VN - Unity - Out of Touch! [v3.28] [Story Anon]

Out of touch is a confusing VN for me to rate. It relies a lot on tropes I dislike - memes in a serious story, anime humor, a really dense protagonist and the list goes on. However it also does a few things I really like. The story is well written and interesting, there are some genuine heartfelt moments, the scale of the story feels epic and again the list goes on.

Because this game is hard for me to review I am going to just talk about what I liked, what I disliked and give my overall thoughts on the VN.

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What I disliked:

There are a few things that I disliked about this game and this is listed below:

1. Meme humor. One might argue that it is part of the game's style but sometimes your sense of style is just awful. To me the memes added nothing to the story and just cheapened my experience as a whole.

2. A dumb protagonist. I usually love it when protagonists have character. I love it when we get someone who is different and does not have the personality of a piece of cardboard. However at the same time certain personality types can be incredibly frustrating/annoying to play. And I would take cardboard personalities over something that annoys me any day of the week. CJ - the main character has a distinct personality. However this is not the type of character I enjoy. Playing someone dense is more frustrating than it is fun and it got in the way of me enjoying the game. The gags involving him being an idiot were not funny, they were annoying.

3. Some scenes/revelations feel like they drag on. I am not a fan of drama for the sake of it. Some gags and some drama is ok however it is important for it to not overstay its welcome. One such example is the MC not noticing one of the girls is in fact a girl. It is played off as a joke at first but the joke overstays its welcome and after a certain point it gets really annoying. There are a few other plot points that made me feel the same way.

4. The slow start. While the start is a small part of the story, the game is incredibly long so you are stuck with a dull start for several hours before the story gets interesting.

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What I liked:

Despite my complaints in the above section, I am still giving this a rating of 4 stars and that is because what the game does well, it does really well. Below are some of the things I liked about this game:

1. The story. While the beginning is slow and boring, things ramp up when the game starts leaning more towards the fantasy elements. I started enjoying the game at around chapter 20. After that point the story just kept improving in quality. The downside is that it takes some time to reach that point. However the game is very large and while the bad parts of the game can feel long, the good parts of the game last a lot longer in terms of gameplay hours.

2. The visual style. I dont like Koikatsu art and I am indifferent about the character design. However I must admit that it stands out. The game looks different from your usual Koikatsu game and I can appreciate that.

3. The romance. While Out of Touch is heavy on anime tropes, one category of tropes it does not follow are tropes involving romance. And I am so happy with that decision. The sex scenes did not feel like they had your usual sex level up system where there is a rule that you must have a handjob/blowjob before sex that you see in so many other VNs. And more importantly unlike most harem games out there, this game establishes a proper poly relationship between the MC and the girls early on. There is no beating around the bush, hiding relationships from other girls etc. Hiding romances from other characters is what frustrates me the most in harem games and I am happy to say this VN does not have that.

4. The emotional moments. As stated before I dislike overused drama (something that this game admittedly has). But at the same time this game also has some very emotional moments that have a lot of impact. Some of the later scenes in the game are just incredible. I do not want to give any more details here as it will require me to spoil the good parts of the game.

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Overall Thoughts:

If you are a fan of JVNs and dont mind going through a tedious beginning, if you dont mind a VN that is relatively light on sexual content (there are sex scenes but relative to its size its not a lot), if you dont mind anime tropes (dumb as a rock MC, power of friendship etc), if you are not put off by overused meme related humor you will like this VN. Because everything else is done well.

To anybody who is playing this game for the first time, my recommendation is to keep in mind that the game gets better as the VN goes on. However I can recognize that this VN is not for everyone. I myself almost dropped it a couple of times. The VN is unique and might be a bit different from many western AVNs you are probably used to - it feels a lot like a JVN in many ways. To me this is a 7-8/10 which I am rounding up to 4 stars. I recommend trying it for yourself to see if you like it.

I was attracted by the overwhelmingly positive reviews and praises like "fantastic story", "good writing" etc. so I gave it a try.

I am honestly super super confused just 5 mins into the game. The first few chapters were messy, the dialogue were ambiguous and uninteresting, the renders were subpar Koikatsu style, the introduction to the 10 or 15 (yes, that many) characters were mostly just showing their faces for 1 render and letting us know their names, which makes it hard to remember who is who and who is doing what.

