VN - Ren'Py - University of Problems [v1.5.5 Extended] [DreamNow]

I was thinking about sugar-coating my review because the game seems to be pretty popular and maybe I'm missing something here, but honestly, it's just a very bad game imo.
Other reviews already did a pretty good job, but here are my reasons for the rating.

- LIs are just incredibly boring. They only exist to be LIs, there's nothing intruiging about any of them.
- They also all look alike, which, combined with the point above and the poor writing, make it look like you are interacting with clones rather than actual people.
- the writing is bad. Really bad. It's artificial, juvenile, unbelievable and way, way too much for the quailty. I don't mind reading much, but then it should be interesting. This is not.
- I can't stand the MC. I guess he's supposed to be nice dude, but he's honestly just a horny idiot disguised as a nice guy.

So yeah, as you can tell, I really didn't like the game. I wouldn't recommend it, even if it has nice graphics and animations.

Review for v1.5.0 Remake
This game is a bit of a paradox for me. On one hand, it has some incredible features, but on the other, it struggles in areas that matter most to me. It’s the kind of experience where you can see the potential for greatness, but certain flaws hold it back.

The Positives
Let’s start with what the game does well. There’s a decent amount of content available at the moment, so you won’t feel like it’s over too quickly. The graphics are also top-notch, and the animations deserve special praise. When it comes to sex scenes, this game belongs among the best. The smoothness, attention to detail, and overall presentation of these scenes are undeniably impressive. You can tell that a lot of time and effort went into perfecting them, and it really shows.

If you’re here for visual quality, you won’t be disappointed. The characters look good, the animations are smooth, and everything has a polished, professional feel.

The Negatives
Unfortunately, beyond the visuals, the cracks start to show. The storytelling, the romance, and — perhaps most importantly — the character development feel lacking.

Storytelling & Engagement
The game has multiple storylines involving different characters, but none of them manage to hook me. I can’t pinpoint if it’s the pacing, the predictability, or just the lack of depth, but they simply don't feel engaging.

Romance
The romance feels rushed or forced in a lot of places. Instead of feeling like a natural progression where you grow closer to a love interest, it feels more like ticking off boxes in a checklist. Few of the romantic relationships feel genuine or believable.
Without genuine emotional build-up, it’s hard to feel invested in the romance. When something “big” happens with a love interest, it just doesn’t hit as hard as it should.

Characterization & Personality
Here’s where the game stumbles the hardest. The characters lack personality. Most of them are one-dimensional and don’t stand out from each other. They exist, they’re attractive, and they interact with the MC, but that’s about it.

For one, they feel too similar. Almost all of them are always smiling and always positive. If one or two characters had this personality, it would be fine. But when every single character is like this, it becomes repetitive and unrealistic. People don’t act like that in real life. It’s fine to have a “bubbly” character, but when all of them are bubbly, it just makes them blend together. One of the only characters who initially stood out was Roxy. Early on, she had more personality and felt like an actual person. But as the story progressed, she lost that spark and became just like the other love interests. It’s frustrating to see a character that had potential get flattened into the same mold as the others.

On top of that, many of the love interests look too similar. It feels like the developer only changed their hairstyles and swapped a few minor details. Distinct facial features would have gone a long way to make each character feel like their own person. Right now, it feels like you're interacting with clones.

One major issue is that the characters rarely interact with anyone other than the MC. We barely get to see them have friendships, rivalries, or relationships with other characters. Without these interactions, they feel isolated and flat.

The lack of inner thoughts is also a problem. The game doesn’t really let us “see inside” the characters. We don’t get to understand their hopes, dreams, or insecurities. They’re just there. As a result, it feels like you’re spending time with strangers rather than characters you care about.

Conclusion
This game has so much going for it. The animations are top-tier, the graphics are beautiful, and the amount of content is respectable. But all of that falls flat if you don’t care about the characters or the story. Without compelling characters, the romance and the storylines lose their impact. And unfortunately, this is exactly what happens here.

