Recommending Story-first games

[Pgsurprise]

the Homelander - started off with a decent (if somewhat cliche) story about an orphan, living on his own in the forest who is adopted by the royal family after he saves a runaway princess but obviously he has a secret origin story that no one - including him - knows about. Nice set up in chapter 1, good MC but I never made it to the end of chapter 3. 90% of chapter two was either lewd scenes or the set up for future lewd scenes. Chapter 3 started with two lewd scenes, then a little flirting and the set up for later lewd scenes and then another lewd scene and I quit. Good setup but then it just turns into a porno and sidelines any kind of story. (There are 8 chapters, I couldn't tell you about 4-8, I just got bored and left). Also, while not a major issue almost all of the women have chests that would make Dolly Parton do a double-take.

When I was playing it I was thinking it could be a good story first game. Then I was confused about the sudden turn to all sex and realized he'd it just fast forwarded 3 years and he'd turned 18 or 19. There's still enough story to keep me interested so far.

 

[Pixillin']

When I was playing it I was thinking it could be a good story first game. Then I was confused about the sudden turn to all sex and realized he'd it just fast forwarded 3 years and he'd turned 18 or 19. There's still enough story to keep me interested so far.

I just stopped. I didn't like the set up - didn't like that the queen was automatic, or that the princess wanted to keep everything secret (definitely wanted to say no to that) and then I saw the list and there were something like 18-20 potential harem members which is about 12-14 too many for you to do any real character development and keep the story moving. At least that's my experience. I wanted to turn down the queen and tell the princess that if it we had to keep it secret, I was moving on. It just acquired too many negatives too quickly for me to stick with it.

 

[Bombmaster]

I've never tried any Japaneese AVN's / VN's always wanted to since im a big anime fan. I did Download White Album 2 awhile back since I heard that was a good one. However I didn't get it to run for whatever reason never bothered to troubleshoot or figure it out.

let me recomend one, Devil in a g String. is one of the best Jnovels.

 

[Pixillin']

The Will of Endreon is pretty good so far (only two chapters and a preview in - last updated in April)

Is a world ever really at peace? Nearly one hundred years after a legendary warrior ended a reign of despotism, the known realms once again teeter on the edge of chaos. Strengthening factions and an emerging threat in a faraway land will force a new group of heroes to rise up. Together, they must traverse mysterious lands and navigate their way through dangerous obstacles as they follow a mythic path in hope of salvation.

Mostly classic fantasy tropes so far. Young man sets out from his small village to a slightly larger small village to become a better cook, but gets drawn into wizard business and goes on an adventure - whether he likes it or not. In this one the MC definitely has a stake in things. I don't want to give too much away but he either goes on this quest and completes his task or is driven to insanity and death by a curse. The story so far is good, the setup for the story is good, the characters are interesting and well written, the renders are absolutely gorgeous (and so are the Lis). Early days, but worth a few hours of your time to investigate. Hopefully the dev can keep it up.

 

[Rhinoisliquidjuice448]

Recommending Jezebel.

I've been playing this off and on for weeks now, and I'm finally done. This is a long one - might want to grab that coffee first


This is the story of Duvessa Devereux, a noble woman whose cunning intellect is matched only by her profound amorality. Duvessa is the daughter of Lord Dallan, a great noble and a member of the King's Council. But despite being older, smarter, and more willing than her brother, she's not considered heir material due to the strict patriarchy she lives in. Her future looks bleak as Lord Dallan wishes to marry her off for political gain, but Duvessa has other plans.

All Duvessa wants is her freedom - and as much power as she can get her hands on. For her, it's the journey that matters, not the destination:


To that end, there is no one she isn't willing to cross, nor any depths she isn't willing to descend to. Her mind is her greatest asset, but her body is a close second. Men drool after her, women are afraid of her. With that in mind, the game allows you lots of leeway to shape Duvessa's approach to conflict. Duvessa can allow her body to be used to manipulate others (the submissive approach), not-so-gently coerce others through sex (the dominant way), or rely on pure mental acumen (and brute force) to inflict severe cruelty to her targets.

