Recommending TonyMurray's Favourite Games and Favourite Girls

[Lagunavii]

A friend said “bobblehead” and I was onboard immediately as it’s a perfect description…

Hmmmmm, this seems familiar.

In all honesty, I've been waiting for this one since you told me you were finished with your runs. Great review. Whole heartedly agree with a lot of it!

 

[TonyMurray]

Mastering the Pink Box by Studio 68 Games!

This is a bit of a weird one for me, because it feels like it skips story in favour of sex scenes, although there actually is a story beneath it. I do wish there was a bit more focus on some elements of the story however, and that other elements were a bit more consistent. One of the early scenes involves an app that appears to give points for completing a task (in this example, giving a stranger a blowjob). I thought then that the app was The Pink Box, and it would be a game something like Fetish Locator. Neither of those initial thoughts appear to be correct, and I’ve yet to see or hear of this app again.

There is definitely an element of jumping into sex scenes out of nowhere, sometimes literally, and it seems to be something that everyone is aware of, perhaps everyone does, and no one seems to care about. To that end, it feels a bit like the player choices don’t matter much – it’s just a case of whether you open a path to a sex scene (potentially plural) or not, but no apparent consequences.

The graphics are good but not special, and the girls are a similar mix. There are a couple of really nice LIs and a fair few actually that could challenge for one of the highest spots in my list, but there are also a good number that don’t work as well for me. These may be easy to spot, as many (but not all of them) have unconventional-coloured hair! There are a couple of pink- or blue-haired girls who do look good though, just to balance that scale.

Some quick notes in terms of that story I mentioned: the start is a bit weird, and with parents being killed off I expected the usual “shipped off to live with a hot aunt or other landlady” situation, but that didn’t happen. I hate, but can thankfully ignore, the overused “brotato/broseph/brocules/etc.” talk – I just find it incredibly cringy. One of the last scenes I played (in v0.08) was really sad, seeing how Colleen ended up. As someone who self-inserts to a degree when playing these games, I just wanted to go to her and apologise for my part in it, as I felt a bit abused on her behalf, even if it was all consensual (or reluctantly agreed after coercion, perhaps).

The last story element I didn’t like so much was regarding Devon. I think she’s really pretty, has a great personality (from what you can gather), and the way I read it, everything points to her being the “end girl” for the MC. While every other girl is spreading her legs (or ass) without much introduction, Devon is your typical shy virgin, not even able to ask MC out for a proper date, and MC is left oblivious to the attraction, even if it is blatantly obvious to the player. The problem is, Devon is shown through conversation (and photos) to be anything but a shy virgin, so what we learn of her and what we see of her seem a bit at odds with each other. It doesn’t quite work out for me, but hopefully it’s just a clumsy (IMO) attempt at a slow-burn, and there are signs of progress towards the end of the last update, at least.

 

[yoyojrt]

Mastering the Pink Box by Studio 68 Games!

This is a bit of a weird one for me, because it feels like it skips story in favour of sex scenes, although there actually is a story beneath it. I do wish there was a bit more focus on some elements of the story however, and that other elements were a bit more consistent. One of the early scenes involves an app that appears to give points for completing a task (in this example, giving a stranger a blowjob). I thought then that the app was The Pink Box, and it would be a game something like Fetish Locator. Neither of those initial thoughts appear to be correct, and I’ve yet to see or hear of this app again.

There is definitely an element of jumping into sex scenes out of nowhere, sometimes literally, and it seems to be something that everyone is aware of, perhaps everyone does, and no one seems to care about. To that end, it feels a bit like the player choices don’t matter much – it’s just a case of whether you open a path to a sex scene (potentially plural) or not, but no apparent consequences.

The graphics are good but not special, and the girls are a similar mix. There are a couple of really nice LIs and a fair few actually that could challenge for one of the highest spots in my list, but there are also a good number that don’t work as well for me. These may be easy to spot, as many (but not all of them) have unconventional-coloured hair! There are a couple of pink- or blue-haired girls who do look good though, just to balance that scale.

Some quick notes in terms of that story I mentioned: the start is a bit weird, and with parents being killed off I expected the usual “shipped off to live with a hot aunt or other landlady” situation, but that didn’t happen. I hate, but can thankfully ignore, the overused “brotato/broseph/brocules/etc.” talk – I just find it incredibly cringy. One of the last scenes I played (in v0.08) was really sad, seeing how Colleen ended up. As someone who self-inserts to a degree when playing these games, I just wanted to go to her and apologise for my part in it, as I felt a bit abused on her behalf, even if it was all consensual (or reluctantly agreed after coercion, perhaps).

