VN - Ren'Py - Nothing Is Forever [v0.7.3] [MrSilverLust]

EDIT: Finished the latest episode (4). Review below is still relevant, but the latest episode's quality went quickly downhill. It was either rushed out or written by a different author. Removing a star; could have been 2. Writing is starting to match the renders, at least. Pretty bad.

Man... it's good. Really good.

Good dialogue. Interesting storylines. Good progression. Many mechanics are not needed, but help with the immersion. The LIs are very varied, lots of different personalities and kinks. The MC is absolutely fantastic, especially his struggles and his inner voices. It's really good stuff.

The chess, psychology and sex insights are very on point. Write what you know about, right? I'm willing to wager... Really outstanding stuff.

So...why 4 stars?

The renders.

Look... they are just not good. I don't know if that shadow filter thing that's going on is meant to distract us from that fact, but that doesn't work either. It makes it even worse.

To be fair, it does work some of the time. Like... 5%? Kinda looks cool, artistic even. The rest of the time it's just fucking ugly and distracting, giving girls moustaches, sideburns, black noses and black eyes. The assets are outdated. So most of the stuff just looks ugly. It would help a lot if he learned to use proper lighting and cameras. I mean your backgrounds are garbage, why not use a focal point and blur it out? Focus on the girls.

So the dev is strong in what he's good in, and that makes it a good game. He would gain a ton from getting help from an artist, or just learn how to use Daz3D properly.

Overall? Recommended.

If you're into the kinks: highly recommended.

How did I not find this till now???
Art was weird before I adjusted or maybe it toned down as I went - no landlady or siblings for a refreshing change, nice point system that doesn't overly punish you for choices - lots of kinks, models I haven't seen 300 times before, no stupid grinds (apart from the good ones) I even felt bad corrupting them.. . maybe - first time I bothered to review a game, well done MrSilverLust

I really enjoyed the moral dilemmas in this one. Actually made me questions my choices, rather than just picking whatever likely sounded best. Plenty of other games do that I agree, but given the "power" the MC tends to have it just felt worse to take advantage of situations.

My favourite adult game at the moment. While I write from the view of someone who loves femdom, this game is not a pure femdom game though. It's up to the player how they develop the MC's character sexually. You can be either submissive, dominant or something more in between. His personality outside the bedroom is somewhat set, but even there the game will take into account your choices, how the MC will talk and react to certain things.

Where the game really stands out above the vast amount of other adult games, is the quite realistic way (nearly) all the characters are written. They all have their own lifes, kinks and personalities. Women won't just fall in your lap without any build up.
Therefore it is a bit of a slow burn game though, and not a game for people looking for a quick fap... My guess the main audience for this game are more mature players. 29+ years.

One comment to the renders. I personally think they are of a quite high quality. Just in the beginning shadows and black outlines of the characters figures were too thick. If this bothers you just be patient for a bit, since this issue isn't present from chapter 2 onwards.

That game is just great. I really like it. It has all the essential kinks and you get to choose what you like. So far the kinks are mostly realistic displayed.

There are games with better art, but I think the models are quite nicely done and different. I also like that they have not completely oversized boobs (an absolute down in any game and far too often).

Cant wait for more.

played far enough to make a review :

the story is well written and is coherent

the renders are good - only "good" because of the black outlines - whats this for?
(gives a cartoonish vibe ...)

the girls are lovely - game contains personality for nearly every kink

the skillsystem is nice

the option given by the dev to "cheat" is nice
some people are replaying many times - so with this option given its a bit faster

so much to the "pro´s"

now :

holy heck what a textwall sometimes ....
i mean , do i really need to know the rules to be a chess grandmaster ?
(stalling)

the "interactions" with the girls -
my mc is not really into Deb , i miss a option to just "skip" all her content ,avoid her completely
i mean why do i need to go to yoga - its not really relevant for the mc , isnt it?
(yeah for Jen story but ...) (well , just an example)

the freeroam - why? to have it in the game? unnecessary imo
(glad its not much)

overall a pretty decent game

4 Stars for now (may change later)

consider me officially hooked... but i only played chapter 1 so far... will continue, but chapter 1 was long enough to take a review and make up my mind about the game.

probably the best writing on this site i have witnessed. No pointless dialogues, i really like the fact when the dialogues are getting to "chit-chat" that the scene fades out... you know that the characters shared a good time with each other, but really, there is no need to see these kind of conversations to know this fact, most other games are overflown with this kind of chit-chat, pointless, not entertaining and so on... and it gets very boring very fast to fish in these conversations for something entertaining. Its a waste of time for the player AND the authors too. So really awesome job in that department. And nothing is missing... there are enough funny dialogues and moments, and of course heavy tones too... And the conversations are intelligent too. Really really well written, most of the guys who are just searching for a fap and dont bother with this kind of conversations maybe be wrong in this game... but for me, its right up my alley.

