VN - Ren'Py - Where It All Began [Ch. 3 Full] [Oceanlab]

I stand by my original review.... for the original version of the game.
However, we are now 2 chapters into a complete re-work, and it is MARKEDLY different to the original game.

I am not going to change my score, yet. As of finishing chapter 2 of the rework, I am unsure how I feel about the game going forward, so I will not be rating it, yet.

My one star ranking, and my review in spoilers below, are strictly for the .6 "before rework" version. I am unsure how much of what I said pertains to the current rework. If reading my review pushes you away from interest in the game, I would like to make clear, the rework, thus far, feels like a different entity, and my review below is not about the rework version, and should not influence any interest you may have in trying the rework version. Below is STRICTLY for the original .6 version.

v0.6 Beta

The improvements at the graphics are noticeable and i loved the changes, the cinematic at the end is top-notch. The characters looked amazing, the only critic i have here it's that the MC looked a bit old.

When i first readed about this rework i hoped that the relationship between Katie and the MC would have been less drastic change of attitude because between hate to like there is a long distance and doesn't feel this way here.
As for the rest of the story, i always liked stories with content and mature stuff, but i have a feeling that some things are getting a little out of control. I liked the introduction of Dana at the previous chapter because she seemed normal, maybe others disagree with me because sometimes normal is boring but in this game, all the characters are a bit crazy so the addition of a normal character was nice, but in this last chapter at some point she seemed like she's taking the MC case to show her ability and power, leaving the MC's life as something secundary

What i’m saying is, i like conflicts when i look on a story, but it doesn’t have to be all complicated

8/10

Ok let me start this by saying something everyone seem to be getting completely and utterly WRONG!!
*****[This game is NOT a FORCED NTR story!!]*****
-i will not say there is no NTR in it but it is completely AVOIDABLE.
now to the review
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i don't want to spoiler anything important about the story itself so i will say a few words about the game itself.
the games story is rich with mystery and drama anything you do/choose will have some underlying meaning which either shows its effect directly or will foreshadow a future event (so if you think this is just some porn game where you fuck everything that moves YOU ARE WRONG!)
there are quite a lot of branches in the story and each one changes the story to the players preference but have in mind this is story driven game meaning that we will get to that ending one way or another but the details may differ based on choices(so for those who want to know Yes, the choices matter) .
Graphics :
at the start of the game the render might not appeal to all but it will without the shadow of doubt get better and better and better Ocean has done a magnificent job of improving his work over the updates and with the rework planned it will no doubt just get better. i advise you to understand that making a game is an ART! Devs don't wake up one morning and become a best graphics artist that walked the earth which is why you may see some problems with earliest versions of the game but don't let that dissuade you from this excellent journey!
Characters:
there are multitude of characters in the game with different background, different personality traits likes and dislikes this makes the player choose carefully how to interact with certain characters and not just think with their lower body, because if you use same approach for all the character the only thing you will be left with is you....alone!

so if you are looking for a game where choices matter, the characters are not simple drones hell bent on having sex and a great story then this is a great game that will keep you engaged.
[i hope you will download this for a test if nothing else after all personal experience is way more important than word of mouth]
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i've rambled on for quite a while so im gonna close it with a small advice
**this is and adult visual novel NOT a porn game and if you look at it that way the only thing waiting for you is dissappointment**

this is very bland pandering, let's start with the characters are they interesting? the other sister (not katie) and Dylan the dad are probaly the most interesting cause they're the only one's who seem to not be cliched. Now let's get on to katie, i'm gonna be honest she's not a well done character at all the fact that she basically drugs you if you're mean to her is kinda bs that she gets away with cuz "cute girl". Her Backstory is getting neglected by her siblings? i'll tell you first hand it's kinda a bs excuse and dosen't give us much insight, it's just "Wow did you know the MC was the asshole all along and Katie is a saint" like no she is still a bitch and that wan't devolped by the mc. I've been bullied by a sibling and it's not to uncommon it's not a sad backstory because like i said it's common behavior if you actually have siblings, but like i said dosen't excuse her bs although the game presents itself like it does, that's the thing with other games they know when a character is in the wrong, here they make you feel in the wrong which can be done if it's a choice but you have n choice over it and makes no sense cause obviously she is and you're not. Anyway the asian chick is next, i'm gonna be honest she basically ruined the whole game, ruins the POV of the Mc and adds nothing to the story, also don't get me fucking started on how generic that zoey girl is, all in all it had some decent ideas but makes it into a boring, very generic story that can't even come up with a narrative that makes sense

