Recommending Story-first games

[jufot]

And as far as I know, you can't contact staff on this site and ask questions.

You can open a support ticket.

 

[Bombmaster]

Hi everyone, how's it going? I haven't been on this site in quite a while, and I wanna explain why, and I'm wondering if anyone else has the following problems.

There's 2 main problems I have.

I usually make a topic asking for suggestions for recently completed Vanilla games a couple times a year, and I usually get some great suggestions. This year I've gotten nothing from them other than silence, sexual harassment, or people trying to trick me into looking at the most disturbing games out there. It's super disheartening.

The other problem is that my account is at risk for termination because apparantly I'm doing something wrong with my reviews. They don't explain what I'm doing wrong with the reviews, they just tell me to read the rules, which I have, and I still don't understand it. And as far as I know, you can't contact staff on this site and ask questions.

Fellow Summer scent bro, after reading some of yours reviews, maybe you're harsh and unapologetic doing review /criticism, looks entitled for mods maybe?

 

[bacienvu88]

I usually make a topic asking for suggestions for recently completed Vanilla games a couple times a year, and I usually get some great suggestions. This year I've gotten nothing from them other than silence, sexual harassment, or people trying to trick me into looking at the most disturbing games out there. It's super disheartening.

Let me do some recommendations then.
Some notable games completed this year (may be some that was completed earlier but received update this year and missed some that haven't got the completed tag):

Toro 7
Love of Magic
Alive
Become a Rock Star
Freeloading Family
Paradise Lust

I used this search to find games.

You can also check out the

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which has monthly roundup of new Steam releases.

 

[turbojoe]

Let me do some recommendations then.
Some notable games completed this year (may be some that was completed earlier but received update this year and missed some that haven't got the completed tag):

Toro 7
Love of Magic
Alive
Become a Rock Star
Freeloading Family
Paradise Lust

I used this search to find games.

You can also check out the

You must be registered to see the links

which has monthly roundup of new Steam releases.

Thanks for the search link - very useful.

Btw Toro 7 unfortunately is in your "game completed" list - this amazing VN would have had the potential to be continued

 

[jufot]

Hillside's new chapter is out.

 

[Jaike]

The other problem is that my account is at risk for termination because apparantly I'm doing something wrong with my reviews. They don't explain what I'm doing wrong with the reviews, they just tell me to read the rules, which I have, and I still don't understand it. And as far as I know, you can't contact staff on this site and ask questions.

You can DM whatever warning message you got to me if you want, but I bet it's just a boilerplate message.

Anyway, I think I'm out of recs for you now. A Date with Emily wasn't your thing apparently, and most wholesome stuff written for a straight audience I know is similar to that.

 

[jufot]

Played the latest chapter of Zero End. I'm still not interested in pursuing any of the LIs (no sex scenes so far), but some of the cast is interesting, and the story is really great.

I like Alice. This odd, aloof, nature thing. And perhaps Selena. She has a profound sadness to her which makes me curious, and it's endearing she chose vanilla for her first ice cream. I imagine she'll stop being subordinate to the dean at some point.

We still don't have the full picture of Caleb and Marie's history, though it seems to be the classic "boy does something stupid, girl leaves boy, girl gets preyed on by someone powerful" narrative. It's not exactly inspired, but it's well-written, and I'm invested. The highlight was definitely the investigation at the mansion and the bit that followed. It was superbly done.

And Caleb's acerbic, misanthropic cynicism continues to delight

Ironically, [Swansong] is probably the least complicated person I've met recently. I feel like that should reflect badly on someone, but I'm not sure on whom.

 

[Éama]

I'm still not interested in pursuing any of the LIs (no sex scenes so far)

This is by design. I had a chat with the dev and it's supposed to be enjoyable to have a playthrough where sex is not the priority, it's also more in character for the MC (imho). I played it exactly like you and really appreciated the heads-up after the events around visiting the club.

