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

Started with great premise. It started with a slow build, then the story just went no where. Each update had less content and more and more story, which was basically the exact lines over and over. No corruption or anything. Choose the "evil" path where the idea is have sex with the girls on camera, then nothing happens and the game ends.

(Review is for version Chapter 6. Disclosure: ThorsHamster is a beta tester for The Fosters.)

The Fosters is a relatively short story (7 chapters planned, with 6 released at this time) that explores the bilateral nature of relationships and the way in which our words and actions can impact those relationships. The story goes beyond the common relationship tropes of adult visual novels — which tend to be fairly one-sided in their dynamics — and explores the gamut of how our treatment of others affects our relationships with them. With an interesting cast of characters, a wide divergence in the dynamics of the relationships, and an obscene amount of song references, The Fosters has something to offer for a variety of tastes.

STORY AND CHARACTERS ★★★★☆ (4/5)

The Fosters starts off in a household with a lot of history, much of which is critical to understanding the current state of things and the direction the story will set up. Consequently, it immediately faces the challenge of having to bring the reader up to speed quickly, while also forwarding the present-day plot. Some exposition is weaved into the story, while elsewhere it is presented in large narration chunks that at times interrupt the story flow. There simply is not enough time or space to organically incorporate the backstory into present-day events, and so some compromises are made. (The addition of a Character Profile section eased this burden by allowing the reader to learn more about the characters in a context that does not compete with the main storytelling. It is advised that the reader take advantage of this feature, as it can explain a fair amount about each character, their thought processes and their motivations.)

My initial impression of the first several chapters of The Fosters was mild befuddlement. While the story makes us privy to a history of physical and sexual abuse within the household, those events are not ongoing; they happened in the past and are no longer occurring. Consequently, although Big John (the instigator of the abuse) is still present in the household, there is a bit of a disconnect between the degree of loathing the story wants the reader to feel toward Big John and what the reader is likely inclined to feel. The present-day household actually seems very tame and quiet compared to what the story tells us about past events; likewise, the girls are surprisingly well-adjusted and seem generally happy. Consequently, the protagonist's crusade to rid the house of Big John may fail to fully resonate right off the bat.

Nevertheless, we follow our character on his crusade, and in the process begin to learn more about what's still going on in the house — which, while not as egregious as the past events we've learned about, nevertheless provides a more solid rationale for the protagonist's quest. While our hero sets about to depose Big John, he also starts to explore his feelings and relationships with the many girls he shares a roof with.

By Chapter 5, the true focus of the story becomes clear. This is not about Big John or any of the other people responsible for the abuses of the past. This story is about what type of person the protagonist is going to become, in the crucible of confrontation and rapidly evolving relationships. A points system early on converts the reader's choices into a measure of the character's personality, ranging from extremely self-centered to extremely considerate of those around him. This metric ultimately governs many aspects of how the later chapters play out; and while the core story is mostly "on the rails", the protagonist's relationships with the girls can take on very different dynamics depending on what type of person he turns out to be.

WARNING: Some of the relationships go in a very unfortunate direction, depending on how self-centered the main character becomes. The story does not shy away from these scenarios, but neither does it glorify them. There are scenes of sexual assault and outright rape; while I found these scenes heartbreaking and revolting, I was impressed with how respectfully the author presented them. There is a dignity afforded the girls who find themselves victims of the protagonist's abuse. The story does not trivialize their experiences, and even though the point of view is that of the male protagonist, the story makes sure that we are able to sympathize with the girls. Note that such encounters are entirely avoidable; if the player's choices result in a more considerate protagonist, the relationships with the girls go much better, with some very sweet encounters awaiting.

GRAPHICS AND ANIMATION ★★★★☆ (4/5)

The Fosters is beautifully rendered using Daz Studio. The mansion setting, in which the majority of the story takes place, is interesting, inviting, and not so large as to disorient the reader when the story moves from one part of the residence to another. The characters are all diverse and expressive, and the girls are all attractive in unique ways. At times, facial expressions are a bit comically over-exaggerated — a not-uncommon hazard when posing in Daz. This is more noticeable in earlier chapters; and as the author's proficiency with the technology has improved, facial expressions have become more measured and on-point.

Animation is another area where the author's continuous improvement is evident. Early animations are tentative and at times lacking in finesse, and many animations suffer from flickering at the loop points. Later animations improve on the lighting, framing, looping and other traits. The majority of the really interesting sexual encounters occur starting in Chapter 5, and thankfully, by that time most of the animation wrinkles have been ironed out. Some of the penetrative sex animations are downright impressive in their attention to detail.

