Recommending Story-first games

[jufot]

Can't create a cliffhanger without some unexpected things happening.

FWIW, I love cliffhangers. The more annoying, the better

But... your notorious anti-college game bias (TM) blinds you to the fact that while the narrative is prosaic and (rather deliberately) includes a number of college frat movie/game cliches, the characters are well drawn and three-dimensional, and several of the primary LIs, as well as the MC, have genuine character arcs and backstories. There is a tremendous amount of character building and non-porny dialogue in BAD.

So... I submit that BAD is both a porn game AND a story-driven game. And you, my friend, have repeated the mistakes of the taxonomists of old who beheld the duck-billed platypus laying eggs... and failed to recognise that it was, in fact, a mammal!

Well, all right then. Those are good points, and most characters are fully fleshed out, so I'll admit my bias and concede the point. Seriously

Though, in my defence, I've never been to an American university so the whole greek/frat/sorority culture is very alien to me. The closest I've been was watching American Pie as a teenager Sexual escapades at my university were much more... traditional, so to speak

 

[Raife]

Well, all right then. Those are good points, and most characters are fully fleshed out, so I'll admit my bias and concede the point. Seriously

Though, in my defence, I've never been to an American university so the whole greek/frat/sorority culture is very alien to me.

Ha! Well you have acknowledged the touch, like a gentlemen should. Salute.

Perhaps it is I who am the duck-billed platypus, though: my first degree is from an American University, albeit one that does not allow fraternities/sororities... so my only experience with them is also through films (American Pie, Animal House, etc).

 

[Jaike]

Sexual escapades in my university was much more... traditional, so to speak

So they were with mammals, not monotremes? Not even a marsupial?

But I think I also have some bias against university-themed games. I have found some quite enjoyable, but I cannot think of any that would rank in my top 5.

 

[jufot]

So they were with mammals, not monotremes? Not even a marsupial?

They were indeed all mammals! Well, at least to my knowledge

I have found some quite enjoyable, but I cannot think of any that would rank in my top 5.

Indeed. They can be enjoyable, but I haven't seen one I would consider great.

 

[Zalmoxys]

Well things escalated quickly over Artemis. Like every other games here it have some good and some bad elements. I prefer a game with few sex scenes to not and a good story over one with sex scene every 2 minutes. Well... i think the story is already written. Will it have cliches? Of course! Will the story be to our expectations? Time will tell. What i like at Artemis beside the overall story and the evolution of game quality. Compare the renders from ch1 and ch3. There is a huge leap forward and updates are released every ~5 months. Another thing that make a game good in my opinion is the freaking soundtrack, a thing that almost forgot to mention about a game. Music sets the mood. Frew are the games here where soundtrack really clicks with the story. Should I mention the references? Leap of faith-Artemis and vice versa, Leap of faith - Chasing sunsets. Dev cooperation is a really good thing for the players.
For example: I didn't enjoyed BaDIK so much, in fact is in top 10 but not in top 5, but Artemis is in top 3.
And a friendly advice badtimetales. Don't forget the soundtrack part . I've really enjoyed playing Isabella: Dark pats. Keep up the good work!

 

[Raife]

Well things escalated quickly over Artemis. Like every other games here it have some good and some bad elements. I prefer a game with few sex scenes to not and a good story over one with sex scene every 2 minutes. Well... i think the story is already written. Will it have cliches? Of course! Will the story be to our expectations? Time will tell. What i like at Artemis beside the overall story and the evolution of game quality. Compare the renders from ch1 and ch3. There is a huge leap forward and updates are released every ~5 months. Another thing that make a game good in my opinion is the freaking soundtrack, a thing that almost forgot to mention about a game. Music sets the mood. Frew are the games here where soundtrack really clicks with the story. Should I mention the references? Leap of faith-Artemis and vice versa, Leap of faith - Chasing sunsets. Dev cooperation is a really good thing for the players.
For example: I didn't enjoyed BaDIK so much, in fact is in top 10 but not in top 5, but Artemis is in top 3.
And a friendly advice badtimetales. Don't forget the soundtrack part . I've really enjoyed playing Isabella: Dark pats. Keep up the good work!

I don't disagree with any of this; I agree that the production values of _Artemis_ including the soundtrack, are very high. There's a lot to admire about that game.

But this is a thread for 'story snobs,' if you will. The narrative in that game has some fairly glaring issues and questionable choices. It has strengths, as well, but there are a couple of faceplants and one or two decisions (such as introducing too many LIs) that I'm afraid will come back to bite the dev as development progresses.

