Recommending Story-first games

[Droid Productions]

If you like reluctant archon you might also enjoy love of magic, an Arthurian urban fantasy about finding true love, becoming a God and saving the world.

 

[Raife]

If you like reluctant archon you might also enjoy love of magic, an Arthurian urban fantasy about finding true love, becoming a God and saving the world.

I think we all like your game, Droid. Your work is really admirable and fun to play, for multiple reasons we've discussed before. I'm looking forward to new updates and your next project.

 

[Jaango]

Say it again finished playing this one few mins ago. And adding this one to this thread, seems like this one fits here. Story is about lesbian relationship of shizue and clementine. Characters are lovely and I can really feel their tension. Dev did really a good part there. Game is kinetical but I absolutely loved reading it. Another bonus is this one is completed

Sorry to mention this again if some one mentioned it earlier. And don't mind my english

 

[jufot]

Say it again finished playing this one few mins ago. And adding this one to this thread, seems like this one fits here. Story is about lesbian relationship of shizue and clementine. Characters are lovely and I can really feel their tension. Dev did really a good part there. Game is kinetical but I absolutely loved reading it. Another bonus is this one is completed

Sorry to mention this again if some one mentioned it earlier. And don't mind my english

This one was discussed here, I think around... chapter 1? I enjoyed the first two chapters, but this last one felt a bit too rushed. I'd have appreciated a bit more depth into growing their relationship. Their bond revolved around deep-seated trauma, but they got over it too quickly. Still, it's definitely one of the better stories on this site

 

[Raife]

What is it with you and your irrational hatred of magic dream ladies?

The ultimate jufot-triggering game would probably involve a virginal male MC, with a gay best friend and a father who was castrated in an unfortunate industrial accident. The setting: a small college in a banal suburban quasi-American landscape.

Encouraged by a mysterious dream lady/sex Obi-wan, the MC proceeds to have sleep sex with his mother (as his father snores nearby, oblivious). This nocturnal non-consensual encounter with Mom causes the MC's wunderschlong to expand to arms-length proportions, and release pheromones that make all other females drop to their knees to lick his massive proboscis.

Our 'hero' proceeds to have sex with every previously unavailable girl and woman in his school. A few strong-willed tsundere types initially resist the magic wang's effects, forcing the MC to rape them hard until they experience multiple climaxes and love him unconditionally. Some of the female LIs have distinctive personalities before they encounter the MC, but they all devolve into mushy, girlish, sex-obsessed fuckdoll-types after a few bouts of intercourse (progressing, predictably, from blowjob to vaginal to... of course, the 'ultimate' sex act in this levelling-type progression... anal).

The 'plot' reaches its denoument when all the women and girls in the college and town agree that the MC is a perfect avatar of maledom (despite the fact that he lacks any admirable characteristics and is a serial rapist) and agree to share him in a giant, seraglio-like harem. All the other men and boys run away in fear, and everyone else lives happily ever after (plus, pregnant, if the player chooses that option).

In all seriousness, it never ceases to amaze me that so many players find any of the above appealing...

 

[Jaike]

This nocturnal non-consensual encounter with Mom causes the MC's wunderschlong to ... release pheromones that make all other females drop to their knees to lick his massive proboscis.

You could've let us on a bit earlier on the fact that the MC is Ganesha or Babar...

All the other men and boys run away in fear, and everyone else lives happily ever after

So a sad ending for the gay best friend. How about some proper wingmanship and add those blokes to his harem?

Serious question though, which game do you think is the closest match to what you describe? It really reminds me of WVM (freaking huge harem, small college setting, female personality loss, literal "seraglio"), but a lot of things do not match (no incest and no stepcest, no supernatural wingwoman, MC is not a rapist and has redeeming features, seduction isn't by dick size or pheromones). Haven't played a lot of college harem games. I hope Jufot won't expel me for mentioning that game in his topic.

This one was discussed here, I think around... chapter 1? I enjoyed the first two chapters, but this last one felt a bit too rushed. I'd have appreciated a bit more depth into growing their relationship. Their bond revolved around deep-seated trauma, but they got over it too quickly. Still, it's definitely one of the better stories on this site

I think I mentioned it when someone looked for consensual BDSM games, but not as a suggestion for the OP.

 

[Raife]

You could've let us on a bit earlier on the fact that the MC is Ganesha or Babar...

