Version Played: 0.6.5, downloaded from here
Where do I begin with Timeless Island? In short, it does have its flaws, and it's not going to be for everyone - but there is some good stuff here, if you have the patience for it, and I think if Arioh went back for a quality pass on some stuff, I could budge the rating up to a 5 - as it is, I maybe should have gone 3/5?
Characters: They're... good. I hesitate slightly, because the game does suffer slightly across the board, from a quantity over quality issue. There are a lot of characters at this point, and it feels like some uniquness is being lost. That said, there are some distinct designs, and there a few characters I really like.
Renders: Solid enough 4/5 - the actual models are alright, there' s a few questionable renders, and there's a common issue: the dude looks like they've had way less care than all of the ladies. I have to say, the "anime world" thing is kind of silly in retrospect - but while playing, it honestly fit in with the game, and it's used as a fun way to change the style of renders for some parts. Animation is so so, but I deride the quantity a bit as quality suffers - but sometimes quantity is a quality all on its own.
There are a LOT of renders in this game.
Story & Writing: The biggest thing that could be improved, is Arioh or a beta reader going through and fixing dialogue. There's potential some story inconsistencies - although the story is insane. The premise is simple, and basically an excuse to combine characters that wouldn't otherwise make sense together... but it's leaned into super hard, the story does actually rely on the premise, so it's not completely place holder/hot swapable. And there are some genuinely interesting (if predictable) story points later on. The plot... I can only describe it as entirely derailed, yet absolutely on course, at the same time.
But the dialogue... well, it's likely english isn't their first langauge, and that's what it is - I only speak one langauge, so if I'm right - they are more skilled than me there. But, the game would be more enjoyable, the english was a little more fluent. Except Aeria, the Yoda speak there really does help define her character.
The Sex: See render comments for quantity over quality. Not that the quality is bad, to the contrary, each scene has a nice amount of angles and speeds you can switch between, that part is honestly well done. Thea ctual quality of those animations does vary, some are definitely better than others. And when I say quantity, the 100+ on the front page is not a lie, or an exaggeration. I haven't actually counted, but there is a lot of content in this game.
Mechanics and Gameplay: 4/5, decent. The firestones were alright, got slightly annoying trying to find the last 1 or 2 I needed, but the guide helped. Combat is... not pointless, but close to it, it's more of a story beat than any actual gameplay.
Closing Notes & Thoughts: I really do like this game, but I think it could be better. My suggested improvements to the dev are:
1) Dialogue: a pass over all of the dialogue, would make a huge improvement on the games quality.
2) In a few places it's unlcear what you need to do - like returning the ware house with Lina, I figured that was just for sex - when it was one of the next steps for a quest.
3) The cosplay party seems like it's supposed to be a big thing - but there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of content in it.
4) A personal one that isn't actually a game changer: Kaiah is best girl, why is there only one scene for her at night in Imira's bar?
It will feel a little slap dash here, and a little low quality there - but it is in my opinion, a genuinely good play, and the amount of content on offer is nothing to sneeze at. If any of the older stuff mentioned is improved, I'm likely coming back here to add the last star.
