Recommending Story-first games

[kotte]

... the game needs conflict and soon. Otherwise, it risks becoming a series of street racing vignettes, and that'd be a shame.

Would you think this could be interesting for someone who is completely uninterested in street racing?
Or will there be nothing left if I fast-forward through anyting related to vehicles?

 

[jufot]

Would you think this could be interesting for someone who is completely uninterested in street racing?
Or will there be nothing left if I fast-forward through anyting related to vehicles?

I think there is enough interpersonal stuff to hold your interest. Most of the street racing are long, very well done animations, so if you just click through those, you'll skip the Fast & Furious bits.

 

[Vasin]

And another recommendation - Moonlight. It's a cyberpunk story that is sort of a cross between Blade Runner and Severance, set in a world where advances in neuroscience and AI allowed people to outsource their bodies to work under AI control while their consciousness chills in Virtual Reality.

This is a rather unique premise that I haven't actually seen anywhere before (I'm sure it has been done, I just never encountered it) so it was a pleasant surprise to find it in an AVN of all things.

I do think that the game is worth checking out, so I'm just going to to into things that I didn't like about it.

The protagonist and the plot are fairly generic, it's all dark and moody rough cop with a personal tragedy, corporate coverups, etc. Exactly what you would expect from this kind of story.

Secondly the mood of the story kind of shifts around and is inconsistent, one second we're discussing societal implications of renting out your body, next scene we're farting in an elevator.

And finally, the writing, while competent, doesn't feel finished, more like a 2nd draft. Characters appear with little to no introduction, given no time to impress on the reader, scenes are arranged in a chronological order but don't flow 100% naturally.

Sex scenes sometimes come on a bit too strong with some characters and feel a bit tacked on, but they are avoidable, so that a plus.

Overall for now it amounts to what is basically a prologue to the story, but is worth keeping an eye on.

 

[jufot]

The final chapter of Camp Klondike is out

 

[Finuee]

And another recommendation - Moonlight. It's a cyberpunk story that is sort of a cross between Blade Runner and Severance, set in a world where advances in neuroscience and AI allowed people to outsource their bodies to work under AI control while their consciousness chills in Virtual Reality.

This is a rather unique premise that I haven't actually seen anywhere before (I'm sure it has been done, I just never encountered it) so it was a pleasant surprise to find it in an AVN of all things.

I do think that the game is worth checking out, so I'm just going to to into things that I didn't like about it.

The protagonist and the plot are fairly generic, it's all dark and moody rough cop with a personal tragedy, corporate coverups, etc. Exactly what you would expect from this kind of story.

Secondly the mood of the story kind of shifts around and is inconsistent, one second we're discussing societal implications of renting out your body, next scene we're farting in an elevator.

And finally, the writing, while competent, doesn't feel finished, more like a 2nd draft. Characters appear with little to no introduction, given no time to impress on the reader, scenes are arranged in a chronological order but don't flow 100% naturally.

Sex scenes sometimes come on a bit too strong with some characters and feel a bit tacked on, but they are avoidable, so that a plus.

Overall for now it amounts to what is basically a prologue to the story, but is worth keeping an eye on.

That all sounds interesting. It's one of my favourite genres, so I think I'll give it a go. Thanks for the recommendation!

 

[JayCihns]

Here's a few from Steam I found quite interesting. In no particular order, and far from a complete list.

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Isekai adventure with Japanese kamikaze pilot MC, that just happens to speak with a cockney accent. Sounds absurd, because it is. Yet it somehow works. Story long enough to be it's own anime series. Heavy on story, plenty of action, and writing doesn't linger. While plenty of LI and fair bit of adult content (mostly incidental or through flashbacks), none of it us with the MC. He actually ignores all their advances. MC is a bloke, but a competent and decent bloke. Really ads to the humor.

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A reverse isekai, several LI are transported into our world. Meanwhile the high school MC is magically made into a cat. Premise seems absurd but story very engaging, with good balance of humor, heart, and action. Some adult content at the tail end (fair bit of innuendo throughout) but story is primary focus. Sequel us essentially much of the same, but I'm OK with that.

