Recommending Story-first games

[Dragon59]

Oh yeah. The moment someone here refers to a character as a 'slut' I lose all interest in their opinion and stop engaging with them. IMHO there are only few circumstances where that word is acceptable, and they all revolve around self-labelling, e.g. reclaiming it from nutso puritans as a form of female empowerment.

I suspect that many of these young men have been led t believe that this is how an "alpha male" speaks about women and they want to be perceived as alpha by their "peers."

 

[jufot]

Her Android Tears [v1.0]

This turned out to be quite fun! It's very porny, but in a completely self-aware way, tongue firmly planted in cheek

I'm also a fan of the MC's looks. Something like a younger cross-breed of Tom Selleck and Sam Elliott

 

[Deleted member 1044747]

I'm surprised nobody - not even jufot (I think s/he knows about it) - has mentioned

https://f95zone.to/threads/a-summers-end-hong-kong-1986-final-oracle-and-bone.50786/.

Not only my favourite lesbian visual novel, but very likely my favourite adult VN overall.

Great artwork, terrific soundtrack and a story like no other. Extremely polished, too.

Not that many choices and explicit scenes, but that's fine with me since the story totally captivated me.


Honourable mention:

https://f95zone.to/threads/strange-nights-v0-7-1-locjaw.13565/

Unfortunately, abandoned - at least for now (it's obviously just a side project by the dev and he tends to "disappear" from time to time).

Again, great artwork, music and story. Also, very polished.

Not too many choices, but some of the best animations I've seen in adult games.

I've never played Life is Strange, but this VN had me hooked right from the start. Great story concept.

 

[jufot]

I'm surprised nobody - not even @jufot (I think s/he knows about it) - has mentioned

https://f95zone.to/threads/a-summers-end-hong-kong-1986-final-oracle-and-bone.50786/.

Not only my favourite lesbian visual novel, but very likely my favourite adult VN overall.

I cannot believe I forgot to mention this one! Yes, I (he, btw) know about it, especially since I've reviewed it and you liked my review I've updated the first post and also my personal tier list.

For everyone else, this is seriously one of the best VNs of all time, and is the best lesbian VN ever.

https://f95zone.to/threads/strange-nights-v0-7-1-locjaw.13565/

Unfortunately, abandoned - at least for now (it's obviously just a side project by the dev and he tends to "disappear" from time to time).

This one looks quite nice (I loved the original LiS) and has been recommended to me by multiple people, but I'm hesitant to start a story that I know might never be completed. Same reason I haven't tried Offcuts yet.

 

[jufot]

Here some games you missed

Welcome to the thread! Most, if not all, of these have been mentioned in this thread. Some even several times

 

[Deleted member 1044747]

Yes, I (he, btw) know about it, especially since I've reviewed it and you liked my review

You're right, I forgot - I only remembered you liked one of my posts in said thread.


Speaking of which, I forgot to mention

https://f95zone.to/threads/one-last-salty-kiss-v1-2-1-fullmontis.29036/.

I already recommended it to someone in the thread of A Summer's End, but I think it perfectly fits here as well.

Please don't prematurely dismiss it due to its "naive" visual style - it's a beautiful VN with a wonderful story.

Like my previous recommendations there's not much explicit content and the story is rather kinetic.

It's also quite melancholic and has a bittersweet ending, but it's totally worth the tears you will likely cry.

You can download the latest version (the F95Zone version isn't up to date) here (naming your own price):

You must be registered to see the links

.

 

[Raife]

https://f95zone.to/threads/one-last-salty-kiss-v1-2-1-fullmontis.29036/.

I already recommended it to someone in the thread of A Summer's End, but I think it perfectly fits here as well.

Please don't prematurely dismiss it due to its "naive" visual style - it's a beautiful VN with a wonderful story.

Like my previous recommendations there's not much explicit content and the story is rather kinetic.

It's also quite melancholic and has a bittersweet ending, but it's totally worth the tears you will likely cry.

You can download the latest version (the F95Zone version isn't up to date) here (naming your own price):

You must be registered to see the links

.

Interesting suggestion -- thanks! I don't think there's anything wrong with 'naive' visuals/artwork, particularly in the context of this thread. In fact, there is far, far too much emphasis on hyper-realistic renders these days, which can often lead to a 'sameness' in visual style that I find quite dull.

 

[ShamanLab]

I'm surprised nobody - not even jufot (I think s/he knows about it) - has mentioned

https://f95zone.to/threads/a-summers-end-hong-kong-1986-final-oracle-and-bone.50786/.

Not only my favourite lesbian visual novel, but very likely my favourite adult VN overall.

Great artwork, terrific soundtrack and a story like no other. Extremely polished, too.

Wow! Wonderful artwork! I definetely have to try it!

***

How aobut Tales From The Unending Void ?

I have to admit that I missed a lot of dialogue in this game, but I think I understood the story pretty well just by looking at the pictures. The developer has done a tremendous quality job collecting many characters, costumes, backgrounds, spaceships and the like.

 

[jufot]

https://f95zone.to/threads/one-last-salty-kiss-v1-2-1-fullmontis.29036/.

