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

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.

Holy damn what a great VN fuking loved and enjoyed every single bits of it

Unique realistic interesting plot with psychology aspects
Smooth and creative presentation that is very artistic
Oh the mechanics damn it's unique never seen these much of abundance of choices and branching before and also it was integrated very well
Choices impact your story and drastically changes personality You can either become an Alpha fuck em all or a soy bitch boy cuck.

The story is very realistic which is very rare in AVNs and the writing keeps you immersed in the story
Great character building with different personalities
The renders are awesome as well as the animations with hot new models
The scenes were presented very well loved the hate talk during the session
Humors are just on point
Choice of music and sfx are spot on too
And for a first release it has a lot of content and gives you a proper insight what is about to go down

If this continues like this it has the potential to become the one of the top VNs in the future but time will tell
Damn I'm so into this VN hope this continues and can't wait for what's to come in the future
Props to the dev for the release of a great VN
Goodluck dev keep up the goodwork.

V0.3.1

Rating downgraded to 4 stars only and here's why:

The plot stays consistent since the first chapter and I love that. No unexplained personality changes and such. There is one that didn't stay consistent though and that is the pacing of the story. The first chapter's story progression was well-paced and I think it's mainly because the developer intended it to be more of an introduction to the characters and the game features thus the dialogues have perfect length, not too long, not too short, just enough to get you to see their personalities. In chapter 3, I was just disappointed at the lack of progression as most of the segments are just a bunch of dialogue that are so stretched I may even consider calling them fillers at this point, example:

I get that dialogue is useful in getting you attached to the characters, but there are plenty of other VNs that do exactly that but with 10x less text. 2 hours of update with most of it just being useless stagnant conversations.

Still looking forward to future updates. I'm just hoping it won't be me reading a new Harry Potter book for most of it.

V0.1

It's clear the developer clearly wanted a different approach when making this game, as shown with the renders as well as the skill tree and many more. That's usually very risky but this game definitely showed that it's not impossible.

The story is great. It explores different territories, the story of a psychologist with a regrettable past, an insecure chess player, the complicated life of 2 lovers among many more. The best part is it flows really well, which is pretty difficult to accomplish considering the number of characters introduced in a very short period; that usually makes the plot convoluted and you get lost wondering who's who, but this game absolutely nails the story progression. Also, I have to mention how underestimated the impact of music is in video games, especially in visual novels where it's more of immersing yourself in the story more than anything, and the music chosen really executes that job perfectly by dictating the mood in particular scenes. Some VNs just flat out not put any or just put a single track and let it repeat the whole time. I can't wait for the romance to kick in in the future chapters (Emma path for the win!)

The gameplay is well done, from the choices actually mattering to the skill tree system. I especially liked how even though minor choices do not generally affect the overall story progression, it's still important as it rewards you with a skill point depending on your choice. While it's way less than major choices, it can still accumulate and could make or break your relationship with the love interests. It's great to see free roam integrated in a way where it isn't sandbox-y (grinding to get to a certain point). Gameplay content overall is perfect.

As many others mentioned, the art style might not be that appealing to others. Personally, too, I prefer the realistic Daz3D games, but as aforementioned, the developer is trying all sorts of new things and flourish with it, and this case is no different from that. My only small, very small problem, is the inconsistency of the black outlines mostly seen on the faces of the characters. Sometimes it's there, sometimes it's not. Some characters have more of it, some barely. So I don't know if that's a mistake or something, but it doesn't really affect anything.

What I think will catch people's eye here is the aforementioned skill tree. The game explores various kinks/fetishes, albeit particulars might be locked to different characters, the fact that it offers the player the option to choose between 4 different routes and even as far as not limiting them to just choosing one of the 4, will be this game's best attraction. With most games just focusing on one kink/fetish and most of them on the dominant male side, I feel like people with submissive kinks will enjoy this game considering how underrepresented that side. So realistically, you gain more audience and lose none, that's the most win/win outcome if I've ever seen one. While having many different routes might prove way too complex, therefore, take time to follow through with updates, I have high faith the developer will give his best, judging from what I've seen in the very first chapter. For me, I won't mind if major updates take a long time, so long as each one has the same level of or even better writing, content, and length as the previous.

With that being said, I can't wait for the future updates!

[v0.1.1]

I think there is enough here to rate this even though it's a first release. The length is quite substantial as it is a chapter 1 and not just a quick prologue/intro.

I was impressed from start to finish, and after having played through the release, this game has shot up to the top of my most anticipated game list.

First things first. The art may not be everyone's cup of tea. It didn't immediately appeal to me, at least. I found it stylish and unique enough, but it does have a bit of a artificial quality to it, seeing as these are DAZ renders run through some kind of filter. That said, it grows on you as you play the game and you get used to it. It's even looks pretty good by the end. Other than the filter, the dev shows some creativity and artistic vision with the presentation. There are some photo montages and slideshow type of scenes that shows time passing by. There are some cool visual effects here and there. There is even a cool true free roaming where you press arrow keys to move around in real time (it's janky as hell, but it was cool lol). Overall, the game has style, that's for sure.

