- Aug 10, 2017
- 393
- 585
The amount of "discussion" in this thread is... well, not unexpected, but definitely annoying to sift through. As for the game itself, I have to say that it has very high production value, but it's disappointing in terms of actual pornographic content and associated gameplay. Since at least half of the final product is missing (6/22 chapters released) it's not worth judging it as a finished project yet, but what's currently there isn't that much in terms of either gameplay or porn.
If you strip away the presentation and spectacle, you're left with a 7/10 shmup (it's not gonna win any awards, but it's certainly more than good enough for a porn game) and a 5/10 TRPG (the grid-based combat is slow and uninteresting, and I don't have high hopes for future releases). The porn gets a 9/10 in terms of pure quality, but it's poorly implemented to the point that it drags the overall experience down and turns the already iffy gameplay into something that I feel like I'm just clicking through in pursuit of the next clip or story segment. Props to the studio for the universe and story though. Actual dialogue can fall flat at times, but it's not that bad, and there are plenty of chuckle-worthy moments.
The biggest gripe I have is that most of the sex has zero story context and is completely independent of any story events. This works in other games with a more engaging gameplay loop, or games full of once-off encounters that may or may not also be massive harem builders, but not Subverse in its current state, especially with its focus on building a (meme-tastic and hilarious) world and fleshing out characters. You gave the entire crew backstories and personalities, and each member has an associated loyalty quest that supposedly cements their allegiance to the captain. We're going to want impactful scenes and dialogue (preferably with lots of sex involved) that really sell those relationships. The short clips don't mesh with the rest of the game very well, and transitioning between gameplay and porn is incredibly jarring. Also, for a porn game, there's not enough hardcore porn. I want to see more actual fucking in various positions.
If the final product was just 4x what we currently have, I'd happily give it a 10/10 just for the fact that we'd get 4x the number of high-quality semi-interactive clips, but as it stands, I'm more inclined to download/edit a save and treat the game as a gallery viewer with an associated story and lore than I am to actually play through it.
If you strip away the presentation and spectacle, you're left with a 7/10 shmup (it's not gonna win any awards, but it's certainly more than good enough for a porn game) and a 5/10 TRPG (the grid-based combat is slow and uninteresting, and I don't have high hopes for future releases). The porn gets a 9/10 in terms of pure quality, but it's poorly implemented to the point that it drags the overall experience down and turns the already iffy gameplay into something that I feel like I'm just clicking through in pursuit of the next clip or story segment. Props to the studio for the universe and story though. Actual dialogue can fall flat at times, but it's not that bad, and there are plenty of chuckle-worthy moments.
The biggest gripe I have is that most of the sex has zero story context and is completely independent of any story events. This works in other games with a more engaging gameplay loop, or games full of once-off encounters that may or may not also be massive harem builders, but not Subverse in its current state, especially with its focus on building a (meme-tastic and hilarious) world and fleshing out characters. You gave the entire crew backstories and personalities, and each member has an associated loyalty quest that supposedly cements their allegiance to the captain. We're going to want impactful scenes and dialogue (preferably with lots of sex involved) that really sell those relationships. The short clips don't mesh with the rest of the game very well, and transitioning between gameplay and porn is incredibly jarring. Also, for a porn game, there's not enough hardcore porn. I want to see more actual fucking in various positions.
If the final product was just 4x what we currently have, I'd happily give it a 10/10 just for the fact that we'd get 4x the number of high-quality semi-interactive clips, but as it stands, I'm more inclined to download/edit a save and treat the game as a gallery viewer with an associated story and lore than I am to actually play through it.
