VN - Ren'Py - One Day at a Time [Ch. 17c] [Zoey Raven]

The story is definitely different from other VN and a unique experience. I think the renders are quite bland (in my opinion). The story is well written, the models are looking above average, animations are good. Definitely worth playing if you have not played yet.

Apart from the game, Zoey Raven always done a fabulous job in creating walkthroughs for different games, which helped me a lot while playing games. Keep up the good work and all the best for future projects.

This is such a pleasantly surprising game because it’s so thoughtful and intelligent for a porn game. There is no game that I have ever encountered that comes close to its impressive treatment of serious topics. 5/5 for novelty, 5/5 for plot, 5/5 for overall gameplay, 5/5 for renders, and 4/5 for sex scenes. Highly recommend although I personally find the side characters significantly more attractive than the two main girls

I just love the story, it's so intriguing and captivating, that i played it just in one session, while the amount of content until now is quite a lot.
Don't get me wrong the i like the visuals a lot too, but man i just had to keep playing, because i wanted to know what was going to happen next.


Try the game, it's a wonderful experience!

Ch.6c

I came for something new, and I wasn't disappointed; if intricacies of human condition are of interest to you, then this is truly a gem. As a porn game for some fapping - you'll find better ones.

The game portrays life from standpoint of a drug addict who's really deep in it, but not to the point of losing all humanity yet. Addiction has tore the veil of normalcy off his life completely, and what's underneath it is the ugly truth - we're all 99.9% monkeys, nature's automated drones, and the human in us is ephemeral and so very weak.

Never have been addicted to substances myself (only to gaming, heh), this still feels very relatable; the slowly encroaching truth that you're far less a person you though you are, the shame, acceptance and loss of shame if only to protect sanity and some semblance of function, and then, staying in this purgatory for years and years.

It's a story of hope, too, if you choose that path. The monkey is always there, but the human in us only grows in contrast to the monkey. And only when the monkey's ugly face is completely revealed, and no longer shocking, you might still retain ability to choose, to grow, and to put that shit away - always there, but the human is always there too, now.

Of all the VNs I played on F95, this one made me grow the most; so little judgement here, and so much wisdom; it makes 12 steps actually make sense on deep and personal level.

This is a brilliant VN that gives real insight into the minds of addicts, their lives and their potential path to sobriety. It is very text heavy and long in the absolute best sense of the word - I never wanted to skip a line.

I'm deducting one point due to a minor issue: The monster-dick MC openly has sex with almost every female character and they are all completely OK with it, especially his girlfriend. I don't usually mind that sort of ridiculous trope in a porn game, but One Day at a Time is not a porn game - it's a novel that happens to have sex scenes. I adore it for that, but it also means my expectations of realism are higher.

Besides these two issues, everything is quite brilliant and I'm really looking forward to seeing how the story will be wrapped up.

[Version reviewed: Chapter 6c]

SPOILERS AHEAD, SO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Compared to most games on this site, this one definitely feels more like a visual novel, in that it's pretty apparent that the dev's main focus is, first and foremost, to tell a story that is very close to his heart rather than to simply entice and indulge the reader with a plethora of lewds. Further proof of this is the fact that the quality of the models, renders and animations is decidedly mediocre. So if you're downloading this hoping for a lighthearted fap fest with top of the line assets, I would urge you to reconsider asap.

As for me, while I do find the "story first" approach commendable and the writing to be generally good, I think there is a major issue when it comes to the game's pacing. There is nothing wrong with taking your time establishing the cast of characters and explaining the physical and psychological anguish that comes with being an addict, especially because you're dealing with a subject matter that most people naturally won't be familiar with. Even more so, I really appreciate the effort that is being put into making these very same, very flawed characters seem like believable human beings, MC included despite his magical, irresistible dick charisma. But there is such a thing as "too much of a good thing". There is only so many pop culture references, banter and puns between the main characters that I can take before it starts to irk me, especially while so much time passes and absolutely nothing relevant happens in the main plot, which is so jarring given the heavy intrinsic nature of this game.

