Ren'Py - The Null Hypothesis [v0.5b] [Ron Chon]

One of the best first releases I've ever seen on this site. Such a great follow-up or re imagining to the original game. I was shocked how much there was for such an early build, many games on this site that release early have little more than a demo, this has more content than most of the popular games here. Really excited to see where this goes in the future.

I don't usually do reviews, not my cup of tea, this however merits one.
This game has delivered content wise more than a few games, (that shall go unnamed for several reasons), with just an very early alpha version in few months, than the previously mentioned games have in, well years.
Each character has their more or less unique personality and behavior quirks, neither of them being too intrusive or annoying to deal with, and can be discouraged/encouraged depending on your preference. Storyline itself seems to lead somewhere as all, depending on your choices, (Not exactly going full dark side per see, but giving into anger is definitely something most characters remark and seem to disapprove of).
Overall, I do have to say that this has been a pleasant surprise, and all of the best wishes to the devs from here on out.

Even though the game is only in it's first proper iteration, it's an excellent game, even with a couple of bugs.

The characters are likeable and very quickly you want to get to know them. The team has done well to capture the key elements of the characters, from Jean's caring side, to Rogue's inherently kind nature despite her inability to touch. And then you have X-23's cold nature, reflecting her lack of social contact through her life. Progressing through their respective storylines, you find well written revelations of their core, from deep seated insecurities to them finding something new.

The game never feels like it's rushed or it just dumps all progress to your feet rather than pace it you. You have to work to build up the relationship with the girls, earning their trust. The story is so well written that you actively pay attention when you realise you've gotten that little bit further with any of the girls.

The story progression itself works well, with key events serving as milestones in a way to makes absolute sense and it makes you wonder how this will shape Null's future relationship with other characters.

I've spoken about the story and the writing, but the real cherry on the cake is the art. The art is almost something you'd see from the comics, which is a quality you don't see from a lot of games. Seeing this art here helps to elevate the game and I really do hope to see The Null Hypothesis get to the top page of the most popular games.

I've been keeping my eye on this game for some time and seeing the live up to the hype is immensely satisfying. Looking forward to see what comes in the future.

Congrats on Ron and the team for finally publishing the product!

Spent the weekend playing, I came to a rough conclusion.
Its abt 3.5/5 right now. I might be overrating it as a 4 right now, but I can see the effort.

It has similar core features to Rogue-like on a modern engine, better clothing management, pretty UI/UX and has a far more comprehensive story with seasons to signify change.

What it missed is how static the characters feel outside of their scripted dialogue, there isn't the jealousy/npc-npc mechanic when you perform certain actions with other characters in front of them(locking door seems pretty dead without the jealousy) and the characters don't feel distinct enough, even though I know what stereotypes they are supposedly playing. Sure there is random dialogue but no consequences for fucking around.

All of them end up banging you around the same time(at the very end), despite one being submissive, other is kinky/sisterly and last one is domineering - that makes for poor pacing. That's also not my personal experience with dating and it comes across pretty unnatural, especially all valuing their viriginity despite all their different outlooks about life and sex is strange.

The outright missing options for certain actions/needing to beg for permission for every minor thing also feels weird and unnatural if you are roleplaying anything but a submissive. Not sure if a sub will enjoy this over Roguelike either, because the gameplay there allows npcs to perform proactive actions on you.

While Justification to dating you is reasonable, I think how the girls are so quick to agree to poly is pretty hilarious when all you did was handhold and makeout, especially for Laura since she is pretty possessive.


Recommendations:
It is WAY too grindy, even for someone that loves grindy games. It's already taxing for one playthrough, and I don't think I can slog through another even if the gains are x3. That might speak to the lack of features, that make game feel so grindy tho.

There's currently a lot of obvious "dead space", locking doors, useless rooms like the Pool and Grounds feel like empty spots even if they do go there once awhile, there is no purpose to interact there, Even the classroom lacks the "fun" factor(no naughty stuff) despite being a core mechanic.

Overall, it's pretty flashy and there's far more story but I think it lacks the "sort of soul", the characters act kinda "samey" and the ability to do naughty stuff, interactive factor that makes the Rogue-like have replayability.

Also kinda a waste allowing multiple characters on screen, but I can only bring one person around. Kinda defeats the purpose of overhauling the engine in the first place.