The last story element I didn’t like so much was regarding Devon. I think she’s really pretty, has a great personality (from what you can gather), and the way I read it, everything points to her being the “end girl” for the MC. While every other girl is spreading her legs (or ass) without much introduction, Devon is your typical shy virgin, not even able to ask MC out for a proper date, and MC is left oblivious to the attraction, even if it is blatantly obvious to the player. The problem is, Devon is shown through conversation (and photos) to be anything but a shy virgin, so what we learn of her and what we see of her seem a bit at odds with each other. It doesn’t quite work out for me, but hopefully it’s just a clumsy (IMO) attempt at a slow-burn, and there are signs of progress towards the end of the last update, at least.
View attachment 4422256

I thought the game was pretty fun, nice LI's. However, i did have one issue with the game; after unlocking the gallery, I realized that I had missed about 50% of the content.

 

[TonyMurray]

I thought the game was pretty fun, nice LI's. However, i did have one issue with the game; after unlocking the gallery, I realized that I had missed about 50% of the content.

Well, for some games, you have to accept that as a possibility. I don't think this one is too bad for it, I missed I think two scenes and I understand that there's a bit of lock out on those (three scenes all happen at around the same time, and you can get two on the same playthrough, but not all three - I only got one). I don't think I missed any others, but I can't recall - except for some variants with sharing Misty and then the show with Colleen, that is.

 

[yoyojrt]

Well, for some games, you have to accept that as a possibility. I don't think this one is too bad for it, I missed I think two scenes and I understand that there's a bit of lock out on those (three scenes all happen at around the same time, and you can get two on the same playthrough, but not all three - I only got one). I don't think I missed any others, but I can't recall - except for some variants with sharing Misty and then the show with Colleen, that is.

Oh, I’m looking at the walkthrough now, and I see that I missed day 7 and 8. Even though I'm playing the latest update, it's strange that my game ends on day 6...

 

[MiltonPowers]

Oh, I’m looking at the walkthrough now, and I see that I missed day 7 and 8. Even though I'm playing the latest update, it's strange that my game ends on day 6...

Using a mod that hasn't been updated??

 

[yoyojrt]

Using a mod that hasn't been updated??

Oh, I see that the walkthrough mod was never updated. That must be the problem then. Thank you!

 

[MiltonPowers]

Oh, I see that the walkthrough mod was never updated. That must be the problem then. Thank you!

Yeah, WT Mods will always cut you off at the end of their update even if the game has been updated.

 

[TonyMurray]

Her Desire by Wack Daddy

This is a very sexy game. It’s not really one for the story, which might seem a bit odd considering I like it a lot and that’s one of the key things I look for in a good game. Here though, the story is the sex, pretty much. The title is Her Desire, and the game is a journey through the new experiences the FMC has. What story we do get then, is basically the little we need in order to open up those new experiences and to take us from one to the next.

The graphics in here are pretty good, although I noticed in some of the early scenes there was a lot of noise in the renders, which is not a technique I’m personally a fan of – I just don’t see what it adds to these sorts of images. Thankfully for me, that soon changed and most of the rest of the game was spotless (no pun intended). A good group of the girls are really nice too, and although there are a few young girls who get scenes, none of them feel too young, which is a line too many devs just about miss. I can see each of these as young eighteen-year-olds without any difficulty.

The animations are not great, but they are present. Most of them feel like just a couple of frames quickly alternating, which starts to look a bit odd if it goes on for too long. Other than that though, the lewds themselves are pretty good. There’s a good variety, and through the choices you get, you can have just straight or just lesbian scenes, but can also choose both without compromising any of the story. Unless you have a particular aversion to either sexuality in your games, I would say the best choice is to go with both, as there’s a good amount of content for each.

I think the only downside to restricting yourself to just straight or specifically to just lesbian is that there might be a couple of path lock-outs from doing so. I had to go back to quickly check this, but so far, making lesbian-only choices looks to lock you out of Monica’s path, and also prevents a couple of group sex scenes (and although there is no girl-girl interaction in these, it could potentially lead to something in future updates that would be missed, with Victoria, for instance). There are, however, a couple of threesome options that are not locked out, so choosing to turn down those threesome paths to avoid the male could potentially lock out future content from the other woman as well (in Mrs. Wilson’s case, at least).

I think the only story aspect that I disliked was the ease of getting into some of the situations. There are some thoughts about the taboo and they generally turn to the excitement rather than the wrongness side of it, and that’s fine. However there doesn’t appear to be much thought given to hiding the taboo relationship in front of Felix and Monica, for instance. Having the best friend’s husband try to kiss you came out of nowhere for me, despite the previous drunken night (where nothing happened that would lead to that, for me), and I note from the gallery that this opens up a cheating path. I also didn’t like any of the possible teacher scenes (not including Coach Sara) for the way they came up without warning. The one involving blackmail was quite obvious, but too quick, and I noped out of it on grounds of principle.

