Ren'Py - Randel Tales [v1.5.12] [Bunis & Rin]

Review for version 1.5.9. Contains spoilers. You have been warned.

To put it in the most simple words I can find, Randel Tales is but another game falling under the description of Visual Novel, standing out before the line of others with only the different, yet mediocre, style of graphics and option to pick a gameplay type between the standard linear Visual Novel and not hard, yet rather annoying by it's repetitiveness, grindfest. With incoherent semi-virgin female characters and missleading gameplay.

The Graphics:
As usual, a Virtual Novel, is made mostly of static graphics with animations reserved for the really important scenes, like intercourse between main character and female characters. The thing is, while static renders are quite good, even those indicating some kind of actions like fighting, the animations are just awful. They stand out of the style of the graphics
and in some cases even look like they are unfishied.
Also, they are very inconsistent.

Story:
In current version there is really not that much of a story, at least about the MC. You mainly follow the stories of the characters you interact with. You are also informed about your choices actually matter and even having consequences.
Sadly, there are only but few choices that matter, and the consequences are rather straightforward, it's either you dying or the character you interacted with. In many cases when you should be given a choice to make, yet for the sake of the story it's already chosen for you, and in the end the consequences of it.

Characters:
They are inconsistent in thier actions and dialogues. That's all I can say without going into spoilers.


As for MC, no matter his personality, he always acts like a pushover and a person having only kind in mind. Kinda weird for someone with bold personality, being master swordsman/archer/mage and living in a world where everything outside the village is wanting to either rob/rape/kill you.

Gameplay:
Recomended gameplay out of two given is the second one, the grindfest. I advise you, if you wish to play the game, to not play it. I did it, and I can tell you it ain't fun and it's basically waste of your time.

You would think Randel Tales contains some form of RPG elemets, because it has all that adventure guild, parties etc, right? You would be right if you thought about the grind and the stats. Items and backpack? Not so much.

All you can do is to grind three batte related skills of which one, magic, I didn't even found it used for anything. Beside that there is also a currency, gold to be gathered, yet without enough places to use it. You can only buy few items, needed most for quests rather than to improve your combat capabilities.

I was told to hunt some flying enemies. So I wanted to buy a bow. Tried to get one at the market, couldn't even get in, couldn't borrow one from the arena either, because there was no option. To my suprise I had a bow with me all along. And infinite amount of arrows with it too. Good thing someone told me about it eariler.

When I had some more gold i wanted to go there to buy a better equipment.
To my suprise I was still unable to get into the market, nor the lone trader had anything of use to me.

One character said to not forget a certain item, because it's important in the quest we're doing. So I went, once again, to the market just to find out, once again, I can't really get there and the cauldron trader didn't have it eaither. So I proceeded with the quest without it, hoping for the best, just to see, in a dialogue, MC had it with him all the time.

This visual novel game is an absolute masterpiece in every aspect. From the captivating storytelling and well-developed characters to the stunning artwork and immersive soundtrack, it surpasses all expectations. Every decision feels meaningful, leading to multiple riveting endings. A true gem in the world of interactive storytelling. 5/5 stars without a doubt!

this game does the bare minimum to get each of its tags and its h scenes are disappointing compared to the great character art normally this would be an average game except there SOOOO much clicking around. Going as fast as possible while skimming took about half an hour per sauce and then i had to either risk clicking though another half an hour and losing my erection or backing up and rewatching a basic animation until i finish add the risk that a scene might not be the tag you like and the grindy clicking and other bs also not a "harem" game most of your h encounters are one time things none of your partners are aware of each other except for one who you can optionally tell about your previous engagements and many good looking models that soak up lots of time talking remain undoable soooooo.

It's a cute game. It's interesting. Thing is, it's been in development for quite a while and the plot hasn't really progressed that much, we're just scratching the surface, so I wonder when will it (or ever) be complete.

Minor gripes : scenes are well drawn but not really fappable.

Major gripes : MC makes dumb decisions in some places with no choice given to us, also he seems super weak even if you train him a lot and is often being protected. So far (3 years in) skill checks are few and far between and I'd wish they were either removed completely or used more abundantly.