I thought it will get better later and also I am looking forward to some H-scenes, so I kept going until chapter 15 or something. It is very difficult to do so because there is a location system which needs you to travel to 10 different locations just to progress one scene. After 1 hour of trying and I must have gone through like 1 millions words and dialogues, I am awe-struck that I haven't encounter a single H-scene, Yes, NO H-SCENE AFTER 1 HOURS OF READING 100K WORDS. And then comes every bad writer's favourite trick: they start to throw in supernatural elements to progress the plot. Changing from a school setting with friends to some superhero-destined-child of the god-save the world from the evil-shenanigans. All while trying to be funny but the dialogues are getting more and more cringe- worthy. The reveal of the Mc's father as a "living meme god" is one of the most appalling thing I've experienced in an AVN: it is not funny for people who aren't into memes, it is not contributing to the story a bit (if the writer is seriously constructing a story here) and it is just so off-putting I stop right there. And I start to wonder where all these "good writing" comments came from. Good writing in terms of what, putting all sort of random things into one pot to make a super messy stew out of it?

The MC is one of the worst you can get. The writer makes him almost unintelligent, unwitty, uncharacteristic to the point that he is just a tool to progress the story. Even the NPC at the roadside has more character than him. And I just cannot appreciate the choice of clothing the writer threw on him. That horrible 80 or 90 whatever disco suit. I cant.

All in all, maybe this game is for someone but it is not for me. I enjoy a silly story that is funny; I enjoy serious story that is exciting and deep; but I cannot enjoy a silly story pretending it is serious and deep.

I like seeing characters go through hell (through, not to, the leaving part is crucial). Cro'dhearg started the story so far around the bend she didn't even realize that's where she was. She recovered some sanity, took a look around, and went to hell's midden to built a house out of shit in the place she now recognized she belonged. And there she would've remained if not for Leah deciding to Doomrider the whole process because walking into and then out of hell is for chumps. Poor Cro' had her trash hut of sadness and isolation run over by a lightcycle whose driver didn't even know it was there cuz she was turned around 'steering' with her feet doing lines off the seat. Now Cro's got nothing to do but follow a trail of carnage that does eventually lead to the exit, and if the rest of her journey's as well done I might get off on the sheer catharsis at the end of it.

Out of Touch is an enjoyable, slow developing story that reminds me of Muv Luv or a long running manga. If you are looking to feel the entire spectrum of emotions while playing a visual novel then this is the game for you.

The cast of well written characters come in and out of the spotlight as the story arcs progress, introducing you to their facets both good and bad. At the heart of any story, for me, is how well the characters are designed, portrayed, and progressed - Out of Touch has this in spades.

The visuals keep to a specific aesthetic that could best be described as 'Listening to 80's synthwave while tripping'. They are detailed, with small easter eggs and foreshadowing hidden in some scenes, and composed well, giving the storytelling a unique visual journey from start to finish.

A consistent tone is kept throughout (as long as you can ignore the discrepancy between the first 15 chapters and later), aided by a solid soundtrack. All of the above serves to keep you engaged with the gripping, enjoyable, and detailed plot that unfolds over many chapters.

It is obvious that this work is a product of love and attention to detail.

One of the best VNs I have ever read. One in which I feel motivated to read every single dialogue and explore all the side options instead of just skipping through all the filler conversations. The intro felt weird and rushed, but once the story unraveled it all made senses. I love how there are ups and downs that actually shape the characters of the story, not just pumping out every detail at once to quickly rush readers into the "main plot". Excellent. 10/10 would recommend to friends.

A bit of a slow burn, but the writing is really good compared to most other VNs here. Renders are well done, but the main draw here is the story. Not really great if you're just here for the porn. There's a moment relatively early on where if you can get past the absurdity of it, then the game is probably for you.

The developer seems to be pretty consistent on updates, and there's a lot of content, so that's a major plus. The use of custom music rather than the same stuff every other VN uses is also very refreshing.

Overall, good story, great renders, good music, and many hours of content.

Hell of a fun game. The story is really good and bears up to scrutiny well. The art is surprisingly good for this engine. The smut takes a good while to get going but does deliver once it gets there.

