VN - Ren'Py - Completed - Where the Heart Is [EP25] [CheekyGimp]

This is a good game with some things i don't like.
-from episode 22 there seems the dev just decided to just change any characterisation. For example, the sub woman who enjoyed being a sub decided to blackmail because plot reason... and ruin her situation.
Also the "no harem" thing becomes a so big issue for the dev that he decides to break the flow of the story and you are quite forced to do choices you weren't forced to do for 21 previous episodes. Speak about a total crash of the pacing of the game.

- no music is a big negative point, but it is so usual in adult games i don't even feel like explaining why music and sound design are important in a game.
- the girls are quite good. Monica would be the one with whom i have the most troubles because she has a "squary" face, but other than that, she's beautiful. I don't very much like the "ponytail" version of Katie but it's changed midgame so it's okay. Zarah is the girl i like the least and I think i can't be the only one when i see the fact that her looks changed quick in the game, and she has not a big role around middle, which is very well.

- there are many many many choices. But most choices are just "this" or "that" in conversation, with one giving point on this and the other on that. It's not bad, but it makes for...

- a very talkative game but often the talks are the "many words to explain one thing which could have been shown". So it's a failure in the "show, don't tell" department, helas, which goes along the lines of...

- most of the images are static. A same image can remain for like 15 slides of text, and it makes the game feel like "boring". The same game with more changes of images/scenes would feel less boring.

- the animation are not good.

- i'm personaly not fond at all of first person POV; this one is mostly focused on first person POV; happily are the girls beautiful so it does compensate.

For the rest: girls, relationships, the game feels good.

Frankly after episode 22 it seems the game will not become what it could have really be and just be average. Too bad.

Review [Ep.21]

Where the heart Is, it’s the most normal but nice game I have played on this site, I can’t really find some heavy negatives or great praises to give.
Still it was always on my mind, for how ok it was, but let’s delve into it.

Plot, characters and choices
The plot is existent, even if it starts slow and the mystery is hidden between events with the girls, but don’t expect anything breathtaking, it’s a common story (That sounds like a corny tv fiction) and it’s kinda predictable as most of the characters and events, but not in a bad way, you just see where everything is going, and the game doesn’t pretend to be a serious mastermind of narrating device, it knows his flow.
The three main characters will never surprise you, they act as the first impression; the lovable caring milf, the gymnastic one and the nerd one, they only get more involved into romance and sex but that’s it.
Choices are weird, they are so verbose, mostly every single one don’t matter much for the story, they only serve for obtain points for the character you wanna bang. (Also it’s kinda of an Harem but not really)
The side characters are the same as the 3 main girls, you’ll never go “WOW I DIDN‘T EXPECT THAT”.
We have the bitchy actress, the teasing friend of the milf, the bitchy rival, the sexy bartender…
They have some traits and personalities, but some get more screen time of others so Don’t get too attached to some cameos.
I would say some are better than the main cast but that’s my persomal bias.
The MC is okay, enough pervert and enough nice guy.

Sex and other stuff
The sex scenes are ok, you see 4 or 5 and you basically saw all of them, they are not bad but they are not really sexy either, they feel plain.
Renders and graphics I’m the first episodes are bad, not awful, but fortunately it gets better slower and slower so don’t worry much about.

Final thoughts
I don’t think I like this game, but I don’t hate it either, would I give it another chance? Probably one day, it’s perfect to lose time if you don‘t want heavy stuff and just a nice little story without any amazing plot twists or dramas.
I recommend it if you are searching something like this, a simple nice story

Very erotic and excellent adult game, one of the best. Sometimes they could have bit better animation the erotic scenes but the characters, usage of camera and scenarios etc is excellently erotic and only around episode 10.

I have a love/hate relationship with this beautiful disaster of a game. It starts slow, and as the developers acknowledge the visuals get strikingly better in later chapters. The story is on the upper side of average; it tries to be realistic and sincere but suffers from a bit of "porn game syndrome." They mystery elements, the romances, and the humor all come behind the main idea: the player is a sex god in a predominantly female world who is going to fuck every last one of them.