This brings me to my next point: the handling of the very few major happenings is questionable at best. There is a specific instance where something awful happens to the main LI, and while there were all the reasons to believe that it could have been a dramatic, well timed turning point in the story, the whole thing resolves itself within a day in the most inconsequential way possible, as if she merely stumbled and scraped her knee. Even now that we're finally starting to see the main character embark into his journey towards sobriety, it feels like it happened kinda abruptly, notwithstanding the couple of potential wake up calls that at the time seem to have meant fuck all to him. Mind you, I'm not criticizing the lack of player agency (even though it is an aggravating factor). It's just that while the writing can be good, witty and entertaining at times, I feel like it falls flat precisely when it really needs to deliver instead, which is a real shame considering how powerful and original the theme of this game is. To make matters worse, I'm going to have to reiterate the fact that as far as porn games go, this one is definitely on the weak side.

That being said I really do wish the dev the best. It's obvious that this is a very personal passion project and not the usual attempt to jump on the Patreon gravy train. I'll check back to see how this will evolve in a few updates, possibly updating this review in the future.

Damn! That is an amazing game! Everything is just great! I love the characters, but its story is beyond amazng! I'm really enjoying it! Can't wait to see more and more. I hope all the best for you, dev! You deserve it! And again: GREAT GAME!

Ok so this is my second full on review of a VN, I'll post this on the discussions thread aswell. So I'll start off by reviewing the overall experience then dive into the story. This review is as of Chapter 6c

First of all I want to briefely talk about Zoey Raven who's the dev of this game. Before I tried this game I already knew Zoey from their various walkthrough mods of a lot of the games on this site, and they're without a doubt the fastest modder out there to the point where most of the time a walkthrough by Zoey is often up before the compressed version. And since a few devs are a little detached from this site or are not that active here, I was intrigued as to what a game by a modder would be like, especially one as active in the community as Zoey is.

And speaking of the Dev, I want to start by talking about the most impressive thing about this game, which is the Development/content. Let me preface this by saying that Zoey is absolutely INSANE. While I'd say from experience that most games update bimonthly with an average render count of 400 renders per update which at times can be filler garbage, this game gets updated almost every single month without fail, with an insane average render count which is about 1500 renders per update, which can never be filler given the story of this game which I'll touch on later. Seriously though, this game i barely 8 months old and it has over 8200 renders (adding up changelog counts), take a break Zoey goddamn .

So as for the experience of the game. The game is quite smooth, it runs without any real problems, the gui is clean and I like the font but I would've liked to atleast had the option of having a text box as some of the text is hard to read when the background is bright, I am aware that there's a "Text box visibiity" option in the settings but it doesn't seem to change anything. Also the main menu background render is quite blurry compared to every other render in the game. And speaking of renders, they are quite good, they are pretty smoot and they aren't blurry or pixilated, I can tell that the dev did the best they can with their rig, which is impressive given how much and how fast this game updates.

Dialogue. The dialogue through out that majority of the game is quite good, it's easy to read and not too wordy or irrelevant, and I love the MC and Lydia's banter, and I find the excessivness of movie references hillarious . However, I am not a big fan of the dialogue during sex scenes, as most of it is internal dialogue of the girl describing every move she makes during the scene instead of talking with the MC. Which leads me to another issue with the game which is the animations. I don't have a major problem with the animations but they look a little off, and the viewing angles of the sex scenes are strange and not that good if I'm honest. And the final point when it comes to overall gameplay is music. I like music, I like it a lot. I feel like music inhances any experience so this game automatically gets points for that, but I felt like some tracks didn't fit well with the scene. An example of that would be the track playing in the pawn shop during the MC and Becky's scene. The track is great and I love it, but didn't reallt fit that scene imo, and I'd like to see more variety but that's just me

Now onto the bread and butter of this game, which is the plot and that's where this game really excels. This is a very emotional plot, I can tell that it means a lot to the dev and writing it was probably emotionally taxing for them, which paid of big time because this plot is incredibely unique ad is impeccable so far. From the very first chapter you have a clear understanding of the situation and what the end goal is without being unnecessarily cryptic and evasive. This is so well done that I have to point out how perfect the name of the game is. And even though I thankfully have no history of addiction in my family or in my close cricle of friends, it's amazing how much this story gripped me. The exploration of themes of addiction and recovery is extremely fascinating and this game does a good job touching on that subject through it's choices, and showcasing the desperation of these characters.

