VN - Ren'Py - Where the Heart Is [S1 Rev1] [CheekyGimp]

This review was posted on episode 24, remastering the first 10 episodes of S1

This erotic visual novel, the first time I played it, was 6 years ago, I really want to give it 5 stars out of 5, because I really like it, it's very interesting, the plot is very discussable, the LI character is very distinctive, but the update cycle is just too long, especially remaking the first 10 episodes of the game without releasing the 25th episode, and I'm not saying that the remake is not good, but, yet, it's delaying the 25th Episode was delayed another year or two, which feels bad, and the ending I've been waiting for too long

These are my thoughts, in no particular order, after playing the revised version of the game. They will include my major gripes from the ep. 1 - 24, so bear with me. Here goes:

• Story - The story was refreshingly different when I started playing it way back in 2018, a whopping 7 years ago. It bore quite a bit of semblance to reality, reuniting with a close family with whom you spent your childhood and addressing the 'What-If' moments. It gets even better in the revised version, where it is much clear, the bloated mystery from OG episodes is right in the first few minutes and it sets up a nice tone. For the most part, it stays on the path whereas in the OG it almost disappeared for a good 5-7 episodes, if I remember correctly.
  
  
• Characters - The best part of this game. The characters were well defined in the OG but here, they are much more streamlined with their current story, back story and profile. This allows the player to be prepared with character traits and preselect with whom do they wish to interact.. ahem .. or even more going forward. This is a much needed change and with the revised story it fits very nicely. The OG characters - Monica, Jenna and Katie get the most screen time for obvious reasons as they serve to be the base on which you explore other secondary characters. Speaking of which, it seems Katie and her entourage of Debbie & Lilly seems to be the writer's favourite. Debbie and Lilly get much deserved backstories and unique arcs, which was missing in the OG episodes, where they serve as pleasant distractions from the OG characters. I really liked Debbie's storyline and I played a separate route just for her.
  Monica -- I really liked the reworked model and she's the least changed with persona from previous episodes. Minor scenes like viewing the stairwell photos, pancakes etc. reveal her motherly figure, literally & otherwise.
  Katie -- The most difficult character, if you're playing the revised version. Her model has been improved but her persona/character can be quite off-putting and obnoxious at times. Thankfully, the 2nd scene with her addresses this and you can decide to pursue her or not. In my 1st play, I skipped her.
  Jenna -- I really liked her rework, both of the model and backstory. She's very likeable and reveals her playful, experimental side even in S1 which encourages you to pursue her the most, at least in my opinion. Too bad you don't get the delightful Debbie and alluring Lilly but you do get Jolina, the cafe bimbo.
  Bella, even with the rework, both the model and persona, especially the model is quite average. Having known her future predicament, I played just to see the changes but regretted instantly.
  
  
• Music - Great addition to the game, they enhance the experience for obvious reasons. The sound effects can be better and well synced though.
  
  
• Pacing - This was my major gripe in the OG episodes. 24 freaking episodes with countless side characters added for your pleasure but the progress with OG characters added as a an afterthought? Especially the suspicion parameter, which put me off from Ep 20 - 24. I even forgot the will conditions, I just wanted to go through that verbiage and skip to the action. It wasn't executed well, over bloated and lost its plot. The writers perhaps forgot that just because they can write good lines, restraint has its value.
  
  
• Writing - This brings me to the final point. Writing has always been the strong suit of this game and while there are games with better models, scenes, animations and situations, the script of this game makes it stand out. As I pointed earlier, the writers have shown some restraint in the revision, cutting out unnecessary dialogue. Yet my critic is that, for the s*x scenes, please let go off your pen. We would rather read phrases, than sentences. The build ups sure deserve pointed dialogue, situation etc. So when you did the hard work of making us reach the summit, why challenge with even more dialogue? This applies to the choices as well. I've read too many of @CheekyGimp's posts wherein keeping track of the choices went out of control but they literally put themselves into these situations. Why not have limited choices? Only for s*x scenes, you can have incremental choices, but that too if the character had enough points. That could again save them from the mess they created from the OG episodes.
  