If you like worldbuilding, deep lore, and well-characterized girls you’ll dig it. If you want a quick fap or a self-insert MC, you might not (although I’d suggest you try it anyway, you might be surprised).

The biggest negative on this game is it is really obvious this is the author’s first game. The writing and art is “okay” in the first few chapters, and rapidly gets much, much better. It seems strange that this game isn’t more popular than it is, and I think the relatively weak intro chapters is why.

Animation is quite good. I tend not to prefer this style. But what really got me was the characters : all of them are identifiable and yo really find yourself rooting for them. And liking most of them.
I genuinely laughed which is rare on this site. (The class intro of CJ and Sarah)

Keep up the good work I look forward to what else you do with it and the completed product.

Wow this game... first time i need to write a review about one. First, i think this game was like many other here but then it grab me, make me cry, laugh, make me feel something. The retrowave's art direction is really good with just enough of madness. The graphic art is really good too, with a good choice of music who make us feel the atmosphere. There are not a lot of lewd scene but this not this game was about. A really good story with great character and i really enjoy reading it! Thanks for that, it's a amazing job!

In a vacuum this game is somewhere between a 4-5 star rating, if there was a 10pt scale it'd be in that 8-9 range right now but the potential is through the roof. Giving it a 5 which I will explain in my last paragraph if you wanna skip to that

Two disclaimers everyone should probs know about before going into this; one its much more a kintetic novel over an interactive game at the moment. Not much in the way of choices (this isn't a bad thing about the game I just know some people want choices).

Second and most importantly, the game is the definition of a slow burn/slow start, in fact I think the way the game tells its first ~5 chapters is actually a detriment in a way. Just here to say if you stick with the game through the most confusing stuff and overt memeiness at the start, it is worth it.

If you're here for the sexy stuff, same as above, slow to get into it but once you're in the sex scenes are insanely high quality.

Giving this a 5 star over a 4 because I don't rate games in a vacuum, but in the context of this site/ecosystem. And every now and again a game with so much time, effort and polish comes along that most people, even if its not to their taste, will recognise "OK this shit is pretty impressive".

This is one of those times, and ya gotta respect the devs who put this much work in and if this is just 40% of the way there, then this is going to keep getting better and better

Passed over this game for a long time because apparently, I can’t spot gold if my life depended on it.
It’s definitely a story-rich game, I’ve never been as invested in a cast of characters from an AVN as I am here. The art style had me skeptical initially as anime isn’t my thing, but when the plot start’s getting wild it becomes obvious why it was the best choice. 30 hours of content with so little filler is something to be applauded as well.

This has got to be one of my favorite AVNs.
OoT is not a game i would have ever tried when i originally saw it on here, it looked like a simple "slice of life" story about some young adults, going about their business.
I like fantasy, action and intrigue, and boy, does OOT deliver that in drones.

While OoT may start off slowly, much like a good series or fantastic anime, it takes the time to help you build a connection to the characters, introducing you to them and to the world, around 15 minute into the game a joke pops up that may deter you, don't let it, it is nothing but a trick, from that point on things become crazy and crazier from each chapter to the next.

This is like a fantasy book from a quality author, pay attention, because the author did so from chapter 1! your second playthrough will show you how much you missed

The lewds are also hot, even though its Koi so i didn't expect that at all, they take a bit to show up but they are much better for it.

Oh and the music, simply perfectly placed

The release window is also very attractive, every 4 weeks another 1+ hours of content (for fast readers, i'm a slower reader and it usually takes me over 2 hours)

Review for v2.57

There are so many words you can use to describe this game, and yet I have a hard time using any of them to form coherent thoughts.

I remember playing this game during the first versions released. I booted it up with no expectations. It simply managed to catch my interest from a glimpse off the latest updates page. It all sort of hits at once. The writing, the characters, the style of the renders, the drama, etc. etc. Then the music kicks in, and I had that "oh shit, this is good" moment. I could feel the potential, and it really delivered.

This game is unabashedly anime as hell in all the best ways. Literally through the power of friendship, love, and bonds we are fighting off interdimensional goddesses who love us so much that they will stop at nothing to kill us and everything we've known. Wild right? This game is a trip.