Overall, I quite like the characters and models here, and the small-scale story works for the premise and the scenes we get, so it’s a game that I can see myself continuing to enjoy for some time.

 

[TonyMurray]

A Perfect Marriage by Mr. Palmer

This game turned out not to be what I was expecting. At all. And I really like it what I got instead. Phrases in the description like “jealousy and treachery,” “put their marriage to the test,” and “you will influence their fate,” made me think I’d be playing a standard cheating/NTR game, but it’s not that at all, even if both are present.

Rather than one or both being unfaithful, this is all about someone else making it seem that way, in order to break apart the marriage. I really like this angle, and although none of what happens is intricate or mind-blowing, I think it’s done really well with the way the story is told, and makes it an intriguing plot.

There are three parts to the game, Part One is from the husband’s POV and you get some choices to shape his path (in particular his confidence). Part Two is the same time period (about a week) from the wife’s POV. Some of this you can’t change, because the choices have already been made on the husband’s path, but you do get some options to additionally shape the wife’s path (in particular her naughtiness). You can also choose to skip some exchanges (usually SMS messages) that you have already seen, although playing them will give you additional thoughts from the wife.

Then Part Three is the continuation of the game, the ongoing section after those two initial set-up parts. You see this from both perspectives, and as with the first two parts, some other character perspectives are used as well. In here, you get more choice as to what happens, although your earlier choices may define some of those options for you.

I really enjoyed the story of it, and just how brutally savage some of it is. I thought it was a really good idea and well-handled. I also like how you can mostly stop some of the advances made on Anna (the wife), so if, like me, you don’t like some of the male characters, you can effectively close their paths down early on. That might not stop them from perving over Anna, like everyone seems to do, but it does at least stop things from going too far.

I did find that the number of men after Anna was a bit too much – yes, she is gorgeous, but I just figure most of it would be in the heads of the men, not actually out in the open. Even with everything going on, Anna doesn’t seem to find it too much though, beyond some eye rolling and the occasional comment.

There aren’t really any female characters of note. You have Anna of course, as the main character, and then Kendra and Alexia, whose relationships I won’t spoil, but that’s about it. The models of the latter two are good (although Kendra could do with smiling more), but I think Anna’s is fantastic, and at least suits the character, as someone who is actively lusted over by so many.

A last note that I almost forgot - this is a slow burn, at least at first. There aren't too many sex scenes, but they definitely start to increase as you get deeper into the game (choices dependent, of course).

*Edit: Somehow missed the name change on Anna's card, now corrected!

 

[TonyMurray]

Not Going Back by Cicada

This game feels a bit of an anomaly for me. It’s like a standard frat-boy college game, but at the same time, it’s a bit of a slow burn. Not just in terms of lewds (of which there are a few, but not many) but in terms of the general story. I didn’t really feel I was getting anywhere as I played it, there was no real direction. There are two chapters so far, Chapter One is meeting everyone and settling in, and Chapter Two is pledging to the frat and completing Sauna Week (my terminology – it’s like Hell Week, but really toned down). But I just didn’t feel like there was an ongoing story that has been introduced so far. That might seem a bit harsh, as there are some little bits here and there, but nothing that I would say is driving the game forwards at the moment.

“Sauna Week” is pretty much a non-event. There are about half a dozen tasks, for which you get a couple of choices and everything else is pre-ordained. The only two tasks that have some worth are “getting girls to send you nude pics” and “having sex with a sorority member”. The first is a combination of asking girls you know and them just messaging you offering their help (or in one case, it’s a pledge task for her to send a nude to someone) and then not even having to say if you got any or how many. The other task is basically the same, you have sex with someone (I think there are a couple of different options, one of whom had already said she would help you with any (“and I mean ANY”) of your tasks) and you get this verified by someone contacting her to back you up, but no one else even appears to say they succeeded or failed at the task. It was all a bit underwhelming.

Anyway, story aside, I actually wanted this to do something. I kept playing to the end of the current update in the hope that something would kickstart the story because it looked good and there were some decent LI options. Some of the renders look a bit basic, with slightly blocky curves, or the standard clothing that moulds a bit imperfectly to a woman’s breasts instead of hanging naturally, but otherwise it’s mostly a decent-looking game. Apart from the MC, IMO. To be honest, a lot of the guys in the game look decent enough, bearing in mind the focus of the asset generators is always on the girls, but to me, the MC here is one of the poorer models.