The love interests feel forgettable, the story lacks engagement, and the characters’ personalities are too shallow to leave a lasting impression. As a result, you end up not really caring about what happens to them or the MC. It’s a shame because the game clearly has the potential to be one of the greats.

The best animations I've seen so far. The characters are cute and hote. There could be more cation but its still a great game with great graphics. I recommend it, and it's without a doubt a 5 star game, compared with all the games i ve see where the models have robot faces and robot animation. Great Work Dev! Next game, try doing a game with more action, blood and drama overcoming. Thank you for your game

Top Tier content.

Pros -
1. The character models were simply superb and very well crafted. Incredibly good looking girls.
2. Photorealism style which puts a lot of modern era AAA games to shame.
3. The rendering of each and every frame has very high level of details put into it in terms of lighting and composition.
4. Lots of varied content.
5. The girls have unique personalities which make distinguishing between them easier.
6. The UI is well crafted. Offers real life elements like social networking, texting, contacts etc.
7. Very high production value in everything. This game looks and feels like a work of art.
8. The menu, title screen, etc are also meticulously crafted as suitable to context.

Cons -
1. The work could benefit from some humour.
2. The ending seems like similar amongst all characters.
3. Long and tedious dialogues.
4. MC is a default setting. No user choice besides name.

Seriously, the cons are just very minor things that does not hinder the enjoyment at all. I would definitely recommend this to try if you like gorgeous photorealistic animation.

From a purely production point of view, there really are not many AVNs out there this slick looking. The GUI is great, the renders are great and the women, while the all look a lot alike, are all hot. The background of each character give them depth and there is plenty of variety. From a production standpoint, it is one of the best AVNs I have played. The story, however, is just kind of meh. If it were not for the amazing production, this would only be 3 stars IMO.

IDK, the MC is a borderline Gary Stu and can do no wrong and always says the right things. All the LI's are basically the same when interacting with them despite the robust background work, and we can't have a college AVN without some kind of nefarious plot line in the background.

The lone exception is Roxie. She is an amazing character and no matter how many times I try different paths, there is always Roxie in the mix. She is a brilliant character and I enjoy seeing her story develop.

I am also not a fan of the MC. It's not just the pasty white skin, but I have a hard time connecting to him. He's just kind of a nothing-burger. It's weird, I play the game from the start and enjoy myself for a while but eventually, just get bored. There is nothing there to really hold me.

I will say, the remake was well done, and if the dev continues with it, then I will keep checking back. For me, however, this AVN is just pretty good. Having said that, this is an EXTREMELY talented developer and some of the things they have done here are really great so you should definitely download it and make up your own mind.

I will say, the character of Roxie is a standout. She is a great character

Unbiased Review of University of Problems

Pros
-Clean renders
-decent amount of content for the time its been out
-Wide ensemble of Lis
-decent variety of lewd scenes
-well rounded take on the college genre

Cons
-The models are honestly abysmal, they look like they all went to the same plastic surgeon and got the same face with different hairstyles slapped on.
-Not only that but all the girls have the literal same proportions, same skin tone and the most static facial expressions.
-Story is decent but honestly half the branches are incredibly forgettable. There is literally nothing worth investing into unless this is your only vn.

In conclusion it is a average at best game, nothing amazing to write home about, you just feel very meh afterwards after completing any path. It does some things well that other VNs should try to go for like content and consistency.

Started this game on a whim, was pleasantly surprised. Writing is slightly stiff at times but still really good. Characters are largely likeable. Sex scenes are hot af. The music rules, and I like the function which lets you find out which song is playing at any given time. The mod I was using is awesome, barely a hitch in the gameplay. Highly recommend.

I haven't play for that long and stop playing pretty early so I might change the score later or not go back to play it at all.

8/10 Story wise. The dialogue is not good. Normal human being wont talk like that in real life. You will be force to take part in something you don't want to. Like with the professor at the start. MC finds her pretty so he enroll in her course (like wtf). You are force to think that every girls you talk to are pretty (like literally stare at them one by one and thinking that she has pretty face, nice tits and all that)

9/10 Graphic. I would like to lower the graphic score if I compare it to other nowaday games but I guess it got it charm. The girls model is what I love the most. No big fake boobs. They all look like normal human being.

