This review is of a work-in-progress and is current as of the 0.6 release. As such, it may not reflect the most recent changes.
The story begins with a couple wanting to expand their already wonderful sex life by adding a third person. That means it involves sharing. Not sure why this upsets some people as it is clearly explained in the teaser and in the game. A loving couple with a successful sex life and the desire to be adventurous. No horrible explanation of how the boyfriend can't perform or satisfy his love, no limp dick or small dick assholes — Just a fun MFM Fuckfest while camping. Later in the game, the focus becomes more dependent on BDSM. Discipline, power, and control (BDSM) are the main themes. With the added ability to favor anal or spanking fetishes; or keep it neutral (choosing a path takes it to the extreme). Despite choosing an alternate path, it is important to know that this game relies heavily on the discipline aspects of BDSM — perhaps too much. The first part of the story is a typical visual novel style and then becomes a free-roam sandbox.
Beautifully Rendered
The game heavily relies on the rule of show, don't tell to great effect and detail. The images show a story and fill in the necessary details. Renders and camera angles are well planned and executed. Excellent depth of field and very good lighting. It is obvious that each render was planned, posed, and created with every detail in mind. Concentrating the focus of the scene on the female, while telling a visually pleasing story is a highlight of this visual novel. In particular, I enjoy the night scenes! Well done!
All the characters are rendered in detail, focusing on more realistic proportions and anatomy, like hair in the right places. It is nice to see that not everyone looks like a Ken and Barbie doll. And that the men are not hung like cockzilla. The use of vellus hair, pubic hair, and other body hair (just the right amount) is nice and a unique departure from most visual novels.
Sex scenes are excellent. A nice mixture of still images, partial, and full animations. The length of the scenes also seems appropriate. Their timing and spacing help the VN feel more realistic and well-rounded. Meaning you do not have to wait too long before the first and in between each sex scene.
Mature, Balanced Content
The dialogue is thankfully mature and adult in nature; typical of what should be expected in younger to middle-aged adults. The conversation flows and tells a captivating story. Again, the intentional and planned aspect of the dialogue supports the strong visuals creating a well-balanced, mature, visual novel. While the text is understandable and has mostly correct grammar, there are minor problems with spelling and usage. Nothing that will lead to misunderstanding or complete gibberish.
The dialog boxes make it easy to understand who is speaking and who is making a decision. A common complaint heard in the forums, and I have to agree here, is that the dialog boxes are large and intrusive. The box takes up the majority of the screen and the image blurs in the background. While it is nice to see the different implementations of the dialog box and choice screen, it would be preferable to have smaller, less opaque, and less obtrusive boxes. As it stands, they are a bit jarring at first. They do interrupt the flow and immersion.
Original Minigames
Minigames take on a new and interesting role in this game. Ordinarily, I refuse to engage in minigames. In most games, the minigames seem to have no logical connection to the current task. (Not to mention these games can be an unwelcome interruption during key scenes.) However, these games are quite intuitive, responsive, and, most importantly, contribute to the scene in a fun and imaginative manner. Although it is nice to have the option to skip each minigame, they do play into aspects like how much enjoyment the characters get from the sex act. If you successfully complete the minigame with the correct timing, it corresponds to a climax or heightened pleasure and the dialogue reflects this performance. Sometimes, it is fun to not achieve the best outcome just to see how the character responds.
The choice to dirty talk during sex, change speed, position, and even camera angle contribute to how the scene plays out and the enjoyment, comfort, and climax (or not) of the onscreen characters. I have never seen this level of integration executed so well. And it is fun!
And then...the Free-Roam begins...
The negatives in this game mostly lie squarely in the boring, tedious chores of the free-roam. Hours must be spent raising multiple stats by completing monotonous tasks. The silver lining is that sex scenes are attached to many of the stat-grinding tasks. Even then, the tasks get old fast. While it is clear that a level of indoctrination is occurring during this time, a simple cut scene explaining the passage of time would suffice. Users' frustrations will be in trying to figure out what hidden key will move the game forward. The most recent patch has significantly improved the hint system and the overall interface during free roam. This section is the only weak part of the game.
Overall (TL;DR): 4.5 Stars
The game is beautiful and sexy throughout. Sex scenes are fresh and hot. The minigames are skippable but fun to play and rewarded with great sex and dialog. The free-roam tasks are tedious, painful, and boring. So much so that the user will skip the monotonous sex scenes! The difference between the first and second parts of the game feels like two completely different games. Discipline and anal sex are the main themes with other (mostly) skippable or avoidable fetishes. Calling a woman "doll" is not classy. I could've played the first half and called it a 5-star short game with great replayability. Ultimately, the endgame will determine the success of this work-in-progress.
