VN - Ren'Py - Completed - The Fosters [v1.01] [_13_]

I don't think I've ever played such a problematic, controversial and bad game in my entire life, this game crosses so many lines that I'm surprised it's on f95 or even considered "complete" I even thought its story was short, I can't imagine something like that being extended.

Good things about the game:

Teen girls, and rendering

Bad things:
Everything, from dialogue, story, context, alpha and beta scoring system, (it would be much better to be able to play without worrying about points and lost scenes or endings), goes from blue ball to a fat guy vomiting next to his naked mother in bed, and a fat guy beating up young girls, children and even his own mother, and the MC is the weakest guy I've ever seen in my life. The situation gets so bad that at a certain point there is even an exchange of gunfire in the room and the MC is standing there without even helping his own mother... man... if you still have no idea what I'm talking about... play it... and see.

If I were to say everything it would take a text and the analysis would be huge, since other comments below have already mentioned most of the problems.

I was thinking about playing the second one, that's why I downloaded the first one,

I wasn't going to do an analysis, but with the MC's attitude all lost at the end... I decided to at least come and warn whoever is reading.

The premise was interesting enough, but the writing didn't really hold up its end of the bargain. It was at the very least legible and not riddled with errors, but it just wasn't particularly engaging.

It also ended fairly abruptly. Unless you're the type of player that wants to explore every option, well there just ain't any meat on these bones. As for me? I tend to play through these games just the once and whatever story I see is my story, for better or worse. But while my story with The Fosters had a happy ending, I wish the journey in getting to it were longer. It felt rushed. It could have been fleshed out more.

But I'd still say it were worth a playthrough.

Game is about a woman whose brother had raped her since she
was a child, then something happens to her husband and the
guy sends some incredible Hulk looking fucker named Big John
to dope her up so the brother can rape her again. Then something
about Big John saying we can make money by adopting kids
and get paid like 1K per kid we adopt.

Then Hulk dopes up the woman and her kid and makes them
beat the other kids.

2 stars

Quite possibly one of the grossest AVN's I've played? If you're going to talk about sensitive topics like abuse, the least you can do is offer a modicum of tact. I could barely get past the introductory portion it was so distasteful.

The awful writing goes beyond simply these areas though, it infests every part of the writing. Every person's dialogue is hamfisted and awkward, the stilted and inhuman nature perfectly matched by the off-putting visuals and lighting. How it has anything higher than a 2 is genuinely staggering.

The Fosters, version#: Final
my rating: 3

• Story - 4
• Originality - 4
• Renders - 3 Cute characters, but some with very odd/unattractive/distorted facial expressions.
• Sound - 3 Some background music and a few sound effects, but not much there.
• Playability - no issues
• Performance - no issues
• Bugs - none noticed
• Animations - 3 not bad, but not great, and very limited in variety.
• Voice Acting - n/a
• Grammar - 5
• Amount of content - ~2-3

Fairly good game with a good story.
No real slow burn here if you like that buildup. They all agree to relationships fairly quickly. I played the balanced path first - all scenes were hj or bj, with nothing else until 2 vag sex scenes at endgame.
Falls to the lower overall rating mainly due to lack of variation on the scenes or more content with the girls you want to see.
The story leaves you without any resolution/explanation on some of the girls that left.
Needs some kind of Gallery so you can tell what you might have missed on a different path.

I actually really like this game when I started playing it. It had an interesting premise and decent girls. Were there some porn logic moments, stupid dialogue, and otherwise illogical decisions? Yes. But this is an adult game so I wasn't expecting perfection. However, what dropped a potential 4 star game down to a 2 is the rush job that was that ending. It was like the dev just gave up and just wanted to say that they had a completed game under their belt. You don't even get some scenes with some of the girls. Whether you chose to be an asshole or a nice guy, the ending just rushes everything. I remember feeling so disappointed and angry when the game just sort of ended. Shows that the dev is really lazy and doesn't care about their work.

Not sure what this was supposed to be but a good V/N it's not.

The writing is awful, the MC is a moron and the plot makes no sense.
First off, if these girls are over 18 why are they still in the foster system to begin with?

The choices it gives are usually between a bad choice and another bad choice. If you don't know how to write a good story line get help from someone who does. What a waste of time. There are absolutely no good points.

I don't know how to rate this one, because I have fairly mixed feelings about it. However, some of the reviews I read did seem to be rather unfair.

