VN - Ren'Py - Where the Heart Is [S1 v2024-09-06 BETA] [CheekyGimp]

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As a long-time player, it almost feels weird that I've yet to review a game. That being said, Where The Heart Is was too good to not review. At first glance, it's a safe bet that everyone's immediate reaction is that this is just another Ren'Py Man Of The House/Big Brother clone. But, in this reviewer's humble opinion, the storytelling and character work of Where The Heart Is goes far above and beyond either game. I'd like to note here that I am in no way putting the other games down, I thoroughly enjoyed both, but I have genuinely sunk my teeth—and not JUST in a kinky sense—into these characters and their story. Its use of genre cliches are immediately noticeable from the start and are one of the few reasons I debated giving it a 4 or 4.5-star review, however, while most of these cliches would leave a bad taste in a player's mouth in most other games, in Where The Heart Is, CheekyGimp uses them in such a way that it doesn't become an annoyance. Quite honestly, their use of these cliches only serves to better the story and game as a whole. The visuals are well-done and show clear talent and effort on the development team's behalf. Have I mentioned that our fair writer(s) including CheekyGimp themself have quite possibly the best sense of humor I've seen in a VERY long time? No? Well... now I have. So there you have it, a nobody's opinion on a very, VERY good game that you should definitely try.

Is this review biased? Yes. It's my opinion on the game (and seeing that it's easily become my favorite game in quite a long time, I have a strong opinion on it.) Feel free to disagree! I'm far from a genius; I simply wanted to do my part in promoting and encouraging others to play.

Should you become a patron? Play the game and decide for yourself! If I wasn't currently struggling financially, I'd be among the 1,600+ others who support CheekyGimp and their work and deservedly so.

Is this review complete? No. This is just a short, simple, spoiler-free review from a first-time reviewer who wanted to focus on the pleasantly surprising storytelling experience of Where The Heart Is as of the latest episode. (Ep:18 as of this review)

Play the game for yourself. Form your own thoughts on it, and hopefully have some fun in the process. I personally can't wait to see what else is in store for this game and whatever else CheekyGimp may do in the future.

TTFN.

To be honest, at first I ignore this game because in the past I have already try this game a bit at first episode and previewing H scene from gallery mod, and I can say I'm not interested. I have played quite many top high quality VN in this site mainly looking for high quality renders and story.

Now while I'm waiting update from some of my fav VN's I decided to give this game a go because it already have so many episodes and its perfect to fill the void while waiting the other VN's update. After playing a few first episodes I still don't like this game, so why I gave this 5 stars? I will tell the reasons and it will contain few minor spoilers.

In the first few episodes I only meet 2 MILF (mom and his neighbor) and the sisters characters. Those 2 MILFs are ugly, and because this is a first-person POV game, make them a turn off for me, the sisters are not so bad at least, and the dialog is quite funny so I decided to power through the pain while keeping those 2 MILF points low, and I'm so glad with my decision, because after I meet some new characters, the game begin more interesting with more beautiful girls and the story start showing its gem. Yes there is still some cons like no sound (for now), repetitive renders, bad kissing render, bad animation (in first half episodes).

And as I continue more and more episodes, to my surprise this game start showing its gem, the story became more and more interesting, with mystery, character depth, crude humor, hilarious humor, memorable events and the renders.. Wow I see a very high improvement, the girls became more hot and beautiful, even the ugliest MILF which is the neighbor, in the latest episode has a face lift, although no near the level of the younger girls but still, she is some much better now, to bad the mom is still No for me though, so now I'm hooked a lot to this game and can't wait for next updates.

And the BIG improvement in the few last episodes is the ANIMATION, I said WOW its HUGE different, now its very fluid, realistic and very high quality with a lot of options, replay able, longer and more hotter. I know this is because more and more people joined the dev team, so the game became so much better through episodes, and I'm quite sure with a little more support to this game, soon will be sounds in this game, and the game will be perfect.

As long as dev keep improving the quality of this game, I'm sure a lot more people will be hooked. Maybe someday dev's will consider a rework of the art, renders and animation from the beginning of episode so it will be high quality from the start. For me this game rise through from "meh" to top 3 of my list of VN's, so I gave it a solid 5 stars based on improvement this game has made through episodes. This game is a rough diamond that has been polished and start showing it's wondrous glow.

So this is my first ever VN review and Where The Heart Is totally deserve it. So don't judge before you've played it properly, give it a go and you will not regret it.

