Recommending Story-first games

[365 others]

And it is just that, my opinion, nothing more. To answer your question though, I don't think there is a single dev that should be compared to GRRM (whether its for writing or long development time), it's just not a fair/good comparison. There are a few that do a good job at entertaining me though. Ripples by

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tells an interesting story and has a plot. New Antioch by

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has some really good dialogue and as I mentioned above, Race of Life by

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entertained me.

I already played Ripples, and I agree with you. I'll have a look at the other ones, I have seen them mentioned in this thread from time to time, but I have not yet added them to my to-read list (until now).

That said, there is no AVN with the complexity to it's story of any novel you will find in your bookstore. What is a bookstore you ask? Well, once upon a time there were bookstores AND record stores. Nobody knows if they were real life locations or if they are just mythical occurrences like Olympus and Atlantis.

Oh, bookstores, I miss them. I belong to the last generation that knows how to rewind an audio cassette with a pen, to blow air into Nintendo cartridges to make them work, to give "percussive maintenance" to TVs to adjust their image, and to dial in a phone with a disk.

 

[MrPocketRocket]

I already played Ripples, and I agree with you. I'll have a look at the other ones, I have seen them mentioned in this thread from time to time, but I have not yet added them to my to-read list (until now).

Oh, bookstores, I miss them. I belong to the last generation that knows how to rewind an audio cassette with a pen, to blow air into Nintendo cartridges to make them work, to give "percussive maintenance" to TVs to adjust their image, and to dial in a phone with a disk.

We are cut from the same cloth;-) And who doesn't like the two way street of percussive maintenance!

 

[realjitter]

I played The Last Challenge and it was quite unique and well written

Good timing since I also did check out "The Last Challenge" due to a mention here from Cambue.


You already pointed out most of the things I wanted to write about =\. One thing you didn't mention though is what the last challenge actually is =/. Well, it's

Spoiler: Drum roll

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From what I remember this is avoidable. Still, this kinda sets the tone for what's to come I suppose. Although, now that I think about it, this challenge should also include his

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Extra point from me if that's true, which of course it ain't..

Aside from that, the story itself could be interesting since we don't entirely know what happened to the rest of the world. Is it all like before when they come back?. Will there be anarchy or something?. I'm probably overthinking this and it'll be mainly a harem game and the story will be just like an afterthought... I mean, the setup is clearly inspired by covid. Which got me thinking, why didn't they just give Kenny "OG" Copeland a holler like we did when it all started?.

Spoiler: Hallelujah!

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For the rest of it?. Like desmosome already pointed out, there's quite a lot to like here. The writing is solid and, just in general, the developer tries to do a little more when it comes to the options and overall approach. The highlight is certainly the the bus ride sequence. That one alone is worth checking out imo. Having 10+ people interact and play off of each other was quite impressive to see and the developer did an outstanding job here.

Another thing worth mentioning is the MCs sidekick, Donnie. He seems to be inspired by Jonah Hill from Superbad. To me it was a bit of a hit and miss when it comes to him and his humor... Pretty over the top, but over the top is also the name of the game here. The MC on the other hand is kind of a chad. He's the challenge king, a established womanizer which is probably more of a good thing for this kind of AVN. I don't know, it's hard to tell after just the first release.

One thing that I found a bit "concerning" is the potential scope creep. It's not as extreme as, for example, Summer's gone, but... you know... So many characters are already introduced and we're not even back home yet.. It feels like one of those "mega projects "where it's hard to get really excited about. IIRC, the first season will be about 10 chapters long and then there'll be a S2 and maybe even more which puts us already on a cool 20+ years development cycle.... Yikes....

Still, i'd give this a thumbs up for trying to do something more with what you've seen a thousand times before already. Worth checking out for sure. Probably safe to say though that this won't be a story first game . But maybe it'll be a fun porn/pseudo "dating" game?.

 

[camube]

I don't have as much time to play through VNs these days, let alone story-first ones that are not for fapping, but I occasionally still check out this thread. I played The Last Challenge and it was quite unique and well written.
....
But I don't know if it will be story first. We got to know a bunch of characters on the bus ride home, but once they get home, everyone got their own lives and we will certainly be introduced to many more characters. What is the scope of the narrative? It could be unsustainable, and I don't know what the dev has planned.

Yeah I like it.
I don't like the fact that the last challenge is incest but if the rest of the game is good, I'd still play it.
Generally speaking, incest bored the crap out of me.

