Ren'Py - Stranded in Space [Days 1-19 Elysium] [WildMan Games]

One of my favs so far. The writing is some of the best I've seen. Some of the characters can edge a bit too far into "lolsorandom" but overall I'm interested in seeing how the story develops.

Personally I also appreciate that even the "smaller" women aren't anywhere near being something that makes me worried whenever I hear a siren outside. Even the "young innocent" LIs are still clearly adult women.

Prior to the second update (Day 9?) I'd have rated this game at 5.
My only reason for that is this game is extremely dialogue heavy.
After day 10 or so, some scenes are so long that all interest in anything related to the scene has dropped by the time it was finished. Especially the Paige recap scenes, which are maybe 2-3 renders over the course of what feels like several hundred clicks, which were all basically the main character summarizing things and Paige acting like a teenage boy while rarely giving useful imput.
Days 1-8 took around 8 hours of reading, and outside of the non strip club related backstory scenes and the maybe 2 hours of actual reading I did afterwards, the game took another 8 hours to finish even while skipping unseen text for 90% of the content.
After a bit the story started just kinda blending together and the only bits I was interested in were the main characters past.

Not recommended for anyone who doesn't like a slow burn visual novel. A large portion of the even remotely graphic content is locked behind various long time consuming puzzles or guessing games related to the newest feature that was added to the daily laptop grind that's a good 15-20 minutes of reading text and the occasional moral dilemna or question related to something a character said hours prior.

Current Buid: Days 1-16

It's been a long time since I last checked this game out. The game only had 3 days completed, when I previously tried it out. I am currently on day 7, and I am loving it. I am legitimately impressed, with how solid it is. The humor in this game is top-notch. I cannot remember the last time, I've laughed this much at characters in a game. The witty banter between them is worth your time in itself. The humor alone is worth the 5 star rating, in my personal opinion.

The character models are beautiful and diverse. Personally, I hope a few more ebony characters are added later (if they are not already in the game). But that's just a personal preference, I love black women. The story is unique, and the MC is actually a decent human being. Not just another creep without morals.

I'm looking forward to future updates, and will be keeping a close eye on this game.

This is a pretty good game. It has a lot of nice looking women, and it's set in space, so that's a bonus.
It seems that the sex is the A Plot of this game. There is so much of it. LoL.
And the story of the Endurance slowing down and the malfunctions are the B Plot.
While the amnesia seems to be a C Plot.
I tend to play games for the plot. But this one seems to be pretty good even with the plot being second fiddle.
As with most things I rate, I gave it a 4 because there is always something that could be better. But, all in all, a pretty good game.

It has a good premise for an interesting lighthearted harem type game, but the dialogue and characters are so annoying that it ruins the whole thing. So much false wit and charm, along with fake unnatural drama. The whole thing basically reads like it was written by a bad pick up artist. The game looks very nice in general, and there are parts of the dialogue I don't mind, but the whole experience leaves me so annoyed that I can't continue.

Really impressed by the ambition of this to go with so many different characters. The writing is good, the characters are well realised. The renders are nice, and overall it's a really well executed game. Thank you to WildMan Games

Very entertaining game. The renders are excellent. The dialogue is humorous (although sometimes VERY long and VERY silly). The story is mysterious and sexy, the characters perverted, horny, struggling to keep their defences up against the protagonist's blunt, sexist charm. Lots of psychological games play out between the protagonist and the growing number of ladies that enter the gameplay. I enjoy it very much.

I don't usually write reviews, but I really enjoyed this VN. The humor and the characters are awesome. Taking a quick peak at some of the other reviews I can see how yes, there aren't a ton of decisions, but each one actually has bearing on the story, so that already sets it above quite a few other VN's that I would also rate highly. Very much looking forward to more from this dev. If you're on the fence, rest assured this one is a good pick.

TLDR - A top tier VN. The scale and quality more than making up for infrequent choices.