I have some reservations about the "Sherlock Holmes" character of the MC. Like Sherlock, he always seems to have everything figured out. But there are several scenes where this expectation is subverted. Which is nice. I said to the dev that I appreciate a vulnerable MC and I was told there is much more to come in that regard.

 

[jufot]

This is by design. I had a chat with the dev and it's supposed to be enjoyable to have a playthrough where sex is not the priority, it's also more in character for the MC (imho). I played it exactly like you and really appreciated the heads-up after the events around visiting the club.

That's great to hear about the dev, and I'm glad not being the only one doing a celibate playthrough

I said to the dev that I appreciate a vulnerable MC and I was told there is much more to come in that regard.

Music to my ears!

 

[realjitter]

I couldn't get into Zero's end. At the very beginning I was on board with it. but as the game went on.. I guess the MC's interesting since he's a bit more on the edgier side of things

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But the rest of it?. Starting with BJ girl and.. I guess just in general, all the potential sexual encounters feel a little off in this game. You get like a hint that something lewd's gonna happen, which is nice 'n all, but i'm more like "Ok.., but why is it happening?". There's little to no build up with most of the women here. So idk, as I said, I couldn't get into it...

Which reminded me of yet another AVN, Circumstances, which got mentioned here. That one had a really strong beginning, but also turned into something awkward later on in chapter 2... Here the MC starts to behave as if he's socially awkward or something . Overstepping his boundaries and just acting weird in general. There was a scene later on which injected me with some new hope. It's when Malana? is about to throw the MC out of the apartment again. And I was like "please?, pretty please?".., but then... =(. I don't know, this is a weird one because it starts out so strong. Even the initial introductions of all the LI's in chapter 2 were pretty well done, but it still managed to lose me somewhere down the line....

Anyhow, "circumstances" is still worth checking out i'd say if you haven't already. And I guess same can be said about Zero's end...


Despite those 2 AVN's, I also read the yuri VN "Fragile feelings" by ebi-hime. I gotta say, i'm not a Anime fan, never was, never will be. Well, this VN represents a lot of aspects that annoy me about Anime. That being said, i'm not like a stone who has no emotions either so when that scene came up in which Ann told Asaba about her condition that was like heartbreaking, not gonna lie.. I've seen it a couple of times in RL and i'll never grow accustomed to it.. Go check this one out if you like yuri stories. It's a story first game with a so-so beginning and a pretty strong second half, imo.

 

[jufot]

I guess the MC's interesting since he's a bit more on the edgier side of things

I quoted that exact line in my first post about Zero End I like that his attitude isn't an act, it's really just who he is.

But the rest of it?. Starting with BJ girl and.. I guess just in general, all the potential sexual encounters feel a little off in this game. You get like a hint that something lewd's gonna happen, which is nice 'n all, but i'm more like "Ok.., but why is it happening?". There's little to no build up with most of the women here. So idk, as I said, I couldn't get into it...

As discussed above, this game works best with a celibate playthrough. You might want to give it a shot.

Despite those 2 AVN's, I also read the yuri VN "Fragile feelings" by ebi-hime.

I like ebi-hime (several in the OP) and this one's been on my backlog since I got the announcement email. It's... not encouraging that you were annoyed by the anime stuff, as I also have very low tolerance to it, but I love ebi-hime's writing and lesbian stories so will probably play it soon.

 

[EndlessNights]

Played the latest chapter of Zero End. I'm still not interested in pursuing any of the LIs (no sex scenes so far), but some of the cast is interesting, and the story is really great.

One of the best things about Zero End is that even though there are lots of choices and lots of paths I've yet to have a playthrough I didn't enjoy. It's well-suited to a celibate playthrough as you are doing as well as monogamous and sleep with everything that moves (but may not be necessarily "alive" in the classical sense) paths. It's just an exceptionally well-written and well-thought out game in my view.

