Most AVN's can make me feel horny. A few AVN's can make me feel love. Only one AVN has made me feel HATE, and it is this one. No that isn't a bad thing, it's a wonderful praise for this title. A title that transcends the sums of its parts. At point of Review, Version Ch4.Up1
Visuals or the Devil is in the Details:
4.9/5
First things first, the characters in this game all look distinctive from one another and the females are quite easy on the eyes. Pointed differences in colorations, silhouettes, outfits, and even facial expressions mean that even one-off extras are impossible to confuse for a different character. Which is always a solid start. However once you get into the game, you'll notice that the love, care and most importantly, direction, put into the character models is spread to all artistic aspects of the game. The backgrounds are highly detailed and even almost themed to subconsciously draw out certain emotions or feelings. From the posh red velvet and satins of the club's lounge and bar and its overly ornate decorations of it's furniture to the kitsch decorations of the MC's mother's house to the oh so wonderfully cliché (for a reason) post-modern minimalist yuppie loft the MC moves to. All of this works really well to create a level of immersion for the player as they step into the shoes of the MC. The adult scenes likewise use good work of angles, colors, and perspective to match the rhythm of the scene. The main LI's are all gorgeous and their appearance suits them, sometimes with devilish details meant to evoke resemblance to other characters, on purpose. My only criticism would be that all females seem to have a porn-star rack, but that is almost to be expected for a 3d AVN. so that is my -0.1
Audio or How to Set a Tone
5/5*
Unfortunately many games don't have either the development time or direction to be able to select a BGM that properly fits and elevates a scene. Music, and audio in general, is usually something we don't notice that we notice but proper implementation can really drive home whatever feelings, lust or otherwise, the visual in front of us makes us feel. Sometimes something as small as a single sound effect can shatter your immersion into the game and quickly remind you that you are indeed where you are simply playing a game. On the flipside, good audio typically goes unnoticed as a component because when it does its job, it blends into the writing and graphics in front of you like salt on a steak. PC does a wonderful job of not only having a decent size library of sounds and songs, they typically are used to their full extent fitting in with the story beat. However there is one track in particular that sounds too much like a certain recently popular pop song that I despise and every time the track plays said terrible pop song gets stuck in my head, hence the asterisk on my 5/5.
Writing, or how I Came for the Kink and Stayed for the Story
5/5
The meat and potatoes. Simply put, the writing in PC is transcendent. Some folks have a talent for writing hot smut, but some have a talent for writing. I think the later is true for the devs of this game. Little. Devilish. Details. Everywhere. Lesser writers will write excellent scenes that are held together by transitional ligaments. In contrast, the writing in PC feels holistic in a way. Even what may seem like simple transitions will sometimes remind of themes previously expressed and blend said themes with teasing of themes of the upcoming scene like blood flowing between two organs.
The debauchery and decadence of the kinks shown in this game reflect sometimes too well the decisions the MC has made that put him in said situation. The game relishes the rhythmic dance between lust and empathy as you are consistently forced to choose whether or not to debase and strip away the humanity of these women in your care in order to help further their goals. Its a strange and unique dichotomy your are often presented with. Often times "helping" a LI involves corrupting them and guiding them to give in their carnal desires and relinquishing the discipline to stave off desire that separates man from beast. Hell, the game itself even brings up Maslow and plays with that theme constantly. This is corruption done correctly. Every time you give in to your carnal lusts or encourage another to give in to theirs, there is an emphasis upon how that affects said person's wellbeing psychologically. You are not allowed to forget your shame, you are liberated by it. You must revel in it. Your shame exists to enhance the pleasure of lust, rather than detract from it. Or at least, that's how I interpreted it. That being said, none of this would really matter other than to get you hot and bothered if the game didn't exquisitely demand your empathy with its characters.
The Characters. The characters of this game are where the game truly shines. While a little suspension of disbelief maybe required(depending on your own life experience) to buy into some characters' motivations, the emotional investment I gave them, without realizing it(kudos), absolutely drove me wild. These characters are nothing close to caricature, and instead all have interesting backstories and lives that expertly enhance the situations you will find yourself in with them. You will empathize with them, you will desire them, you may even pity or despise some of them. From a technical standpoint, there is a variety of LI's and side characters for a variety of tastes and the main LI's are all excellently characterized to excruciating details that really bring them to life. This does an excellent job of emotionally manipulating the player in the best way when it comes to interacting with them. There is one character in particular that comes to mind from my experience. She didn't make sense to me, despite seeming quite a bit like multiple people I've had the misfortune of meeting before. This drove my curiosity to explore her path further. As I followed this woman's path and discovered more about her, I began to despise her more, which only served to fuel my curiosity and focus upon her. This eventually paid off in a scene where due to extreme kinkiness and debauchery, she peels away her "gold digging whore" (her words, not mine) façade and eventually reveals her true motivations and philosophy. Finally the nut had cracked and this LI showed a little bit of vulnerability. Normally the payoff in that situation is a feeling of sympathy or empathy or closeness. Instead I felt disgust. Disgust at a fictional character in a fictional setting chock full of terrible, awful people. This woman's philosophy and actions led to the direct result of her unhappiness and she's pointedly aware of that. So what does she do? Does she admit wrongdoing and open up to a different way of life? NO! She doubles down! Then she has the AUDACITY to leverage her power and station to drag you into her world of misery and hopelessness and depression by offering you her ill-gotten money! That, ladies and gentlemen, is the first time I've ever felt actual hatred for a fictional character. I quickly realized this fact and I was confused. I was perplexed. I loved it. Without realizing, the excellent writing of this AVN had gotten me so emotionally invested in it. Which given the previously stated themes of the VN itself, only served to compound the enjoyment I felt. No longer was I the MC being unduly influenced by the decadent and debauched. I was the player, being influenced by Art. All this because I wanted a kinky fap.
Overall or tl;dr
5/5.
A steamy, depraved, and sexy romp through an engaging and addicting story filled with loveable, fuckable, and detestable characters. Resolutely one of the best adult visual novel experiences I've had the pleasure of playing. Given what is already here, I have no doubt it will be a masterpiece upon completion and I look forward to the continued development of this game. A little something for everyone.
