Recommending Story-first games

5.00 star(s) 8 Votes
Nov 9, 2022
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I can't in good conscience recommend because of some mild translation issues, but it shows a lot of potential, the conversation trees are stacked, and I have a feeling female audiences would love the MC's design. It just desperately needs professional translation services on the cheap. Does anybody know where to source that kind of thing?

Edit: Nevermind. Dev says that apparently the art pipeline was unsustainable. This guy just can't get a break. :cry:
 
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DeuSJS

Newbie
Dec 21, 2019
15
14
On god, both Ouroboros and The Last Sovereign have pretty good stories. Except for the ending of Ouroboros, where it's revealed that Jar Jar Binks was a Sith Lord all along.
 

camube

Well-Known Member
Jun 4, 2022
1,187
1,086
I think it's too early to say whether Zero End would be a story-first game or not but I really enjoy playing it as a "game". In contrast, most AVN I would consider more of a book than a game. Only very few renpy ones feels like a game.

Nothing is Forever is one example. Zero End is another. I really enjoyed playing it the second time and did reruns after reruns just to see other route and small variation of which deity you choose gives the players what effects. It's fun because I feel very very few renpy AVN "feels" like a game. This one does.
 
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Arisushi

Member
Game Developer
Jul 9, 2020
420
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A quick search yielded a "No results found" for Fates Collide on this thread.

So, I just wanted to know if anyone here has played it and, if yes, what your thoughts on it are.

I personally liked it a lot, but am curious what others (who enjoy more story-oriented games) feel about it, as it often walks the fine line between sincere storytelling and horny wish fulfillment.
 
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bacienvu88

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Aug 3, 2021
1,714
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A quick search yielded a "No results found" for Fates Collide on this thread.

So, I just wanted to know if anyone here has played it and, if yes, what your thoughts on it are.

I personally liked it a lot, but am curious what others (who enjoy more story-oriented games) feel about it, as it often walks the fine line between sincere storytelling and horny wish fulfillment.
Yes, I play and follow it. I think it has a pretty good story going with several interesting plot threads. I mostly like it, especially the two party scenes and the friend group interacting with each other. But some parts are overdone. For example there are too many save/help/defend the damsel in distress situations (airport, train, thief, first school day (although that is a guy in distress ...), fight outside convenience store (two variants) and probably more).

There is also a good amount of non-LI characters of both genders, including in the friend group, which is promising.
 

realjitter

Member
Jun 21, 2021
290
366
too many save/help/defend the damsel in distress situations
That's a little bit of an understatement=). The whole sequence where he can't let go of the thought that the train chick could be in danger.... I legitimately thought he'd call her parents next :p. Well, I stopped reading when, just one scene later btw, he has the option to help out that police woman... I was too scared to see what happens when he goes to school.

-Excuse me miss, here, you've dropped your pencil
-Leave her alone you bullies!. That's not how you treat a lady!
-It's not a problem, here, you can have mine. I'm not hungry...
-(Should I let her win?. Ah, why not.. let her have it...)
-I can do your homework for you.....
-I saw you stealing, give it back!!!!
-So you want to go out partying, but you can't because of your sick grandmother?. You know what?. I'll do it, i'll watch out for her while you go out there and have fun. No, don't even try to argue with me. I already made up my mind....
-Gimme that cigarette, that's not good for you.
-Excuse me miss teacher, I saw some rascals outside dealing drugs....
-C'mon, let's go back inside. We don't wanna be late for class
-That's cheating dude. I'm sorry, but I have to tell on you. It's the right thing to do

Alright, maybe the game ain't like that. It seemed nice and all, but it wasn't for me..
 

Arisushi

Member
Game Developer
Jul 9, 2020
420
1,634
Yes, I play and follow it. I think it has a pretty good story going with several interesting plot threads. I mostly like it, especially the two party scenes and the friend group interacting with each other. But some parts are overdone. For example there are too many save/help/defend the damsel in distress situations (airport, train, thief, first school day (although that is a guy in distress ...), fight outside convenience store (two variants) and probably more).

There is also a good amount of non-LI characters of both genders, including in the friend group, which is promising.
I'm so glad to hear that someone else has a similar feeling about it.

It really is quite good at what it does (the friendship/romance dynamics in particular), but at the same time -- for a game that treats its overall story fairly well, it also seems to go overboard with making the MC an all-capable, center-of-the-world-ish character.

