VN - Ren'Py - The Neverwhere Tales [v0.6.0.1] [Ceolag]

The Neverwhere Tales is urban fantasy. Dev has their own world, you are getting to know slice by slice. Although 3th chapter is when you start to learn more of it.
When Dev had to create own world and decide way for you to learn about it, you can be sure that they is giving a lot of love and hard work to make this experience special. So same love and hard work go into characters building and other things like picture quality or story narrating.

We all start like Mr. Callister insurance company employee, but your choice will determine what he become in this new world.
There are several beautiful ladies, four of them LI. You can spend some intimate moments with some of them (it is EA yet), but this game isn't fuckfest, it is storybuilded. If you prefer your time with girls or with your chosen one to have more meanings, than this game build for it and you can jump in and took your own path.

At first, this game was around 4 stars. It lost track of a character I was interested in pursuing in Helena, to focus more on the mythological themes of the game, and your old boss in the real world took a back seat to that. Chapter 5 almost makes me want to rate this game 6 stars if I could. Finnabair is the perfect girl, the whole romance arc you have in one chapter is better than anything I experienced in the game before it, so if the author did what I think he did, I would be furious. Having that sort of visceral reaction to a game in this genre is rare, and I hope it's a bluff for the next episode, as much as I like Medh, Finnabair is the end game for me and I hope the author hears that.

UPDATE:

Dude fuck off, I'm mad. Like genuinely mad. You actually killed her and made the mercy option pointless, and therefore the choice didn't matter, she was a better love interest than anyone besides maybe Fiona. Lowering to 3 stars.

First off, let me just state that male protag AVN are not my preferred type of games but I will play them if the story type interests me. This one piqued my interest with the whole fantasy theme.

The storyline pulled me in reasonably quickly as I began to question loyalties and intentions from the get go. How much of our pre-existing relationship was actually genuine? who can we really trust? should we be a calm or confrontational character?

By the time I finished Ch.4 I was way down the rabbithole and loving it! I never even got a blue or red pill though...mean dev!
The lore is pretty interesting regarding the Elves, Neverwhere, Templars and there was even some Arthurian legends crossover too. I love all that kind of stuff, so it was a bonus for me. I'm here for the story/characters in these AVN, not the lewdies.

Characters are a very varied bunch and there are 4 main love interests plus other side girls.

Kaija, who is your girlfriend at the start but can be dumped, may initially come across as untrustworthy due to the early plotline, but I found her to be a complete badass who with zero doubt, cares about the MC deeply and while she is probably the least attractive LI, she has a fantastic toned figure and is very sensual. She also gets one of the best outfits later in the game...when I saw it, I wanted it! I could see myself clubbing in it...
Kaija also seems very unpopular on the forum due to her plot arc but for me, she is my main choice, she would lay her life down for the MC without question.

Elea is the tall blonde IT nerd who may wear glasses but cannot hide she's easily escaped from the Milan catwalk! if you like blonde nerds with blue eyes and big tits, she will make your memory stick overheat..
I just didn't take to her character at all, she's also an outsider to all this intrigue while Kaija is deep in the middle of it all, so my MC choosing Templars felt naturally aligned with Kaija.

Fiona...the mysterious freckly, redhead with an equally mysterious wolfhound who seems to be more than your average doggo...
Again, Fiona didn't appeal to me, but she certainly is one of the more interesting girls due to her well guarded past and knowing a lot more of the hidden world our MC has fallen into...

Medb....a favourite on the forums it seems...and I have to admit my initial "Wanna smack this cold bitch on the tit" attitude turned to "Okaaay bitch, you're my 2nd choice now..". An extremely powerful Elven ice mage, she can thaw out (get it?) in later chapters if MC shows genuine empathy to the Elves.

Regarding empathy for the Elves, I was surprised at the lack of any emotion from the MC when he receives news regarding an Elf he had grown close to. He was just like "Oh well, any customs I should be aware of offending". I felt quite sad at the news

My only complaint about the game is trivial: Medb's name. It sounds like she should be in a dj box...right from the start I thought it didn't sound very Elvish but I'm not the dev, sooo *shrugs*. Every time she appears in game I shout out "Medb in the house!"

Visually it's certainly good enough and the renders are definitely above average, so no complaints about that.

I will mention I'm not a fan of the MC's look, while he does look just like an average guy, his eyes look weird to me? almost bug eyed at times. Nothing too jarring and since I prefer female protags, I get used to playing the less fairer sex anyway...ooh did my claws just come out?