Overall though, there just wasn’t anything here for me. It kept missing the opportunity to do something, and it also felt like it was following another game a bit too closely. You have some staples of the genre here that no one game owns, but then you also have some things that are just too similar to elements we’ve already seen.

 

[cicadaNGB]

Not Going Back by Cicada

This game feels a bit of an anomaly for me. It’s like a standard frat-boy college game, but at the same time, it’s a bit of a slow burn. Not just in terms of lewds (of which there are a few, but not many) but in terms of the general story. I didn’t really feel I was getting anywhere as I played it, there was no real direction. There are two chapters so far, Chapter One is meeting everyone and settling in, and Chapter Two is pledging to the frat and completing Sauna Week (my terminology – it’s like Hell Week, but really toned down). But I just didn’t feel like there was an ongoing story that has been introduced so far. That might seem a bit harsh, as there are some little bits here and there, but nothing that I would say is driving the game forwards at the moment.

“Sauna Week” is pretty much a non-event. There are about half a dozen tasks, for which you get a couple of choices and everything else is pre-ordained. The only two tasks that have some worth are “getting girls to send you nude pics” and “having sex with a sorority member”. The first is a combination of asking girls you know and them just messaging you offering their help (or in one case, it’s a pledge task for her to send a nude to someone) and then not even having to say if you got any or how many. The other task is basically the same, you have sex with someone (I think there are a couple of different options, one of whom had already said she would help you with any (“and I mean ANY”) of your tasks) and you get this verified by someone contacting her to back you up, but no one else even appears to say they succeeded or failed at the task. It was all a bit underwhelming.

Anyway, story aside, I actually wanted this to do something. I kept playing to the end of the current update in the hope that something would kickstart the story because it looked good and there were some decent LI options. Some of the renders look a bit basic, with slightly blocky curves, or the standard clothing that moulds a bit imperfectly to a woman’s breasts instead of hanging naturally, but otherwise it’s mostly a decent-looking game. Apart from the MC, IMO. To be honest, a lot of the guys in the game look decent enough, bearing in mind the focus of the asset generators is always on the girls, but to me, the MC here is one of the poorer models.

Overall though, there just wasn’t anything here for me. It kept missing the opportunity to do something, and it also felt like it was following another game a bit too closely. You have some staples of the genre here that no one game owns, but then you also have some things that are just too similar to elements we’ve already seen.
View attachment 4444457

Hello! I hope you don't mind me popping in here with a reply to your review [sidenote: I've just finished the whole reply, and it goes on a bit. So apologies for that, I hope this is okay with you]. I always feel compelled to respond, give some perspective from my side etc., when people take the time to write about my project, especially when it's clear a lot of thought had gone into the review.

Let me start by saying everything in your review is absolutely valid, and I completely get your perspective of things. Honestly? That was, in part, deliberate. (Did I mean for it to be underwhelming? No. But the slow burn is for a reason.) The lack of direction, to a point, is also for a reason. The first two chapters are very introductory, establishing the setting and characters. Your point about there not being an ongoing story yet? You're correct. The main story hasn't been introduced yet. It's been hinted at, and a lot of side stories have been established, but the crux of the game? Yeah, not there yet. At the moment it's supposed to feel like a slower, day-in-day-out, not a whole lot happening beyond the conversations with the characters. It's a shame that what is there isn't enough to engage or intrigue you particularly so far, but I understand that perspective, you're not the first person with similar critique.

All the criticisms of the pledge week are valid. I could point at everything there and explain why it's there, but as things stand everything you've said is true and fair. I spend a fair amount of time thinking about ways to make it more engaging, had a few ideas I scrapped in favor of a more succinct version of things, moreso for the sake of expediting the process really, just keeping the necessary in there. So calling it underwhelming is valid. I'd hoped it wouldn't be, but I can see why it is.

On the visual side of things, I already look back, particularly at ch1 and notice that a lot has aged poorly even just compared to me standards now, which are by no means great. But I'm not in the business of reworking anything before I've got the actual story out there. That's always the priority for me. But that is another common concern about the game, the early visuals in particular, which again is fair because I just wasn't that good two and a half years ago when they were made. (and I'm only slightly better now, realistically).

There are also a fair amount of comparative points between the game and others of the genre, it's kind of comes with the territory. You want to make a game set in and around college? Someone's probably already done your idea. I wasn't deliberately following any other game in composition, although I'm aware there are many comparable elements between this, BaD and College Kings. But it really is just lateral thinking and using common tropes. Not that those games weren't inspirations for me making my own, but I wasn't consciously following their formulas. And, to be honest, the similarities to at least one of those games in particular are going to get closer before they deviate. Much closer, in fact, to the point where I feel people may justifiably call my game a clone of one of the others at a certain stage of the game's life. But I'll cross that bridge as and when I come to it, because again it's a valid point to make now and will be then as well.