Serious question though, which game do you think is the closest match to what you describe? It really reminds me of WVM (freaking huge harem, small college setting, female personality loss, literal "seraglio"), but a lot of things do not match (no incest and no stepcest, no supernatural wingwoman, MC is not a rapist and has redeeming features, seduction isn't by dick size or pheromones). Haven't played a lot of college harem games. I hope Jufot won't expel me for mentioning that game in his topic.

It's a pastiche of all of jufot's least favourite porn tropes in one godawful (hypothetical) game, Jaike (as you know)... so, I'm afraid that you won't be able to play it!

But, one could easily create that pastiche by combining WVM with any number of games by SuperWriter (magic dick, incest galore, beat-up and cuck dad), add a magic wingwoman from a fairy game of your choice, and throw in a castrati from a recent game that I think we both like (apart from the inclusion of the friendly, castrated dude). As for the gay BFF... there are plenty of good examples.

The sad thing is that while I'm fairly sure that a game that included _all_ of the crazy porn tropes in my pastiche would be a bomb (although perhaps I'm being overly optimistic)... the surest route to a smash hit on this site seems to involve including a bunch of them.

That's why I love so many of the devs who populate this thread: many of them deliberately avoid these tropes, and try to just tell compelling adult stories.

 

[noping123]

That's why I love so many of the devs who populate this thread: many of them deliberately avoid these tropes, and try to just tell compelling adult stories.

To be fair, while I can only speak for myself, I think many would agree with me on this: There's no deliberate attempt to avoid tropes, only an attempt to tell a story - it just so happens that the majority of those tropes don't lend themselves to anything other than "Get your fuckfest here!", so most tend to be avoided.

 

[Raife]

You could've let us on a bit earlier on the fact that the MC is Ganesha or Babar...

I am always impressed by the depth of your intellectual hinterland... I had no idea who Ganesha was until I visited the Ganesh Temple in Mumbai with a friend circa 7 or 8 years ago.

 

[bacienvu88]

At least the gay friend is slightly better than the straight male friend that is enthusiastically helping MC seduce the girls while getting nothing himself.

That's why I love so many of the devs who populate this thread: many of them deliberately avoid these tropes, and try to just tell compelling adult stories.

I don't have any problems with any of the tropes in themselves really (except the sleep-rape parts etc.). The thing is how the tropes is used and if they serve the story or is just there to fuel the porn. I can even see the game you described done well with a good writer. The thing is though that a good writer is probably not going to focus on that.

 

[Raife]

I don't have any problems with any of the tropes in themselves really (except the sleep-rape parts etc.). The thing is how the tropes is used and if they serve the story or is just there to fuel the porn. I can even see the game you described done well with a good writer. The thing is though that a good writer is probably not going to focus on that.

I agree: I don't have any deep aversion to any of these tropes (apart from non-consent... but let me emphasise that it's just a personal view/aversion) and I enjoy playing games that have one or two of them. But I prefer story first games that avoid all of them... partly for the reasons that noping refers to: they are antithetical to a really compelling story.

 

[jufot]

How about some proper wingmanship and add those blokes to his harem?

Hear, hear! It's the 21st century, surely the MC's sexual horizons can be broadened to include a couple of upstanding blokes in his harem?

I hope Jufot won't expel me for mentioning that game in his topic.

Shame! Normally, that would have warranted summary expulsion, but you're in luck! I've recently been exposed to Pixie's Catholic LARPing simulator, which put me in a forgiving mood. You can repent!

Your penance is thus: The next time Raife, or someone equally bothersome, bullies me into accepting BaDIK and its ilk as proper games, you'll rush to my defence and point out the error of their ways. Become a missionary, if you will.

Surely, that's a fair price to pay for continued accommodation in this bountiful and wondrous thread?

 

[Tlaero]

I can even see the game you described done well with a good writer. The thing is though that a good writer is probably not going to focus on that.

I agree with bacienvu. A good writer can probably fix the worst of scripts. But why would they want to? They're probably more interested in writing their own story instead.

Tlaero

 

[Jaike]

... and throw in a castrati from a recent game that I think we both like (apart from the inclusion of the friendly, castrated dude).

Don't forget the unavoidable first sex scene with the celebrity!