SOUND AND MUSIC ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Music was a late addition to The Fosters, having only been added with Chapter 5. The soundtrack is well curated, and the most frequently heard track — what I would call the "around the house" music — bears repetition well and does not become tiresome. Transitions between musical tracks could be improved (too many transitions are instant cuts rather than cross-fades), and in some instances I felt that a transition should have occurred sooner or later than it did; but on the whole the music soundscape is solid.

Sound effects are fairly minimal, and what's there is well done. Note that sexual encounters do not have any sounds effects — neither human noises nor body contact noises. Use your imagination.

While not strictly relevant to this category, I will note that the dialogue reflects the author's love of music. A plethora of song references are scattered throughout the game, from overt performances to subtle influences in the dialogue. Almost three dozen songs were represented in Chapter 5 alone, and music lovers will enjoy trying to locate them all.

USER EXPERIENCE ★★★★☆ (4/5)

The Fosters is built on the Ren'py visual novel engine, and most of the functionality is stock Ren'py, with a couple of enhancements. The points system is depicted on-screen as a pair of measures, designated "αlpha" and "βeta". The player can use these to track how their choices affect the balance between the two; later on, the measures are replaced by a single indicator of which personality profile the player has locked into based on all their earlier choices. Unfortunately, the "αlpha" and "βeta" concepts are never really described in-game, which can leave players confused about what they represent or how they work. An in-game explanation of the system would be quite valuable.

Players can elect to activate an optional tutorial mode, which adds a couple of guiding features. In this mode, each chapter of the game starts with a brief introduction explaining how the player's choices in the chapter may affect later events; this allows the player to plan their choices accordingly. In addition, menu options are augmented with hints about how each choice will affect their points or other aspects of the gameplay. Unfortunately, the tutorial also does not explain the points system, and the chapter guides assume that the player already has a firm grasp of the system. With some additional work, the tutorial could be made into a more thorough guide for new players.

Finally, a character profile provides useful information about each of the main characters in the game. Elements of each character, including their backstory and their current motivations or struggles, are incrementally unlocked as key story milestones are reached. This information supplements the main storytelling with world-building details that simply cannot be organically woven into the plot without distracting from the main focus. The character profile is a must-read for anyone who wants to fully understand the characters and their relationship to the protagonist.

OVERALL ★★★★☆ (4/5)

The Fosters is a relatively short but ambitious project that tackles some difficult questions with a maturity that is often lacking in adult visual novels. It challenges the player to recognize that sex is more than a one-sided fantasy, and that relationships need to be built on mutual respect and consideration. Players who try different takes on the protagonist's personality are treated to a variety of relationship outcomes — from the incredibly sweet to the heartrendingly tragic. The game initially struggles with the scope of the story it's trying to tell in a very short time, and some aspects of the presentation are a bit rough around the edges. Nevertheless, the story — and the lessons it teaches — are compelling and enjoyable.

mediocre graphics, latest version was really blurred

the story is pretty all over the place, and no real buildup to get to where you are. Everyone wants MC story, just more of a 'choose who you wanna bone' game than anything else

Lower the game volume to like 20% for the sound effects. you'll thank me later

13 has done some amazing work with this game. The ability to choose the kind of MC you are is also great. If you want to be loving and take care of your family, you can. I love how this game shows that even with bad things in our past, we can still grow and come together for each other.

I've played a few games of this nature, so I have a tolerance for them now. What left me scratching my head is the storylines, decision making and the paths featured in this game. Not only does the alpha and beta paths/point system make any sense but the bright idea to let the MC somehow join forces with the same people they have abused his family and caused him suffering is beyond wild to me. That was a killer for me, also the MC is just not likable, which adds to my level of disdain for this game.

Having a house full of foster relations does sound like a good AVN, but fails on so many levels. I wish there was a tag for narcissistic because that is what the MC is. That way I can avoid games like this. I can't stand the MC's face and constant 4th wall breaking.

My review of The Fosters [v0.04b]

I love the game's setting, but graphics are bad (720p and many blurry textures), there are lengthy sections with no audio, the writing is average at best, and the story is extremely unrealistic (MC could easily get the bad guy in prison at any time).

The weirdest thing is the alpha/beta point system though.
You get alpha points for lying to a very-young-looking mentally-retarded girl.
You also get alpha points for then being pushy and seducing her (after knowing it's all caught on camera - which would get you prison time and/or blackmail material for the bad guy).
But then you suddenly stop halfway through and not have sex with her after licking her pussy, without getting any beta points - while quickly making your sister a bowl of cereal and not disturbing her sleep both gives you beta points.