The game's strongest point is its writing, with some genuinely funny laugh-out-loud moments (and I'm not usually the type of guy to laugh at much) and some really feel-good wholesome scenes. The personalities of the girl also felt all different and each had their moments. The renders with fluids were particularly nice and the background music was also a nice touch.

Now the game suffers from having a fairly contrived plot, where it seems that you are forced into several unsatisfying outcomes. There were multiple instances of this happening, such as when you're forced into entering an agreement with somebody who has abused you and the people closest to you instead of simply going with the original plan to report what was happening to the authorities higher than the local police; having to stand by your mother despite her putting her addiction above her duties as a mother and actively playing a role in said abuse instead of having a choice of either forgiving her or resenting her; and being forced into a harem, that somehow all the girls are okay with despite being in love with the MC, with some girls that you've shown no interest in and quite frankly look weird. That brings me to my next point: Why are some of the girls so weird looking? I understand unattractive but they just look like they are aliens. Ending also seems to come out of the blue and felt rushed.

Probably a 3.5/5, rounded up for the bad negative reviews, but still a good effort for a first game and even has some slick extras like Julia's Game List and the Merry Christmas animation.

Rating 2*
I can´t see how this can be 5 stars tbh. Not sure what they are smoking.

The Story is ok but short and just doesn´t live up to the expectations it promises and is way too vanilla.

The Alpha path feels way too beta and portrays the MC as a sleazy perv and not even a good one.

The character models are ok.

The Animations/Sex Scenes are too bare bones and just don´t fit to the alpha "dark" path.

If you expect a dark game with f´d up scenes it´s not the game for you.

Fantastic game....Absolutely amazing game....If i could give 10 stars that might not be enough.....And i am in love with Lucy...If any girl develpor knows who is the real human version of Lucy,tell her that i love her.....And please tell me the song name which used on samantha's arrival everytime...i love that song too....And best of luck to developer for their future projects....I will love to play these type of awesome sexy great storyline games.....everything in this game is fabulous....animations are great,characters are loving and most of all story is awesome.....Love it......

The girls are great. I wouldn't call the game poorly written, but it is dark and grimy, and the protag does nothing to redeem it. You can only choose whether he's a sleezoid or a pushover. The sex scenes are good, so if that's all you're after, it's worth downloading.

So much promised, almost none of it actually delivered on. It feels like when he started the creator had a clear idea of what he wanted to do then either got bored or didn't know how to actually finish it. The game as it is feels like a bait and switch as we are promised a control/corruption game and given a love story with abuse elements.

got here for the incest theme, the girls were nice, but the mc is a patetic guy from start to end, alpha and beta point system is a piece of crap, going full alpha he just is a little shit who everyone can fuck with him and he just becomes a pervert scumbag without balls, at the end of going full alpha u can only get his mother dead wtf and got him dead or raped like a little piece of shit in prison, the worst of the mc i have played in this kind of game, a full little lady with a dick. the little thing i was hoping was for him to kill the big little jimmy and the shitface retard "villain" of the story but even that kind of thing couldnt do, what a weird taste has the author of the story - routes. overall it's enjoyable "to some point" at least u can enjoy lucy and sam. the only good thing its that developer got this thing finished, that speak something and deserves a cheer. got worse ending 2 and 3, but will not try again with great difficulty with displeasure I was able to complete it...

The story concept is original. Won't spoil that!
From the get go, some girls are into you. No slow buildup, and some girls will be into you no matter what you do.

Spoiler for the perverts out there: the only group sex are threesomes involving the same two girls. Also no mother/daughter action.

The Fosters didn't work for me for a number of reasons. But I must start by saying I have no problems with the themes of the game of abuse, child mistreatment and so, I think they could lead to an interesting story... just this is not it. Characters behave in a very erratic way and seem intent on bedding you wether you want to or not, and since I'm playing a guy trying to stop physical and sexual abuse in his house, it is strange that I'm forced into a path in which, to some extent, I do those same things with the minors that are my sisters. Plus, as far as I've gone, the relationship with the mother is based on abuse as well, on your part, taking advantage of her as she sleeps drugged. So, as far as the story suggested is proposed, I don't think the game actually works, for the paths laid out for that plot are pretty much as twisted as they get at least as far as I advanced in the game (a couple chapters or so) and what I've read in these forums.

Character models are decent to some extent, but not great and a lot of their expressions are pretty strange. Sound is limited to some pretty bland music. And I didn't find any bugs, but an explanation on the points for alpha and beta and the consequences of earning each would be welcome.

