VN - Ren'Py - Completed - Scarlet Spire [Final] [AlleyKat Games]

I really enjoyed this novel, also or maybe precisely because it had no sexual content. Many sexual VNs with a female lead tend to portray the protagonist as stupid, slutty or worse, and here she was presented as brave and clever. I wish the developers all the best with their new projects.

This is such a weird VN to review. The characters don't feel human at all, they are like pod people from Invasion of the Body Snatchers. They think, talk and act like an alien's impression of a human. The dialogue is very stilted and doesn't flow well at all. The exposition is generally pointless drivel delivered in broken English.

I tried to soldier on, but had to give up around the one-hour mark due to sheer frustration.

version: Final

I should preface this by stating right off the bat that there's no sex in this game and limited nudity. Does that mean the game sucks? No. But if a game is here most people expect a sexy game and if that's what you're looking for, move along. If not, know that the story makes the journey worthwhile.

The visuals are stunning and the plot is full of twists and turns. You really have very little idea of what is going on or why. Sometimes that's a bad thing, but in this case, it builds suspense.

The characters' personalities slowly unfold...and some that you think would fit into a cliche of a type of character, they end up being a pleasant surprise.

In my opinion, it's an excellent visual novel with some limited choices that affect the outcome.

Graphics - 10/10
Animations - n/a
Story - 10/10
Characters - 9/10
Engaging - 10/10

I waited and waited until the game is finally out to be able to make an honest review...

I need to say so that theres no mistake I am hear on this site for adult games specifically certain fetishes. This game has none of it. If you're into that give it a skip and go fap to something else, lord knows theres a plenty of those on this site


First time I played this game when I joined their discord and asked for it
I mean I said theres no way Id pay for a game thats not adult. See I was given the game for free by one of the two devs and I was really caught by surprise by this act

So I gave it a go back then
I might as well man up and own my words since I didnt pay and got the game. That was chapter 10 or 11 iirc
Anyway I have since been patron for this game and am happy seeing how it ended and everything, very satisfied

Starts slow melancholic even but after the protagonist falls asleep it picks up
Im not going to spoil you the story cuz I think this game has an amazing one and you should experience that yourself

I will tell you the story is five outta five
I finished the game and could finally tell, I mean I was thinking the devs might fuck it up and make some lacklustre ending or someth
But they didnt. Its cohesive logical and actually surprised me

Honestly this should have been a movie
Theres even a british scifi movie that came out in last year with very similar story but this game started way before but the point Im trying to make is the movie was great and so would this story be in a movie as well

Characters.. oh boy
Protagonist is SEXY
NICEST ass out there. Not too plump not too skinny not too muscly. Perfect
Eyecandy body but innocent retro timeless face. Love her
Redhead russian girl is super beautiful, classic eastern beauty

The writing is really good when characters are in question
There are some stereotypes out there no doubt from the movies of old the devs picked up while making the game. But all in all the characters feel complex three dimensional and you cant ever tell if theyre the good guys or the bad guys up until the end

I feel the game has been made to allow skippin but skipping makes you not see all the picture changing and transition and shit which looks really nice
This game is really cool in this regard how ti swaps from one pic to the next, from movie to pic, seamlessly changing structure inside the picture to fake computer reality and things like that
Also there is a few really cool minigames like controling cameras and exploring abandoned labs and stuff

I havent found any bug or problem os something like it its pretty smooth game altogether seamless the word Id use

Music is cool I listen to hard rock and metal and there are some of that too in the game so that I really digged

All in all Im happy I gave it a try and Id tell people to give it a try since the story and universe is really cool and the devs have a really good imagination

So if we would look at it as an adult game, it gets 2 stars
But as a standalone game its superb... I give it 5 stars

And I hope I will see the second game... with maybe more nudity or sex

I know this says "no sexual content" and it's an immediate deal breaker for a lot of people. But I still think this game is worth trying. It's got a great atmosphere, and the writing is pretty good overall and within the standards of VN writing, it's very high level prose. I think a lot of people can enjoy this game as a "normal" game and yes it does have a little nudity, but the story and atmosphere are what shines here. I do suggest those with an open mind give it a try. I would ding one star only for some minor writing issues I see, but again, in the VN world, the writing is very good.

