Ren'Py - Parasite Black [v0.160] [Damned Studios]

TL;DR I think the final, polished version of this game will be one of the best adult games ever made.

+ Great writing
+ Great art
+ Uncensored
+ Big focus on breeding/pregnancy

= Updates are a bit slow and light on content. Not necessarily a bad thing when the quality is high, but it's always a concern that games like this will never actually be finished for whatever reason the longer development takes.

- While most of the art is outstanding, there are a not insignificant amount of scenes of way lower quality, often even with the same character. Hopefully they get reworked before the final release.
- Quite a few typos.
- Saves seem to break between versions. I don't take that into account for the rating but it is incredibly annoying.

Really buggy early release but could be a good game.
I went to the lake, killed the slimelark and am stuck at the lake.
Clicking the travel icon shows some travel tutorial message and goes back to the lake

The game needs a guide or clarified dialogue to keep the game moving

Really amazing game. What's get me exited is the size of the map that I wish I will have the chance to explore it one day. It's really a rare thing to try a game where it has a nice questline with lewd elements.

This is great. Combines both the power fantasy of prototype (or venom im told, which is a good point, it talks. but i just like prototype more), with your usual hypersexual adventure one. Put all that in medieval times with some dark fantasy and there you go.

no, seriously, i dont ever do reviews, but this one just deserves to be talked about. The unique transformed designs are very nice and so is the art that goes with it.

all thats really missing is literally just more of it and maybe some combat revision. But lets be honest, thats not why we are here. As for the smut, its good. especially the newer stuff. They just get better with time.

Still waiting for the more of the mom and the sis. If youre like me, the incest tag may be what got you there. But as of now, its not worth it. you get no escalation yet.

I stayed for the story though. its pretty damn cool

Ok imma be honest. This is a real gem of the dark erotica, there is simple so much to say so I will be quick for anyone that is just reading for a simple rating that could summarize if he (or she) should play this, well If you arent scare of gore and heavy themes, you should definetly play this game.

Story: Its good and original, its a nice fresh air compared of the 90% games of here with male protagonist, you have a; medieval dark fantasy, alien themes and venom, yeah, venom, you can tell that the idea is heavily based of symbiotes like venom but more invasive... I love it, and you have a gymbro, if you are a gymrat like me you would enjoy the idea of a supportive bro.

Characters: You have a vast cast of girls that are likable... mostly, it covers a lot of kinks too and you can tell that it could end in an harem route with justifiable reasons.

Gameplay: This could be mostly the negative part of the game, the fighting feels repetitive and there is no upgrade or tree of skills at the moment so the combat is just plain.

Scenes: Yeah totally fap material but there is not enough scenes for each girl at the momeny so one will just have to wait.

Overall this is a 4.7 / 5 stars
Things that should improve is the combat system and maybe more choices, sometime it feels disconnected form certain important characters like Markus that it seems he is having problems lately.

Parasite Black is a great game if you like RPG games with some erotic stuff thrown in. For me it belongs to top 5% of game on this site.

Actually it would still remain great even with all sex stuff taken out. It would be still a good RPG with choices that matter, pretty handdrawn graphics and combats that are interesting and neither too hard or too easy.

The story is not worse than many big famous RPG games. To be precise I would say the story is worse than Witcher or Gothic but not worse than Baldur's Gate, Eye of the Beholder or Knights of Xentar. Sorry for some ancient examples, I am quite old

It's quite a typical fantasy story of a young man living in a hard times, going from zero to hero who has to save the world and rescue the princess have sex with as many gals as possible. But it's well presented and interesting. He's also some kind of mutant with special powers and curses which adds some nice twists to the gameplay, making it less worn out.

The game is now at rather early stage but I guess by just looking at the map that it going to be a big game. There is a lot of locations and while you cannot visit most of the yet, you will still get several hours of gamplay.

As I said, I like the graphics, it's pretty. It's not these same 3D models used again and again but something unique, a bit similar to classical paintings. The animation is worse but I had no problem with it.

Try it out guys and girls (any here?). It's worth it!