The game's greatest strength is Duvessa's characterization. Externally, she is a tour de force - confident, decisive, witty and amoral. Internally, though, she is aware that something must be wrong with her. She is not loving or caring in the slightest. There’s something hollow in her victories. You get the sense that even when she wins, she’s already moved on - chasing the next thing, half-hoping it'll fill the void she won't admit is there.

On the rare occasion she's being honest with someone, instead of making her happy, this merely confuses her:


For Duvessa, people are a means to an end. She might object to being married off for political gain - but only because it's not her gain. That's her in a nutshell. It's not the cruelty she minds, it's the lack of control. Similarly, a future child doesn't interest her except as an heir, but she's self-aware enough not to inflict herself on a child:


The patriarchal society and the way men treat Duvessa, are a source of both constant frustration and endless amusement to her. When talking about the boys who used to court her in their youth, she says:

But even her privilege has its limits:

Given her character, there are no LIs and certainly no romance in the game. But there are some sexual partners you can choose to be kind to. I'll talk about my favourite - Erika. She is a naive, bubbly peasant girl. Polite and unfailingly kind, Erika has no filter and no sense of decorum. She nicknames Duvessa "V" shortly after they meet - a major faux pas, given their stations - but Duvessa can't bring herself to lash out because Erika is so transparently earnest.

This eventually leads to Duvessa deciding to be honest and direct with Erika, something terrifyingly out of character for her:

Going further into this dialogue would be a spoiler, so hopefully this was enough to give you a taste.

The story’s mostly about Duvessa’s scheming - sharp, twisty palace intrigue - but there’s also this creeping discomfort with her own cruelty, and a weird, escalating bout of insomnia that she can’t quite explain.

Even though it's only episode 1, the game has well over 300K words, and can easily take 20+ hours to read. Choices in this game are significant and lead to major plot differences. I recommend deciding on who you want Duvessa to be, and making choices accordingly. Trying to meta-game it by looking up points or reading the script will only frustrate you. You might hit an early end or two, but even those are smartly written.

Anyway, if anyone else has played it, I'd love to hear your thoughts. The OP has been updated

Got to say i second recommend it i have currently finish episode 1

 

[Jaike]

Some of you may wanna give Tribulations of a Mage a try. The plot is imo more traditional than TRS2 too, with less focus on diplomacy than in TRS and Sorcerer and more on adventuring. It's overall still pretty typical for Talothral: cinematic sex scenes without narration, optional harem (more optional than in the past), more rational than emotional motivations for a large cast of characters, and a few surprising choices. Tomas is generally a gentler MC than Garrett tho, for those who disliked him in TRS2. The environments are more varied than TRS2, and the graphical update since Sorcerer is obvious too. I really really recommend to play it without the walkthrough mod first, both because it spoils less and overall reading and playing experience is better.

I'd say it's fetish first over story first, but Left Hand Magic does have a meaningful and consistent plot with consistent characters. Most endings are in, and they remix a set of identical, similar and new elements. Imo the premiss is pretty nice for this kind of sci fantasy story. Worth a check if you don't mind very present bdsm themes.

 

[Pixillin']

Some of you may wanna give Tribulations of a Mage a try. The plot is imo more traditional than TRS2 too, with less focus on diplomacy than in TRS and Sorcerer and more on adventuring. It's overall still pretty typical for Talothral: cinematic sex scenes without narration, optional harem (more optional than in the past), more rational than emotional motivations for a large cast of characters, and a few surprising choices. Tomas is generally a gentler MC than Garrett tho, for those who disliked him in TRS2. The environments are more varied than TRS2, and the graphical update since Sorcerer is obvious too. I really really recommend to play it without the walkthrough mod first, both because it spoils less and overall reading and playing experience is better.

Tribulations of a Mage and Sorcerer are both good. The stories are well written and the characters are mostly interesting. They do fall short on the sex/relationship stuff. The harems in both games are huge (ToaM especially) and so there's very little build up. You meet someone, talk to them a few times, maybe help them out of a jam and then they not only want a relationship, they want a permanent relationship where they are only with the MC but are one of 10-20 members of his harem and they're cool with that. The story is good enough to make the game worth it but all of the relationships feel like they've skipped several steps and some serious conversation.