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This one oozes of dry wit and humor, action and absurdity. Not too long but has some of the highest production value of any VN. Again, fair bit of innuendo but no actual adult content. And IMO all the better for it. Purely kinetic story.

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This one is isekai-ish. Hard to explain without spoiling. But very engaging story, charming characters, with an itch of horror that's always out of reach. One of my earliest VN reads and among the most memorable.

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A Harry Potter -esk epic except far better story and likable characters. And MC once again ignores all the LI advances, upping the entertainment factor. Only the DLC has any adult content, but still story focused.
Dev is Zetsubou. Honestly, every title he's made has been fantastic. Sets a high bar for all other indies.

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Tour atypical school setting story, for the exceptionally traumatized. First half is al fun and silly shenanigans - but once you reach a LI path story becomes brutally horrific. Discovering your LI background it's astounding any ever became functional people again. Some wounds cannot be healed. ~100hrs to get all endings and was engrossed all throughout.

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I know, WtF is this guy on about? Angels? YUP! MC boy inadvertently shoots an angel out of the sky and has to help play Cupid. This one was humorous, heavy, and full of heart. And despite the whole angel thing there is ZERO religious context. That aspect is left to open to interpret any way you like. So even as an agnostic I loved this one. Only complaint is it does have adult content. All the characters are still in school which makes it a bit uncomfortable. And another VN where you need to unlock all paths to get a TRUE ending. I was invested in every route though so not a con for me.

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A dark fantasy otome adventure with real RPG mechanics. Every choice develops your character. Your stats have real affect on your personality, and future choice options. Beautiful hand drawn art as well. Not even a fan of otome but dev set a new standard on this release I've yet to see anyone match. Has romance paths but no adult content.

 

[jufot]

The sequel to Occultus: Daughter of Darkness is called The Craving and is out on

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. It's set a few years after the events of DoD, and builds upon the developments we've seen in the Kin to Chaos DLC.

The Craving is now on F95!

 

[_SomeOneElse_]

The Craving is now on F95!

... and the chapter 2 release is out on patreon. I plan to snack myself one when its available for a $5 tip (on 29th April).

 

[jufot]

Seeking recommendations for cheating games, but not like that!

This topic came up a few times over the years, but we've never properly discussed it and no one ever recommended anything, so I wanted to see if anyone has ideas.

I'm looking for a VN (or similar creative work) that revolves around cheating, but in a more intellectual way.

Things that might help:

- Focus on causes: Why did they cheat the first time? Were there relationship problems? If so, what were they? If not, is it mere thrill seeking? Maybe something in their personality or past suggested an inclination?
- Focus on the impact for both sides: Does the one who cheat struggle internally? Why/why not? If they do, how do they balance pros and cons, what's their mental calculus? Similarly, does the one who is being cheated on know? If not, do they suspect? How do they feel about it?
- Preference for rationality: Despite how entertaining cheating threads on reddit can be, most IRL people in these situations don't just flip the table, dump their partner and go on to live their best life. Why? Maybe they have kids and don't want to share custody. Or they simply aren't that bothered by it. Others may decide that the pros of the relationship still outweigh the rest. If the relationship doesn't immediately blow up, what happens next? How do they navigate their next steps?

Things that won't help:

- Any hint of NTR or similar fetishism: I'm not interested if a character is getting off on being cheated on. I don't care about the sexual side, unless it relates directly to any of the points above. Likewise, I don't want any of the genre tropes of the small white guy getting cucked by a big black guy.

That should give a rough idea of what I'm hoping to find. Any ideas?

EDIT: For bonus points, realistic gender dynamics! Compared to a man, it is much, much easier for a married (or otherwise comitted) woman to cheat, especially if they're just looking for sex. So if the man is the cheater, and he is only seeking sex, he better be god's gift to women or some Adonis incarnate.

 

[Lynava]

Seeking recommendations for cheating games, but not like that!

This topic came up a few times over the years, but we've never properly discussed it and no one ever recommended anything, so I wanted to see if anyone has ideas.

I'm looking for a VN (or similar creative work) that revolves around cheating, but in a more intellectual way.