The characters are really appealing and you can really empathize with them and you can see how much your choices can impact them without going into a million different branching paths and 10 saves. So far I find Barb and Audrey the most interesting of the bunch, as they give Lydia and the MC something to strive for. On that note though, I am impartial to the girls' looks, I am not particularly smitten by any of them, and nor should I. Most of them are heroin addicts and they shouldn't look like actresses or models.

As for the direction of the game, before playing chapter 6 I was wondering when the coices of the sober path would come into effect and it looks like it started to. And while I'm on that, I'd like to say that I really liked how The MC's will readiness to stop came at random series of events and not after some world shattering epiphany, as most characters said, it just happens when you randomly just get sick of the way your living. And this is really the games greatest strength which is how realistic and unsettling it is, this isn't some school dating simulator or a fantasy novel, and while I do love these games, this is real shit, and it's the ugly side of the world and it's a real disease that destroys families. Anyways, I am excited for the future as you can really tell that the MC will have to make some really difficult desicions, and that there will be a lot of drama and falling out and reconciliation. I just hope that Zoey really goes through with this and fully explore the potential this topic has to offer because I don't think we'll be getting a game about addiction any time soon.

Finally, since recovery is always a process the format and length of these updates is perfect, and since the novel shows their day to day lives, there can never really be a filler update. I do really want to see the improvement of their lives as they go on, and how they overcome the obstacles they face, I can tell that there will be some setbacks that we, the player won't be able to dodge through choic, which is necessary to the development of this plot imo.

This has been insanely long, but I really enjoyed sharing my thoughts on this game. The Fact that Zoey only has a little over 200 patrons is criminal, and I really wish them all the best and support

My rating for this game is 4 stars, I'd rate it as 4.5 if I could, but I can't, and I'm not rating it as 5 stars as it's not perfect. This has been my review of this game, if you read all that you're a mad lad and thank you, lemme know what you think

Zoey, best known for walkthroughs and mods, has created something unique here.
Those who are scared off by the tags should be told that it is special.
Of course, the whole story has a heavy background, and anyone who has been through something similar or is still involved will see themselves again in many passages.
But let's be honest, that's the point and it can be very useful if you are willing to accept it.
You can clearly see that (apart from the sexual content) the story is based on own knowledge and experience and is not just some made-up shit or what is being told or you could read up somewhere in a book.

But do not worry, the game is not made to make you feel bad, apart from the heavy content, it is a game to feel good.

Thank you Zoey for this masterpiece, with One Day at a Time you have entered my hall of fame!

Updated for 6c
Wow, this story just gets better and better. The character arcs and individual backgrounds are just wonderful. I am doing the sober arc right now and it just really hits the right notes.

The animation has improved and the models are beautiful and I would say the lighting and graphics have improved.

It really is an easy 5 star for me. This is truly one of the best written stories I have read on here.


This is as of version Ch. 5c

I absolutely love the story and dialog. Honestly, it is reason enough for 5 stars. It is some of the best out there. While I personally have not directly went through drug addiction, I have had the unfortunate experience of seeing a close friend lose the battle and others who have made it through. The detail in this story is pretty amazing.

So for me the story is 5/5

The graphics are a bit of a mixed bag. The regular graphics are pretty decent and the models are very nice. The facial emotions on the stills are sometimes a little off in relation to the text and situation.

The animation is uhm, interesting. I never knew a guy could invert his body/legs like that during sex. Dude must be a gymnast The animation is not the worst, but if it was not for the amazing story, it would cost the rating at least 2 stars.

Still though, looking forward to future updates as the story is deep and has character.

As of Ch15

I really like the story in this game, It's a nice reminder that it's okay not to be perfect, and that flaws can also bring us together.

Lydia alone is worth playing this for but, you also meet many other interesting and sexy girls along the way.

Please don't avoid this game due to the drug use. It's a redemption story, you gotta fall before you can get back up... And if you stick with it, it's an amazing and inspirational tale.

5/5 Would recommend to everyone.

