VN - Ren'Py - Profiler [v0.3.5] [DiveBar]

Was initially going to just be a comment but got too long cuz i ended up talking about a lot of shit so yeah here we go.

The game has a good story. The horror scenes and unusual textbox, despite being weird and me having no idea how important they will be except 4 relational to MC's and the normal experiment shit, are still unique and could be refreshing if used correctly, so they aren't dealbreaking enough 4 me to stop playing the game. Overall, it's a good action/mystery game I can get behind. I might have fallen asleep midway through but I did play this after missing out on sleep so who cares. Hope that this game doesn't get overhated since I don't think the linear plots actually that bad and even though some characters are more likeable than others, they have the right amount of diversity to keep the game flowing. If I remember correctly there might have been a fake choice when peeking at wintress in the bath, but the thing with the choices is a minor inconvenience 2 me since the dev is clearly telling an interesting story imo. The Sci fi elements are interesting as well and there are some mysteries remaining that have yet 2 be fully developed so I hope the dev isn't discouraged by negative feedback, even if said feedback is constructive, since the bad parts like the mini game handshake thing with the blondie gang leader can be skipped. The dev is also mostly chill and willing to listen to feedback so that's a plus.

4.5 stars. Obviously has potential 2 be 5 stats but I think 4 is fair without trying 2 hype up 2 early on. As long as the action and mystery parts to the story exist, this should stay intriguing in the long run. The sci-fi elements are cool as well, even if the unusual horror side effects may be off-putting and deal breaking for others since we don't know if it's just going to add onto trauma or have a bigger story focus in the future.

The main character is what I kind of expected him to be as well. Emotionally flawed and anti social. Plus he is somewhat competent. Overall, the only changes that could be necessary are character development. Other than that, his personality/who he he is as a person doesn't need to be changed. I like him the way he is. Plus, the hideout ambush with the blonde gang leader, valerie and the hacker could be seen as a step forward in him working well with others, even if it was only brief. That doesn't mean that his character is inconsistent, but that he's improving as a detective when it comes to working with others and I don't see how something as simple as getting instructions from the hacker makes sherlock come across as weak when he is clearly getting help from the mission. Sometimes the hacker may have come across as rude during the interaction, but they didn't overstep their boundaries either.

Favourite part was the whole gang infiltration arc by the way. I'll also check out the other games the dev recommended, despite what I initially thought about 1 of them. Don't know exactly how popular this is but I'd considered this to be a hidden gem as the main flaws can be ignored as they don't detract from the story imo.

Begins with ridiculing autistic traits and painting an NPC as being an asshole for not getting social cues and loving information a lot. I'm autistic, I found that pretty offensive to be honest, had to deal with ridicule all my life, don't need it from a game dev I've never met. Feels like the writer just really wanted to shred someone with Autism he had some personal beef with.

It had other tones with the MC commenting about this guy is trying to hit on this girl and has no clue she's not interested but again, just came across like an ignorant neurotypical who's a bit of a bully wanting to ridicule someone for fun. As if the writer had copy pasted a scene they witnessed in real life, while understanding none of it.

Not gonna say I wanted to play any further really, if we're gonna start with something like that and it all appears to be taking itself very seriously as well, hardly something worth a second look.

This game deserves more recognition, played it a while back and replayed it. It is quite deep and the story intriguing. I can't wait to see where it is going. Good sound design and flow of the game (animations/renders with text). I love the variations in text, the sizes, swirls, colors and pacing which adds a lot to the vibe and pulls me into the story. The underlying mystery is very cool, writing very good and quite humorous as well. Good job to the dev

Goodluck dev with your developing further.

v0.3.5

If I had a nickel for every amnesiac AVN MC who had hidden powers that are needed to save the world I would have a lot of nickels, but I wouldn't really mind. Which is to say, the premise of the story is certainly not rare , but the execution makes all the difference.

Plot - 4
How does Profiler hold up? Quite good, I would say. Sure, there is the usual mystery about the MC and his sealed memories, but the plot progresses well. Naturally, it's about him gradually discovering the who, what and when. I can't say I found anything egregious with regards to pacing, execution of plot points and whatnot.

MC -4.5

Sherlock Holmes here is the genius but socially impaired type. A rarer sort, in a sea of niceguys and chads. I find it really good that he has initiative. He's not just some chosen one that has lived clueless until recently; he's a chosen one that knows something happened and wants to find it out. He's also useful but not too useful aka he needs help but he also gives it.
Overall, a pretty good MC.