So, all in all, this one is a skip for me.

An unconventional story about child abuse and the agency of its victims

Most players of VNs with a nameable protagonist expect an insert: an alter-ego they can manipulate at will, usually for the purpose of scoring with hot chicks. They expect this insert to think and act according to genre conventions, and they expect the same from other characters. The Fosters does not do this.

Instead, The Fosters wants to tell a story about the victims of abuse--not the abuse itself, but of its consequences. Some are direct victims, some are indirect or unknowing victims, but all are trapped in a dysfunctional family dynamic that is perpetuated by past and present abuse.

This brings us to why The Fosters inspires polarized reactions: the protagonist, himself a victim of abuse, does not think or act like a stereotypical VN lead, and neither do its other characters. The decision mechanics themselves defy genre convention: the "alpha" and "beta" gauges actually represent a spectrum of personality disorders, typical of abuse victims, that the protagonist can fall prey to. "Alpha" indicates assertiveness, but also callousness and impulsiveness. "Beta" indicates passivity and indecisiveness--and also restraint. Once you understand this, it's clearly best not to maximize these traits if you want a happy ending.

I played the Balanced route with in-game walkthrough enabled, choosing the options that optimized relationships in this route, and I was treated to a touching and reasonably realistic tale of casting off the shackles of abuse. The tale isn't without its flaws. For better or worse, the heroines all start off infatuated with the protagonist and are fine with polyamory, giving him access to a ready-made harem. Many of the decision trees aren't straightforward, e.g., you can't shower properly AND masturbate, yet you can trigger most optional events with each heroine in any order each day (indicating that erratic design rather than lack of time is at fault here). Because of such unintuitive design choices, it feels like the game is meant to be played with the walkthrough feature enabled, and that's probably a key reason why many players get frustrated. The story is also muddled by occasional head-scratching moments, like when (the whole thing seemed like a thinly veiled excuse to set up a conversation between the two that had no reason to happen).

Despite the game's shortcomings, if you treat the heroines right and avoid succumbing to neurotic patterns of behavior, you should get a satisfying story where the day is saved and (almost) everyone lives happily ever after. And if you act like a psychopath... then the game will let you experience the mindset and consequences of that too.

5 stars. 100 stars. One of the best games on this site. If you love raping bitches, play this game.

Pros:

- immersive and amazing story
- branching plotlines and paths (alpha, beta point system makes it realistic enough)
- diverse characters with different quirks and personalities
- a VN with music

Cons:

- none I can think of, other than dated graphics

There isn't really a story behind the game. More of a throwing together of ideas. When you break it down, you have: The fight for supremacy by three men, with MC being one of them. MC isn't much better than the other two, either, no matter which path you play. The idea of a harem is there, but not really playable. Of course, the NTR tack is not displayed in the description, knowing full well that many players do not like this direction at all. Rape, drugs, cheating, even suggesting murder is not really shied away from. Even in an adult game, there should be limits.
The graphics and render are okay. The models are a matter of opinion.
My Opinion: Think about the story and work it out properly, and it could be a pretty decent game.

Excellent storytelling, very interesting & beautiful characters but also a very dark story. Be aware, the reactions and consequences are NOT following the typical porn logic but are more grounded in reality. Well, to a degree: all LIs are more or less into the MC and pretty open about sharing, but even this feels not completely off like in many other games.

Its important to keep in mind that "alpha" choices in this game are not "better", especially the extreme ones are actually quite bad. While some alpha choices are what i associate with alpha, aka "active, decisive, manly, strong, horny", many others range anywhere between "inconsiderate", "total jerk" & "sex offender". So if you see "alpha" don't just think about "yeah i want max sex content as fast as possible no matter what" but rather: would this be ok in real life, with a real person? If you do, you should get a touching sweet story. Being mostly nice, some balance between sweet and horny, or even being mostly horny & active using mild alpha choices will lead to good endings. But taking extreme alpha choices like sleep sex without consent will lead to a bad ending.

This is one for the ages, my only choice as a player was to be a deranged lunatic or a complete wimp. There was no protecting your siblings it was all a farce. I got a feeling this story was supposed to get even worse as far as content goes but the Dev probably changed his mind or who knows he might make a side story. Either way Big John clearly was the the Dev's favorite character, sure we're shoehorned into believing the idea that the main character was a protector but that was a load of crap, because he was no better.

Characters:
Meh

Story:
Meh

Renders:
Meh

Conclusion:
Meh