Still... I want the game to succeed, and hope the dev can recover and restore his narrative focus a bit over the next few episodes.

 

[badtimetales]

And a friendly advice @badtimetales. Don't forget the soundtrack part . I've really enjoyed playing Isabella: Dark pats. Keep up the good work!

Thanks.
I hate the sound thing, because it takes a day to find and edit the songs matching the situation. But i started with it, so ... can't change it

 

[Zalmoxys]

I don't disagree with any of this; I agree that the production values of _Artemis_ including the soundtrack, are very high. There's a lot to admire about that game.

But this is a thread for story 'snobs,' if you will. The narrative in that game has some fairly glaring issues and questionable choices. It has strengths, as well, but there are a couple of faceplants and one or two decisions (such as introducing too many LIs) that I'm afraid will come back to bite the dev as development progresses.

Still... I want the game to succeed, and hope the dev can recover and restore his narrative focus a bit over the next few episodes.

Yeah. making several endings will not be easy. As the dev said the game will have several endings with every LI or alone. As i said. Time will tell if it will be a success or a big disappointment.

 

[Zalmoxys]

Thanks.
I hate the sound thing, because it takes a day to find and edit the songs matching the situation. But i started with it, so ... can't change it

I know fo sure is not easy to match the right things, just don't kill the game with no sound at all. I lost count of how many games i deleted after 20 mins of play where the only sound wat the crickets outside my house. Put the soundtrack where it really matters.

 

[Raife]

So they were with mammals, not monotremes? Not even a marsupial?

[Stentorian narrator: Little did Jaike suspect, but by revealing jufot's subliminal monotremeaphilia, a whole new niche porn game genre got its start (accompanied by the wildly misleading and controversial new F95 'mono' tag)...]

 

[jufot]

[Stentorian narrator: Little did Jaike suspect, but by revealing jufot's subliminal monotremephilia, a whole new niche porn game genre got its start (accompanied by the wildly misleading and controversial new F95 'mono' tag)...]

I was about to express my amazement at your staggering ability to continuously introduce me to hitherto unknown vocabulary like stentorian, but then you went ahead and ruined it with an obvious non-word like monotremephilia

 

[Raife]

I was about to express my amazement at your staggering ability to continuously introduce me to hitherto unknown vocabulary like stentorian, but then you went ahead and ruined it with an obvious non-word like monotremephilia

That's a neologism, of course, jufot... and I intend to promote my creation until it is enshrined in the OED... right after I complete the development of the first-ever momotremephile porn game, _Platypussy_.

Don't worry, it will have a coherent narrative, and omit rando sorority blowjob contests.

 

[jufot]

That's a neologism, of course

That's what everyone who tries to bullshit their way to victory in Scrabble says

Don't worry, it will have a coherent narrative, and omit rando sorority blowjob contests.

Looking forward to it!

 

[Sharinel]

That's what everyone who tries to bullshit their way to victory in Scrabble says

 

[Jaike]

They were indeed all mammals! Well, at least to my knowledge

You can never be too sure these days, with

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.

[Stentorian narrator: Little did Jaike suspect, but by revealing jufot's subliminal monotremeaphilia, a whole new niche porn game genre got its start (accompanied by the wildly misleading and controversial new F95 'mono' tag)...]

I was about to express my amazement at your staggering ability to continuously introduce me to hitherto unknown vocabulary like stentorian, but then you went ahead and ruined it with an obvious non-word like monotremephilia

That's a neologism, of course, jufot... and I intend to promote my creation until it is enshrined in the OED... right after I complete the development of the first-ever momotremephile porn game, _Platypussy_.

Don't worry, it will have a coherent narrative, and omit rando sorority blowjob contests.

Okay, let's take a look at the wordiness of "monotremephilia". The elements "mono", "treme" and "philia" are all Greek, so that's in theory much better than many current hybrid combinations. Buuuuut the appearance is very un-Greek because "treme" has an English ending. The Greek word for "treme" is

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. So as an olive branch I suggest the form "monotrematophilia", "monotrematophile" and so on.

However, unfortunately for you Raife, the Sonic franchise has a number of anthropomorphic

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, which are unrecognisable as such but technically monotremes, and furries do like that franchise and also make their own Sonic OCs... That means that monotrematophilia is probably already a thing (do an image search at your own risk) so it can't be a first-ever.

A tag "mono" surely deserves to be controversial!

Indeed. They can be enjoyable, but I haven't seen one I would consider great.

