VN - Ren'Py - Tides of Succession [Ch.2 v0.2] [TakMycket]

Very good renders and good Li's, you can see why this game gets its inflated ratings, but a lot of annoyances too, especially in the UI

The character name plates are outright awful, barely readable and enormous compared to the tiny font so that you basically never read them, you get blind to them, like ads.

The text box constantly blinks on and off as you go between lines with a stupid transition which will make you not want to read anything already by the first conversation.

It goes on and on and on about spice, trying to rip off dune. Literally every other thing has spice in the name spice blessings and spice lights and spice essences and spical loss and spice pledge... you get it, it's a really poor writing choice.

It's very hard to get into the convoluted story both because of the ui and because all the characters are absolutely horrible

The only thing even close to adult here are two long kissing animations

Pretty early on but so far flawless visuals, engaging and unique story, and good writing. The LIs are interesting and varied in their personalities. There isn't a whole lot of content, but I'm excited to see where this leads

A wonderfully written game that is focused on romance over lewd scenes. The three main love interests are hard to choose from and each have unique qualities. The story itself is interesting and while not every choice has a huge impact there are definitely some that will significantly change how the story progresses. Can't wait to see what the dev has in store for us in the future.

VERSION: CH.2 v0.2
SUMMARY: Fairly decent VN with interesting story, focused on romance more than adult content.
RATINGS: (out of 5):

1. Models: 4
2. Animations: 4
3. General Visuals: 4
4. Characters: 4
5. Story: 4
6. Writing: 4
7. UI & Gameplay: 3
8. Content (amount): 3
9. Sound & Music: 3
10. Fetish & kinks: 2

Average: 35 of 50 possible points giving a 70% rating i.e. 3-4 stars.

PROS:

1. Good looking models, realistic, at least with regards to complexion, none of these flawless clear skin characters often seen today.
2. Writing is decent not terribly sophisticated but reads well and grammatically structured fine.
3. Story seems interesting enough and characters have some background that make them at least somewhat intriguing.
4. Dialogue is also not a long winded as many games of the same genre are, while dialogue is important to provide context, setting and clarity to the reader, often too much is spouted, in this case it seems like a good balance.
5. Amount of content is decent but not in terms of any lewd content.

CONS:

1. MC also looks good, bit of a boy toy though which I do not particularly like. Also sailors tend to look a bit rougher, more tanned from sunburn on the water and more scruff from hardly shaving, the MC's looks don't fit.
2. No ambient or lewd scene sounds
3. Aesthetically incorrect, at least if the 1600s are what the developer was going for.
4. Nothing out of the ordinary with the interface, there is no tracking on progress or status. The opacity bar is good and well, but the font colour is bad and often too light, being able to adjust this would be nice.
5. Limitations on choices (based on walkthrough). See comments below
6. Transitions from one render to another often feel like teleportation, the character will stand there and the next moment the scene is left but character gone, this is to simulate movement, but its stupid, just go to the next render/frame or put another frame in that suggests movement.
7. Bit on the boring side in terms of adult content, much more focused on the story and romance side of things, which has its own appeal but I believe is a bit niche and not something I subscribe a much to.
8. Unable to skip cinematic or speed them up, annoying especially when you reload to change a choice and want to get to the relevant section.

FINAL THOUGHTS & SUGGESTIONS:

• Leather jackets that look like modern time jackets? Ok...can let that slide, shave hair on MC that lets him look like a frat boy? Could they really shave hair like that in the 1600s? Ok...
• The king looks no older than his daughter, are people long lived in this world? Sorry but a king with a daughter that old should look older, like some older, wizened and mature man. Not to mention the king looks like a modern day frat boy too? WTF developer, you'd actually have done better giving the guys no hair or woman's hair more than these hairstyles...
• Zelene and the Princess share the exact same model, face anyway this is just laziness in terms of making unique characters, unless I have stumbled upon her being the twin of the princess? Key characters should always have their own assets, looks and personality, use generic for the rabble and "filler" characters that you see in the background.
• Just my own little comment/gripe on the choosing of "spice" in this game. To me its a little too close to spice that is the focal point of Dune, which is a ongoing movie with its latest interaction, but the Frank Herbert books have been around for ages. I would thus have picked another word to describe this part/essence that resides in characters from this world, maybe anima, ruach. All words that mean soul really, or even something like glimmer/shimmer? Just my 2c
• Another gripe, mentioned before but just emphasizing again, is the age discrepancies, while I know marriages were early in those days, the "Lord Cromwell" and his wife...i mean she looks like a mature if not granny and he, he looks like a young man, practically the MC's age. Whats with this?
• While I do appreciate replay value, I do find it odd that all paths don't have for e.g., pregnancy, at least if the walkthrough is any indicator. Furthermore, I would have liked it, if the player could "court" and thus screw around up until it boils down to he has to make a choice between LIs. This game severely limits you and thus you need to replay most of it to see the other options.
• Based also on the nature, setting and style the developer has opted for in this game, pregnancy, as a fetish/kink is the only kink you most likely can expect, the VN has a serious tone to it, which is emphasized by the monogamous relationships enforced as the norm. That is also again why its unfortunate that pregnancy is not set for all the LI's (based on walkthrough)
• While the whole "spice pledge" gives a unique perspective, how does a pledge "know" you lying or not, I mean you could believe what you saying even if its not true, you could also technically term something one way but mean another, you could also possible feel that you technically did or didn't commit to the pledge and accidentally die...not sure if im getting it or how it would really practically work. I get the idea of it, but wonder as to the implementation.
• This game seems like a decent VN with romance being its core theme, while the game feels relatively good, there are items as mentioned above that make it more of a "filler" game for me when my favourites are outdated. Still good work overall.
• Here is a fair amount of content, but again, nothing much on the adult side of things and it does get a little boring a ways in. What the walkthrough does not show or say (unless I missed that) is that you are not immediately locked out on a particular path, so maybe there will be a little "Action" until you come to a critical juncture. That said, the elf does get locked out from her love path within current content. In my opinion, this game would be best played once its done, as right now you will need to play all paths to get the most content, which is really not ideal.

Excellent game! I like that everything is going slowly but surely. That it's not just a meeting and you get down to "things". The romances are starting nicely, and the possibility of several paths is satisfying. I like the beautiful wordplay between the characters and the work with facial expressions. I like it so much that I had to start supporting it And that doesn't happen very often So I wish the creator good luck and the players a pleasant time

4.8 rating by 18 reviews? Must be awesome.
People here having such a low standard wow. The game is not bad but it is way to overrated. You have some really good pictures but also weird looking ones. But all of them are a bit to dark. The writing is fine but in general the game feels so slow and dragged on. It's a good game but not even close to that 4.8 rating. For me it's 3.5 stars but since the lack of adult content just 3 stars.
But I am still curious how the game will turn out in the future. So I will check it again at the end of this year.

I find this game pretty extremely overrated for what it is. A cocktease with slightly better than average writing, but good renders.

I'll get this out of the way, the renders are great. The models for LIs are great. The game gets most of its pros from that alone.

But the vast praise this game gets for its storytelling is undeserved. People on F95 are so starved for decent stories that even the slightest effort makes people go crazy here. It has competent dialogue (for a porn VN) but the worldbuilding is overhanded, the characters are often introduced and take pivot of the story instantly, yet some supposedly very important characters fuck off in an instant. People in general are just rather underdeveloped depsite the fact that 95 percent of the effort for this game is going into storytelling.

You have only 2 kiss scenes despite a rather long playtime as the game stands. There is a ton of lines, and yet things develop at a snailpace, often playing this idiotic game of 1 step forward, 2 steps back. Sometimes the game needs to move things forward so everyone becomes a robot and super cynical to get emotionally difficult topics done in an instant. It's so dumb. It's just so inconsistent.

I'm not impressed. The promised branching of the story as it stands seems rather minimal, all designed to converge or have minimal scene/line differences, but it is only version 0.2 as it stands so maybe that one particular thing will get better.

I'd say there are better ways to spend your time. If you don't want porn there are MUCH better stories out there. If you want porn, there isn't any and the dev isn't interested in making it.