That said, I think players will generally enjoy the game more if they do multiple runs. You'll understand the story and the characters much better. For instance, playing the park scene on Rayne's route provides the best glimpse of Caleb's malaise, his general feeling of being lost and directionless. It makes understanding his willingness to do something potentially suicidal and at the least extremely dangerous in the last update much easier.

Selena is still my favorite LI. I love her conversations with Caleb. She's sensitive, thoughtful, and understated which is a rare set of qualities for an AVN character.

We still don't have the full picture of Caleb and Marie's history, though it seems to be the classic "boy does something stupid, girl leaves boy, girl gets preyed on by someone powerful" narrative. It's not exactly inspired, but it's well-written, and I'm invested.

Hmm, that's not exactly how I see it though there's definitely a good bit of mystery left to be explained. I think it'll end up being more like this:

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For what it's worth, I'm not sure Invictus is really manipulating Marie into doing anything she doesn't want to do. She knows what she's doing even though we don't, and her involvement with Invictus seems to be the result of her own choices and suits her own ends.

But the rest of it?. Starting with BJ girl and.. I guess just in general, all the potential sexual encounters feel a little off in this game. You get like a hint that something lewd's gonna happen, which is nice 'n all, but i'm more like "Ok.., but why is it happening?". There's little to no build up with most of the women here. So idk, as I said, I couldn't get into it...

The sex scenes are often abrupt, but I'd say there's an understandable reason for all of the encounters so far. It's just that mutual attraction isn't necessarily the primary or necessarily even one of the driving forces behind them. A lot of people and factions want to monitor and manipulate Caleb. The sex is all avoidable (easily now thanks to the NSFW tag on important choices) and the plot is definitely what's most important here.

 

[jufot]

Hmm, that's not exactly how I see it though there's definitely a good bit of mystery left to be explained. I think it'll end up being more like this
[...]
For what it's worth, I'm not sure Invictus is really manipulating Marie into doing anything she doesn't want to do. She knows what she's doing even though we don't, and her involvement with Invictus seems to be the result of her own choices and suits her own ends.

I hope you're right. I'd enjoy this game a whole lot more that way. It would mean that Marie isn't a damsel in distress, in over her head, but rather someone with agency who just happened to have made bad choices.

 

[realjitter]

Alright, the way you guys talk about it, I guess i'll give it another whirl. Admittingly, I haven't paid much attention to the story .

 

[jufot]

Despite those 2 AVN's, I also read the yuri VN "Fragile feelings" by ebi-hime. I gotta say, i'm not a Anime fan, never was, never will be. Well, this VN represents a lot of aspects that annoy me about Anime. That being said, i'm not like a stone who has no emotions either so when that scene came up in which Ann told Asaba about her condition that was like heartbreaking, not gonna lie.. I've seen it a couple of times in RL and i'll never grow accustomed to it.. Go check this one out if you like yuri stories. It's a story first game with a so-so beginning and a pretty strong second half, imo.

I played it.

Ah, young love! Angsty, melodramatic, and sweetly saccharine. The leading ladies were great, but for me, Runa was the highlight. Both the rooftop showdown and later the hospital are such lovely pieces of character study. Especially the latter scene convinced me that despite her ditzy persona, she's far wiser than she looks. Most people twice her age wouldn't have half the self-introspection she did. It assured me that, despite everything that had happened, she'd be OK.

This is one of the lighter, simpler works of ebi-hime, very much in the vein of Blackberry Honey, but it's still story-first so off to the list it goes

P.S: I recommend reading the development notes that are unlocked once the game is finished. They give insight into what inspired the story and the reasons behind some of the narrative decisions. These notes are always a delight.

 

[realjitter]

Runa was the highlight.

I partially agree with you. Although, I did predict her storyline right from the beginning, including the rooftop scene. I just didn't predict that she'd do what she did . Ebi-hime stories are, at least the ones i've read so far, pretty straight forward when it comes to the to story itself. There's the MC and an LI and the story, most of the times, concludes in a happy ending. Nothing really wrong with that of course, like it's classic romance novel writing, but sometimes I feel like you could do a little more. Like in "fragile feelings" for example, Runa could've been used in a different way by making the "matters of heart" more complicated.