And just as a final, kinda broad, point, it's fascinating to me that in the very first sentence you describe it as an anomaly. I know what you mean by that as we currently stand, but it's of particular interest to me because that's exactly what I hope this game is going to be when all's said and done. As far as I'm aware, I'm going to do things people haven't seen before in AVNs (though I've probably just not come across it yet). So it was funny seeing someone use that word here, albeit not for the same reason.

With all that being said, thanks for trying out the game, and for giving a review. I always enjoy reading and responding to what people have to say about the game. I value player opinion, and I hope some value can be found in my responses, too, so forgive what has become quite a long reply. And thank you again for giving it a shot. It genuinely means a lot to me.

 

[TonyMurray]

Hello! I hope you don't mind me popping in here with a reply to your review [sidenote: I've just finished the whole reply, and it goes on a bit. So apologies for that, I hope this is okay with you]. I always feel compelled to respond, give some perspective from my side etc., when people take the time to write about my project, especially when it's clear a lot of thought had gone into the review.

Let me start by saying everything in your review is absolutely valid, and I completely get your perspective of things. Honestly? That was, in part, deliberate. (Did I mean for it to be underwhelming? No. But the slow burn is for a reason.) The lack of direction, to a point, is also for a reason. The first two chapters are very introductory, establishing the setting and characters. Your point about there not being an ongoing story yet? You're correct. The main story hasn't been introduced yet. It's been hinted at, and a lot of side stories have been established, but the crux of the game? Yeah, not there yet. At the moment it's supposed to feel like a slower, day-in-day-out, not a whole lot happening beyond the conversations with the characters. It's a shame that what is there isn't enough to engage or intrigue you particularly so far, but I understand that perspective, you're not the first person with similar critique.

All the criticisms of the pledge week are valid. I could point at everything there and explain why it's there, but as things stand everything you've said is true and fair. I spend a fair amount of time thinking about ways to make it more engaging, had a few ideas I scrapped in favor of a more succinct version of things, moreso for the sake of expediting the process really, just keeping the necessary in there. So calling it underwhelming is valid. I'd hoped it wouldn't be, but I can see why it is.

On the visual side of things, I already look back, particularly at ch1 and notice that a lot has aged poorly even just compared to me standards now, which are by no means great. But I'm not in the business of reworking anything before I've got the actual story out there. That's always the priority for me. But that is another common concern about the game, the early visuals in particular, which again is fair because I just wasn't that good two and a half years ago when they were made. (and I'm only slightly better now, realistically).

There are also a fair amount of comparative points between the game and others of the genre, it's kind of comes with the territory. You want to make a game set in and around college? Someone's probably already done your idea. I wasn't deliberately following any other game in composition, although I'm aware there are many comparable elements between this, BaD and College Kings. But it really is just lateral thinking and using common tropes. Not that those games weren't inspirations for me making my own, but I wasn't consciously following their formulas. And, to be honest, the similarities to at least one of those games in particular are going to get closer before they deviate. Much closer, in fact, to the point where I feel people may justifiably call my game a clone of one of the others at a certain stage of the game's life. But I'll cross that bridge as and when I come to it, because again it's a valid point to make now and will be then as well.

And just as a final, kinda broad, point, it's fascinating to me that in the very first sentence you describe it as an anomaly. I know what you mean by that as we currently stand, but it's of particular interest to me because that's exactly what I hope this game is going to be when all's said and done. As far as I'm aware, I'm going to do things people haven't seen before in AVNs (though I've probably just not come across it yet). So it was funny seeing someone use that word here, albeit not for the same reason.

With all that being said, thanks for trying out the game, and for giving a review. I always enjoy reading and responding to what people have to say about the game. I value player opinion, and I hope some value can be found in my responses, too, so forgive what has become quite a long reply. And thank you again for giving it a shot. It genuinely means a lot to me.

Hey, no problem, and thanks! I'm always happy for reviewers and devs to interact, as long as it's respectful on both sides, which this is, so I appreciate you for that.

To expand on a couple of the points then (I did edit my review down a bit!), I like how it has that "slow-burn college game" vibe, as the norm would just see sex scenes thrown at us without any proper build-up. If you think about it, most people are not going to be banging a girl they just met a few hours ago (though of course, some might be). In this respect, there's a realism to it that I like. My only issue is that I didn't get something driving the story throughout that, and that one aspect would have made all the difference for me. It's a bit "slice of life" I guess, but I think it called for something a bit more than that.

