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

4.30 star(s) 336 Votes
Discussion Reviews (336)
Draverik

Draverik

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Apr 21, 2017
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jnrcndl said:
does episode 1-24 have bad graphics and animation?
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YES.
The first episodes before the rework look very rough, i'm talking somebody with zero experience trying to render on a primitive machine. Gets better with each episode but the stiffness of the characters paired with awkward facial expressions can provide for some decent nightmare fuel for some people.
Anybody who says otherwise either haven't played the beginning in a looong time or is so far up devs ass they can't admit it's bad.
 
Maviarab

Maviarab

Doing Mafia Helmet Things....
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Jul 12, 2020
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Draverik said:
The first episodes before the rework look very rough, i'm talking somebody with zero experience trying to render on a primitive machine. Gets better with each episode but the stiffness of the characters paired with awkward facial expressions can provide for some decent nightmare fuel for some people.
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Hyperbole much...I can name over 500 worse looking VN's on this site alone. Some of them far newer.
Draverik said:
Anybody who says otherwise either haven't played the beginning in a looong time or is so far up devs ass they can't admit it's bad.
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lol...

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Draverik

Draverik

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Apr 21, 2017
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Maviarab said:
Hyperbole much...I can name over 500 worse looking VN's on this site alone. Some of them far newer.
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You probably can't but it's totally fine because it has nothing to do with what i just said and what the guy asked.
 
LionHeart 95

LionHeart 95

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Aug 30, 2020
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Here is an approximate plan for what


CheekyGimp

(currently) expect for episode 25.
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By the end of episode 25, all of the inheritance items will be closed off, plus all / any romance paths with the ladies will be resolved, i.e. you will know which lady (or different combos of ladies) you will continue to romance. All revenge plans (if any) will also be resolved. There will NOT be a scene where ALL of the ladies appear together. Although there will be SOME new meetings (and greetings : ) ) between some ladies who haven't met previously


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RX-9/C

RX-9/C

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Jun 22, 2017
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LionHeart 95 said:
Here is an approximate plan for what


CheekyGimp

(currently) expect for episode 25.
You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

By the end of episode 25, all of the inheritance items will be closed off, plus all / any romance paths with the ladies will be resolved, i.e. you will know which lady (or different combos of ladies) you will continue to romance. All revenge plans (if any) will also be resolved. There will NOT be a scene where ALL of the ladies appear together. Although there will be SOME new meetings (and greetings : ) ) between some ladies who haven't met previously


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So Natasha just randomly become a stable after you forgive her in episode 24? That easy?
 
HornyyPussy

HornyyPussy

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Apr 26, 2020
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LionHeart 95 said:
Here is an approximate plan for what


CheekyGimp

(currently) expect for episode 25.
You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

By the end of episode 25, all of the inheritance items will be closed off, plus all / any romance paths with the ladies will be resolved, i.e. you will know which lady (or different combos of ladies) you will continue to romance. All revenge plans (if any) will also be resolved. There will NOT be a scene where ALL of the ladies appear together. Although there will be SOME new meetings (and greetings : ) ) between some ladies who haven't met previously


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So the best girl is BACK!!!???? (yes, I looked ;) )
 
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MagicMan753

MagicMan753

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Nov 19, 2021
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Odettesey said:
I wanted some Evie and Porsche content
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I feel like I don't know the reason Evie was introduced, if she is going to get pretty much no content. She should of got a scene while some others side characters shoudn't have(Scarlett look a like). And it would be cool to get one more Porche scene too.
 
RX-9/C

RX-9/C

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Jun 22, 2017
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MagicMan753 said:
I feel like I don't know the reason Evie was introduced, if she is going to get pretty much no content. She should of got a scene while some others side characters shoudn't have. And it would be cool to get one more Porche scene too.
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Evie is actually an FBI bait that the police planted in to catch pedos and the MC fell for it. The Evie ending is where you meet Chris Hansen.
 
sandstorm1872

sandstorm1872

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Sep 6, 2018
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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.

 
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K.T.L.

K.T.L.

Keeping Families Together
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sandstorm1872 said:
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:

==SNIP==

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.
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If that's supposed to be a review, you put it in the wrong place. Go back to the OP and click on the stars at the top of the page (however many you want to give it), then you can post it there as a proper review. This post will just get lost in the general forum noise.
 
T

TheViking52

Newbie
Jul 27, 2023
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Machete said:
No. They are just old. This game is old as fuck and still ongoing.
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There is a new edition out with better graphics, but it only goes to episode 10 or so. I played that first and was absolutely delighted but I got curious about the coming sequels so I looked for the older version and played that.
 
sandstorm1872

sandstorm1872

Member
Sep 6, 2018
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K.T.L. said:
If that's supposed to be a review, you put it in the wrong place. Go back to the OP and click on the stars at the top of the page (however many you want to give it), then you can post it there as a proper review. This post will just get lost in the general forum noise.
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I already have one for the OG episodes.
 
LionHeart 95

LionHeart 95

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Aug 30, 2020
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This is taken from Cheeky Gimp's words
The original game began development around 2017 and as of now (December 2024), in 7 years they have completed 24 episodes and are currently developing episode 25. Episode 25 will be the last episode and will close out the main game. There will be some small epilogues after episode 25 as bonus content or to close out some minor character's stories, but in essence, after episode 25, the game will be finished. and they will be working on anew game after that.

Because the artwork in the original game's earlier episodes was very dated (by today's standards), in order to bring it up to a quality level good enough for a Steam release, they had to re-do ALL of the art. This was a massive under-taking, but finally finishing Season 1 of the re-do / upgrade in November 2024. Season 1 released on steam in Nov 19, 2024. Season 1 contains a full upgrade of the first TEN episodes of the original game, plus a lot of extra content (scene extensions and many, many new scenes).

Season 2 will continue the upgraded story (from original episodes 11 onwards). News on season 2 will be made via Patreon posts

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4.30 star(s) 336 Votes