Ren'Py - Completed - Space Journey X [v2.00_010b] [y.v.]

Space Journey X is an extremely frustrating game to play, because it feels like one of the biggest displays of wasted talent on F95Zone.

There's so much skill on display in the art, programming and to a certain extent even the writing here, that it makes the central issue of the game all the more glaring: the sex-scenes are perfunctory, anodyne affairs which run directly contrary to the themes of the plot as well as the conventions of the genre.

Space Journey X is, ostensibly, a trainer game. The structure of the game is the same, with the main character progressively corrupting the crew members into wearing ever skimpier uniforms and engaging in progressively more involved sex acts - standard trainer game fare. The main character also refers to training the crew members multiple times, making it clear that this is the intended thrust of the game.

However, the heart of the trainer genre is just that - corruption. The progression of the characters is such that they come to enjoy and even desire more "depraved" acts as the game goes on, demonstrating the effectiveness of the training from which the genre takes its name. However, none of this is ever present in Space Journey X.

None of the women in this game ever express any actual affirmative interest in sex. The "main girl" T'riss views it exclusively as a scientific endeavor or a chore undertaken to further her mission. That's a very reasonable starting point for a corruption plot, but practically speaking, the character never progresses in her training. As the game goes on, the main character manages to convince T'riss to engage in handjobs and blowjobs. She also is put into an "autotrainer" - a sci-fi fucking machine that's supposed to cure her frigidity (in service of the mission of course!) and then later submits to "Krell pet training" - but it never amounts to an actual change in her character. Even after training her to the full extent that the game allows, actually having sex is still rejected by default as not advancing the mission.

Further, almost all the "good stuff" in terms of the training happens either off screen or completely interactively. The autotrainer stuff happens without the main character's input at all, and amounts to exactly one animation of T'riss in the machine with no dialogue. For the Krell Pet Training, she's literally sent off the ship at the start of the day and comes back in the evening, then refuses to tell you anything at all. The only indicator of progression we get is an integer for submissiveness increasing.

The sex scenes that do happen on-screen are, as mentioned, very perfunctory. They generally involve the girl dispassionately giving a handjob or blowjob, or getting in the position and saying "I think you're supposed to move now" or something to that effect.

At no point in the game do any of the women verbally express any sexual desire or pleasure. It's implied that they do have sexual desires - many of the characters have dildos in their cabins of the ship, and one of them frequently masturbates and even does self-bondage on the ship. But during the sex scenes only the main character ever expresses pleasure by going "aaaaaah" like fives times then jizzing all over everything.

This is a big issue for a trainer game. The gameplay loop of a trainer game is to do some gameplay activities in order to increase corruption, which then rewards you with character progression. The trained character falls gradually into corruption, and the dialogue reflects how the training has changed their view of the things you're doing. Without this progression in the characters, the game becomes essentially the quest of one guy to find progressively more convoluted ways to pester women into having sex with him until they reluctantly agree with a sort of disinterested shrug. This very much undercuts the enjoyment of playing the game, end leaves one feeling kind of cheated at the end.

The developer's last game, The Princess and the Tower, had the same issue of the main girl just never really seeming into any of the sexual stuff in any meaningful way.

There is one exception to this in the later updates of the game which added a discipline minigame which does, at least in principle, address the women in the game enjoying sexual acts. Gameplay-wise it asks you to balance sexual pleasure with stress in the disciplining. This is a common conceit in games like this and works well, however even here there is a missed opportunity. The women only comment with a single line at the end of the disciplining, and only one of them ever expresses approval, no matter how high the pleasure meter goes.

Even so, having the disciplining game does provide a ray of hope that the game could come to actually incorporate the women in the game as actual characters with sexual desires rather than hard done by sex dolls just trying to go about their day and handing out quick blowjobs to the annoying ship's captain so they can get back to their work as soon as possible.

