VN - Ren'Py - The Interim Domain [v0.30.0] [ILSProductions]

(not so much of a spoiler just a little heads up if you struggle with afterlife/loss, any of that nature or hell even self-insert, you might wanna steer clear of this. probably will hit alot worse for those types than others.)

Would give this a full 5 (more like a 4.5) but theres alot of tedium at times and things going all over the place, some character interactions kind of break theme/personality and its pretty obvious. Sequence breaks due to order of events. Theres a few bits of tropes that are like "well im super MC and can do what I want" which is atleast covered by the story.

Aside from that, this may be the only title I can admittedly say made me a bit misty-eyed haha. Reminds me of the movie wristcutters which was an absolute blast back in the day but it hit me with a bit of "fear" with the afterlife that I hate to admit personally, but this story takes a bit of a trip into a similar realm where you're basically living inbetween, inside purgatory, before ending up wherever you go. I was dying for the reference of the mustang eating a pair of sunglasses or something but it never came .

But yeah connecting with someone so deeply throughout the entire story only to be like "its time" and thats all that happens, its a tough battle. You come to love the cast and what each of them represents and its a scary thought when you put it into logic haha. Not an ideal way to spend the last of your days. I struggled with the most probably, was a bit of a gutwrencher not gonna lie. Admittedly I do like to form a little attachment to characters, always have, its a bit more immersive that way. Not too big on the self-inserting part. Putting the person in a position to say goodbye has that effect though haha.

Animations are solid, the voicing on the scenes is actually pretty solid since it just kinda fits universally which is rare in these types of things. The characters each have a strong representation of an issue holding them back though sometimes they break their own character with a little bit of over the top way of dealing with things (looking at you mainly Anita, sometimes I hated her haha) stories written good, not broken english,not many typos, the idea is pretty original. Love the hell outta Mira even with the rocky start and the other Entende are each endearing in their own way. The villain is pretty solid, I like how he ties into everything and yeah.

Would say like a 4.5/5 for sure. Solid title, just some minor things that kind of steer it off perfection. Along with the tedium and sequence breaking that comes in part due to the tedium of how you go about going through the story (ie: one i ran into is a character left already, but there was an event with a trip, which the character was still attending and happened AFTER she left already. Trying to avoid some spoilers with a bit of coded language). Not gonna cheat it a 5 star since I cant rate halves though

Sometimes I hate this site.

That a game like Interim Domain drops under four stars is an insult and a detriment to this forum.

I've played the dev's first game and liked it, it had lengths, it was clear that it was a learning experience and consequently it improved with each update.
And everything that ILSP has learned he has put into the game, better writing, better characterization, better looking game, more assets, more ideas, a unique way to play the game and a fantastic SF/Fantasy storyline.

The sex scenes are numerous, but not without meaning, the story is actually interesting and original, something that can be said about maybe 10% of the games I play here.


Sorry for ranting so much about other reviews, but it drives me nuts that we have absolutely abysmal games that have close to a perfect five-star rating, while some games like this one are criminally underrated.

The game has weaknesses, it's too heavy on the dialogue sometimes, it has some lengths, but it is still deserving of a five-star-rating, because of the scope, the imagination and the uniqueness of its story.

This is a Honey Select game so that will be seen in the graphics and the animations, but the dev does make good use of it, the game also has girls with lots of different body types and there is a noticeable effort to give each NPC a compelling story and make them more than just a walking 1-dimensional trope. Which, again, is something that can be said of so few games on this site.

To sum it up, this is a well written game with some weaknesses, which it makes more than up for with its great and ambitious story.
Do NOT stop after the first few minutes, do not judge the game solely by the sometimes outdated Honey Select graphics.

I'm a big fan of VNs which go deep into character details, and ILS Productions has a proven record of just that (Now and Then still contains one of my favorite heroine to this day, Carol).
Even if The Interim Domain didn't provide a heroine as awesome as Carol, the world building and many different and interesting characters in it more than make up for it.
Looking forward to being able to read Mira's ending. Keep up the good work and thank you for providing us with such great VNs to read!

one of the best games out. great story characters and a lot of excellent lore in a unique and interesting setting. the premise is solid and the little mysteries keep you guessing and engaged. the individual stories have a great way of interweaving with each other and making the game feel more alive.

