VN - Ren'Py - Not Going Back [Ch.2.2] [Cicada]

I've been following this thread for ages and finally got around to playing. In the beginning I was worried there were so many names being introduced... but honestly I guess that's what it feels when you start college anyway and it created this really believable atmosphere. I like how each character feels different, not all of them want to jump on the MC immediately, and how there are paths for all types of players to indulge. I can see someone really going all in on Alice or Ellie for instance, whereas I am not that interested in them.

It also really felt like choices mattered. There were so many of them and so many different little paths. It reminded me of another famous college-themed AVN except I somehow liked this one better. Kudos to the dev for creating such a believable little environment, for the beautiful models and chill MC.

On the constructive side, it would be nice to see more animations but I'm sure those are hard to get right and probably super time consuming. It would also be nice to have a few more wide angle shots or third-person view of some of the scenes. But 5 stars either way!

It's a good game and there's a lot to like about it. Lots of hot and interesting LIs, a story with some mystery and a beastly MC.

On the downside, there's a little too much drama for me (e.g. MC's past, PED, evil guys who won't take no for an answer, Chloe/Nathan, etc) and what's up with a LI who expects you to eat her out to orgasm but won't even put your dick in her mouth. Why would this be a problem for a woman in a porn game? This is an AVN right? I was going to give 5 stars despite the excessive drama, but I had to deduct a star for giving Mia such a bullshit phobia and having her cause a scene (it's almost like a porn star that won't give a BJ lol...fail).

Version Chapter 2.1

First of all I want to say I enjoyed the hell out of this game. For me it's a 5 star purely because of how much I enjoyed it but I feel it's still too early to give it a 5 star.

positives

• likeable characters
• characters have personality and are interesting
• good looking characters
• world feel alive
• so far nothing really feels forced for the sake of adding X
• hot renders during sex scenes
• I actually look forward to future interactions with every character instead of a few like other games

Things that might be a con to some but not to me

• no music
• no animations
• alot of characters

I mentioned there is no animations. While that is true , I thought the renders / sex scenes were hot as hell and don't really need them. But would be welcomed if they ever come in the future.

There seems to be some trauma / deeper problems with the MC and some of the other girls in this one. From what ive seen so far all of those issues for the characters just adds to them and makes them real interesting. Unlike some other games were there issues are just there to give character arc's or deveolopment but besides that they never felt like they had personality. Well it's the complete opposite in this game.

About the part that there is alot of characters, in this game it only adds to the game's world and makes it feel alive instead of how most games are centered around the 5 - 6 LI or whatever. While not all the characters are main girls or LI , which can be a negative if you really like a certain girl but isn't a main girl. It really isn't that bad either because I haven't found 1 character I didn't like so far. There are plenty of other options when it comes to LI.

Also during lewd scenes you can feel the personality or even get a little bit of character deveolopment with these characters. The dialogue during the sex scenes aren't boring.

I feel this game is trying and succeeding to make things comes off as natural as possible. So far to me none of the lewd scenes has really felt forced or rushed just for the sake of having a lewd scene. Sure some are quicker than others but I felt what lead up to them felt better than alot of other AVN's that have quick lewds.

Here is a bit of my thoughts on the subject

I typically not big on LI that are easy to sleep with or this quickly in a game unless it's a harem or something. Yet with all the interactions or character deveolopment we have gotten so far I didn't mind one bit in this game. As the sex scenes felt like they came on pretty naturally and not because they are glued to the MC's dick. As it felt like the LI that did sleep with him had a genuine like of the MC because of who is and his character and not because of the MC. If a game is gonna have early lewd scenes that isn't with a side girl hell even if they are with a side girl this is the way to do it. As I was already invested or liked their character where the lewds were welcomed even if I would personally like to take things a bit slower haha.

Not sure how extensive this game will be going forward when it comes to branching but there is some small branching, I missed 2 lewd scenes on my first playthrough because of my choices.

Really like the game, this long of a game play and it is only chapter 2. Would really like it if there was a walkthrough for the choices u can make then it would be even better, hope it only gets better can’t wait for the next chapters. keep up the good work.

I really do like how the game starts out so far. It has many interesting characters which have the potential to become quite complex.
I guess many are reminded of another quite large game with a similiar setting and immediately compare the two.
And though there are differences for sure. "Not Going Back" is definitely worth playing, especially now in it's early stages.
The groundwork has been done . We have a main character with "dark" unknown past, we only see glimpses of. We get introduced to a lot of character with the potential to build deep connections with during the progression of the game.
My personal feedback would be the addition of animations and a differernt hairstyle for the protagonist, but that#s a personal preferance.

Can recommend to give this a try. I am certainly interested how this game will progress in the future.

This looks promising.

I appreciate the effort invested in the first chapter. You get to know a bit about the characters and the relationships between them; which rarely happens in a VN this huge. Yes, the graphics aren't something to write home about, but definitely not horrible - they're expected to improve over time. The dialogs are a bit long but it's understandable, most times when you see all these characters they're pretty shallow and you only get depth with heavy dialogues and slow burning.

I am definitely looking forward to see where this is going.

The production values are beyond bad. The assets used look impossibly cheap. The stock characters; the drab clothes; the empty interiors; the exteriors, which are just plain blocks with old, ugly, white brick textures applied. By the way, speaking of white, there's a general lack of color throughout the game, which makes the renders ugly, and dull and just constantly pull you out of the game.

I'm sorry to report the characters and the dialogue don't fare any better. None of the characters talk or act remotely like real people. They simply exist to connect one thing to the next, and most of them don't have a single identifiable personality trait, never mind a full-fledged personality. Which is kind of good, since anytime there's an attempt of infusing them with some flavor, the end result is embarrassing.

Fantastic start!
There's a decent range of looks for the girls, which is always a treat. The posing in the renders is good. I didn't notice any awkward "acting" at any point. That's something that's hard to get right and I think they got it right on this one.
I was very impressed by the writing. It feels like it was written by someone who has actually attended a college in the United States, which is refreshing. All the characters feel rounded and real in a way that's unusual for a first chapter. Even the MC has an interesting backstory, giving him a little bit of an excuse for being a blank slate. The dialogue is sharp and make me chuckle aloud at multiple points.
Not much erotic content in the first chapter. I managed to grope a boob in the shower but maybe I'll try playing through again and making different choices to see if there's anything else. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Imogen in future chapters!

A good start.. the renders of the girls are great.. nice writing.. also a decent amount of content for an initial release. Looks like the DEV has thought out what he wants to do and has a plan to bring that to fruition. Enjoyed the diversity of characters introduced so far. Looking forward to more.