VN Ren'Py The Neverwhere Tales [v0.5.0.4p] [Ceolag]

[DarkOs31]

the US state plays a lot nicer and generally by the rules.

??? Loooool ???
yeah,maybe against RUS + CHN you are right,but really?
politics in an "adult-forum" is like "physics in magical isekai's" O.O

 

[Dessolos]

??? Loooool ???
yeah,maybe against RUS + CHN you are right,but really?
politics in an "adult-forum" is like "physics in magical isekai's" O.O

I would go as far as to say there isn't enough boob physics in said isekai's need all of the boob bounce.

 

[Leongen43]

I would go as far as to say there isn't enough boob physics in said isekai's need all of the boob bounce.

But if the girls' beautiful breasts have a lot of movement, is it possible that some members end up like this? something inevitable for me

Spoiler

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[Maviarab]

Alright, rant over, gonna keep playing now and probably post again once I'm caught up.

Should perhaps have done that in the first place.

 

[Grumpy Old Aussie]

So, barely gotten into the game thus far, basically at the big "reveal".
Writing thus far is pretty solid, models are fairly fresh and unique, but man I have to gripe about the general plot direction because hot fucking damn. I absolutely despise the magical "big bad behind the scenes" threat with the MC being completely in the dark and lied to for basically their entire life and then just get told to "oh just cop it on the chin lol don't worry" and you always have to work with the people who betrayed your trust entirely. So many goddamn games do exactly this.

Now, I am not saying that this game does this as I barely just started, but for once I would fucking like an option to go solo instead of being gaslit into being a dog on a leash for "the good guys". It's also extremely difficult to suspend disbelief that some extremely powerful entity/corporation/movement working in the dark and likely has unlimited funding hasn't been able to murder a single dude.

Alright, rant over, gonna keep playing now and probably post again once I'm caught up.

I get what you are saying. The thing that drew me to this game was your MC gets to be pissed about it. You don't have to play nice. Well, except for the mother, you don't get a chance to put her in her place, yet. Still I enjoyed the angry path. You can give the Templars and the ex a hard time. The MC may have to put up with them, but the MC doesn't have to like it. I found that refreshing and unique and fun.

 

[nitkonikic]

So, barely gotten into the game thus far, basically at the big "reveal".
Writing thus far is pretty solid, models are fairly fresh and unique, but man I have to gripe about the general plot direction because hot fucking damn. I absolutely despise the magical "big bad behind the scenes" threat with the MC being completely in the dark and lied to for basically their entire life and then just get told to "oh just cop it on the chin lol don't worry" and you always have to work with the people who betrayed your trust entirely. So many goddamn games do exactly this.

Now, I am not saying that this game does this as I barely just started, but for once I would fucking like an option to go solo instead of being gaslit into being a dog on a leash for "the good guys". It's also extremely difficult to suspend disbelief that some extremely powerful entity/corporation/movement working in the dark and likely has unlimited funding hasn't been able to murder a single dude.

Alright, rant over, gonna keep playing now and probably post again once I'm caught up.

Yep, if you were to check this thread in its entirety, you'd notice almost 50% is about Kaija/Templars.

While I'm fully onboard of "fuck Templars" train, for what it's worth, don't think MC has a choice early on.
1. Someone tried to kidnap him (not kill, if they wanted him dead, he'd be dead)
2. Someone kidnapped his father
3. The only people he knows so far are Templars (talk about shit luck)

Until he gets his father, he literally has no choice. Without Templars around he's just everyday person without any protection and whoever tried to get him before can try again.

As for other factions, well, hopefully we get to learn more about them and MC gets to either choose to help one of those, or just tell them all to fuck off, and go on another beach date with a lovely woman that doesn't get paid to sleep with him.