The little of the story I've seen so far though is interesting and it can turn out to be a great game - but It's like we've not even cleared the prologue yet, and so much time has passed. That makes me wonder.

Definitely worth trying out though - just don't focus on the stats too much and make a save game before you go on missions and you're good, you can train if you need to.

This game is freaking amazing, it lets the good guy occasionally be bad, or the bad boy occasionally be tender and caring.

Combat is basically done by skill choices and checks, minigames aka QTE decisions can be bypassed by a high skill level.

Also can learn lesser skills, stealth for peeping, and running to avoid being caught after being used as bait :0 But those skills sometimes have other text in the open world. (Running from the dire wolf after training with Cynthia, I'm looking at you.)

The characters are developed enough that I feel like I have empathy for them, and am able to react as I feel the MC would, but there is leeway there in case you feel you want to break out from your chosen role, and explore different avenues.

All in all a great game, I'm hoping that alot of the conversations that had no art will get reworked eventually, but this is something that I would certainly purchase once it's ready for a "gold" release.

One of the best games in its genre on Ren'py with a 2D style.

The game is not finished, but the length of the game is quite impressive. If you don’t skip the text and try to open as much content as possible during the first playthrough, it will take you on average 6-7 hours.
The plot itself is not bad, the secondary characters are interesting both from the point of view of the plot and from the point of view of sexuality.
The game provides a minimum of challenges, all you need to do is read and memorize the text in order to pass an easy test later. And a few more mini-games that do not cause difficulties. You can also really influence the fate of some minor characters, and start relationships with several characters at once.

Perhaps the main drawback of this game, I think, is the quality of the sex scenes themselves. Some are very nicely drawn, and some look like they were painted in paint in a hurry. I think some scenes will be redrawn over time, but for the most part they are good. And these very scenes are the only reason why I give it 4/5. Below, as a spoiler, I will note some moments of the game that do not directly spoil the plot, but are still important for evaluating the game.

Good characters, scenarios, and a large amount of content, slightly undermined by uneven quality.

A fairly typical fantasy harem trainer. You're a rookie adventurer with some secret powers who gets caught up in numerous plots and romances. There's not much original here, but what it does have is generally high quality and quantity. Generally.

The game's main strength is its focus on steadily developing relationships with the love interests. The pacing for each is good - not too slow to be frustrating, but still taking time for quieter slice of life moments and just hanging out. As a result, the characters feel well realised and 3-dimensional, and are more satisfying to get to know. There's even some good male characters to hang out with.

There's also a lot of content. Numerous love interests, each with a fairly lengthy quest chain full of unique scenes. No spamming gifts or grinding sex scenes over and over to raise her romance stat! Most of the relationships even have a few major branching paths. And once you get intimate with a love interest, there's often still more to their story to explore.

Unfortunately, as of 1.4.4, the game suffers from some quality issues. While the art is good and there's a few short but effective animations, there are occasional stretches which use noticeably shoddier backgrounds and don't even bother with character sprites. There's also a few glaring holes in the content - some storylines just abruptly end with no closure, while other routes seem implied but never even start. Presumably these gaps will be filled at a later date, but at the moment they're still frustrating.

There's also some minor mechanical issues. The game introduces a few gameplay systems - skill training, XP, currency, etc - which show promise, but all feel very underdeveloped. And some of the quests and branching paths - some of them major and irreversible - either hinge on these mechanics, or are so poorly hinted at that it's easy to lock yourself into a route you didn't want or expect. Given how much of a slow burn some the relationships are, you might not realise your mistake until it's too late to roll back. Realistic? Perhaps. But not necessarily welcome.

More subjectively, the protagonist just rubbed me the wrong way. He starts off whiny, foolish, and naive, which is... not great, but I suppose he gets a pass for being basically a high schooler. The problem is that he stays that way for the whole game. Despite intense training, developing multiple relationships, and numerous life-or-death experiences, he never feels like he grows or matures. Admittedly, given how many different routes there are through the game, it's probably hard to make consistent character growth work. Still, in a game full of enjoyable characters, he was the only one I disliked.

Overall, some good love interests, who are given plenty of time to shine, elevate this otherwise unremarkable setup.