I think though the hard part is done, and most of these can be fixed with alittle retooling and balancing. Wish the team good luck!

I wasn't expecting much from this, so I had a very pleasant surprise.

Art gorgeous. Writing - unexpectedly decent. pacing is good - enough of a grind to make the accomplishments seem worthwhile, but not so much that I look for something else to play.

You can see the inspiration from Rogue:Like, but it manages not to feel derivative. Good job all round.

Now I just need to wait for Emma Frost to turn up

Fantastic progress on this game so far. Great characterisation, incredible art, and not too hard on the grind either. Only thing that I'd like is some improvements on the sex scene mechanics (like the ability to let the girl lead, or just automate the PC's actions).

I will admit. I like many came into this like "oh hi-rez Rouge-like..." but nah the story had me like whaaaaa. SO I LET DIS DEV COOK AND COOK THEY DID!!!!! The conflict. branching storyline, sex scenes, and Kurt makes this all the more better. I can't wait to see what else they have planned cause this is only 0.2a!

Thought I'll review this because it's a project I really like and want to succeed. So ill add my own 2 cents.

First of all, playing this I expected it to be way more of a direct "copy", with different engine and art of it's direct inspiration. I admire their decision to openly admit where they took the inspiration, however to my surprise the game doesn't feel better nor worse than it's inspiration. It actually feels like an alternative with it's own strength and weaknesses and distinct in it's own right.

It has better more well thought out character arcs for not just the main character but all the characters you meet. I really enjoy the characters progression.

The art is arguably prettier than it's inspiration, at least more graphically "beautiful" though I think they are both equally beautiful in each their way.

However, the main strength of the game is how solid the systems seem. I ran into a few bugs, but there are already waaay more clothing options in this game than it's inspiration. And in general the speed of expanding on systems and adding new things seems higher than with it's direct inspiration.

Even so there are some weaknesses for me personally compared to it's inspiration. While playing it's inspiration the H content really does it for me. However, in this game I just enjoyed the story, but never really felt truly aroused even once.

That's due to a variety of factors. Mostly the fact that the game lacks sfx during H scenes, and it lacks "long" animations.

However, it's inspiration has none of those things either, yet it does do it for me. And that's due to the systems the inspiration has in place. Since this game has focused on putting an effort into the story it still is lacking the ability to set up some kinky situations for yourself.

You can in the other game set up scenarios such as threesomes, threesomes in public, public play in general etc.

Additionally in the other game everything feels a lot kinkier because you can take characters that start out aggressive towards you, rude or cold and turn them into submissive love-dovey lovers.

In The Null Hypothesis all the content is gradually unlocked through simply increasing the love the characters feel for you / trust. It is pretty much mostly tied to romance, and not something kinkier. Furthermore, 2 out of the main 3 characters currently start out as the dom in the relationship. You can tell this as any time you let them control the situation you will gain love points with them.

I am all for content for everybody, this is entirely subjective. For me personally, I wouldn't even mind them starting out that way. However, If I could switch the relationship to the MC being the dom over time. I don't need it to be full on mind-break, I acknowledge the game doesn't want to go down that route. Would love to just have the ability to be more dom. I think this is planned though.

TLDR:
A game with an insane amount of potential. Currently it offers a more fleshed out feeling world and story than it's direct inspiration. I really enjoy the story-telling in the game. I enjoy being the MC and seeing his role in the story develop. Furthermore, the visuals are stunning, the attention to details even the menu's are truly gorgeous.

There is an insane amount of content for a first release. Try it, it's definetly worth playing and have a minimal amount of bugs.

The game has the potential to be the best of it's kind. It has gotten so far in very little time.

My personal wishlist
Sfx during H scenes. (especially moans)
The ability to influence the dynamic of our relationship with the LI's more than we currently can.
Allow for more bsdm/light-bdsm consentual and fun, doesn't have to be corrupting or mind-breaking.
Even more outfits (can never get enough) though the start here is amazing.
More variation in the dates and their dialogue.
More variation in activities you can do together and actual scenes for it, if you swim together now you don't even see it. That's a waste of lewd possibilities (or wholesome at first).
Ability to shower together in your room, just more activities.

