Ren'Py - Shuggerlain [v0.69.2] [Taifun Riders]

amazing, really doesnt have enough recognition. I havnt played the new update but I am glad the game isnt dead. Looking forward to it! The art style and story are pretty awesome. Really recommend checking it out!

Loved the art! Masterpiece in the making! Extremely well done! If anything I'd like a bit more consistency in how we interact with the girls or the succubi in the sex battles and to be able to freely view any scene of the sex battles in the gallery if no ingame with the ex-succubi.

pros: the animations and h-scenes are absolutely fantastic. 5 stars for that alone! the gameplay actually isn't too bad, the sex-battles are actually quite fun and an interesting mechanic.

neutral/cons: the story is super corny, all things considered. This isn't a bad thing, necessarily. There's been a ton of effort put into it, that much is clear... but it's still pretty cornily written, and it's a bit clumsy at times I guess. Also, there are some grammar and spelling errors, but nothing egregious

Wonderful art! This is one of the best 2D games. Thanks to the dev.
Renders 5/5 great quality.
Story 4/5 interesting story. I feel like playing RPG.
Characters 5/5 full of cute characters.
Animations 5/5 lot of great animations with great angle (including POV)

This is arguably one of the most immersive fantasy based games that I have ever had the chance to experience on this website. I really enjoyed it, and I can't wait to find out how the story develops further. There's a lot of good things to talk about, but I don't want to spoil anything for future players, so I will try my best to review this objectively.

Pros:
- Art - 4.5/5 (it's original and well done. The only reason why I have reduced the score by 0.5 is because I have seen better. But that's purely based on my opinion and tastes).
- Story - 5/5 (Simple, straightforward, and interesting)
- MC - 4/5 (A decent man who has to work for everything he wants to achieve. He also treats his women right. Also, has a refreshingly new design when compared to other games).
- Strong and varied supporting characters - 5/5 (They are beautifully done, and none of the NPCs feel like an awful extra)
- Animated erotic scenes - 5/5 (although, if you could somehow add other stuff like sweat, oil, etc., to your scenes, then it will be even more glorious).
- Villains who have a purpose and their own objectives - 4.5/5
- Music - 5/5 (Extraordinary work here)
- Has a Gallery to keep track of the scenes
- A believable harem setting. Girls don't just throw themselves at the MC. He has to put in some work and he does have help in the process. Also, no NTR or sharing so far ( I personally have no problems with sharing content, but some of you lot might do, so putting it here)

Cons (Now, these are given only based on my opinion, and are not really problems)
- Some girls look too similar (w.r.t body types and sizes, especially the succubi)
- Some events are so random that it is hard to understand what triggers them (or if they could be repeated at a later point if you aren't ready for it at that time). That said, random encounters do keep the game interesting for sure. But can be a pain for completionists like me (and I failed to unlock 3 scenes during my play-through since I had no idea how to unlock them. That said, this could be remedied in a few playthrough with some help from the community, so its not a deal breaker or anything).
- No group sex scenes so far in my observation (but I did miss 3 scenes despite completing the current version, so I could be wrong).

Obeservation:
- There's a possible bug with the experience points of each girl beyond level 6, wherein the points stop rising after 274 for some girls and 249 for some others. Maybe you can have a look at that.

All in all, this is a fantastic game made by a fantastic developer and team. I absolutely recommend this to everyone that loves a good steamy fantasy tale. And please support the dev if you can as this game is worth it.

Pros:
- Music was great. Especially the title track.
-Art assets were nice
-The army battle mechanic was very fun- very simple; but more involved than most Ren'py combat.

Neutral:
-Grammar was a little hit or miss. Good English- but the punctuation use ect was a little strange.
-Dialogue. While it wasn't bad- it was often a little clunky and often very generic.
-Initial tragedy battle would have been far more powerful if the game had developed some relationships / backstory first.

Cons:
-Mc's inner monologue was often about really mundane or non-interesting things.
-Characters didn't have much realism to them or their emotional states
-Plot is exceptionally basic

Holy hell. I'll give it 5 stars just for the animations. The whole premise is interesting and the battles are ok, but the art is amazing.

You have a system where you "fight" with a girl , that was an interesting aproach. Even though I don't play it for the story, the animations are like really GREAT . GJ!

It's just amazing !!! good story, great art, interesting conversations, wonderful scenes with girls.
The first thing I didn't like was the looped voice acting in the scenes, and in some places it doesn't work. The second thing I didn't like was the transitions between scenes, I don't know about the others, but my transition between the scenes is too sharp

Shuggerlain FULL v0.33 REVIEW
Shuggerlain is the second game developed by 'Taifun Riders', right behind Space Paws.