TID has by far the best character development over a large number of LIs out of all the AVNs I’ve tried. The developer came up with something that played to their strengths in story telling while avoiding pitfalls in their previous game Now & Then.

Story
The main story is intriguing - someone triggered an apocalypse and everyone died. However some of the souls are trapped in “interim”, a purgatory-like dimension, and cannot move on. The MC is one of the few souls selected to be Archons- an entity whose main job is to help the trapped souls move on and in return he accumulates Qi which allows him to reshape the next world in his perception. Heavy stuff.

Besides the main story, many of the trapped souls (i.e. your LIs) will have their own unique background stories which explain why they are trapped in the interim. Many of these stories are everyday issues we face and relatable on a personal level, challenges like money, job, family relationships, religion, discrimination, physical / emotional trauma etc

The only caveat is it’s not a good idea to play this game when you are down and out in life as the material tends to be negative and depressing (MC is supposed to help them overcome personal issues and move on after all)

Game Mechanics
We often see visual novels disguised as sandboxes to create some illusion of flexibility when in fact everything’s fixed. TID manages to do it the other way round, disguising a sandbox game as a visual novel one. You have full flexibility to select which LI you want to play first (or if at all) and in what order and there is a LI, FWB, and bad ending for each of them depending on your choices.

It is technically possible to even just go along with the main story without engaging one LI though I would imagine this leads to a bad end eventually. It is far more flexible than most of the self-proclaimed sandbox games out there.

Background / Character Renders
The background has a wide variety ranging from everyday life scenery to strangeness seen in a distorting interim. Kudos to the developer for on point use of colors and shading to create a mysterious and somber mood befitting of the story.

Character renders trace their origins to Honey Select, but through careful customization they are unique, distinguishable and different from the anime with wild colored hair feel we usually get.

Character Development
First off there are a lot of characters - 12 trapped souls as official LIs, other archons, each archon’s aide and a host of other minor characters.

Many of them have a complete well rounded development as MC will be interacting extensively with each of them. In the middle / later chapters, many of the LIs will even interact with each other and form friendships among themselves.

This would not have been possible if this is your standard duration AVN, but the game’s huge. I have only played till Chapter 18 (V0.18) and it already took me like 10 - 12 hours since I pursued every LI and the game is currently at Chapter 27 and slated to end around Chapter 30.

Sex Scenes
A lot of them, but because of the story you won’t get to see them in the earlier chapters. There are no cheap stunts like dream sequence, flashbacks or prostitutes to forcefully place a sex scene early in the game.

The lewd scenes are generally tame, you won’t get any kinks or fetishes, so those looking for a “hardcore” experience won’t find it here. Plus point is all of them come with nice sound effects which adds to the whole experience.

On the whole I would say they are mostly above average with some hits and some mediocre ones along the way.

BGM and Sound Effects
BGMs mostly convey a mystical mood and even the ones paired with mundane everyday scenes carry an air of mental claustrophobia which complements the story material very well.

Some basic sound effects here and there, nothing to shout about in this department though.

Conclusion
TID is a niche gem that will not appeal to everyone. It’s an emotionally dark tale that focuses a lot on real life challenges we all face at some point in our lives. It doesn’t have the humor, mystery, action, romance or the no holds barred kinky sex on the first date you see in other AVNs.

However, it’s something that lifts up to what it means to be an Adult Visual Novel. Adult not only because of sex but also adult issues, Visual because it does create a compelling visual spectacle and Novel because the literary skills of the developer are up to scratch.

I tried this game out because of the amount of positive reviews it had but it has some of the most boring story, i have ever read. The Graphics and Animations also don't help, it has some of the worst i have seen on this site.

