Recommending Story-first games

[noping123]

It's nice for players that they can choose their favorite LI without getting every choice right, but I think it would be better if the person who fell in love with the MC was the one he'd been actively choosing to spend time with, get to know, and be there for. There's also no reason you shouldn't be able to tell the other characters you are interested in someone else rather than falling into a kind of relationship with all of them. Three of the main LIs are roommates and close friends who'd likely be happy to learn the MC is interested in someone they care about. I'd much rather have at least had the option to be transparent than lead everyone on which is more or less what the MC is forced to do to an extent. Seeing the characters get hurt when you don't choose them is heartbreaking.

I haven't played this game yet but let me tell you.... What you propose, is NOT easy lol.

My game has only 3 main LI's, and I try to do just this - all 3 show interest, but once you pick one, that interest starts to fade, and people are generally "supportive" of their friends. I try to make their interactions with each other (And with the MC) different depending on this - still totally within their personalities, but different based on those sort of choices.

And even doing it with only 3 main LI's, it's not easy at all to A: keep track of everything, B: create the variances in scenes required to have it all make sense, C: Actually properly write for all of this, it's just a lot of work. Trying to do it with more characters becomes an uphill battle really quick. It's not impossible, but MAN is it a lot of work.

So while I agree with you that it'd be nice, and it's definitely the type of thing I'd like to see more often, just keep in mind the reason it often isn't done is because it's really hard to do, and even harder to do WELL. That's why I'll often excuse games for not doing stuff like this, because I learned first hand just how much of a PITA it can be, and I don't envy the workload of anyone trying to pull it off.

 

[EndlessNights]

My game has only 3 main LI's, and I try to do just this - all 3 show interest, but once you pick one, that interest starts to fade, and people are generally "supportive" of their friends. I try to make their interactions with each other (And with the MC) different depending on this - still totally within their personalities, but different based on those sort of choices.

As I recall, your game does handle this issue better than The Entrepreneur does, at least so far. Showing interest is perfectly fine; it's just that that next level of falling in love and wanting to be in an exclusive relationship with someone shouldn't be that easy to get to unless you're writing obsessive, stalkery characters (or at least very naive and inexperienced ones...one LI in The Entrepreneur likely does qualify for that category). If I'm remembering your game right, I ended up going after Mary because every other character kept telling me to let her down easy. I was like, "Fuck you guys, Mary is great." We'll have to see if sheer obstinacy proves to be a solid jumping off point for a relationship.

 

[hysepReC]

If I'm remembering your game right, I ended up going after Mary because every other character kept telling me to let her down easy. I was like, "Fuck you guys, Mary is great." We'll have to see if sheer obstinacy proves to be a solid jumping off point for a relationship.

Even the MC is like that. The game is pretty good but i found the MC's attitude towards Mary a bit frustrating because she was my favourite from the start. Eventually, the MC does come around to dating her but it felt like i was being pushed towards Nikki for half the game. Not that i disliked her or anything, i just felt she was forced on me and prefer to have a choice in this kind of thing.

 

[noping123]

Even the MC is like that. The game is pretty good but i found the MC's attitude towards Mary a bit frustrating because she was my favourite from the start. Eventually, the MC does come around to dating her but it felt like i was being pushed towards Nikki for half the game. Not that i disliked her or anything, i just felt she was forced on me and prefer to have a choice in this kind of thing.

Actually, you wanna know the truth?

In the very original version of the script (This is like 3 or 4 versions before I even started making the game) mary was a minor side character, and there were only 2 choices - Nikki or Erin. Since you met Nikki first, you were naturally pushed "towards" her, and then later in the story erin shows up. In fact, in the very first draft, Tonya didn't exist, and mary was much more of a "tonya-like" character. I quickly changed that because I hated it, and created tonya to fill that role instead.

As I was writing the original story, I liked mary more and more and what she brought to it all, and ended up expanding her role significantly. I re-wrote numerous sections to accommodate adding her to the story much more prominently than I did in my first draft, but I opted to not re-write the core of the very beginning (The whole date with nikki and stuff like that), for two reasons: #1 the way I had it written by that point, I felt flowed better than trying to redo it without that bit, and #2 I wanted mary's path to be the more difficult one - that is, the one you needed to put the most effort into. (In fact, Erin is the default path in the game, at least at the point we're at now. If you don't actively make a choice, or actively make choices that would lead you towards nikki or mary, you end up with erin for now.)