If you like NTR this would be a 4 or 5 star, it has the option to turn NTR off, but it doesn't feel like it goes away in the story. Also switching to controlling the girlfriend takes away from the MC story (really only seems necessary for the NTR since her scenes do nothing if you're avoiding it). Beyond that the renders are excellent, but it seems like so much time was spent on the NTR material the MC story got left behind, after 5 updates you haven't had hardly any interaction with most of the main characters. I think the developer had an interesting idea with the random chance options in chapter 5 (camping trip), but I would suggest not doing it in the future (it means a lot of material is missed and I don't want to feel like I'm forced to play a game multiple times just to see the material, if it was fun enough for multiple play through that isn't necessary).

Holy smokes what a journey, its even only halfway but already such an awesome story.
Very interesting plot and the thing is I usually open walkthrough to see what would I miss when I make a choice and with this game, amount of choices are insane. So much content and routes present itself and even a RNG factor that creates randomized storylines. The paralleled routes are endless.
Character personalities and their renders are also amazingly done. Each of them feel unique. I am amazed by this game.
Only negative would be it is still on development and we have to wait for updates, other than that amazing journey. Highly recommended.

EDIT: There is a planned rework incoming and it will completely change the game, it will be an insane upgrade. Latest 0.6 version is like a preview of the games new caliber. Its both amazing visual and quality update. It made me fan of the same game again..

Why is the developer tackling 2 games at the same time? Why did he even do a full rework of one of them? Why is this frustrating? Because the update take forever and because they are really good. Any porn gamer that doesnt have these 2 games in his top10 list is probably stupid or daft or... you know what i´m saying. Let´s start over. The rework. It´s better than the first version. Duh. A big iffy point. Don´t like how the twins talk to each other now. Doesn´t feel right. You know when you´re reading something and it´s amazing and then something it´s off... you immediately notice it. OMG im rambling. This games is one of the best games in tha market and it´s gonna take FOREVER. So frustrating.

well, when i first lay eyes in this game i thought that it was very generic and cliche. The only reason i played it its because of the score that had. A lot of people really liked it so i gave it a chance. I must say i was wrong. not a lot of games makes me feel that much but when part 5 came out i saw the great potential this game has on story telling. just because of one chararcter ( i will not spoil who it is). it can go even better if the feveloper maintain focus on the project. i cant wait to see more.

(v0.5 Full) - No Spoilers

Where It All Began can feel like an assault on your senses at times. It's plagued by an abundance of doll-like facial expressions (that come off as juvenile), a plethora of typos, cheesy dialogue, and overbearing personalities. However, despite its many flaws, this bad mash-up of a soap opera and sitcom is still worth reading. This VN's saving grace is its variety of unique characters, and I'm certain that most readers on this site will find at least one heroine they'll be enamored by.

Some characters are modeled better than others, but it appears that several lacking models are being overhauled at the time of my writing this review. That said, my real gripe with the visuals are the overly-exaggerated facial expressions. Maybe the dev gets a kick out of seeing his characters make the goofiest faces imaginable. I just found them annoying and unfunny.

Thankfully, scenes move at a fairly rapid pace. The aforementioned variety of unique characters take their turns entering and exiting the story, and there's a good balance of screen time for all of them. I felt the choices presented helped navigate me around the characters that I didn't like - of which there were a lot - so credit to the dev for making decisions feel impactful.

I see a lot of praise for the writing and the story, but I summed it up best when I called this VN a soap opera. It's obvious that time and effort went into creating a cohesive story, but I only find it mildly entertaining instead of compelling. Any meaningful drama is mired by unrealistic antics on-screen. But hey, this is porn, so at least it gives characters reasons to warm up to each other.

It might appear like my rating is generous after writing a rather critical review, but it's important to focus on the characters in porn games more than anything else. The dev gave me Emilie, so I'm giving Where It All Began 4 stars. Thanks, Oceanlab. Keep working hard!

[Written for v0.5]

The amalgamation of each minor plot into the whole actually entices you to go deeper with each character, while having setbacks for some. (Which imo should be expanded if you want a true route-esque game - which it appears it eventually will try to be as you can end certain relationships with people, or take sexual actions with people in order to further progress or diminish relations with another)

In my opinion, the rendering for the game is actually super well done, though I do think the actual animations are quite off and not necessarily the best. The renders are high quality and give off good environmental vibes for the player.