The first ever renders I've seen of this game I knew it's going to succeed in that department alone. Great looking renders from a team who's just started out. Great story and suspense galore.

Then the story hit me like a ton of bricks... It leads you onto one thing to another, getting better and better with each episode. There is something afoot at the Spire but what? That we will find out.

Yes there's no sex and hardly any nudity but this is not a concern as I play it for the music which is self composed by the team and I play it for the renders and the amazing story.

Great work team AlleyKat and Raze... keep at it as myself and many others cant wait for the next and the next episodes....

Great story I love Scarlet many complain about sc but dont take time to read tags Adult Content does not mean sexual intercourse but this is a really good game for those who have not yet to try pick it out you won't regret it if your not a chronic fapper

Having finished playing through "Scarlet Spire" Chapter 7, here is my review thus far:

While the game admits that it is not a "Porn" game, Scarlet Spire still has much to offer. Set in (what I perceived to be) a dystopian future, you follow the journey of Scarlet Jackson, a computer analyst who has been called in by the Spire Corporation to isolate and eradicate a mysterious bug that has been compromising their computer system.

It's very much a techno-cyber-style mystery story. The pacing is excellent and the action starts almost immediately. And while the writing is in need of some grammatical correction and spell checking, it was still easy to follow and had me wanting to keep peeling back the layers of the story to unravel the secrets hidden in the plot.

The game boasts some very beautiful renders that do a wonderful job of setting the mood and theme of the story. Accompanying these visuals are some very excellent musical choices. Though I do recommend that if you play with the sound up, make sure to load renpy first and turn down the volume as the tracks come at you full blast from the outset.

If you play this game (and I highly suggest you do!), remember, this is not a porn game. There are a few optional softcore shower scenes, but the focus is on the story, the mystery, and the characters themselves. And that focus is well spent in my opinion.

I only do reviews at the invitation of the content's developer. And so I want to thank @AlleyKat for allowing me to play her game. I'll definitely be following this one and looking forward to Chapter 8.

Cheers.

I'll open this and say this is my first non Japanese VN of any kind, and thanks to this one I actually became aware of F95 as a place (I got this game originally on Itch.io) to get games. This game has been a stepping stone for me that introduced me to the wide world of other games, most of them lewder, but not a lot of them with similar level of writing and story.

This all happened recently, so this is all a fresh memory and I believe allows me to directly compare.

Having played several of the very famous VNs lately from F95, and not comparing the amount of lewd content, this game isn't anyway behind them. Visuals are very unique, I don't think there's a game visually even similar to this one. And I find the storytelling easy to follow.

Writing is simply amazing, multifaceted, complex, multi-layered and complicated and this is perhaps why the pacing is is slower as it's needed. Really, there is not a lot of games with deeper more complex story then this one.

Music is amazing as well, created by the two developers themselves for the sole purpose of this game. You won't be hearing this music anywhere else, unlike many other games here on F95 that have similar tracks, sometimes a few even the same.

Lewdity? I wasn't into lewd stuff until about a month ago. Like I said, SS was a stepping stone between a fully adult sex oriented game, and a fully mature story oriented game. SS is mature, but it's also adult enough.
In a sense of content, there is several shower shots showing MCs body, which were done at a very artistic and high level, respecting the beauty of the model. Also, these shots weren't enforced, they were simply optional and if you didn't read, you'd skip them.

Playing more and more of the other games, I am finding more and more ones I really like, however I have to pay respect where it's due and say thanks to the two girls behind Scarlet Spire.

Shorter version: Great game if you give it time enough to grow on you, great story, amazing unique renders with a soundtrack to boot in the package. No, besides few artistic shots of nude renditions of the MC, there's very little lewdity on. If that's what you're looking for, you're looking at the wrong game.

Still one of my top 3, still 5 out of 5 stars for me like all my top 3 games.

Played on the Chapter 6 update got to the end of Chapter 3 and i have already lost interest, i dont have a problem with No Sexual content games as i usually prefer a strong narrative over a run of the mill Haram game anyways however i found the story really boring, it seems there is just text for texts sake that isnt really saying anything, the renders are also average so its not like that sets this project apart.

Maybe i didnt give the game enough chance to warm up however even if that is the case i would suggest waiting until the game is Complete before playing it, it seems like this is going to be a very slow story.