The MC is a normal, good looking but intelligent guy but not the usual magic-dick-chick-magnet like in most of the others games around here... in fact these games tend to get boring aswell really fast. In most of the games its kinda like you have to scare away the girls with a baseball-bat if youre not interested in them, and even than you will bang them either way

The skill system is a little complex, maybe to much for a VN like this? Dont know yet, but for now it works and makes the game interesting too, and makes it worth to try multiple playthroughs. I dont like to make multiple playthorughs in every game, in most of the games its not that good cause the outcome is nearly the same everytime, only the girl differs... but i get the feeling in this game there will be not only different outcome WHICH girl you get, no the relationship to the girls will be a whole different thing to, iam looking forward to that, and already saw something about that in chapter 1... will be fun to experiment in this way.

And now to the chacters... well, thumbs up. greaty varity of different girls and guys. All have some flaws, and equal attributes to like them... some are more likeable than others, so yeah, pretty awesome "cast" i would say. And the MC too, he has some big flaws, but some likeable attributes too... but they will be very different cause they depend on how you play, i like that really much... called character development, and most out there cant deliver in that part, neither for the MC or the other characters. This game can deliver, and you already can see that in chapter 1 i would say, looking forward to more.

Lets talk about the technical side... the renders are good and looking "unique" with the "contours" and everything.. and i cant remember to have seen the environment or any model so far in other games. Yeah the MC looks familiar, and Jamie too... but cant recall that exactly where i might have seen them in other games... So good work in that department too... not every girl is for my taste, overall Emma is the hottest, followed by olivia... but i dont like the overall attitude of Emma (and iam not into hate-sex or dom-sub games) and i dont like girls who dont like any commitment... so sadly a no for Olivia too so far (maybe i can change her mind? ) For now... Jen is my overall favorite (and read head.... uuuuh ) But well, all are very different and i like that very much.

The animations... well i watched a sexscene, there are none... but in some scenes there were animations, and they were well made, i guess and hope that there will be animations too in some sex scenes later on, dont know yet. But animations are only a "plus" for me, i can easily do without them too... but if animations are really bad its a really bad thing and annoying very much. But its not the case here.

The free roams are ok, its not a "search" where to go next, its very clear what you have to do (big fucking arrows ), i dont think they are necessary overall, but it fits when a scene plays in the same evironment but in different locations with different persons...

Now to the music and sound... i like the soundtrack, the music fits the mood of the scenes very well, and there are some sounds too which are adding something to the atmosphere.

So i cant think of anything else to say for now... as you can see, nothing negative comes to mind, its the opposite. This game is really good, and is now a favroite of mine so far... of course there is always room to improve.

but compared to thers, this is cleary a 5 star game. not for the quick fap, its for those who like good writing too.

This game left me speechless for a while. I'm usually too bored to read long dialogues in games like this, but here I was genuinely invested in it. It's written really well. I like the questions this game raises. I like the idea of The game doesn't force you into the kinks you aren't into. You get to choose the dialogue options and make choices in the game, which builds your character's kinks and personality. Game also doesn't force you into being in a relationship with a girl that you don't like. In order to unlock sexual routes with a girl of your choice you have to guess her kinks based on the clues in her dialogue (this is very straightforward and won't be hard to do).

I'm going to give this game a 5 stars rating as F95 rating system is very improvable and doesn't let you vote with half stars and I don't want to fuck game's average rating. But I must say that at the moment is a 8/10 game and a 10/10 in terms of potential.

First thing first, this is something very important to me in most games: Writing is pretty good. You can see how the dev has either interacted whit other human beings or learned from devs who did it and do realistics and enjoyable dialogues. Is not that difficult to not sound a boring and a recycled version of other games.

Second important point: It has sex scenes. Nothing wrong with slow burning when justified, but you really need to find a middle ground between -I can't name games in reviews- taking 17949 updates to see a handjob between aduts that are into each other, and a game that revolves purily around sex. This game does it, wich I appreciate a lot. It has a realistic approach with the female characters so you won't have any taboo sex that easily but you will have sex/content with some of the other ones in due time.