Characters- 4
How's the harem looking? Pretty good. You got the childhood friend, the snarky "ex", the mysterious girl, the gung-ho criminal cutie, and haughty rich-girl/hacker. As a plus for the story they don't immediately seek to jump into MC's pants (except for the rich-girl), which is always nice. I can't say anything more than that they have character and they aren't just plot devices.
(If Gwen becomes a LI this 4 will become a 5)

Graphics-3.5/4.5

The dev got better at the graphics part over the course of the developing cycle and it shows. The newest update really shows the contrast; you got the prologue which is really n i c e and then you get chapter 1 which is...okay. If I am to judge the whole I would be giving it a 3.5, but I'm just going to assume that the latest update represents what future updates will look like, so I give a 4.5.

Character Models -5

The LIs are either cute, beautiful, or hot. It's a subjective take, but I really like them.
Especially Gwen.

SFX and Soundtrack- 4.5

SFX is fine, which is to say it's not jarring, unnecessary, or ill-placed. The soundtrack got some AI music, which some people will not like by principle, but I've got no principles so I find it quite good. I suppose the dev made the lyrics of said AI songs, in which case kudos to them cause they fit the characters.

The Dream Sequence from the latest update alone is an incredible moment for this game.

5 Stars.

I played because of the Mom, stayed for the story.

YOU would not Regret it.

This by far, I wouldn't expect to have such detail in its story and characters.

While its not close to being finished I am confident on the final product of this game.

Profiler [v0.3.5] [DiveBar]

VN with stable 1,5-3 out 5. Tho, I have gripes with it and I'll see finished product to make final judgment.


Story - 1,9/5. Average edgy anime story, I skipped a few drown out moments of inner monologue and just straight up word padding, but story was interesting enough to keep me going, for the most part.

Choices - 2/5. Eh. Some annoying variables/points, so you have to go back-n-forth to get things "right". And I don't think, they matter much.

Characters - ~1,4-3/5. Cliche anime palette. You'll probably find one that suits your taste, no promises.

Models/animations - ~4/5. Pretty good.

MC - ~1,8/5 meh

V- 0.3

The plot is interesting though its filled with too much effects but unique in its own way, some may like it some may not. Though as of now the choices don't influence the story.

The visuals are good and the characters have a good backstory but not much quality in the dialogues.

The renders and animations are pretty good.

At end ,I would say this game has pretty good potential.

This game is like when someone first discovers all the special effects that were in PowerPoint, so all their presentations were just filled with splashy animations. Special effects are so overused in this game, it's like's like watching a rave in Renpy. These range from extreme ones, that distort the entire screen, to a complete overuse of fade-in and character-by-character text throughout the whole game. Some deliberate usage would be one thing, but it's everywhere all the time for no particular reason other than that the developer could. What's worse than an endlessly wordy VN? An endlessly wordy VN that forces you to read slowly.

The visuals are also all over-exposed with too much bloom. The dev also loves slanting visuals diagonally to make things look cool or dynamic or something. Just about every visual looks like the developer checked all the boxes and put all the sliders to the max, just because they could. An absolute headache-inducing game visually.

What I could sit through of the text was childish in faux-maturity, which makes it seem incredibly immature, constantly trying to establish the coolness and awesomeness of the MC, as though the player MUST know and acknowledge that before getting to any actual story.

I frequently play 3-star games here to completion. Many other bad games I put aside without bothering to write a negative review for them. This one was so egregiously, especially bad that I'm here to warn you all that if you're too old for TikTok, you're too old for this game.

good renpy game, the story is good enough, not too complex but still a good motivation, the renders are simply absolute cinema, nothing to complain about it tbh, the render is on there with Caribdis, beautiful, the sound of the game is good, there is no bug in my playthrough, great, sex are animated well and smoothly, maybe the dev can make the camera angle a bit more character focus? idk
im always easy with my review so yeah 5 stars, recommended.

Game version: 0.3

It's unfair to give this game such a bad rating, but the dev managed to mess up so many great ideas/ concepts, it had to be done.

First, the story and the ART of the story telling is unique. One of the greatest "pros" is also one of the greatest "cons" of this game: The art style and work of the camera. It's flying, hovering way too fast, too much. Then there are the effects. They are somehow great, but there is too much of them!
I got headaches just from following the story- That is very, very bad.

Also, I do not really like the "Asian style"-direction of the story telling: It's weird, I found myself asking "Why did he or she do that?" much too often. I had the same problems while playing games like Metal Gear Solid by Hideo Kojima, for example.
The core of the story is good, like already mentioned- but the delivery is not.

I cannot really recommend this game in its current state. I needed a full rework, mainly visually.

Review for 0.3.5


I don’t understand why ppl are so mad about this game.
Maybe they’re just jealous of the incredibly talented developer...?
Personally, I’m really happy with the music, sound effects, art, and animation in Profiler.
Dev even managed to compose original theme songs for the characters and create immersive sound effects.
That’s definitely something.

I saw one review comparing Jazzpourer to Hideo Kojima, saying Profiler’s story is just as hard to understand. Gee, Jazz, does that make you the Kojima of adult visual novels?