The game design is where WTHI struggles, and if I'm being honest it is just about the worst I've ever seen. This game is not a harem game, it doesn't have the harem tag, but boy does that backfire. Of the 10+ (I think it's actually 15, including those that are teased but not yet actually incorporated) girls in the game, there is not enough content for any single one of them to justify choosing only one. A number of the girls aren't even added until later episodes, and some girls only make appearances every five episodes or so. Despite having so many characters, there are in-game days where it basically says "you do nothing today, go to sleep, and wake up the next day." It's also obvious that some girls just aren't supposed to be real relationship choices in this game, and it's befuddling as to why the game would attempt to offer them as such when they have very little going for them. They game also teases polygamy with certain characters at various points but it's largely left unclear as to whether or not those are valid decisions that won't blow up in the player's face down the road.

On the other side of the coin, you can't really pursue multiple girls either, at least not in the long run. I understand wanting to preserve some sense of realism, but the first exclusive choices don't start showing up until very late in the game. You are all but encouraged to mess around with as many girls as possible for the longest time, and then suddenly you find yourself in predicaments if you play the game as it was seemingly intended. There's no warning that it's going to happen; you just get thrown into situations where you have to make abrupt choices due to the main character's initial lack of agency, allowing the girls to control his life and his schedule for the sake of forcing conflict.

There are ways to have a game with multiple romance options and monogamy. I personally like how Offcuts does it: you pick a girl after the game's introductory period and then play out her specific story, ignoring the others. Or you can do something like Depraved Awakening, Acting Lessons, etc. where you're allowed to fuck around all game and then make a final choice at the very end. But a seemingly perpetual love-decagon is not the way.

The multitude of choices the game offers are largely useless as well. Episode one features several of my least favorite type: instant bad-ends. This is a Ren'Py game. The player can roll back the game. Don't waste development resources adding in pointless choices that are nothing more than illusions of choice. The entire game is full of choices that effectively amount to Stat+1 or Stat-1 and in most cases it is easy to immediately discern which is which without looking at the code or using a walkthrough mod. You are also prompted a number of times to "continue relationship with girl" or "break-up with girl" where the former choice is the only one that makes sense unless you just want to skip content, as described in my paragraphs above.

If I were to summarize what I wrote above, I would say this: the game should have focused on the three main girls (Monica, Katie, and Jenna) and provided compelling, thorough stories for them. They are the girls introduced in episode one, and they feature in pretty much all of the episodes. Late appearances by the other girls are ultimately nothing but red herrings to distract the player, and they drained precious resources (time, writing effort, art effort) that could have been spent further fleshing out the main girls.

Easily in my top 10. Most harem games are copy paste and boring or have locked out routes, but this is definitely one of the few I'm eager for updates every time they come out. I highly recommend playing this if you like games like like Power Vacuum or Mid Life Crisis.

More than just fun and alluring models and scenes, this game has genuinely interesting paths and tensions. Plenty of sexy situations will still have you feverishly trying to maintain a delicate balance between the different characters. Definitely a fave.

I am playing v21 and currently e14 but I can tell I like this kind of a games. Perhaps basics of the story is a bit worn, but this has quite a lot variation with it's subplots.

Pros:
- Render quality is good.
- Characters are all likeable
- Story was nothing amazing but it got the job done and is pretty enjoyable.
- Quite a lot sex scenes
- No grinding
- No bugs

Cons:
- Some of the milf faces were a bit weary
- Some revenge scenes were too harsh

Me like!

I donot have words to describe this game. My rating says it all. There are some games in this site or in this genre which cannot be described with mere superlatives. I feel this game will easily be in top 5 of that list if not top it....

The plot, renders, models, everything is top notch. Keep it up dev, you rock I know you will revive and come back like never before..... Oh this rating may be a carbon copy of my other rating as I cannot make up my mind which one is better.

Aight so BOOM!

It's rare for me to actually take my time and read the plot to a game because;
1. Probably because of the broken English
2. Bad writing
3. I'm just horny af and trynna BUSS A NUT!
However, with this game, not only is the writing good, but you have to pay attention to the scenario, because EACH CHOICE MATTERS!