The story is pretty well composed and though it doesn't go as far or as deep as I would like for now - I do appreciate the ability to turn off NTR and the certain deep plot features that you figure out by taking certain routes.

Overall the game is set up with the potential for very wonderful execution with at the moment for going deeper into storylines and building up relationships (in my opinion). At the moment the main issue for me is the lack of development for certain characters as well as the lack of relationship effects of picking certain dialogue options - don't get me wrong, there are dialogue options that do effect them but they are quite rare basically allowing you to have a positive relationship with everyone, having the ultimate harem. Though this could be seen as a positive, for me it isn't the best and would be better for replayability if it was changed - then again that's just me : )

First Ill talk about my personal hangups and issues I have with adult games. First of which is NTR. I hate it. If a game has it, I already want to shrug it off. Even games with "avoidable" NTR never feels quite right. Like content just gets skipped rather than writing around it. This does a good job of preserving the peace. There are a few scenes that still bug me, but as you control the female character its easily avoided. To top this off, the game tracks a NTR stat like other games that may track lust or affection. Making it even easier to avoid any possible lazy writing moments by just avoiding those options.

Secondly, its viewing a different characters POV. Especially in a first person POV like this. The reason for choosing first person is to place you into the role of the character, instead of making you control the character. Increasing immersion and getting you to care about choices you make. Games or stories in general that have you see someone else's perspective destroys that immersion and it bugs me. This game didn't do that to me. The scenes were short (I'm assuming, If you play with NTR those scenes will likely be longer). I didn't make me want the characters to stfu and get it over with.

The story was also good. The description (as of 0.5) is very short and doesn't explain anything. I had just assumed that it was going to be just another incest story, but I was dead wrong. Theres mystery and intrigue that makes me want to study the characters to see if anyone has dropped a hint. There are plots, and subplots, and depending on your choices seem to open up even more subplots. I'm expecting more down the line.

As for the characters, I rather enjoyed them. As I said before, I expected a generic incest plot. You have mother, sisters, maybe aunt and cousin, possibly an asshole father to deal with, any other character is a side character, and virtually irrelevant aside from a short story and some sex scenes. This is different.Many of the characters seem important. They have their own lives and potentially effect the story as a whole. Even male characters seem fine, or enjoyable. Coming from an NTR hater thats blasphemy! All the characters have well written personalities, their all different not just the same person with a new bucket of paint thrown in. I really enjoy them so much im not really sure who id call "best girl"

The art is also really well done! maybe one location looked very familiar to me, but I'm not certain, so there are no borrowed assets. Which is a plus for me, considering I've played too many of these games to be proud about. The girls look nice, seems to have a kind of look for everyone to enjoy!

I'm looking forward to see the future. I'm impressed.

This game is definitely a special one. It has a relatively interesting plot and a more than interesting family dynamic as well as characters. I like the way the game presents itself. It includes wonderful renders and some more than exceptional animations paired with decent to sometimes great dialogue.

Some parts of the game are pretty emotional and I feel an attachment and even empathy towards some of the characters. The game does not seek to be basic by any means and there is much more to the story than what is seen on the surface. I am genuinely interested to see how the story goes as of 0.5 the game ends on a pretty exciting/curious time in the story.

I honestly believe the game is under rated as I have played worse games with far more attention recieved by consumers than this one. I hope more people get to see what a promising game this truly is. I would totally recommend giving this game a go and as I stated before I can't wait to see where the story ends up.

The writing in-game is what immediately piqued my interest, from the start you have not the best looking models but the writing for me just topples the visuals and brings life to characters that I didn't quite like at the start, the story is somewhat a rollercoaster, that in most games on this site would turn into a mess but this one pulls it trough with constant choices throughout the story that change the characters and events, and after playing a second time with a walk through the story content further expanded revealing more pathways. Overall really enjoyed the game and wish the dev luck on further development.

I just finished my first playthrough and I am surprised by how many things are still left when I finished. There are a few branching paths you can take with a few characters. A few storylines that can only happen when you choose specific actions. A little buggy on how things should go ( some conversation and events should not have happen if mc have chosen specific actions ) but overall a satisfying game and story.

Honestly, I'm flabbergasted about the quality of this work. It's amazing and I hope you keep it up.

People often forget that from a porn game we expect more than just porn pictures. For that, we have so many image boards and porn videos. We expect an interactive story with great plot AND great porn and you deliver on both sides.