I already recommended it to someone in the thread of A Summer's End, but I think it perfectly fits here as well.

Please don't prematurely dismiss it due to its "naive" visual style - it's a beautiful VN with a wonderful story.

Like my previous recommendations there's not much explicit content and the story is rather kinetic.

It's also quite melancholic and has a bittersweet ending, but it's totally worth the tears you will likely cry.

You can download the latest version (the F95Zone version isn't up to date) here (naming your own price):

You must be registered to see the links

.

All that sounds brilliant! I enjoy kinetic novels, don't need explicit content at all, and I've always liked your stuff on F95 so I just bought it on Itch

 

[jufot]

How aobut Tales From The Unending Void ?

Personally, I'm not a fan of this developer. Both his games are zero-stakes, zero-consequence, "click here to sex" harem trope fests. That just doesn't do anything for me

 

[ShamanLab]

Personally, I'm not a fan of this developer. Both his games are zero-stakes, zero-consequence, "click here to sex" harem trope fests. That just doesn't do anything for me

To be honest, I also lost the thread of the story pretty quickly and played just for the sake of looking at new costumes and backgrounds.

 

[Raife]

To be honest, I also lost the thread of the story pretty quickly and played just for the sake of looking at new costumes and backgrounds.

As jufot says, TFTUV has all _classic_ problems associated with most harem games, namely (1) low stakes (LIs fall for the MC if he nods in their direction); (2) an MC with inexplicable super-charisma; and (3) a collection of female LIs who (mostly) seem bizarrely OK with sharing the MC, even if that is not the norm in their societies.

To his credit, the dev seems partly alive to these problems: at least he had the decency to set his bonefest in space, which makes the behaviour of some of the LIs slightly more plausible (they belong to polyamourous alien cultures). That's an improvement on his previous effort, SL, which totally failed to explain (1) and (2). But... still... not good.

In this genre of rather porn-heavy games I greatly prefer those with higher stakes or risk, which takes us more into the cheating realm. For example, _Stay True, Stay You_ has a harem-y setup... but the dev has done a good job establishing a strong, trusting relationship with the MC's appealing girlfriend... so that if the player decides to stray, there will be very negative consequences.

This is one of my rare areas of disagreement with jufot, btw... I do not _mind_ porn archetypes in LIs, provided (A) they are otherwise well written, and (B) the dev gives them an ideosyncratic twist or unusual plot role that allows them to stand out in appealing ways. That's why I enjoy _Halfway House_, for example -- all the LIs are porn types... but they all have little quirks that keep them from becoming too cliched/boring.

 

[jufot]

For example, _Stay True, Stay You_ has a harem-y setup... but the dev has done a good job establishing a strong, trusting relationship with the MC's appealing girlfriend... so that if the player decides to stray, there will be very negative consequences.

The "loyal path" so far seems fine, but I won't be fully interested in this game until there are at least a few of those consequences in the game. After all, can you really say your game has consequences if there aren't at least a dozen outraged comments on F95 about it?

This is one of my rare areas of disagreement with jufot

Indeed. But then again, it would probably be quite creepy if we agreed on everything

 

[Niv-Mizzet the Firemind]

Hey jufot, thanks for the list. There are some games in it I haven't played yet, so I assume that I'll spend quite some time with them.

 

[Raife]

The "loyal path" so far seems fine, but I won't be fully interested in this game until there are at least a few of those consequences in the game. After all, can you really say your game has consequences if there aren't at least a dozen outraged comments on F95 about it?

This is why I tell devs to listen to the players... but to follow their vision and avoid giving us everything we want. If devs did nothing but deliver what the majority of players want, _every_ game would be an incest-heavy haremfest. In other words: boring... and lacking in eroticism, verisimilitude and emotional resonance.

Those of us who love story-first adult games will always be an eccentric subculture on this board. I'm glad there are a few of us around, though...

 

[Deleted member 1044747]

Those of us who love story-first adult games will always be an eccentric subculture on this board. I'm glad there are a few of us around, though...

The way I see it:

Not only are we a subculture, we are also marginalized - hunted down even.

Sounds overly dramatic? In my opinion it's the sad truth, though.

A realistic story should ultimately entail male characters other than the MC, "rivals" we "compete" with (just like in RL).
There should be women who are more than mindless lays - they should have their own agency and search their luck elsewhere if the MC doesn't treat them right or cheats on them (and no, juggling with a harem of several women is not realistic).

Unfortunately, there are very, very few adult games / VNs which strive for this kind of realism.
Our Red String is one of the few examples I can think of.

Why is that? Why are there so few adult games / VNs like that?

It's because the vast majority doesn't want them.
It's because a lot of people playing adult games seem to have frail egos and feel threatened by the mere thought of other male characters who could possibly "steal" their LIs.

That's why almost everyone screams "NTR!?" as soon as they spot a halfway decent looking male NPC in a screenshot.
That's why a lot of games, which try something different (even if it isn't actual NTR), receive hate ratings.

Personally, I wished there were more games with realistic stories, choices and consequences, but honestly?
I've kinda given up on this.