I also like how the pictures obtained during pledge tasks are not shared "for the girls' privacy" - even if that means the task sort of fails because there's now no way to prove success or failure. It becomes very "trust based", although that isn't necessarily a problem. A few more points of player input around the tasks in general might have helped a lot, as it would make it feel like you've contributed to the pledging process. At the same time though, I understand you not wanting to make a massive spectacle of it.

The comparisons bit is a tough one, because as we both said, there are some tropes that are staples of the sub-genre, and some of those will be connected to certain games in players' minds, even if there's no ownership of the ideas. I think the only main one for me here was Imogen's situation. I would never suggest she is a clone of Jill, she is far from that (basically I think the money is the only thing they might have in common in terms of their own character). But then the unwanted attention from Christian (and in that, his likeness to Tybalt) starts to bring it a bit close. Some things are said about it, but I still can't understand why she isn't able to just say "I'm not interested, please stop asking me out." It makes it all feel too drawn out to me, creating a massive drama out of nothing, just as a way to get MC involved.

Anyway, as I said, I like the look of the game in the main, and there are some really nice LIs to go for. For me personally, I just needed something to grab me in terms of the story, and if that were there, I'd be looking forward to continuing with the game.

 

[cicadaNGB]

Hey, no problem, and thanks! I'm always happy for reviewers and devs to interact, as long as it's respectful on both sides, which this is, so I appreciate you for that.

To expand on a couple of the points then (I did edit my review down a bit!), I like how it has that "slow-burn college game" vibe, as the norm would just see sex scenes thrown at us without any proper build-up. If you think about it, most people are not going to be banging a girl they just met a few hours ago (though of course, some might be). In this respect, there's a realism to it that I like. My only issue is that I didn't get something driving the story throughout that, and that one aspect would have made all the difference for me. It's a bit "slice of life" I guess, but I think it called for something a bit more than that.

I also like how the pictures obtained during pledge tasks are not shared "for the girls' privacy" - even if that means the task sort of fails because there's now no way to prove success or failure. It becomes very "trust based", although that isn't necessarily a problem. A few more points of player input around the tasks in general might have helped a lot, as it would make it feel like you've contributed to the pledging process. At the same time though, I understand you not wanting to make a massive spectacle of it.

The comparisons bit is a tough one, because as we both said, there are some tropes that are staples of the sub-genre, and some of those will be connected to certain games in players' minds, even if there's no ownership of the ideas. I think the only main one for me here was Imogen's situation. I would never suggest she is a clone of Jill, she is far from that (basically I think the money is the only thing they might have in common in terms of their own character). But then the unwanted attention from Christian (and in that, his likeness to Tybalt) starts to bring it a bit close. Some things are said about it, but I still can't understand why she isn't able to just say "I'm not interested, please stop asking me out." It makes it all feel too drawn out to me, creating a massive drama out of nothing, just as a way to get MC involved.

Anyway, as I said, I like the look of the game in the main, and there are some really nice LIs to go for. For me personally, I just needed something to grab me in terms of the story, and if that were there, I'd be looking forward to continuing with the game.

Yeah so some of the intent for the first few chapters was to make it feel very much like a slice of life kind of game, in order to make things that'll happen in the future hopefully more impactful. Without wanting to spoil anything, a key point the opening is establishing the MC wanting a bit of a normal, basic life, which he hopes will begin when starting college. So the first few chapters are light on a driving story because they're more about him finding his feet again (or at least, that's the message I wanted to try and convey).

The Imogen/Christian thing will be explained as we go, but I get your perspective right now, because that's what I want the player to be thinking. And on the comparisons, yeah, that's one of the more obvious (for lack of a better term) similarities, but I'm hoping that their stories will develop and make the comparisons less feasible. I'm also hoping that it won't feel like it's too drawn out. We'll see. But yeah, right now there is a lot of similarity between Christian and Tybalt on paper.

On that last paragraph, I'd say maybe keep the game in mind, and if you are to come back to it it'd probably be worth waiting for a fair few updates before you check back in to see where the story's at and see if there's something more to grab you. Up to you, of course, but that'd be my advice. Because I'd like to think what I've got planned might be enough to hook you in at some point, but I don't think you should prioritize playing the next update or two over other games that might be on your list.

Thanks again for taking the time to play, and for your thoughts. It's very much appreciated.

 

[TonyMurray]

I am not a native English speaker and I always used the word "gorgeous" as if it were a higher level of beauty than "beautiful", which I thought was basic.

