Yes, that's it, believeable characters and situations with minimum porn logic but interesting and with good dynamics... needs some quite decent level of writing.
I'd say "Now and Then" has quite a good balance for it's setting.
Can say the same for "Pale Carnations" with it's few-layered Character personalities.
And "Friends in Need" deserve special credit, as You said.
I love all of those games. Now and Then was one of my all time favorites. I'm glad Kinderfeld didn't make it sandboxy. Games of this genre are screaming for sandbox. But I don't like sandbox.
Pale Carnations come just today with new update, can't wait to play.
Friends in Needs will be out soon.
Hillside will be out soon too. Only "Hot Sand of Antarctica" is slow (dev was ill), probably next month.
And my favorite dystopian game yet "Deadmoon Survival" could be end of next month too.
Single Again had me occupied for a week, played it from beginning. Now I finally catched "Sommer's Gone".
Few other games are downloaded, but time is not on my side this time of the year....