I would rate ViotoXica 3.5, but I'll throw a 4 since people complain about the vore fetish and I care mostly about the core mechanics of the game. People are missing an otherwise nice game experience because they don't want to play past the fetish.
It's a metroidvania with an interesting upgrade system that delivers points based on a choice that feels like specialized "subclassing", but you can simply pick different packages of points to tilt your stat balance whenever you feel pressure from certain enemies. On top of that you have a equipment and gem slotting system (no visible clothing changes, sadly), and a simple yet effective dodge-roll / jump / melee / shoot combat flow from the player along with damage type selection to use against increasingly complex bullet-hell bosses. After you "finish" the game for the first time, go back to the very first room you started your adventure at and discover a new doorway that leads to an absolutely brutal gauntlet of boss fights and platform-puzzle mazes with top-end prizes.
Prizes in the world are hidden in secret passages, some you may only discover after you unlock a movement or attack option (try attacking a wall or rolling into a corner sometimes). Standard metroidvania stuff, but at least this game competently uses those features.
I can't deny the fetish is weird, but the gameplay was good enough to compel me through the game despite the fetish not matching my preferences, and that's a solid achievement on behalf of the developer. The game features an honest preview video of its gameplay on the start menu, so you get to see right away how the game works and looks as you play it before you play it. So you know from the included video it's worth a strong 3.5/5 stars.
Downsides to the game? The fetish won't work for most people. The platforming requires precision in some prize locations, though I don't think the main routes needed that much. You need to be cautious when choosing how to spend your materials for upgrades, and materials / save slots are scarce so pay attention before you craft.
If it wasn't for the vore fetish this game would absolutely score at just under 4.5/5 across at least 20 ratings. I say if you have an empty Friday evening and you're interested in having a slightly kinky game worth at least 7 hours of play, try this. Hunting for prizes and completing the post-game gauntlet could bring this game past 12 hours of playtime.
It's a metroidvania with an interesting upgrade system that delivers points based on a choice that feels like specialized "subclassing", but you can simply pick different packages of points to tilt your stat balance whenever you feel pressure from certain enemies. On top of that you have a equipment and gem slotting system (no visible clothing changes, sadly), and a simple yet effective dodge-roll / jump / melee / shoot combat flow from the player along with damage type selection to use against increasingly complex bullet-hell bosses. After you "finish" the game for the first time, go back to the very first room you started your adventure at and discover a new doorway that leads to an absolutely brutal gauntlet of boss fights and platform-puzzle mazes with top-end prizes.
Prizes in the world are hidden in secret passages, some you may only discover after you unlock a movement or attack option (try attacking a wall or rolling into a corner sometimes). Standard metroidvania stuff, but at least this game competently uses those features.
I can't deny the fetish is weird, but the gameplay was good enough to compel me through the game despite the fetish not matching my preferences, and that's a solid achievement on behalf of the developer. The game features an honest preview video of its gameplay on the start menu, so you get to see right away how the game works and looks as you play it before you play it. So you know from the included video it's worth a strong 3.5/5 stars.
Downsides to the game? The fetish won't work for most people. The platforming requires precision in some prize locations, though I don't think the main routes needed that much. You need to be cautious when choosing how to spend your materials for upgrades, and materials / save slots are scarce so pay attention before you craft.
If it wasn't for the vore fetish this game would absolutely score at just under 4.5/5 across at least 20 ratings. I say if you have an empty Friday evening and you're interested in having a slightly kinky game worth at least 7 hours of play, try this. Hunting for prizes and completing the post-game gauntlet could bring this game past 12 hours of playtime.