The powerups/transformations, the fight scenes, the cheesy lines, the kickass soundtrack, all the drama, the emotional moments, the humor, just everything really. It all culminates into one thing: a truly unique and incredibly well put together visual novel. More than being anime as hell, this actually does just feel like I'm watching an anime in visual novel format. I can't say I've played another game like this that recreates the feeling so well.

What will probably feel like a foreign concept is that we are not playing as the MC. Rather, we are observing him. CJ, the protagonist, is an established character with his own thoughts, motives, and personality. As much as every other character in the game. We are not shaping him to ourselves, nor choosing how he proceeds or what he says. He's a huge but reliable goofball that you can't help but like and the game does a great job showcasing that.

All the characters are wonderfully portrayed really. You just do not see this level of quality in visual novels very often. You feel for them, love them, maybe even hate them at moments. That is the sign of something good.

Now for as salacious and carnal some of the later sex scenes are, this is not what I would call a porn game. You don't play this for the sex. Almost weird to say with the ever-expanding harem. For a significant amount of the time the game is devoid of it even, though the lewdness has certainly shot up in more recent chapters. Rather, you play this for the story and the characters. Where the sex stuff is just a really nice bonus (and I have to say thank you for the maid scenes, which were a REALLY nice bonus).

This is one of those rare AVNs that fit into the category of "one of a kind." I don't think it's a game everyone would enjoy, but for story lovers it's almost a must to check out at the least. Very impressive stuff.

Review for V2.57
I started playing this and I thought. Well this is going to be four stars probably, good graphics but not a very good storyline. The girls already liked the MC and it felt very sad all the time. But then Chad f*cking Thunderc*ck joined the chat and I absolutely lost it. It felt like I finally found my purpose in life, lol.

Jokes aside though, the dev actually did a very smart thing. I absolutely lmfao which just created a light situation in all the gloominess. Besides, it also shows that the story/dialogue isnt necessarily serious which makes me accept the harem theme way more. If you want to make a realistic game in western/modern society with harem it just doesn't work. It is always cringe, but this way I accept it because it is not meant to be taken serious. It is entertainment which is brilliant.

Great use of music btw, it really enhanced the absurdity the situation which made it even more funny. Im not even done playing and this game already deserves five stars.

Out of Touch is a truly wonderful story. It's a spiritual journey that'll make you feel all kinds of things. The ultimate fantasy that isn't afraid to explore the depths of horror and the heights of ecstasy. Play it, love it, try not to let it ruin your sleep schedule.

I am shocked. I have seen Out of Touch (OoT) in the recently updated list for years, I passed over it on the assumption I wouldn’t find it interesting nor enjoyable. I was dead fucking wrong.

If you tick any of these types I think you’d enjoy Out of Touch

• You enjoy having your heartstrings pulled on and rewarded. There are sad and stressful moments, but a happy and heartfelt solution is always reached eventually. I’m usually a stone golem when it comes to these things, but OoT made me feel things.
• You like a game with a unique story, something that leaves you theorizing about the lore and universe afterwards. It is so intricate and deep that your mind can't help but make up theories, and with OoT's track record no theory is too crazy.
• You appreciate a game with effort and detail. There is subtle foreshadowing littered through the early chapters for later plot reveals. For example, a part of Chapter 2 foreshadows a major event 35 chapters later. You only really pick up on this stuff on a second playthrough, but the amount of pre-planning that must have been done is ridiculous.
• You want a lot of content, OoT currently has 30,000 renders, 300,000 words, 38 chapters and about 30 hours of content. Usually, in this situation I’d expect any quality to have been replaced by the quantity, but every chapter so far has been better than the last.
• You love a game where the characters love each other as much as the MC. OoT is a harem game but the more accurate definition would be a polycule, it's impossible to not feel the love and care between the girls in their interactions.

Now I wouldn’t recommend OoT if you want to…

• Play purely for wank material. It does have wank material, and it's good, but the game isn't designed to be 100% played with your dick in your hand. The plot doesn’t have sex scenes for the sake of having sex scenes, every sex scene feels like it’s contributing to the character development or plot, which is something I’m not used to but found myself appreciating. Sex scenes are back loaded with the first appearing in chapter 7, and then becoming commonplace only after 29.
• Or if you want massively branching storylines. It is an intense and intricate narrative that you are experiencing rather than necessarily guiding. There are choices but their effects are rather subtle and you might not notice them on a casual playthrough.

