Recommending Story-first games

[Dragon59]

The important thing was, I'm 100% sure that this developer wasn't trying to write a rape game. Alcohol was one of a large number of necessary components, and the rest weren't "rapey." I think people just weren't thinking about it that way, "back then." And "back then" wasn't that long ago. There's a lot of room for debate on this whole thing.

Tlaero

I'm 62, so I was there during many of our changes. Young enough to adopt the new ways without resistance, but old enough to know how behaviors and protocols were before.

I'm reminded of my perspective on the song "Baby, it's Cold Outside." To modern sensibilities, it can be seen as rather rapey. It appears that the pursuer is not accepting the other's "No," and is plying them with drinks to wear them down. This is from a perspective of women who can say yes as well as no. In historical context, the song's scenario takes place at a time when women were still largely constrained by society. A "good girl" wasn't free to say yes. The song illustrates the dance she had to go through to be able to say yes and retain her "dignity." She talks about how her family will react, how society will react. By the end, she apparently feels that she completed the "at least I tried," ritual and can now agree. Most women in western society are empowered to give as well as withhold consent, so the dance appears much darker today.

Likewise, once we reached a point where women were actually allowed to drink socially, some young women felt the need to get themselves slightly inebriated in order to lower inhibitions and society's voice in the back of their head. Like Tlaero and other have said, where were still unsafe ne'er do wells would push a woman too far, from less inhibited to incapacitated. The original developer may have been using alcohol as little more than "social lubricant," without realizing the greater implications in the modern world.

Oh, definitely. I'm still 100% invested in the game

I ended up losing interest, not because of the game, but the incessant discussing of the mechanics of the "Mascaraed" universe and how it applied to Rebith. The forum drained all interest I had in the game.

 

[Dabigoh]

I just want you to know that I hate you all.

I came to this thread looking for some good games with good stories. Several of the games suggested, I had already played but I found a few that I hadn't looked at before and started playing through them. It was fun and I'd play for an hour or so each night until I finished the story then I'd come back here, lurking in the shadows, and find a new story to play through.

Then I finally stumbled across Leap of Faith....

I am know going to have to work all weekend to make up the work I didn't get done because I couldn't put this game down for the last couple of days. I kept trying to put it away and do something productive, but I just couldn't get it out of my head. After running a few errands this evening, I sat down about 3 hours ago to try to catch up on my work, but wound up launching the game again.

Unfortunately, I was just starting chapter 6. For those of you that have played it, you know what I'm talking about. Well, a little over three hours later I have finished the game as it stands right now and my emotions are all over the place.

So, now I have to look forward to a weekend of working, I'm an emotional basket-case, and I have to wait until the next chapter is finished to find out how this amazing story ends. Thank you for all the work you do by helping highlight some of the better games out there, but I'll never forgive you for this.

 

[Dragon59]

Artemis has a very good story, but the sexual bits have too much porn logic. We've had a discussion about that on this thread here and here.

I'll go check them out.

 

[Dragon59]

If you do so I guess you haven't watched any movies/shows in the last years.
There was nothing new, only remakes and copies adjusted to the actual .... lifestyle (I have other words for this, but .... let's keep it friendly).

I've known a few people in the Lifestyle, but I didn't know of any shows remade to feature swingers.

 

[jufot]

I came to this thread looking for some good games with good stories. Several of the games suggested, I had already played but I found a few that I hadn't looked at before and started playing through them. It was fun and I'd play for an hour or so each night until I finished the story then I'd come back here, lurking in the shadows, and find a new story to play through.

Welcome to the thread, and glad you enjoyed Leap of Faith. There is only one more update left in the game, so you won't suffer for long

 

[Raife]

I'm 62

One of the (many) things that I like about this thread is its lovely mishmash of ages, genders, sexualities, and proclivities... and yet we all have rather striking things in common. As I'm wont to say... I mostly hate F95, but I love jufot's thread and the people on it.

 

[richarddlopatin]

It's my first time in this thread and after searching for the name of the game and getting 0 results I think I have a game to show you: Lost in Laminate

It' a BDSM game with heavy focus on latex. The sci-fi setting is imo the best in all sci-fi porn games I've ever seen. The plot starts with the usual baby-first adventure screenplay device: amnesia. You have to figure things out as go and obviously it works because it's like you're seeing everything for the first time as a character as well.

 

[Jaike]

It's my first time in this thread and after searching for the name of the game and getting 0 results I think I have a game to show you: Lost in Laminate

It' a BDSM game with heavy focus on latex. The sci-fi setting is imo the best in all sci-fi porn games I've ever seen. The plot starts with the usual baby-first adventure screenplay device: amnesia. You have to figure things out as go and obviously it works because it's like you're seeing everything for the first time as a character as well.

I have it on my list of games to check, but isn't the premise of the game very hardcore noncon?