  Finally, at least I don't mind if we get 1 season every 6 months given the quality and quantity of content in a single season. Only addition I could suggest is to provide a human readable, 2 line summary of each character's position w.r.t MC, at the end of each season. The points do provide an overview but it would be nice to see if the character is head-over heels in love/lust with you, friends with you, trustworthy, complete bitch or straight off want to throw you off the cliff.
  
  Other than that, the reason for this really long review -- I love this game! Keep it up Cheeky & Co., we've been with you for 7 years, 7 more months isn't an issue.

Liked it a lot. Many beautiful women, good story, enjoyed the whole game. The only boring characters at the moment are Wanda and the cafe lady i dont even remember the name of. The other tiny thing I dont like is the face of Keira? What happened here? She looks like someone stole the face from another game. More creeoy than beautuy.

I tried playing this AVN a year ago and could not get into it. The visuals were terrible, but the writing was okay/kinda good. Katie as a character had something, but I couldn't get over the visuals for the rest of the cast and bowed out around episode 4. When I saw the remake of the first 10 episodes packed into a season 1 Steam release, I thought, why the hell not download and try it again. I am so glad I did. Everything was much improved and the season 1 revision is top tier stuff. The choices, my god, the choices. I love that I can break up and maybe get back together, reject LIs I am not into, and just make bad decisions that come back up in later episodes. Wow! I can't wait for season 2 to release. I am sure it will be awhile, but I am looking forward to it.

Looks like this was one of the top AVNs in its day. The unfortunate thing is this is still going on and has all the problems of an AVN started a long time ago:

VISUALS
Worst part of the game.

It has very dated visuals, even with the dev's attempt at a remake. Looks like the dev started off with Gen 3 or 5 Daz models and has failed to enhance them very much.

The skin and hair textures look muddy and the lighting in the scenes never looks natural. Some characters have really shiny beady eyes that look offputting.

Even with the remake, doesn't seem like there's been any meaningful advancement in this area.

STORY
The premise is the usual basic setup. MC is some college dude, moves back home to live with his 'landlady' and her daughters.

Most of the time, the game just meanders through to get the MC to meet the ladies in the game through some hangout with them. There's no sense of time or progression, it's just meeting with one woman on a date, then another, then another. The MC has no real personality and is bland and faceless.

There's also way too many ladies in the game. The game has 20 plus parts and is still throwing new ladies at players.

What's good is the story has decisions you can make and alot of variations that impact the relationships you can have in it, including potentially impregnation. The game lets you make decisions that fuck all of them and videogame logic lets you avoid any repercussions so far.

ANIMATIONS
There are sex animations but they're stilted and quite basic. The game has mostly the usual vanilla scenarioss.

USER INTERFACE, MUSIC
Barebones. Serviceable.

VERSION: S1 Rev1
SUMMARY: Decent game that doesn't end...sigh, 3.5 stars if I could

PROS:

1. Models are nice looking (most of them)
2. Renders are good
3. Writing is good and reads well
4. Story is a little different than the usual, not much but least interesting in that.
5. Several love interests
6. Choices have consequence and there is at least way to check stats.

CONS:

1. Vanilla, limited in kinks and TAGS which does make it all a bit boring, especially considering how old the game is...
2. More of the same through each scene, while love interests have their own little plots and adventures for the MC to navigate (which is great) its also pretty stale when you get to the result, which is usually the same kind of sex just another model...gets a little dull for me.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

• I am surprised I never rated this game, since I played it from the inception. Though I am glad I never did because since the rework its a bit different, the original was good, but look old and dated, at least now its a bit better.
• I do feel though that to be fair, the review should be reset on reworked games because a rework may get a bad or even too good review based on old reviews, something the moderators could looking into?
• Overall its a decent game but does lack the kinks I like in an adult VN, after all its an adult VN and the sky is the limit really, no? . As such the game is boring and is just more of the same really, with each encounter, at least when it comes to sex scenes.