IDK if I succeeded or not, but my intention at least when writing all of this (Or rather my intention after many many iterations of the story) is that: the MC is/has always been oblivious to Mary prior to the start. Of course he thought she was attractive, but never thought of her as more than "The cute girl at the coffee shop", and certainly had no idea she had any interest. Once the game starts, the intention is that if you, as a player, aren't interested in her, then the MC never was either. Otoh, if you, as a player ARE interested in her, the MC realizes he's sorta been into her the whole time and was just too pre-occupied to pay attention to anything going on outside his little bubble.

I'm trying to walk a very fine line between "You as a player decide what happens" and "These characters exist as actual people, who had lives before, and continue to have lives outside our limited perspective". I certainly don't always walk the line as well as one could, but at least that's what I try to do.



Wall of text aside, the sort of criticism like what you said above is actually great - I'm not going to re-write or change the story or anything, but it does make me take a more critical look at what I'm doing and why. Plus it's definitely the sort of thing I can consider more when writing my next story.

 

[hysepReC]

IDK if I succeeded or not, but my intention at least when writing all of this (Or rather my intention after many many iterations of the story) is that: the MC is/has always been oblivious to Mary prior to the start. Of course he thought she was attractive, but never thought of her as more than "The cute girl at the coffee shop", and certainly had no idea she had any interest.

Yeah, i got that impression at first but even after her interest becomes obvious (when she gives him her number) it still felt like the MC wasn't serious about her. You can tell her during the phone call that you like her too but it kind of felt like the MC was just telling her what she wanted to hear and agreed to go out on a date out of pity. I mean, this is what he thinks in the shower:

Spoiler

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It makes it seem like he views her as a nuisance rather than someone he actually likes. Then, when he takes Nikki home after the date, he talks about taking her out again without player input which reinforces the feeling that he's not really serious about Mary and that Nikki is the one that he really wants. After that, it does get better and the MC tells the other girls that Mary is the one that he's interested in so that's good, i just wish he had that kind of attitude earlier on.

 

[Impious Monk]

This hasn't ever happened to me even though I'm the most charming person I know.

 

[Hildegardt]

It's nice for players that they can choose their favorite LI without getting every choice right, but I think it would be better if the person who fell in love with the MC was the one he'd been actively choosing to spend time with, get to know, and be there for. There's also no reason you shouldn't be able to tell the other characters you are interested in someone else rather than falling into a kind of relationship with all of them. Three of the main LIs are roommates and close friends who'd likely be happy to learn the MC is interested in someone they care about. I'd much rather have at least had the option to be transparent than lead everyone on which is more or less what the MC is forced to do to an extent. Seeing the characters get hurt when you don't choose them is heartbreaking.

The relationship with Lucy was really well done imo. I especially liked the choice, where you encourage her to get out more and try to date again, which a few players seemed to have trouble with. It represents their status as old friends well, it shows that their relationship is build on trust and that they care for each other and it cleverly shifts the agency to Lucy, who can then decide for herself that what she really wants is the PC, depending on how you interacted with her.
I was pretty disappointed that Lucy and the PC being exclusive for all intents and purposes didn't have an effect on all the other LIs. It even was left up to the players to choose to let everyone else see that Lucy and the PC sleep in the same bed together, but their relationship is still kept as a secret for whatever reason and the other LIs still go hard. Like Alexa literally couldn't wait to take her shirt off (seriously this scene came out of nowhere for me).

 

[EndlessNights]

The relationship with Lucy was really well done imo. I especially liked the choice, where you encourage her to get out more and try to date again, which a few players seemed to have trouble with. It represents their status as old friends well, it shows that their relationship is build on trust and that they care for each other and it cleverly shifts the agency to Lucy, who can then decide for herself that what she really wants is the PC, depending on how you interacted with her.
I was pretty disappointed that Lucy and the PC being exclusive for all intents and purposes didn't have an effect on all the other LIs. It even was left up to the players to choose to let everyone else see that Lucy and the PC sleep in the same bed together, but their relationship is still kept as a secret for whatever reason and the other LIs still go hard. Like Alexa literally couldn't wait to take her shirt off (seriously this scene came out of nowhere for me).

My favorite route has been Laura's. I think she's a rather atypical VN character in the way she's neither a doormat nor in your face aggressive. She's kind but reserved, even-tempered but strong, and capable without being arrogant...all qualities I admire but rarely exhibit. I liked that she was also a business owner and could relate to everything the MC has been experiencing with the bar (well, maybe apart from the whole psycho entrepreneur criminal absolutely determined to annihilate a small business because he doesn't believe in storing contraband in warehouses thing). I felt the VN did a very good job of showing how she navigates through the complicated and conflicting emotions she feels as she contemplates entering a new relationship despite still loving and missing her deceased husband. MisterMaya showed some real sensitivity in developing that storyline and it made me like Laura even more.

