VN - Ren'Py - Completed - Now & Then [v1.00.0] [ILSProductions]

I'm gonna keep this short, otherwise this would be a huge wall of text that would need me to fill 3 whole posts. Additionally, people grade this game differently. So I will tell you what I go for and why I like it.

#1: The narrative!
The inspirations this story draws on is unmistakable and is some very good source material. I have the utmost respect for the writer's choices and couldn't have done it better myself. I love the focus on the psychological aspects of a post-apoc society and it's effects on the human mind and cohesion.
#2: The plot!
I just commented the story right? True. But the overarching plot of this is something we all can relate would be important to cover in a crisis. Physiological, safety, belonging and love needs are the main themes here. Food, water and good health; shelter from the elements and dangers; the sense of belonging, being a part of a small or large group and the feelings of acceptance, respect and love as well as intimacy that we derive from them. Maslow would be proud. Perfect execution!
#3: The characters!
I don't care for the models, I don't care for the graphics. The characters are what make this game the diamond it is. The amount of time, research and development that went into making the characters is absolutely insane. Period! And the bonding that is done with them is amazing. Mad skills!
#4: The setting!
The scenes couldn't be depicting this story, the characters and the narrative any better. It's not a thriller, but it isn't a light hearted and easy take on survival either. The creator is really good at inducing the feeling of hopelessness and danger, which is greatly contrasted by the love the characters share with each other.
#5: The skill!
This creator, yes creator, not just developer, made something unique with the limited assets he had from the HS studio and the mod base. I generally disliked HS games because they felt like a rip-off, but this title made me give such games another chance. That, and the fact that the characters are charming and absolutely amazing for HS models. Kudos!

#Verdict: TL;DR: AMAZING GAME WITH AMAZING CHARACTERS AND A GREAT PLOT!

Review as of v0.24.0

Damn, I've been sleeping on this one. I'm not a fan of honey select at all but I enjoyed this immensely. The story is pretty compelling and there's a nice pace to it, with a good balance of sex and story. Although I did find myself skipping some of the sex scenes to find out what happens next in some of the later chapters.

The sex scenes themselves are surprisingly good, with some decent animations and breast physics. And though I don't find honey select models all that attractive, I did find the images—in combination with the narrative—to be fairly erotic.

The balance of horror and smut is well-managed, with the story going dark in some parts, but not dark enough to kill any arousal. There's a great atmosphere in general, thanks in part to some good music and sound effects. The visuals help in that regard too; the environments are well-selected and fit nicely with the story.

The characters are well-defined and likeable, especially the MC, whose musings about the "old world" I found to be pretty entertaining. There's a good variation between the girls, both in terms of personality and body type, and I didn't find I was put off by any of them, which is pretty rare for me.

In short, this is an entertaining zombie apocalypse story that you should play if you are a fan of the genre. If you're hesitant about the graphics, give it a chance anyway, it may surprise you.

Story it's not wow it start interesting but on long playing time you will get bored nothing interesting happens between this 3 characters after the sex all it feel flat I don't resist more than 10 chapters, dunno how so many people like this one maybe they fake account with fake rating... this game is definitely not for 5/5.

Art or graphic is poor low quality with poor details and bad lighting every scene is dark with no light it look bad

This is by far the best game I've played in a long time.
The story is well written, captivating and make sense, the characters development is the best that I've seen. It's not silly and it's not sex all the time, and it really gives you control over your actions at all times.
I haven't got to chapter 24 yet but I'm close and I'm very excited to see what comes next.
I'll definitely give my support on Patreon to keep this project going.

v 0.24.0
If you like Zombie apocalypse give it a try won't regret
Good zombie apocalypse story
decent sex seens: bad early on and get progressively better to good

So Its a good game and while at the beginning the modules really didn't look great all the time and the jizz looked like day old dried cream, and I really felt like watching "reading" sex seens was a chore they kept improving and by the time Hana is introduced I's say that got pretty good
so while not the best fapping material its a good game and deserves the rating just solely based on the quality improvements to the renders