This Game will always have a special place in my heart as it was one of my firsts, it has an absurd amount of LIs some being hits and some being misses for me, the ones that do hit though are very good, pretty good story with interesting premise, the quality picks up so much in the renders and writing as the gam progresses and you can really see the dev come into their own with the project, overall really enjoyable well made game

This is my second playthrough of the game. I played it several years ago (episodes 1-23) and played it again recently (episodes 1-24). My review is based on episodes 1-24, not the remake as it hasn't been completed yet.

I hope the author reads this review and takes it to heart.

Warning: There are some spoilers in this review due to its detailed nature

Pros

• Good renders and visuals
• Good character models overall
• Good story
• Good to excellent writing
• Good English
• Unique and fun characters
• Excellent and fun banter between the MC and Katie
• Good to excellent humor
• Good blend of story and lewd content
• Fun and lighthearted game
• Mini-harem (limited) with some of the LIs (mostly believable)

Cons

• Large breasts are often shaped abnormally. It looks like many of them had a botched or bad boob job. The only large breasts that look somewhat natural to me are Jenna, Lily, and Bubbles. Katie is my favorite character in the game but her breasts are too perky for their size (gravity barely affects them) which makes them look odd and unnatural.
• Too much lighting in some scenes which causes too much face shine. The lighting indoors and outdoors is the same. Nearly all scenes are well lit like they are being filmed in a professional studio.
• Jenna has a zombie like skin color. She is supposedly pale but her skin color doesn't reflect this. Later on she gets a fake tan and then real tan but her skin color is still off and unnatural looking. Jenna's skin color is a cross between gray and brown which doesn't look right.
• Animations aren't consistent in quality. In the first eight chapters, all animations consist of 2 to 3 frames only. They are jerky and look terrible! In later chapters the animations improve and we even get some smooth high frame animations, however the author doesn't stick with this for some unknown reason. Some animations are high quality yet he reverts to his old style 2 to 3 frame animations frequently???
• Many animations through all but the last 6 chapters lack enough movement and penetration. For example during the foursome sex event at the beach house, the MC's cock only moves back and forth in Katie's pussy one inch (yes, one inch, replay the scene). There also aren't enough body parts moving during all animations which make it look like statues are having sex! Heads, eyes, lips, and facial expressions are all static (non moving) during the animations.
• Sex scenes are short and lack passion. The author doesn't use descriptive text during the sex scenes so the player only has the animation and renders to base the entire scene off of. "The MC lustfully drives his cock into Katie's sex and then pumps his hard love stick back and forth like a piston, sending waves of pleasure through her fit and gorgeous body" NOPE! NONE of that! Few like to describe sex scenes but it adds a lot to the lewd scenes, especially if done well!
• Sex comes way too easily for side LIs. The buildup and progression is normal for the main LIs but it goes from 1 to 10 in seconds with the side LIs. Side LIs just throw themselves at the MC like he has a magical dick that they have no hope of resisting! No dates with the side LIs before sex (there's one exception to this in the last few chapters). They meet for the first time and are fucking in seconds.
• The MC is supposedly a fitness trainer and in excellent shape, yet he only works out three times in the entire game
• Some scenes make no sense. For example, the scene with Elaine and the MC's new car that he inherited from his dad. Elaine's clothing gets all wet and greasy from just being waxed??? Does the author not know how waxing works? If the car was wet and greasy it would attract dirt like a magnet. He should have said that the car was recently delivered, after being waxed, and was wet from the rain outside. That would have been believable. A second example of scenes not making sense - Monica says that she needs to work on her tan for the photoshoot tomorrow and she shows up at the pool to tan in a one piece bathing suit???
• No realism whatsoever with the anal sex in the game. No enemas or anal prep. No anal training prior to anal sex (butt plugs, dildos) for most of the anal virgins in the game. Anal sex feeling great after they lose their anal virginity after just a few short minutes of anal sex (highly unrealistic). No lube is used during anal sex for most of them. I can understand not including some of these things but bypassing ALL of them??? It's as if the author has no clue how anal sex works whatsoever.
• Some lewd content with the MILFs in the game is forced
• Writing is too verbose for my tastes. Some scenes seem to go on for eternity so I ended up skipping through some boring conversations and text in the game.
• The English is good overall, however I did see some awkwardly worded sentences uncommonly as well as misspelled words rarely
• If the MC's dad hates him so much why did he leave him his car, beach house, and $100K cash? All throughout the story, it explains how disappointed the father was in the MC and how he wanted nothing to do with him and that he wanted to give him nothing...
• Limited choices with Joline. In order to help Joline out financially, the MC has to agree to let her live in his beach house. If you don't agree to this, the option to help Joline out financially is removed as an option/choice. You are also pretty much forced to drop her as a LI if you don't agree to let her live in your beach house. I wanted to keep the beach house for me Katie, Jenna, Debbie, and Lily so I didn't allow anyone else to live there. I was punished and restricted for making this choice.
• Game is mostly linear which is OK but the only real choices the player gets is how to react to dialog and who to establish long term relationships with. This is mostly understandable as branching storylines are difficult to maintain.
• I was asked, in game, if I was interested in watersports but the only scene with this content was Katie peeing on the sand
• I don't like the skipping of sex events. Several sex events were mentioned and then they got skipped. Please don't do this. A few examples: Morning sex with Angel and Wanda on the yacht - Sex with Katie after the comedy club - etc. (at least 6 in total were skipped)
• Most of the game was written years ago with little new content coming out in recent years aside from episode 24

