The animations are top-tier, but skipping them takes a bit too long, and I'm unsure if they auto-advance or not. I'm always left second-guessing whether I'm actually skipping to the next scene or if the game is just stuck in an infinite loop and I've somehow broken it.
The renders are severely lacking, though. They are very few in number, like a PowerPoint presentation, so you'll notice the plot moves at a rapid pace, and it gives no time for any storytelling or world-building. I would be okay with this if it were a mindless sexual VN, but there is clearly an attempt at building a narrative of a dark and brutal post-apocalyptic world... and yet, the dev doesn't want to commit to one or the other.
I'm not sure if the game wants to have serious storytelling or be an adult parody VN. For example, at the beach, when the zombie dad bites the girl on the shoulder, his hand is evidently on her breast, but no dialogue or narrative suggests the same. Shortly after, when the same man clearly gropes the FMC, there's the same lack of sexual narrative once again, and there's no indication, internal dialogue, or conversation suggesting the same. There is a vast disconnect between the renders; her own thoughts are non-existent, and the text on the screen is a hot mess, which makes you feel like you're watching a fever dream instead of a game.
There are also several inconsistencies about the characters' motives. For example, the Doctor at the hospital lusts after the FMC, clearly wanting to get inside her pants, but when he has the easiest opportunity of his life, he leaves her alone to have sex with another woman instead of her... like... why?
There was also the fat guy that the group encountered, and I expected the game would have a confrontation, or a fight, perhaps death of one of the characters in the confrontation gone wrong... the antagonist suddenly starts having sex with a girl at gunpoint, which was hot... but then he gets killed right away in the dumbest way possible by two clueless teens from the group. Realistically, he was a fully grown man and should've overpowered those two and continued having sex once again.
Currently, the game is worth trying, and I will follow its development, but it's too early to say anything more, as it's incredibly short. If the game presented an actual brutal and dark world that explored the themes of sex, death, violence, rape, blood and gore, etc, with the blend of light-hearted moments of course, this would've been my instant favorite since day one.
First of all, thank you for playing, and really, thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed review.
Where to start... I’m a beginner in 3D, in storytelling, and even in using RPG Maker.
And on top of that, I’m still trying to find my rhythm.
By rhythm, I mean being productive and consistent... ideally releasing about 30–40 minutes of gameplay every three weeks.
That’s why, in my head, the ideas are clear, but to you it might feel a bit messy. I still have a lot to learn
I’m a little surprised that you found it short, for a first version, isn’t it over an hour long?
As for the “renders,” there’s actually never any repetition.
That means that between every line of dialogue, I move or adjust the characters’ positions and expressions, even if sometimes it’s subtle.
I thought this would be seen as a positive thing, unlike other games that just use a static background and 2D character sprites layered on top and that often repeat.
(Or worse… prompt-based ones, haha.)
Maybe I’m not handling it the right way, I guess.
I checked the scene where Ava is attacked by her half-zombified father.
I did specify that she was “embarrassed.” Probably not enough, I suppose. In the next image she complains that he’s hurting her, but you can clearly see her looking at his misplaced hand.
Later, when he attacks Sybille, yes, he touches her chest, but there’s nothing sexual about it. Same for Ava it’s not meant to be sexual, but she’s still understandably uncomfortable.
As for Sybille, at that moment she’s more focused on the zombie’s mouth trying to bite her; she’s looking at his face, and he’s looking at hers.
But I guess this kind of confusion comes from my lack of experience… or simply because as the developer, I naturally have a clearer idea of what’s going on in my head than what comes through to players.
As for the Mexican doctor...
Yes, he does intend to get revenge for the little blackmail from Jenna and Sybille.
But when he has Sybille unconscious and vulnerable, he explains that he’s already “taken care” of Jenna.
So, first, he’s not in the mood anymore, and second, he actually have feelings for Sybille while with Jenna it was purely physical.
That’s why he caresses Sybille’s cheek and says she’s not like Jenna he doesn’t want to do the same thing to her.
He even tries to protect her by pretending she’s his daughter, since “Mendez” is a VIP who’s supposed to be under protection. It fails, but he at least tries.
Same thing with the “fat guy” who’s partly zombified he knows he’s doomed, and he wants to punish “Nicky” by going after her. The others don’t dare move because he’s armed.
Then one of the boys decides to act, because after all, Nicky is his girlfriend. And yes, even if the guy dies in the end, he was clearly stronger physically, Edlin’s brother’s punch didn’t even hurt him.
But at the same time, he was losing his mind, because he was finishing his transformation he was becoming a zombie.
(And just to clarify, they’re all in their twenties they’re young, but they’re not kids. They’re all adults, physically developed... especially Nicky, haha.)
Anyway, thanks again. I’ll make sure to emphasize my descriptions more next time, to avoid any confusion.
Your feedback really helps.
The next update will include more choices, exploration, and deeper use of RPG Maker features.
Oh, and are you sure there are only a few renders?
There are almost 500 images in total!
But maybe it’s normal that I find it more impressive than you do, I know how long each scene takes me to make ^^’
Just loading the map, placing characters, dealing with hair and clothing physics, etc… but well, that’s my choice!
So yeah, thanks again for your detailed review really!
Ah, one more thing about the cinematics:
You’re absolutely right! I completely forgot to mention that you can skip them by holding the Escape key for 1–2 seconds.
And yes, they’re loops (well, I try to make them loops), but some of them are over a minute long, haha.
Anyway, I’m really happy you rated them “S-tier”!
Personally, I’d put them somewhere between A and B, but thank you ^^