Things that might help:

- Focus on causes: Why did they cheat the first time? Were there relationship problems? If so, what were they? If not, is it mere thrill seeking? Maybe something in their personality or past suggested an inclination?
- Focus on the impact for both sides: Does the one who cheat struggle internally? Why/why not? If they do, how do they balance pros and cons, what's their mental calculus? Similarly, does the one who is being cheated on know? If not, do they suspect? How do they feel about it?
- Preference for rationality: Despite how entertaining cheating threads on reddit can be, most IRL people in these situations don't just flip the table, dump their partner and go on to live their best life. Why? Maybe they have kids and don't want to share custody. Or they simply aren't that bothered by it. Others may decide that the pros of the relationship still outweigh the rest. If the relationship doesn't immediately blow up, what happens next? How do they navigate their next steps?

Things that won't help:

- Any hint of NTR or similar fetishism: I'm not interested if a character is getting off on being cheated on. I don't care about the sexual side, unless it relates to directly to any of the points above. Likewise, I don't want any of the genre tropes of the small white guy getting cucked by a big black guy.

That should give a rough idea of what I'm hoping to find. Any ideas?

I don't know, but it probably fits Game of Hearts the description.

 

[jufot]

I don't know, but it probably fits Game of Hearts the description.

Thanks for the suggestion! But I see a harem tag, which is pretty anathema to what I'm looking for. I want cheating with emotional and/or practical consequences.

 

[Lynava]

Thanks for the suggestion! But I see a harem tag, which is pretty anathema to what I'm looking for. I want cheating with emotional and/or practical consequences.

Well, it's just the MC is kind of stealing Li from her husband. By making her fall in love with him.

 

[realjitter]

I did play Seeking Closure

Honestly, if I would've checked this game out prior to the latest update I probably would be talking about it more negatively. It's not that it ever becomes REALLY bad or anything, but there surely are quite a few sterotypical AVN scenes in here who discouraged me to go further. Right at the beginning for example, when a girl, who turns out to be a masseuse.., offers the MC a happy ending right away.... I mean, I did not let this scene play out, but i'm willing to bet that she'll drop a line like "I'm usually not doing something like that, only for you" or something similar... The thing about it is that it, to a degree, sets the tone for the rest of the game when things like that occur so early on.... To me it's just a big turn off and in return the game lost it's momentum pretty early on....

Well, the second time I was willing to peace out for good was when, way later in the game, you realize that you're in virgin hell. Not only virgin hell, it's also the "I've been waiting for years for the MC to eventually pop up again because all other guys suck" virgin hell. Just get out of here already, seriously...

One more negative thing I wanted to point out before getting to the point as to why I ended up liking this game are the lewd scenes. Well, more the dialogue of it which ranges from whatever to straight up horrendous. I kid you not, but here you'll come across lines such as "I'll take you to pound town now" or "Look deep into me eyes while I shot my seed deep into your womb".... yikes.

Allright, enough of all the negaitivity.... because this game certainly has some uniqueness to it, starting with the way it's being told. Here the game begins with the MC and his girfriend being on their way to some kind of a resort to spend their holidays together. Later we also find out that the MC wants to make up his mind whether or not he wants to propose to her. Only to then find out that there are even more reasons why the MC choses this place to return to.... way more actually...

I'm just gonna say it right away that I won't spoil any of the story because the developer did something pretty bold here. It has something to do with things that happen in the latest chaper which I personally did not see coming. I mean, the signs are there and when you pay close attention then maybe you can get a hint of whats to come, but, c'mon now, who does that?. I'm saying that because the game feels and plays very much like every other AVN. You go to a place and the LI's keep piling up in front of you and... Well, you know the rest...

I guess what i'm trying to say is that i underestimated the game. I underestimated the characters and the story and how much thought the developer put into everything here.

Besides the story of the MC going to this resort and reconnecting with all the potential LI's and whatnot, there's also a subtle side story going on to which I didn't pay much (if any) attention to on my first run. I just thought that this was some typical AVN b/s to make the MC look good and for him to then put on his shining white armor later down the line... I mean, it's not like a strike of genius whats gonna happen here, but I still have to call it a bold move to go beyond this being "just" a typical "woman collector" AVN. It most certainly is not. The developer could've easily played it save with his setup, but he didn't.