*i complain about bad writing, but make a run on sentence... I bet my English teachers and tutors would flip if they saw this*

Each storyline for the characters in this game is pretty good. Each character seems like they come off with some certain stereotypical architype. However, the further the story progresses, you see there are more layers within them, causing me (personally) to be more emotionally invested in them. I also feel like the emotional investment added on top of the sex scenes make each nut AMAZING!

AS FAR AS RENDERS AND MODELS GO, I feel like we've all scene better renders in other games compared to this one. One thing that sets itself apart from your run of the mill VN are how unique each model seems. I have not seen the same old hair cut with the side cut even shorter with a 3cm guard (yes that haircut is hot, but it definitely is getting over used at this point).

There is animation in this game. For some odd reason, however, it feels like you get a fully animated render sex scene, then a couple of frames for another. Both types of animations are scattered though out the entire game. It does seem a bit odd that there is THAT, but it's not a deal breaker.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE FAP WORTHY MOMENTS?! I feel like every nut that I busted to this game felt amazing to the scenarios on top of the emotional investment included in this game. Every scene is worth a fap. It took about 20 days for me to get up to 21, and I'm hesitant on finishing this current version of the game. The renders may not be on par with the likes of a Philly D or Dr. Pink Cake game, but everything else makes up for it.

So yeah, not only is it a faptastic game, but it's also an emotional roller coaster worrth riding. Check out the game.

I stopped playing this game a while ago, but decided to give it a go given its popularity and genre; '3DCG'. Unfortunately, I am quite disappointed with the game.

The characters look like crap. Some faces are just ugly, some are very weird (for example, the redheaded girl with those weird colored lips) and some are very masculine.

Surely there must be more people who thought the neighbor looked masculine. I've never rejected a character in a game so hard, haha.

The total state of the game wasnt terrible therefore i thought 2 stars was the right amount.

PROS:

- The game never forgets it's an adult VN and creates sexually charged scenes often
- Plenty of characters and they're varied

CONS:

- Everything is shallow and banal. People don't talk or act like anyone in this game.
- In the first chapters there are some FUGLY characters.
- Same tropes as in all other games. One character is too shy while another is too forward. They're stereortypes of themselves which leaves no room for real character growth.

In short: If you like your VN's with a little depth and characters that seem at least a little realistic, this game is not for you. Other than that, everything is decent. It's not a bad game.

Very reluctant reviewer here, but this gem forced me to write one and I'm honoured to be honest. It felt really great after playing this. I loved the personalities of each girls, bubbly, energetic, mood lifters, some gorgeous milfs. Liked the mystery premise, it'll not give you any clue on who's is the one "among us". Animations 5/5; renders 5/5; romance 5/5. And well come back cheekyGimp

Everything about the game is great, but what ruins is the stat requirements, I literally fail every stat check even though my stats are not that bad, like come on.

I hate it when games force you to cheat because the stat requirements are so harsh.

This is an amazing game on all counts. I remember finishing the last version and being sad I had to wait then after hearing the game was on hold. This game is a perfect mix of great story as well as engaging character development and great scenes. Highly recommend didn't have any negatives at all in my opinion besides waiting for a new update lol

GOAT tier game this one. Underrated even with 250 odd ratings. Girls are extremely gorgeous and with distinct personalities, each one them has good personality development, awesome animations, and the main character with lively attitude. Romance part is really well done, I'd say best one out here in that genre. The intimate scenes are way too alluring and beautifully done. Cheeky has nailed this.

This game was good at first but then became annoying. I like the premise and the 3 main characters. All besides 3 of the characters let you have sex immediately which is annoying because then there is no challenge or desire. For some of the supporting characters you have no choice but to have sex with otherwise you cant progress later. Most worst with Katie. I cant advance with Katie unless I also have sex with 2 other girls that I don't wanna do. Then frustratingly I have to comfort Katie by saying she's my number one girl when she suggested the whole idea. The supporting cast eventually takeover and the 3 main girls force you to involve them. The 3 main girls tell you to go on dates with the supporting cast. That's when it stopped being fun and felt like a choirboy type game. I didn't have much agency of the decisions.
He can use the images he already has and tweak it to give another path one with more control of the story.

