VN - Ren'Py - Unraveling August [v0.3.04] [AugustEsoterica]

Giving it a 5 star because I know when it fully kicks off its going to be my favorite AVN. Adore this game, made me laugh out loud multiple times, Sam is one of my favorite AVN girls ever, and the story and animations are killer. This is going to be big one day, but for now it's my hidden gem

I honestly fell in love with this game during the veggie-omlette dialogue.
Yes, sometimes the lengthy dialogues are too long. For example the conversations during the breakfast was rather too witty, like its ok to have 1-2, but not 3-4. You should certainly save and sprinkle those wholesome conversations in the whole game so the players dont get overwhelmed too fast. (not for me, i certainly enjoyed them because 1stly they still felt wholesome and 2ndly the ppl look really hot.. like.. all of them.. lol...
Anyways. another + point is... the humor. Omfg i was laughing my ass off all the time. The scenes and, reactions and dialogues were so amusing and funny most of the time, i was having a bliss reading all that.
Another thing would be that the mc isnt a stoic, too realistic soldier. Normally someone who came back after having seeing sh*t, they would certainly behave much more paranoid and not as open and friendly as him... and thats what i like here. Reading and playing VNs, i certainly would to enjoy and have a good time and not ntohing too realistic..
i also like that the mc told the girls early on, so we could go on with the story fast.
Anyways, this game is great and im really excited for future updates, lets goo!

If you're a hardcore anime fan, then you might like this. The MC is a canon dumbass and he is the butt of every joke, but if you're not into the typical anime plot, then I'd recommend you pass on this one.

I was honestly enjoying most of the game except for the horny teenage girl that acts like a slut. The banter was witty, the MC was cool and the girls were interesting, but it takes a ludicrous twist not too long after the introduction and becomes quite repetitive.

You get blackmailed into working for someone, then the MC gets Stockholm Syndrome'd into believing that he accepted a deal rather than being blackmailed, but it is so strong that it becomes clear that he's on the path to falling in love for the ones blackmailing him and you get no choice about this.

Anyway, that's not the only problem with this game. Choices are by far the most important aspect of a visual novel for me and the ones here are pretty much irrelevant. You do not get to influence the plot in any way, it's all predetermined. Even if you can choose to kill or not kill some random character that you never see again, the outcome doesn't change in the slightest.

Also, you will end up reading a LOT, but really, the dialogue drags on for so long that it becomes a drag to read. I found myself skipping through mind-numblingly long lectures and banter sessions and most of it is just about how dumb the MC is or how much of a fuckup he is. You will find yourself reading through dozens of text boxes whilst remaining on the same render.

Lastly, the LIs are your typical anime archetypes: cold and sadistic tsundere, shy and kindhearted deredere, psychopath assassin yandere, and more, but you see the point. They're all just a bunch of tropes thrown together, which can normally be tolerable, but I did not feel anything for any of them. In fact, if this novel had an interesting plot, I would probably continue to play this one whilst rejecting every single LI because they're all honestly quite unlikeable.

Unfortunately, this game doesn't have a lot going for it so I will pass on this one. I realise it is quite highly-rated, but I can't for the life of me figure out what people enjoy about this game. Giving it an extra point for the decent start.

Hard to judge this one for now, but feeling like 2/5 is how it felt.

Pros:
- Good looking girls
- H-scenes (what's there) looks good
- Some of the dialogue is fun

Cons:
- Don't stick your dick in crazy
- Too much reading
Hear me out!!!
Not "letters hurt head, porn need", this is one of the VNs that, for situations that need 2-3 lines of dialogue per character uses 50-100 lines of text.
It's ridiculous at how much reading there is for everything. It just goes on and on and on. Why?!?!
- MC - He's your run of the mill "I'm so good, I'm awesome", while making fuckup after fuckup. Where the confidence comes from is anyone's guess.

Side note: Any point to choices other than yes or no to sex?

This one will go for eternity due to dialogue.
There are better ways to spend time.

TL;DR = mix of slice of life romance, espionage and contract killers and supernatural beings. Pretty good so far.

Story: 5/5
+ Well this story is very ambitious. There is a lot of going on.
+ First subplot is about MC and his romance toward different girls. There is a lot of cheesy humour here. You can expect things like: Childhood friend crush. Slice of life of teenage girls. A lot of teasing. School bullies. Etc.
+ Second subplot is about MC being former black-ops military operative that is blackmailed into doing some shady stuff for rich corp bosses.
+ Third subplot is about some struggle between supernatural beings. Very mysterious.
+ Characters are well written and they have some deeper motivation.
+ Plot in this game is insanely good. If you had split plot into 3 parts it could carry 3 pretty decent games, but they are combined into one superb story. Lets hope that author can keep up with good work.