9/10 Love interest. As I mentioned haven't play that far into the game but from what I've seen from 7 of them some are good and some make no sense. Roxy basically jump mc the first time they met (I can't even stop her for some reason). Miss Cooper the professor that you are force to be interest in and took her class (like wtf). Carol is good I think just alot of weird dialogue.
All in all the score may go lower in the future.

9/10 MC. I hate him already. Another horndog who eyed every single girls he meet (not just eyed but stare at them from head to toe like wtf). His joking skill is lame as hell.
The only reason he still got a 9 is because am not that far into the story cuz if I do I will find more reasons to deduct the point.

10+0.5 Gameplay. Every AVN start with a 10 and get additional point based on its addition gameplay added to the game. Which in this case the mc smart phone. You can text, look at gallary, etc. The highest game that got bonus points is Being a Dik which is additional 2 points.

45.5/52
I basically stop playing any VN game when its story got to score of 8 but I think if I ignore all the force story, weird dialogue and creepy MC. I may find it more enjoyable later on but still a visual novel game should focus on story and dialogue. If its not fun to read and enjoy the story. It basically the end of said VN.

A fantastically polished example of the standard college harem genre we all know and love. Nothing surprising, just well-executed with impressively detailed DAZ models and quite a bit of content. Nice animations to boot. Four out of Five recommended staple game.

This game is like 3/5 in almost all areas.

So why am i giving it 5 stars ?
Bcs it has some of the best animations/renders you will ever see. I think that area is way more important than "writing" or "gameplay".
Most of the girls are good but 2 of them stick really out.
I let you determine who those girls are.

If you are someone that demands the whole product be high quality in most areas then maybe this isnt for you.
Everyone else, go ahead.

I like this game, but I want more from it. The visual quality remains the same, but I just feel like we’ve reached a point in the story where things have gotten a little stale, and it’s turning into a series of sex scenes with little to link them.

I really feel we’re at a major crossroads for this game, and the next couple of updates will determine its fate. I feel it’s currently at a good place for a bit of a refresh, for a “phase two” or “chapter two” or however it would be titled, because the game itself is University of Problems, and at the moment, in my playthrough, there aren’t a lot of problems left.

I love the initial setup here, and those titular problems do cause a good amount of potential branching into different LI pathways. There’s a good phone and notebook setup to allow extra communication through social media (really good for bumping up relationship points with the girls!), viewing photos (i.e., special renders), and checking out the character bios, game history, and of course, lewd scene replays (including extra and extended scenes as bonuses).

The LIs are mostly very good looking, despite many of them famously being designed off the same base model, meaning there’s a visual similarity to a number of them. I don’t personally find this a problem, and there’s no issue at all in telling them apart.

The sex scenes are frequent and offer a decent amount of variation. If you like buttstuff, there are several LIs who cater to that, from beginner to expert level. If you like footstuff... this is definitely a good shout for you, because there is quite a lot of it (I think all of it is optional though).

I do like how the personalities shine through for some characters, although others are perhaps a little one-dimensional. In terms of looks, Roxy would usually be at the bottom of my list for a couple of reasons (namely the short hair, tattoos, piercings, and perma-scowl), but she is an absolute delight. She is badass and adorable at the same time, and there’s little I like in this game more than pounding her ass then making her blush as her sensitive side comes out.

Some of this review sounds negative, but I genuinely do like the game and want it to succeed. It just needs to do a little work to keep at the same level, let alone move up to the next one.

(A note on LIs, because I know this is important to some people: Although every LI is rejectable, there is one lewd scene that is unavoidable.)

This game is the definition of mid to me as far as AVNs are concerned. Too good to actually drop it, too bad to truly enjoy it.

