with this one. This game certainly is worth your time and it's consistent enough so I can safely say that what you see during the first chapter, is also what you are going to get later. The dev is clear about the fetishes that will be featured down the line and you can read it in the developer notes.
I also appreciated the Fallout and DnD5e references. Liking similar things with the creator is a good indicator that his work will also be to my tastes and I believe that this notion applies to everyone.
Best of luck going forward.