An excellent game. I am biased towards 2d art and there aren't that many good games with such art. So, I am very glad that this game has a decent enough story with great art to back it up. Though, it can be a little tricky to find certain character, the built-in walkthrough helps a lot. Would love to have more content with some character but I'm that will happen eventually.
Good luck to the dev for the future.

If you're a part of the harem anti-ntr crowd like me I just wanna give you guys a positive note: so far Lostraven has kept his promise on not including ntr. While there is netorase, it's completely optional. To my pleasant surprise even lesbian was made optional. So I'm just saying the game is safe, don't worry if you wanna try it out.

OK, so now I guess I'll be an analytical nerd about this game:



What did I like about the game?

1. The general plot seems interesting
2. the focus seems to be mostly on maledom harem
3. the fact that netorase and lesbian seems avoidable
4. the writing is done in an interesting way
5. graphically beautiful and artistic

What did I not like?

1. combat seems EXTREMELY repetitive. It's the same bland fight each time we head out. Turn 1, strong attack first enemy, weaken the other enemy. Turn 2, strong attack and normal attack the first enemy, it dies. Turn 3, strong attack and normal attack the surviving enemy. Turn 4 normal attack the enemy with 1 of the characters, game set. It's a dominant strategy that will never fail or result in anyone getting knocked out. I know it's not a finished product though. It would feel rewarding to have some kind of progression tree of some kind. It would be cool to maybe gain abilities and stats of the tree based on killing and fucking (because we're getting used to our new enhanced bodies.)
2. I had borderline no difficulty managing the infection. It's too easy to fight/fuck in the game so the infection level was almost permanently low. Perhaps make it so every time I use the enhanced form my infection goes up? Or make some kind of combat abilities that cost infection? Or if we're going with a progression tree make it so when I upgrade my abilities the daily infection goes up temporarily? And maybe some upgrades to slow it down, or improve the rate fighting/fucking will lower them?
3. A lack of combining combat and story properly. It would be nice to see the characters progress from training to after their infection. For example, when the mc and his "brother" fight in a training battle (your first fight) they're both able to do 25 damage with a normal strike. At the very end of the current version of the game what damage do their enhanced muscular human forms do? 25 damage. This is after the parasites explain they've altered our bodies to have denser muscle mass. They also imply extraordinary regeneration abilities which does not show itself anywhere in the game.
4. Map and time scale. It's implied that it shouldn't take more than a couple hours to get to the desert and hunt demorai. But in the story the emperor and characters are shocked they ran home in less than a week. I think the author could stand to make the map look a bit more scaled for this inconsistency, or make hunting them seem like more of a long term expedition.
5. although the graphics are beautiful it's difficult for me to call them sexy. I really like ahego, but for some reason the faces and scenes feel a little too awkward. I don't know how to describe it.
6. some dialogue feels like it should be in game, but isn't. For example, when Nyx (I think that's her name?) told me she knew what we were, the first thing I wanted to do was give Markus a heads-up. But there's no option to tell him.

Neutral comment
The game suffers from a jack of all trades issue. The game is kinda... excessive in variety that it lacks a certain focus. What does this mean? Well, let's say you don't like furry? Let's say you don't like lesbian? Or netorase? Or orc girls? Or trans/traps/futa? Or voyeurism? Or tentacles? Or anal? Sorry to tell you, but this means.... you're going to miss out on a good chunk of content in the game. While it's all avoidable, that also means the content left is very limited. I'm not complaining there's too much variety, I'm just giving everyone a heads up: there might be a very limited amount you're interested in.

Anyway, personal preferences aside, it's 5/5 stars as a game, and I hope he continues on and keeps making a great game!

I can't provide 3.5 stars, so I will settle to 3.
(This review is about 0.147)

Why the average rating? The answer is simple. There is no skip button, so if you are playing on android, where you can't press tab in order to activate/deactivate skip mode, the game can get tiring very easy. I can also mention the fact that save and load are merged to a save menu option that makes saving/loading confusing for a while as the menu feels counterintuitive.