Strangely I like the setting of a magic academy a lot more, if it's been done competently. I'll have to revisit Lust Academy later and The Last Enchantress also looks like it is going to be a nice one, despite the gruesome start and the owlbrows eyebrows (I'm kidding, Marguerite looks very cute).

 

[jufot]

Okay, let's take a look at the wordiness of "monotremephilia". The elements "mono", "treme" and "philia" are all Greek, so that's in theory much better than many current hybrid combinations. Buuuuut the appearance is very un-Greek because "treme" has an English ending. The Greek word for "treme" is

You must be registered to see the links

. So as an olive branch I suggest the form "monotrematophilia", "monotrematophile" and so on.

However, unfortunately for you Raife, the Sonic franchise has a number of anthropomorphic

You must be registered to see the links

, which are unrecognisable as such but technically monotremes, and furries do like that franchise and also make their own Sonic OCs... That means that monotrematophilia is probably already a thing (do an image at your own risk) so it can't be a first-ever.

A tag "mono" surely deserves to be controversial!

Brilliant. Just... brilliant! I love this thread

Strangely I like the setting of a magic academy a lot more

Me too! I have played neither Lust Academy nor The Last Enchantress, but I'm a big fan of Rise of the White Flower, which involves a mage MC and her rise through the ranks of a magical academy. Great lore, highly story-driven.

 

[Raife]

Okay, let's take a look at the wordiness of "monotremephilia". The elements "mono", "treme" and "philia" are all Greek, so that's in theory much better than many current hybrid combinations. Buuuuut the appearance is very un-Greek because "treme" has an English ending. The Greek word for "treme" is

You must be registered to see the links

. So as an olive branch I suggest the form "monotrematophilia", "monotrematophile" and so on.

Monotrematophilia it is! Well done, Jaike... now, when jufot admires the lissome limbs of a fetching duck-bill, we can name his ineffable longing with lexicographical exactitude.

 

[Raife]

Two comments on recent updates:

I have a soft spot for Last Call, mostly because of the

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story line, which hits pretty close to home. If the dev continues to play this out in the (heartbreaking) direction he's headed, it could make the game worth playing by itself.

_Last Call_ has some problems, though:

• The relationship arcs with the LIs have an uneven quality to them: they move slowly... until they develop unnaturally quickly... and then revert to a slower pace again. It feels forced and herky-jerky.
• I don't buy the behaviour of a couple of the LIs, particularly during one sequence that doesn't fit their characters.
• The dev tries a few clever pseudo plot branches (where the branches rapidly re-converge) but the subsequent narratives have continuity issues.

The latest episode of My Brother's Wife surprised me in a positive way, on several counts:

• The dev continued their patient, slow-burn approach to the relationship between the MC and the main LI. Nobody rips their clothes off to jump on a magic penis!
• If you treat him with respect and affection, the brother character proves to be more than a two dimensional antagonist. His motives become clearer; he is revealed as an essentially well-intentioned person who has his issues but cares for his brother.
• If you pursue what seems to be the love route with the main LI (as opposed to what seems to be the dominance route), I like how the dev shows that affection and longing can grow between two people who have quite different personalities and tastes, but who somehow mesh well together.

Unfortunately, the dev bowed to the braying dog pound at F95 and threw a gratuitous sex scene into the new chapter. But it did not involve the main LI or contaminate his primary narrative and focus... I saw it as just a bit of chum in the water to keep the sharks at bay.

I am developing a sneaking affection for MBW, in part due to my rock-bottom expectations, anticipating a re-warmed _Living with Temptation_. The dev might be on to something much better than that (although the renders aren't great).

 

[Dragon59]

That's a neologism, of course, jufot... and I intend to promote my creation until it is enshrined in the OED... right after I complete the development of the first-ever momotremephile porn game, _Platypussy_.

Sounds like James Bond, 007, should be in it.

 

[jufot]

Unfortunately, the dev bowed to the braying dog pound at F95 and threw a gratuitous sex scene into the new chapter. But it did not involve the main LI or contaminate his primary narrative and focus... I saw it as just a bit of chum in the water to keep the sharks at bay.

I am developing a sneaking affection for MBW, in part due to my rock-bottom expectations, anticipating a re-warmed _Living with Temptation_. The dev might be on to something much better than that (although the renders aren't great).

I've decided to read a couple of reviews. Is the gratuitous sex scene a dream sequence? I hate, hate dream sex in these games. It's an insult to the player's patience and intelligence, and the playful pleasure of pursuing someone you're interested in. And for what? A few quick Patreon bucks?