Lucy is my second favorite character for many of the same reasons you mentioned. I also picked the choice to encourage her to start dating again, and it was nice to see the game didn't interpret that as necessarily meaning you had no interest in her as a LI. There are some great emotional moments with Valentine, but I didn't feel like I understood who she is as a person as well as I did Laura and Lucy. Given all the turmoil and drama going on in her life, I guess it makes sense that she would come across as more volatile and less consistent than the other characters. The relationship with Alexa felt the flimsiest and most forced to me though she's a perfectly likable character.

MisterMaya actually made several bold moves that could have turned the ire of a certain segment of this forum's userbase against his game. If someone is uncomfortable with the idea of Lucy theoretically dating other people when she's not yet in a relationship with the MC, I can't imagine they love the looming presence of Valentine's ex or Laura's heartfelt memories of her husband. No matter how much you may identify with the MC, I can't see any sense in feeling jealous over (1) people who don't actually exist, (2) a guy who was a terrible boyfriend, or (3) a dead man, but I bet there are multiple people out there who dropped the game over each of these story elements.

 

[Hildegardt]

MisterMaya actually made several bold moves that could have turned the ire of a certain segment of this forum's userbase against his game.

I agree and that's why I think The Entrepreneur is a story-first game even though the romance subplots are much more developed than the main plot. Romance can also make for a good story I guess.
Another example is Valentine's depression, which is depicted pretty faithfully (even though therapists don't normally talk as much as hers does from my experience). It's not something that can just be healed by a magic dick, but something that is actually pretty unattractive and not only exhausting for her, but also for the people around her, which is bold for an erotic game.

 

[Jaike]

I'm going to recommend another game, but absolutely not for the OP but just for some of the thread's readers who're up for an unusual experience. Jufot should first make sure he doesn't have any drink in his mouth to spill or choke on, so should Raife btw. And when you get to reading the tags remember that, no, I'm not trying to murder you. It's Lady in Blue, it looks like a cookie-cutter BB or SS-style game with a boring, creepy, thousand-faced parttime nice guy MC who drowns in sex despite impossible odds and his unspecified addiction and with all the

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tropes, and that's what it is at first sight, but it's actually one tragic horror show (and there may be worse) and I guess it's a

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. The game really uses its implausibility as a weapon against itself and all kinds of depressing shit surrounds the pretty oblivious MC. A lot of the sex is extraordinary anti-erotic and I don't know how much that is by design. If you put the volume down a little you'll maybe enjoy the music too. Very 80's to 2000's normie music unplugged. And check the truth ending at least.

Mind that I'm not saying it's a great, deep or story-driven game. But it's a funny, clever and subversive game.

Spoiler: Spoilers and a little confession

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I'll recommend Love of Magic now that book 2 (out of 3 books) is out. Is on steam as well, which is good. I really like the story and writing in that game.

This was a fantastic recommendation. Thanks so much for it! I've completed Book I over the past two months.

This doesn't look like my bag... but it could cause interesting/amusing cognitive dissonance for jufot. He _loves_ fantasy and world-building, particularly in the games you mention. BUT he loathes magic penis-ism (although it would be amusing if it were a genuinely magic, magic penis, like Harry Potter's wand.)

I admire _Sorcerer_ for its world building and non-traditional LIs... but the sex is _not_ good... sufficiently bad, in fact, that it actually detracts from the story. Sex in _Sorcerer_ is so mechanical that it undercuts the LI relationships, from my point of view... although I understand that the MC is a bit of an oddball.

I think you should try Love of Magic if you haven't. I expect you'll find the sex better but you may like the MC less than Alexander Ward. He's in his early twenties, but not a quasi incel although occasionally he is a little unsuave. And he is anything but a pure Sorcerer in his universe. It seems a mostly monogamous playthrough is possible?

His mother is really scary though, like Willy Loman from Death of a Salesman.

 

[Raife]

It's Lady in Blue, it looks like a cookie-cutter BB or SS-style game with a boring, creepy, thousand-faced parttime nice guy MC who drowns in sex despite impossible odds and his unspecified addiction and with all the

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tropes

OK, Jaike -- if your confession vis-a-vis this game is true, well, I'm going to have to play the damn thing... despite the fact that you just described it as porny AND anti-erotic AND a horror show featuring depressing shit.