With that being said, I believe that the 4+ star rating that the game has, is justified. There is potential here.

v0.147

maybe in 2 years this could be a decent game and in 5 years it will be an excellent game, but so far it's a waste of time. very unpolished. the writing is professional, and some animation scenes are really good (even with low movement) but there are so many problems with the game i would run out of the character limit.

first of all a lot of stuff doesn't make sense. this game prides itself on the violence/gore yet already makes the clear distinction in the intro that they would never do sexual violence, in a tone that suggests to say that they would never stoop so low and they never condone sexual violence.... ok, does that mean they condone murder/torture and ripping people in half and eating their heads? lol i dont think so. so it's empty virtue signaling at best.

some animations are pretty nice... but those animations are usually 10% of what happens in that erotic scenes. lots of text how MC is getting a blowjob and different positions and how they move during sex, while all you see is a well animated missionary/cowgirl position with no other movement. it breaks immersion more than if it had no graphics at all.

another problem with art is that characters look different in every art and animation. their hair color is the same and the length more-or-less. but that's it. it's like it was made by AI or many different artists who couldn't replicate the propotions of models. it breaks immersion too. even the main MC's best friend looks different a lot of the time to the point of barely resembling to previous depictions.

the writing is tiring. it's professional. clearly. yet tiring. long drawn out descriptions of lots of stuff, i skip half of it then read back history if something is important.

you can have a good story and good writing without making it overbearing. this game just goes over the limit. not that much but still..., i've seen worse but if you hate garbage english sentences which are hard to decipher, this is the opposite. where the english is perfect but you get sleepy reading it... which is not a good sign for a porn game where you rather sleep than jerk off.

combat is extremely mindless. you have a defend skill which reduces dmg taken by 30% for 3 turns... if you do the math, you realize it's not worth it. altogether it reduced dmg taken by 90%...so altogether it protected you for 90% dmg by losing that turn. (so you took 10% dmg for no reason. no charge up attacks by enemies either.)

i don't want to spoil much but later your combat power pales in comparison to the text of how strong you are before the fighting begins. typical case when a boss joins your party and suddenly he is 100times weaker. it just doesn't make sense. like lots of other things in the game.

the game is truly in alpha, and it has been going for 2 years. the game is quite unique i give you that, and the basics are already made, so there should be no reason to not make a lot of content with the available engine right?....

well.. wrong. somehow the main quest is still very short, there are some sidequests... which are ok, but i think the dev lost its vision how to continue. so it will 99% turn into some shitfest unless he spends a lot of time revisioning stuff, which comes to my previous point, that it will probably need like 2 more years so the game is playable and not just an intro with some dating simulator, and probably like 5 years until it becomes an actual great game. it certainly has the potential... but not now. if the game has more content and some clear path to move forward then i will change my ratings too according to that. but at its current form this is a 2/5 blueballing game with some great animation where the text breaks immersion completely.

(v.0147)
I were dodging this game for a while cus of the cover image.. I cant explain why but it gives me the vibe of an avrage visual novel claiming to be sandbox rpg.. But the moment i watched the intro i notice that it is not!! Even for an early stage it is solid! I really enjoyed the lore and story. It feels like the dev inspired form my favorite books, animes and games
After playing a while in most games i start to skip unnecessary texts without reading since it becomes dull but in this game texts are good balanced and supported with subtext lores which made me attached to the scenario... Only one thing bothered me which is the images served alongside with texts. They are so still and its a little bit moodbraker, i mean if texts say they are hugging lets see some hugging I know that this is early stage and probably thats the reason but eventhough i wanted to mention this.
About the art style, it is amazing. Instead of having realistic style having this watercolor is perfect choice since it gives the feeling of old fantasy rpgs. Also animations are really good! angles are perfect but needs to be diversified. The thing that bothered me in art is same characters unlikeliness in different animations and his/her portrait image. I mean same girl looks someone else in different animations, both facial and body structure looks different.
It is early to talk about the battle system and inventory, also the map and variety of free roaming options but even for now as i can see the map, skills in battles and inventory slots, attributes it is highly promising. For an early stage rate it totally deserves 5 stars.. Now my expectations are so high i hope devs keep up the good work

Really good game, i hope they update it often. One of my favorites now, i played the last update and has a lot of content, it should be fine to turn off the futa content, personally i dont like it xddddd

The Good

• The art style.
• The world – most of dark fantasy games seem to be in RPGM which is annoying. It’s nice to see one using renpy.

