Recommending Story-first games

[Raife]

For two reasons:
- There is no graphic rape, only physical assault
- It's depicted as something horrifying, not titillating

Honestly, it feels like we've played two entirely different games, and the characters just happened to share names

I think we almost paraphrased each other in our responses... wouldn't be the first time!

I don't think CV has played the game yet... so he is having to rely on (unreliable) secondary sources. As someone who has played the game... I agree with you.

 

[Deleted member 1044747]

I agree with you though that the whole "everyone has secrets and is lying to everyone to protect them" schtick at some started to get tiring

Tell me about it.
I'm still busy with Intertwined and the constant communication breakdowns between characters to create artificial drama is quickly getting old - one of few things I don't like about this otherwise really well made VN.

I haven't played Lexi so I can't comment on that, but I'm honestly baffled to see you think Hillside's dev is getting off on it. I can't even begin to imagine what/which scene makes you think of that...

Did you miss some of the story? It's because he was explicitly and strongly recommended to her. Even then, MC actually offers to resign and recommend a female guard instead, just to ease her worries. Would a stalker do that?

Honestly, it feels like we've played two entirely different games, and the characters just happened to share names

I think you missed the part of my post which caused this tsunami...

I haven't touched Hillside yet (...)

But on a serious note - I'm glad for all the feedback here.
I'm definitely more eager to give Hillside a try now.
Thanks, fellow lewd lovers.

 

[jufot]

I'm still busy with Intertwined and the constant communication breakdowns between characters to create artificial drama is quickly getting old - one of few things I don't like about this otherwise really well made VN.

Agreed, that was my one complaint as well.

I think you missed the part of my post which caused this tsunami...

Ah, indeed I did Well, glad to hear you're eager to try it now

 

[Raife]

Agreed, that was my one complaint as well.

Miscommunication/non-communication is an acceptable plot device... but, as ever, its effectiveness depends on whether or not it occurs in an organic and compelling way. In so many of these games, miscommunication is executed in a really clunky or incredible manner... that's definitely an issue in _Intertwined_. For example...

Spoiler

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On the other hand, the frustrating non-communication between the MC and the main LI in _Hillside_ occurs because of lack of trust, due to:

Spoiler

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These strike me as eminently credible reasons for the lack of communication in that game... which still makes it frustrating for the player... but also makes overcoming a lack of trust and establishing communication sooooo satisfying.

Charles Dickens, for instance, constantly resorted to hidden connections or relationships as a device in his novels... but they usually worked, because his writing was so lively and his characters so memorable.

So... I don't mind literary devices like miscommunication, as long as they are done well.

 

[jufot]

So... I don't mind literary devices like miscommunication, as long as they are done well.

Oh, definitely. I like it in Hillside as well. My complaint was specifically about Intertwined, where it felt contrived.

 

[Deleted member 3365639]

1: Oath of Loyality - is a great gangster story: https://f95zone.to/threads/oath-of-loyalty-ch-10-hsa-games.51991/

2: Mad World - promising game. I wrote a review. https://f95zone.to/threads/mad-world-release-3-3-0-0-smoke-mob-games.55994/ (not finished yet)



3 Tora Productions:

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I didnt play all games yet but I like how Tlaero is writing her stories and Mortze has his unique visual style too
All those games are in renpy or html as far as i know.

edited.

 

[jufot]

Thanks for the recommendations!

I didnt play all games yet but I like how Tlaero is writing her stories and Mortze has his unique visual style

Are you sure?

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is Tlaero and Mortze's Patreon account and both of those games point to different Patreons.

 

[Deleted member 3365639]

Thanks for the recommendations!


Are you sure?

You must be registered to see the links

is Tlaero and Mortze's Patreon account and both of those games point to different Patreons.

my first 2 links are not related to tora productions. just the last link. I edited my first post, sry if I confused you.

 

[jufot]

my first 2 links are not related to tora productions. just the last link. I edited my first post, sry if I confused you.

Ah, my bad

 

[moskyx]

Only very old Tlaero's games (those she made with Phreaky as artist before Mortze) are still in HTML. This year they released a Ren'Py Omnibus, a single Ren'Py build with the 5 original games in the "Elsaverse" plus all the side stories (mostly text-only) ever written in that universe, which I find one of the best built fictional settings in this genre. The way everything fit together, the insight you get about games' main events thanks to the expanded stories make it a very enjoyable experience. 'AAA' and 'Demon Guard' are particulary good stories - with no pics at all, just be warned. This is for real readers.

 

[Deleted member 1044747]

Tora Productions:

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Good contribution. I completely forgot about them.

While their (older) stories aren't my favourites they are definitely worth a try if you are into well written VNs.

As already mentioned Tlaero is the (female) writer and Mortze the (male) artist - so expect their stories to be very female friendly (which is definitely a plus for me).