I will be comparing this game to Space Paws as many people have probably already played it(If you haven't I recommend it) so that I can give you some perspective. I will try to give as much detail as possible for anyone curious about this game and its current development. Here we go...

THE STORY:
The story isn't bad at all, but its nothing SPECTACULAR. It's pretty much the same writing style as SP. Very consistent throughout the game. I personally enjoy Taifun Riders' story telling. There were times where the writing felt a little off or even forced, but in the grand scheme of the game, these are minor issues. There were also a few grammar errors as well.

GAMEPLAY:
The gameplay is relatively the same as SP, after the prologues you can choose which country you want to go to, and each one has their own small story, which will lead to unlocking a new girl at the camp as long as all the requirements are met. It's still point and click like SP, but they definitely added a few new things to spice it up.

Battles:
The combat type is turn based, with scenario choice in between attacks occasionally. It is no longer trial and error like in older versions. You have attacks/moves you can do. Some girls you unlock in the camp also gives you more move-sets to be used in battle. IMO the combat is drastically better, as it feels much more in my control rather than "oops I picked the wrong choice" like before. There are about 6 or 7 of these battles in the game at the current moment (didn't really get a chance to count).

Camp and Relationship System:
So the main "hub" is a camp site. This is where you improve relations with all the girls in the game. The more you progress through the story, the more girls you unlock to interact with. The XP system for leveling up relationships is a bit grindy. They fixed it even more in this update, giving you multiple ways to get XP, including a question system for some girls, kissing, and giving gifts. Basically, you spend action points to gain XP, allowing you to level up and go on dates with girls to get the H-Scenes.

Addressing their new question system:
I addressed this in my previous review, but they are slowly going away from the simple "ask" system where it's just the same dialog options, and are now doing a system where each girl will ask you a question to answer about themselves. There are currently 3 girls with this option and I prefer it much more than the old ask system. I feel more involved with each girl this way and learning new information about them is always nice.

Succubus Battles:
This is my favorite aspect of the game so far. I will try not to spoil too much, but you can find these secret succubus battle events. Throughout the fight you are given options to perform actions against the succubus and each action takes down her health. She also does an attack against you that deals damage as well. Each girl is different and certain attacks are better and others less effective. They are trying a new system with 2 of the succubus, which I like better honestly, so hopefully they push forward with changing all the battles to be like this, as it's much more interactive (Although it is a bit more difficult to rub one out with the new system). Basically its like 14 sex scenes in 1 event. VERY SATISFYING!

THE H-SCENES:
Oh my god, if you thought SP had fantastic animations, get ready... cause you're about to CREAM your shorts. The H-Scenes DRASTICALLY got improved. Smoother animation, different angles in the same scene, better sex positions, amazing detail, and most importantly... cumshots (something that Space Paws kind of had but not really)! Hands down some of, if not the best 2D animations I've ever seen in a VN. Since v0.22 they made all the animations 100fps as opposed to 24 like they used to be. They look much more crisp. And there's already A LOT of scenes in the game! If you don't care about anything else, and play just for the porn (which lets be honest, to a certain extent, we all do) you will NOT be disappointed when it comes to the sexual content.

UPDATES AND FUTURE PLANS:
So far, this is the 4th major update (not counting launch and the v0.10b mini-update). Each update has added a significant amount of content. They typically release a major update roughly around every 3-4 months.
They said this game plans to be BIG. According to them, there will be 16 main girls in total with FULL routes. I believe SP had 5 main girls and 5 side girls (with some small extras in-between). So from 5 main girls to 16 is a pretty huge jump!
This game has insane potential and it's looking better and better every update.

My thoughts on v0.33
They are definitely going in the right direction. Good technical improvements on the game. I enjoyed the new prologue a lot and the new succubus battle system is much better than the old one. More depth in the world building, battles, animations, and small details as always. One last thing that I was a little disappointed about was the amount of bugs that came with the update... They did a bunch of patches already but there was a lot unfortunately. I hope that next update they can do a little more testing to iron out the bugs even if it takes a few extra days to release. I know they were really trying to release this update quickly, but some TLC goes a long way.

TL;DR
Personally I really enjoy this game so far. It has a sizable amount of content. Obviously right now it doesn't feel as vast as SP did, but that's mainly for the fact that they're still in early development. There's enough content to keep you busy, and enough to get you excited for more. What they have is AMAZING, I can't recommend it enough!