And honestly, I'm quite impressed by it. It's almost like the game can cater to both who are looking for good storytelling AND those who want "everybody loves the mc"ish romantic/sexual escapades. (Or neither, if you look at it another way I guess.)
 
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Dragon59

Conversation Conqueror
Apr 24, 2020
6,699
10,943
There is also a good amount of non-LI characters of both genders, including in the friend group, which is promising.
I love that! I'll have to give it a try. A few of my projects will have a number of non-LIs (sometimes a case of some LIs will be available to one MC profile, some to another), and important friend connections. I'd like to see how other developers manage it.
 

Dragon59

Conversation Conqueror
Apr 24, 2020
6,699
10,943
I think it's too early to say whether Zero End would be a story-first game or not but I really enjoy playing it as a "game". In contrast, most AVN I would consider more of a book than a game. Only very few renpy ones feels like a game.

Nothing is Forever is one example. Zero End is another. I really enjoyed playing it the second time and did reruns after reruns just to see other route and small variation of which deity you choose gives the players what effects. It's fun because I feel very very few renpy AVN "feels" like a game. This one does.
Do you have a link for Zero End? I can't seem to find it on the site.
 

realjitter

Member
Jun 21, 2021
290
366
Going back to Fates Collide one more time. There are 2 things i've noticed I didn't like. First, the player gets to read all the inner monologues of all the characters around him. I mean, the characterisation of people is already paper thin to begin with in the majority of AVN's. Which is fine since we're talking amateur work here. But by doing so you give the player "total information" which is not the way to go in my mind. There's not much left for your own interpretation if you're doing it like that imo. Well, and secondly, and that's nitpicky as fuck, the developer likes to describe redundant things. For example "She reaches down and picks up her glasses". That's something you do when writing a book, but in an AVN you literally get to see it happening... No need for telling your audience. I'd scratch all of that tbh... Anyways, that's the 2 things i've noticed during my 30 minute slice of the game despite the MC having a "helping fetish" :p
 

jbmurphdog

Newbie
Aug 2, 2018
30
431
Of Birds and Bees
[DiscipleOfVirginia]


https://f95zone.to/threads/of-birds-and-bees-v0-6-discipleofvirginia.42860/

I did a quick search of this thread and this VN didn't pop up. So, I felt I should throw my pennys in on it.

I have never seen a story developed like this on F95.. Dev mentioned Lovecraft in the OP and it fits. I spent the begining asking myself WTH is going on. Why am I playing this?

Then the Crap hits the fan and it all gets... curious. A hell of a story going on here. Horror, Thriller...Oddness. There is a major choice that I played conservatively ... and Damn. I'm still not done with the available content. Had to take a breath.

The style is unique and takes some getting used to. I almost never play with headphones but they are recomended to hear the voices. It's easy to click through transitions which have a lot of info at times. (Lord knows what I have missed.)

Big asses are over done and talked about often. Nothing makes sense for the first couple chapters. Some Engrish. But that may be intentional. Yet, it comes around and the "Ohh. What?!" moment hits. I was just not ready for it. (I was about to delete to be honest)

Just thought I would throw it into the mix on this thread. It's worth the time I think. Pay attention to the clues and just wait for the OMG moment. o_O

Edit: The fat and gross men in the preview pics are easily avoidable..Some thing need not be seen IMO.
 
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jufot

Well-Known Member
May 15, 2021
1,482
3,261
the decision to to have two endings only an ending with emily or ending with nobody
I wasn't aware of that. My gut reaction is "that sucks", but when I think about it for a moment, it does make sense. The game never really had an option to keep Emily at a friendly distance, and dumping her after everything MC has been doing with her would be very cruel, so it's understandable Az doesn't want to go there. It's also worth mentioning that there is nothing romantic going on with any of the other characters - it's all just sex, and that's for a reason.
 
May 23, 2021
101
171
I wasn't aware of that. My gut reaction is "that sucks", but when I think about it for a moment, it does make sense. The game never really had an option to keep Emily at a friendly distance, and dumping her after everything MC has been doing with her would be very cruel, so it's understandable Az doesn't want to go there. It's also worth mentioning that there is nothing romantic going on with any of the other characters - it's all just sex, and that's for a reason.
understandable take
honestly thought that az should have just made it a kinetic novel it's kinda irritating ngl but respect to him for not changing it and sticking to his vision
just hope he don't repeat the same thing in his next project
 
5.00 star(s) 8 Votes