Art and Sex stuff: 4/5
+ Girls are very hot.
+ Renders are good.
+ Erotic scenes are good.
- Only downside of the game is the fact, that the game is still in early development and there isnt much sex content. So far only nudity and BJ scenes.

Gameplay: 4/5
+ This is typical VN with choices.
+ Choices have some impact on the game. Majority of choices will be about whether the girl likes you.
+ There is a lot of humour in this game. Some choices has really made me laugh.
+ English is good.
+ The game has very good soundtrack. In different situations you will hear very different kind of music.
- Like I have mentioned earlier: the only downside of the game is the fact that it is in early development. But I think it took me 2 hours to finish it so it is okay.

To sum it up:
This game is really good. Check it out.

At first I was drawn in by the love interests. Main character syndrome was incredibly heavy with this one until it became apparent that this is not a self insert. The MC has his own personality and this is a result of his choices and circumstances. Building a genuine story around this seems to be the focus at the moment so there is a lack of sexual elements in this visual novel. However the initial release indicates the developer understands what draws a in a crowd but also what builds a fanbase. I am a little worried as to how well all of the paranormal/espionage/slice of life elements will mesh together. I would much rather experience a fleshed out story focusing on a few genre's than another mediocre plot biting off more than it can chew. I trust the Developer at the moment but I really hope they have a thoroughly considered design document in place to include both sexual and story elements for each update.

TLDR: 4.5/5.0 More sexual content needed but everything else is perfect.

4.5 out of 5.

As others have said, this game wears its influences on its sleeve. If you've played the games it's channeling, you can't possibly miss it- and that's fine. Totally fine. UA does it beautifully; it manages to be its own game with its own feel while clearly drawing inspiration from other good games.

The writing is very possibly the best I've seen on this site- characters speak and think like English-speaking human beings, not Google translated dunces or pretentious poetry or textbook enthusiasts. They're all lovely to look at (though I think their eyes glow WAY too much), they all have distinct and dynamic personalities, and I haven't seen a single one that made me think "oh no, not THIS one again".

The MC makes some mistakes, but for the most part he's a breath of fresh air; he manages to be competent without feeling like a Mary Sue. I especially appreciate that he's as genre savvy as the reader. He immediately catches on to weird shit and coincidences without flailing around, saying "what could this MEAN?!?", even though any player with more than 5 braincells can put together the answer in seconds. Loved playing as him.

If I have one criticism of this game, it's that several times the bantering between the MC and other characters goes on way, way too long. What was a funny goof between him and a girl loses its humor when it takes five or ten more clicks to get through than it should. Not a huge problem, but it made me roll my eyes more than once.

This is fixin' to be one of my very favorite games here. Don't screw it up, eh?

First hour of the game was good enough but that all changes when MC immediately turns into an actual moron for some reason. Generally when you are presented with a smug smartmouth MC who conducts himself as if he is capable of anything, it doesn't bode well for his likeability when he isnt able to back his demeanor when the situation presents itself. MC goes around acting like he is James bond, proceeds to stick his dick in a bottle of uncertainty and immediately gets grabbed by the balls. I would also understand if this happened for some altruistic reason, that MC couldn't stand back and watch injustice being done but NO, its purely for his own selfish reason, that reason being money. It is even implied that MC has commited several war crimes (which he accepts without an resistance). I'm sorry whoever is writing this game but taking away every reason to care for the protagonist isn't how you write a story.

(v0.3.04)

The game started off well, but that all came to screeching halt when the last update turned the main character into a complete moron who acts entirely out of character. A lack of meaningful player choice makes the situation even worse, and the biggest choice we've made in previous updates has turned out to be so inconsequential that it may as well not have been given at all.

The renders and most of the character models are quite well done. There was a very rudimentary animation early on in a lewd scene, and a highly detailed animation in a non-lewd scene later. The overall story is a jumbled mess at the moment. Some of the dialogues are well written, but a few are embarrassingly terrible. The music and sound effects are decent.

With a few changes, this would be a very good game instead of a poor one.

I massively appreciate the sheer amount of sass the MC throws around AND his love interests throw back at him. That's right up my alley, and it's also hilarious and well written. I also appreciate the horror elements and touching emotional moments the dev drops here and there.