Okay, listen up, because this typing is now feeling long assed, just try the game, okay? you can go back to the sea of incestous, bimbo brained, harem induced clones later...

I'm going to play the last chapter later and ask Kaija where I can buy her Neverwhere outifit

3.5-3.75/5 - Rounded up to 4/5

Ok, my rating here is down to a few of my personal preferences within games.

The game itself (story) is very good, i like the real world/fantasy blend and its done well in this game from what i have played so far.

POSITIVES

* Story - as mentioned above in my summary, the blend of "real world" and fantasy is done well here and it isnt too wordy, i read most of the dialog without feeling i needed to skip

* Renders - Renders are classy and original. Lots of unique renders that i havent seen in other games

* Models - All similar body shaes, however all got different faces and personalites

NEGATIVES

* Too many split paths. I dont like having to replay the entire game to get 90% the same story with just different dialogs and i assume animations when they come with different LIs. It just gets boring and if i do want to play to see what another LI's "arc" looks like i will find myself holding the skip button a lot and getting bored.

* No Harem - Echoing on from the point about split paths. With the amount of different characters , this game would benefit from a "harem path" option or at the very least allow multiple partners to prevent the amount of playthroughs required

* No Incest - Not a deal breaker this one, however the sister is a very good character in this game so its an oppourtunity lost not having her as a LI

OVERALL

An enjoyable game which i will continue with the main LI (as its obvious that going through the story with Katjia looks like will give you the most logical scenes), and i will probably enjoy it.

However i probably wont go back and play with the other LIs as it will be the same story with slight variations on Lewd scenes so weill be very Dejavu which i dont like. And that is a shame as there are a lot of likeable characters in this game... why no harem path

Version Reviewed:
0.5

I am not normally into games set in a fantasy setting, but I am definitely into this game. In fairness, this is a urban fantasy where it takes place in the modern day but magic is real, a supernatural realm is real, and those worlds collide with each other. One thing I really like is the skeptical outlook the MC has once he finds out about the supernatural world. He doesn't just become "the chosen one" instantly and immediately insert himself into the supernatural world and act like he's a god amongst men. He is very much an outsider and that is part of his story.

It's a fantastic game worthy of your time. Ever had your friends tell you about a TV show "if you can make it past the first episode, you'll love it"? Similar thing here. The first chapter isn't bad at all, it's just not that different than any other VN where we meet the MC, see his boring work life, and his day to day. You also start with a forced girlfiend but you can choose to stay/friendzone/leave her shortly after. The first chapter's visuals are a bit rough at times and I was a bit turned off by the some of the character's faces. But by Chapter 2 there is a noticeable leap in visuals and lighting. By chapter 3 the game really picks up and we're deep into the main story and that's where I fell in love with it.

The game has music, especially in the later chapters. There's a few lewd scenes although mostly with side characters. The main romances are definitely leaning towards the "slow burn" style, but it works well given the scale of the game's story that takes time to develop.

All I have to say is wow. I never thought much of this novel due to a slow start and mostly of what I thought was a mediocre storyline but things have really picked up and it has managed to hold my attention and keep me interested and invested in the story going forward. I'm glad I gave it another try and am excited for future updates.

one of the best games out there, was going to give it 5 stars except the ending of chapter 5 made me subtract 1.

I have enjoyed the story line and all the characters. Each LI have their uniqueness. And the side characters are hot too. The MC has multiple paths. But was tempted to give it a 1 star because how chapter 5 ended. Was just wrong to introduce a new and exciting character and the kill them off.
Hopefully next update doesn’t have any bad surprises.

When this was first released, I was worried this is a ripoff of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere (one of my favorite books), and in some ways, the basic concept of Neverwhere is... and that is a city beneath a city. That, however, is where the similarity ends. This is truly a unique fantasy/sci-fi story and it's wonderful.

If any of you have read any of my other reviews, I am often pretty harsh and rarely give out 5 stars, and to be fair, there are some parts of this AVN I could pick on. Some of the LIs for example, are pretty standard AVN fair. You have to tough LI who can kick anyone's ass and has been keeping secrets from you, the nerdy LI, and the mysterious and foreign LI who is your token AVN ginger. Oh, and let's not forget the perky sister... who at the very least is NOT a LI. Despite that and a number of lighting issues, none of it takes away from this AVN.

I will admit, if you are just here for the fapping, while the scenes are good, this is a story driven AVN. In fantasy/sci-fi the stories are filled with unfamiliar things, so there is a lot of exposition so the reader can know what is going on. This AVN is pretty heavy on the story, but it is really well written and all the characters have depth and I found myself fully invested.