P.S. As Grumpy mentioned, what's good in this one is you absolutely get enough "you're cunts" options to say. MC can express his anger very nicely, and to a point where it doesn't come of as childish tantrum. Kind of the reason why I love this VN and hate plenty others, where MC not only has to be "dog-on-a-leash", but also acts all cutely with people who deserve nothing else but to get spat in their face.

 

[Ciaran8023]

Should perhaps have done that in the first place.

I mean what's the point in that? It would just turn two posts into one as playing more of the game doesn't lessen my distaste for the general premise.

I get what you are saying. The thing that drew me to this game was your MC gets to be pissed about it. You don't have to play nice. Well, except for the mother, you don't get a chance to put her in her place, yet. Still I enjoyed the angry path. You can give the Templars and the ex a hard time. The MC may have to put up with them, but the MC doesn't have to like it. I found that refreshing and unique and fun.

You do have quite a bit of options to be cheeky, but it still feels like you're getting janked around like a goddamn toy to their whims however. The chat with Kaiju was cathartic though, I must say. It's better than basically every other game that uses the "overhanging big bad shadow entity" trope but it still leaves a lot to be desired for me.

Yep, if you were to check this thread in its entirety, you'd notice almost 50% is about Kaija/Templars.

While I'm fully onboard of "fuck Templars" train, for what it's worth, don't think MC has a choice early on.
1. Someone tried to kidnap him (not kill, if they wanted him dead, he'd be dead)
2. Someone kidnapped his father
3. The only people he knows so far are Templars (talk about shit luck)

Until he gets his father, he literally has no choice. Without Templars around he's just everyday person without any protection and whoever tried to get him before can try again.

As for other factions, well, hopefully we get to learn more about them and MC gets to either choose to help one of those, or just tell them all to fuck off, and go on another beach date with a lovely woman that doesn't get paid to sleep with him.

Yeah I'm not surprised that the thread is split on them, it's one of those things that you either don't mind or you hold abject hatred for it.

And yeah, MC didn't really have much choice which is also a large part of why I despise this trope as it just throws player agency out the window, it's basically a kinetic novel in that regard where it simply doesn't give you a choice at all regarding it. I'd also be VERY surprised if we're given the choice to detach after Dad comes back, game seems to be gearing towards manipulative shadow agency that doesn't give a flying fuck about human lives or anything outside of their closeminded agenda (Templars) vs fantasy turbo racists (Elves) and a third party (Almost certain it will be some sort of random human greedy shitbag that just gets into a contract with Hellspawn and tries to control them and "rule the world").

P.S. As Grumpy mentioned, what's good in this one is you absolutely get enough "you're cunts" options to say. MC can express his anger very nicely, and to a point where it doesn't come of as childish tantrum. Kind of the reason why I love this VN and hate plenty others, where MC not only has to be "dog-on-a-leash", but also acts all cutely with people who deserve nothing else but to get spat in their face.

Yeah, out of the novels that employ this premise, this is absolutely the best of them. It still leaves much to be desired from me but MC's writing when he expresses his displeasure and anger are very well done, I was pleasantly surprised about that. As you said, most of these games that have this premise and choices to express anger almost always feel like a child throwing a tantrum, it's another thing that annoys me with these premises, but luckily this game avoided it nicely.


Now, onto the LI's;

Elea- Probably my favourite character out of any VN I've played thus far, and I play a LOT of them. She's cheeky, she's nerdy, she has no qualms throwing some banter and it doesn't feel forced, it's very naturally written. She has her insecurities with her nerding out over mythology, drives a fucking 69' Charger that's a Dukes of Hazzard tribute car and has specific boundaries she has for herself but seemingly willing to compromise when she find someone she likes. She's very rational and seems to be very caring and have no issue going full extrovert and just dancing at clubs when she wants to. Her banter with "Uncle Hank" was endearing as fuck aswell. 12/10, personally this is a character that I'd love to meet in real life, basically right up my alley.

