1.54 is out and once again I can't find the desire to jump back into this game. Could it be the slow development? No, I got used to Oni's workflow a long time ago. Is the game too lacking in features? Kinda, but the whole sandbox girlfriend/slut simulator aspect is fun enough for me to want to play it and some of the hidden quirks of the game are genuinely fun to explore. A bug riddled mess to be sure, but a fun one. *fondly remembering the first time I discovered the Ahegao face trigger.*
So what is? why have I stopped playing? Why am I being so damn verbose about my dissatisfaction with this game when I could just write it off and disappear into the void that is the internet? There's two reasons...
1) The cast of girls has ballooned but the stuff you can actually do this them is still way too limited, not only because we're waiting for Oni to make the janky animations but because the hasn't been new things to do. I could play a functional version of 1.00 and gameplay loop is pretty much the same minus a few QOL features and the new girls. Like how about a new date location that helps build stats. Like if I want to raise a specific stat faster I could take a girl on a specific date. You could add twists on the public sex/exhibitionism option as well as add degradation kinks because you could have a crowd decry the deviant mutant sex. It wouldn't even require new fucking animations just dialog, and some minor if/then triggers.
Imagine if you would That Oni adds three date locations the Helllfire Club, a Park, and a Beach. A Hellfire Date would help build obedience, give the girls unique clothes, and have "events" depending on who you take giving bonus stats. For example Emma, Jean, and Kitty could have a White, Black or Red Queen event. Similarly, A park date could build romance and have unique events based on a girls awakened traits (e.g. Exhibitionism, Obedience rating, or Degradation) to give players a payoff to howthey "trained their girls" add events for characters like Doreen and you're adding replay value. Finally a Beach date, to help boost a girls inhibition. With Jubes being a vampire that's a great event for story, add in surfing with Storm or Sand castles with one of the more quiet girls.
That's hours of new content with no new animations beyond the Hellfire dresses to reflect a girls personality. If only to illustrate my point here's my general ides. Rogue - Simple halter neck dress, Kitty - Little Black dress, Laura - A man's suit with no shirt, Emma - White Queen/fuzzy cape, Jean - Black Queen/Madeline Pryor, Storm - single shoulder Toga/tunic style dress Gwen - Lady Deadpool costume, Jubes - A clubbing dress with cut-outs. Psylock - a ball gown with plunging neckline, Doreen- Squirrels don't have formal wear.
2) Yep, all that wall of text and only now have I reached my second point. Now this point is strictly my opinion and your milage may vary but I just don't like the new girls and art. Since Jean was added the girls art style has felt like a downgrade. maybe I'm biased or it's nostalgia but it feels like Oni used to be a much better artist and is now just coasting off their earlier success. Not to mention the majority of the growing cast doesn't appeal to me.
Like: Rogue Kitty, Laura, Emma, Jubes
No thanks:Jean(Oni's version only) Betsy, Storm
Kill it with fire: Gwen, Doreen,
Like why would I check in for Oni adding sex animations for Betsy or Doreen? it's going to be the same basic animations as the other girls except with less attractive girls. Like I don't know what the 69 position is supposed to look like but given all of oni's other animations I fear I'd burst out laughing.
If Wanda or Lorna get added and Oni doesn't make them hideous I'll probably start playing again but at this point I'm kind of over playing a glorified tech demo with increasingly ugly character designs. The gameplay loop has lost most of it's charm and if I wanted to play a game with ugly characters I'd play Concord... What?! I'm too late? They lost how many millions?! Oh well, guess I'll just keep playing Oni's tech demo.
I doubt Oni will change and I probably said most of this shit in one of my earlier posts in this thread but I felt like venting about this game because I still think it has potential. Also if you bothered to read my whole post you are nothing short of a legend... or a screaming autist, in which case thank you my friend.
TLDR: Don't like new art/characters, Gameplay is still little more than a tech demo.