Con: Very little content so far.

This review is written at 0.3.4, and I'm looking forward to more in the future.

Only a start but the writing has humor and joy and the character's stand out for having... character. Not necessarily the most complex or compelling character's in the world but they are well written. It's enough that by the time I got caught up to the latest update (0.3) (which around 3 hours of content but minimal scenes) I was upset that there wasn't more. I very much look forward to future updates.

When I first started playing this game, I thought to myself: "Ah yes, another 20ish hot and athletic guy returning to his hometown to live with his "step-family", and was well prepared for a lot of mediocrity.

But then, boom; well-written dialogue, funny satirical humor, super hot personalities (yes, personalities), and an actual interesting plot develops.

Before I knew it I was invested in the story and all the characters, and finished the entire game in 1 sitting.

10/10. Can't wait for more.

Just skimmed through the game. Very adept writing and all the characters got interesting and different personalities. Looks like the dev is developing this with care.
Still very early in development but can't wait for the next update.
Good Luck to the Dev.

Absolutely amazing. 10/10. I can't wait for more. This is absolutely amazing. Every character feels alive and amazing. Just like elternum the story, characters and the world feel so full of life and beautiful. I usually don't give reviews but i can't help it here. Absolutely beautiful 100/100. I hope dev releases more updates soon because i want to feel this world again. This is the second time I've been this happy. My god i love this.

[v0.3.04]
I feel like it's near impossible to not compare this game to Caribdis' style. Whether intentional or not, Unraveling August reminds me so much of that style while having a personality of it its' own. Of course, a comparison like that is nothing to scoff at considering how highly rated both of their games are. I can see this one easily soaring up there to be right beside them!

I genuinely love the banter in this game. It makes characters much more fun to interact with and helps define personalities more. So many interactions left a stupid grin on my face from the pure fun of it all.
As mentioned in other reviews, finally another good MC!! One with their own personality and defining characteristics. A main character with flaws that isn't completely clueless to the sexual tension around him is a very rare find.
The story is definitely interesting and I hope it keeps going in a good direction. It helps that there is a few different elements at work, so if one genre doesn't hook you, another will.
Great girls, nice soundtrack, interesting decisions although their impact remains to be seen. It's just really solid all around! I'm looking forward to more updates!

Review of v0.3.04

This game shows enormous potential. It has well-executed HS models, including a non-heinous MC, and excellent characterization. It's not render-heavy, meaning that there's not a new image for every line of dialogue: that's a plus, as it makes reading easier and meaningful interactions stand out.

One of the easiest things to mess up in a game is the protagonist. This VN does a standout job making him apologetic (when appropriate) without being a wimp, able to dish out and handle some abuse, and displaying real emotion. He has flaws, can be bullied, and doesn't make the best decisions in every case. He has character.

The other characters are similarly well-done and developed (some more than others, but that's how it goes). Dialogue is snappy, often funny, and dark when it should be. The repartee is the best part, and not forced.

On the negative side, the obligatory sex scene is a bit early and creepy, and just doesn't fit with the characters. "Get to the sex in the first 20 minutes!" everyone says. I get it, but it should feel organic to the characters. It should be something that doesn't reflect badly on the participants or the MC if the participants will be encountered later.

The threads for at least three different genres are woven in here. Will be interesting to see what comes of them.

Play it. You'll enjoy it.

Finally an MC I dont hate. Funny guy, good game. this 200 characters rule though is not so much fun, seriously still not at 200 characters. Get over yourself. damn it, still not at 200 characters. ok now your taking the piss

Hits a nice sweet spot of sexy renders and funny story. Not pure fap material but actually keeps me interested enough to click instead of skipping to the next scene. Could do without the QT events but there aren't so many as to be overly annoying.

0.3 no sex scenes so far, but aside from that the game is pretty good. Definitely some question marks with the writing at some points that is preventing me from really getting invested in the story, or taking some characters seriously, but overall I still enjoyed my time.

Fantastic game, Genuinely funny scenes, the banter alone has had me actually laughing out loud at my computer like some kind of weirdo.

The characters are all very distinct and unique, all possessing their own strengths, weaknesses and powerful personalities. The MC is a real human, who makes flawed decisions like real humans and has to live with those consequences.

The story is slowly turning into an exciting mystery, this combined with the wonderful personalities in the game have me eagerly awaiting each update like no game has for a good while now.