Helena- Very calm and collected, seems to have a fair few professional boundaries but toeing on that line seems to be almost fetishistic for her given the taboo factor. She seems to go out of her way to help those she likes, she's mature in her view of things but something gives off the vibe that she might have her childish sides as well, not saying that as a bad thing either. 9/10, very solid older woman type character, again very realistically written and I am a fan.

Anissa- Hard to get a good grasp since you don't really have that many interactions with her, but she seems interesting for sure. One of the few LI's you encounter in games that have no issue starting off more casually which is a plus in my book. Seems fairly laid back and easy to get along with. 7/10, will be higher once she gets fleshed out a bit more.

Fiona- Competitive, silly, certainly loves animals. Seems very genuine despite being entirely mysterious and without a doubt connected with Neverwhere, even before she admitted it, it was pretty clear cut that she's into some shady shit as her "hobbies". Undoubtedly carries some trauma, seems to be very lonely.

Spoiler

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10/10, usually don't enjoy "mysterious" characters as they're very frequently written in a way where it feels like the MC is purposely kept in the dark because the MC doesn't "deserve" to know, but she comes off as more hiding things due to personal trauma, which is much more palatable.

Kaiju- No idea, don't give a shit, didn't interact with her and won't give her the time of day.

Non LI's;
Jess- 100/10, absolute hawaiian pizza fueled gremlin and she's fucking fantastic. I'll protect her with my life and support her gremlin antics against the Templars any anyone else for that matter.


Overall; absolutely hate the premise but it's done in about a good of a way as possible. The characters are the real shining gems here, they're all written very realistically, a lot of attention paid towards them having an actual existence and backstory within the world instead of feeling like characters that are just dropped into the setting which is somewhat rare to find in VN's nowadays. They're all distinct enough from eachother aswell which is also a plus, as some VN's have characters that almost blend into eachother a bit.
I am a fan of mythology so it's a bit novel for me to see names like Durendal show up and a lot of the other references, and don't think I didn't catch Sound of Silence in there.

Honestly, even with me hating the premise, I'll absolutely follow this and wait for future updates, the character writing is more than good enough to bridge the gap of my disdain for the premise.

 

[Grumpy Old Aussie]

I mean what's the point in that? It would just turn two posts into one as playing more of the game doesn't lessen my distaste for the general premise.



You do have quite a bit of options to be cheeky, but it still feels like you're getting janked around like a goddamn toy to their whims however. The chat with Kaiju was cathartic though, I must say. It's better than basically every other game that uses the "overhanging big bad shadow entity" trope but it still leaves a lot to be desired for me.


Yeah I'm not surprised that the thread is split on them, it's one of those things that you either don't mind or you hold abject hatred for it.

And yeah, MC didn't really have much choice which is also a large part of why I despise this trope as it just throws player agency out the window, it's basically a kinetic novel in that regard where it simply doesn't give you a choice at all regarding it. I'd also be VERY surprised if we're given the choice to detach after Dad comes back, game seems to be gearing towards manipulative shadow agency that doesn't give a flying fuck about human lives or anything outside of their closeminded agenda (Templars) vs fantasy turbo racists (Elves) and a third party (Almost certain it will be some sort of random human greedy shitbag that just gets into a contract with Hellspawn and tries to control them and "rule the world").


Yeah, out of the novels that employ this premise, this is absolutely the best of them. It still leaves much to be desired from me but MC's writing when he expresses his displeasure and anger are very well done, I was pleasantly surprised about that. As you said, most of these games that have this premise and choices to express anger almost always feel like a child throwing a tantrum, it's another thing that annoys me with these premises, but luckily this game avoided it nicely.


Now, onto the LI's;

Elea- Probably my favourite character out of any VN I've played thus far, and I play a LOT of them. She's cheeky, she's nerdy, she has no qualms throwing some banter and it doesn't feel forced, it's very naturally written. She has her insecurities with her nerding out over mythology, drives a fucking 69' Charger that's a Dukes of Hazzard tribute car and has specific boundaries she has for herself but seemingly willing to compromise when she find someone she likes. She's very rational and seems to be very caring and have no issue going full extrovert and just dancing at clubs when she wants to. Her banter with "Uncle Hank" was endearing as fuck aswell. 12/10, personally this is a character that I'd love to meet in real life, basically right up my alley.