Good timing since I also did check out "The Last Challenge" due to a mention here from Cambue.

You already pointed out most of the things I wanted to write about =\. One thing you didn't mention though is what the last challenge actually is =/. Well, it's

Spoiler: Drum roll

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....
Still, i'd give this a thumbs up for trying to do something more with what you've seen a thousand times before already. Worth checking out for sure. Probably safe to say though that this won't be a story first game . But maybe it'll be a fun porn/pseudo "dating" game?.

Yeah I think it's gonna have scope creep too.
There's far too many options and while it's fine for Episode 1, it may not gonna be fine at Episode 5. I hope the dev find support though.

 

[raynarnab]

Has anyone tried Sophie: The Girl from the Zone yet? The premise looks interesting but I wanted to hear if anyone has tried it before giving it a shot.

 

[365 others]

Has anyone tried Sophie: The Girl from the Zone yet? The premise looks interesting but I wanted to hear if anyone has tried it before giving it a shot.

I have. It's changed a lot over its development, but overall I like the story.
A heads up, however. There are crude scenes that might upset some players, and lately (IMHO) they have been abusing the paradox effect.
As per the latest chapters/updates, it's getting harder and harder to distinguish what is the real story and what is a hallucination.

 

[raynarnab]

As per the latest chapters/updates, it's getting harder and harder to distinguish what is the real story and what is a hallucination.

Okay that sounds fun! I am a huge fan of shutter island and so if a story is being able to do that well enough, I am onboard! Thank you!

 

[365 others]

Okay that sounds fun! I am a huge fan of shutter island and so if a story is being able to do that well enough, I am onboard! Thank you!

Then If you like (or at least can endure) the crude scenes, you'll be up for an excellent story. Despite the issues they had at the beginning (frenglish, abrupt change of art/render style, a bug here and there) it's one of my top 10 VNs because of the story and the character development.

 

[MelanColic]

Hello there! New dev here. I've been lurking on this thread for some time now, and decided to show up. I'm currently working on a my first VN. I've opened a discussion thread here, if some might be interested. I'm not sure I'll make the cut to be on this thread's list, nevertheless, I'm always interested in what you guys and gals deem good storytelling. I'll be taking notes... and maybe share some thoughts too. See ya around!

 

[Canto Forte]

You will do fine in the wide open web .. as dragons of ice and fire with tame inbred blondes as protags are set to serve another acclaimed hit to the media in the coming months.

I'm not sure I'll make the cut to be on this thread's list

The witches look more appropriate than actual young adults from witch accademy series on the small screen ... anything that looks like the 7th gate with such full blown women shold be a winner.
- action is the name of the game, as opposed to exposition pieces or narration to put most man children to sleep - which are the top competing pitfalls of story telling in any interactive environment.

• Well-designed, internally consistent, coherent story with a beginning and an end - i.e. no games where the devs make shit up as they go along.
• Characters that are actual human beings, with lives, personalities and interests outside the MC.
• Sex scenes should serve the plot, not vice versa. If there is no story-relevant reason for a scene, it shouldn't be there.
• No Engrish. Non-native speakers are fine (I am one), but the dev should at least use Grammarly or LanguageTool.
• No cheap tropes (e.g. every woman lusts after the MC's magical dick).

The man living in a monastery for the occult babes where theyu can mold him into a weappon of ... womanhood destruction and desperate urges conqueror is a sure hit.

Do remember that Oppenheimer literally turned the male lead into a ruthless, conniving, God given gift to every woman he meets - dastadly whoremonger - who would put most porn actors, not to mention almost everyone in the games from this thread to shame.

 

[MelanColic]

You will do fine in the wide open web .. as dragons of ice and fire with tame inbred blondes as protags are set to serve another acclaimed hit to the media in the coming months.

Oh, fuck me! You are right. HOTD will have a new season soon. I must ride that dragon too. This is actually perfect, my VN will have dragons, people will thing this is just like House of the Dragon, but with busty witches. Maybe I will add some inbreeding too for good measure (jk, but maybe.. )

 

[365 others]

Hello there! New dev here. I've been lurking on this thread for some time now, and decided to show up. I'm currently working on a my first VN. I've opened a discussion thread here, if some might be interested. I'm not sure I'll make the cut to be on this thread's list, nevertheless, I'm always interested in what you guys and gals deem good storytelling. I'll be taking notes... and maybe share some thoughts too. See ya around!