I am always impressed by the depth of your intellectual hinterland... I had no idea who Ganesha was until I visited the Ganesh Temple in Mumbai with a friend circa 7 or 8 years ago.

I don't think Ganesha is that obscure, think he's one of the better known Hindu gods in the west. It's just a case of happening to know about him or not.

But the real object of impression here is the depth of your vocabulary. "Proboscis", "denoument" (which I think misses an e however), "seraglio". Did you write a thesaurus in a past life?

Hear, hear! It's the 21st century, surely the MC's sexual horizons can be broadened to include a couple of upstanding blokes in his harem?

I actually meant that as putting them into the gay best friend's harem, but sure why not? I'm game with almost any non-rape options for a fully bi playthrough.

Shame! Normally, that would have warranted summary expulsion, but you're in luck! I've recently been exposed to Pixie's Catholic LARPing simulator, which put me in a forgiving mood. You can repent!

Your penance is thus: The next time Raife, or someone equally bothersome, bullies me into accepting BaDIK and its ilk as proper games, you'll rush to my defence and point out the error of their ways. Become a missionary, if you will.

Surely, that's a fair price to pay for continued accommodation in this bountiful and wondrous thread?

You could work on your liberality. If that's you in a forgiving mood, I'd love to catch you in the mood that a demonic grimdark "cheat, share, cuck and abuse" game like Seeds of Chaos puts you in.

So I'm afraid I have to reject your offer.

 

[jufot]

But the real object of impression here is the depth of your vocabulary. "Proboscis", "denoument" (which I think misses an e however), "seraglio". Did you write a thesaurus in a past life?

I think you're on to something, and we're closer than ever to uncovering Raife's real life identity. I imagine he's kept under lock and key in the dungeons beneath Bodleian Library, and his title is Master of Thesauri. Few know of his existence, but to the befuddlement of his keepers, he has somehow gained access to the internet, and expanded his horizons to graphical pornographic story-telling. Time will tell whether that's a good thing.

You could work on your liberality. If that's you in a forgiving mood, I'd love to catch you in the mood that a demonic grimdark "cheat, share, cuck and abuse" game like Seeds of Chaos puts you in.

So I'm afraid I have to reject your offer.

That's unfortunate. Alas, my gentle nature prevents me from following up on my implicit threat of banishment. You're welcome to stay

That said, I'd like to note that, while some may call my crusade (against cheap college themed porn games) tilting at windmills, like all just causes, mine is self-explanatory in its righteousness and does not, in fact, require followers.

Onwards!

 

[realjitter]

I only discovered AVN's about a year ago when i stumbled across Acting lessons which surprised me back then because i wasn't expecting this solid level of writing and visual storytelling at all. Not that it blew my mind or anytthing, but it still got me interested to see what else is out there. Not gonna lie though, i had to dig deep to find some novels that interested me because the sheer porn aspect of them somehow never really clicked with me..To cut it short, most games that i ended up liking are already represented on the first page here with A summers End probably being my favourite amongst them even though it's more of a kinetic novel than AVN.
Last one i read a couple of days ago was Nothing is Forever which was also surprisingly good and also pretty fun to play and read.

There is one game missing on that list in my opinion which would be "Summer Scent". For that game i would recommend using a walkthrough and check out the triangle route. Pretty impressive work and it checks all the boxes mentioned on the first page here...Everything is just so vell intertwined, i was surprised that the developer could hold it all together without getting lost in his story because the game has so many routes...14 or something..I really like it. It's also one of the few games that i would describe as a "hot" game, but that's personal preference of course..

Anyways, there are so many games on that list that i didn't know about yet...gotta find some to check some of them out=)
I was a little surprised to see The deluca family on that list (haven't played it yet) but apparently it's way different than i thought it would be...Never judge a book by it's cover i guess..

 

[jufot]

cut it short, most games that i ended up liking are already represented on the first page here with A summers End probably being my favourite amongst them even though it's more of a kinetic novel than AVN.

A Summer's End is beautiful, and my favourite AVN as well

There is one game missing on that list in my opinion which would be "Summer Scent".

SS was discussed in this thread a while ago. IIRC, the major complaint was that the MC was a total blank slate - he could go from an ordinary cool dude to psychopathic rapist within a day or two. Of course, it depends on player choice, but the fact that it's possible at all is a weakness of the narrative. Real people have character, beliefs and convictions. They don't do a 180 within hours.

