VN - Ren'Py - Completed - Sparkling Duplicity [Final] [Goosenards]

UPD as of version 0.2. 5 -> 4 rating

The story got rushed, the first date quickly went into lets watch movies, and next phrase there is already an animation going on. Writing kinda tanked there, moreover dev already reported that he is done with the game (or taking a long break starting another game).

A lot of potential, worth adding to watch list.

+ three distinct girls, decent models, different characters

+ story line and dialogue that is well written, and is not an endless word salad, you can actually read this without skipping

+ animations are surprisingly good

+- this is just first chapter/release, so a lot can go wrong or go well in future, we don't know yet.

Quality content, albeit short. It is still enough play time for chapter 1.

Things I like so far;

-Decent story
-Rich character design
-Engaging and interesting dialogue
-Struggles of a single father
-Good renders
-Waaay above average animations
-Gingers

Things that i despise in this game;

-MC's hair style on both heads.
-MC's open hatred for his son, because lil Billy is an asshat, he is a sexist fucking moron etc. Even tho its all his fault for being a terrible father. He just loosely mentions it once, then it is all afterthought. He might be a young adult now, but lil Billy had more Tate than you in his life. Not his fault. Cannot antagonise him, but the story wants me to.
-Lack of choices, this is not a kinetic novel (unless dev/s change their minds) choices are too little and too far between. But they matter.

Nitpick;

-Dev/s really talented when it comes to animations and rendering. But animations sometimes feels jittery, like Will Smith eating spaghetti made by AI.
-Renders also good but more often than not they show wrong(or non at all) emotions. Facial reactions are a bit weird during some dialogues.

Conclusions;

Heavily recommend it to everyone. Will be watching this game's development closely. Have fun.

Dev decided to shat on his own work. If the creator doesn't care why sould i invest in this story.

Great game. Great story, good building of tension with some payoff. The renders could be improved but they are good, and to me a decent render with a great setup is much better than an amazing render with nothing behind it. Hope the developer keeps motivated and updates regularly. I will definitely support if that's the case.

This was a really fun demo to play. The story was original, and the characters were great. I enjoyed the dialogue a lot. The banter between the MC and the son was believable. The son is an asshole but not without some reason, after experiencing more of the story. The women were all very beautiful and the models were unique. Very much looking forward to seeing this gain some steam and progression.

I really enjoyed the dialogue with the girls too. Especially when exploring the MCs past. Very well written, and the models reflected the changes in tone believably. Love the simulated fellatio faces. Classic!

If I could offer some criticism - the MC could do with a bit of a makeover, lol. But if losing the shabby look is a plot device for the future - it's fine. Definitely had that single dad bachelor vibe going.

Great time playing this one! Short (for now) but sweet.

Honestly, pretty fantastic so far. The animations and characters look great, and the dialogue is a good read.

I don't like rating games on "what they might be", but if it continues like this, i see it developing into a great game!