The embodiment of quantity over quality

Everything in this game is as mediocre as can be nothing stands out positively (other than having a lot of content I guess?) a few strong problems do stand out though, Characters personality wise were all pretty offputting, the models are ugly and the game play is a VN with no choices

If you can get past bad writing and alot of the girls looking like a foot then go ahead and try it, I really couldn't play for more than a few hours as this was too much for me

Excellent story intriguing, sexy, and fun. Characters are very well written and draw you in early. On top of that it quite funny. Lily is legendary cracks me up. Can't wait to see how this story will end. One of the best games I've played without a doubt. Only negative I can come up with is some of the animations are short or repetitive. Specifically Debbie at the pool for repetitive. Love to see some improved animations, but it's an outstanding game anyway. Keep up the great work.

Version: Ep. 18

Review:
The game has a highly positive review, it could probably be a great game, right? It was what I was imagining. But calm, I'll give you some reasons why I didn't like this game.
History:
I don't know if the game was designed to be incest, as I didn't find any tags saying incest content, but there is a patch, but I don't know if I can consider it an incest game. Do you get home, meet your family? if the game is not incest, who are neighbors? friends? You are surprised by Monica (mother), a woman apparently aged 48, she has a little conversation and compliments, and soon realizes that she starts to have a certain interest in MC, a love and sexual interest. Are you introduced to your sisters? they welcome you and then you meet Monica's friend (Zarah), another woman the same age as her who also has a sexual desire for you, is a short introduction, where the world will revolve around the MC.
Gameplay:
A simple VN, you need to make the right choices so you can see the scenes. The game is not a point-n-click or sandbox, that's a good thing.
Graphics & Sexual Content:
The graphics don't have better model renderings, because I think the developer preferred to put it like this to make the game look more naturally. If so, there is not much to complain about female models (but most of them are ugly), but honestly, not everyone wants to see an ugly character, or more than an ugly character. I honestly thought everything was ok, however the sex scenes and their content are a small problem. The sexual content of this game is very weak, the scenes are not very interesting and there are few scenes, very little sexual content, not really worth the effort to continue.

So, why I did gave 1 star?
I gave up playing, I went in search of the gallery scene. I was unable to continue playing, as I thought the game quite boring, and to my surprise, the game has few scenes of sexual content. I like a good story or a story that draws attention, but I didn't have much interest, I can't say that the story is bad, but I had a lack of interest in continuing to play that I ended up giving up and moving to the recycle bin. Some tags that the game has, I thought the content weak, I hoped for something better. Unfortunately I didn't like the game, therefore, I cannot give a high rating, anyway, it's a gamewith a reading proposal, choices and few contents. Some things in the game are a little forced, such as the relationship of the characters. Another thing, don't need to create a drama or try to prolong the story, because everything revolves around the MC, and he will fuck all the girls, isn't it? I really don't know what the mystery is, because the game didn't start with that air of mystery, it was all very fast and an unnecessary extension of the story. The game has weak sexual content, so why should I continue? does the game have fetishes? no. Does the game have anything you get involved in? no. Slutty? no. You just grind with the text content and silly story.
I rated it 2 stars, but it's actually 1 star that I would give this game. Boring game.

this game is awesome, one of the 5 best on the platform. It's evolving, the story is credible, the characters have their own personalities. Sex scenes happen regularly and in very different situations

[As of EP 18]

The animations, girls, and the renders are good (4-star quality). So why a 5-star review? Well, it is because of the story.

There are 2 main aspects to the story that I like:
1. The ability to start and end paths multiple times with multiple girls.
2. The identity of the mystery person in the will keeps you intrigued throughout the game which leaves something to look forward to always and you're always second-guessing yourself regarding who to trust.

Some of the "MILFs" are just not great renders at all. Actually made me keep their paths low. Renders overall are a weak spot to be sure.

However, beyond that, it is one of the deepest levels of stories crossing so many different characters paths. Really well done story that makes up for the "less than" renders. The younger models are actually pretty decent, just not top notch and the girls are cure. Monica, though yeah that was an unfortunate hard pass.

Despite its obvious flaws (when comparing to other masterpieces, mostly), this game more than compensates with good writing and overall locations/situations.

Every character feels unique and has unique, well writen situations.

That makes it a very competent (until ep. 17, at least) visual novel. It's not a porn game, because it successfully unites it's plot with sex, without most of the girls acting like sex lunatics.

Just finished my first playthrough. Without leaving too many spoilers, this is a great game. All the characters you meet have personalities to them and they don't feel like dead sexdolls. Even during the sex scenes the way they talk/respond matches their personality which I really like.