Final point: This game has an unique essence. It has something that makes it different from other games. From the skill tree for sex scenes, to the MC, to some of the girls, to some of the male characters, to just the writing... Including lots of kinks is great, the girls having more than one is a good idea, Are you into maledom? Go have sex with Emma. Would you rather femdom? Surprise, Emma can be you girl too. Smart move, girls can have a variety of kinks like most people in real life, sometimes devs forget that. And yes, they can be opposite points, in this case for instance you just gotta be into domination in general, is something very common.
The other male characters not being you avarage creepy/looser/ugly friend like in most games is also another great point, I'm sick of being stuck with boring sidekicks in 19 of every 20 games,Is it really that much of a bother to make interesting male characters for plot's sake? I think the male ego of most players can survive it, the key is not making them flawless while MC is a looser or an empty vessel. Wich leads me to the MC, great character, he has his own personality and while you can shape it to make him more like you prefer, he still has his own thinking, his very own knowledge of people around him and his way of seeing life, being it better or worse sometimes.

Dev obviously is new and he can improve, which I think he will. For instance instead of *looks away in a shy way* actually make a model face for it, sex scenes a bit short, but I think seeing the variety of kinks it will change in the future and while renders are a solid 8 out of 10 they can also improve a bit, but this last point is no bother actually. So if you are looking for a new entertaining game give it a try, don't do it *now* if you are looking for a sex driven story but for fans of a good game with sex, this one is going to fill your expectations.

Writing is surprisingly good, and the GUI mechanics are both easy to understand and keep tabs on. Really different from most everything I've come across. There are a few things that need a little work though:
1. The dark lines around the characters are a MAJOR distraction. When poor shadows make it hard to focus on the game, it's a real problem. This one really really REALLY bothers me. I'm a very visual person, and I simply don't like it. I tolerate because the character development outweighs the drawback.
2. The profile page doesn't include the girls' names! ANYWHERE. It's awkward and cumbersome for those of us who have trouble remembering multiple names across multiple games.
This is one of the better games available here. I try a LOT of games, but comment on very few. I hope the criticism is taken with the intent it was given. Keep up the good work!

This game is really good. It is for sure worth a download and for sure worth your time.

It´s not just vanilla boring shit (although that's also available if you're into that stuff) but it has interesting, warm characters that invite you to join them for some more kinky, fetish-themed endeavors.

The stat and skill systems are really well done, and it helps make the player experience different from every individual. You can be a sensitive, submissive guy or you can be a strong alpha male.

I hope that this game's development is continued and I pray that it will explore and take a deeper dive into kinks such as femdom, humiliation, cuckolding and whatever else there is.. (SPH?)
Cuz really.. who´d wanna play a vanilla porn game?

This one is surprisingly good. Got a good story and it has a good pace. But this not like usual harem games. Some girls are already in relationship. This one is more like a slice of life game. And the artsytle is unique. Some may not like artsytle. But I liked it. And good writing too. No models look alike. This one is surely worth playing. And there is fair amount of content. Also there some different mechanisms in the game.

PROS

* Good writing
* Unique artstyle
* No models look alike
* Good story
* Good pacing
* Fair amount of content

This V/N is one of my favorites... Here is why:
+Cool art style

+Diverse personalities/characters (no copy and paste here)

+The story is interesting and engaging (IMO of course)

+It actually has a soundtrack (I usually have lo-fi beats going but I just thought I'd mention for that's even more detail that is in this one)

+The writing is top notch (don't think I've found one typo)

+Really really really cool and REFRESHING skill system(no spoilers)

In conclusion this one's got style
HIGH POTENTIAL and deserving of support!

See you next update!

Good looking characters, nice pacing, exceptional writing (for a first time in my experience with VNs I haven's skipped any dialogue in-game) and a good amount of kinks - what else does the game need to be perfect? Can't say that this one is the best player in the league but hits my top five easily.

I wrote this review on itch.io, I am going to add it here as well:



I really like this game. I think the mechanics and way to progress through various different routes is very cleverly implemented. There is a lot of care and work put into this. From music choices, to aesthetics of transitions and scenes, to gameplay, its all very well executed. The art/character design is both beautiful and odd, mostly because of a strange design choice of heavy lines/accents onto the bodies, sometimes they work well to emphasize, sometimes they are just kind of distracting and not pretty to look at.

I like how this game kinda took different kinds of fetishes/kinks and chose to implement a way for you to know exactly what you're getting into and using a "buy-in" system to go for things that most interest you. I do kinda wonder/think there might be a problem amassing all the points you need to see everything in a single category, but the game is still in development, so its too early to decide if it will work well or not.

Some of the characters pissed me off, which I think is a great sign of good writing, especially since there was characters I quite enjoy and like as well. They feel like people with their own goals and flaws and that makes the dynamic story interesting.

There is quite a few typos through the game, but I didn't notice anything super bad in that it is broken language or anything like, for the most part its clean and well done.