I am reviewing this as of the 5.0 update and this last one was just amazing and I can't beleive I am going to have to wait months before the next release. Additionally, it looks like they are prepping this for Steam so it is possible it will be a long while until there is new content. So that sucks. Regardless, this AVN has rocketed up to my #1 spot. Normally, I have a pretty fluid top 10 but this one is so clearly better then most of the AVN crap out there it is going to be hard to knock it off.

Admittedly, this is an AVN for those folks who want a good story with some hot characters. If you are just here for the fapping and are not into reading a lot of detail, then this one is probably not for you. If you love fantasy/sci-fi and you love and AVN with a good story, come on in... the water is perfect.

Best of luck to the developer.

What can I say I've been amazed so far. Story is well written ,graphics,renders,animations have are excellent you can tell this dev takes time and pride in his work. He communicates well keeps everyone in the loop of where the game is at even on here if your not a patreon. But on another note the work he produces doesn't get the reward it deserves so I would suggest if you don't want it to vanish just donate what you can now and again or when the update is released. It would be sad to lose another great game again

Pretty awesome game. Came for the hot girls and stayed for the story.

We have a pretty good plot, the depth of the LIs is well made and renders are really good, we can see many emotions.

There is a lot of work on this game, many different paths that have real impact on the discutions and the characters reactions.

Only dark point, is the MC have a dick face but I can live with it.

Keep the good work!

I recommand this AVN to people who like story driven AVN. But if you are only looking for sex and FAP material this it not for you.

An interesting game which seems to struggle with some hangups.

One of the biggest issues in my mind is the MC, who is a complete melt. His face is a bit rough but really I found how he's written to be a bit wooden. Like at times you're not 100% sure if he knows what's going on. Now... some of that can be explained by the plot of the game. He's having a lot thrown at him and he's having to learn quick but it seems like he's processing it badly. I think there was a scene where some lassie says magic exists and he reacts like a dog being shown a card trick. Like... I can understand him being amazed by it but it seems every time he's told something new his first response is to think they're playing a joke on him. As if everything he's been told before never registered. Thinking magic is made up just after you're told the Templars exist and Elves and Succubus are a thing... dude have you been listening?

Another issue I have is .... it's hard to know what story the game is trying to convey. Like there's a big deal spent on talking up this world of fantasy that exists which the MC never knew of, while at the same time there are scenes where he goes to bars with co-workers. Genuinely after being attacked, nearly killed, finding out his dad has been abducted, his dad is the big lad in the Templars and his girlfriend is a plant to protect him his next thought is "ho boy better get ready for work" and we then get a few scenes around that. Does the dev really think the player cares about office work when the whole premise of the game has just been introduced? Even with some of the characters introduced you're left wondering what's the point of them. The game would certainly benefit from taking the time to breathe and pad out some of the characters, and sort out the MC especially because I get the impression that the dev is trying to suggest there's more to him than meet the eye, but he comes off as a proper plum.

It's a mixed bag with this game.

The pros:

It's an engaging overall story. Even if it's the damn Templars again (doesn't anyone know of any other church sects?) it's still presented well and has space to develop.

The so-so's

The English is good and the dialogue makes sense, but it's frequently wooden and stilted. The art is great for the scenes and meh for the girls. The story renders can seem static as the dialogue unfolds at times, making it seem clunkier than it needs to

The bad

The MC is an ugly doofus. He's whiny and has a slight sense of entitlement. The girls have identifiable individual personalities because we're told that they do, but they all sound the same and rather than have organic differences in personality are given different roles so that we'll know they're different, rather than being different people. I'm not expressing this well, but there's an undercurrent of sameness and honestly the women are boring. Most importanly, the dev tells you in the introduction that no matter what path you decide to take you're going to end up in the same place, and that it affects how the story unfolds rather than how it ends. He proves this by offering up largely meaningless choices with largely overlapping storylines, so essentially you can pick a girl to cozy up to but for all intents and purposes the other choices are meaningless, and that's how it feels. That's also a lead up into one of the most annoying things about this game. All you're doing is clicking along, following the story, and "achievements" pop up, for literally doing nothing and for making no decisions. The "achievements" seem utterly meaningless and there only because they're expected to be there, rather than for any actions or decisions from the player. It feels patronizing and silly.