Another uniqueness of this game is this weird circumstance that it's even better on your second playthrough when you do have all the information available. There have been so many things i've noticed on my second run, it's "crazy". It's not only about details, it's just that the game hits differently when you play it a 2nd time, imo.

Just to give an example, when you arrive at the hotel at the beginning, the MC bumps into Anna (a potential LI). At that point this encounter is kinda meaningless for a first time player, but when you do have all the information you do understand the impact of her being there and you would want to talk to her immediatly regardless of whether you played her route or not...
The difference of knowing and not knowing is just day and night in this game. Same can be said for many other characters here like Katy. Where it, again, doesn't matter if you went her route because the impact will be there regardless.. All of this is just very well done in my opinion.

But speaking of Anna, i've played through the game twice. First run was with Anna and Elena. I only did this, because I didn't take the game all that serious. But her specifically I did end up liking the most which led to this scene.

Spoiler

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Which is a little rough and also a bit unfair and maybe even borderline nonsensical to leave Elena (potentially) behind and pick Anna here with everything that happend and where the characters are mentally at this point in time. But I did it anyway which is not the right choice here, you just don't do that. Well, another thing about this screenshot that sticks out is the facial expression of the MC which is just so on point. On top of everything that happened he decides to come clean with his relationships... The timing here is just perfect.

Anyhow, well, my second run was with Micaela and Fleur. Fleur basically only to see if the story changes (Spoiler alert, it does). I also liked this route. I mean, with Micaela it's about who she, as a person, is in conjunction with her family, but also her relaionship with her sister, Katy. It's all, like, decent/good and just another indiactor that the devloper put a good amount of thought into most of his characters.

I'm just gonna end it here prematurely because everything else would enter heavy spoiler territory pretty quickly. There are so many smaller and bigger things I could bring up, good and bad, but then it would never stop .

Although, now that I think of it, there's one topic still worth mentioning here which is Jill, the current girlfriend of the MC. I don't know, I just think that her position in the game is a bit unfair compared to the rest of the LI's. You go through all of the chapters with them and experience the story and she's, more or less, just there for a couple of lewd scenes at this point. Sure, you get some background and one flashback scene with her, but in the grand scheme of things, at this point in time, how am I ever supposed to pick her?. There's no way that I would, like in my case, not to pick Anna. The chance of that is literally 0%.... So if you want to play the Jill route you'd have to play it straight right from the beginning by not approaching anyone outside of a friendship scenario... I mean sure, the game has 2 or 3 "side girls", but they all would be part the more negative sides of the game (imo). They are basically just nonsensical instant attraction/sex scenarios.... Combine that with the things i've mentioned about the dialogue during lewd scenes... just no....

But we'll see I guess since the game switches back to the realtime, starting next chapter. There's still a ton of unresovled stuff left.. It's not just about who the MC wants to be with, it's like literally everything that needs closure....


So all in all, despite it's flaws, i'm giving this game 2 thumbs up. Go check it out....

Don't check it out though if you prioritize wholesomeness above everything else in AVN's....

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[jufot]

Well, it's just the MC is kind of stealing Li from her husband. By making her fall in love with him.

Yeah, but why? Does the game talk about:
- Her relationship with her husband, their history, their issues, sexual dynamics
- The MCs character. Is he single? If so, why is he seeking married women, especially this particular one? If he's not single, why is he cheating? What is he lacking in his relationship, if anything?

A quick look at the game page suggests that the answer to the overall "why?" question is "cause that shit's hot" and if that's true, I'll pass

 

[Lynava]

Yeah, but why? Does the game talk about:
- Her relationship with her husband, their history, their issues, sexual dynamics
- The MCs character. Is he single? If so, why is he seeking married women, especially this particular one? If he's not single, why is he cheating? What is he lacking in his relationship, if anything?