The playful and sexy banter between the MC and Katie is the best part of the game by far! This was done masterfully! I wish other authors would do this. This game has the best banter in any game I've played on F95Zone and I've played a lot.

The game has a good compelling story and is well written, although unrealistic at times. The game is fun and lighthearted but sometimes realism is sacrificed too often as a result.

The author loves to write and this is clearly evident in the long winded verbose writing. I would have preferred a faster game pace with some conversations summarized. I ended up skipping through some conversations and text since I got bored and wanted to move on.

The author loves to write but he doesn't like to write sex scenes! Normal conversations seem to go on forever but the sex scenes are done quickly and are very short. Because of this they lack passion and aren't as meaningful as they could be! Overall, I was disappointed with the sex scenes in the game. I mentioned a bunch of other reasons for this in my list of Cons.

Two of my favorite events in the game were Comicon with Jenna and the Comedy Club with Katie, Debbie, and Lily. I was hoping for a 2nd foursome with Katie, Debbie, and Lily in this version but it wasn't a priority for some reason. The foursome event at the beach house was next level awesomeness and one of my favorites also!

Due to all the cons, I had to remove one star from my rating, although I did greatly enjoy the game overall! The game is in my top 10 list of games on F95Zone.

I highly recommend the game and encourage others to give it a try!

My awards:

• Best ass - Angel
• Best boobs - Jenna (2nd - Angel, 3rd - Lily)
• Best body overall - Angel (2nd - Katie, 3rd - Jenna)
• Best personality - Katie
• Best character overall - Katie
• Best psycho - Wanda
• Best dumb blonde - Lily
• Best fun loving character - Debbie

The only pro of this game is Katie.

Rest of the models, the graphics, they're soooooooooo BAD.

It's been 6 years since the game was launched and the graphics feel like the game was made in 2013.

I feel sorry for the Patreons who are supporting the dev.

Surely one of the best games. Long circle of development but its justified with the amount of content. Interesting - unique (as far as I can tell) story, beautiful women. Good sex scenes. Complexity and decisions that actually matter. I thinks its in the top 10 or 20 of games of all time. No question it is the category 5/5.