Grindy but decent game mechanics. However, the grind is simply not worth the reward. There are few sex scenes with penetration, and they're WAY too short (few seconds, one angle, one position) . If you're looking to fap, this game isn't it atm and not sure if it ever will be as sex content doesn't seem to be a priority

Good:
- plot
- graphics
- gameplay
- no bugs

Bad:
- very, VERY grindy
- combat is rather hard, requiring to use lots of expensive consumables - making for more grind
- the price of some items is very high, again, making it even more grindy
- sex scenes are very brief
- older save games not compatible - this is a big NO, NO (even with the quick start option at beginning of game)

The lost on a spaceship start is a bit tropey but the game has plenty of great plot threads and each character has its own interesting story. Space Journey plays like a trainer but with a ton of gameplay systems and progression to break things up.

[v0.9c1]

I really liked The Princess and the Tower, and this follow-up builds on that for a game that is more ambitious in almost every way. A lot of effort has clearly been put in, and there a lot of good parts (the unique graphic style being the standout) and nothing that's particularly bad. It's a competent and professional production.

And yet… for me it does not come together as an enjoyable game. I think that comes down to three or four things:

1. The gameplay loop isn't super fun, with a lot of different systems to learn and things that need to be upgraded by grinding before you can play effectively. Then once you get a grip on things, a lot of it has already become irrelevant because you're earning so much money that you have no need for it any more. (An example is Transport Missions: I don't think there's ever any time in the game when you have the capability to carry them out and they're still worth doing. Another is the sex bot designer: you can spend hours messing around with it, but by the time you can access good components and have figured out how to get the most out of them, there's no longer any point.)

2. The story is pretty unfocused, without clear stakes. The basic premise is that the MC is stranded in another galaxy and wants to get home, but there's no indication what makes this galaxy (which has humans) different from ours, and he seems to be fitting in just fine and living his dream life, so why? Anyway, most of the game is only very tangentially related to this goal.

3. The sex scenes are extremely brief (literally just a couple of seconds in many cases), emotionless and robotic, and several seem to reuse the same animation. They almost all follow a format where you pester or bribe some woman to have sex, she says OK, there's a single loop of pumping, a cumshot, the woman asks if you're done, and you go on with your day. Not particularly sexy. (A small handful of scenes that tie into the story are more rewarding.)

I think a lot of the problems come down to the fact that the characters are very thinly sketched (the MC is a blank slate with zero personality), and there aren't a lot of personal interactions between them, so the sex scenes and story developments feel meaningless. The Princess and the Tower, with its smaller cast and more streamlined story, took the time to build fun dynamics between the characters, which Space Journey X sorely lacks.

Space Journey X, as well as Princess in the Tower (same developer), are absolute gems. I thought I was ambivalent to this style of game until I tried these. The gameplay system is easy to get used to and understand. The characters are phenomenal - they each have their own personality and intrigue that draws you in and you really feel responsible for their “progression” and ultimate fate. Also the art style is just super clean and appealing. Everything from the actors, textures, backgrounds, down to the smallest objects feel like a cohesive part of the game’s stylized aesthetic. On top of that the developer is an awesome individual who creates every aspect of these games and posts detailed dev tracking logs while developing projects and has helped give me some tips when I reached out.

Great game. The sci fi nature of this one has opened up all kinds of imaginative mechanics that make the story progression super fun. 10/10, I’ll play every project from y.v.

I normally do not write reviews but I just had to for this one.

Game Concept:
At its core a trainer game but on the surface an well designed space exploration, trading and combat gameplay loop. A complex sexbot construction minigame keeps you motivated as player even when the main quest/content is done to get that one awesome sexbot that has eluded you so far.
If you want gameplay on rails with just a string of sex scenes this game is not for you. You actually have to play the game. And there is a lot of game.

NSFW
Animations are rather short and seem to use looped frames, but are well placed. Excellent renders and unique character designs loosely based on existing sci-fi lore. Reasonably challenging training mechanic with attributes to raise and humorous dialogues leading up to the "event". Niot to forget the lewd uniform trope being used gratuitously...