Review of v1.4.2 mobile version
Time to complete was about 13 hours
Would I recommend? As long as you are a fan of slow burn games then I would absolutely recommend it. If you are here for a quick fap expecting things to move fast, expect hours of playtime before things really start progressing with girls.

Pros
Great 2d art that is refreshing to see after seeing so many of the same 3dcg models.
The animation is simple, but it's fairly fluid and adds to the scene.
It's fairly straightforward to get to the scenes with each girl and while it takes a while the buildup is nice versus something that feels too drawn out.
There is a good variety in the personality of the girls and several of the girl's routes feel distinct in the kind of erotic content you are getting
Cons
There are a few technical issues, such as the gallery missing a good number of cgs despite saving afterwards. Sometimes a few show up when I shutdown the game and reopen, but numerous others just never show up again. The text occasionally goes off screen so you miss a chunk of dialogue. Sometimes the quests for girls just disappear from the quest journal after several steps. The game isn't completed so there is time to correct these sorts of things, but it is something that hinders the experience at the moment.
Despite being a game that puts a lot of emphasis on choice and having a lot more time dedicated to story rather than the erotic parts, a majority of the decisions feel very binary. Most of the time it's a success or failure, often resulting in death or a route end rather than choices that feel consequential that cause branching of the story.
The stats feel underutilized for the amount of time spent on them to complete a handful of quests.

Overall I think the game is really good, but would like to see a few things by the time it's completed to make it one of the best games out there.
I think the stats could play more of a role in the story beats to feel like they were worth the time. You could have a 30 melee with the ability to take on general Taliya, but then you lose to some random guy at a bar protecting Thea. You can read about a monster before battle, but then you have to be good at archery to still harvest a part when in reality a good archer could have guessed the right part so reading felt irrelevant. Wanting to help a certain character has no bearing on what her fate is.Telling Gabe you love her versus just wanting to be friends with benefits seems to have no impact on her current ending, etc. These are all really minor gripes about decisions and stats, but that feel like they added up over hours and hours of playtime. This all may sound critical, but I still had a really good time with the game and think it is a worthwhile experience; I just know this game could be something truly exceptional if the devs take the right steps on their way to completing the game.

Randel Tales is a cyoa vn with rpg skill check elements. It has a quest system, and a romance and/ or harem system integrated; there's a variety of relationship styles to choose from. It's still a wip, but what I can tell in It's development cycle It's turning into a great experience.
There's still room for improvement as content is completed and polish is added to the game; and plenty of opportunity to flesh out additional content as development continues. I'm excited to see what Bunis & Rin have planned for this game and I would recommend this for the watch list of fans in the genre.

damn man the game is fucking amazing the story is really just so fucking good i cant think of other words to say right now i just finished the latest update (1.4.4) and damn there is so much to do its also treads a fine line between a sex game and a story game i want to know more of the story so badly

This is a review of version 1.4.3

Story: 4/5

There's a wide cast of love interests dealing with various issues in their lives, most of which are very well written and properly paced. One or two of the girl's "problems" didn't seem to be much of an issue, and I think a bigger deal was made of their "problem" to create a positive character arc that the MC was responsible in helping, thus bringing the two closer together. But most all of the story lines felt right. There are some real jewels here (Thea and Cynthia were my favorites). I would like to see more of Lily's story line, though.

Don't expect insta-sex. There's light nudity and sexually suggestive material early on, but the sexual content is a slow burn (which adds to the story, making it more realistic).

I'm really interested in the antagonist and the dreams the MC is having, neither of which are explored much as of this version. But, considering the story telling so far, I am expecting it to be pleasantly built into the game.

Art: 4/5

I'm struggling between a 3.5 and a 4. Most of the art is sexy while still maintaining a "cute vibe" that works well for the story where the MC and his love interests are actually forming relationships. A few stills are "meh" (nothing is bad).

The animations are a mixed bag. While many are technically animations, they're basic enough where I think your own imagination and still images go further/work better. There's a nicely drawn blowjob scene that's pretty fluid, but it's a short loop and animation doesn't include any female nudity (no swaying breasts as the woman moves back and forth, which would have added to the scene). There's also a decent flash scene, where a woman's breasts drop out of her clothing. But the other dozen or so animations that I can recall are, again, super basic and actually detract from the sex scene imo.