In fact I always found it amusing that their stories had that educational undertone - you get rewarded for being a decent guy and punished for acting like a dick. In a way these VNs are a contribution to feminism and equal rights.

At least the older VNs are also kind of strict when it comes to game mechanics - following certain routes (or unlocking scenes) can be quite a hassle at times and makes the use of a walkthrough almost mandatory.

In a way they remind me of old Sierra point & click games (King's Quest, Police Quest, Space Quest) with their rigid point systems.

I think their newer VNs are more forgiving in that regard.

Oh, speaking of which - check out https://f95zone.to/threads/swe1-the-warriors-heart-v1-0-mortze.46344/.


I also wanted to take the opportunity to apologise for being a bit provocative in yesterday's Hillside discussion.
Sorry about that.

 

[jufot]

expect their stories to be very female friendly (which is definitely a plus for me).

In fact I always found it amusing that their stories had that educational undertone - you get rewarded for being a decent guy and punished for acting like a dick. In a way these VNs are a contribution to feminism and equal rights.

Agreed. I've only played a few and you can tell they're not written by a horny teenage boy.

I also wanted to take the opportunity to apologise for being a bit provocative in yesterday's Hillside discussion.
Sorry about that.

Not at all! If anything, a little provocation can be good to freshen things up

 

[Mister_M]

Dreams of Reality may be of some interest too.

 

[Raife]

I also wanted to take the opportunity to apologise for being a bit provocative in yesterday's Hillside discussion.
Sorry about that.

As jufot said, absolutely no worries -- a bit of provocation is a good thing. We just didn't want you to miss out on a good game because of a couple of misleading (possibly deliberately so) reviews.

The dev has taken a series of porn tropes and subverted them, in a way that surprised a lot of players (most reacted negatively, while I could not be happier) as well as the main LI and most of her family. Everyone keeps expecting the MC to be an exploitative, nasty creep... and he (and the dev) keep surprising everyone.

Deliberate subversion of porn game tropes might be one of my favourite -- terribly underused -- development techniques. Love it!

 

[Deleted member 1044747]

Deliberate subversion of porn game tropes might be one of my favourite -- terribly underused -- development techniques.

Absolutely. And you just gave me the perfect catch phrase...

Spoiler: Decisions, decisions

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Gotta love Nyx and her mocking humour.


By the way, I wonder if anybody here tried

https://f95zone.to/threads/a-wife-and-mother-v0-150-lust-passion.5944/

and what you think of it.

Despite being a story-drivenfocused VN I couldn't really get into it - it was simply too drawn-out and boring for my liking.

 

[jufot]

By the way, I wonder if anybody here tried

https://f95zone.to/threads/a-wife-and-mother-v0-150-lust-passion.5944/

and what you think of it.

Despite being a story-driven VN I couldn't really get into it - it was simply too drawn-out and boring for my liking.

I only play female MC games if pure lesbian is possible, and that's what I did with AWAM. It's... not bad. It's one of the incredibly rare games with lesbian incest (if you are into that, I'm not) so that can be a selling point. The problem with AWAM is two fold:

- The developer is a render perfectionist, and it takes ages to render a single image, so updates are rare
- There are about a dozen routes in the game, so every update only includes a handful of routes

I haven't played it in more than a year now, and I'll likely wait another year or two so the story can move at least a little bit forward.

 

[Deleted member 1044747]

I only play female MC games if pure lesbian is possible (...)

Same for me - and I usually stick to the lesbian route.

There are very few exceptions to this rule:

- VNs by Eva Kiss because in my opinion the content she creates is just too good to be missed.
- There's a really well written and likable male LI who isn't your typical womaniser.

The latter recently happened in a story of a mobile VN app I'm using once in a while.
They have some really well written VNs - and since the app is targeted at (and mostly used by) women, almost all MCs are female.
My female MC still ended up with another woman, though.

I wonder why that is.
Maybe a case of "If I can't have the girl (female MC), nobody (at least no other man) should get her"...

 

[jufot]

I wonder why that is.
Maybe a case of "If I can't have the girl (female MC), nobody (at least no other man) should get her"...

Nah, for me it's the fact that the MC is the player's proxy, and as a heterosexual man, I have no interest in fucking guys

 

[Deleted member 1044747]

Nah, for me it's the fact that the MC is the player's proxy, and as a heterosexual man, I have no interest in fucking guys

That's a fair reason.

I guess I generally treat games more like role-playing games where the MC isn't necessarily my proxy, but I take on a role.

It doesn't happen too often, but if there's an interesting male LI, I follow that route - not for the sex, but for the story.

That's why I have no problem playing / reading adult games / VNs with gay (male) MCs - I'm very open-minded in that regard.

In the end story comes first for me - and love is love, regardless of gender.

 

[ShamanLab]

Hi, again.

My second project "Mysterious Erotic Theater 3500' is story first game too.