This is an excellent game. Lots of great looking characters and variety of tastes. There is a lot of dialogue and I mean a lot but the humor is actually really good. There is a harem type start but it is not in the tags because eventually, much later you will be forced to choose which I really didn't like. Still maintains a top rating in my books but yeah, this could have been a great harem novel.

One of the best games on this site.
The complete graphical rework starting from Season 1 makes it even better. Zarah now looks actually hot. Monica was always hot no matter what. Some limpie here called the milfs in this game "hags"? Bruh, wtf. You sure you re not gae? The milfs are the best thing about this game. I even denied Katie, I am zeroed in on the milfs, baby. Bruh, get your eyes checked. "Hags". Facepalm.
Great story and now amazing visuals. 5/5.
CheekyGimp is king!

Overview: This Game is like my "Back to the Future". I can watch this movie over and over again and it is still so awesome, like the first time. "Where the Heart Is" is a visual novel that intricately weaves a tale of complex relationships, personal growth, and emotional depth. Developed by Cheeky Gimp (fistbump), this adult-oriented game invites players to step into the shoes of a protagonist who returns to his childhood home after the death of his father. As he reconnects with his family and old acquaintances, the choices made by the player significantly shape the story's trajectory, leading to multiple possible outcomes.

Story and Characters: The narrative begins with the protagonist's return to his familial roots, setting the stage for a journey filled with emotional discoveries and interpersonal dynamics. The game's strength lies in its character development. Each character is meticulously crafted with distinct personalities, backstories, and motivations, making them feel real and relatable. The primary focus is on the protagonist's interactions with key female characters, including his stepmother, stepsisters, and other individuals from his past.

The story is more than just a series of romantic or sexual encounters; it delves into themes of loss, redemption, and the complexities of familial bonds. The writing is sharp and nuanced, balancing moments of humor, tenderness, and tension. The emotional weight carried by certain scenes is a testament to the game's ability to draw players into its world.

Gameplay and Mechanics: "Where the Heart Is" employs a choice-based gameplay mechanic, where decisions made by the player influence the direction of the story and the nature of relationships. These choices are not always straightforward, often requiring players to consider the consequences of their actions. The branching paths and multiple endings encourage replayability, as players may want to explore different outcomes and relationship dynamics.

The game also includes a point system that tracks the player’s interactions and choices, affecting the overall story progression. This system adds a layer of strategy to the game, as players must carefully manage their decisions to achieve desired results.

Visuals and Sound: Visually, the game is impressive, with high-quality character designs and backgrounds that enhance the storytelling experience. The art style is detailed and expressive, capturing the subtleties of character emotions and settings. The use of lighting and color further contributes to the game’s atmosphere, creating immersive and aesthetically pleasing scenes.

The sound design complements the visual and narrative elements effectively. The background music sets the tone for various scenes, whether they are lighthearted, dramatic, or intimate. Sound effects are used sparingly but effectively to enhance key moments. While the game does not feature voice acting, the strength of the writing ensures that the dialogue feels alive and engaging.

Mature Content: As an adult visual novel, "Where the Heart Is" includes explicit content intended for mature audiences. The game handles these scenes with a degree of sophistication, integrating them into the story rather than using them as mere fan service. The sexual content is consensual and woven into the narrative, contributing to character development and relationship progression.

Conclusion: "Where the Heart Is" stands out in the realm of adult visual novels for its compelling storytelling, rich character development, and thoughtful gameplay mechanics. Cheeky Gimp has crafted a game that goes beyond surface-level interactions, offering players a deep and emotionally resonant experience. The combination of well-written dialogue, strategic choice-making, and high-quality visuals makes this game a must-play for fans of the genre.

Whether you are drawn to its narrative depth, character-driven plot, or the adult content, "Where the Heart Is" delivers a memorable and engaging experience that will leave a lasting impression. For those looking to explore a visual novel that artfully balances mature themes with a heartfelt story, this game is a standout choice. Its simply beautiful.