You've managed to write the most negative review recommending a playthrough that I've ever seen, which is also sort of intriguing.

 

[jufot]

I'd like to thank everyone for recommending The Entrepreneur. I've been playing it for the last several evenings and I'm finally caught up. It's really good!

I like the characters. Most of them are fleshed out and three-dimensional. Even the villains are compelling. The setting is tropey (hot stranger moves into a house full of single models) and there is plenty to complain about (huge dick, every woman immediately falling for MC) but there is also plenty to like.

I liked the ease of sexual banter with non-MC men. Lucas' quips with Lucy at the nightclub were fun. Likewise, it's good to see women chasing one-night stands for a change. Nadia and Nicole both knew what they wanted, and it wasn't romance. Nicole in particular was amazing.

As for the main LIs, the only one that's been a hard pass for me is Alexa. She's cute, but a teenager is still a kid, despite her protestations. She is clueless about relationships, sex, and even basic human anatomy. It just feels wrong to pursue her. Besides, could you really be in a relationship with someone who enjoys Sunshine Love? I'm glad we got to see her acting and meet her friend group. It shows that she has a good life outside the MC and while she wants him, she doesn't particularly need him. I really like that!

Lucy is nice, but feels underdeveloped. She's little more than MC's sidekick and doesn't really exist outside that relationship. She could use some attention from the dev.

Valentine is lovely. I admit I've found her off-putting initially, but she has shown tremendous improvement in a very short time, perhaps to an unrealistic degree. I find her job irksome (as I do IRL) but it doesn't seem to dominate her life - it's just work. And then there is Sam. I'm glad he isn't a clichéd monstrous ex. He's merely an ordinary man who lost his way and made some terrible decisions, but he seems to be on the right track and genuinely wants to make amends. His presence provides fertile ground for Valentine's character growth, and I thought it was handled very well. Svetlana pushing Valentine towards forgiveness, and encouraging her to talk to Sam despite his abusive past was great to see.

That brings us to Laura. Hot women with dead husbands are an AVN cliché. It's usually nothing more than a story device for a sexually frustrated woman who simply must have MC's dick. Well, Laura is anything but that. I love the way the game deals with unexpected loss. It's very gentle, careful and realistic. By all accounts, Andrew was a great man and Laura is still deeply in love with him despite the passing years, and feels horribly guilty for being interested in another. She knows her reaction isn't rational, but grief rarely is, and MC is uniquely well positioned to understand that. It wasn't rational for him to abandon his education and a promising future career to revive a derelict bar either, but he did it anyway. It's a nice juxtaposition to Laura's situation, and gives them common ground. I particularly liked her dream where she accidentally mentions MC to her husband. It's a compelling way to address her inflict conflict, and trying to make sense of her past and present. She is the only one I have eyes for

I tried to keep my choices as true to life as possible; to choose as I would have done in those circumstances. That means a young man who wants to have some fun, but isn't willing to risk hurting the people he lives with and cares about. That translates to sticking to one-night stands that wouldn't get anyone's feelings hurt - Nadia, Nicole and Lily, but not Elena or Coralie.

I've also passed on sleeping with Lucy for similar reasons. She is gorgeous and has history with MC, but it felt like she wasn't the casual sex kind of girl despite seemingly offering it. I felt extremely validated in my choice when I read the script and what do you know, she is exactly the kind of person who asks "are we a couple now?" after sex There is nothing wrong with that, of course, but the one I was really interested in was Laura, and I wasn't willing to risk a love triangle.

Also the next update will be the last one, so it looks like the game will stay true to its story and not get drawn out for more porn content, which is a plus in my eyes.

I wasn't aware of this, but it explains the presence of mutually exclusive choices in episode 3. Having to choose between attending Alexa's play and keeping Laura company on the day her husband died is quite significant. I am glad to learn this was the penultimate chapter, though. Slice-of-life stories can easily become mundane and overstay their welcome, but the dev seems to know what he's doing.

I'd also like to address some earlier comments:

I have to say I was a little shocked to find out you can sleep with the rival of one of the LIs, hurt her intensely by doing that, slowly and painfully rebuild your friendship, and still have her fall in love with the MC in record time. I seem to have inadvertently laid the seeds for an abusive relationship in that playthrough...oops.

This is not the path I took, but I love that it's there. It's messy, toxic, painful and real. How rare is that in an AVN?

no matter what you do, there's no way around having to actively reject or break up with the LIs you didn't go for.

