Projekt: Passion starts a light-hearted comedy sci-fi adventure story with some simplistic (almost) soft-core scenes sprinkled in here and there. It makes a big tone shift into more serious territory later, and the sex scenes get more involved and better. I find it very hard to rate because scene to scene execution is excellent - possibly the best direction I've seen in a VN, and arguably better than in some TV shows. On the other hand the overall story is weak, characterization is ham-fisted, and the sex scenes are terribly bland. I'm giving it a good score because I was not bored ever and the production value is very high.
A failed comedy can be a disaster. Thankfully, here the tone is established immediately and it's easy to just roll with it. Not that many great lines, but a couple still got me, especially the longer running bits. I like the gunslinger "arc", I like the dread of customer service, I like picking up the phone in general. All gags are at least fine, and the best jokes are delivered through scene direction and cuts - I was reminded of Edgar Wright's style a couple of times. A sensible chuckle out of five.
The story, unfortunately, is basically not there - there's a McGuffin and that's it. Neither the "villain" nor our heroes know if there's a threat or what it is, or what to do about it, or what steps to take next. Both sides get convenient "leads" all the time, run into each other basically by accident etc. It's also crystal clear that it's vague on purpose and is being written as new episodes roll out. Just don't think about it too much and enjoy the scene to scene action.
Characters are good bordering on great, but the delivery seems rushed. At one point plot development and comedy bits basically stop and tragic backstories start dropping one after the other, most of them done with flashbacks. There's a great combat sequence with actually interesting setup and development for multiple characters, but music has to work multiple shifts and overtime to sell any of this as tragic. Simply not enough time was spent on those characters and I feel nothing. Commanders of the massacred resistance should be guilt-ridden, but it doesn't really work when they were supposed to have a good time fighting the Space Balls empire in the first place. I like comedies taking a serious turn, but this is just jarring.
Relationship development is also hit or miss, Ashe being my biggest grievance. Her introduction was generic fine, hot stoic redhead with absurd abilities, I can roll with that. The scene where her big problem was revealed was actually great - it just holds on soooo long on your inability to help her in any meaningful way. But then the next scene with her is somehow less intimate, and it's followed by straight up fucking. With the option to fuck her ass out of nowhere, because why not, some viewers like anal. I think what happened here is that patreons just wanted to see a sex scene with Ashe, so the fast-forward button got pressed.
The sex scenes in general feel uninspired, repetitive and rushed. Robot girl wants a facefuck is as interesting as the game gets, and it still had to turn into a regular penetration scene. MC wants to "payback" another girl by going down on her, but they get interrupted. This could have been turned into a bit where you chase the girl around the ship trying to get her off. Instead it just never happens, we are past oral with her, and our foreplay is to fingerblast her at worrying speed. Then there are like five bonus scenes where a girl just masturbates, and at least three times we get the exchange of "this view is beautiful" "mine is better", because they are going at it doggy style and MC can see the girl's ass. I actually don't know if this is supposed to be a joke, it doesn't work for me as sexy talk either.
In summary, a very mixed bag with some clear talent evidently on display. I wish as much work went into the porn bits as into everything else. And drop the cinematics, they don't really add anything and the voice acting is clearly sub-par.
the butt ripple