Cheeky, thank you for this journey and your dedication to this wonderful VN.

the plot is clichéd, but each character has a personality (they don't feel like NPCs) and they are special. this makes the game far from boring. the renders and animations were also quite high quality.

Very good, 5/5.

The author's original concept was not a incest novel; it is a work worth recommending to experience the author's most original creation without any incest mods.

The writing includes a large number of homophonic gags, which is quite painful for fans trying to translate it into other languages.

can't wait to play then new episodes.....Wait. i Need to wait maybe 2 years to see were the series goes ? this game really did not need a remake. Why did he not just make season 2 and make it look better. and even the episodes made in 2018 are not even ugly.

im sorry but i can't support the decision to make a remake of a game that is already good and looked good.

I don't know how I haven't played this game up to this point, but it's quite good. The premise is cliche, but the characters make it shine. Some are more believable than others, but even the more caricature-ish among them are still charming in their own way.

I can't really add anything to this review that others haven't already said, so I'll just say something about the development of one character in particular that really surprised me.

Lilly.

At first she had me rolling my eyes as I expected the usual tropes about the, "dumb friend," but the further in I went, the more I saw that she's quite well-written. She's self-aware in a way that most ditzy girls in games like this are not. She's kind, always positive, straight-forward, and I found her very endearing. I don't expect to learn anything of value from playing games like this, so I found it odd, but also pleasant that Lilly reminded me that people don't have to have keen minds to be lovable, or even romance-able.

Lilly might be the best character in the game.

one of the best games on the site if you want:
1. a lot of actual sex content
2. harem
3. eventual pregnant content
4. No sandox bs
5. linear story but paths diverging with lover interests
6. choices matter

only flaw is that monica's design could be better. is annoying to romance.
not all LIs made equal.
you know where the design and content efforts are prioritized.
they are put in the right places, imo.

doesn't waste your time.

you're here for a fap but you'll get a decent story with it.
now that's fan service.

V. season 1 beta?

the inconsistency of the art, though not my forte, is less than easy on the eye. visually i am not a fan. looks very much like a breakout project with much learning to be done.

the writing tries to deliver something beyond the normal humdrum but all the hooks are visual. the plot it delivers is par for the course by now. lacks any standout quality and only donning a harem route would rekindle any interest for me, and only as one for the spank bank. it's just low impact.
not that a harem route is plausible...

back when this first came out and was a regular to the updates page it may have gotten a close 4 star. it had very little competition and garnered a lot of interest.
that bar is not so low now though, 6 years have passed.
some great works have graced us here since while this one has meandered in development and delivered a stagnant plot that is lost in the background of what is on offer here.
i only managed as far as CH 22 before i could take no more.

now the dev is touting this as season 1, insinuating that there will be more.....
i do not have another decade or more of life to see if this pans out but i also have a hard time wracking my imagination to find anything about this that warrants another season.
there is nothing here to build on. something shoe-horned in at the death maybe?
an opening season sets the stage. this one has set a neon sign towards the exit.
the steak is cooked. serve up the meat and two veg and create a new dish.
considering seasons is like going way past well done into cremated territory.
ya can keep the dessert trolley. check please.

4/5 Enjoyed it! Cared about it! A good one right here
(I have only gone through it once completely i think)
I really enjoyed this one and the only reason I don't give it a 5/5 is that I haven't gone through every route and without doing that I wouldn't feel as honest
+Characters Hot
+Personalities are varied and have there own ups and downs, which I appreciated
+Story/setting was good for me. Enough reason for things to happen. Things brought joy and sorrow, I actually cared about my choices for the majority of them
+Really enjoyed that there are actually conflicting events depending on who all you associate with. Can pick a favorite or see if you really do have a magic dick that everyone will forgive you for using *CoughtheywontCough*

I cant really think of any negatives, Maybe I didn't notice them or I liked this so much that I am biased lol
4/5 A great experience, I think I'll keep this one around for a time