Visuals:
The graphics have improved significantly with each update. Sure, the 0.1 version wasn’t the most eye-catching start, but the updated prologue in 0.3.5 completely fixed that issue. It doesn’t even disrupt the flow of the story... it feels like it was meant to be there all along.

P.s. Really enjoyed the tension in the opening character interactions. Hopefully, we’ll get more moments like that in future updates!

Story:
The haters might actually have a point.This story is complex. So complex, in fact, that I’m loving every second of it.
The pacing is steady, the narrative is compelling, and the writing has noticeably improved. Unfortunately, some of the dialogue feels a bit stiff at times, probably because the developer isn’t a native English speaker.
The new camera angles in this version really enhance the storytelling. And the nightmare scene near the end? Absolutely mind-blowing. Sure, some animations repeat a bit too often, but considering the scene is taking inspiration from titles like Exit 8 and Silent Hills PT, I think it’s forgivable. That scene left me feeling trapped and overwhelmed in the best possible way. Truly impressive.

LIs:
The girls are getting more and more captivating with each update. Whether it’s Wen’s playful humor, Astrel’s dangerous and commanding presence, or Celeste’s sweet and mysterious charm, each of them stands out with unique personalities. The way their expressions and body language are so naturally animated just adds to their appeal.

MC:
Sherlock’s transformation is clear and compelling. You can feel the conflict building around him, and I can’t wait to see how his character continues to develop.

Music:
What can I say? It’s as great as ever. The atmosphere it creates is just chef’s kiss.

I sincerely hope this project becomes a massive success. Please remember, you’re creating something truly amazing here.
Don’t let the haters get to you. They’re just fans in disguise, trying their hardest to get your attention with all their negativity.
But hey, even hate generates buzz, right?

Peace!

Short Review of v.0.2.1





Pros:

- Story
- Writing
- UI
- Graphics

Cons:

- Text effects (at least reduce them to 10% of what is now, or make it possible to turn off)
- Minigames (Just NO - or optional)
- With the combination of excessive text effects and overuse of graphic effects it is too tiring to read.

Conclusion: 3/5 (because the story is good, but the text effects take 1 point and the mini-game another)

Recommended for now, if no change in next version, moving to avoid.

V 0.2.1

This VN has a nice concept, but then implements it badly.

Same old models with different hairs (at least), choppy and or laggy scenes, unskippable sequences and all those effects like screen-tearing/tremors when you peek on you friend in the bathroom are just obnoxious.

Many choices have no effect, change no variables nor the story.

Lastly the angles and lighting of the only h-scene are just bad. "bUt mC iS DrUnK" it's not gonna cut it.

The story has potential, let's just hope that dev will improve.

Game might look simple at first, you will be surprised by the visual of this game, lots of unique visual effects with sound effects.

I like it MC isn't our typical wimp, writing is good too, you won't feel much bore, obviously like every games there will be some scenes you will feel little bit bored, but only a bit.

Renders quality is good too, you can tell every lis looks kinda fine.

Animations a bit laggy as always but it doesn't feel much laggy, so I'm fine with this.

One thing I don't like there was a forced sex scenes, but there's no kinetic novel tag, that's why I don't like it.

But it was really enjoyable, if you're reading my review don't forget to give a shot buddy!
You will end up liking this game for sure!

Well, here ends my review, good luck dev, I can't wait what's next to cum!

Rating 0.2.1
Quality is better and better. Keep working and you will be more successful.
Music is good enough to hear
Renders are good but need to improve more and more.
Need to add more transitions.
UI is very creative and fun to play with it.
Good work Dev. Keep working!

Profiler is a good trip to memory lane with the good ol' Sherlock Holmes mysteries. The game takes huge inspiration from Sherlock Holmes stories. Albeit, it is AVN set in that timeline. It's a story of its own. The developer is looking to aim something different. His approach to his renders and choices are different than your other AVNs. Some may take it the wrong way as it could be annoying to some, still I could say he has the guts to try something different which does look remarkable if done properly.

The music is beautiful. You can see the efforts the dev put into the music. Every music fits the respective scenes. Sex scenes are implemented well and good. The game is humorous so its does that part well at times.

Where I think the dev could improve is at camera angles. Some renders are too focused on the surroundings meanwhile the focus on the render is the character, so camera angles could improve. The story is done well, and im excited for more.

All in all, 10/10 would recomment

Here I have passed this game, and what can I say.... The game is wonderful, you can see that the author worked hard when writing the plot, lore, and character characters, dialogs are written as well at the level. Separately I want to emphasize the music, it was something unforgettable, I even at first could not believe that it was done with the help of AI-generator. As for the renders....
The renders, they're.... Wonderful, better than most other visual novel based on hs2. And updates are coming out quite often, with good spacing, and you don't have to wait for years, which I think is a huge plus. I'm just worried about one thing, is Abyss blind, or does she just have white pupils?