Beyond the great renders and story, this deserves a 5 for the dev making the great choice of limiting the LI's to a manageable 3, which means that you don't get a bunch of updates without your favorite while 20 other LIs get epic tales. This game really shows what good planning and can get you.

this VN presents a unique and intriguing experience in the visual novel scenes. with its rare choice of a pirate-themed setting, this game offers something fresh. and what makes this VN stand out is its intricate storytelling and the choices that significantly impacts the plot, characters, and their reactions to the protagonist. the longer you play, the more invested you become, eager to explore every possible route and narrative branch.

Pros
1. Complex and Interactive Storytelling
one of the strongest aspects of this VN is its well-crafted narrative and impactful choices. players must think carefully before making decisions, as each choice can alter the storyline and even influence relationships between characters.

2. Detailed Renders and Expressive Characters
the Developer has paid close attention to small details, particularly in character expressions. the level of realism in facial expressions enhances immersion, making interactions with characters feel more engaging. not all VNs manage to achieve this level of detail.

3. Proportional and Authentic Character Design
i do think many VNs tend to feature exaggerated character proportions, which can sometimes feel unrealistic and make players having no desire to play it more (atleast for me). however, this VN successfully portrays characters in a more natural and fitting manner.

4. Well-Suited Background Music
the soundtrack does a good job of setting the atmosphere. however, incorporating additional tracks that align with the game’s historical setting and provide a stronger background music for key moments could further enhance the experience.

Cons
1. The Complexity of the Story May Be Overwhelming
while the intricate narrative is a highlight, the sheer number of story branches and choices could feel overwhelming for the Dev. if not handled carefully, this complexity might also pose a challenge for the Developer in maintaining a cohesive storyline.

2. Risk of Development Being Abandoned
like many ambitious VNs, there is always the concern that the Dev may struggle to keep up with the scope of the project, potentially leading to its abandonment. it would be a shame for such a promising VN to remain unfinished.


i think ToS is worth keeping an eye on. with the game's storytelling, meaningful choices, well-designed renders, and impressive attention to detail, i believe it has the potential to become one of the best Visual Novel, provided the developer continues its development to completion

I think the writing is successful in drawing you in for more. You really don't know who to trust as the story keeps evolving with characters scheming & shifting loyalties. I think the depth of the characters and their interests are the strength of this game.

The lore seems to be extensive although a bit difficult to understand initially with how the spice stuff works and how the races/factions/etc interact with one another. I'm glad the game presents you with a codex to keep track of things.

Some plotpoints might not seem to make sense, I really dont get why a king would want his daughter to marry a son of a pirate whom they supposedly despise. I guess they believe the crew to be strong enough to warrant an alliance despite their dislike for pirates? But they just got easily wiped out by that other Kraken crew. And the leader seems kinda useless without spice. I also dont get why would anyone accept a stranger and recent enemy (Glade) to be second in command? I guess its just main LI plot armor and the story requires these things to happen somehow.

He seems to like rendering a variety of different facial expressions for the same pose and render. I don't think think I've ever seen a dev place this much emphasis on it. It does convey a character's thoughts without words and the need of an entire new render. Its a interesting style.

I very much like that choices matter and your decisions can influence certain characters and how the story plays out. As the game expands and the variables get more complicated to handle, I'd like to see how the game deals with that as many devs abandon substantial branching when they realize how difficult coding many variables in renpy can get.

We've seen a lot of games in this site where the women just have big asses, big tits, shit tonnes of makeup (yes even a poor peasant girl living in feudal europe has kylie jenner levels of makeup) and zero braincells. I'm glad to see thats not the case here. They look pretty and normal for the period. MC doesnt have to do the thinking for them and they have their own personalities and goals.

It seems this will be a very solid visual novel (If it isn't abandoned). The pirates of the caribbean theme is unique and gets you hooked quickly.

Pros:

1) Great renders
2) Great writing. Plot seems to be heading somewhere.
3) Pretty girls with personalities and backstories
4) Believable characters and relationship building
5) MC isn't a fresh 18yo creep

Cons:

1) Personal con but the giirls lack some meat on their bones. Guess piracy doesn't feed.
2) Maybe I missed it or something but needs some period-appropriate immersive music.

