Oppai Odyssey [v.0.3.8]: 4 stars. Oppai Odyssey is a project of love, and by far the most interesting and well-made game in the space harem genre, insofar there exists one. The story is relatively simple, the main character is commissioned on a ship. Alongside his childhood friend Lym, and the doctor-examiner, Dr. Clermont, the protagonist joins the ship’s engineer, Noel, to go on space missions in search for distant planets and wayward ships. Here, flag officers Mars (and Toyotomi) issue directives and steer the general course of the journey. Nyx, a wizard alien, joins the fleet, and side characters from other ships chime in occasionally, Sybil and Yoo-ri, as well as Alex, a male crewmate. Most of the time is spent with the three main girls. As the title affirms, the women are all busty and well-endowed, gifted with huge, massive tits, toned abs and shapely thighs and asses. Since the art is stylized, the character designs aren’t too distracting. Perhaps an acquired taste, the designs fill the gap of unrealistic body frames which manage to look attractive. For the main character, he’s a typical harem protagonist. He exhibits a lack of experience with his job, and his nice, innocent personality is a nice foil to his coarse, primitive sexual urges.
Life in space is slow. The opening sequence reflects this, as the prologue takes some time to get used to. Events are repeatable, and menial trivialities, eating, training, sleeping, etc. are the bread and butter of unlocking scenes. Though this grind relaxes as Oppai Odyssey opens up, with the overhead map, the actual gameplay part is a hindrance. Sandbox games are inherently boring because of the lack of structure disguised as structure. Thus, grinding is part of the game's DNA, and meaningful progression will take a while. Going to bed is a chore. Another persistent annoyance is how the menu defaults to the captain’s log and not the save option. Presently, there is an attempt to add some dynamism and color to the static navigation through the use of minigames, specialized paths, and stats. For example, there’s an affection and lust meter with the girls. But in the end, the form dictates the pacing, and there’s more clicking than should be required of an otherwise straightforward game.
It’d be a shame to be otiose and complain about Oppai Odyssey’s gameplay however; it’s only a part of the overall experience. Celebrations are in order. The game is a faithful collection of sexual fetishes and kinks which the author finds gratifying. As a result, the selections of fetishes feel inspired, crackling and bursting with a joyful, youthful energy. From the get-go, unconventional fetishes are introduced: female domination, urination, use of drugs/aphrodisiacs, tentacles and non-consensual sex. There’s a sort of Sadean excessiveness to it all, owing to the unreconstructed anime tropes the writing inherits. Each of the women are broad sci-fi archetypes, Noel, the drunk mechanic, and being the tanned muscle girl, Dr. Clermont, an intelligent, secret, submissive pervert, and Nyx, a sadistic type. There’s Amazonian alien women. Recognizable, not at all recherché, and the style sets it apart, especially with the commitment and all-in attitude on behalf of the author. The mood is infectious; we get swept up by it. The animations are beautifully made, looped, and thought-out, a favorite. One wishes these scenes would go on longer. Likewise, the quality of renders are great in story events, the lighting is subtle, the depth of field is tastefully used, and the general look of the game is appealing, and easy on the eyes.
Science fiction tales tend to suffer the pitfalls of genre storytelling: the overemphasis on the setting, world-building and lore, and favoring plot over characterization. Thankfully, the writing here does not veer off in this direction, instead, opts to ignore story altogether. The story is the setting, not the other way around. The plot is largely set dressing, a self-parody, and a harmless one at that. No stargazing, no philosophizing. If anything about Oppai Odyssey feels ordinary, what sets it apart are its strengths. Look to the originality of the sex scenes, the imaginative use of fetishes and Illusion assets, the cinematic, manicured feel of the animations, and the obsessions of a singular vision put to work. Oppai Odyssey feels so malleable and fresh; every update brings forth a slew of new content, and improves upon old renders, remaking or extending events. With a bit of polishing, restructuring, and tightening up the story and characters, the game can go in any direction it wants to.
