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

I have to admit, when I started, I had a bad first impression with the writing. The story was cliche and I thought the first dialogue was bad.
Well it's actually the opposite, every character is nicely written and have a distinct and coherent way of speaking, and a distinct relationship with the MC.

It's an excellent, straightforward game with unique character designs, very nice renders and a wide variety of situations.

good: + The variety in character designs
+ Not afraid to add a little bit of "ugliness", which just feels more natural and realistic
+ Character writing and developpement
+ Takes its time without being frustrating
+ The point system works well
+ The big sister storyline is especially good and deserves a mention; engaging, light hearted with just a tip of drama. Felt like I was in a teen movie... except R-rated

Bad: - The little sister character however, is completely botched. The skintone is unnatural, her face too generic, and her story is not as compelling as the others.

This is one of my favorites VNs,i already stated this multiple times on posts, but the reason i say this is because the writing is so well done,in this one you can see that each girl has her own personality, the diversity of the models is also something amazing, different body types and faces to please all players, some people say that some of them are "ugly" but i call that realism, not every woman you meet in real life will have a pretty face or a perfect body,the plot is also great so far, you get curious you start to make theorys of whats gonna happen next and thats the kind of thing that happens when i read a good book or watch a good movie\ tv series,and each episode makes you crave for more.

Some of the models make me gag. Not an understatement.

Now it wouldn't be much of a problem if I could avoid them like the plague, which is something most games allow, but this one keeps on forcing interactions with them, of the sexual kind no less.

"Do you want to kiss this GILF?"
"No."
"Do you want to kiss this GILF now?"
"Still no."
"...How about now?"
"NO."
"Okay, fine, I get it! ...But do you want to stick your dick in that tho?"

It's one thing I do not find every character appealing. I don't mind that.
...But could you just fucking cease forcing it? Trying to guilt trip me? When I refused the offer at least 20 times before? 20 fucking times wasn't enough of a clue?

A porn game shouldn't get on my nerves and kill my boner but here we are.

I've forced myself to make it through the beginning just to check why this game has such a high rate. And.. I didn't find out. Beginning is just dull and later on get's no better. I don't like the story - it's not involving (pretty silly IMO) and I really dislike most of the NPC. I can name just a few that I found interesting (like Debbie, Wanda or Natasha). Most of the models are just unappealing (like the matures for instance: nasty faces, huge hangers and clumpy booty eek, gross...). Some of the younger one are just as heavy as the matures. Interactions and texts are often wierd or embarassing. I think it could have been done better.

Pros:
- Good character options with added depths
- nice storyline
- graphics are pretty solid
- love the fetishes and sex scenes
- smooth transitions and gameplay music generally fits

Cons:
- Could add darker/hardcore options
- hopefully characters will come to like the protagonist more over time (now it feels more like a physical r/s than emotional) but this is just a personal desire

There's been loads of comments on the graphics (solid, if maybe not cutting edge) and animation (single frame animations that do the trick, but fall short of Milfy City or Betrayed). I wanted to touch on the game's real strength: It has truly superb pacing *for a fapping game*.

Does it make a lick of sense to be sexing up relatives within a few days? No, but as a game, it's great. It moves relatively quickly from play kissing to deep kissing to heavy petting to more, with heavier scenes with peripheral characters spliced in. Other games could take note about not rushing to the sex or grinding overly long from WTHI.

Ch. 9 update:
Props to CheekyGimp as with the Ch. 9 update, the art and animations have been bumped up a notch. The newer renders look better, the models seem to have been tweaked, and the animations are multi-frame and smoother. All moving in the right direction.

The writing is really good. It's not generic like in a lot of porn VNs, it's not really based on stereotypes and if there is something stereotypical, it's handled well. The story is nice. It's not forced and handles the "MC's family, but not really" problem very well. I really like the character's personalities. I think those are the best asset.

Now some criticism, because there is not much of it in the reviews I have seen, and even though the author won't mos likely read this, criticism is always useful if it's on point.

There are some problems with grammar, but it's ok. It's not as immersion breaking as I thought it would be initially.

The game could use better renders, though. The character models look really old, even in the newer episodes, the lighting is meh, and it's all still kinda grainy. Author probably doesn't have that great machine to make high quality renders.

The poses are not that good and I don't like the facial expressions. They don't look natural.

The models themselves could use newer hairstyles and textures. They are not really that pretty (for DAZ3D models), but the way they are written makes them appealing regardless.

Overall a very fun experience, which is a bit dragged down due to the artwork's lack of polish.

Amazing

5/5

Pros
-Sexy Models
-Immersive Eye Blnking
-No Rush with Multiple outcomes
-Creative Plot with lots of twists and turns
-Hot sex scenes with adequate single frame animations

Cons
Its taken too long to fuck Monica.

Wow... what a fucking amazing game this is. I have been entertained from start to finish without a single dull/boring moment. Good fucking job, you guys are unbelievably good at this. Every time you put out a new episode you top the previous one. This is easily in the top 5 best games in the genre, if not the top 5 best adult games in existence... period.