My advice to a first-time player would be...
Give it a chance and some goodwill that its quality and intensity increase exponentially as it goes on. If you’re getting bored because it feels like a slice-of-life game, you’re still only in the first 15% so give it a little longer. It doesn't reveal it's biggest or best secrets in the first 15 minutes

10/10 - solidly in my top 3 now, potentially taking the crown

Came for the Lewds, Fell in love with the story. Although there are many games here, these are the characters that I can actually say I care most about. When Khoine put her hand clear through Vic's chest, I about had a heart attack.

A masterpiece !
A psychedelic trip with a very interesting lore (with many supernatural stuff, time shenanigans,...) that is introduced slowly, but with a lot of foreshadowing.... once you will have played it once, you will want to replay it again and again to catch all those hints ! The sex scenes are late to come because they always fit in the history and make it advance, but when they come that does strengthen massively their impact, and they are absolutely amazing.
A main theme of the game is about overcoming one's traumas. So it's an emotional rollercoaster, but in a very healthy way because, how dark some passages may be - and God now some are dark - at the end of the way there is always light at the end of the tunnel, and some characters we begin hating the most finish being the most lovable once they have overcomed the traumas that made them act so badly... The MC is a very wholesome and caring person, who always see the best in everyone, and will always put the others ones good before his, willing to take the worst risks to save them, in all the acceptations of this word... And the art ! It begin as very, very good... but the author goes on learning as the game progress, and the progression is awesome, the last chapters are really, visually speaking, a masterpiece ! But this is not only the case for the visual aspect, it's the only word I can find to describe this game :

A masterpiece !

I think everyone should try this game with the forewarning that it might not be for them. So many people I've spoken to about this game would never have predicted they would love it, yet they find themselves totally obsessed with it. Sometimes people just don't like Koi. Sometimes people prefer stories that get to the sex faster, or at least sprinkle it in earlier. Some people don't like the kinetic novel format. Yet I've talked to many people that have had these opinions and yet count themselves fans, or converts.


Story - prepare to go on an epic journey here, and I mean epic in the sense that it is highly ambitious and has a lot of story to tell. But rest assured your in good hands. The dev knows where he's going. Stuff is planned. Things are properly foreshadowed. I've seen so many games where the author writes some sort of fantasy save-the-world stuff into his game and then introduces so many nonsensical concepts that nothing feels grounded, or has no plan where to go and writes himself into a corner. That's not happening here. You're in the hands of a capable storyteller and he will rip your heart out and put it back together better than before in the best possible way.

Characters - What can I say here? It is hard not to fall in love with each and every character. Despite the large cast of characters they all get adequate attention and development. And they don't *stop* developing as new characters get the focus, which is a problem for so many games. Oh, and the villains are incredibly entertaining.

Visuals - This game is gorgeous to look at. None of this pov-staring into a koi model's face while their mouth moves with the dialogue. It feels more like reading a comic where the view shifts to the speaker and to focus on reactions, expressions, and emotions. The action sequences are beautiful and suitably jaw-dropping, and there is great use of visual transitions and effects. The kinetic novel format is fully leveraged here.

Music and Sound Design - its amazing. The dev has licensed a ton of great music to add atmosphere, as well as commissioned original tracks for many of the characters and scenes. You're more likely to hear a song you'd actually listen to voluntarily than a track you've already heard in a dozen erotic games already.

Stuff you should know:
- game is mostly a kinetic novel with some conversation trees and the occasional pop up choice. There's a jrpg style combat section at some point but this is currently a skippable prototype.
- The story is told not from a single perspective but from the perspective of the ensemble cast of main characters
- you cannot rename the male lead
- the lewds are not animated
- the first half of the game is almost devoid of lewd content (and the later half is stuffed with psychedelic kinky group sex that hits hard)

I would encourage anyone to try this game, and at least get to chapter 2 or 3. Chances are by then you'll either be completely hooked or know that you aren't.

Consistently well written original story, with thoughtful character design and theming. Story Anon does a great job of capturing and channeling the ambience of 80s modern retro media. Visual storytelling is second to none. You don't see many creators putting anywhere near this much thought or effort into staging, blocking, or lighting. It's really impressive how Anon manages to put so much work forth and have it come off this naturally. Just lovely.