Stability / Design
For the complexity it is offering very stable despite its regular content and gameplay updates.

Summary
All in all a game I have been looking for since the days of playing content like Elite and X.

The concept allows for many more quests and alien races as the crew travels towards home and I sincerely hope it will use this potential to the fullest.

Great Game!

This would be a 5+ stars game and could actually be fun to play.

But.....

-With the walk-through and grinding/repeating actions in specific day time and place you'll manage to proceed.

-Without the walkthrough (and even if you take in consideration the hints inside the game)... good lack unlocking the quests.

V.0.9
Gameplay Excellent
One distinguishing feature of this game is that it is a ''actuall game'', unlike many others.
it has everything from space combat, economy and trading, to making your own sex bot factory.
It's not perfect and can be a bit a grind, but it's far from the worst. There are areas that could use improvement, but overall it earns top marks.

Story - Good
It has some of the typical ''porn-game tropes'' like the crew having to wear sexy uniforms for contrived reasons and other contrived reasons for sexual activities but nothing too ridiculous.
the plot and story are quite good, the protaganist adventure to find his way back home, while trying to get rich, uncover the mysteries of the galaxy and score som hot alien booty along the way

Art style - Good+
Love it, it's unique and frankly I was a bit skeptical at first but grows on you fast and it's really refreshing to see something new and of this high quality.
the render quality itself or graphics if you will are extremely high, top marks

Sex scenes - Lacking
This is where the game falls a bit short. I won't complain too much about the amount, there is a decent amount at this point and the chase for the ''grand price'' is part of these games.
but what's there ''lacks impact'' for the lack of a better word it looks good but is in desperate need of ''expansion'' some choices, a few more angles, and maybe more than just one position, and a proper climax/some more reaction from the girls would do the trick

A fun game that lacks leud content

The Good:
I hated giving this game 3 stars because there is a lot to love with the gameplay. First off, it's actually a game. Many in this genre are not. It has similarities to the great Treasure of Nadia. The concept of upgrading your ship and crew, trading, and space fights are very cool. Not to mention the sexbot building. A very cool feature with one VERY big missed opportunity I'll address later. I also love the art. The women are sexy... they all have a similar look but the other unique characters you come across the galaxy are cool.

The Bad:
Holy grind. Don't play this game if you're not prepared to play for a while or if you're eager to get your rocks off. Way too often you complete a task then have to go to the other side of the map just to get a license or something else that won't allow you to move further. Luckily, the gameplay is pretty fun.

Easily my BIGGEST gripe with the game is the leud content. The scenes are few and far between, too short, not good quality, and there is a lack of choice and nuance. No position, camera angle, when/where to cum, etc. Also, you have the whole sexbot building system... WHY NOT USE THAT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE!? Let players customize the bots and choose which ones they want to fuck. Boob size, butt shape, hair color, race (maybe even include other alien races), body type. There is SOOO much missed opportunity there.

This could be the best game on this site with a few of these suggestions implemented. Not only that, it could be fun without the lewd stuff.

It's a great game with a nice Star-Treky storyline. There is also quite a game underneath it with a fighting and trading system. Frequent updates and a developer who is involved in the community also is a major plus.

I'm really enjoying this game. Lots of subplots, great graphics, great girls. It can be a little grind-y to get the money and equipment you need, but there's a lot to keep you amused. I think my only request would be more (and more varied) sex scenes, and maybe the ability to 'test' the sexbots before sending them out to work. Hopefully there'll be more training for a couple of the girls in future releases too.

This game is a step in the right direction for both my soul, and humanity. It is needlessly well-designed, well-paced and actually entertaining. The quality of games nowadays and their velocities of development have been, relatively speaking, wack. Space Journey X has no reason to be this substantial of a game, but it is; you will find the deviant activities to be adequately contextualised & developed whole-heartedly. You will find the in-game economy to be an intoxicating maximisation game, and a worthy bridge between the content you're actually here for.

