Ren'Py - School of Love: Clubs! [v1.8.7] [NijuKozo]

I like the way of unlocking events and I find the game very cool !
The fact that you have to earn points of interest by helping the characters makes the game stand out, all in a style of play that I particularly like! (It's like Lessons in loves and Trouble in paradise)
I follow your game and i encourage you !

Can't wait for the next version to come out !

As of my review, this game is fairly new, and lacks content, which I won't hold against it. Although, there are several reasons as to why I have given it 4 stars instead of 5. The first problem is apparent when starting a new game. The introduction to the characters is very confusing, and it's unclear what their relationship is with the MC. Talking about the MC, his character intro is the worst by far. For whatever reason, everyone seams to idolize him, and it isn't explained why. Personally, I like MCs who are "perfect", but there is no explanation as to WHY everyone loves him so much. It felt as if I was thrown into the middle of a story rather than the beginning. My second gripe is more personal. I am a big fan of linear type games, and rather dislike free roam VNs. The problem with free roam is that it creates a fragmented story, and it is often unclear as to what you need to do next. This is especially apparent in this game, as the hints don't really help too much, and the character interactions are quite shallow. While playing this game I spent more time navigating around the school and the MC's home than actually interacting with characters. Also, there are many times while playing where you can't advance time by interacting with characters and must nap to pass the time. This is frustrating because you have to "navigate" around the MC's home to his bedroom in order to nap, and it's a chore. Also, only a set number of characters actually have in-game story development, but you can still interact with most if not all characters. As I mentioned earlier, the interactions are rather shallow, and leave me unsatisfied. If this game is going to stick to the "sandbox" type gameplay, it ought to be easier to navigate, and have more reward for character interactions. I will be patiently waiting to see how this game will develop, and hope to see more content soon. I see a lot of potential in the game, even if I am not particularly a fan of the play style.

*** This is a preliminary review/rating. I will revisit this game at a later date to update. ***

This rating is being done with the initial release, 0.1 Beta. It is very much so a beta, and it shows. To be fair, it does appear that the Dev is new to this stuff, as he is quite new to F95, but I cannot be completely sure. If he is, he's actually off to a decent start. Hopefully, he or she or they are willing to take feedback. That being said, here's the review:

Graphics/Art: This is another Honey Select style game, as you can plainly see from the preview images. Dev has made some efforts to make the models more unique, at least. The images are crisp and clean, environments are exceptionally colorful. If you've played Harem Heroes Guild, you'll recognize the scenes immediately, as they are an exact duplicate with little to no customization to the base art.

Audio: There is background music, as well has a handful of sound effects. The music does not, in any way, match the scenes. It seems like its there just to be there. It is not jarring, or offputting, it just....doesn't belong. You won't miss anything by having other music playing, as it does not add any kind of benefit to the game.

Story: The story.... Well, keep in mind, this is a first release. You're thrown into a game that is talking about "clubs", and some kind of competition in these clubs, but absolutely no information about what these clubs are. Why they exist. What is the purpose? The function? Why are they so important? Why does there only seem to be two clubs inside of an entire school?

Gameplay: You start out in standard VN style, which I think is meant to be part of an introduction or prologue, but neither of these things actually happen. There is no intro to the game. No prologue introducing you to the characters. No information whatsoever. And then randomly, after the first day, you just wake up in Sandbox mode. No guiding information, no purpose. The Sandbox itself, needs work. Navigation through both the house, and the school, is exceptionally tedious. I appreciate what the dev was going for with it, but it just isn't executed very well. In addition, early on, you're going to find yourself sleeping away half the day. There needs to be a skip time option throughout the map, not just at home/in your room.

Content: Its very early. Only 3 or 4 of the girls have even the most basic content.

Final thoughts:

1) It is obvious that the Dev is trying to skirt Patreons rules on incest with a Landlady/Roommate type scenario. If you're going to do this, you need to either step up and do provide a patch, or do a better job of explaining the living situation. Because right now, it doesn't work out.

2) If you're going to do music, make the music match the scene. Audio should add to the story, not just exist.

3) Transitions can be exceptionally jarring. The player should understand that a game transition has occurred. Right now, in several places, the game seemingly, at random, zips off to a point of view or scene in which the MC is not actually a part of. It doesn't make much sense.

4) The English is pretty good. I'm fairly certain that its not the Devs native language, which is fine. There are really only a decent handful of glaring problems with the text. Nothing that really detracts overall. I would recommend getting a native proofreader though. Also, for some reason, the MC starts calling his not-sister "kitty" instead of "Katie" about 10 minutes into the game. Its fairly random, and isn't explained, so I'm not sure if its meant to be a pet name (no pun intended), or if the Dev missed something?

Hopefully this helps. Dev, if you see this, I don't intend for you to take it negatively at all. Its purely feedback and a review of your initial release. Keep it up, and good luck to you I'll be back to update!