The Meh

• As cassianandorknoll mentioned in his review, the teams seem to be going for quantity over quality when it comes to sex scenes – every new character gets a scene, but they’re kind of boring and the existing characters are ignored.

The Bad

• The fights are terrible. There is no strategy involved – just make sure to have enough healing potions.
• Every new update breaks the existing saves, so you’ll have to replay the entire game with each new release.

Played through 3hrs of v0.146

+ Dark Fantasy RPG with Main quests and Side quests.

+ A simplified turn-based combat that works well enough for a VN

+ Art is great

+ Sex scenes have great animations

+ Nice use of music and sound effects

+ The writing is better than many VNs

+ I'm invested in the characters and the plot progression

> The quest system is the only hint at what to do next. Which seems to miss that revisiting certain characters/locations can repeat a scene or trigger additional lewd content. If it is there in the quest system I'm missing it.

-- The android version has no Auto, no Back, no Hide UI
The worst part about the android port is my Saves have the game splash screen instead of a screenshot of the scene I'm trying to save, so I have no idea what is happening that I'd want to reload that save.

OVERALL:
Worth checking out.

Real talk the art, concept and story in the game is really freaking cool. The art takes this game to another level combined with the dark fantasy really separates itself with other games. The concept and story I personally think is very well done where you can actually become invested in the characters, plot and the foreshadowing. The sex scenes are pretty hot too and feel like a bonus to an already really good game. I can't recommend the game enough because it really just hits all the spots for something dark, interesting and with a touch of sexiness. I'm always looking forward to the updates and can't wait to see where devs take the story!

Make three suggestions:
1. The story and dark style of the game is great, and the characters are beautiful. I hope the game can be divided into chapters, otherwise I will have to replay it every time due to saving. 2. cg in the game is difficult to collect, so I hope the setting is simple or there are more hints in the game.
3. Update time of the game can be adjusted according to the actual situation. It's going to be delayed every month anyway, so it's best to update every two months to take the pressure off the production team.
Thank you very much to the production team for making such a great game, come on!

In my opinion, this is a rare game that I genuinely support and adore. It has a delightful fantasy-medieval ambiance that really sets it apart.

The story is exceptional, featuring multiple branching paths leading to various outcomes. I appreciate the writing because it not only suits the genre, but also captures the right mood.

The artwork is stunning, surpassing the norm in terms of quality. The illustrations are expertly executed, with a great deal of attention paid to detail. The skill level on display here is truly impressive.

All the characters in this game are charming, intriguing, and wholesome. It truly feels like you have a genuine friend, and as you progress through the story, you develop a greater connection with them and learn more about their emotions, personalities, and aspirations.

There are animations, and they are of exceptional quality. In my view, only a few games have animations that are genuinely outstanding, and this is one of them. They are breathtakingly beautiful and extremely well-crafted.

The game's sandbox feature is fantastic. The free-roaming option enables you to develop your character not only through experience, but also by building relationships with other characters. It feels dynamic and lively because of the non-story interactions with girls in various locations. I hope this aspect receives a lot of attention from the developer.

The gameplay is incredibly enjoyable, almost resembling a traditional game. This is the first Renpy game in which I have truly enjoyed the battle mode.

Lastly, there is the music, which was a wise choice made by the developers. It complements the game's overall theme perfectly.

Great Game! Good mix between an adventure, combat and sex! The elaborate text based story-line really helps with the suspension and the exitement. Hope that this will be a very extensive and expanding game.

[Rev @ Parasite Black v0.146]

Hehe.... yup.

Art's lovely. Don't care for the gore and there's some minor perspective issues with some standing poses, but all complaints are negligible.

Writing is well done. Scenario's neat, narrative makes sense, characterization is believable. Overall tone's a bit more grimdark than what I go for usually, but only to an extent that makes me feel that I need to suck it up buttercup rather than the premise being a dry reading of an emo album.

Porn's nice. Bonus points for not being more koikatswhatever. Further bonus for preggo. WIsh there was more harem action.

Only gripe I have with gameplay is the lack of leveling, but this is stated to be a work-in-progress so again it's just me wanting a complete game out of a .1x version because I'm just not a patient person.

TLDR: Worth it and watched~

bad 111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111