Overall an excellent first release. Good luck to the devs.

This VN is absolutely amazing. The renders are beautiful. The story and worldbuilding are top notch. The music is also very well done... I found myself admiring how the music fit the situations. The choices feel very heavy and meaningful. I really hope the creator sees this one though... Thank you very much for making these characters come to life.

Review written at CH. 1.5 release

If youre looking for something that has good graphic, good writting, intriguing plot, please to look at character design, and do not throwing meaningless sex scene here and there, this is your perfect choice.

For a 0.1 release, the game already shows a lot of promise. The visuals are polished and stylish, with a clear artistic direction that stands out even at this early stage. The writing is clever and engaging, hinting at a deeper narrative while keeping things light and entertaining. As for the characters, they’re definitely eye-catching—well-designed with just enough personality to make you want to learn more about them. There’s still room for improvement, but it’s a strong start that makes it easy to get excited about where this game could go.

I don't usually rate first chapters/prologues/intros, but this is one of the few exceptions. This is definitely my kind of story and it hooked me from the very prologue.

The lore: Kings and princesses, pirates, medieval setting, but with a large share of a fantasy world with its own analogues of elves, magic, mana and other fantasy bells and whistles. It seems familiar and at the same time a unique world that is interesting to explore as the plot develops.

The plot: Fantasy adventure, sword and sorcery, mystery, heavy emphasis on romance. I highly recommend reading the FAQ in the OP to avoid getting the wrong expectations. I enjoyed the plot so far.

The characters: Well developed, with distinct personalities and backstories. Many aspects of their personal biographies are unclear or intentionally left vague. However, they have their own attitudes, habits, temperaments, and even facial expressions. Very well done.

The graphics: Simply superb. I have seen only a few games of this level of grahics. The girls are looking very attractive to me. The author especially emphasizes that this AVN focuses on the visual aspect of the storytelling, and it really works great, since the feelings, emotions and thoughts of the characters are very often conveyed through smirks, quick smiles that the characters immediately hide, eye expressions, head tilts and other small visual details that convey the essence of what is happening very accurately. I love this.

The lewds: Haven't found it yet. Again, read the FAQ, there's detailed information on this issue. It's not important to me, I don't expect much attention to this aspect in story-driven games, but it's always better to know in advance.

Overall, kudos to the author! Without a doubt, I give it five stars and looking forward to the next episode.

Tides of succession [ch.1 v0.1]

If you love playing story centric games you should definitely try this. There's only 3 main love interest and no you can't romance or sexualize side girls. For more info read FAQ. This may be a big turn off for many but for me this one's a plus. Nice visuals too.

+ Visuals
+ Story centric
+ Slow burn
+ Girls with unique personalities
+ Few love interest
+ Romance
+ Pirate theme

Glad to see he's planning a trilogy. Really wish this one stays here cause I enjoyed his first game ' spice pirates' too ( he put it onhold and now he's working on this. This one's also good. I'm glad this one's also pirate themed ).

Keep up the good work dev, looking forward to next updates

I think this is an extremely promising start, although I am worried about future updates, considering how much work branching choices have on the developers, that being said.

This game is great, the models are great, the story is great, the MC can be noble or a bit of an asshole, and the women are all beautiful. It is hard to say who my favorite potential love interest is yet, so I can't wait to see future updates.

Fresh story. Fresh concept. Fresh ass renders. Fresh ass background music. I was not expecting a story this damn good in the pirate genre. The whole 'spice' life force deal is such a unique and well thought out concept. I can't wait to see more of this!

Absolutely fantastic in every way that matters. The plot is exceptionally original and I found myself completely captivated by it immediately. Every character in the story has a unique character and they actually act in accordance with it.... which I unfortunately cannot say is true in the majority of VN's.
The graphics are, in my opinion at least, are simply amazing and as good as I have seen in any VN .
Very much looking forward to the next instalment.

It's a great start, and it feels fresh since monogamy games without NTR aren't common around here. The narrative also seems solid, the characters are interesting, and the pirate adventure theme is always a classic that never goes out of style. Now, we just have to see how the author develops everything.