The art looks nice, but if I could suggest something... maybe a bit more variety in body types? I don't have anything against busty women, but all of them have the same type and are within the same range of size.

 

[MelanColic]

The art looks nice, but if I could suggest something... maybe a bit more variety in body types? I don't have anything against busty women, but all of them have the same type and are within the same range of size.

As the story progresses, a few more characters will appear. They will vary body-wise, especially some of the elven folk.

 

[Garou24]

As the story progresses, a few more characters will appear. They will vary body-wise, especially some of the elven folk.

Did someone say elves?!

 

[jufot]

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has an update out! (That's a public link)

 

[Tlaero]

Did someone say elves?!

"No one expects the Elvin Inquisition!"

Tlaero

 

[Raife]

Oh, this one has a particularly rich discussion history on this thread. The overall impression is... less than flattering.

I had fun playing RfL... but I share the consensus that the MC is a loathsome character... which is a big problem. Plus, the latest update left me completely cold... apart from the (fun to play) racing scenes.

Still holding out a (tiny) forlorn hope that for the ex-wife route... that's the only path to really interesting character development. But, fundamentally, it's not a story-first game.

It _is_ exceptionally well produced. But, if you want a well produced story-first game there are plenty of options these days... like, say, Impious Monk's game (on jufot's list). Or any of Tlaero's collaborations with Mortze. No need to compromise.

Which brings me to a question: which story-first games are you most enjoying right now... particularly games that are still in progress? For me, it's a short list:

• Leaving DNA;
• Corporate Culture;
• Pecker PI (primarily for the slapstick);
• Hillside (although it is on semi-pause, due to Blue's issues); and
• The Bite.

I haven't played Gemini, yet, although it's at the top of my list. Anything else new that I'm missing?

 

[Dessolos]

I had fun playing RfL... but I share the consensus that the MC is a loathsome character... which is a big problem. Plus, the latest update left me completely cold... apart from the (fun to play) racing scenes.

Still holding out a (tiny) forlorn hope that for the ex-wife route... that's the only path to really interesting character development. But, fundamentally, it's not a story-first game.

It _is_ exceptionally well produced. But, if you want a well produced story-first game there are plenty of options these days... like, say, Impious Monk's game (on jufot's list). Or any of Tlaero's collaborations with Mortze. No need to compromise.

Which brings me to a question: which story-first games are you most enjoying right now... particularly games that are still in progress? For me, it's a short list:

• Leaving DNA;
• Corporate Culture;
• Pecker PI (primarily for the slapstick);
• Hillside (although it is on semi-pause, due to Blue's issues); and
• The Bite.

I haven't played Gemini, yet, although it's at the top of my list. Anything new that I'm missing?

For me I personally still consider Race of life a story first game even if this thread does not. But I can see it going the way of being like Seven realms where it's equally story first and lewd focused at the same time. Especially after that lewd scene with Maggie in the update, it came out of no where and felt like something you would see in a porno.

As for what story first game I enjoy the most. Well I only played 3 of 5 of those. Hillside is easily my favorite game you listed because of the characters but I consider Leaving DNA the best AVN ive played when it comes to story, so I guess they are tied. But for a game you didn't list i'm really looking forward to the Neverwhere Tales the most.

 

[FatGiant]

For me I personally still consider Race of life a story first game even if this thread does not. But I can see it going the way of being like Seven realms where it's equally story first and lewd focused at the same time. Especially after that lewd scene with Maggie in the update, it came out of no where and felt like something you would see in a porno.

As for what story first game I enjoy the most. Well I only played 3 of 5 of those. Hillside is easily my favorite game because of the characters but I consider Leaving DNA the best AVN ive played when it comes to story, so I guess they are tied.

I hesitated for quite a while to try Race of Life. I'm glad I didn't fall for the hype. I have zero interest in playing a jerk/evil MC. I'll leave that for those that like that.

Proceeding to delete the unopened Zip files of it and removing my watch of it.

Ooof... this one was too close for comfort.

Peace

 

[Raife]

As for what story first game I enjoy the most. Well I only played 3 of 5 of those. Hillside is easily my favorite game you listed because of the characters but I consider Leaving DNA the best AVN ive played when it comes to story, so I guess they are tied. But for a game you didn't list i'm really looking forward to the Neverwhere Tales the most.

I think the common thread connecting these 5 games is their lack of cliched writing... which leads to genuine surprises in each episode. That, and the integrity with which the devs treat their characters and their choices.

It certainly makes me look forward to each new update.