Not really used to writing these long feedback but here goes, first off.. i really like the whole 'MC being driven by his tragedy and trying to seek the truth' kind of plot, I would expect the story would explore many way in which the MC confronts his fears and begins to trust others in pursuit to reach his goal at which would be great for the character development. It is important that the players are able to feel connected with the character or feel motivated to follow his journey. Really excited to see what's there to come for 0.3.

As for the nit-picky stuff, well they may too early to tell much since the game is pretty much still in an early development, but if i have one thing to say about the gameplay then its probably the distorted and erratic animation for the text/images, while the effects can be a bit unsettling, it’s clear that the intention is to immerse us in the character's experience, while this problem may have been addressed before. I trust that the 0.1 remade would be fixing all the apparant issues that it was having. (really love the soundtrack btw)

As for the MC.. well yeah it may seem that he's the antisocial type of person as given for most of his respond to everyone he has talked to (looking forward to his character development), and im sure that it has been given as an option but im really glad that we got to choose something casual for the MC to wear (he's literally a walking shawarma having to wear that everytime).

As for Abbys/Celestia (heh, get it?) she's a great artist and.. its kinda hard for me to get around her judging by her mere appearance as she seems to be quite plain compared to the other girls, while i'm also guessing that she's going to be the central enigma of the story. As for Skye.. well she's definitely the flirty/playful type of girl, although she can be quite arrogant and definitely doesn't take 'no' as an answer, it would be great to see more depth and layers to her character beside what we've got for now.

As for Wen, i really wished we got to see more growth of her since to me, she has always been seen as the generic 'childhood friend' character to the MC, at which i really hope there's more to her in the future <3. (!Tsundere alert!) Well here comes Val, the tough cookie. i really like her feisty and superiority attitude, it really adds up to her being a rival to the MC. Overall, i just love the dynamic between them. As for the other characters.. well i haven't exactly got any opinion about them (yet.) but i definitely looking forward to more of Skye and Lily.

And Ruri as well xD

This review is for version 0.2 so bear that in mind.

PROS:

A very interesting start. I'm a fan of Detective stories, especially Sherlock Holmes and it seems this game is going for a modern Sherlock with some of the old school elements (clothes and dialogue). This was a bit jaring for me at first as I was wondering why the MC is dressed like he wants to beg me for more porridge. lol

The renders are pretty good and the Lis are very sexy . I'm still getting a feel for the personality of the Lis so I haven't formed a definite opinion on them yet. However so far they seem complicated and I can't fit them neatly into a cliche Li type. Which I like. The first sex scene was very hot and visually appealing with sound and music used well.

The story so far has certainly captured my interest. The 0.2 update escalated the action, the tension, the mystery and pushed the story forward in a really strong manner. This feels like it could become one of my new favourites.

CONS:
My concerns so far are:

It's hard to determine the MC's personality as his behaviour varies and seems contradictory at points. Is he angry and traumatized by his past, is he detached from people because he doesn't know how to socialize and incredibly arrogant or is he something worse ? However it seems as if some the answers to his behaviour lie in the mystery that is being built , so I think it's worth being patient.


The first sex scene is a forced sex scene. I understand the reason behind the forced sex is that it is a flashback. It is a part of the MC's past and serves a purpose. I hope that any sex scenes going forward will be a choice for the player. As a player I want to control who I say yes or no to with respect to Lis.

The visual effects are really disconcerting. I don't have any seizures or eye problems, but even for me some of the red effect flashes and the blurry shaky effect of the text is almost headache inducing. The story is interesting enough and the visuals are good enough that you don't need to use fancy tricks to catch the eye.

CONCLUSION:
Really good game so far. it's definitely worth checking out and I look forward to seeing more.

Review 0.2
I don't know what to start so
Positive:
Know how to make the effect on the choice.
Nice Lis (Well only the Abyss girl, needs to improve every Li)
The story talks about Sherlock Homes but hope can work well with it
Cons:
- The developer seems unsure about the direction of the story.
- There's too much dialogue that players won't care about and will likely forget in the next version.
- Lots of cliché dialogue that seems meaningless.
- Sound effects are used, but they are misplaced (I saw the code, so please don't act like you know what's going on, like the previous reviewer. The sound effects are in the wrong place. I wanted to give this 2 stars, but the previous reviewer makes me want to give it 1).
Abuse SO MUCH DOF.
At version 0.1, the developer needs to work on many aspects, including characters, Render, sound effects, UI, and story. I won't critique the render because I know the developer didn't spend much time working with this engine.
I will revisit this game later to see if the developer addresses these issues.
It's a good game overall, but it requires a lot of effort.