This game is really fucking good! You won't regret playing it
- writing (dialogue and grammar) is better than 99% of the games on this site
- plot never gets boring and pacing is good
- sexy scenes are hot as fuck
- characters are fleshed out and MC actually takes care of the girls; he is not a retarded teenager trying to rape his family in their sleep

Oh yeah and there is a massive amount of content, like 24 chapters as of now and each of them makes significant progress on the characters' relations or towards the story O:

Playing on v0.23.0

When I first went into this game, I was not expecting to become as invested into it as I have. I thought to myself, "Oh boy, another post-apocalyptic story where some dude with the charisma of a walrus somehow has things go his way and forms a harem of underage girls, whooooooo." But man, color me impressed and glad that I was extremely wrong.

I'll freely admit, this game's premise is nothing new. Zombie virus infects world, society as we know it crumbles, characters must learn to change and survive, yada yada, you've heard that song and dance before. Where this game shines and what hooked me in the first place is said characters. Jack/MC/whatever you name him is very much his own person, and I liken him to Geralt in that the player can influence where some of his decisions go, but they can't affect/change his core character. What you can do is affect your relationships to other people though said choices, and these decisions actually have a new game+ feature of sorts, where unlocking a characters route actually unlocks bonus content that you can activate on a new playthough from then on. This is a really good idea, as it not only improves repeated playthroughs, but gives even more variety to spice them up. Fair warning, you can miss characters routes in this game. I found that it made the story more engaging, so I reccommend that you play without worrying too much about girls stats and whether they're high or not. Just make what decisions you think are right and stick with them, as the story feels much more interesting that way. There's always next time!

Besides the aforementioned variation, this game just has a lot of content. At first I thought that since the game was labeled as being in v.23 that it'd only be a fifth of the way finished, going by the standard 0.0 to 1.0 formula. But that was a ruse, as the number actually symbolizes the number of chapters that the game has, and a chapter can take you anywhere from 1-2 hours to finish,. Your mileage may vary, but that's about how long I found it took me to finish them.

Overall, I really, really recommend this game to anyone interested in harem shenanigans ( if you so choose), pseudo-incest ( as Carol is Jack/MC's adopted daughter) and well-written dialogue and characters/scenarios. I had hours and hours of good times with this game, and I hope you do too. My thanks to ILS Productions for giving us this game, and I really recommend going to their criminally underfunded Patreon, and if you enjoy this game in the slightest, showing your support to them.

Honestly, not a big fan of HS... like at all. But...

Holy shit! Didn't care in the least! The writing is top notch, completely distracting from the HS feel. The characters, all of them, felt like they were real people, giving an excellent view into their lives.

Also, not a fan of flashbacks. But, Kinderfeld did it in a way that made the game cohesive, revealing what you needed to know about a specific character in a given situation. I'm not a bad writer, but I would definitely benefit from a wealth of their ability.

Like I said at the beginning, Honey Select, so the visuals aren't the best. But, also as I said earlier, the writing makes up for, and then some, the renders.

It's a bit slow burn, but totally worth it if you want to know the characters before they bone/get boned. The sex scenes are well done with incredible detail, long loops with no stutter. If only more devs paid this much attention to their animations.

The characters have a real feel to them. They are vulnerable, emotional, and weak or strong depending on the situation. I think I probably played 4-5 hours in my first night, just to see (or feel) how the characters responded to different situations presented to them. I had to remind myself of the time several times throughout the night/early morning, but my response was always 'Just 5 more minutes...', which ended up being at least 30+ minutes later.

TL;DR
Try it if you're ok with a slow burn VN. If you're not, then just skip through the text. I wouldn't advise it, but to each their own. Also, don't let HS keep you from trying this one. I would say 'diamond in the rough,' if that diamond hadn't already been polished to a shine. Totally worth the time invested.

Give it a go, you won't be sorry.

just got to chapter 9, and till now its really been nice.
Carol is a nice character, Naomi isnt really clear about what will exactly happen but maybe because im not that far into the story yet.
Love the game

Now and Then had me playing hours at a time. The differentiating dialogue that changes based on several different previous choices, small or large, makes me really appreciate the developer of the game. Animations are great, and the characters are fleshed out well. I'm definitely looking forward to more!