There's a vocal majority on these forums which will shout down, downvote and downrate anything into oblivion that dares to threaten their holy "young-MC-with-horse-dick-bangs-his-girlfriend-sister-mom-and-half-the-town-without-having-to-lift-a-single-finger" comfort zone.

Similar to the hysteria towards communism during the McCarthy era "NTR" seems to be the catch phrase of these forums to keep everyone in check - even game developers who are kinda forced to comply (or they will face the consequences).

TLDR: We need more realistic adult games / VNs which neither fall into the "harem" nor the "NTR" category, but somewhere in between. Unfortunately, a vocal majority is actively sabotaging this kind of content.

verisimilitude

I'm not a native speaker, so I'm used to looking up words, but... holy shit, colour me impressed!

 

[jufot]

Not only are we a subculture, we are also marginalized - hunted down even. Sounds overly dramatic?

Not at all over-dramatic. I was practically forced off the Hillside thread after I posted this comment. The comment itself has a few likes, but the replies quickly turned nasty and I gave up :/

It's because the vast majority doesn't want them.
It's because a lot of people playing adult games seem to have frail egos and feel threatened by the mere thought of other male characters who could possibly "steal" their LIs.

That's why almost everyone screams "NTR!?" as soon as they spot a halfway decent looking male NPC in a screenshot.
That's why a lot of games, which try something different (even if it isn't actual NTR), receive hate ratings.

Very true. I've literally seen someone on this forum say "if the MC is walking in front of a house and they are having sex inside, that's NTR." Once someone is that far gone, there is no point arguing with them because you don't even share the same frame of reference, let alone the same argument.

Personally, I wished there were more games with realistic stories, choices and consequences, but honestly?
I've kinda given up on this.

That's why this thread is so precious to me. We can discuss these things without fragile, toxic egos breathing down our necks. An oasis of rationality in a desert of depravity, if you will

 

[Dragon59]

Not at all over-dramatic. I was practically forced off the Hillside thread after I posted this comment. The comment itself has a few likes, but the replies quickly turned nasty and I gave up :/

I've also gotten reactions for talking about LI agency, like how many of the fragile egos can't allow LIs to spend intimate time with each other if the MC is not around. They consider it NTR even though the two LIs are still with the MC.

I also get a lot of facepalms for talking about reality, like how the hymen and the cervix really work. I've also had a few reported for being "off topic."

I was very vocal about a situation in one game, where an ex-girlfriend of the MC was dumped in the past for cheating. Turns out that the coach in high school raped her. It left her with a lot of trauma and she manifested it as being hyper sexual. When the option to collar her showed up, the collar said "tainted." The dev did realize how bad that was (perhaps he had made the collar before he'd finished her backstory).

Very true. I've literally seen someone on this forum say "if the MC is walking in front of a house and they are having sex inside, that's NTR." Once someone is that far gone, there is no point arguing with them because you don't even share the same frame of reference, let alone the same argument.

The same universe? Their ideal game would probably be one where no more men exist. Oh, and all the women are straight (except for his entertainment).

If the LI is not a virgin and has been with other men in the past, some consider that NTR. How you accomplish that with Mother/son incest (or MILF fetish) is a puzzle.

That's why this thread is so precious to me. We can discuss these things without fragile, toxic egos breathing down our necks. On oasis of rationality in a desert of depravity, if you will

Hallelujah! I agree. I'm sort of dreading the horde descending upon my threads once my games have had their first releases. I know many will not like that most of my characters will have average RL body types.

I've seen a few devs drop out because the toxicity was taking a toll on their mental health.

Threads like these are likely a big help for devs dealing with that stuff.

 

[jufot]

I also get a lot of facepalms for talking about reality, like how the hymen and the cervix really work.

A few months ago, we've had a great a discussion of this topic (and realism in general) starting with this comment. I get an unbearable urge to abandon games when I see a variation of "ohhh MC you are hitting my cervix, go faster! I can feel you in my womb!" A lot of these games are written by people whose only experience with sex came from porn, which naturally results in... that

Turns out that the coach in high school raped her. It left her with a lot of trauma and she manifested it as being hyper sexual. When the option to collar her showed up, the collar said "tainted." The dev did realize how bad that was (perhaps he had made the collar before he'd finished her backstory).

Yeah, I would never go anywhere near a story like that. If it has even a hint of sexual assault, it's not for me.

Their ideal game would probably be one where no more men exist. Oh, and all the women are straight (except for his entertainment).

If the LI is not a virgin and has been with other men in the past, some consider that NTR. How you accomplish that with Mother/son incest (or MILF fetish) is a puzzle.

I call that virgin-friendly wish fulfilment. It's a philosophy that lends itself effortlessly into that sort of mental gymnastics.

I'm sort of dreading the horde descending upon my threads once my games have had their first releases.

Just don't forget to post here. I'm sure more than a few of us would be happy to show up for support

 

[mr.AwesomeGameTaste]

I have been somewhat active in this thread,and since our taste seems to be similar to some degree,I wanted to mention a game not so much focused on relationships,but on a certain story. If anyone here is interested in horror/crime story,I highly recommend Secrets of whispering pines, I really liked it so give it a try if you want.