I honestly didn't think I was going to like Sexbot very much - my initial impression was that while there were some good enough preview renders to justify checking it out, there were also some character designs not to my taste, and the very trope-heavy visual design for some of them was an immediate red flag.
However, in one of life's many lessons to not judge a game solely by the preview images, Sexbot has won me over. The time-loop based progression system works better than any similar mechanic in a VN that I can think of, with the between-loop ability status updates and guides preventing it from becoming a grind with no idea what to do next. While the characters are indeed very trope-heavy, the writing mostly strikes the right tone to make that aspect of the characters work in its favour, rather than just come across as lazy writing. The writing in general is light and fun, and competent, which allows the game to get away with things that might annoy me more in games with worse writing.
The renders and animations for the sex scenes are generally great, and some of them are excellent. I'm not personally a fan of some of the character design choices, notably the exaggerated bimbo features of characters like Bailey and the faces of characters like Sam, which feel oddly proportioned. That said, the sex scenes are good enough that I stopped paying attention to that before long, and I genuinely enjoy all the character's scenes. It also helps that the cartoony tone of the game and characters makes it so that the less realistic character designs still fit in the universe well enough.
The only other note-worthy critique that I can think of this that most of the secondary characters have very few sex scenes so far, so if you find a secondary character you particularly like, you may be a little disappointed on that front. But most of them do have at least some sex scenes, and presumably more coming in the future.
Overall, a surprisingly great game. If you're on the fence about checking it out based on the premise and preview images, I would definitely recommend giving it a go, and I am personally looking forward to seeing future updates!
However, in one of life's many lessons to not judge a game solely by the preview images, Sexbot has won me over. The time-loop based progression system works better than any similar mechanic in a VN that I can think of, with the between-loop ability status updates and guides preventing it from becoming a grind with no idea what to do next. While the characters are indeed very trope-heavy, the writing mostly strikes the right tone to make that aspect of the characters work in its favour, rather than just come across as lazy writing. The writing in general is light and fun, and competent, which allows the game to get away with things that might annoy me more in games with worse writing.
The renders and animations for the sex scenes are generally great, and some of them are excellent. I'm not personally a fan of some of the character design choices, notably the exaggerated bimbo features of characters like Bailey and the faces of characters like Sam, which feel oddly proportioned. That said, the sex scenes are good enough that I stopped paying attention to that before long, and I genuinely enjoy all the character's scenes. It also helps that the cartoony tone of the game and characters makes it so that the less realistic character designs still fit in the universe well enough.
The only other note-worthy critique that I can think of this that most of the secondary characters have very few sex scenes so far, so if you find a secondary character you particularly like, you may be a little disappointed on that front. But most of them do have at least some sex scenes, and presumably more coming in the future.
Overall, a surprisingly great game. If you're on the fence about checking it out based on the premise and preview images, I would definitely recommend giving it a go, and I am personally looking forward to seeing future updates!