I was a little surprised to see The deluca family on that list (haven't played it yet) but apparently it's way different than i thought it would be...Never judge a book by it's cover i guess..

The porny bits of The DeLuca Family are... not great. But there is a very cool and morbid mob family tale behind it. The story is quite unlike anything else on F95, and it's told skilfully, which is why it's on the list

 

[Raife]

A Summer's End is beautiful, and my favourite AVN as well


SS was discussed in this thread a while ago. IIRC, the major complaint was that the MC was a total blank slate - he could go from an ordinary cool dude to psychopathic rapist within a day or two. Of course, it depends on player choice, but the fact that it's possible at all is a weakness of the narrative. Real people have character, beliefs and convictions. They don't do a 180 within hours.


The porny bits of The DeLuca Family are... not great. But there is a very cool and morbid mob family tale behind it. The story is quite unlike anything else on F95, and it's told skilfully, which is why it's on the list

jitter's list highlights the spectrum of games considered in this thread:

Clear story-first games. There are some games, such as _A Summer's End_ that are clearly story-first, due to the primacy and quality of the narrative -- although they might have adult/erotic elements as well (e.g. Tlaero's games). You play for the story, full-stop. Those games clearly qualify for jufot's list.

Clear porn-first games. Most entries on this hellsite belong to the this category. Some are simple porn-delivery vehicles (nothing wrong with that... but they do not qualify for this list) while others have a carapace of story covering what is essentially porn delivery, such as _Where the Heart Is_ or _Dr Vibes_. A few of these games are fun, and a subset are genuinely erotic... but they are primarily porn scenarios with porny tropes and don't qualify for the list.

Debatable games. Lastly, there's the most fun to debate (and smallest) group... hybrids that might fit into either category, and might change depending on how the development process evolves. Some otherwise narrative-heavy games have such severe 'process fouls' (blazingly porny tropes) that jufot boots them... SS is a good example. (I agree with this decision... blank slate MCs almost always undercut the integrity of character and narrative, just as harems usually nuke the credibility of LIs.) On the other hand, there are games with porny tropes that are underpinned by strong stories or characters with zero prurient intent... such as _Halfway House_, which I convinced jufot to add back to the list.

Of course, this is jufot's list, so I think he is entitled to the casting vote on debatable games... although I reserve the right to whinge about his dumber decisions and underline his notorious biases(TM).

 

[jufot]

Alright, updates from two of my favourite games!

Price of Power has just had its best chapter yet. Maria's agency continues to be a point of annoyance for me, but it's a minor complaint in an otherwise excellent episode. I shared my thoughts here.

Rebirth has finally ended its slog and our gang has entered the cave! We've been waiting for that for how long? 6 months? A year? I don't even remember. In a completely unexpected move from the dev, Laurie's subservience / pseudo-slavery to MC has ended! Those "Sharon save Laurie" points we've been collecting since the beginning have finally paid off. Though my excitement is tempered by the fact that MC has a new slave in the form of Ivy. I did my best trying to keep my distance from her, but the dev clearly doesn't want us to just let her be. Oh, well...

A few other games have had updates too:

Divergence: Beyond The Singularity is going great, and I'm going to keep recommending it until someone else plays it and discusses it with me

Nothing much to add for Caught in the Middle beyond my original comment. One of the characters, Carina, still has that weird, eerie feeling that draws me in. I just want to know more about her!

Terminus Reach: Sentinel 2 is being updated at an impressive pace. It's basically more of the same, so if you enjoyed the first game, you'll likely enjoy this one as well. Unfortunately, Garrett (the MC) is even more of an insufferable asshole this time around. He's really starting to get on my nerves. The dev should tone it down, and soon.

A Father's Sins continues to be brilliant! I love it for introducing me to

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What have you guys been playing?

 

[bacienvu88]

I'm playing catch up a bit, so some of these haven't been updated recently. But my current favorite story-driven games are Niichan:s games, Life Changing Choices and My Bully is my Lover together with Caribdis' Eternum.

MBML and LCC are very well written games that really bring out the emotions of the characters.

And Eternum is getting better and better for each release. Really has the best kind of story-telling.

And regards to TRS, I recently discovered it and I find it even better than his other game Sorcerer. Sorcerer became a bit tedious towards the end in my opinion.