 

[Raife]

I just spin that for each Li and start writing from there. (Ignore that chatgpt is too dumb to space things out but I was too lazy to create one myself)


View attachment 5135866

So, I've played _The Missing Part_ update for your supporters... and it doesn't disappoint.

The highlight for me, by a mile, is the Lisa section with the 'negotiation.' We finally get to see some of your separate character and plot lines cross, and it's just a pleasure to watch. Truly Dickensian in the best way. Funny and a bit nuts, but not in a remotely OTT way.

You also avoided the obvious trap of turning the sister into an LI, which would have been a disaster. Instead, her scenes add just a bit of warmth and pathos to the MC's continued desolation.

Sarah got quite a lot of sexy time, which is great -- but we did not learn much more about her or her 'hinterland.' Lisa was the more compelling LI in this update. That's not a complaint, just an observation.

Hailey... is less appealing for me. It's not that she isn't a good character -- even a great one. She's just a bit too 'young damsel in distress'. The other LIs all have their traumas too, but they have learned to manage them to a degree. And you wrote a fantastic younger character in Ella...but her vulnerability was leavened a bit by a wisdom beyond her years and a slightly zen quality. Hailey doesn't have that.

The game isn't perfect. Don't call the Prologue 'Memories of the Past' -- that's redundant! Call it 'Memories' or 'The Perfect Day' or... well, anything else.

But, man, your three chapters show how a proper story first effort is done. There are very, very few devs that have managed anything in the same class as your game. If this is your first effort at an AVN...all I can say is, 'wow.'

 

[IamUnderman]

My new game project will certainly fit into this category. It is a spy-thriller first and foremost with an erotic twist. Read about it here if you are interested and want a sneak peak.

https://f95zone.to/threads/mission-metamorphosis-development-thread.267218/

 

[Tlaero]

My new game project will certainly fit into this category. It is a spy-thriller first and foremost with an erotic twist.

I haven't looked at the game yet, but I read your post. Points to you for having characters with human proportions. And I'm also happy to see that your LI is strong and capable.

I'm concerned that your ambition for your first game is greater than your experience will allow. Have you considered doing a smaller, simpler game first to get your feet wet? You could do a prequel short story that sets up the game world but doesn't have a ton of endings and branching choices, etc. You'll learn a ton about what it takes to make these games, and you'll end up doing a better job on the game you really want to make.

The Mona Lisa wasn't the first painting that da Vinci created...

Tlaero

 

[IamUnderman]

I haven't looked at the game yet, but I read your post. Points to you for having characters with human proportions. And I'm also happy to see that your LI is strong and capable.

I'm concerned that your ambition for your first game is greater than your experience will allow. Have you considered doing a smaller, simpler game first to get your feet wet? You could do a prequel short story that sets up the game world but doesn't have a ton of endings and branching choices, etc. You'll learn a ton about what it takes to make these games, and you'll end up doing a better job on the game you really want to make.

The Mona Lisa wasn't the first painting that da Vinci created...

Tlaero

Oh I totally get that and I agree. The game is ambitious but I have been sure to not promise anything I am not confident in my ability to deliver. Animations and capital G gameplay are not something I am able to do, so I won't.

The game's structure will also allow me to treat the game like 6 interconnected individual projects, so I can focus on building each on up gradually over time. I am not disagreeing that it is ambitious but I have done what I can to minimise the craziness where I can.

I also feel that the game's focus on one LI will help focus things down. I am not juggling 9 different relationships in a complex harem web. One girl with some minor side girls for variety.

 

[Jaike]

Tribulations of a Mage and Sorcerer are both good. The stories are well written and the characters are mostly interesting. They do fall short on the sex/relationship stuff. The harems in both games are huge (ToaM especially) and so there's very little build up. You meet someone, talk to them a few times, maybe help them out of a jam and then they not only want a relationship, they want a permanent relationship where they are only with the MC but are one of 10-20 members of his harem and they're cool with that. The story is good enough to make the game worth it but all of the relationships feel like they've skipped several steps and some serious conversation.

I kinda agree in part with your main point, overall more with the side characters who can end up in the harem than with the main characters tho.