 

[richarddlopatin]

I have it on my list of games to check, but isn't the premise of the game very hardcore noncon?

I haven't thought about it that way... iirc your character is actually allowing and enjoying giving up control. And the opening scene was something the character got into by herself. I think it certainly plays with noncon but it's more like a "I consent to not needing to give you my consent from now on" than a straight up rape type of story. Like you get into situations where you know beforehand you won't have control anymore.

 

[vneotpolemus]

I played Corporate Culture courtesy of this thread. The story was excellent as promised, definitely a hidden gem. Shame about the slow development pace though.

 

[Jaike]

I haven't thought about it that way... iirc your character is actually allowing and enjoying giving up control. And the opening scene was something the character got into by herself. I think it certainly plays with noncon but it's more like a "I consent to not needing to give you my consent from now on" than a straight up rape type of story. Like you get into situations where you know beforehand you won't have control anymore.

Thanks for explaining. I asked because I know that many people in this topic dislike noncon so they would want to be warned about content like that, my guess is that they'd even want some alert for consensual nonconsent.

I'll check the game out, but do you know if there's only a submissive path? And would you say that the BDSM in that game is brutal?

 

[Raife]

I played Corporate Culture courtesy of this thread. The story was excellent as promised, definitely a hidden gem. Shame about the slow development pace though.

I'm glad you liked it, vneo: Corporate Culture is unusual (for many reasons that we've discussed at length in this thread) and has an exceptionally interesting and well-crafted collection of characters. (Personally, it's firmly in my top three... games that are qualitatively so superior, in term of their narrative interest, that they almost deserve a separate category.)

If you have a few extra pennies, I encourage you to support the dev, sqwl. He occasionally gets down in the dumps, in part due to excessive, moronic whinging from this site, mainly about two issues: (1) his updates are too slow (which, to be fair, is true) and (2) the fact that the (highly erotic, appealing) sex in the game has only involved one LI so far. I send him notes, occasionally, to boost his spirits a bit...

 

[vneotpolemus]

I'm glad you liked it, vneo: Corporate Culture is unusual (for many reasons that we've discussed at length in this thread) and has an exceptionally interesting and well-crafted collection of characters. (Personally, it's firmly in my top three... games that are qualitatively so superior, in term of their narrative interest, that they almost deserve a separate category.)

If you have a few extra pennies, I encourage you to support the dev, sqwl. He occasionally gets down in the dumps, in part due to excessive, moronic whinging from this site, mainly about two issues: (1) his updates are too slow (which, to be fair, is true) and (2) the fact that the (highly erotic, appealing) sex in the game has only involved one LI so far. I send him notes, occasionally, to boost his spirits a bit...

Definitely unusual. It's interesting that Eddie is 'rewarded' for what he's doing, while also not shying away from the downside of it. Is karma (or sleep deprivation) going to catch up with him at some point? Or is Elsa right, and he does need to put himself first for a change? A shame that sqwl can't produce more and doesn't get the backing he deserves.

 

[Deleted member 4643628]

I searched every game I wanted to add and either it didnt fit the OPs views or it was already added here.
All I can now do is to thank you all for the recommendations for games with a decent story and not just porn.

 

[richarddlopatin]

Thanks for explaining. I asked because I know that many people in this topic dislike noncon so they would want to be warned about content like that, my guess is that they'd even want some alert for consensual nonconsent.

I'll check the game out, but do you know if there's only a submissive path? And would you say that the BDSM in that game is brutal?

It depends on what you see as brutal. There's no blood, gore or weird fluids afaik. But there is a lot of bondage. The game focuses on that feeling of being restrained and dealing with it. Like I said, there's a lot of latex, and a lot of cuffs, toys and devices to play with sensory deprivation and restriction of movement and all of that good stuff. There's also powerplay involved, the Torean society has something like a caste system. There's an entire background lore around Torei and all games from that dev are part of that lore. The writing is really good I think (english is not my native language so my judgement might be twisted but I like to believe I can discern between good and bad writing).

I don't really know if there's only a sub path tbh. I think I remember some paths later in the game that sounded like a dom thing but I never went there.

 

[noping123]

When you reply to a text, it doesn't scroll to the bottom automatically. I have to scroll manually after reply, which is annoying.

I just wanted to pop in to say thanks for this. I didn't address any of the other stuff (mostly because I can't personally reproduce the rollback issue - and the minigame thing I consider extremely low priority tbh), but this one annoyed me enough that I poked around enough to figure out the solution to it - which I probably wouldn't have done if you hadn't mentioned it.

 

[Raife]

OK, Badtimes, I promised you feedback on Chapter 2 of Isabella - Dark Paths and thought it would be more useful to post it here, so that others could comment, rather than via PM.