Great game here. Although the visual quality is average, the story and characters feel very real and the setting is very unique. Thanks a lot to Zoey for this game which allows us inside access on how the life of a heroin addict goes.
Although it is expected that a lot of gory details may be missing here to avoid overstigmatising heroin addiction, I really appreciate the inside scoop on the issues faced by heroin addicts and the powerful message on the rehab process that everyone has their own time when they realise that they want it and make the decision to change their lives for the better.
Please keep up the good work and stay determined in your quest to bring out this great story to the world.

Start your download while you read...

There's a precious and rather exclusive little club of top notch games on here, which are interesting to read and follow for their story, their gameplay or their characters alone - sex is either an afterthought, or just a bonus on top of a great game and/or great read.
"One Day at a Time" belongs in that league - and even has sexy times on top of it.

The setting of the story, a pair or rather a little group of heroin addicts in various stages of recovery or up-fuckery, feels personal, real and is interesting on and in itself, but even more so compared to your dime a dozen porn-game setting. Copious amounts of drugs make quiet the difference - go figure.
The tone of the story is also quiet masterfully crafted - it's 'desolate' enough to feel real, but neither too heavy handed, too preachy, nor too silly, given the subject. A rather tasteful approach.
The characters are well done and distinct, both in terms of writing as well as render quality.

If I were to cherry pick negatives, I'd say the posing could be improved a little (they are a bit too relaxed, sitting and chilling while the detox hits.. ^^") and all the characters surrounding our MC seem a bit too nice/positive so far. A look deeper into the harsh and sometimes un- but also sometimes justified rejection addicts face would be nice, but is on the horizon as making amends with those burned is part of the recovery process. As stated in the beginning - it's interesting to see where the story takes us!

And while it's not strictly ingame, it should also be noted that the updates are constant and packed. It's been out here since Nov.20, now it's half a year later, we're at chapter 5 and it's already quiet the story and far from done.

Definitely deserving of way more attention and maybe a coffee or two

.. now your download should be done, so stop reading and start playing already.

I really like the story. It is interesting and engaging and the background feels realistic. (But I cannot say whether it actually is, as luckily I have neither first- nor second-hand experience with (serious) drug abuse.)
The only major problem I had with the story was the (unfortunately usual) lack of male characters apart from tokens such as rapist and sponsor and (off-stage) fathers, and from the dealer (the last one is at least fleshed out a little bit). For me, it just breaks the immersion and stretches the imagination too far to have this guy running around having tons of female friends and constantly meeting new ones (and having sex with them, why not) without knowing / meeting any male friends, or any of his female friends every bringing or even just mentioning any.
Also, sometimes the MC is too wise and too preachy. But apart from that the story is great.

The writing is fine, apart maybe from the sex scene descriptions
(lots of "she impales herself on my lenght", "wetness", "rod" and other things that sounded to me like weird pulp romance novellas).
Actually I could have done without the sex scenes altogether and just clicked through them; but the arts and animation (also in the rest of the game ) actually seem fine to me.
There are a few typos (e.g., capitol instead of capital) but that's no real problem.
I found the extensive talk about music and movies boring. I think many people are really enthusiastic about the specific music that was imprinted on them during a certain age, and I sense the author's enthusiasm and desire to share it, but as none of the music involved interests me I found it a bit tiring. Similarly with the movie quotes.

Finally, regarding "Zoe, the dude who writes wanker game walkthroughs? I thought he got sober?":
If the author actually does write from first hand experience, I would like to express my sincere hope they actually managed to get and stay sober and wish them all the best.

Maybe not the quick fap you are looking for but if you are looking for a good story you will defintely like it.
And for once your choice seems to matter and if you add good render and sex scene, this game is pretty solid.
If you are bored of happy go lucky MC who fuck every girls, try this game it will definitely feel different.

The writing is great.....one of those rare times where you may skip a porn scene to actually see more of the story .... even though they are also great. Also a nice darker kind of game. Can't wait for more.

I figured id just turn my comment into a review.. give it a try.