Pros

• A lot of unique and interesting LI's
• Fantastic writing
• Interesting plot
• Lots of content
• Impactful decisions
• Good animations

Cons

• The intro is a bit too long
• You don't make decisions very often

The game is a very good harem game. But the technology and space elements seem unnecessary and blunt, probably the author's personal preference.
The laptop interface is shit. It doesn't mean anything to the story. There's a lot of text that doesn't fast-forward, which is a disaster for non-native English speakers like me.
I hope the author will keep this game simple in the future. Some unnecessary interface and design will only cause trouble to the player.

TL/DR: I was unable to overcome my distaste for playing as a protagonist who looks like a child with facial hair in this title. There are some nice component to it such as a pretty UI, lots of gals with diverse personalities, good writing/humor ect, but it is too porny / aimless to overcome this short king protagonist. Didn't make it all the way through- content wasn't hot enough.

Pros:
+It is cool to have a character with Vitiligo.
+Plenty of dialogue to get to know the characters well.
+Some nice art assets for the outer-space themes.

Cons:
-Protagonist acts like a tough guy / sex god; but looks like he could be removed from the census by a light breeze.
- Plot isn't doing much- it is mostly just the characters chatting.
-Very little narrative tension outside of relationship drama.
-A lot of the content seems a bit contrived- such as the ladies praising the MC for being so "big" and so manly/irresistible when he really just looks like a 5'4" manlett with a 7 inch prick. It was very difficult to imagine every woman in this narrative just falling over the lil' fop. Game claims the lad is 6'1" but he definitely doesn't look like it.
-The female models are somewhat homogeneous. Very Barbie doll body shapes on 95% of them.

the game's crap, sorry to be blunt but there you have it. Nothing in this game is new, everything has been done before a million times better. i do however like the MC . The premise is kinda cool, stuck on a ship with hot chicks but i dont know... I havent fully finished the game so if it improves I will come back and change my rating.

I downloaded this game on the Day 13 update, and I am not really sure how I missed it before then. But I just have to say, this is a must see gem of a VN! The writing is off the charts hilarious AF. Seriously. the writing makes this so much fun. The girls are gorgeous, varied, and very interesting. The MC is likeable, and PAIGE is a total riot. I am on Day 5 so far, and this has become one of my favs. Well done WildMan Games!!

UNBIASED STRANDED IN SPACE REVIEW

PROS
-Lots of girls and all kinds of horny, some great dialogue that builds sexual tension really well.

-nice models, very nice renders and design, there's only so much one can switch around on the same women models and wildman has made some really beautiful ones here and this game is definitely kinkier with the sexual tension and build up.
Something very few VN's get right and facial expressions. The milfs in this game are wild. Great job

-In terms of content, pretty damn beefy.

-Dialogue is its own bane but it is really amazing sometimes and truly one of the few games that make you form a personality of the characters in your head. Wildman tier

CONS
-unfortunately the conversations in this game can sometimes be too damn long. In fact your arms will give out trying to click away heaps of it.

-Some of the chicks are too much of a MC magnet, didn't expect even the tough ones to turn so quickly, the satisfaction of winning over someone indomitable is less rewarding. A small nitpick

-Puzzles are the only other reason why this game gets bad reviews. People don't want to be locked out of bonus renders just because they don't want to spend hours on a VN. There should be at least available mods or options to just get the renders and unlocks. Seriously anyone who says they like the puzzles are just pretentious.

*Day 18 is out and honestly really well done on Wildman's part, he as delivered despite 17's rough launch. Lots of quality of life improvements too. If anyone is reading this again I believe he deserves the support. The legit way

Five stars. This games deserves no less. The setting is a bit strange, for who in the future would send a females only mission to a distant planet. But then once one accepts the premis as fiction, the game becomes one of the most enjoyable on this site with numerous opportunities for witty dialogue, sometimes vulgar, often sexual, and on many occasion, sensible and sincere.

The diversity of charaters, and I am not talking here about the models (albeit that is a really nice bonus), adds depth to this virual novel. Their background stories, well presented and now available at any point in the game through the profile is a unique characteristic of this game. I have nver encountered a game like this, with incredible well thought and implemented interface and bells and wistles. In most games, you keep encoutering the dreadful "under construction" sign when you try to navigate numerous place-holder locations that never get use or functions that never get implemented. This is not the case here. Take for example the profile, the email, and the chat. Nothing there is presented unless it is complete. There is a feeling of perfection and respect for players. which as I have written many times, a rare trait that i highly appreciate from any developer who demonsrates it.