The art is top-notch, and even though I think it might be overly ambitious for this type of project, I think people should definitely check it out! Of course, turn-based combat isn't for everyone, but I think this game pulls it off pretty well all things considered.

While laying in the nuclear fridge waiting for both Half-Life 3 and Nicole's Risky Job to finally come out in 2202. My AI assistance tells me that this game got updated with some retroactive changes.

So...
Basically, this is an updated review.
The original is in this spoiler tag below, it is like 80% plus similar to this one, but I keep it for reference.


Anyway, Shuggerlain: Beyond Time is a fantasy-themed VN with some actual gameplay and a name I can't pronounce, or spell without looking at the title.

The premise:
You assume the character of Nulkan, a swordsman who is the captain of the defense force in the city of Bertresh. Literally the night the story started your city is besieged by the forces from an invading nobleman known as Tregor. Due to the internal power struggle within the nation after the emperor died...
Long story short,


The Gameplay:
Aside from your standard VN storytelling, the downtime between events, there are two kinds of battle mechanics.

The actual battle:
Since you are a captain of an army, this is what you do when shit hits the fan.
The mechanic itself is rather simplistic in design, basically, you choose from a handful of options to command your troops to either attack or react to enemy attacks. It might require some trial and error if you didn't get some of them in-story context about what certain units can do, but overall, quite straightforward by itself.
After each battle, during the downtime when you get to interact with characters. You can "heal" your army by getting more troops in cities using gold that will generate each day, this is straightforward and simple enough as well.

The other "battle":
Okay, spoiler alert.
It functions kinda like how the strategy battle works, you choose from options to "attack" her while tanking her attack until one of you wins.
It is also quite simple in nature, but this time you have something to look at.

Aside from that, so far between battles and narratives, you have downtime between plots and battles that you can chat with the romance-able girls to know them, improve relationships, and make the "things" happen...this is an adult game after all.

There is also a crazy old guy who travels with teleporting speed between cities that sells you stuff to give to the girls.
He does not take gold though, instead, he takes a "special currency"...that is separate from gold, I will leave what it is as a surprise.

Overall, these mechanics are all rather straightforward and simple.
In a normal game, I will think it needs more than what we have.
But so far, the gameplay straddles the balance I always hope for in Adult games.
You don't need too hardcore gameplay, since then people will be too distracted and skipping the porn...I mean sure having good gameplay is fine, but that kinda defeats the reason for porn in the game isn't it?
On the flip side, if gameplay too simple or nonexistent, it is just hard to sit through when the story gets too many narratives and you will often just want to cut the bullshit and get to the porn.
This game, at least for me, finds a balance between the two, and I really like it for that.

But if there is anything that I will consider as "cons" is probably the fact level up the relationship with each girl takes time and feels a bit grindy...but hey, it is still easy than actually go on a date irl.
In this game, I am a war vet and commander of an army who has some serious dark past, legit shit, unlike those emo crap, so naturally, girls are attracted to me.
Irl I am a 25 yrs old jobless dipshit who writes adult games reviews online during lockdown, who never even kiss a girl once, and really yearning for death- Okay back to the review now.


The Artstyle:
The art style is great, it is a fine balance of Anime style and the Western..."not cartoon" style.
Just look at the pics on the first page, that should be clear enough.

The actual sex scenes are very, very smooth. To the point, it feels too artsy to wack off to.
That still doesn't stop me from doing it at least half a dozen to the same one- oh wait, they remove it, sort of, in this update.
Hmm...
Alright, I got backups. No big deal...even though she already- ah forget it, I will not repeat the past.

Okay, to be honest, I can't accurately describe the style because I just like it, a bit too much too unhealthy, actually.
All I will say is: The sex animations is one of the best 2D animations I have ever seen.


The Story & Writing / presentation:
It is good, but feel rather...unusually fast.
The game suffers from some explanation dump at the very start, as many VN has.
And the actual starting point is rather dark for the rest of the game's tone...if you read the spoiler tag in The premise section, you should know what I mean.

After that, the narrative tone is significantly lighter, and kind of goes on at breakneck speed, like someone grabs an epic fantasy story, toss all the unnecessary details out, and leaves the "main story" in the narrative.
Look at it this way, the plot of the first two chapters can already be a whole novel itself, just without the extra one hundred thousand words about details and side plots.

Normally I will say this is a shortcoming because the whole idea of a VN is, well, read.
You read it, hence the term name Visual Novel.