I probably would have played a bit more, but with the bad graphics, the no-audio-sections, and the already bad reviews, I'll have to give this a pass.

I'm all for darker themes but not when it's this stupid. You realize you and your entire family have been through hell but rather then just doing the right thing and calling in the cops, you decide to keep the abuse cycle going and make sure the bad guy keeps getting $$$.

Great game! Be warned there is some dark or potentially traumatic content however, the story is incredibly done as well as the character development and animation scenes well done DEV keep up the amazing work

v0.03
Man... where to start...

TD:LR the story of how you think that you will took down an abuser, but instead take over his "porn" ring (as for now, there no choice in that regard)

Oh yeah, Lots of spoilers...

MODELS:
Mostly ok, nothing out of ordinary
But the facial expressions... Damn... This shit can be scary!

CHARACTERS
We have:
The Gorilla
The Crush
The Classical lil sis (nothing new here)
The "Girl with a maturity of a 10 y/o"
The Junkie Mother
The Abused Girl
The Other older abused girl that only appears on flashbacks
The "Lesbian", that is also the sister of the girl who got abused and even knowing the site where the "proof of the abuse" was stored, she not only didn’t do anything to help but subscribed to the site for watch CP featuring her sister (truly a wonderful person, right?)

PLOT:
For real, the story is all over the place, its fucking TOO FAST paced, I know that people complain about milking when its slow, but it’s pretty shitty when the completely opposite happens.
In one minute, you are a "supposedly" (choice dependent) innocent virgin living in a full girl house (excluding the gorilla) that is shy to talk to girl the he likes, IN THE NEXT DAY you learn that everyone in the house wants your D (excluding the gorilla... or not, idk ), then started flirting and being flirted with everyone... hard.

Just to show how fast things progressed:
In 3 days, you: DISCOVER CAMERAS HIDDEN AROUND THE HOUSE, REMEBER YOUR PAST BURIED IN YOUR MIND FOR YEARS, MAKE PEACE WITH A GIRL WHO HATED YOU FOR YEARS, GATHER PROOFS ON A CHILD ABUSER, CONFRONT THE GORILLA (why?), MAKE AN AGREMENT WITH BECOMING HIS "WHORE" (again... why?), GOT IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH 3 GIRLS.

Maybe i was expecting to much, but I thought there would be actual relationship building, you slowly becoming aware of the cameras, it would take some time to make sense of your memories, eventually the girls would help you gather proof against the gorilla and AT THE END take down the gorilla operation
But all happened in 3 fucking updates!!!
Then what??? at update 10 you will uncover a international human traffic ring??? just to make a deal with their leader too???

CHOICES
There is actually some significant ones here and there but Why The Fuck there's no "normal human being" option?
You have to become a monster's bitch (and a monster by extent) (as for now, there no choice in that regard)
Even a "kill the beast and burry it in the backyard" option would e better than this!
I got suspicious when the MC didn't go straight to police and gave B.J. time to "think" (how stupid is that), well, you could say that he was trying to protect the mother from jail (even though she doesn’t deserve it), but then he took a fucking dogtag and become an abuser's "partner" (also an abuser by extent) ... yeah... just like that.

I'm far from a paragon of goodness, but holy shit, that's CLEARLY not a game for me.

Alright... this is probably not a popular opinion but I'm going to say it anyway. If you're easily offended, please don't open the spoiler below.

I was expecting something along the lines of 'Power Vacuum'. It has the same setting but with a slightly darker backstory. However, even though the dev attempts to create a dark and gruesome story, it isn't believable at all. Trauma doesn't just go away after one conversation or one apology.

"Hey, remember how I was forced to rape you when we were young?"
- "Yes, that's why I have hated you my whole life!"
"Well, I'm sorry."
- "Okay... hugsies for friendship?"

Characters just have sex with each other for no reason. One moment they're heavily traumatized and living in fear, the next moment they're sucking your dick like you're part of some free-use society. And since there's no ntr involved the 'bad guy' is practically harmless, apart from some verbal abuse.

So what's left? A pretty generic incest game, with very basic looking characters and renders, shallow dialogue and an unbelievable story. It does have incest and loli girls, so if you're into that it's worth playing. But it doesn't offer anything more than a dozen similar games like 'Proud Father' or '23 Sisters'. I feel like possible ntr with Big John could have given the game just the extra suspense to make it more interesting.

