Games like this usually have some sort of sharing route almost 9 out of 10 times.
I personally don't mind since i can skip that route or if i'm feeling goonish ill just partake in it
Played until Shion first sex scene (I guess it was the end of the previous updated). Wanted to finish all at first and write a big post but decided to do it now before I forgot what I wanted to say.
Firstly, what I like about the game
1. Plot is suddenly more complex than you would expect from "Girl being fucked while trying to make super-duper bread", it's actually interesting to follow, not just press CTRL to get next scene. Interesting characters
2. Big point is that there are no usual unholy retarded duo of hypnoisis-blackmail, just psychological manipulation, and I'd say it's not feeling too retarded - Masaru attacks when Shion is in vulnerable state, adding her brattiness - and success. Very fresh comparing to, like, 95% of usual works in genre
3. Most scenes so far are very hot (well, it was like 7 that I've seen so far but still). I also like that in further "corruption" stages you can see Shion and Masaru randomly having fun during lunchtime in the bakery. And comparing to the Scars of Summer that was inspiration here - I played only one route there (a delinquent classmate one with early parts of other routes) and can say that this game already better - ugly bastards not so ugly, more scenes that's on point (Scars had a lot of "filler" scenes that can lasts for 10 minutes and nothing would happened, not to mention that in this one route I played only one scene was really unique).
4. Extra female character in the route with her own scenes is very nice addition, I hope for every route having some extra female character with h-scenes.
And now let's talk about some, well, let's call them "not so good" things.
First off, let me just thank you for the long review.
But secondly and I know that you put time into typing this and I politely request this but can you please use bullet points/paragraphing. I mean yes I'll still read it all like I just did but man am I glad I did that after having coffee.
But that's just a funny jab, thanks for the work you put into the review.
I can't type an equally long response in return but there are a few things that you like/wish to see that I have planned in my mind and there are also equally things that might disappoint you because it might not happen(or if it did, not to the extent that you wish).
Regarding gameplay, thanks for that and it'll need more work but the minigames/stuff to grind are there for the foundation for other routes. (E.g you use blueberry and cocoa in Masaru so you'll be using other ingredients for other routes.) But yes, definitely can be overwhelming for players.
And I guess, thirdly, i hope you'll keep playing. I'm guessing you're not really a NTR type of guy so if you don't outright hate it then I'll have to think I'm at least doing something right.
Added "reddit spacing" in segment 2. I actually did indents here but it didn't show properly because of post format I guess. I am not too expirienced with forums.
I can't type an equally long response in return but there are a few things that you like/wish to see that I have planned in my mind and there are also equally things that might disappoint you because it might not happen(or if it did, not to the extent that you wish).
I get that you are trying to make it not just event gathering game like Scars of Summer or it's clones was but make player to actually play the game, but there are two things:
1. "playing" as completing minigames process is rewarding in h-way only in long distance but not because of games themselves but because you make plot progress further so it's not actual reward for minigames, and again - player can simply work for Masaru and have instant money without needing to do another minigame;
2. as I said, at some point you stops "playing" and just going from one plot scene to another so it becomes this gallery gathering thing.
You can have these cooked meals for youself but having +1 or +5 stamina feels like a joke when you need at least 15 stamina to do something useful. To restore stamina you need to consume meals, to consume meals you need to cook more of them, to cook more you need more ingredients, to have more ingredients you need to restore stamina. Endless circle without any h-content, it just doesn't feel rewarding for doing it. Well, some stats that could be raised with food could somehow fix it, there are already Blueberries CCC that adds points to Lust whateven it means and green pie with great effects that can be used on black chikens too (btw, is it avalible in the bakery?).
Well, your game already have thing that I am talking about - event in the back alley in Red Light street. Similar but more graphic scenes on the world map is what I am talking about.
And one other thing about it - forest resource gathering minigame feels like a good setup for something like Gentle Girl series and similar games. I mean something like this: while player in the forest there is a picture of Shion like a sneak peek on what she is doing right now in the right part of the screen and as more time player spends in the forest (and as higher corruption level becomes) as more things with Shion and this forest guy escalates.
Oh, and I forgot to mention another hope for future development in previous post - with this high bar for just bakery route (damn, it's not even too summer related as it's supposed to be from game premise!) I hope that vanilla route would be not just some filler for the sake of it but actual plot and character development
Is the Masaru route done? I guess not but 3 hours is quite a bit for a single route in this type of game (at least going by the scars of summer standard!)
3 hours of content is also a lot for only 4 in game days
Nice game. I can feel that there are intentions behind some mini games and harvesting mechanics even at this early stage (I imagine it will be a wonderful piece of machination at the completed state). I think overall the game is done rather well. But there is one minor problem I wanna point out: the text speed.
Just my 2 cents but, unless a writer can write prose beautifully like some master authors (say, Nabokov or Kundera for example, as both can deliver the scene very vividly and sensually) they should really reconsider before deliberately slowing the text in some particular parts. I would say that this is a valid concern. Again, I understand that this is a artistic choice from the dev but somehow it currently diminishing the experience quite a bit.
You can tell that the story is good when you get annoyed by the story, that's what actually happened to me OMG , additionally shion is so annoying!!!, she makes me angry while playing
I'm annoyed how well his direction of everything related to the 'scenes' are. Incredibly erotic stuff (drama/tension/build/payoff) and pacing.
Really in my view, reference work for anyone wanting to get good.
And uh for that one art review, I'm sorry you don't like the art but I'm not going full A.I. anytime soon solely because I don't want this to come across as any other game. It's an artist (if I can call myself that) mentality and I can't see myself really compromising and going full A.I. anytime soon or at all.
AI lack soul and is plastic, its so sterile and lifeless. I'll take human art over some algo anytime! Also, I think you use your art very effectively and well, great expressions etc.
Walkthrough is on first page, full save on page 13.
As the game dev, I recommend playing the game but I get it if you don't want to. It just adds a lot more to the experience.
Or wait for the next update where I'm going to update the QoL mechanics to make it more seamless.