Generally speaking, I thought it was another strong entry, which allowed for continued character and narrative development. I particularly appreciated:

• The sense of vague, looming threat that pervaded the chapter -- in particular, your wise choice not to show the nature of the threat right away. The monster you don't see is always scarier.
• The interactions with Alex, the fact that her facial expressions convey as much as her dialogue, the choice (or test) she presents you with, and the development of her backstory. She's a super LI!
• The overlapping real and psychological connections between Isabella and your late girlfriend. The fact that I cannot tell yet how significant some of these connections are, and how much is psychological, is a major plus. jufot hates dream sex, and I largely share that opinion -- but in this case it's not just about sneaking sex into the episode... you highlight the MC's psychological confusion.
• You didn't kill the dog. Yay!

There were, however, one or two choices that worked less well:

• Isabella's character still needs development. She looks beautiful... but she doesn't have the striking characteristics that Alex does... or much of an emotional or intellectual 'hinterland' beyond her modelling. She doesn't need to be a secret nuclear physicist or assemble model aircraft in her basement... but we do need to know more about what makes her tick, what makes her feel, and how she sees the world. Don't get me wrong: I like her. But there's a reason why your players gravitate strongly towards Alex.
• The MC's dialogue with William turns into a big exposition dump on the MC's background and family. Exposition dumps should be avoided, in favour of gradual, believably natural revelations over time. It's not a bad dialogue... just clunky. Of course, it could be worse: there are literally half a dozen prominent games out there, including _Chasing Sunsets_ that do a big exposition dump, early on, via dialogue between the MC and a bartender... which is soooo lazy. The chat with William isn't nearly that bad.
• I'm a bit confused about the dog trank scene. If a heretofore unknown nefarious character tranked the pooch... why did he not attack Isabella? Perhaps this will be explained in a later episode... but I was a bit confused.

Great work overall: I remain a committed supporter and look forward to Chapter 3!

 

[Hahn1900]

Kind of weird that intertwined is in this list and beeing a Dik is not... cause lets face it, they are both very similar. But nevermind, BaD doenst need any more attention. Just a thought. I like both games though very much... but its your list and if you dont like BaD thats ok. Just a little bit confused why a game like intertwined made it if BaD is a no...

But thats not the reason why iam here.

Dont know why they are missing, and i dont know why i didnt mentioned them before... but i think once in a lifetime and eternum are a good fit for the list too. Well i admit... every girl in these two games are falling very easily and fast for the MC. And yeah both are harem games (eternum will be one too), but the harem is optional and only the "ending" not the purpose of the story and game, and the story comes first overall... but its in both cases not a realistic one... but never gets too ridiculous, in its own way the story works very fine if you accept the "rules" of the universe the DEVs created.

And i stumbled over the second half

So i mentioned A.O.A once before, but its not to your liking, so it made it not in the list, thats ok.

But yeah here was a discussion going on about "porn logic" and i admit... once in a lifetime, eternum and being a dik have a lot of "porn logic" in it... so i get it why they didnt make it in the list i think

Artemis was mentioned before, i think it should make it in the list, despite the fact that there is some "porn logic" going on, but lets face it, every game in this list has some of it. Maybe sometimes it is not fair to rule some games out because of it, and others not... but again, its your list (and a very good one, played every game on the list, and they are nearly all to my liking) so thats ok.

and i want to mention shale hill secrets maybe someone like that too... but i dont think it will make it to your list either. But i think it could fit in most of the creterias.

 

[jufot]

But yeah here was a discussion going on about "porn logic" and i admit... once in a lifetime, eternum and being a dik have a lot of "porn logic" in it... so i get it why they didnt make it in the list i think

That's exactly why those games are not on the list, but Intertwined is

Artemis was mentioned before, i think it should make it in the list, despite the fact that there is some "porn logic" going on

Honestly, if the dev just retconned the whole sorority storyline and got rid of the blowjob contest, it would definitely make the list

And i stumbled over the second half

Unfortunately, this is pretty much abandoned. Complete radio silence since October :/

Also, while the first post is about my tastes, the rest of this thread isn't. There are plenty of games discussed here without ever making the list

 

[Hahn1900]

That's exactly why those games are not on the list, but Intertwined is


Honestly, if the dev just retconned the whole sorority storyline and got rid of the blowjob contest, it would definitely make the list


Unfortunately, this is pretty much abandoned. Complete radio silence since October :/

well, yeah thats reasonable... intertwined is way less "porn logic"... of course there is always a little bit porn logic in the games in your list... well... they are "adult" games after all but yeah... if you have "sex" in intertwined its for a more plausible reason i think... so yeah, overall i get the decision

and yep the sorority in artemis bugs me too a little. Not overall, but looks like a cheap excuse for giving the audience easy sex with lots of girls without reason... dont think that the game needs that though... but yeah its in it now.

didnt know that second half is nearly dead... thats sad, started really promising. but yeah, just checked the patreon site... well yeah its dead. didnt get much support either, so its no surprise that it will not go on... but a shame, could have been really good.