Helena- Very calm and collected, seems to have a fair few professional boundaries but toeing on that line seems to be almost fetishistic for her given the taboo factor. She seems to go out of her way to help those she likes, she's mature in her view of things but something gives off the vibe that she might have her childish sides as well, not saying that as a bad thing either. 9/10, very solid older woman type character, again very realistically written and I am a fan.

Anissa- Hard to get a good grasp since you don't really have that many interactions with her, but she seems interesting for sure. One of the few LI's you encounter in games that have no issue starting off more casually which is a plus in my book. Seems fairly laid back and easy to get along with. 7/10, will be higher once she gets fleshed out a bit more.

Fiona- Competitive, silly, certainly loves animals. Seems very genuine despite being entirely mysterious and without a doubt connected with Neverwhere, even before she admitted it, it was pretty clear cut that she's into some shady shit as her "hobbies". Undoubtedly carries some trauma, seems to be very lonely.

Spoiler

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10/10, usually don't enjoy "mysterious" characters as they're very frequently written in a way where it feels like the MC is purposely kept in the dark because the MC doesn't "deserve" to know, but she comes off as more hiding things due to personal trauma, which is much more palatable.

Kaiju- No idea, don't give a shit, didn't interact with her and won't give her the time of day.

Non LI's;
Jess- 100/10, absolute hawaiian pizza fueled gremlin and she's fucking fantastic. I'll protect her with my life and support her gremlin antics against the Templars any anyone else for that matter.


Overall; absolutely hate the premise but it's done in about a good of a way as possible. The characters are the real shining gems here, they're all written very realistically, a lot of attention paid towards them having an actual existence and backstory within the world instead of feeling like characters that are just dropped into the setting which is somewhat rare to find in VN's nowadays. They're all distinct enough from eachother aswell which is also a plus, as some VN's have characters that almost blend into eachother a bit.
I am a fan of mythology so it's a bit novel for me to see names like Durendal show up and a lot of the other references, and don't think I didn't catch Sound of Silence in there.

Honestly, even with me hating the premise, I'll absolutely follow this and wait for future updates, the character writing is more than good enough to bridge the gap of my disdain for the premise.

We have pretty much the same taste in women. I'm not a Kaija fan, there is a Kaija love/forgiveness path that has different dialogues you may want to have a look at. Some like it, some don't.

 

[Ciaran8023]

We have pretty much the same taste in women. I'm not a Kaija fan, there is a Kaija love/forgiveness path that has different dialogues you may want to have a look at. Some like it, some don't.

I'll give it a look through later, I don't think it will sway my opinion at all since I just have a core principle to not entertain people who are dishonest or betray others, and she kind of managed to hit both.
But, I'm always interested to check out the writing behind it as it's been solid thus far.

 

[Dessolos]

I'll give it a look through later, I don't think it will sway my opinion at all since I just have a core principle to not entertain people who are dishonest or betray others, and she kind of managed to hit both.
But, I'm always interested to check out the writing behind it as it's been solid thus far.

Funny enough even tho Kaija is my favorite and the dishonesty / betrayal really didn't bother me in this one that much because of the context of the story and the Templars. ( I blame the order more than her) I was able to over look everything but most other games I probably wouldn't. Yet she is slowly finally making her way out of my top 10 I think. But I love how her character is so split in this game's community it doesn't feel she has universal hatred like ive seen in other games for certain characters. Which to me shows she has great writing.

 

[Maviarab]

I mean what's the point in that?

Then you don't start talking/ranting/complaining about something addressed in the story a little later on. LIke going to a film forum to ask about something 15 mins in that gets explained later anyway....just play/watch what is there...then you can discuss it in full knowing all the details...hmmm?

