Under normal circumstances I would argue that the plot has a lot going for it. Moral dilemma, the depicition human abysses combined with erotica. It can be a very good premise for a dark plot.
What I don't like is when authors use rape or sexual violence as a plot device and even though the depiction in Warlord is not explicit, it feels very much implied and is rubbed in. The mother becomes a victim of sexual barbarism in order to emotionally stir the protagonist and thus the viewer. In a way, it would be more honest if the abuse of the mother was depicted with renders, because the lack of renders leaves it to the viewer's imagination to imagine even worse.
The fact that the protagonist is incapacitated by the plot shortly beforehand (basically only for this purpose) and that you are expected to fight a desperate and pointless fight to save your mother is pretty much the foundation of the exploitation genre. You are supposed to feel total despair so that you carry the emotional scar of the protagonist along with you.
This is the main reason for the low rating. I think there are other points of criticism, e.g. too few renders for very important scenes, static portraits as a substitute for scene renders and text as a render substitute.
I like the dark atmosphere, I also like traumatic events as a prelude to stories (just not blatant exploitation, there is an aesthetic to trauma depiction. Abuse is no stubtitute for good drama.), the art pieces and the fantasy setting. The music is very powerful as well.
The developer hinted that he might abandon this VN unless he gets a good reception. And I truly think there is potential buried in there. But don't base the emotional involvement of your MC on the sexual abuse of others, unless you want to tell a story about madness. And even then it's honestly a cheap shot.
What I don't like is when authors use rape or sexual violence as a plot device and even though the depiction in Warlord is not explicit, it feels very much implied and is rubbed in. The mother becomes a victim of sexual barbarism in order to emotionally stir the protagonist and thus the viewer. In a way, it would be more honest if the abuse of the mother was depicted with renders, because the lack of renders leaves it to the viewer's imagination to imagine even worse.
The fact that the protagonist is incapacitated by the plot shortly beforehand (basically only for this purpose) and that you are expected to fight a desperate and pointless fight to save your mother is pretty much the foundation of the exploitation genre. You are supposed to feel total despair so that you carry the emotional scar of the protagonist along with you.
This is the main reason for the low rating. I think there are other points of criticism, e.g. too few renders for very important scenes, static portraits as a substitute for scene renders and text as a render substitute.
I like the dark atmosphere, I also like traumatic events as a prelude to stories (just not blatant exploitation, there is an aesthetic to trauma depiction. Abuse is no stubtitute for good drama.), the art pieces and the fantasy setting. The music is very powerful as well.
The developer hinted that he might abandon this VN unless he gets a good reception. And I truly think there is potential buried in there. But don't base the emotional involvement of your MC on the sexual abuse of others, unless you want to tell a story about madness. And even then it's honestly a cheap shot.