I think it would be better if the person who fell in love with the MC was the one he'd been actively choosing to spend time with [...] Seeing the characters get hurt when you don't choose them is heartbreaking.

I couldn't disagree more! I care a lot about LI agency, much more so than player agency. It's brave and beautiful that no matter what you do, Valentine falls for MC (for entirely the right reasons) and confesses her love. It is so rare for developers to force players into uncomfortable (but real!) choices like that. MisterMaya deserves massive kudos for it!

---

Anyway, it's obvious to everyone by now that The Entrepreneur is a story-first game and has therefore been added to the OP

 

[Raife]

This is not the path I took, but I love that it's there. It's messy, toxic, painful and real. How rare is that in an AVN?

It's brave and beautiful that no matter what you do, Valentine falls for MC (for entirely the right reasons) and confesses her love. It is so rare for developers to force players into uncomfortable (but real!) choices like that. MisterMaya deserves massive kudos for it!

I agree entirely... even passionately... with that sentiment.

Real life is full of light and shade -- intensely painful, horrible, depressing moments admixed with joy. Any writing that seeks to resonate with our lived experience _must_ account for the inevitability of loss and sorrow. The brightest of bright moments are only achievable against a backdrop of pain, like lightning in a darkling grey sky.

Of course, I understand that many players see AVNs as an escape... where all their choices lead to sunny outcomes and nobody is ever hurt. But there's a difference between escapist confection and something approaching real art... and it's worth recognizing those devs who make the attempt.

 

[Impious Monk]

The brightest of bright moments are only achievable against a backdrop of pain, like lightning in a darkling grey sky.

I just stole your quote for my game, thanks.

 

[camube]

Good Morning.
I stumbled across this one a few days ago. I read a lot of the posts and skimmed through most of the thread.
I am impressed with the quality of the reviews. Here are posts I can agree with 100% percent, some I disagree with, and some which made me think.
I already found some new great games I wasn't aware of.
Now I want to share with you some of my favorites. I searched but I couldn't find any mention.
The Order is independent of my rating. Just the first three came to my mind.

Making Memories. A relatively new one. The Dev is a Non-native English Speaker (like me). Sure the Story is not new, but I think it is well told, the renderings are great (in my opinion) and the look of the protagonists is refreshingly different.

The Arson Betrayal, another newer one. But with a lot of content already. Yes, there are some forced and maybe unnecessary lewd scenes. But isn't that what we are here for? I think the story more than makes up for that:

Jason. I am not sure if this one will survive. I believe the Developer thought he could make fast and easy money and is now hit by reality. Nonetheless, I think he is a great artist and if he keeps going this could become good.

If you know these games and have an opinion I would love to hear it.
Wish you all a nice day.

The Arson Betrayal is quite engaging. It's certainly warrant the tag *story-first* generally speaking. I'm surprised it's not more popular. Maybe it's like Nothing is Forever, eventually people would discover it. I hope the dev finishes the story because it's interesting enough to me to look forward to future chapters.

 

[jufot]

I'm going to recommend another game, but absolutely not for the OP but just for some of the thread's readers who're up for an unusual experience. Jufot should first make sure he doesn't have any drink in his mouth to spill or choke on

Jaike, thank you for recommending this one. It was... an experience. Definitely not for the OP, but I'm glad I played it. Reading the developer notes on the game thread, and then MC's frequent musings in-game, I can't help but think this game is (well, was) a massive cry for help. Given the subject matter, it's even more concerning that the dev hasn't logged in to the forum in more than a year and has deleted all of his social media, including Patreon. The odds don't look good, but I hope he's OK. Suicidal ideation is a bitch :/

with a boring, creepy, thousand-faced parttime nice guy MC who drowns in sex despite impossible odds and his unspecified addiction and with all the

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tropes, and that's what it is at first sight, but it's actually one tragic horror show (and there may be worse) and I guess it's a

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. [...] A lot of the sex is extraordrinary anti-erotic and I don't know how much that is by design.

Tragic horror show is apt. Although, in a way, the whole thing feels quite realistic as the anime inspired harem fantasies of a depressed, disaffected, suicidal loner.

If you put the volume down a little you'll maybe enjoy the music too. Very 80's to 2000's normie music unplugged.

Heh. The soundtrack was nice actually, if a little loud. All the chart topping romantic songs from back then. It put me in a nostalgic mood, which I reckon was the dev's intention.

And check the truth ending at least.

