I really wanted to like this game, I did. It ticks a lot of boxes:
- it's actually finished
- the art is very good, drawn by an obviously skilled artist
- the premise sounds very promising
- the whole game is really polished
But a few hours in, the game really started to grate on my nerves:
The writing
I don't know if that's the translator's or the developer's fault, but the writing is really hard to follow. Some lines are presented in a way that makes it hard to understand if it's Azel, the narrator or the blacksmith (who is supposed to be the player's self-insert for some reason) speaking. The NPCs you interact with are all weird, and not in a funny way. More of a "cross the road inconspicuously to avoid them" way.
The gameplay
I've come to accept that lewd RPGs have filler combat. Niplheim's Hunter is no different: trash mobs fall to your basic attack, bosses require one or two tries, maybe a heal mid-fight. You must go out of your way to trigger a mid-combat sex scene, there's no real pressure around this mechanic. However, filler combat doesn't mean you don't have to engage with it. Azel's outfits require boss drops to craft, and you must kill the same boss multiple times to obtain them.
The game, like most Japanese games are, is obssessed with tracking the precise volume of semen Azel has been exposed to and other ridiculous stats, but hey, if it makes someone more aroused, sure, why not?
The art
I cannot fault the quality of the art. But, like the paintings of Dali, it just can't reach my
heart dick. First of all, the scenes are cropped really tightly. Second, they all feature invisible men. At least scenes with flying dicks can be unintentionally hilarious, but ghost dicks just mean Azel (or one of the other girls) looks like she's having a seizure in them. Mid-combat scenes are cropped in a way that doesn't even show anything lewder than Azel's ahegao face.
The lewdness
This is not a corruption game. By the game's start Azel has already been through a lot, she's not adjusting to the idea of succumbing to her lust brand. It's about as sexy as living with diabetes. Well, I am lying a bit, she still finds the whole process pleasurable, but without corruption or romance the sex in the game feels kinda mechanical. The blacksmith self-insert has some scenes of his own, but since we are treated only to the scenes and not the buildup, they do not deliver either.
Summary
Check out the screenshots. If Azel's plump cheeks and pouty mouth get you going and you aren't bothered by ghost dicks, go for it. I wanted to give it 3/5, but am giving it 4/5, since its technical quality is so impressive.