Love the story, the ladies are just a plus. The writing for ILS Productions really pull you into what's going on in the game. Some of it is long winded with some of the ladies at times though. I feel like things develop very slowly with some characters and others are done EXTREMELY fast. There's a fine line in with a plot like this, but the surprises are worth the time.

I start by saying that I really liked the developer's last game.

I'm also usually someone who plays slow burn games but here I struggle to go beyond the first 30 mins of reading.

I'm sorry but the start is horrible, boring, not enticing. I suppose the story might get better after a while but man the struggle to go further is real.

I'd like to give this project 3 stars but I'll give it 2 because the renders and the models are pretty much the same of the past project which first came out years ago. So, no improvement whatsoever in this regard.

I'd suggest a remake of the first minutes of the story and add more rythm to the narration.

ILSProduction is probably the only developer on this site which makes adult games I play primarily for the story and not the porn. While I am a sucker for anything zombie and horror related hence why I prefer their previous work (Now and Then), but Interim Domain retains the same premium quality in its writing and pacing. Highly recommended.

Before starting i will tell i like his old work.
So why do i think about this one ?
Honestly i hate it, you take everything i liked in the old game ... you remove it and push some new thing i don't like and boom interim domain.

First the story is .. ok not fan fan but interesting at minimum.
The problem lie in the fact this game smell too much a game, after like 3 or time i just hit control and make the game run without reading.

Unlike the precedent game he've done this one i don't care about the NPC because or they don't exist or they are people trapped in their life.

Second the overaull quality of texture don't have changed, so i really canot give star for that.

At the end of the day this game is enough rebutting to me to not even watch it hoping it change.

Will watch from afar the dev hoping it's next game will be better for me.

ILSProductions has done it again. I didn't think I could be more impressed with a VN than Now & Then, (their previous work), but I find my self at least equally enthralled with The Interim Domain. It's nearly impossible to create an erotic visual novel with this many romanceable characters and have each one feel not only completely justified, but also well rounded and worthy of empathy. Each of these "lingering humans" give the reader a completely unique and heartwrenching story which both captivates far beyond what normally is written in these types of stories and forces them to care for these characters. I found myself more interested in helping each of these women deal with the bonds which force them to be tethered to this purgatoryesque nightmare than I was in seducing them (but obviously I also wanted to seduce them, they're all gorgeous). I cannot wait to see what else ILSProductions has to come, and I'm anxiously awaiting each update. Consider me a fan for life.

v0.21.0

Great story, Beautiful LI's, an alright MC. This game is surely a bit underrated in my opinion, it has a lot of events and lewd scenes too.

All the LI's have unique character which makes them interesting, there are also some side girls who are good.

The main highlight is the story, which intertwines within the world and is interconnected and weaved together beautifully, I am sure it's nearing the end, but it surely doesn't disappoint with its aesthetic and story telling, must watch out game for someone planning to try a new game.

PROS
- The ILS specialty, generous amount of H content and it doesnt feel like its forced or done for fan service reasons. They make sense and are well placed relative to the game's narrative.
- No time wasting mechanics like RNG or clicking on locations on a specific ass time to get scenes. You get a choose from a menu screen on who you want to pursue, very direct and straight forward.
- Its (almost) everything you expect from a high quality HS game. Decent visuals, good animations, sound effects, music suits the scene, etc.

CONS
- I feel like I don't really care about the characters here whereas the previous game you feel there is a much better connection and you sympathize with their struggles. Probably because this game has a much greater number of LIs which means the dev has to dedicate much less time to each LI.
- Some of the choices you pick don't matter. For example, I've tried to go for Anya and ignored Kaitlin (I just found her so boring and plain), but the game's dialogue keeps suggesting that I'm in a relationship with both of them. Only difference is I didn't get Kaitlin's sex scenes.
- Game's weakest point. Dev is trying to make the plot as deep and profound as possible. But this hasn't worked out and has just resulted in it being super convoluted as its difficult for readers to pickup whats going on in this complicated and overextended story. With the interim and the energy and the Qi and the souls and the remnants. Then we have the dead girlfriend, but oh nvm, girlfriend is alive now cause we need another Li. Then we have the archons that can't kill each other, but oh nvm, archons can kill each other now cause we need an excuse for a villain. Its just all over the place.