Game/Mechanics: 4/5

There are two "minigames", stats you can work up that come in handy for skill checks later on, and gold to collect for various purchases. There's also an exam that you need to pass, which I guess could count as a minigame? Either way, it's a mechanic.

One of the minigames is a point and click that I don't think has a time limit and just stops once you've caught 10. The other is a reaction minigame that has an easy and hard version depending on the time of day that, imo, is the only proper minigame I came across.

The exam wasn't hard. It seems 70% of the questions can be gleamed from 2 or 3 different history lectures (there are only 2 or 3, so don't think this is a schools sim) that take no more than a minute each. The other 30% may be elsewhere, or you might be just expected to guess.

None of it felt like a grind, nor did it feel like an obstacle. By the time I realized what I needed to do, I was already have way through the process of finishing it.

That said, none of it is very fun. I do like the stats/level/gold aspect, but it needs more depth to be "fun" imo. Also, leveling up doesn't seem to do anything besides increase you rank within the Adventurers Guild. Intuitively, you'd expect that to be tied to your stats. I'd like to see level and stats have some sort of relationship. Or change level to reputation.

Conclusion: 5/5

If you've made it this far, you might be wondering why I'm giving it a 5/5 instead of a 4/5?

Well, despite giving it 4/5 marks across the board, I really, really, really enjoyed playing Randel Tales. There's some sort of x factor that blends everything together well. Heart warming story, cute/sexy art, and a game that doesn't get in my way? I dunno, it just works.

My Patreon bill is as high as I want it to be at the moment, but I am going to go through it this afternoon and look for games that are no longer impressing me, or have taken a long time to produce content so I can make room to support Bunis on Patreon. I hope you give this game a shot, and if you like it, consider doing the same.

Version played: 1.4.2:

Just a quick review, just some things that come to mind when writing.

First of all the regular character art is pretty good, unique, varied enough and original.
It is long enough now, without feeling overstretched, though if it continues for a few more years it may overstay it's welcome. Let's hope the story is moved toward a real conclusion at a reasonable pace.

Story wise it's quite well done, of course not the most original plot but still well executed.

Returning from a previous save also mostly works, though with some bugs.
This is not perfect but much better than a lot of other games, where after returning a year or two later you are forced to go through everything again.

In terms of scenes there are a decent number of them, animation / art quality varies but the later ones are pretty well executed, be it somewhat simplistic.

The game itself is not grindy and what to do is mostly clear.

Overall I would say Randel Tales is one of the best vn's not the most porn content but still great overall.
I would give it 4.5 stars but since that is not possible I round it up to 5.

Excellent Journey!
I honestly had no idea what I was signing up for at the start of the adventure, but it grew and grew in size, scope and depth and I'm left with awe on how I have waited this long to play this amazing gem.
From the start itself, there's immensely good worldbuilding, character growth and dynamics are super fun and the dialogue really feels genuine, not many games can balance being funny and being serious like this one. I also want to say this is probably one of the best MC's I've seen in an adult game who feels down to earth, and someone I can project myself into.
The Art and animations also excel, and I love that this is the good kind of grind that feels earned, and the story takes time to develop. More choices and consequences will be welcomed as well as deeper exploration of relationships, but I'm very happy with what I've played.
Cant wait to see whats coming ahead. Brilliant stuff.

Hey, gotta say, I'm really diggin' this game! It's a blast! The comedy, the art, the dialogue—everything's top-notch.

The story's cool, and honestly, I've kinda gotten attached to this VN, you know what I mean?

But, uhh, there's this teeny issue. Some of the character art didn't quite match up, like that Male Elf, - I'm sure you know who i'm talking about .

Before I bounce, major props to the game creator! You're a legend, Man! Thanks a million for dishing out this kickass game! Keep that AGDev (Adult Game Developer) mojo flowin', and I'm already daydreaming about the mind-blowing games you'll drop in the future.

With enchanted regards, UnderworldZ (Your #1 fan, no doubt!)