But on the flip side, Danganronpa is a thing...
I mean Christ it is a good game and all, but enough of repeating the same idea forty thousand times...

Plus this is an Adult VN with game mechanics, reading isn't all it has to offer...and, to be honest, probably not why we are here for.

Therefore, despite my personal feeling of the narrative being way too fast, I kinda like it for its freshness since no one has done it before.


In conclusion/TL;DR:
Even in this rather early stage of development, this game is already one of my all-time favorites.
Its story and gameplay all have a slightly "simplistic" feeling, like you feel something is going too fast.
But by doing so, it straddles the fine line of my preferred "Adult game formula": Keeps things straightforward and simple enough so you can enjoy the porn, while not being totally lack of gameplay so you get lost in a sea of text.

Finally, to show I am not joking about how much I like this game, this is something I actually own.

How is this game not getting more recognition? From the creators of the amazing Space Paws, we have another awesome game. It's still early but there's already enough content to have fun.

The writing: 5/5
Very interesting story. The universe is complex, and the story keeps you guessing.

Art and animations: 5/5
The art is original and looks very good. The animations are smooth. You can see the characters' expression change during sex, it looks great. And it's not one of those games where you have to grind for hours before the first scene.

Gameplay: 5/5
It's not only a visual novel, you also get to manage battles, coolio

Characters: 5/5
there are different nations in this game and people look different according to where they are from, this allows for every girl to be quite different. Oh, and they're hot. There's that.

That's about it, I didn't really want to spoil anything so this was the best I could do.

An interesting game!

Pros :

• The story. Its pretty good and interesting, a warrior fighting an uphill battle is always interesting.
• The characters, lovely especially Dynae and Nadine
• Very nice artwork as well.
• The steamy scenes are animated!! Loving this

I really enjoyed playing this game, i could not wait for more!

ZERO complain so far, keep it up!

HAVE TO GIVE THIS ONE A RIDE!

If I could give more stars than 5, I would
PROS
Excellent renders
Excellent characters
Excellent story
CONS
The grammar needs some work in a few places
The battle scenes need a tweek
Overall
This is one of the best VNs I've come across in a while. The dev is laying out a wonderful story for our enjoyment. The characters have lots of room for growth. There's battle, sex, and beautiful women. The grammar has some mistakes here and there, but it doesn't take away from the experience. The point system for battles could offer higher points. I recommend giving this one a try. Keep up the good work, and I look forward to future updates, and where the story goes from here.

Plot: This is an epic fantasy game where you have to reunite a kingdom under your banner. It is very interesting so far and the fantasy elements work very well with this game.

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Combat:

There are 2 combat modes - the first is the usual sex minigame with HP bars attached to it. It is nothing new but more adult scenes are always good so I am not complaining.

The second is related to large scale wars where you are given a scenario and you need to decide how to react to it. I really like this so far. The combat is not randomized and is plot driven instead of being a pointless minigame the devs have shoved down our throats. It is a rare example of a minigame that adds to the overall experience rather than being a frustrating pain in the ass.

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Art: I love good 2d hand drawn art. This game has it.

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Characters: The MC is an experienced warrior who seems likeable and I enjoyed playing him. We are also introduced to Dynae, a kindhearted mage and Sariath - a demoness who has allied with us. On the opposing side we have Tregor who is just an asshole but he made a good villain. Overall I really liked the characters and I have nothing to complain about.

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Adult content (so far): So far this game has a good bit of adult content mostly with Dynae. There is also a sex combat minigame with a different character possessed by a demon but we dont really get to know her - she will probably be properly introduced next release. The game has great art and none of the scenes feel forced. I like it.

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Overall thoughts:

I really enjoyed this one. It is also reassuring to me that the dev already has a completed game under their belt and they already have some support on patreon. Because of this I feel comfortable supporting this project despite it being in the early stages of development and at the time of writing this review I dont think it will end up abandoned like a lot of other games I have supported.

The only concern I have so far is that this game seems to be really ambitious and it might end up being more trouble than it is worth. So far though I see no reason to complain.

I give it between a 4.5 to a 5 star rating. I have high hopes for this one.

Well, I never thought I would say something like this but. Im god damn hyped for this game.

Artwork is just more then beautiful (5/5)

Story is interesting and a little dramatic (4.5/5)

Music is also pretty decent imo (5/5)

Combat system seems fine, even tho the animations are a little clunky (3.5/5)

And WOW, I really don't have to say much about the H-scenes.. Just look at it youself.

Overall I am very happy with the first version and I'm looking very forword to see more of it.