Progress is very ballanced. Every single update has several noteworthy scenes carrying the story forward for almost all characters.

This is a well thought and well implemented game/novel.

Well done WildMan.. hats off.

(Reviewed Days 1-13 version)

Really enjoying the progress of this game -- a ton of content, top-notch renders and tremendous diversity of girls. The story is fairly unique. There are a few flaws but they are minor in the grand scheme of things. Not exactly "one-of-the-best-games-in-development" good, but very solid and worthy of more of a 4.5 / 5 rating.

The Good ()

• Huge diversity of girls with different personalities, body types and overall looks
• Well-done renders and environments
• A good number of H-scenes -- typically 1-2 per game "day" (currently through Day 13)
• Lots of story content
• An active mystery that has some real intrigue
• A harem game, but there are narrative choices that lead to cutting off certain options, so decisions actually matter and carry some weight
• Really well-done "minigames" -- daily chat room, escape room

The Not-So-Good ()

• Some scenes are super text heavy, and you end up click-click-clicking through without wanting or needing to read everything
• A bit of a cliche "MC is the messiah and everyone has fallen in love with him" setup, but evidently this is part of the narrative so hopefully it ends up with some payoff

Having played and followed this from the start, I'm still enjoying this and excited to see where the story unfolds.

Days 1-13

It's a great game and many of you will like it. If you're in for good written dialogues and characters, fun story, - it will be a nice surprise. If you're in for a fap - it's massive disappointment.

I've stopped in the mid of day 10. I think I've spent at least 9-10 hours on game. For that amount of text MC fucked 2 girls.
I was in a state of mind when yet another bj or a hj scene caused reaction like "wtf, please not again...". It's just too much. Too much virgins too, like holy shit..I swear haven't seen this much in any other game.
Bear with me. There are surely games, where you can use lines "character development", "sexual tension building up", "being realistic" etc, familiar, right ? But when girls talk and act like, I'm sorry, sluts, having very suggestive behaviour and after that "okay, I give you bj/hj and imma see myself out, oh and btw, I'm craving for your cock inside me but SOON™" (it's dev's favorite), excuse me, what ? Sasha, Umiko, Raegan, Haylee, Tiffany, Gigi... unrealistic for all of them. Not cool approach. Blueballing and denying is so fckn overkill here. Maybe it's what get dev off, maybe it's just an unnecessary shortcuts in development, but again too fckn much. Dislike.
I clearly understand why some girls are off the table as of know, but still, with mentioned above it should've been much more wild.

On the other side of the coin, sex animations are really smooth and hot. Two frames kissing loops throughout the game not so much.
Girls look really attractive. Only couple "but's" - asian gals. Feels like appearance stuck in between europian and asian, but closer to the former. And Paige appearance. She's one of most favorite characters along with Sasha, but she's creepy, i.e. her face. And last one - Claire and Beth. Personally I would like to see less content with them, not my cup of tea, I mean their look. But Claire already got more action than any other girl in this game, so not gonna happen I guess.

No sound at all.

No fap forum warriors will be satisfied with project.
Men of culture, who likes, when things well balanced - won't.

Would've give this game 5/5 even without sounds, but when 90% of lewd content is hj and bj, not gonna happen.
Biggest cons - amount and types of lewd content. Women have their needs too, but not in this game (not talking about you, Marissa), where they're non existent. They also need normal nutrition, that is not sucking MC's lollipop 24/7.
Only thing lightens it up - amount of times MC was interested in anal with ladies. I still have my hopes.


Sadly even if there's more sex scenes in each in game day in future, a lot of players will drop the game even earlier than me, 'cause scenes most likely wont be added to previous day, point of no return already behind. Too much text (although it's good writing) without wild, mind blowing sex.

GL, dev.