This is an interesting VN and unlike anything I've encountered so far, and it's not just due to lack of sexual content.

First of all, it's written from the third person perspective, with quite a bit of descriptive writing. I understand that it's because the game is based on an actual series of novels, but in the transition to a visual medium, description becomes kind of redundant as you're just retelling the reader what they're seeing on the screen.

There are some grammar errors here and there, and the prose feels kind of stilted. The fact that I had very little idea what was going on roughly 30-40 minutes was kind of discouraging and it's not the good kind of confusion where you're intrigued by the characters and their backstories and where the plot is heading.

There were many instances where I didn't understand what the author/narrator was trying to express through the characters. For example, here's one scene verbatim:

"She looked at him, and smiled. She didn't want to make it turn out so, but that's exactly what she thought."

What exactly does the author mean? It seems like there's a lack of native speaker fluency here that the author is valiantly trying to overcome, but it's not working out well.

On the positive side. The visuals are excellent, and there's a decent soundtrack that fills the void that you don't typically get with other VNs. I can't decide from the little information currently from this build whether the premise is interesting or not, and I have to say that it's not a good sign that after 4 chapters we still don't know what the main thrust of the plot is.

I do wish the creators all the best. I can see that there's been a lot of passion put into this project, but it's very hard for me to see the appeal of this VN right now even discounting that it has no sex.

Personal Rating: 5 Stars
Objective Rating: 4.5 Stars

Story:
The story has me hooked. It was like watching a movie. The suspense and mystery imbued into the script really leaves me anticipating the following chapters. According to the forward within the game, the story is based off of a book with the same name.

Originality:
This game creates a different playing experience compared to the other games that I have played from F95, in that it actually feels like a visual novel, rather than a grind to have sex game with tepid stories. I have yet to play too many other “big” games here, but I’m sure the story quality of this game ranks among the top-tier.

Renders:
Though not through the roof film quality (as are all of the VNs that I’ve seen), the renders are still quite beautiful, as you can see from the screenshot samples. It has good lighting and shadows, especially the use of colored lighting for different environments, i.e. the lab. The night-time lighting is pretty good. Day-time lighting looks pretty good, too, though some areas may be a little over-exposed for a couple of renders.

Sound:
The music is not bad at all. It adds an appropriate undertone to the gameplay. The piano piece is my favorite in the game; I’m sure that it will add a lot of ‘feels’ to future scenes in the game.

Things to refine:
Just some overlooked grammar here and there and tid-bits of excessive lighting exposure as mentioned above.

Overall Summary:
Excellent start, enjoyable story and music, great renders, totally waiting for the next update

*Update for Chapter 6*
My original review was short and sweet cause even as I enjoyed the start, I wanted to see more first.

What I said still stands, plus more.

First, the graphics keep getting better. The environments are getting bigger and the special effects are getting cooler.

The story is getting deeper and more interesting. The mystery is building while also answering some questions. It's a hard line they are staying on. Keeps me interested to know more. Without me ever being confused or bored.

Next, the music is superb. I am that person who always mutes sounds and music in these games. VN's as a whole have not always had those implemented the best. Speaking for Japanese VN's as well. Which usually have repetitive music that really gets annoying eventually.

This game does not have that. The music is top notch. Unique as well since the Devs produce it all themselves. Amazing talented musicians to add to the story and graphics work.

I have been interested since the beginning and that interest is just building with every new release.

Regardless everyone should check it out. Not everything will be liked by everybody but I think most people would be pleasantly surprised by this.
The time, work, and passion put in from the Devs is shown in spades every new Chapter.

I'm looking forward to more and to see what other mysteries there are.

*Review for Chapters 1-4*
Great story start. Intriguing world introduction. Fantastic renders. Amazing custom music. I know sex/porn is the main reason most of us are on this site but it isn't the only media I enjoy. A good story is still the prerequisite for most things for me. This has that. An interesting sci-fi world is also always a plus. I look forward to more. I recommend giving it a try at least.

Review from chapters 1 to 4 of the public release.

This VN shows promise.
Very nice renders and unique, realistic characters.
MC lady has quite a stunning figure.
The first four chapters are mostly exposition, and though the story is intriguing, the english translation is sometimes a bit strange. The dev team could certainly use an english speaking translator.
The music is good and helps establish the mood in many scenes.
No sexual content for the moment.