So that's the order: stunning > beautiful > gorgeous > hot > okay > only with a bag on her head > ugly .

Hey PickerLewd, I saw this in Heaven's Door and thought of this brief exchange!

 

[TonyMurray]

Heaven’s Door by AlterWorlds

This is probably the first game I’ve played where I’d been actively waiting for the very first release to drop. To be honest, if I had just played it blind, with no prior knowledge of the devs, I might not have been so lenient, as it’s a real slow-burn – at least as far as this first episode goes. However, the devs have a massive amount of credit in the bank after Bare Witness (a top-three game for me), so they can more than get away with that.

The visuals are superb, both in terms of the general renders and specifically the girls. We don’t get to see too much of most of the girls, and a lot of the time it’s in a dark environment, but it’s not so dark that you can’t see anything. I already have a handful of girls I’m intrigued by, and the rest of them all have the potential to join that list – there’s no one who doesn’t work for me, even if there are some who are definitely a rung or two down the ladder.

A couple of nice personalities are already on show, and it’s good to have some background information on some of the girls already, so they are more than just dancers (or strippers, technically, even if there isn’t much actual stripping going on). There are no sex scenes to comment on as yet, although there are two lap dances that feature animations which are nicely done. Oddly, neither of those (including the one that features the chapter’s only topless scene), are in the replay gallery – the single scene in there so far is just a kiss.

The story isn’t much to go on at the moment, but it’s okay. There’s a bit of intrigue, but to be honest, it’s mostly meeting the girls and getting to know them. Hopefully more of an overarching story will start to come in during the next chapter or two, especially given how this first one ended. So all in all, it’s a slow but steady start, but the look of the game and the girls, plus the faith I have in the devs, mean this is an easy addition to my ongoing games list.

 

[TonyMurray]

Victoria in Big City by Groovers Games

This is a bit of a weird game in a way because it’s presented as a cheating game, but it doesn’t really feel like one to me. Technically, yes, there is cheating, but it’s from the POV of a female protagonist, and if the roles (genders) were reversed, it probably wouldn’t be called such. Victoria leaves her small town for Big City (the actual name of the city) and leaves her wet lettuce, high-school sweetheart behind. In her new home, helped by her more experienced childhood best friend, Victoria starts to open her eyes and widen her boundaries.

New experiences include new love interests, although Victoria remains in a long-distance relationship. If this were a male-protagonist game, it would just be a fuckfest, but with an FMC, it has to be played from a different angle, I suppose. I don’t see a reason for it myself, except perhaps for adding something more to the corruption angle – I guess corrupting a “taken” girl is more fun and exciting than corrupting a single one, even if she starts out with so little worldly experience.

I like that there appears to be the option for either male or female love interests, although so far there’s only really progress with men. A couple of the men didn’t work for me, and I was pleased to see that one “natural-feeling” choice I made seemed to lock one of these men out of future scenes, as I have yet to see him again. To one degree or another, all of the sex scenes, or at least the initial ones with each character, give specific choices showing how you can avoid them.

Some paths are a bit quick to get going, while others are a bit of a slow burn, and for me, its these slower paths that feel more natural. There are plenty of other opportunities for little events outside of them, including a hot couple you can babysit for, which leads to other activities. The sex scenes are often quite lengthy and varied, although they don’t all have animations. Overall, I think these are well done and generally hot.

The graphics are of a good standard, and there are some nice girls on show, although not too many overall, bearing in mind it’s an FMC game. Of the girls, I sadly rate the main character quite low. I think her character is fine and she looks mostly fine, she’s just a bit too booby for my tastes.

Lastly, it should be noted that there is some form of rework happening. It’s been a little over a year since the last update, and the latest dev comments suggest some changes to make the game better, so it’s possible that when this is released, players might have to restart the game.

 

[TonyMurray]

Past Tense by Howie

This one is still early on at the point of reviewing, so I won’t give the usual sort of depth that I have done for some of my recently reviewed games. The opening chapter introduces some characters and several different points of intrigue, but without going into a lot of detail for any of them really. I thought it was well done – there’s no narration giving us background info, it’s all done through dialogue (and a bit through the visuals). It’s a slow burn, with no lewd scenes in the first chapter, although two of the girls are shown topless (while alone, non-sexual).

The visuals look pretty good. I’d say great, but there are two exceptions: one, Angela sometimes just looks a little off to me. It’s almost like she’s exported from Honey Select and still has some of the signs of that, I don’t know. There’s just an occasional blockiness to her outline, or the colour isn’t quite right. I’m not quite able to put my finger on it. And two… the MC has no eyelashes. Why does he not have eyelashes, Howie? He doesn’t appear to be suffering from alopecia, unless that’s a damn fine wig, so where are his eyelashes?!