I have a feeling a lot of my wishlist is just planned content and will come with time. If that is the case, I can't wait for where this game is going. The story-telling is already amazing, keep the character arcs and main story going. I'm hungry for more. Giving it 5 stars for the insane potential. And in it's own right, it's already better than most games.

sorry for my bad english
Ron Chon, you are the man. I can see so much effort putted to this masterpeace.
Art 4.5/5. Animation 4.5/5. Story 4.5/5. Characters 4.5/5.
If i wanted to describe this magnificent project in a few words, it would be: Rogue-like with RTX on.
I'm waiting with bated breath for the next updates.

Fantastic start! In fact, it is so great that despite it being a VERY close remake of the other game, it doesn't feel like a clone at all. Most of my issues are things that a game this early into development wouldn't have anyway. I'm giving it 5 stars out of hope for the future.

My main complaint is that January Jones, ahem, I mean... Emma Frost isn't in the game. Very much hoping for both her and Kitty Pride show up. I do think it would be nice to expand beyond the women featured in the other game. Nice to have a wide diversity of characters and body types.

Also, not sure why, but having Nightcrawler constantly pop up is giving cock-block/ntr vibes. Again, not sure why.

Glad the clothing system is included but haven't found a way to make them wear the outfits you pick out. Not saying it's not possible, just that I couldn't figure it out.

Looks like another version of Rogue-like Evolution.
But looks very interesting.
Now need a bug fix. Too many bugs in code with clothes.
And need more interactions options with girls and more options for phone.

This is pretty good. Its exactly what I want rogue-like to be.

It is a bit slower to get things going. But its overall better. Better art, better characters that are not the same in the end, better all.

Reviewing v0.2a.
100% Storyline Completion
1000 Love - 1000 Trust All LIs

When the tech demo that was v0.1 was released, I knew that this game was one to keep on my watchlist. The aspirations of the Dev team for this title were epic and it was either going to be one hell of a game or one hell of a dumpster fire. There really wasn't a way for it to be anything in between.

It is impossible to review this game without acknowledging its roots. Based on / Inspired by / whatever you want to call it - Oni's Rouge-like: Evolution. As a very addictive trainer, the plot of that game is a little thin. TNH takes that basic premise and not just develops a plot around it but expands upon it in a way that opens new possibilities.

TL;DR Version: I love it and I'm going to pick it apart because I know the Devs want feedback.

Game Play - 4.5/5

The game play still follows the same sort of daily loop as one would expect, but with a vastly improved GUI to do so. There is enough variety of activities that despite having many grindy spots at times it never feels boring. The new coupled game mechanics of trust and love are a neat balance, especially with the choice being available not to pursue a romantic relationship with any of the girls. In a perfect world there would be even more conversation choices based on these stats and their relative values, but that's asking a lot for an initial release.

The in-game tutorial is also incredibly clever. Rather than just relying on a hint box (which would still be nice in places), it is delivered as exposition by none other than Nightcrawler. The way it is delivered really gives the tutorial the feeling of Freshman Orientation instead of a tutorial level.

The biggest weakness here is the ambitious nature of the design the devs have selected. While I love the phone interface idea, getting to the different menus can be really click heavy without the payoff. Likewise, some of the other menus (such as clothing and emotional state) have entire trees of choices with related symbols but no clear explanation. You can fumble through these for the most part, but it definitely needs a little more introduction. (Kurt, get on it!)

Here I would have liked to see something akin to Calisto's chat, or at least more content on their in-universe social media Hum Hum. While this lacking isn't enough to ruin the game, it just feels like a missed opportunity for the moment.

Story - 4.9/5

Starting with the initial premise, the Devs have developed a much more rich backstory to the MC, code name "Null". While all of the background choices only make mild changes to a few conversations and the like, it is a good way to start off on a project like this. Additionally, each of the current LIs have their own background and challenges they are facing some of which only becomes revealed as you earn their love and trust to get them to open up to you.

What I love here is that each of the stories actually makes sense for the respective LIs and colors their interactions with the MC. The overarching plot, however, is a bit light. In a typical porn game this would hardly be worth mentioning, however here they actually have the seeds of a really interesting storyline.

