VN - Ren'Py - One Day at a Time [Ch. 18c] [Zoey Raven]

Updated review since there has been a few contentupdates since I wrote this.

I`m not gonna lie, when I saw this VN was revolving around a couple who are spiralling through drug use, I was tempted to give it a miss. Life is depressing enough, but hey I put on my big boy pants and tried it.

The main characters are a couple who spend their days chasing their next fix and interacting with each other in terms of constant affectionate bullshitting.

They are not too far gone at the start to completely let go of their home and appearance, they still look attractive as well, but you know it won`t last forever. You can feel almost the clock ticking. How long before things really go to shit and tragedy strikes? Well, try it and join the journey...

Renders are great and anims are certainly fine if not anything amazing.
Dialogue is spot on and gives the characters a real personality.
For me, most importantly, the story is engrossing and makes you want to find out what`s next. The subject matter is also treated maturely.

There`s a few hotties our MC will encounter on his daily biz. Samantha is a shady but sexy fellow junkie, Barb, is tough, no nonsense but sexy in her own way, Audrey is a sweet, innocent type hiding under a projected exterior, there`s also a hot nurse that helps our MC. Last not least, sweet Mary who is a childhood friend of our boy.

Latest update brings some nice content and the hope that our MC will take the path to sobriety with his friends.

Only cons for me is I find MC`s long term girlfriend, Lydia becoming annoying with the constant shit talking and how little the affection between them is conveyed. It`s all constant bickering banter but no touches, hugs or even kiss between them. They are supposed to love each other? oh well. There is a date scene early on but I just feel they are like a casual couple.

But fuck me I would be drained listening to a couple like that all the time.

One other niggle and that`s Mary. Her features look great but the skin tone is just yeuch! she looks yellow like she has jaundice. Shame as it detracts from her overall effect but it seems others like it so hey, my preference problem.

Overall, great VN so far and worth checking out.

Sad and pathetic but that's reality for you

Interesting serious Story that depicts reality
Well written script so never boring and keeps the reader engaged
Nice renders with nice models
Definitely Worth it to give it a try if you wanna enjoy a realistic plot
Hope we are in for a great story that represents the real world rather than fantasy like all other VNs
Keep up the good work
Goodluck dev.

A great idea and story to begin with as a first game, you're able to captivate attention from your audience. The subject of the story is interesting to learn with someone looking in from an outside perspective. The character development is also very thought-provoking and the development of the MC makes you feel as if you are actually him. Look forward to more updates.

Very good game with a lot of potential, I don't get most of the reference in the dialog but this is definitely a good take on story telling.

the art is good, and pace is perfect! Gonna support the dev on patreon.

Absolutely love this game. All the old references hit home. It's funny, gripping, and pulls you in emotionally. The writing, renders and animation are just Amazing!l Waiting in anticipation for the next chapter! Absolutely great job @Zoey Raven

It's different and interesting and the renders are great. The writing is mostly superb for a e-game also. I do have a few complaints which I will get into in a second, but I like to start with the positive. Characters are interesting and well written. The plot thread is very easy to follow. I can see where the story is going and I think that is a huge positive for stories. I've read thousands of stories and I can count on one hand how many good ones I've read where I couldn't take a good guess on where they were going. Usually good set up and a predictable, but satisfying story arc is far better than a surprising and unfulfilling story arc.

The only negative I have, right now, is several mentions of writing guides for hentai games being an fairly ubiquitous side job. This is both silly and takes me right out of the story when I see it. Nods to other games can be acceptable, but the way it is done in this game is almost enough for me to take a star away... almost. I would highly suggest taking this out of the game or just not mentioning it again.

Otherwise, great job! I look forward to reading what comes next.

So I think quite a bit of us know Zoey from his quality mods and overall presence on the site, so of course I was going to try this game!

I expected an engaging story and something out of the ordinary, and of course this game delivered that experience! It is a subject matter that I haven't seen really in a game on here, and I was completely engaged in the narrative. The writing, renders, and character arcs are all top notch, especially considering it's a brand new dev learning on the fly! (I know the feeling!) You can already tell this is going to be a story with real choices, real tension/conflict, and real emotion. This is what I like...so I'm in.