Pros:
1) The girls' bodies are very well designed. They are both beautiful and realistic. Rachel and Carol have perfect figures.
2) Tons of girls.
3) Specific girl: Rachel. One of the, if not the, best teacher/student romances in AVNs. A not very popular guy who falls for the teacher at first sight, becomes her assistant, plays second fiddle in the relationship and later turns the tables… Yep, the perfect script for such a pairing. Teachers are usually secondary LIs in such games, but here Rachel is the best.
4) Tons of sex. So much sex you'll get tired of it, I kid you not.
5) Has a functional phone and some freeroams.

Cons:
1) Most of the girls share the same face model with little modification. They end up looking like the same person wearing different wigs. Such a great work with the bodies, only to come up short with the faces…
2) Lighting is okay (good daylight style), but is used for most situations, as if the characters lived in a lab.
3) The plot barely exists and consists of a set of missions meant to defeat corruption. It has next to no screentime; so far, 2/5 missions are available, and both require the MC to fuck a SG to succeed. I hope it gets changed later down the road, but as of right now a faithful MC can't "win the game".
4) Writing problems. I'm slowly going mad from all the "tee-hee"s.

So, right now this isn't a game I want to complete the available content for (at least until sexless missions are introduced, if ever), but it's nice to run and play from time to time for like 30 minutes to relax.

FOR ANYONE THAT ISN'T INTO FEMDOM THIS GAME IS A TAG TRAP! DON'T BOTHER! MOVE ON!


It showed up on the search results for me when I applied a rather restrictive bdsm filter. But all the tags that may peak your interest like bdsm, maledom, spanking and such are just only technically there.
The only real bdsm you get if you let the MC get pegged. Even the girl that seems to be submissve literally kicks you in the balls if you go to hard or she becomes a vanilla love interest which only slightly more kinky. The whole game has rather strong femdom undertones.
Which may be a plus for those who like it.
For those who don't you will only get vanilla love scenes with anal as an option.

Because the rest of the aspects of the game aren't totally bad I didn't gave the game a 1 star. The characters while all looking the same do have somewhat different personalities. The sum of the story is in the name of the game. You as the MC are basically there to solve problems of other people. You aren't very good at it. Especially if don't want to get pegged. I am not joking. This is literally a story debuff for you if you decide to not deal with the antics of the milf domina.

This game has some of the best models of any DAZ 3D visual novel I've seen. I was so surprised at how good the girls look in-game, they all look absolutely stunning. Everything looks great in general, actually.

Sadly, this is where the good stuff ends. This game is borderline unplayable. The dev is lucky he makes good renders because the writing is catastrophically bad, making you angry at every sentence. This is yet another game written by someone who’s either a 12-year-old or someone who's never spoken a day of English, or both.

The dialogue is awkward and really infuriating. The player keeps finding himself in unbelievably good positions but is never given the agency to do what you want him to do, and he never says what he should. He goes on tantrums, gets mad and offended for no reason, yaps way too much, and never stops apologizing, and I fucking hate that.

I really want to like this game, but the MC makes it impossible. It's worth playing, though, because the renders are so good and it's quite a long game with a lot of scenes.

How to summarize UOP:
A good college theme game with nice renders, smooth animations, pretty LIs and a decent story followed by a dev who has been consistent with updates for years.
I have been playing this game for more than 3 years and rarely has it happened that I was disappointed with dev or the updates. Even back then when there were updates every month, he always delivered good amount of content even in short time gap.

University of Problems is a game containing top level adult scenes which are unlocked by being a dishonest shitbird. The MC comes off as relatively likeable in most scenes except for the ones where one love interest is in danger of learning about a different love interest, at which point his inner monologue fills me with guilt and remorse as he tries to juggle numerous romances. To make matters worse, several of the love interests are damaged, with the MC healing their broken hearts and confessing his love… right before moving on to his next love interest and repeating the process. Despite all this, I still consider this a five-star game given the quality of everything involved. You simply have to be okay with either a dozen different playthroughs, or with unlocking everything while playing as the biggest douchebag to ever live.