One of the few projects that I support on patreon as it's a damn gem and totally underappreciated. Most creators are coders first and writers second if at all, in this one we have an engaging writer who learned to code.

Brillant game, with great animated scenes and pretty solid atmosphere and really good content, one of the best AVG you will find on this site no question about that. The characters all make a lot of sense personality wise and the story is pretty engrossing with attractive models .

Hello, the game is just space, a very good story, the characters are well drawn and animated, I wish you more chronicles and subscriptions, and more health and success for you in this wonderful game.

I really hate when a game is not really a game but a book of sorts not letting player to decide.. 99% of games like that end for me after 3 minutes.
However when that kind of game hooks me up with its renders, writing, and composition i can admit this is some good shit.

Some excellent storytelling on showcase here from ISLProductions. The women are all believable, attractive and have well-fleshed out background stories, so they're more than just your average cumdumpsters you see in other visual novels.

I don't like the honey select moels so i was avoiding this game, But this was a real gem,
Pros- The story of the game is very captivating.
Lots of content
Excellent lewd/sex scenes
Excellent animations
Good character development
Characters have pubic hair
Cons- Honey Select character
some loopholes[Inconsistency]

This game is very good. Quality of renders is ok. Animations are good as well. But what's definitely top is story. I like it's story telling, nicely used retrospective also brilliantly well written characters, awesome character development. All of this set in post apocalyptic background makes this game of the best in category. Also now thre's a lot of content which won't bore you. Good job. 9/10. [v0.22.0].

v0.22.0

The writing is excellent. I thought the characterization was great and it's smartly written. However, even though the premise is post apocalyptic the plot and pacing feel very slice of life. Lots of long scenes where character have very mundane dialogue with each other, which made the story drag eventually. Additionally I felt the models were kind of rough. Worth checking out though if you don't mind a slower, dialogue heavy story.

A fun and engaging post apocalyptic harem game.

Pros

• Excellent story overall
• Excellent writing overall
• Excellent and unique characters
• Excellent character development
• Excellent lewd/sex scenes
• Excellent animations
• Lots of content - three to four games worth
• Active developer

Cons

• Honey Select character models - lack facial and skin detail. The dev did a good job with their breasts but the rest of the character models are below average.
• Some parts of the story are unrealistic (more details below)
• MC is the perfect "white knight" - He can do no wrong (more details below)
• MC's face is hidden throughout the game. I'm not a fan of this. It seems to be common with Honey Select games for some reason (lack of good male character models perhaps).

Realism Problems

There are several problems with the story that make it highly unrealistic.

The MC and Carol are in the apartment for at least a month and the MC goes out, almost daily, for scavenger runs for food and supplies, yet never encounters a single scavenger the entire time. Also, not a single scavenger tries to get into the MC's apartment looking for food and supplies, not one. One time when the MC was out in the courtyard he could see normal people on the balconies of apartment complexes in the area and across the street. They need food and supplies to survive also. Aside from two females running from bandits, the only other people the MC encounters the whole time (when living at the apartment) is the infected and bandits. It just isn't very realistic for the MC and family to be so isolated in the big city with almost nobody bothering them. Other scavengers would be checking their apartment several times a week if not daily.

One infected breaking down their front door was a weak reason to leave. No one really bothered them the entire time they lived in the apartment aside from one infected that found out where they lived and kept trying to break in. The MC, Carol, and Naomi could have easily moved to the apartment next to them without having to move to the High School. How much safer could it have gotten for them? Not much.

I would have given the MC a real reason to move from their apartment complex. I would have had one of the bandits spot Carol or Naomi on the balcony and run to tell their bandit friends. That would have been a real reason to move!

In the High School, the MC, Carol, and Naomi all sleep separately??? Are they truly in love or are they all just fuck buddies? If I were the MC, I would have taken turns each night sleeping with Carol and Naomi.

In both the apartment and the High School, the group makes no effort to stay hidden. They frequently visit the balcony and rooftop and look around for all to see. It is kind of an immersion breaker to see them expose themselves all the time to the outside world when they are suppose to remain hidden and out of sight.