The things that keep me from giving this 5/5 stars, is that I am unsure how the point system will work in the future, and the other part is how the story is going to keep moving forward with the mental illness and social media messages. It's interesting and so far well written, but its a very thin line to walk across and its not something that people might appreciate in a dating sim/sex novel, at some points it feels like its trying too hard to get a message/point across which...for now I'm wary to see how it will go. The story has both humor and dark elements, I don't know which side is going to prevail or if that's something that will be up to the player in the end as well. Time will tell. Solid game in my opinion, I'll keep up with this and see how things look next release, I may update this review and choose to support the game even further moving forward.

Tldr: Wonderful characters that feel real and relatable, realistic and well paced story, relationships make sense and emotion payoffs and very good sex secens. Give this one a try.

This VN is excellent.

This is a VN about character development and growth, self reflection and the struggles of life. The story builds up relationships, nurishes them and develops them at a realistic pace. The characters feel real, have real emotions and act like people and are relatable. The writing is done well too, the dialogue is going by like a breeze and conversations feel like they would happen not because they should happen to further the plot.

I was really hyped for Jen and even felt bad for Carl in the end of chapter 2. Few VNs got me to experience this.

The erotic and sex scenes are done fantastic compared to like 99% of VNs on this site, but there were "only" two in my playthrough as of v0.2.2, so if you're looking for a wankfest this isnt for you.

I'm still blown away that I even read the dialogue between MC, Jamie and Pete, for me thats a super rarity as I despise the "supporting male character thats there for the MC to talk about but thats it go away I want to see women" trope, so I'm glad this isnt the case here.

Then there are choices and skills. This is a concept that I've never seen done this way and enjoyed it alot. Maybe a "hint system" would be a great addition. Spoilery: Also it would be nice to know what kind of skills are required for which paths / are implemented in the story. For example if you really like to be a good, honorable guy, you could miss out on sub/dom content. (I just changed the variables of each to 250, as I do in every game with stats, just to be sure to not miss out, but most people probably wont do that).

This game is really really good. Excellent writing, good characters, interesting skill system. Being a chess player I liked the chess analysis also very much.
Congrats to the dev for creating this gem.

This is an exceedingly good game for a such an early stage effort (2.2, as of this review).

The writing and characterization are its strongest aspect: I believed in the female LIs, who have sharply-defined, realistic and layered personalities. They could well end up being the best-written, most fully-realized women _ever_ in an adult game, with the possible exception of Elsa from _Corporate Culture_. There are no porn tropes or stupid cliches in evidence here!

There are three other unique features of the game worth calling out:

• A deep, complex quasi-RPG system of skills (or 'perks') that the MC can 'earn' based on his choices, which reflect a realistic understanding of human psychology. The richness of the system, and its connection to the story, are brilliant strokes. You, in effect, define the MC's potential relationships (or the nature of those relationships) by slowly defining his personality.
• Eroticism. Actual eroticism. In a porn game. Thanks be to the Dev! It shouldn't be as rare as it is. The sex scene with one of the characters... is so hot.
• Chess commentary. I mean, WTF?! Is the Dev a secret fan of Nigel Short's old chess columns?! It's insane! (Don't worry, if you don't like chess, you can skip it.) But the Dev has built a deep chess commentary feature... into a porn game. He/she is a deranged genius!

So... please dear adult game aficionado... stop reading this review and play the damn game _right now_!

[v0.2.1] Nothing is Forever is a well-written character study into certain aspects of the human condition. You can always tell apart good writers from the rest when they create real, painfully flawed characters.

Here, we have an MC who is trying his best to recover from being a monumental fuck up and is surrounded by friends, colleagues and clients, all cordial and friendly on the surface, but busy with their own lives and weaknesses.

• Jen, temptation personified, unwittingly daring the MC to surrender to his baser instincts...
• Emma, hopelessly in love with the MC, but much too lost in her insecurities to realize how utterly broken the object of her affections is...
• Lea, riddled with performance anxiety but with so much confidence hiding just below the surface, desperate to get out...
• Deb & Carl, seemingly a sexually confident, committed couple who aren't afraid to broaden their horizons, but with deeper frustrations threatening their balance...

Not to mention the outstanding chess visualization and commentary! That's got to be a first in an adult game

Nothing is Forever is seriously great, and I'm eagerly awaiting what comes next!

This seems really promising. There's clearly been a lot of thought put into the character dynamics, and the deductive aspect of figuring out the various women is nicely implemented. I also like the use of an alignment system that goes beyond good guy/bad guy. I look forward to seeing where this goes.

As far as negatives go, I did notice a few small typos and the first chapter is a bit slow to get moving, but none of that is a dealbreaker for me.