Where University of Problems really shines is in the adult content. Few other games have truly nailed all of the stages of a romance, with a diverse array of dialogue, animations, and renders through the beginning, middle, and end of the adult encounters. You’ll never see a scene begin with a blow job. You may not realize how important the “intro and outro” portions are until you find the missing in other games. A blow job is sexy, but the moment a woman slowly positions herself between your legs and begins to tug at your shorts can be even sexier still, as can the post-sex cuddling. So many games miss these vital moments, but UoP does not.



UoP contains an excellent soundtrack that changes depending on the scene. The tunes are memorable and quite catchy.



The story is well-written and believable, for the most part. You’re attending college and… well, romancing everyone you meet. In the latest version (1.4.5) you have several threesome paths that are nearing fruition and more than half a dozen relationships going on, assuming you’re like most players and are trying to unlock the most content possible in one playthrough. However, as I illustrated in the opening, this is a double-edged sword where, if you’re like me, you’ll end up feeling guiltier and guiltier as the story progresses as the various love interests get closer and closer to finding out what a piece of shit the MC is. I suspect the author either never intended for this to be a harem game or is struggling to make it work believably.



However, this could simply be a “me” issue. I have a couple other gripes, such as a recent domination scene that I couldn’t opt out of (previous instances gave you the option to avoid them), but overall, the game is quite entertaining, with a diversity of scintillating, well rendered and well animated adult content that has been working quite well for two or more years that I’ve been following this title.



I recommend the game to any fans of the college shenanigans line of Adult Visual Novel. Just be prepared for the possibility that the author will make you feel like a piece of shit if you attempt to unlock everything in one playthrough. Some hopefully useful criticism for the author: Add, either in future content or to previous content, a way to end relationships peacefully if a harem is not in the making, and to clearly outline the choices that will lead to unpleasantly breaking one of these sweet girl’s hearts so they can be easily avoided. I am quite worried about both Sara and Roxy should they find out about each other without some setup making it okay. Even if it makes no sense, for me it’s preferable over seeing them cry. Perhaps a big neon sign saying, “Your previous choices are about to break so-and-so’s heart! Turn back now and fix it, or feel the wrath!”

Visually, the game is well-crafted, with detailed graphics that bring the university campus to life. The user interface is intuitive and easy to navigate, allowing players to focus on the strategic aspects of gameplay without feeling overwhelmed.

This game is a disaster. The writing is abysmal, trying desperately to make you care about characters who are shallow and uninteresting. Instead of focusing on their looks, it forces you to endure their insipid personalities. The so-called "open world" segments are a joke, barely offering any variety and certainly no depth.

As for the script, it's a mess of melodrama and contrived mysteries, trying too hard to be serious and failing miserably. And don't even get me started on the secondary characters – they're forgettable at best, and cringeworthy at worst.

I dread to think how the game will handle multiple romance paths and harems. The thought of it being remotely realistic is laughable. It would be absurd to think characters like Sara or Rachel would ever entertain the idea, while the whole concept might marginally suit characters like Ashley or Natalie. But honestly, who cares? This game is a train wreck from start to finish.

HOWEVER... if you love MILF content, this is a 3*. i feel i am being very generous by giving this a 2* especially with the tone of 5* reviews it already has!!!

A good amount of content and solid but albeit average renders/scenes. All the tools for another good college focused AVN.

What takes stars from this is the writing. The story is straightforward which is fine. The issue is that it has clearly either been translated or written by a non-native English speaker. Whilst it is much better than other similar cases I've seen it still has the problem of every character just seeming off. The main offenders are overly formal dialogue and things no person would ever actually say or think in the chosen wording.

Worth the time if you're out of college games as it will keep you occupied. If you aren't specifcally looking for that then I'd probably not recommend strongly.

A very promising game with good looking characters and interesting personalities. The story is where it misses a little bit for me personally as it can go from being somewhat interesting to mildly boring in the span of a few minutes. It's not a bad story by any means but its definitely not the main hook of this game for me.

The sheer amount of scenes and content that the developer provides for this game should not be overlooked. Like I said it is very promising and already has a bunch of content out for anyone into the "school-setting" genre and its definitely worth checking out.