Overall, this is a timekiller. It's not stupid or irritating as some VNs are, and the writing isn't bad, but nothing about the game excels, not the dialogue, the writing, the humor or the art. I'm less about the sex than the story and personalities but there's not much there either. There's a lot of room for growth and improvement, and the game is ok, but it's not going to be one of the ones that you're jonesing for an update to either.

its a fine game. story is good sometimes i felt conflicted of what to choose but so far so good. no memorable scenes even though already four chapters., like no adult scenes whatssoever. 4 chapters and nothing, kinda sucks. story is interesting tough and the women are hot. cant wait for update

Definitely a top tier game. Top notch renders and nice story. Nice girls with personalities. But not a harem game. Jessica is funny but since there is no incest sadly she isn't a LI of MC. All other LI's got their own charming personalities. Even with the high ratings this one is still underrated, surely deserves more recognition.

If you love playing good story game with nice renders this one is worth trying. Keep up the good work dev looking forward to next updates

Some times you wade through a lot of porn junk on this forum to find a good VN. Occasionally, you find a title worth reading because it has a great adult story. Even more rare is discovering a VN that jumps out and grabs you. This is one of those VNs.

Story 5/5
A little fanciful in places but I don't care, the story is engaging and draws you in. The characters are intriguing and you just want to know more and more about them. You can go through this game loving everyone or being angry and inbetween. There is no real antagonist yet (as of ch4), just people with their own agenda and that causes plenty of drama within itself. This has joined my handful of very special VNs.

Art work 4.5/5
No complaints.

Choices 5/5
This VN is refreshing and not only is it a fantastic story, the choices are what drives this VN in to my handful of elite VNs. All too often the choices in VNs give you the illusion of choice, but in this VN you get real choices and ramifications for those choices. The most obvious example is Kaija, you can love her, hate her or be indifferent and Kaija will respond to you in kind and the story reflects that choice throughout. Well done dev.

It's early, but it's off to an excellent start. I really don't have much to complain about, aside from the lack of a scene replay gallery, which means I don't have much to say. The girls are interesting, and varied, and good looking (although I wish Kaija didn't have tattoos). This could go a lot of different ways, in plot and in quality, but I have a solid expectation that this will remain excellent.

The story got me hooked in. Its a blend of medieval fantasy and bladerunner experience. The renders are great and the animation are well done. The character models are beautiful and the overall art is great. If you are looking for fap scenes there are not many since the relationships are just developing but overall its very enjoyable experiance. Looking forward for more.

As negative points I would say:

I don't like the way some decisions work. Sometimes you have to be a dick with other guys to gain points with the girls.

Also, sometimes the decisions don't make sense, like an spank to your gf that can change her whole personality in the game, or decisions where there is no way the girls would know what did you do.

Other bad thing for me is the big number of scenes where we should see something, but instead we get a wall of explanations and descritions before hand. It's better to show it first instead of ruining the surprise!

Talking about seeing something, some scenes are dark asf, even so there are light sources. So the scenery can't be enjoyed. I hope MC gets night vision gadgets..

And finally I'm worried about the lack of spicy content, there are just a couple of scenes. You can flirt and check the girls, kiss them and make promises like getting ready for marriage, but their legs are still closed for us.


Leaving the negative aside, I'm enjoying the story, the renders and the multiple references. The girls are interesting too, so I wanna see how everything turn out in this VN!

I want to rate this game higher, I really do. I think the premise is interesting and the story has a lot potential but there are some things about this game that I just find so fucking annoying.

1. Lets get this obvious one out of the way. MC is one ugly looking SOB. He is one of the ugliest MC's I've ever seen in any game. Idk what it is about his face but it makes him look like a snarky little manlet. He looks like a bully.

2. Instead of TELLING us just fucking SHOW us. The game (characters) spends a lot of fucking time explaining things instead of just showing it to us. With the whole knights Templar thing and then the actual neverwhere. It's all explained through words instead of actually being shown. The whole evles being evil is explained through words, never shown one of them in practice. The whole neverwhere, it's civilizations, the morality of its people, even it's public transport system, everything is explained to MC before he even has a chance to enter the damned place.

3. Most LIs are not really that captivating. You cannot tell one personality from the other, all of them are semi-flirty fun loving type of girls. None of them really stand out.

This was a lot of fun and I am very excited to play more!

Beautiful renders, I'd honestly say this is the first game with mature women that actually look their age, yet sexy. I feel like that's a very hard balance to hit, but I think the developer has done a great job in this!

Very interesting story, but I may just be a sucker for this kind of setup. Secret organizations, parallel worlds.... Love it!

I have only done one playthrough so far, but I feel like the points system with the girls are well done and I look forward to exploring it more.

This feels like very early into the game story-wise, and I honestly hope it is. Because I feel like there is much to tell here, and the pacing is great so far.

Keep up the amazing job!