A quick look at the game page suggests that the answer to the overall "why?" question is "cause that shit's hot" and if that's true, I'll pass

Yes the game talks about why it's being done and what it's for.
I will say that there are 2 paths in the game - romantic and corrupt. I took the romantic path, and during the game you can feel the emotions. I don't know how to describe the game without spoilers.

 

[Dessolos]

Seeking recommendations for cheating games, but not like that!

This topic came up a few times over the years, but we've never properly discussed it and no one ever recommended anything, so I wanted to see if anyone has ideas.

I'm looking for a VN (or similar creative work) that revolves around cheating, but in a more intellectual way.

Things that might help:

- Focus on causes: Why did they cheat the first time? Were there relationship problems? If so, what were they? If not, is it mere thrill seeking? Maybe something in their personality or past suggested an inclination?
- Focus on the impact for both sides: Does the one who cheat struggle internally? Why/why not? If they do, how do they balance pros and cons, what's their mental calculus? Similarly, does the one who is being cheated on know? If not, do they suspect? How do they feel about it?
- Preference for rationality: Despite how entertaining cheating threads on reddit can be, most IRL people in these situations don't just flip the table, dump their partner and go on to live their best life. Why? Maybe they have kids and don't want to share custody. Or they simply aren't that bothered by it. Others may decide that the pros of the relationship still outweigh the rest. If the relationship doesn't immediately blow up, what happens next? How do they navigate their next steps?

Things that won't help:

- Any hint of NTR or similar fetishism: I'm not interested if a character is getting off on being cheated on. I don't care about the sexual side, unless it relates to directly to any of the points above. Likewise, I don't want any of the genre tropes of the small white guy getting cucked by a big black guy.

That should give a rough idea of what I'm hoping to find. Any ideas?

EDIT: For bonus points, realistic gender dynamics! Compared to a man, it is much, much easier for a married (or otherwise comitted) woman to cheat, especially if they're just looking for sex. So if the man is the cheater, and he is only seeking sex, he better be god's gift to women or some Adonis incarnate.

Have you tried Lovephobia , there is a good amount of cheating going with characters that aren't LI and 1 that is so far ( not on the MC ). The MC being cheated on will be depended on choices and I think the dev said it will only happen once towards the end of the game. The only game ive tried that seems to have cheating without it being about the NTR fetish from the MC. So not sure if this is what you are looking for but best I can think of.

 

[Lynava]

Most likely games built around cheated without the NTR fetish are few and far between, and there are few good games at all.

 

[Tlaero]

I know that you already know about Life Changes for Keeley (https://f95zone.to/threads/life-changes-for-keeley-v1-0-tora-productions.56808/) since it's on your list. But for others, I'll say that LCfK deals with some of these issues, though more as an aftermath to cheating than having the MC decide to cheat.

Tlaero

 

[jufot]

Life Changes for Keeley

I'm a fan, and it's probably one of the few games that come close. The reconciliation path is almost it, but I would have loved to see her side as well.

 

[Johnny Dough]

- Preference for rationality: Despite how entertaining cheating threads on reddit can be, most IRL people in these situations don't just flip the table, dump their partner and go on to live their best life. Why? Maybe they have kids and don't want to share custody. Or they simply aren't that bothered by it. Others may decide that the pros of the relationship still outweigh the rest. If the relationship doesn't immediately blow up, what happens next? How do they navigate their next steps?

Emotional investment... People invest emotionally in their relationships so they don't want to let it go... Of course, it varies from person to person... For some, cheating is an automatic dumping motive while others will struggle until the end and may even become psychos...

EDIT: For bonus points, realistic gender dynamics! Compared to a man, it is much, much easier for a married (or otherwise comitted) woman to cheat, especially if they're just looking for sex. So if the man is the cheater, and he is only seeking sex, he better be god's gift to women or some Adonis incarnate.

There are so many ugly guys who cheat on their wives... Of course, they probably won't be cheating with models, but they do... That's the problem here... People want the girls to be attractive, so it'll be hard to find a VN here of an ugly guy cheating with ugly girls...

It would be interesting... A game where everyone is average to ugly...

But I don't know any interesting game with cheating (even less intelligent), sorry... I was just commenting on your post.