I really like the darker Themes and that you don't have to read so long before the first scenes. Really a great game and one you won't forget.
Since it is currently in the beginning it is still quiet short, but I will certainly follow it.

nice, still need to get john out but its a great start good graphic an the idea behind it is good, could go black mail. not sure of the direction its meant to be taking, but I guess only the future shall tell

Very nice so far considering how early the development is. The story is actually interesting and the characters feel well grounded. Wish the girls were slightly less eager to participate in activities with the MC at the start, so we can start a slow corruption route or blackmail approach.

I will be looking forward how this develops. Written as of v0.01b.

I really enjoyed the game, while the tone is pretty dark I feel like it fits due to the mature subject matter that is at hand. The game characters feel believable though if all of the foster kids all went though the same abuse or abuse close to what the two your mother mentions. Then it would make sense for the two other foster kids to be more hesitant around you/warry of you and depressed.

The choices in the game are done really well done and it seems like they will matter with there being four paths in the game. The graphics are top notch.

Pro's
+Graphics
+Story
+Well excecated choices
Con's
-None really I suppose my only complaint though it isn't a complaint really is if they all suffered abuse the was more or less the same then I feel like some of the characters should be a bit more depressed and warry of people.

For a .01 version this was a good out of the gate release. The visuals are great, the characters are great, the story is interesting, and the girls are good looking and different enough without needing to look like aliens. The genre so far isn't fleshed out but from what I could tell it seems to be a typical choose how you want your character to go type adventure. Want to be sweet and kind? You can do that. Want to be pervy? You can do that. There's even hints that you might be on the way to corrupting and manipulating the girls, but only if you want to. You've got a good mix of mom, sister, and tons of other girls living in your house without seeming weird (like your sister's friend's parents suddenly being okay with their daughter moving in with you? None of that.)

While it's still early it seems like some of the choices you make absolutely matter and some matter but the results might not go as you planned. I personally enjoy that because while you can control what you do you can't always control what others do as a response. When that happens inside of a game it feels more realistic and less formulaic.

The game does have some heavy themes, and if you're easily triggered by abuse then this game probably isn't for you. If you're fine with heavier themes, or if you sort of enjoy them (like I do sometimes), then this is right up your alley.

Anyway, there isn't a ton I can really comment on other than that so far. It looks good, has a good start to a story, good cast of characters, and a villain you can actually be genuinely fearful of. This is not your typical VN with a predictable story, even in its first edition.

The story is pretty dark and I love it. It makes want to see what happens next and what other memories the MC will recover. The story so far is well written and constantly engaging with a good tempo in between characters development.

As of 0.01
Same old boring story that we have seen before on this forum .
Dev trying to attract both NTR and harem / vanilla croud while still being sketchy about it . I personally don' t bother playing NTR game if u decide to add it in ur game own it , so I can avoidthe game but don't give silly excuses like " I personally don't like NTR but I'll add it if it feels rt to story " . I'll edit my review in nxt update or if dev decides to be upfront with his game instead of changes in his idea every minute.

I am impressed. Usually I can't standing reading the story, but this kinds gave me a feel of Life is Strange and Butterfly effect. You are the MC trying to deal with an adversary who lives with you. Its an unfortunate story but believable. I almost wish the characters interactions were a bit more serious. Mother interactions are pretty good. Maria's are good as well. The others don't seem to fit or maybe things stopped for a while and they came after so the timeline and progression of events play a big part in character interactions. It also gives the MC an reason for making a, b, or c decisions. As for the NTR, I suppose if you are really sensitive about it, its implied if you feel the mother is yours. I think it skirts it and the MC was the one in all the past situations. All in all, I am impressed and I am definitely looking forward to seeing where you go. This is one project I am interested in seeing the story progress. I hope there will be some challenges for the MC. I hope there wont be tons of dead ends to choices.

Right now the game is a little bit on the bare bones side. Understandable since it is a first release and most first releases aren't going to be big (of course there are exceptions, but in general).

I will say that I'm moderately intrigued so far by the story. I want to see where it goes and I want to see if the MC is really going to be able to stand up to Big John somehow. Also, in all the VNs I've played, Big John is probably the most despicable villain that I've come across. I'll just leave it at that.

My primary criticism is the art, particularly the faces. The MC's design is fine, but the girls all look wonky to some extent. I think because they're meant to be young and when it comes to 3D renders, young people (both girls and boys) all look rather wonky, especially facially. Their heads also tend to not be proportional to their bodies. I think if the art improves, this could become a top notch game as the story plays out. We'll see. Right now it's a 3/5.