But then again, it told what it wanted to tell I guess and that's fine. The story was pretty stacked already and it also doesn't have a

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So maybe it was "perfect"?. I'm a little torn on this one...

 

[Jaike]

Ebi-hime stories are, at least the ones i've read so far, pretty straight forward when it comes to the to story itself. There's the MC and an LI and the story, most of the times, concludes in a happy ending.

Do we tell them?

 

[jufot]

most of the times, concludes in a happy ending

I concur with Jaike's reaction above! If this is what you think, you clearly need to play more of ebi-hime's games.

So maybe it was "perfect"?. I'm a little torn on this one...

I'm grateful it didn't have that kind of ending, so yes, I'd say it was perfect for me.

There are tragedies and comedies. I've always preferred the former, which is a big reason why I like ebi-hime's stories.

 

[bacienvu88]

I have some reservations about the "Sherlock Holmes" character of the MC. Like Sherlock, he always seems to have everything figured out. But there are several scenes where this expectation is subverted. Which is nice. I said to the dev that I appreciate a vulnerable MC and I was told there is much more to come in that regard.

Personally I find it refreshing that an MC described as intelligent is actually allowed to be intelligent instead of never figuring anything out by themselves. But the subversions are nice as well.

Selena is still my favorite LI. I love her conversations with Caleb. She's sensitive, thoughtful, and understated which is a rare set of qualities for an AVN character.

I agree with that, but what makes her extra interesting is her relation to the Dean and the Lunar Order.

The sex scenes are often abrupt, but I'd say there's an understandable reason for all of the encounters so far. It's just that mutual attraction isn't necessarily the primary or necessarily even one of the driving forces behind them. A lot of people and factions want to monitor and manipulate Caleb. The sex is all avoidable (easily now thanks to the NSFW tag on important choices) and the plot is definitely what's most important here.

I am quite fond of the date with Rayne and the sex scene when you commit to her. You get so much insight into her.

For what it's worth, I'm not sure Invictus is really manipulating Marie into doing anything she doesn't want to do. She knows what she's doing even though we don't, and her involvement with Invictus seems to be the result of her own choices and suits her own ends.

I hope you're right. I'd enjoy this game a whole lot more that way. It would mean that Marie isn't a damsel in distress, in over her head, but rather someone with agency who just happened to have made bad choices.

How did you figure Marie is a damsel in distress? It is hinted rather heavily that Marie manipulates Invictus behind the scenes. Marie is basically operating undercover and lets Invictus think he is in control. I doubt Invictus would approve of Marie's contact with Silver and they apparently know each other somewhat at least.

Then there is the new update with the whole spiel from Marie how Caleb taught her how to manipulative people. That said, I don't trust anything Marie says by this point.

My take on the plot is that there is a five-way power struggle between Dean, Invictus, Silver, Marie and the woman we meet at the end. With Caleb as the pivot. Marie cooperates with Silver; at least for now. Doubt they are fully aligned on the goal.

Finally. No one mentioned the early ending(s)? I find that pretty interesting and gets some more insight into Caleb.

 

[jufot]

How did you figure Marie is a damsel in distress?

From her "it's too late to save me" speech. Immediately she tries playing it off for laughs, like "haha I had to try," but I thought that was closer to the truth than she would have liked.

It is hinted rather heavily that Marie manipulates Invictus behind the scenes. Marie is basically operating undercover and lets Invictus think he is in control. I doubt Invictus would approve of Marie's contact with Silver and they apparently know each other somewhat at least.

I don't remember seeing anything that would suggest Invictus was unaware of Marie and Silver, but perhaps I missed something.

Finally. No one mentioned the early ending(s)? I find that pretty interesting and gets some more insight into Caleb.

I tried the one where he walks away from the school and was... disappointed. I expected more consequences and only got a surprised look at the end.