As of Update 3.2 Fix 3, Race of Life has skyrocketed up from a good, middle of the pack visual novel to one of my all-time favorites. That rarity where I’m not only happy to replay the game several times to see all the variations, but I actually look forward to future updates where I can continue all of the different romance paths. Absolutely stunning yet realistic models, a rock-solid story that’s not afraid to throw serious punches in an adult game, well-choreographed and animated adult content, a built in gallery, and mini-games that are fun to play through but possible to skip if you’ve gotten tired of them, there’s not much more I can ask for from an adult visual novel.
I can count the number of games that get this many things right on hand. First off is the writing: It’s exceptional. I have no idea if the physics talk or car talk are legitimate or “Jeffries tubes” level nonsense, but what matters is that I can’t tell. The characters who talk in-depth about cars are believable and interesting to listen to. Not only is the dialogue believable, but each character has a unique way of speaking, with a recognizable personality that deny the common tropes and stereotypes. Better still, these quirks and traits are relayed through simple conversation as opposed to exposition dumps. Veronica is jealous, accomplished, smart, bashful, has low self-esteem, and several other noteworthy bits of character that make her all the more believable as none of these traits are over-the-top making her feel like a real person. I could make similar profiles for the other love interests and even secondary characters, all of whom defy the unfortunate norm: characters who sound like different versions of the author.
Without giving anything away, the author doesn’t shy away from tragedy and mystery. Like most top-end visual novels, the romances and adult content come about through the main story rather than being the main story itself. You’re not spending all of your time finding ways to get into your family’s pants, but instead are working with various characters to invent a new type of battery technology. Who will you take to the fundraiser? There are multiple choices, and multiple scenes (and changes in the way the story unfolds) depending on your choices. Will you be faithful to Veronica, cheat on her, or break up with her? Will you take your student, your neighbor, your girlfriend, or your ex-wife to the fundraiser? Each choice results in different outcomes both in the main story and in the adult content. This is also the first time I’ve seen cheating rewarded, at least in the sense that there’s a fully fleshed-out and animated adult scene that you can only see if, at a particular point in the story, you’ve slept with a different character right before sleeping with Veronica.
Finally, there’s the adult content. There’s a pleasant mix of characters ranging from shy to whorish. You begin with an “almost girlfriend” and so you’ll be seeing adult scenes early on. They’re hot, believable, and don’t feel like the “dream” sequences lesser games use to shoe-in sex scenes into the early game. Some characters are slower burns, like the ex-wife or the neighbor who, while they’re progressing if you choose to follow that path, but it takes a bit longer than, say, Kris, the goth socialite who goes down on you in your first encounter. Other characters are a good mix of fast and slow content. Most importantly, the scenes are believable. Sure, there’s some porn-logic mixed in, but it’s not nearly as far-fetched as lesser games that drop threesomes into your lap. The content itself is excellent. They’re what I call the gold-standard: A combination of good porn writing, animations, and single renders tying the different animations together. The animations themselves are on the short side, but they’re high frame-rate, are custom-made, include multiple angles, and as a personal preference, frequently show the character’s faces. I can’t stress how great it is when an animator knows how to properly render facial expressions during animated sex scenes, and not merely ahegao face. Many lesser works have settled for close ups of buttocks and backs, avoiding the face entirely as they just can’t figure out how to render them believable.
I could go on about the catchy music and how beautiful the love interests are, but I think I’ve gushed enough. I love this game. Definitely in my top 5, and I’m enthusiastically waiting for the next update. If I didn’t know any better I’d think this was a group collaborated creation given that the writing, renders, animation and programming are of such high quality. It’s rare for one person to be so good at all of the important elements of making a good adult visual novel. Race of Life is a great example of one, and I couldn’t recommend it more highly!