A really interesting game with a strong potential for the future. The artstyle is really well-crafted and appealing, especially for the characters, although the lack of use of Renpy's default fade animations between character sprites hurts the presentation a little bit, as the characters often feel stiff and sudden when they change facial expressions.

The story itself is a weird mix for me. I consider it good, but it has a few issues here and there that need to be adressed. The first I noticed when playing is that the devs have trouble writing dialogues, and it shows. I'm glad to see they adressed the issue of the MC not having anything left to say after exhausting all dialogue options, but for the most part, the dialogues feel unnatural, with the only exception of a few minor characters like Sanders or Cynthia who feel like actual people with their own personality. It's hard to explain without showing concrete examples and spoiling, but most of the characters' discussions feel like they're reading a script rather than having a fluid conversion with each their own voice and way of talking.

For the plot itself, my main gripe with it is that it seems the devs wanted to get the porn out as soon as possible, and leave the actual meat of the story for later. There are quite a lot of characters in the game already (thankfully most of them are fine and likable enough), but most of the story consists of a series of storylines for each character that you have to follow until you get the girl to fall for you and fuck. Which, while a bit quick for my taste, would have been fine if the game wasn't constantly teasing for something major incoming later down the line, with the introduction of the goblins and the demons into the plot.

As it stands now, the plot only advances when it's necessary for a character storyline to progress, like saving Thea from a neighbouring village invaded by imps, or Eve and the elf village. It feels like it's only there to support the porn instead of being able to stand on its own two feet. Which results in a ton of content, both in art and writing, but little of it actually mattering, especially if you're not into the girls this content is for. Personnaly I am, but the sharing is unequal and I with more time was devoted to the actual story to see some of the more obscure characters under the spotlight for a while, like the librairian girl.

In conclusion, I feel this game could benefit from being more focused on its main plot and actually getting things done, now that most of the female character got a sex scene for them. The art is really strong, and the story itself, while not developed enough, is enticing enough to make me want to know more about the world of this game.

It's a classic case oh the "came for the fap... stayed for the plot." And the art. And the humor. And... well, this game got me. It got me good; i can't wait for the uptades.
Please do not abandon this!

A rough gem on its way to something special. Many of the characters thus far have been given a story worth investing in beyond whether or not you can eventually bed them (and, yes, you do in fact end up bedding most of them).

Games involving one (typically male) protagonist and his relationship with several women tend to go one of two ways: he's either a collector who enslaves and corrupts; or, like in "What a Legend", he is a lovable, lucky hero whose superpower is somehow accidentally seducing some of the most beautiful and powerful women of his world. This game goes down the latter route and I'm all for it. It's always refreshing to have fantasy/harem games where we have agency in how nice or how much of a dick the main guy is.

Great game, sometimes you have to grind too much for lewd content and they are a bit limited. I wish the sex scenes would be more complex, like having more scenes. Also there should be more hints, I was relying on the walkthrough guide here.
Other than that, really nice characters with depth, choices during the game really matter which is awesome, there is a captivating story and some wholesome moments during the game

★Chef's Kiss: great characters, all of them diverse with unique quirks/backgrounds; you'll notice each difference between them all (quite rare among h-games)
★Chef's Kiss #2: artstyle has no business being THAT good; it has a way of telling you how cute/hot the LIs are by just looking at the art

Pros:
+ Good writing, a bit corny at times but not too cringy
+ Not everything is hornyland, some sweet and SoL moments in the story
+ Artstyle, again (can't stress this enough)
+ Player choice system (routes)
+ Dev interaction in the forums
+ Uncle Pete

Cons:
- Leans more on writing than on h-content; lacks "content" for the amount of time you spend doing the story, only a couple or so scenes per character
- A bit buggy

Definitely a must play imo for the artstyle alone despite me saying theres not enough content (yet?). Game's current end seems to hint at a future game or expansion so thats a good thing to look forward to

Nice artstyle and story is interesting. Variety of characters. Sandbox is easy. Interesting quests. There is sweet romance too. If you like sweet 2DCG games give this one a try. Story is about the adventures of a boy who's living in Randel. Love interests are fun and beautiful. Overall I enjoyed the game. Keep up the good work dev looking forward to next updates.