I welcome the fact that each character is more than a cardboard cutout. You made them feel alive. Almost every action had consequences and some more than the arbitrary number going up or down - whole scenes were changed.

This is really one of the better games I’ve experienced. There are some technical things that are slightly iffy in regards to some of the earlier renders, but it’d very apparent that with each update this game is growing by leaps and bounds. The most recent update (0.5) actually has some of the most expressive and diverse looking characters I’ve encountered.
Likewise, there are some small time grammar and spelling issues, but considering that English isn’t the creator’s first language it actually reads remarkably well.

There’s a good variety of fetishes too, moreso than you usually see around these parts and though it’s still early days yet and we haven’t quite seen the impact of all of them, it’s refreshing at least that a creator is trying to be diverse. Any game that allows the player to indulge in impregnation is alright in my book.

But really, what makes this game stand out is how interesting the story and characters are. Miru is a little much, but her shortcomings are more than made up for how interesting the MC’s family is. There’s a true sense of history between these people and the town they live in, it gives a greater feeling of depth and I often find that I’m genuinely interested in seeing where things go with them, beyond the H scenes.

It’s still early days yet, and that’s somewhat frustrating, but I can very easily see this game becoming a classic once it really gets going.

As of 0.5 - good game, don't get fooled by the somewhat weak synopsis.

I guess I have to start without spoilers, so...
Um...
Ah, yeah, Graphics.

I'm usually not much in to the Graphics - I don't much care for 4k and whatnot. It's a Daz game with some really cool models and the dev obviously spent some more time designing them compared to most of what we see. Some really strange shadows at times and the lightning can't seem to decide what time of the day is it often enough, so that I noticed it. That said - graphics are workable.

The Story. Without going in to spoilers I can't say much about it. It's complex and tries to be multilayered, but is often distracted by sex. Yeah, I didn't really expect to say it about a porn game ether, but in my opinion if the game was story first, sex second (kind like it was in the start) - it would be better.
Don't expect Russian classical literature, tho. it ain't no War and Peace. It probably reminds me most of some anime in style and presentation (and POV shifts and "in the meanwhile here is what the other guys are doing").
I like what I have seen. Sadly for now it's mostly set up. As we know from other forms of media - layering mystery over mystery works... if you can deliver on the conclusions. Only time will tell if the Dev delivers.

Cast:
Huge. Most are cool and have enough personality to be interesting. I can also imagine (most times) how they got where they are personality wise. Some didn't tick with me, but most kind of did.
Also a good note - you are not the only guy in the world! And it seems no all of them are total assholes. I;d like to grab a beer with Sven.

Gameplay.
I have the most mixed feelings about that. I played the game, later read the walktrough and it seems easy for a few things and very hard for others:
NTR - yeah, it's so easily avoidable, that I have no idea why the option for it to be there even exists. If you are an asshole - people will bang other guys. This is the part that is easy and obvious.
Pregnancy - God bless options! Personally I care nether way, but still - forcing, banning or leaving it to chance is all well and good. But...
Chance - Don't get me wrong, I like chance. Chance is cool and gives variety. But I also have a golden rule - chance is there to save your ass, not to bend you over. And it seems to me a LOT of the story can be blocked by pure RNG. In my book that is bad. Now you can avoid the bad stuff but it seems to lock up a substantial portion of the story. And I really don't like that.

Overall - if you don't come in expecting Tolstoy - you will be satisfied by the game.

Honestly some games on this site you go into it expecting a story with decent animations & visuals but little attention to character development or story arc. This is not one of those games though. It has plenty of branches to keep you entertained multiple times, the girls are diverse in looks and personalities with fleshed out backgrounds. This is definitely one of the best early releases on the site with a few hours of content already when you take your time and enjoy the dialogue.

I think it's the only game with NTR tag, where characters are not stupid as f*ck, which is making this game hot right from the beggining.

The plot is consistent, NTR avoidable and renders are good quality.

It's a pitty, that dev has only $682/month from it. A lot of shitty games with disgusting renders, enormous tits and stupid plot can have $3000 per month, and this can not? What went wrong?

Anyway - this is a must play here - my only wish is for this game to keep it's standards and still have a little bit of NTR, but not too much. Supporting right now

Easily one of the best games on here. The story is very original, it has dramatic parts, and it has funny parts, and is a bit of a mystery. There are points where random things happen. Such as a 10% chance of a condom breaking, or 25% chance on one of 4 girls. The artwork is also great for the most part. There are lots of choices. Look forward to finding out what happens next.