There are a lot of games of F95 and most of them can be generally categorized into genres and well established tropes. Some do it well, others not so well, but so very few ever break out of the established formulas to try something NEW; to boldy try something different. This is where Tabletop truly excells and charms.
The game is based on Renpy but utilizes it in some novel ways that I have not often seen. The art has a hand drawn comic aesthetic that is reminiscent of Good Girl Gone Bad, with which is also shares a choice/consequence dynamic that determines the corruption level of the female protaganist. Though in this case you play as the male MC, a talent agent who is currently under house arrest after getting too involved with a previous client. This predicament serves as the basis for much of the plot as you guide and interact with the female protaganist, MJ, as she seeks to establish a new life and a career for herself.
The character devlopment is a cut above in this game, with complex dynamics and a good understanding of human pyschology being employeed while also allowing for a wide range of choices. In other words the people actually act like people instead of one dimensional caricatures. I didn't feel like I am constantly stuck on rails; the choices do matter and they add up. This is a slow burn game with the female protagonist being slowly shaped by the MC, by her choices and circumstances, and by a cast of characters that you both interact with.
So far I have established that this game is well written and implied it is a story driven corruption game. But that is not correct really, as those elements exist but are in the background. The primary game, and the way that MJ interacts with the world and her career is through...well, its kind of like playing Monopoly and a tabletop RPG (i.e. DnD) with stats and dice roll choices, at the same time. MJ has point values assigned to about a dozen different areas from fame and looks, to perversion and acting ability. While the dice roll is random, there is some strategy involved in choosing to conduct a skill event or to ignore it so that she gains points in the areas you want to develope. You also have the option to re-roll, which can be later upgraded. There are wild cards that can reward or punish to add another element of chance to the game, which I found to be a nice touch, and random interactions with other people if you land on the right squares and choose to engage.
Overall this was just a fun an enjoyable game that, though it technically has a loop, doesn't feel like one since they are turns in a game that contribute to linear progression of the plot. I also have to give a shout out to Basilicata's choice to incorporate a radio station into the board play that has some very good musical choices. The game is still very much in development so it ends maybe halfway through currently, but it still provided me about 6-8 hours worth of gameplay with a definite replayability. The constant 90's references were also nicely nostalgic and pretty funny. Give it a try, you might just love it.
tl;dr - This a fun game that breaks the mold of the usual tropes, has excellent writing and fun, engaging characters. If you liked the character driven story and unique game sequences of Love of Magic, then you will like this.