That's the point.

 

[xapican]

Ciaran8023 ; just do the favor and refrain from Hateposting.
I understand that the public opinon towards the order of Knight Templars is extremly biased, more so since "Assesins Creed" but nothing showed there can be further from the historical "truth" (if there is any history is written by the winning faction) till now discoverd facts.
Edited last sentence.

 

[Ciaran8023]

Then you don't start talking/ranting/complaining about something addressed in the story a little later on. LIke going to a film forum to ask about something 15 mins in that gets explained later anyway....just play/watch what is there...then you can discuss it in full knowing all the details...hmmm?

That's the point.

What in the world are you talking about?
I dislike the premise of the game, the initial thing that drives the game, that doesn't change as the game goes on so it's entirely redundant to play a game for however many hours because it won't change the premise.
Furthermore, by that logic, how could you make any sort of opinionated call on anything before the game is entirely concluded? Do you see how illogical your viewpoint on this is?

Ciaran8023 ; just do the favor and refrain from Hateposting.
I understand that the public opinon towards the order of Knight Templars is extremly biased, more so since "Assesins Creed" but nothing showed there can be further from the historical truth.

Voicing my dislike of a trope being used for the premise isn't hateposting, you should probably double check what constitutes as "hateposting".

Moreover, no one here is talking about historical accuracy, I am talking about the fact that they as an organization are fundamentally flawed and they do a LOT of sketchy shit with no regard for the well-being of society, but moreso the well-being of them. That is also just how this premise tends to be used, and it removes player agency in how it fundamentally functions.

 

[xapican]

Voicing my dislike of a trope being used for the premise isn't hateposting, you should probably double check what constitutes as "hateposting"

Wow wow there, easy, to be clear; sorry if you took it as an attack, it was a sincere request, and I didn't acuse you of hateposting.
No, voicing your dislike is totally ok, how else would I understand your opinion or stance ?.
Repetive posting and mocking shure can take be seeing as such.
and yes, I got it, that you were talking how they are displayed here as an organisation.
about the wellbeing of them, you just brought up a point which in my eyes explains a bit, Kaijas behaviour she is a pawn in a game.
As well as MC father and mother, but still, the journey just starts and I absolutly love how Ceolag, put this in scene

 

[motseer]

Funny enough even tho Kaija is my favorite and the dishonesty / betrayal really didn't bother me in this one that much because of the context of the story and the Templars. ( I blame the order more than her) I was able to over look everything but most other games I probably wouldn't. Yet she is slowly finally making her way out of my top 10 I think. But I love how her character is so split in this game's community it doesn't feel she has universal hatred like ive seen in other games for certain characters. Which to me shows she has great writing.

You make an excellent point. I can remember posting an impassioned defamation of Kaija after the first release of this title. It garnered quite a lot of support and along with others, who felt strongly in differing ways, sparked a heated debate. A little touch up by the dev and a little more depth of story and the next I new I had Kaija as my best girl. The writing and, especially, the character development may well change that around several times ere the tale is fully told. Jus' Sayin'

 

[Maviarab]

and the next I new I had Kaija as my best girl.

 

[Elduriel]

I new I had Kaija as my best girl

 

[xapican]

View attachment 3841971

 

[motseer]

View attachment 3841968

View attachment 3841971

Spoiler: Forgive me. I am sinning.

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[MiltonPowers]

I mean what's the point in that? It would just turn two posts into one as playing more of the game doesn't lessen my distaste for the general premise.



You do have quite a bit of options to be cheeky, but it still feels like you're getting janked around like a goddamn toy to their whims however. The chat with Kaiju was cathartic though, I must say. It's better than basically every other game that uses the "overhanging big bad shadow entity" trope but it still leaves a lot to be desired for me.