Here I would say that the biggest weakness is that the Devs are victims of their own success. They have created a compelling story, but they haven't nearly mined it as well as they could. This is something that could be easily expanded on though and I rather suspect it was less of an oversight and more of a choice to get a strong working game out to us, the hungry masses.

Artwork 5/5

I am still not entirely sold on the art design, but I recognize this is simply because it is different from what I've been playing for so long. Everything from the background pieces to the clothing to the girls themselves is expertly rendered. There is even a feature which can be toggled which adds the comic book effect.

The clothing really stands out here. With the higher resolution image files, the devs have the ability to really expand on the available clothing options for the girls. They use this to great effect, including a number of choices ranging from casual to cute to sexy.

This lends well to the various undressing scenes where different styles of bra, for example, will be 'lifted up' differently. Its the little things like that which really elevate the art here.

The Spicy Stuff 4.8/5

Early on, its quite the slow burn. Many of the sex options are only unlocked by progressing the main storyline as well as completing the individual storylines for each girl. This only really stands out when you wind up with early makeout sessions which can go nowhere or don't allow for the possibility of both parties to finish.

The payoff is worth it though, as once the choices begin unlocking there are quite the selection available. Too many, in fact, because the organization of them is not nearly intuitive enough. This leads to situations where you are trying to do multiple things (which is a great feature) but some of them are not possible in the position you are currently in. Some of these would be obvious (you can't really lick Rogue's pussy and kiss her mouth at the same time), while others are simply limitations due to current artwork. (One option of rubbing a girl's pussy is only while standing, IIRC).

That really is the weakness here. The early release nature of this version means that some features haven't been fully fleshed out or tuned. Another example here is the remote control vibrator which is supposedly controlled by your phone - but there is never an app added to the phone for it. Yeah, not a game breaker but I'm nitpicking here.

Coding - 6/5

You are going to find bugs in a day 1 release. This is just the way it is and it isn't the fault of the Devs, who are already taking notes and working on the bug patch. However, having encountered a few of these bugs myself, I took the opportunity to peek under the hood and take a look at how the code was structured for this game.

When trying to code something this ambitious, it would have been very easy for the code to transmute itself into a giant bowl of spaghetti. Different variables assigned in different places for the same thing, convoluted functions, you name it. That simply isn't the case with TNH.

Essentially everything is coded in a clean, modular manner which makes the code significantly easier to parse and understand. The extra groundwork makes a huge difference for an in-development game because it allows for new features to be implemented with minimal effort. Clothing choices, for example, are just a handful of images and a few lines of code. Conversations, personalities, the works can all be expanded on individually without breaking the rest of the game in the process.

This is incredibly promising. First, it means that the Devs are actually taking their time and thinking through their coding choices. They are applying forward thinking which is going to help keep them from hitting major delays in future updates, or at least as many of them. And they are considering the modding community and how they might bring things to the table. I could absolutely see a Modder starting an extensive costume mod and I could see some of these resulting in a fusion where old mods become new features.

CONCLUSIONS

If you are a fan of Oni's Roguelike: Evolution, or even just the X-Men Franchise, you should check this game out. The Dev team are clearly passionate about this project and that shows.

Version: 0.2a

Okay. I hear the quantic potential crowd of people groaning because this is close to Rogue-Like : Evolution. 1) The game abundantly credits RLE. 2) While it does start with much similarity, it goes on its own story.

The +:

• I like the character's writing. Nothing feels forced and they are distinct from one another.
• The art is good. There is a large amount of customization (few bugs here and there with interacting elements such as piercing).
• Not too confusing; your quest log gives you a shopping list, you go through items A to Z, event unlocks - no secret mcguffin you need to figure out and look up on the forum after 2h of frustration.
• The pace; it's actually "slow". You have to get your relationship to level up before the girls agree to some action. (and yes, I list that as a good point compared to other game where you go from shy girl to adult movie production).

The - :

• I had to RenPy it. It-is-grindy. A lot of action gives you Love/Trust points only on the first time they succeed. When you gain such points 4 by 4 and the end goal is in the 800... Well, sometimes, just giving yourself enough point to be two encounters away from the next step is a relief.
• The kink system. Actually did not feel like it changed much. Told Jean about a dozen time that I was not into the "little sib' " thing, it keeps happening.
• Some minor bugs (such as the aforementionned item interaction) but nothing that will actually stop you from playing. Should not negatively impact the development long term. I'd dock the note to 4.5 for that, but that ain't an option.