I don't write many reviews. Since I played this game, more then a week ago, I doubted a lot about writing this.
I'm not a drug adict (with the exception of nicotine), but I have too much 2nd hand experience (as many of us have). Among this a brother who died due to alcohol and (hard)drug abuse. This experience has an large impact of this review.
I don't know if you can describe the game experience as having fun, but in my opinion this game gives a good insight of the mindset of drug addicts.
The story is entertaining in a weird kind of way. With a sensitive topic like this, there is a thin line between Real Life and keeping the story a bit light and interesting. But this is exactly what the developer does. I find it very good that the developer describes the link between alcohol and drug abuse. In the case of my brother, the clinic made the mistake to treat only the (hard) drug abuse (one problem at a time). The consequence of that was that my brother was a couple of years clean of (hard) drugs, but due to the continuing alcohol abuse he started using again (with his death as a result).

I can recommend this game to anyone who has a 2nd hand experience with drug abuse. If you look at this game as a VN to give more insight on the life of drug-abusers. It could have more RL experience. What I remember most (of my 2nd hand experience in RL) was the constant deceiving of the drug abuser to a point that you known you are deceived, but just give in (a bit) to shorten the experience. This comes back in the game, but could be even more. Although I realize that it would be very hard to keep the story interesting and a bit light.
What is done very good is that you also can have good times with a drug abuser. I have some valuable memories about my brother when he was using again.

The game is however a porn-game. There are many sex-scenes in the game. If I look at that more objective these scenes could be more extensive.

The overall experience is very good. I found it very well made and I think it makes this sensitive topic more open to discussion.

Excellent writing, original story, unique and quirky but beautiful models. Animations are improving over time, for this "new" developer, already pretty hot though, and plenty of them. Really love this one and look forward to each release.

Pretty linear in terms of choices so far, despite all the flavors of ways to interact with the characters, but that is kind of nice and relaxing, and too many branches can kill the progress of the canon path, so it is cool.

One Day at a Time (Chapter 4)

There's a word that I am searching for... it's like it's omni-present in the back of my mind, and I so want to reach out for this word which will describe exactly how I feel now [after watching this VN]... but the now not only dominates my being, it refuses to cooperate with my desperate hopes of enlightenment...

I have never done H, for a number of reasons, but mainly it is that I have always recognised that I am an addict in some form or another. But I have tried and loved about everything else... the changes to perception, the heightened emotions, the double-effect of euphoria and peacefulness that pervades me, body and soul... and the now is that over-whelming feeling of pure joy shared with friends while listening to great music [techno would be my choice]... but still I want to know that word...

One Day at a Time is an exceptional project. Good VNs tick some of the boxes, but as you get entertained you readily accept the minor flaws. Great VNs tick most of the boxes [yeah, that's unshamedly subjective] and offer some surprises. I like surprises! But I am struggling to categorise One Day at a Time because it's so fucking good. In every way, like the details in their eyes. My eyes, my brain and my soul have feasted on this wonderful VN and it is delicious. The manner in which it fuses sex and story is accomplished. The models are fabulously constructed, the sexual scenes are effective, but it is the narrative that takes it to another level. The narrative is sublime because it is fuelled with passion, style, intelligence and an impressive insight to a world that most of us never really get to see or touch. And I am hooked, addicted to this VN. It doesn't just tick all the boxes and pushes my buttons, it blows me away emotionally. The author(s) not only speaks from experience, from the heart, but does so in such an orchestrated way that the story outshines the sexual content, even though it is this content that sold me in the first place. One Day at a Time is intelligent, thought-provoking, and wonderfully realised. The story is incredible and credible and I just want more!

I quite like it!

Dear Zoey,

I hope that this is what you expected. I am sorry I can still not solidify that word at the back of my head that would fully describe my enjoyment of your amazing work, but I can hopefully share something with you.

This is an english version of a Marcel Proust quote:

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.

Thanks!

Review as of Ch 4c

Well I came for a porn game, and stayed for the story experience. Having dealt first hand with the main theme of this game I can say it really hits home. I actually had to stop playing it to compose myself and that is not a criticism in the least. It is a testament to the writing ability of Zoey.

Look if all you want is just a pure fuck game then yes you can get better else where. But if you want a proper story with some real issues done in a somewhat humorous but still serious tone, then this is a game for you. And it has sex which to me is really just the bonus.

I really look forward to seeing more of this. It is a much needed change from a endless amount of very similar games. I really highly recommend it.