Anyway, that aside, I like this so far. It’s confident enough not to just throw sex scenes out there to suck you in, and at the same time, it’s not spelling everything out storywise. I like the way this was all handled, with some little scenes consisting of just a handful of renders and no dialogue. It’s a bold choice that works well. I think I could get on well with all of the girls here, too, and having some great-lookers is obviously a bonus. A promising start, and I’ll look to revisit my review and LI cards when there is more of a game to play.

 

[TonyMurray]

My Husband’s Boss by SC Stories

This is a rarity for me for a couple of reasons—at the time of playing, it was within 24 hours of initial release, where I usually tend to wait a while with new games, and it’s a full kinetic novel. I don’t usually tend to play those, preferring some choices, and potentially a bunch of different paths. Here, the only option is right at the start, and it’s whether or not to rename the three central characters. As something else to make it a rarity, in more general terms, it’s an initial release comprising over 5,000 renders, which is pretty staggering, really.

I really enjoyed the story here, and thought some of the character reactions were really good. It’s not a situation that I personally go for—I can’t understand someone who won’t outwardly react, who won’t say something, who will allow their partner to continue with someone else, regardless of the circumstances. It’s just not me, but it is some people, and me not understanding that mindset for myself doesn’t mean it’s wrong, and it also doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the story unfolding in front of me—I just don’t have that self-insert immersion that I try to get with other games.

I like the renders here for the most part. The male characters look a little odd, but they’re not my focus, so that’s fine. The FMC is attractive (even if most of the time she’s nude she’s scowling—I promise that’s not how she always looks!) and I like how she’s different to most FMCs from other games I’ve played. The eyes are sometimes a little off though. You can see on the card for Addison the block pinkness when looking to the side, and it just looks a little weird. Other than that, I really like the look of the game.

The sex scenes are pretty good, although not heavily animated. At first, I thought they would be hidden from us, taking place out of the MC’s view, but scenes after the first are either in full view, or from the FMC’s perspective, so you can see the scene unhindered. Although you don’t get the full detail on the initial corruption, it’s not too difficult to work out what happened, you just don’t see it happening and get the dialogue (potentially a good move on the dev’s part). I found it really interesting to watch though, and to see the MC and FMC spiralling.

There are some preview renders at the end that tell us a bit of what to expect in the next update, and I’m excited to see how it all goes.

*Cards updated to reflect Chapter 2 playthrough. My additional thoughts based on the new update are here.

 

[EscapeEvade]

My Husband’s Boss by SC Stories

This is a rarity for me for a couple of reasons—at the time of playing, it was within 24 hours of initial release, where I usually tend to wait a while with new games, and it’s a full kinetic novel. I don’t usually tend to play those, preferring some choices, and potentially a bunch of different paths. Here, the only option is right at the start, and it’s whether or not to rename the three central characters. As something else to make it a rarity, in more general terms, it’s an initial release comprising over 5,000 renders, which is pretty staggering, really.

I really enjoyed the story here, and thought some of the character reactions were really good. It’s not a situation that I personally go for—I can’t understand someone who won’t outwardly react, who won’t say something, who will allow their partner to continue with someone else, regardless of the circumstances. It’s just not me, but it is some people, and me not understanding that mindset for myself doesn’t mean it’s wrong, and it also doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the story unfolding in front of me—I just don’t have that self-insert immersion that I try to get with other games.

I like the renders here for the most part. The male characters look a little odd, but they’re not my focus, so that’s fine. The FMC is attractive (even if most of the time she’s nude she’s scowling—I promise that’s not how she always looks!) and I like how she’s different to most FMCs from other games I’ve played. The eyes are sometimes a little off though. You can see on the card for Addison the block pinkness when looking to the side, and it just looks a little weird. Other than that, I really like the look of the game.

The sex scenes are pretty good, although not heavily animated. At first, I thought they would be hidden from us, taking place out of the MC’s view, but scenes after the first are either in full view, or from the FMC’s perspective, so you can see the scene unhindered. Although you don’t get the full detail on the initial corruption, it’s not too difficult to work out what happened, you just don’t see it happening and get the dialogue (potentially a good move on the dev’s part). I found it really interesting to watch though, and to see the MC and FMC spiralling.

There are some preview renders at the end that tell us a bit of what to expect in the next update, and I’m excited to see how it all goes.
View attachment 4476767

I wish this wasn't an NTR game simply because the FMC is in fact so different than most other character models out there. I really like her, but I hate NTR, so I'll just skip this even though I like the model.