I LOVE this game so much!
Beach scenes, modelling shoot scenes, Party scenes are epic and all of them are one small game-sized. Very interesting plots and really good writings ( lots of lines ). The content is rich and every character in this game is so active and hot. Also, seeing some characters from his different game roommate was kind of cool. This game is definitely one of a few games that deserve Patreon funds.

Review updated for Episode 24:

When I found this game, I'd been playing adult VNs and similar adult games for about 18 months after being stuck at home and bored during the pandemic. I've now played over 400 games that were nearly all 3D-rendered Ren'Py games. I started playing Where the Heart Is after Episode 18 was released and I've now played through Episode 24 and the Season 1 remaster. The game is outstanding and I rank it at #2 among all the adult games I've played.

The plot/story is good. Some parts are contrived, but it keeps the player engaged and entertained. You can read the discussion thread to see that there is/was a lot of excitement and anticipation on the story continuation when the Episodes got into the late teens.

The writing is superb. In visual novels, there are limits/tradeoffs the writer must make in prose, but the developer nailed it in this game. It's refreshing to just find an adult visual novel written in good native English, but this game has actual style. Side note: I noticed a couple of reviews of this game that complained about the writing when the reviews themselves were written in broken English. Go figure.

I love the crude but playful humor. The raunchy banter between the MC and Katie had me laughing out loud. I appreciated it, but I'm guessing some players were not enthused and that's why the "tone it down" option was added and I can understand it being a welcome choice by some players.

The graphics/art/rendering/animations are good. I wouldn't say they're outstanding, at least not consistently. Players can see that the graphics are more crude in earlier episodes with lighting and shading issues, but they get significantly more refined in later episodes. The earlier scenes have been remastered in the Season 1 release on Steam, and those renders/animations really are outstanding.

The character models are attractive. The faces are pretty but not perfect or doll-like. The character's body shapes vary a lot but they're all beautiful and maybe even too good compared to the faces. I suppose that's not a bad thing for a porn game, and at least they don't all look like balloon-titted Barbie dolls. The exceptions are Zarah, who I found unattractive before about Ep 18 [Edit: Zarah's early model was fixed in the remaster] and Monica's hair which looks like it belongs on a 70-year-old, not a 40-year-old (sorry Monica fans).

There is plenty of hot sex and there are plenty of potential partners to choose from. The tension build-up varies with the different girls. There's something for most tastes although the types of sex are pretty mainstream. The male-domination, humiliation, and spanking scenes are very mild and I think that's a good thing. The group sex is either MFF or MFFF. There's a good variety of different types of sex, but the game doesn't cater to niche or more controversial kinks, and that gives the game a much broader appeal.

The interactive choices in the game are mostly limited to wooing/seducing specific girls, which basically leads to the various sex scenes with those girls. I think fits well into a porn game, but players looking for more of a "gaming" experience will probably be disappointed. I read complaints that the choices seem like the developer is forcing the player down specific paths [Edit: this has been fixed in the remaster]. It didn't bother me, as my goal was to have the MC attempt to have sex with every hot girl in the game. However, it was easy to succeed at that goal, maybe too easy and I suspect the developer has the story and the game paths completely mapped-out and is coaxing the player down the most "entertaining" path.


The Start Any Episode feature is awesome. I have seen similar features in only two other VN games. The feature allows the player to try different paths from specific points in the game without having to manually create and keep track of dozens of save games. Most players probably don't realize, but it also very clearly reveals which choices in the game actually matter.

The game has a nice built-in gallery feature that allows players to replay scenes, based on player choices that affect how the scene plays out. The interface is a little clunky, but it works. [Edit: The gallery has been improved in the remaster, but the interface for selecting the player choices is still a bit tedious].

Great animation with original models with an intriguing plot with multiple paths to choose from, this game has more longevity than most Visual Novels & the Developers are dedicated to taking their time before each update so it makes it worthwhile for each update to be downloaded, Episode 20 ends on a huge cliffhanger that I won't spoil it but things are going to get very intense in Episode 21. I hear the Developer CheekyGlmp was really sick so I wish them a speedy recovery before continuing the story

Great story and lot of potential in game. The renders for beginning chapters are a bit on the downside but have been picked up well as the game progresses. Looking forward to how the story plays out with the two sisters.