Spoiler: slightly spoilery and a bit ranty

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My new game project will certainly fit into this category. It is a spy-thriller first and foremost with an erotic twist. Read about it here if you are interested and want a sneak peak.

https://f95zone.to/threads/mission-metamorphosis-development-thread.267218/

Spy thrillers are well liked here, though I hope you didn't give jufot a heart attack with that list of fetishes. Mind control, dubcon and bimbofication aren't exactly his thing, putting it softly. Avoidable or not. I think a good story with mind control is often difficult to write, so the challenge is there. I wish you good luck with your project.

 

[Raife]

Spy thrillers are well liked here, though I hope you didn't give jufot a heart attack with that list of fetishes.

Yes. As usual, Jaike is probably right.

That said, jufot is not completely rigid. I'd say that it depends on how 'mind control' etc are used, rather than the presence of the fetishes per se.

For example, if the mind control is used to render LI characterization and personality pointless, then jufot will probably see it as a porn delivery game, rather than a story first effort. But if the mind control is a plot device (e.g. Lex Luthor uses mind control to convince the mayor of Gotham to aid Lexcorp) I don't think jufot would have an issue.

 

[IamUnderman]

Yes. As usual, Jaike is probably right.

That said, jufot is not completely rigid. I'd say that it depends on how 'mind control' etc are used, rather than the presence of the fetishes per se.

For example, if the mind control is used to render LI characterization and personality pointless, then jufot will probably see it as a porn delivery game, rather than a story first effort. But if the mind control is a plot device (e.g. Lex Luthor uses mind control to convince the mayor of Gotham to aid Lexcorp) I don't think jufot would have an issue.

So the concept specifically is this:

Emily is a super-spy James Bond type. Extremly competant and skilled, independant and stoic. Deep down she has insecurities and traumas, largely stemming from her harsh training, but she does a good job burying these. Early in the game she is exposed to a special video file which contains potent subliminal messaging and psychological suggestion that aims to turn women who watch it into obedient sex slaves. All part of a misogynistic scheme to turn women in positions of power into mindless slaves.

Now to be clear, you goal in this game is to FOIL this plan, not support it. The people who want to use this file are the villains.

Emily's arc throughout the game is in how she copes with the slowly increasing influence of the file on her mind while racing against time to find a cure and stop the villain's plot. The game will have a corruption mechanic which allowsyou to alter how badly affected Emily is based on the decisions you make.

I want this game and the psychological manipulation aspect to be a heightened way to explore trauma, relationships, gender, the meaning of strength, trust and the ways institutions can manipulate us against our own interests...

... While you know. Also having some thrilling erotic times along the way.

 

[Tlaero]

I want this game and the psychological manipulation aspect to be a heightened way to explore trauma, relationships, gender, the meaning of strength, trust and the ways institutions can manipulate us against our own interests...

... While you know. Also having some thrilling erotic times along the way.

That sounds like a great plan. I hope it goes well. If you need any help with the programming, etc, feel free to reach out.

Tlaero

 

[IamUnderman]

That sounds like a great plan. I hope it goes well. If you need any help with the programming, etc, feel free to reach out.

Tlaero

That means a lot. At this stage the nuts and bolts programming is my biggest area of weakness and so that is really appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Rhinoisliquidjuice448]

My new game project will certainly fit into this category. It is a spy-thriller first and foremost with an erotic twist. Read about it here if you are interested and want a sneak peak.

https://f95zone.to/threads/mission-metamorphosis-development-thread.267218/

good luck with your project and i'm interested in seeing what your first release entails.

 

[Pixillin']

Just played through Shards of the Past it is definitely story first. There's some bits of nudity but no sex in it yet. The story is off to a great start, the characters are all well rounded, the renders are amazing, and I hope that it never gets an abandoned tag.

It is very ambitious though. At this point we don't even know what the real story is, there are parts of conversations where every character looks down and away and decides to change the subject. It is also very ambitious. The dev seems to be laying out a lot of branching paths and the game hasn't updated in over a year (though there was a dev update in late June and he appears to be plugging along).

There are a few things I'd like to comment on, that aren't just about this game.