What I loved about Now & Then is that the story was not too out of this world but it also wasn't too plain and dull. The writer found a really good balance. Here, the writer seems to think the more the merrier. More characters, more lore, more supernatural shit, more everything! But a good writer knows when to be concise, and how to balance the story so its easy for readers to understand.

Nineteen updates in, and this is frankly an excellent game - engaging story, hot girls, interesting impactful decisions. The only thing that could make this game better is a dedicated proofreader to pick up the very few typos and mistakes, but hey, that's a fry so small that it doesn't dent the five star rating for me. Check it out. If you feel the same, or similar, throw the dev some money.

(Reviewed through v.0.17)

The dev's previous game was a masterpiece in story-driven VN with plenty of erotic content despite a limited graphics engine. This game is a worthy follow-up that does a lot right but ultimately has too many distracting characters and elements that muddy the water from it rising to the same level of excellence.

The Good ()

• Great diversity of girls with different personalities, body types and overall looks
• A ton of H-scenes -- hard to go more than ~5 minutes without a scene of some sort
• Lots of story content with a unique premise and amazing world-building
• Real drama and suspense with a great villain
• The game gets better over the course of the story -- I was disappointed in early versions but stuck with it and believe it is really hitting its stride in recent updates
• Great consistency in releasing regular updates

The Not-So-Good ()

• Uninteresting MC despite potentially interesting background / set-up
• The cast of characters is actually probably too big, making it hard to focus of key plot points -- some characters stories have no real connection to the main plot
• The dev's freedom for players to choose the order of events amongst characters takes away from the narrative momentum and drama

This game is long and a little discombobulated, but the dev gets an A+ for trying to do something unique in the space and should absolutely be applauded for consistency in updates and releases.

I enjoyed Now & Then for what it was. It wasn't the best VN ever, but it was pretty decent. So I figured this one would be the same.

It isn't. The Interim Domain tries to strike out a little farther from the beaten path and do something original, which is admirable to a point. However, it just ends up being vague and abstract and confusing and dull. Nothing feels like it matters because nothing is at all grounded. It's hard to say what exactly makes a good story grab your attention, but this ain't it.

Review of v0.16.0

I tried. I really tried. But The Interim Domain broke me.

Let me explain.

The Interim Domain will be familiar to fans of Kinderfeld's previous game. Low quality graphics, smoothed over with filter and model choices to give a pleasant enough visual experience. A tall mc with face obscured by a truly awful hairstyle. Cute girls with well developed stories and personalities. But Kinderfeld has made a few changes.

First, the game's plot is, as far as I know, truly original. The game takes place in something roughly resembling limbo or purgatory, where the mc's goal is to help spirits move on. The lore attempts to be deep, but once you learn the meaning of the many made up words, it's pretty straightforward. In any case, it's intriguing enough to serve as a setting for an interesting story. Secondly, the number of girls has been cranked up. In the previous game we had 2 primary + 2 secondary + 2 with very few scenes. Now we've got 11, all of which are posed to be roughly equal in importance. Thirdly, partly as a result of the increased number of girls, the game is so, so, so long. I wish I had kept track of how many hours I've sunk into it; as a proxy, I kept a notes document on what happened each "day", which is now 7,000 words long, and I'm only somewhere between two-thirds and three-quarters through.

Now, normally I can cope with a long game, especially with a good plot. But The Interim Domain wore me down to the bone. Kinderfeld's dialogue writing is mediocre at best and painful at worst. The girls are mostly fine, but the mc's jokes are never funny, and during the sex scenes he seems determined to kill your boner. When he's not cracking jokes, he sounds like he's trying too hard and never living in the moment; while you could point to the lore to justify this, the effect on the player is still painful. I often had to stop playing because it took me right out of the narrative. The low quality graphics really stick out in the sex scenes; in his previous game, my emotional connection to the love interests overcame this, but this time round all I can do is grit my teeth. Oh and the sex sounds are still as silly as ever.