I have never touched a single drug in my life, but I did attend a pretty nice private school where some richer kids (I wasn't poor, but nothing like some of these kids as a few were children of CEOs, massive business owners, etc.) had a lot of access to high quality drugs. It was an open secret at our campus as a normal thing to do for some people. And a guy I became friends with (I also was thirsty for him) and almost got with I ended up avoiding/dropping because he was on something and it was very clear, etc. He also got a 2270 on his SATs (elite Harvard type score) and was super bright. But it hasn't gone well for him is all I will say. So I identified personally with Audrey quite a bit...I hope I can change the MC's fate in this game

I think Lydia is an incredibly deep character already, as I see numerous little layers behind her words and behavior. I think she will end up being a very memorable character far beyond the purview of a "porn game."

No doubt drug use is not a common subject, but I feel like I am going to be getting an education about what it's truly like...and that has me intrigued to see more as I really don't know much if anything at all.

I highly encourage people to try this game! There's always time later for another "roommate/landlady/sister/mom" in the home game too! But try something unique and different!

Now that's a great first release!
I'm not really good at writing/reviewing, so I'll just randomly throw my thoughts about this one.

Zoey chose quite a bold theme for his story to tell. There are plenty of books and movies about drug addicts, but AVNs - not that I know of.
And what important for me with story-heavy AVNs is that they do have a story to tell. You can have good dialogues, cool characters, but you can get away with those only for so long. Zoey's story got me hooked, which is the most important part of the first release.
But not only the story. Man, I really liked dialogues as well. Those are really living person dialogues, characters have their personality, inside jokes, backgrounds, and such.
Can't point out any serious flaws. A couple of poses here and there could be improved and some transitions are a bit too sudden, but that's nitpicking.

Waiting for v0.2!

Unique and original storyline.
Nothing common like living in a house with a landlady and 2 hot roommates.
About Zoey most of us all know he has been writing games walkthroughs and making modes.
I didn’t expect 1st release will be this good.
Well defined main characters also side characters are really good.
About animation, for the first time it’s really good.
Zoey you should have made games earlier.
You are really good at this.
From a walkthrough writer and a modder to becoming dev congratulations Zoey.
Good luck, buddy. Wish you all the success.

Having never done any kind of drug, my eyes were opened while playing this game. I was sucked into the lives of the main characters and definitely want to see if I am able to help guide them to a better lifestyle. Thanks to the developer for doing an awesome job of showing what these people deal with on a daily basis. I eagerly look forward to future updates. Don't miss this one.

Early review: Unique plotline, written with copious realism yet enough humour to keep the viewer off the ledge. Dark and bright at the same time, with nice models, good renders, and decent animations.

Full disclosure, Zoey is a friend of mine and has been for some months now. I've watched his game development career from the start of using Daz to now, with the release of his first game.

Game version reviewed: Ch1 Fix

This review WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS - It is assumed you have played the above version.

Spread over two days, this game will reel you in with the premise of a 'simple' junkie life. A couple of characters are introduced namely Lydia and later Mary, however there is scope for some of the side characters to become more involved.

Many writers will try to show the lifestyle of a drug addict. Some do a good job of detailing the highs and frequent lows of each day. However, not long after you start to read this game you will see the difference between someone trying to 'make it up' verses the real and raw experience of words from someone who has lived (and come through the other side) that life.

Few AVN's capture the daily struggle of looking for the next high, hawking something with real personal value - just so you can get through the weekend. I myself have dabbled with this lifestyle in the past, however not to the degree depicted in the VN.

I'm reminded of the scene from Trainspotting where Ewan McGreggors character 'falls' after having taken a hit. The scene between the Mc and Mary shows brilliantly the effects of her first hit. This pushes home the idea that this VN will not be all light and that frankly, given how (in my playthrough) my attempts to dissuade her from following in the Mc's footsteps have little to no effect on her decision.

The renders are very well done, I really like the opening image with them lined up against the car. It's amazing to see Zoey's progress from only a few short months of working with Daz and I know he is always looking for ways to improve - what more can you ask of any new artist.

With more experience the animations will develop, however what is there conveys the scenes well enough. There are choices and rather than blind decisions the routes or paths are very well telegraphed by the story.

Well done Zoey, It's great to see you branch out into developing your own AVN. You know me, I don't pull punches, but I am genuinely looking forward to the next update of this game.

As a fellow Developer I'd like to welcome you formally into the AVN developing community - its hell. You'll love it

Excellent renders so far, a lot of potentially awesome scenes with side characters, and a really heartfelt story. Plus, Zoey's been a boon to the community, so their talent is clearly more developed than a first-time developer. What's more to want?