In the mansion, the MC makes no effort to secure the place. He doesn't make any effort to secure the beach access. He even allows and helps Hana remove the blockade from the front gate before they were ready to use a car. The MC and group abandon all that they learned from their previous residences and assume the area is safe. No one carries a gun around anymore for protection except when the MC is on patrol or leaving for the nearby town.

MC's personality

The MC is made out to a be a perfect "white knight" Gary Stu. He is the perfect gentleman and always puts others before himself. He goes without food, sleep, and other necessities to make life easier for everyone else. Bottom line - he is too perfect. Playing this type of character is a turnoff to many players, including myself.

It goes over the top frequently. On at least eight different occasions, the MC explains to Carol and Naomi that if shit hits the fan, they are to run, abandon the MC and save themselves at all costs. The "white knight" personality goes overboard and hits critical mass! There is strength in numbers. Carol and Naomi have a gun also and could help with enemy encounters, not just "run and leave me to die no matter what!"

For once, I'd like the MC to not dance around everyone's feelings all the time, making sure everyone feels wonderful all the time and think about himself once in a while! It is way over the top!

When the MC walked in the infirmary in the High School and Naomi was topless, It would have been really cool if the MC asked Naomi for a hug. That would have been hot and sexy! The problem is that the MC has to make sure everyone is OK with everything ALL the time before doing ANYTHING.

I wish the MC would be horny sometimes and instigate sexual encounters without making sure everyone felt great about it before proceeding! In nearly every case, the MC waits for the girl to propose sex and almost never instigates it himself.

The only time the MC doesn't act like a white knight is when he blows up when the charger breaks down on the road and when he has sex with Hana for the first time without making sure it was OK with Carol first (and taking Hana's word for it that Carol gave her/him the OK). The only real flaw the MC has is that he likes to drink alcohol in excess sometimes.

The MC needs to act more human and not the perfect white knight all the time. It gets to be too much sometimes.

Future Content

It is way late in the game for this and it should have happened much sooner, but the MC should have been having sex in the presence of other love interests, especially Carol and Naomi. This should have been happening in the High School time frame. They are all very close friends and lovers.

Threesomes need to be introduced! The dev can do a lot here. The MC could be having sex with Naomi while Carol is trying to find the MC because she is horny and wants sex and stumble upon them. She could masturbate while watching them and once they notice her, she could be invited to join in. The possibilities are endless here! The dev has a lot of creative talent and can really spice things up.

The one on one sex scenes are awesome but there needs to be some progression beyond this.

The MC has anal sex with Naomi twice and then it is abandoned for some reason without explanation. More of this would be welcomed.

Hana really needs to have her asshole destroyed by the MC. She wants it rough, raw, and without attachment she should get it! If she complains it is payback for creating drama and damaging his relationship with Carol.

Final Thoughts

I generally frown on Honey Select games because of the outdated graphics and outdated character models. There are some that are done well and this is one of them.

The highlights of this game are the story, writing, and lewd/sex scenes. This game has some of the best sex scenes on this site! Do you know why? They aren't rushed! The dev spends a lot of time on the lewd scenes and they feel natural, hot, and sexy! Sex scenes include multiple positions, multiple animations, foreplay, and after sex cuddling/talk.

There is a ton of content for this game currently! It took me a long time to play through it! I guess one bonus of using Honey Select is that you can develop content much faster due to much lower rendering time (low detail, low resolution).

Overall, I really enjoyed my experience with this game! I really wanted to give this game 5 stars and I almost did but I had to take one star off due to using Honey Select, MC's "white knight" personality being over the top, and realism problems with the story.

I highly recommend this game and encourage others to give it a try!

One of the best VNs that are out there. The story line is great! This game has got me hooked on the post-apocalyptic genres that are out there. The fact that when I read the story line and can understand every word and the actual meaning is a huge plus. Basically, I like that it is written by someone that actually understands the English language and not depending on something like Google Translate to write the story for them. If I could give it more stars I would!