Keep it up. This is such a great game. Draw it out as long as you want, seriously. Hell... feel free to go for 500 episodes like you're writing fucking F-R-I-E-N-D-S, you won't hear me complaining.

Where The Heart Is is one of the very small handful of games that I give a full 5.0 out of 5.0 rating to. This game IS perfection.

Characters:
This is a game where the strongest part is the writing. All the characters feel like real people and how they respond to situations is always consistent with their personality. These characters draw you in and leave you wondering how they will respond to what is going on.

Art style:
The art in the game is clearly created by a single artist as all the charters and background images are in the same style with consistent quality. The detail in the images is high without having a photo realistic feel.

Coding Quality:
One play-through up to and including chapter 8 was performed, and there were no bugs or error messages encountered.

Audio:
The game does not appear to have background music or sound effects. (please note that I primarily play with the audio on my computer muted but for this review I replayed through chapter 1 to confirm the lack of audio)

Recommended?
Most assuredly yes!
This is a product of undeniable quality. The decision to release in episodically makes it more enjoyable as everything in the section of the story that you are playing is completed giving the product an undeniable impression of being polished.

Incredible. A hell of a lot of good fun. Hats off to the developers - it's so close to brilliant. You've really managed to build a great story arc with the characters, so much so that the build-up is where it is at (and should be). Five stars.

Great great game. One of the best on the site.

The graphics in the first couple of episodes are simply ok... not all that great. But they are greatly improvig.. to where they are one of the best looking games on this site.

I love the slow build up with the main characters.
The story actually has a plot...
A+

I really love this game. The graphics are great. The women are fantastic. For some reason I'm really turned on most by the milf character. She can be such a tease yet she is also horny so this is great. The older "sister" is hot and the last episode was terrific with her at the party. Amazing ending. Can't wait to see where the relationship with the younger sister goes. She is turning into a butterfly before our eyes! Would be interested in seeing more of ALL the side characters, even the bitch at the coffee shop.

Can't wait for more!

i update this page daily in hopes of an update!

Overall 11/10
Very good overall experience and a wide assortment of girls will make sure there is a girl fitting your preference for most people(except for lolis but for me thats a not a negative as i always disliked that sort of content) and most of them have atleast some sort of depth to them.

Art 9/10
Mostly great but sometimes(especially early on) theres the occational wierd expression.
Some people hate on a certain character for not having a perfect face but honestly for me it adds a bit for realism, i mean do all girls you meet in real life have a great face?
Nothing wrong with a little butterface, atleast her ass is golden!

Story 10/10
Great story, game really makes you care about the girls as opposed to them just being a task to complete so you can dipp. there are some very nice banter and i have laughed out loud multiple times.

I like that game.I love to play that game better than most of the games ı had seen in f95 zone.Hope new updates goes like the way it is going like it goes.I am looking forward to play new updates .really nice game and really ı like

Really good game, render + story wise 10/10, i wanna see more of how the creator is gonna push it i hope he follows his narrative of the story instead of pandering, but as of now (Days before release EP 9) the game is one of the best out!

This game has one of the best storylines I have ever encountered in any adult content. The dialogues and the narrative are almost impeccable. And when it comes to humor, nothing can beat this game. At one point I was solely playing to enjoy the story and to have a good laugh rather than for any sexual content. Not that it fails to deliver on the later; the sexual encounters are spicey and enjoyable. Amazing game; kudos to the developer.

Very good and humorous story line, it's like a breath of fresh air! Besides the ugly neighbor, the women her are beautiful and have substance. Again, the story is awesome, the renders can be better tho that's my only "issue". Great work on the MC and him not being the typical one's that I see in every game.

Game version: [Ep. 8]

Good renders and writing, some unique and memorable models like Zarah. I quite liked it up until the party in Episode 8 where it sadly became another game that completely turned me off with a baffling plot development.

The MC suddenly turns into a grunting caveman/frat boy, spouting some of the cringiest tough guy dialogue I've ever read, while Katie's plan to get back at her ex boyfriend turns from "tehehe, epic prank" to "you people should probably go to jail."

Revenge porn, sexual assault, physical assault, it's all fun and games I guess, because it makes Katie horny, so that's all that matters really. Also the game has a weird hang up about social issues, where the MC calls out other people for racism or homophobia, but then their epic revenge plot involves having Katie's ex boyfriend unknowingly getting sucked off by a gay dude to videotape it and then go "haha, look at that faggot!" I'm sure getting sexually assaulted cured that guy's homophobia.

Episode 8 is a fucking mess and I felt dirty after playing it and not in a good way.

Is it me, or Katie is dead gorgeous?! She has to be my favorite character in the game.
I like the fact that the game tries to cover a lot of kinks (the ugly duckling, the insecure older women, some of them you have to romance, others you have to dominate...).