Most of all, there just isn't enough happening to justify the runtime. The story progresses very slowly, as does your relationship with each girl. There are so many nothing-burger scenes. And the game can't even lean on its emotional connections; despite romancing and fucking the girls, the mc remains very aloof, seeming to care very little about them. When they're clearly love with you, the mc is still thinking "maybe I like them". The mc's attitude naturally shapes your own, as in any work of fiction, so this design decision was highly counterproductive. This is part and parcel of the game feeling profoundly lonely; even as you get to know the girls and they start to love you, the lore dictates that they can never truly connect with the mc. He is alone and none of his relationships can ever be really real.

Let's be real: AVNs often have cringe moments you have to push through to get to the good bits. But The Interim Domain is such a slog, and the good bits are so few, that only the most dedicated of fans will ever finish it. Peace out motherfuckers

TL;DR: Too long, not enough good stuff.

Very long AVN with very interesting story, that is ominous, enigmatic and dark.

The world and character building is phenomenal.
The music is so well-fitting in to the atmosphere.
The LIs are very likeable, authentic and have their own life and stories to experience.

The premise is interesting, at first I did not know what to expect, but I like it a lot. But to compare Now & Then (which was 5/5), this, but just in comparison, would be 4,5/5 for me.

And it is super lengthy (which is compliment and great), as of 0.17.0, so that is a plus in this kind of remarkable story. I like it and thanks ILSProductions for another gripping story and idea.

I like most games based on "honey select" or similar. This one particularly caught my attention and I saw the synopsis and gave it a try...

THE GOOD
The plot seems unique and original to me, really that is something to be applauded for since if you look at most games they are all "an MC going to school and having relationships with everyone", this gives it many points in its favor. I like that each character has a past and a context of why they are like that, I love this because I like to read books and visual novels are one of my favorites and this story really catches my attention, the person who created it really took his time. time to build a world where you get the +18 scenes with a correct context and not simply because yes, because you have to keep in mind that despite being a visual novel, it is a game for adults so everything should revolve around it from this. The Waifus are well made in terms of their design, each one different and as I mentioned before with a good context.

THE BAD... or not?
Even though I mentioned that I like to read, especially this type of fantasy story, mysticism, etc. The game gets boring in certain parts... You have to keep in mind that this is a game for adults and you have to have a balance between the erotic and the plot, but I feel that the balance in this game is more inclined towards the argumentative (Which is not bad, but I mainly look for both +18 scenes and a plot for them). It feels a bit slow and in parts it sometimes got to a point where I was stressed because there were no scenes for adults, that is, there is a lot of content, context of the world and its stories, but I feel that those scenes are few for each of the waifus that there are available. It is certainly a great story but let's be frank... those of us who are here are here to see a good story with good adult scenes.

The story is very good and interesting, basically how you as the protagonist find stories and try to empathize with each of them, the scenes mostly have a context of why they happen and that is something I appreciate, since I don't just want to see sex And now, for that I better look for more specific pages for that.

I want to make it clear that this is just my opinion of the game, up to this point of the update (v0.17.0). "It is advisable?" You could say yes, but if you are one of those who look for quick scenes without context, you better not even try it. If you are interested in a good story and spicy content, I invite you to play it.

Summary (SCORE: 8)
o Character Design/Visual: 9/10
o Background music/sound: 8/10
o Plot: 9/10
o Animation: 10/10
o +18 Scenes: 6/10
o Gameplay: 6/10
o Interface: 8/10

Great, unique, awesome premise ruined by like 75% of the text in the game being a constant flow of every single inane thought the MC has that adds nothing to the plot, relationship/character development, lore, atmosphere, anything. Just a slog to read. Given so little of the remaining text is actual dialogue or plot it's like if the "help me budget this, my family is dying" meme was made into a VN.

Graphics are also desperately outdated. Could have really used the switch to HS2 and/or the mods that a lot of other HS creators use.