Yeah I'm not surprised that the thread is split on them, it's one of those things that you either don't mind or you hold abject hatred for it.

And yeah, MC didn't really have much choice which is also a large part of why I despise this trope as it just throws player agency out the window, it's basically a kinetic novel in that regard where it simply doesn't give you a choice at all regarding it. I'd also be VERY surprised if we're given the choice to detach after Dad comes back, game seems to be gearing towards manipulative shadow agency that doesn't give a flying fuck about human lives or anything outside of their closeminded agenda (Templars) vs fantasy turbo racists (Elves) and a third party (Almost certain it will be some sort of random human greedy shitbag that just gets into a contract with Hellspawn and tries to control them and "rule the world").


Yeah, out of the novels that employ this premise, this is absolutely the best of them. It still leaves much to be desired from me but MC's writing when he expresses his displeasure and anger are very well done, I was pleasantly surprised about that. As you said, most of these games that have this premise and choices to express anger almost always feel like a child throwing a tantrum, it's another thing that annoys me with these premises, but luckily this game avoided it nicely.


Now, onto the LI's;

Elea- Probably my favourite character out of any VN I've played thus far, and I play a LOT of them. She's cheeky, she's nerdy, she has no qualms throwing some banter and it doesn't feel forced, it's very naturally written. She has her insecurities with her nerding out over mythology, drives a fucking 69' Charger that's a Dukes of Hazzard tribute car and has specific boundaries she has for herself but seemingly willing to compromise when she find someone she likes. She's very rational and seems to be very caring and have no issue going full extrovert and just dancing at clubs when she wants to. Her banter with "Uncle Hank" was endearing as fuck aswell. 12/10, personally this is a character that I'd love to meet in real life, basically right up my alley.

Helena- Very calm and collected, seems to have a fair few professional boundaries but toeing on that line seems to be almost fetishistic for her given the taboo factor. She seems to go out of her way to help those she likes, she's mature in her view of things but something gives off the vibe that she might have her childish sides as well, not saying that as a bad thing either. 9/10, very solid older woman type character, again very realistically written and I am a fan.

Anissa- Hard to get a good grasp since you don't really have that many interactions with her, but she seems interesting for sure. One of the few LI's you encounter in games that have no issue starting off more casually which is a plus in my book. Seems fairly laid back and easy to get along with. 7/10, will be higher once she gets fleshed out a bit more.

Fiona- Competitive, silly, certainly loves animals. Seems very genuine despite being entirely mysterious and without a doubt connected with Neverwhere, even before she admitted it, it was pretty clear cut that she's into some shady shit as her "hobbies". Undoubtedly carries some trauma, seems to be very lonely.

Spoiler

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10/10, usually don't enjoy "mysterious" characters as they're very frequently written in a way where it feels like the MC is purposely kept in the dark because the MC doesn't "deserve" to know, but she comes off as more hiding things due to personal trauma, which is much more palatable.

Kaiju- No idea, don't give a shit, didn't interact with her and won't give her the time of day.

Non LI's;
Jess- 100/10, absolute hawaiian pizza fueled gremlin and she's fucking fantastic. I'll protect her with my life and support her gremlin antics against the Templars any anyone else for that matter.


Overall; absolutely hate the premise but it's done in about a good of a way as possible. The characters are the real shining gems here, they're all written very realistically, a lot of attention paid towards them having an actual existence and backstory within the world instead of feeling like characters that are just dropped into the setting which is somewhat rare to find in VN's nowadays. They're all distinct enough from eachother aswell which is also a plus, as some VN's have characters that almost blend into eachother a bit.
I am a fan of mythology so it's a bit novel for me to see names like Durendal show up and a lot of the other references, and don't think I didn't catch Sound of Silence in there.

Honestly, even with me hating the premise, I'll absolutely follow this and wait for future updates, the character writing is more than good enough to bridge the gap of my disdain for the premise.

You left someone very important of your LI's review. You do NOT want to piss her off.