Overall, will play again, will get the next update (insert Oliver Twist's "Please sir, can I have some more?" gif)

Version 0.2a

I feel the best way to describe The Null Hypothesis is also the worst way because while true, it doesn't nearly convey what has been done here.

The Null Hypothesis does everything its *ahem* predecessor does, but better.

The writing is better, the interpersonal dialogues and character models are better, hell the UI is straight up better. Any art style is subject to personal preference, but I personally love how detailed and expressive the characters are. The little things stood out as well. The Professor, though filling the same role, has gone from the hackneyed 1D cutout hindering force MC needs to subvert to a personality that feels like they serve an actual purpose forwarding the plot. The backdrops, usually an unimportant glossed over feature, look as if they were crafted with as much care as the character models.

I have been loosely following this project for some time. Not enough to know what to expect, but enough to be aware of milestones. Finally decided to give it a try and am so glad I did. This is only a first step, but an amazing one. Devs hit it out of the park! I cannot wait to see where this one goes, especially after reading the planned roadmap teasers.

Sincerely on behalf of my fellow degenerates, well done!

I've been watching the project for a while now and I can honestly say, the team have poured so much love and care into this that it has become something special

It has great potential to grow into an incredible game, the story and art is both fantastic. I love the loop of the gameplay and I can't wait to see what get's add in the future.

Coming out the gate with a strong release, makes me confident the future will be even stronger

Review is for 0.2a

One of those games that you give a 5/5 early and don't feel too bad for it.

It's impossible not to compare this to Rogue-like so I'll just note the differences:
There is plot, characters have personality- both things sorely missing from the predecessor. The game is overall more polished too. It lacks sexual content, to the same degree, but not in any real tangible way. It's off to a good start.

We have to note here; the plot and your relationships with the characters are spuriously connected by how much they trust you. To illustrate this- you only need to hit the stat cap in one of two stats on one and only one character to meet the relationship requirement to proceed down the story.

I also have some longevity concerns. Essentially you do one of two things: you either blitz through the story and then make all these advancements to the relationships after a year when you hit the end of content and have the extra time- or you spend all this time struggling through advancing stats with worse options (things open up as you progress the main story which help building relationships) and actually have a sembalance of what seems like pacing where roughly 1/4th of your time is spent in 1/4th of an in-game year.

This isn't the best- and it doesn't bode super well for future content where we get more girls down the line, who presumably will have to catch up to everyone else. Are they going to be accelerated somehow? Then they feel cheap, different and propped up to be a sex doll- which was the complaint Rogue-like had that we're clearly trying to be better than. Are they going to make you work for it? Then you're grinding again.

That's when you realize the illusion starts to fade- this is actually just a grindier Rogue-like with a plot that is basically just 3 events right now. And while the romances are better and progress more "naturally", they likely won't when we start getting to the part of the game oh-so-conveniently outside the scope of this current build.

There are solutions, sure. More events that reward stats with characters would go a long way to making baby steps that both flesh out characters as well as alleviate the grinding is one. Even just varying up the dates would be a (developmentally expensive) way to change as little as possible.

That said, this is a 5/5 pretty easily on what we have right now, and it probably would be a 5/5 if this game just neatly ended after the content we currently have. So while there is stuff we can criticize, I enjoyed games I gave a 5/5 to way less than this game, so the score is what it is. But the bag is certainly there to be fumbled.

Finally, this comes out. I'm so glad to be supporting the developer because this game is everything I could ask for.

I adore the interactions Null has with the other characters: be it Rogue, Laura, Jean or even your brudder from another mom Nightcrawler.

The game is paced slowly enough for you to enjoy these interactions and to get familiar with the characters and enjoy the ride.

I like this a lot.

Amazing game, amazing art and story this may have started being a rogue like clone but this game far out-surpasses rogue like evolution by leagues. And i have played both Rogue like just feels like is limping along while this game is gracefully running to the finish cant wait for the next chapters and new women.

Top Tier! Cant wait what the dev has planned! Love the optic and everything! Great Visuals, buuuuut it does really take its time to get spicy, which is okay as the story´s still good but no good for a fast one