1) I wish that there was an option to turn off "achievements". I know some people really care about them, but I do not, especially when I get them for just reaching a certain automatic (cannon) point in the story that I couldn't have avoided if I'd wanted to - it doesn't feel like much of an "achievement"

This next one is long, sorry - no TLDR for this.

2) The First-Li wins thing. I am especially susceptible to it, but it seems the strongest in games where they introduce the first li significantly before the others. For example, in a college game, or a "moving to a new town" thing where you mean a whole bunch of them within a few days then it breaks the first-li thing (at least for me). In this one though, they introduce the first Li and she is the only one MC actually meets up until the point where the update ends. You do get glimpses of a few others, but MC doesn't actually meet them yet. The first Li though, the game covers how you met, how she saved MC's life, how they are really on their own because she is hated by the locals (because of being an Elf) and MC isn't really trusted because he's her friend (and a relatively recent arrival to the area). So they are each others only real friends, she owes him for his loyalty and for helping her make a living despite everyone's prejudices and he owes her for saving his life. Now this is supposed to be a game with about a half-dozen Li and possibly a harem game. For me, the first li is going to be hard to compete with because of their bond, and established relationship and history. I mean the next one is going to come along and the MC is going to go - "I know I have this long history with her and she saved my life and I'm her only friend but this new girl I met has a nice ass." (I know there are guys who think like that. I'm not one of them.) If devs want to avoid first-li wins, at least with me, the other li also have to have some serious story development and relationship development with the MC.

 

[Jaike]

I'm pretty sure there are fans of Summer in the City here, so:

View attachment 5176026
Summer In The City Will NOT Be Coming To Steam
Hi everyone,

well, it's official. Summer In The City has been rejected by Steam and the store page has been removed, six days before launch, ten months after the store page went up, gathering 4000 wishlists. There were absolutely no indications beforehand that this would happen, despite being in contact with Steamworks' support team prior to this unfortunate decision. I am devastated, angry and in utter shock. This is one of these classic "worst case scenarios" people refer to.

Summer In The City's development will not end. But this new situation certainly makes it much, much harder to get by. I am now forced to check every avenue available to me, from seeking other storefronts to looking for a part-time job to keep me above water. I am eternally grateful for all of my and Summer's generous and amazing supporters. Without you, this project would be dead in the waters by now after having also lost roughly 40% of my monthly income due to the horrendous delisting situation on itch. Crazy times we live in.

It's a bad day, not gonna lie. A very bad one. But our Pumpkin will prevail!

I may have to postpone the release of version 1.0 for a few days, I'm not sure yet. It's basically finished but there are still a few things left to do over the next week. I will share my decision this upcoming Monday, August 25th. There are quite a few other things I also have to take care of now, which haven't been part of my schedule before the rejection. I apologize in advance should a delay become inevitable. Won't be long though.

Members who follow me for a while now know that I really, really don't like asking for financial support for myself. I want people to make contributions on their own terms by deeming my project worthy. But this is an out-of-the-ordinary situation, so I will swallow my pride today and ask you for your support for the time being. I'm well aware of the fact that times are tough for many people right now, so I don't expect much from it and totally understand. But if you can afford a buck or two without having to worry about an empty fridge at the end of the month, I'd appreciate it big time.

Again, a big fat hug for all supporters! Much love! I need a drink today. Drink responsibly!

Flip

Goes to show the LGBT+phobic results those "well intentioned" campaigns have.

 

[kotte]

I just tried Sort of Justice and figured it needed a mention here (with link, so that it ends up in the

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).
It's a hard-boiled gangster story, and while the sex isn't avoidable, there are refreshingly little of it so far. I would go as a far as to say there is a record high story-to-sex ratio.
What it does have is some very good storytelling, both dramatically and visually.

What it doesn't have:

• School setting
• A bitchy older sister and a quirky little dito
• People perving on ladies in showers
• A Stairway to Heaven

The only thing that worries me is that there are quite a lot of loose ends/characters with agendas, meaning that the creator will have to work hard to tie it all together. I sincerely hope that this is one of the few AVNs where the author has a clear picture of the full story before starting to release chapters...