Most new games fail to create good passive content. Sure you'll get a buffet of scenes, but with the majority of gameplay it's all shaft and no cock. Space Journey X, however, feels right, and even without the implementation of some foreseeable future features, there's enough to set it proportionally ahead of many games which have been in development for quite a bit longer. Being able to oppress crew between actual space gameplay stuff is made so much better when you can sometimes do both at the same time (Krell space implementation, for example)

The only critique I have is more a blemish on the game, rather than something wrong with design. Many of the quests can be confusing to progress, and because of the development method of these kinds of games, content developed around the same time has to be followed in those batches in-game for things to work best. This means that you can have many quests, but be somewhat in the dark as to which allows what to progress (i.e. trying to unlock the pet store)

All this game needs is more time cooking, and probably some sinks for currency. Maybe property or something, or a tailor store for more outfits that give new epic gaslighter opportunities amongst the crew. She left me and she'll never come back.

8/10 for game, 10/10 for prospects, 15/10 for pervert drone subplot.

I Love it and hate it Love the art and the lady's but Hate the game play.

Here is the rub the game is about 90% Game 10% Porn the game part is just time wasting to get money over and over and simple and the porn while its very good it is very short and fast not a lot of it then the training the gals is too simple and happens too fast and the gals don't really have a lot personality and enough writing for them so its a love and hate for me i will be playing it when its finished

Good example that engine restrictions mean nothing when creator has complex deep gameplay in mind.
Spent like 2 entire days in game, and it was really fun.

Enemy AI and combat rules need some work on. Right now you can move unlimited number of hexes while having last unused shot, and enemies not using their shots during movement phase at all. So you can basically move into blind zone and hit "end turn", leaving AI with no way to get to you in those 2 turns they have left, making you virtually unkillable. On the other hand if you try to "play fair" they can fry your ship in 2 attack phases (or damage so many subunits it will take 2-3 days to rebuy them).
And yeah, stations need more submodules restock, right now it's really grindy.

Good game, bit grindy but thats kinda a feature of the genre. Great models, variety of mini-games and very few bugs, solid game play that can be challenging at times and a really responsive developer with reasonable sub tiers

I give the game 4.5 of 5 stars, O.K. 5 stars then as half star seems not to work. Well done. Need some time to get in, then it works very well. Fine renders. Mini games OK. Noticed many SciFi movies references; Star Trek, Star Wars, Cherry 2000, Life Force (Space Vampires), Barabella, Terminator, RoboCop (TV announces), Captain Future, Galaxina, M3GAN. Galaxy of Terror. Star Fox/Starwing game (Map).
And thanks that it runs on win7, 32bit. And thanks for compressed version too by f95 member. I not get to the end of V 0.7 yet. Grind is mid, can endure.

I like this game a lot, feels very much like a game as opposed to a visual novel. But I must say, I have a definite preference for a bit of grinding over a lot of reading (which I often end up skipping so grinding at least makes me feel like I 'earned' some reward?). Also feels very polished for an unfinished Ren'Py game!

With the amount of gaming content that it has now, I would say the focus could now be on the amount of H-scenes and what they look like, most are one motion scenes or even static images. They are creative though!

A superb quality game, created with a nice premise, pretty renders and the standard corruption script number 3. However, the game economy, the quests, the fun and the slow progress are very entertaining. The grind is quite high, but you somehow feel that it is needed for the progress and not completely mindless. Yes, there are several mechanics that need refining, like - mining, quest progress and space fights, but I hope the author will improve these. Bot creation mechanic is very cool and reminds me of other games. So far there is no much sex involved, but the game tries to keep development as close to real world speed as possible.

this and his other Princess game are amazing. How authors can make renpy do stuff like this is eye opening.
The girls are hooooooottt as well.
The only problem is that I want more! How to use mind control to make the author work 23 hours a day to finish the game!?