I liked all endings, even the porny ones! The Architect scene was too on the nose. I get what he was going for, but when you lift several sentences verbatim from the film, it makes it harder to take you seriously My favourite bit was that cozy fireside chat between the MC and the developer's avatar. It was quite beautiful and insightful.

 

[Jaike]

I can't help but think this game is (well, was) a massive cry for help. Given the subject matter, it's even more concerning that the dev hasn't logged in to the forum in a more than a year and has deleted all of his social media, including Patreon. The odds don't look good, but I hope he's OK. Suicidal ideation is a bitch :/

I got the same impression, maybe short of a suicide note but still a cry for help. And I also saw he nuked those accounts and yes that's really worrying. I think that's what made the biggest emotional impact on me, the realisation that the dev might not be among us anymore because as you say it doesn't look good.

Tragic horror show is apt. Although, in a way, the whole thing feels quite realistic as the anime inspired harem fantasies of a depressed, disaffected, suicidal loner.

I guess it can be realistic in that way. But I thought it was fair to warn that a lot of the content is very unrealistic without the double layers of a depressing reality and the escapist delusion.

It kind of works like a Scandinavian dark comedy, the humour and the sadness mix to make the experience more disarming and cathartic.

Heh. The soundtrack was nice actually, if a little loud. All the chart topping romantic songs from back then. It put me in a nostalgic mood, which I reckon was the dev's intention.

It wasn't very nostalgic for me, but it sure amplified the game's melancholic tone.

 

[moskyx]

New update of City of Broken Dreamers and... oh, how it pains me to write this, but if I were in charge of this thread, I'd be seriously considering removing the game from the list. It wouldn't be fair, though, but still... so much wasted potential, so much disappointment. I basically agree with all that ename144 said here, and dropped my two cents in here. Any thoughts?

 

[Raife]

New update of City of Broken Dreamers and... oh, how it pains me to write this, but if I were in charge of this thread, I'd be seriously considering removing the game from the list. It wouldn't be fair, though, but still... so much wasted potential, so much disappointment. I basically agree with all that ename144 said here, and dropped my two cents in here. Any thoughts?

I share your disappointment moskyx... it is a decent game that could have been (and probably should have been) great, but for an unscripted/insufficiently well-planned plot. On its current trajectory, the game could actually end up as inferior to the dev's previous effort -- which would be rather amazing, given how impressive the first several chapters of Broken Dreamers appeared to be.

It's an interesting contrast with _the Entrepreneur_ which jufot rightly extols. Apart from its half-nod to _Blade Runner_, _Broken Dreamers_ involves far more interesting and original world-building than _the Entrepreneur_, which is a giant boulder of cliches. But... at least at this point... _The Entrepreneur_ is a much, much better game, for three reasons:

• The dev invested a great deal of time and attention on LIs in _the Entrepreneur_... while they all conform to certain 'types,' they each have rather layered personalities and lives that do not revolve around the MC. Therefore, it is very easy for the player to offend/betray/lose/hurt or just ignore LIs by saying or doing the wrong thing -- or carrying on with another LI. That makes them much more believable as characters to the player -- and, frankly, more interesting... even if they are a bit cliched.
• Bad MC behavior is punished, sooner or later. The LIs are not idiots... and react normally to perfidious actions, brushoffs or lies. They have believable feelings, and a depth of character that makes the player care about those feelings -- which creates a sense of jeopardy.
• The plot is extremely simple, and easy to understand. Frankly, the story is neither original nor particularly interesting... but because the LIs have been crafted with such TLC, it hardly matters. The dev has avoided excessive ambition, which is probably what caused _Broken Dreamers_ to go astray. Instead, they created a simple four act play with compelling characters and stakes.

I see _The Entrepreneur_ as a bit similar to Top Gun: Maverick in certain respects: they both feature a raft of cliches, some clunky dialogue (although, to be fair to TG:M... they smuggle some impressive leitmotifs into the screenplay) and an extremely simple plot. But... they both do what they do so well that the whole thing somehow just _works_.

 

[Raife]

I got the same impression, maybe short of a suicide note but still a cry for help. And I also saw he nuked those accounts and yes that's really worrying. I think that's what made the biggest emotional impact on me, the realisation that the dev might not be among us anymore because as you say it doesn't look good.

I absolutely had the same reaction. They game and its characters did not work for me at all... but the experience of playing made me think. It resonated, in some odd and disturbing ways... which is more than you can say for most games.

Thank you for recommending it, Jaike. I'm still not sure whether I'm glad that I played it, or not, though.