The writing is what really sets this game apart. Aside from some occasional grammar issues and typos, the dialogue flow very naturally. It's not just in the way people speak, but also in the content of the conversations. These characters interact and talk about things in a way that makes them feel like real people. Not only that, but the character dynamics have a lot of depth to it. We can talk about unique personalities and what not in many games, but how many games presents truly realistic characters? Not too many.

We don't get bogged down by mundane everyday activities, going on dates and meeting girls one after another like some mundane dating or life sim. We see glimpses of the MC's life that has meaning and are interesting. The pacing is great and it moves things along without sacrificing the character and relationship building.

I have a suspicion that the dev isn't actually a native speaker (apologies if I'm wrong), and that makes this amazing script even more impressive.

The other aspect of the game that shows immense potential is the skill tree. The skills/traits that are available seems very extensive. This could quickly get out of control for the development, but I think the dev has a good handle on reining in the potential nightmare. The skills will likely be used mostly as a gatekeeper for picking certain choices. Doing it this way makes it so the dev doesn't have to make a huge list of alternate dialogues in every common text lines during dialogues. The minor (flavor and small point boost) choices come very frequently, so you are never really feeling like the MC is acting in ways that goes against the type of character you are trying to build. All in all, I loved the way this system played out in the first release.

The sex scene was just amazing. The sexual tension and build up throughout the chapter that ends in a bang at the end was exceptional. Great dialogue during the sex. I went with the dominant approach, and there was no problems at all in immersion. The relationship dynamics, personalities, and lead up all supported this scene and elevated it both in terms of the sex and for the plot.

There seems to be 2 main sides to the plot. One is the MC's inner voices and how he deals with it. The other is his job as a psychologist. Currently, the psychologist job means helping the Chess prodigy succeed... which has Queen's Gambit vibes. I fucking loved that show and enjoyed all the chess stuff in this game.

I think this is one of the best made games in this genre I've seen, there's so much interactivity. The choices feel important, there are consequences, the dialogue is realistic and engaging. The characters show a lot of real emotions and humanity. The chess aspects alone make things worthwhile. Great work, can't wait for more updates.

Review for v0.1.0

The good things:

A good story - well thought out so far. Even though the psychology is in the foreground, the humour is not neglected.

The game does not use any mechanics as is usually the case in games of this kind, in which you are credited or deducted x points for the potential LI with a chosen answer. Instead, all points of the respective category are added up, and these points can then be spent in the respective category for skills in the - let's just call it - talent tree.

By talking to the possible LIs, you receive tips with which, if you have received enough, you have the opportunity to find a kink in the LI. This, in turn, does not just happen in the form of a message that LI xyz is now on this kink, but you have to solve a small quiz in which you are asked questions and receive the answers.

The music is harmonious, fits the respective situation and is simply beautiful. Congratulations to the dev for the selection and placement of the music!

The art style is certainly due to the fact that the dev doesn't have the hardware to create super realistic renders. On the other hand, I think it's great, and it was also what drew my attention to the game. This is certainly a matter of taste, but also a great unique selling point.

The game has animations, albeit short ones. They are kept in the same art style, fluid and look beautiful. They fit the situation perfectly, i.e. their placement makes sense. These are not two-second stupid loop animations that are simply there for the sake of animation.

The characters are very well developed and all have their own worries and needs to deal with, both at work and in their private and mental lives - or a combination of all three.

The less good things:

Sometimes the music is off during conversations, and I find myself missing the music and checking to see if I have accidentally switched off the sound on my keyboard. the dev should probably improve this a little more. Well, dev, you have been the victim of your own success in the selection and placement of the music!

Renpy games are born loud, so when you start the game for the first time, the music starts blaring. Headset wearers beware! The dev should improve this

Nothing is Forever has potential but is overly ambitious in terms of gameplay mechanics while also being handicapped with a subpar art style. There is a lot of content to play for a first release, however for some people the art style will be prohibitive to enjoying the story, I know it was for me.

Pros: Interesting concept, skills system makes almost all of the player's choices contribute to the MC's personality.

Cons: Art style - you either love it or hate it. Lack of certain skills will lock you out of sex scenes. Needs a good proofreader.

The art style has large black outlines around the renders, it seems slightly cartoony and could be fun but ends up being more distracting and ugly. Supposedly this started out as an accident but was eventually embraced by the dev.
The plotline is rather simple though different, certainly haven't seen anything similar in the time I've been on F95. However, I don't know that it is a strong enough plot to hold anyone's attention for 10-20 updates, especially with the skill system involved.
As to my issues with the skill system, if the player hasn't chosen to unlock certain skills the one sex scene in the first episode is inaccessible. The idea of locking out a player from the content they are looking for in an adult game is disappointing. However it is much worse that the developer doesn't explain the skill system and individual skills within the context of the game, the game also doesn't prompt the player to choose skills when they have enough points.
In terms of grammar, it needs a good proofreader to clean the English up. As I said in the beginning there is potential here, I will need to wait and see if the dev can seize it.