After the first couple of [in-game] days, I wasn't sure about this game. There was no 'game', just linear storytelling...no choices or alternative routes to take. But the writing got better after the second day and some of the characters are funny and very memorable. The introduction of the laptop at the start of each new day was genius...it adds depth and context to the game and it's characters. The laptop also acts like a filter...you can choose what girls you want to connect with and the ones you're not interested in.
I have to say though, the AI companion in your brain is a pain in the arse...this is no Cortana [Halo], she is quite obnoxious and constantly changes her mind...actually, she realistically simulates my girlfriend!


Anyway, I'm really enjoying it now...if you can get past the first couple of days with it's cringy dialogue and it's absolutely awful idea to introduce you to all the females on the ship, you'll see that the ugly duckling really could become a swan.
[Edit] Having just played Days 7 and 8, I can categorically say that this is an awesome game. I had Elsie with her Gaian religion and then my beatdown by Camilla...I haven't laughed so much since watching 'Airplane'. The story really starts to solidify regarding your past and everything is starting to make sense. I am loving this game, so 5 stars out of 5!!]
If you're only here for naughty stuff, there are a plethora of other titles that give you that. The sex scenes in this game are smooth and high quality and fit naturally into the game. But the game is more than that for me now...and the story takes precedence.

I kinda disliked it at first. The setup felt like just another harem game. The first part, introducing the (way too many) women felt incredibly slow and it did not pick up much after.

There is a lot wrong with this game. There is virtually no tension (outside relations), it is WAAAAAAAAYYYYY too wordy for what it says, the mini games (notably the escape room) are obtuse and not fun and I am not convinced that the relation ship drama can really carry this over a long period, because at some point it just becomes annoying to manage the (artifically inflated) issues of the other team members all the time.

Having said that, I found I still liked it. It badly needs editing, but if you overlook the usually porn tropes, the women actually have agency and aren't awfully written. There is too many of them, but they are distinct and feel alive. There is VERY little choice on how to act as the MC but at least he is not a complete push over like in most of these games. The texting mechanic really worked for me. I liked the banter and the private conversations there. In general, the writing is surprisingly solid and the humor does work for me, but your mileage may vary there.

So, despite my annoyance at yet another magic-dick-harem-game, this one wasn't so bad, worthwhile even. I could relate to some of the girls, which is high praise for games here actually.

Edit: Let me add one other thing, the weird facial expressions of the women get better over time. At the start they all have the same weird smile plastered to their face all the time, which makes them seem comically deranged in most scenes, but it was toned down later. Thank god.

This game started as a 5 for me. It has good renders. A nice variety of girls. The UI and programming seem well done for a first project. None of the typical starting out with crappy renders and having to redo the programming multiple time. It seems to have decent sci-fi/mystery plot and the writing is in excellent English.

The problem comes in the story details and dialogue. The banter starts off fairly well and much of the humor comes through but at a certain point it becomes laborious. I like to listen to comedians occasionally but I don’t want to live with one 24/7, I think I’d shoot them. Also, 4th wall breaking is ok rarely….RARELY. (This is just a pet peeve of mine that seems to get abused more and more by writers in these VNs for some cheap laughs)

The morning laptop session with group and individual chat sessions at first didn’t seem too bad but it’s gotten more bogged down than ever in both group and individual chats, taking way too much time.

Add to that the copious, redundant inner dialogue with our AI at night (and increasingly as asides during the day) that recaps everything and tells us what to think and how to feel.

This last update just seems to up the ante on laborious dialogue, chat, and telling to the point I just hit control to skip ahead to see if there were any good scenes. On top of that we got a new minigame which was a bit challenging but fit fairly well with story, but after that we get this new free roam scene that’s like playing Myst with what seems like 4 or more separate puzzles with overlapping minipuzzle/clue finding. I mean, really? Wtf? Thankfully there was a Give Up option so I didn’t have to spend hours on it but wow.

At this point I just quit the game. It’s too tiring. It started as a 5 and ended as 2. I feel bad because I can tell the developer/writer has put in a lot of work/effort on this game. I'd give it a 5 for that if I could.

Simply less telling, more showing could help bring this game around imo.