CONS : The faces in the beginning did seem kinda lifeless to me sometimes like a creepy smile with no life in the eyes which is why I thought this would be a mediocre game but i'll admit the plot and characters pulled me in.

- I wish the renders had more life in them and i mean non sexual renders too. the scenes serve their purpose but stopped there. I get it's not easy to make a game and focus on the details but i guess i'm just spoiled by certain games where the background is as immersive as the characters you meet.

- I get this is not a con for everyone but i really like my VNs to have sound. Any form of audio even if its just background music for different scenes. For me good sound just adds some meat to the bones. Great example is Being a diks famous 'punk rock flu'. It just fits.

PROS : Every character you meet is interesting and really well written in my opinion. Once you get past the lack of expressions(in some cases) , it's really easy to forget about that and just get into the character.

The plot was fun for me. It might feel cliched to some people but I like it and i'm eagerly waiting to see what happens next

Im mentioning characters again because towards the end I was really getting attached to certain characters and lowkey feeling bad for my choices haha.

Overall a great game so please do give it a shot

I won't say much because I won't be able to help myself with the spoiling.
Give this game a go. You won't be disappointed.

Visually the characters are not the best looking. That does improve as the game goes on. That ties into the story, so don't be turned off the game because at first you see some ugly ducklings.

Character development is great in the game and your actions do have a meaning beyond just being able to seduce everyone.

Later edit:

Oops. I forgot to say that the story is great. A sort of whodunnit. Characters are complex enough that who the hell knows who was actually at that computer sending that e-mail. Luckily the author is not making it easy and the sucks me right into the story to the point I can't wait for updates.

Its quite enjoyable, the writing is ok, the character models look good. There are a lot of characters, and the progression with most of them feels very fast, but with the 3 main interests there is a hefty amount of buildup, and of course they feel like the most fleshed out as characters. My personal favorites are Monica and Jenna, but there are a lot of other girls to interact with, one cuter than the other. The story is ok, it has some interesting elements here and there, and a lot of steamy situations, sometimes though it feels too slow, like they are just repeating themselves almost every day. But these are minor issues overall, and in the end the game is still worth playing

Edit:
Also its worth mentioning that, as the game progresses there is a definitely noticeable improvement in the renders and animations. Now, they dont look bad at eh beginning of the game either, but by the later chapters you can clearly see that the renders look better

I like the game, i like most of dialogue, some characters are really interesting, like Lily that seems to be Asperger.
Elaine is also interesting, i like the redemption ark
All the teasing with Katie is quite funny and pop culture references are hilarious at times.

Renders are decent, theres some things that are off for me like lighting in many situations make Jenna look like she has no texture.
I dont like the POV kisses for obvious reasons. A girl making faces inside a space void is not exciting to me.

I wish sex was less milestone and staged and more fluid cause theres a lot of interesting scenes where things are getting heated that get cut and redirected to finish according to the intimacy level unlocked for the character.
For me its a turn off cause main characters follow that rule so you end up achieving the same endings from different characters, and its not fun to watch a woman in her 40s stick to that handjob-blowjob/titjob bullshit.

This failed personal requirements drop 1 star. Still a good amount of hours of entertainment.

After playing episode 22 and getting this weird oerly used phone date menu, the game quality dropped to 1 star. Stilla lot f content, but at this point verything ahs happened already so its repetitive. Witht he exceoption of a handful of scenes that are decetn, th rest are nothing extraordinary. Some weird changes in characters, and a gynm scene wher the dev decided to subverto my expectations finally buries the rating. In episode 22 you can not do that, the game is ancient, it should ive everythig and be done with it, not subvert your expectations with some stupid scene. Definetly not when the game has become a date simulator where you chat with a girl throu some werid menu and spawn at her house or whatever place.

A high 3 starts until ep 21, but episode 22 is a fuck up.

CheekyGimp makes a really good game with a nice story. Many girls that MC can be with or not. How to choose money when you have so many good choices to make your life better... Whatever what players like, there is at least one hot girl you'll like.

Another average game with a plot that we already seen.The game is not bad not great either and i want to point out that the game has a mobile game tag but dont has mobile port so thats should be changed.I would recommend somebody who want some fuckable characters.

On the first day your mother reunited with you, she kept flirting with you and wanted to fuck you...As long as a woman older than you met you, she wanted to fuck you without a few words.
The plot can be more nonsense...

Many characters in the game are really ugly. If the 3d model is uglier than the real person, is it still worth playing?
The little sister's skin tone is poorly rendered, making her sometimes look like a zombie.

Being flirted by a group of ugly women, I can't play anymore, so I can only give 2 stars.

The characters have a good storyline but are not pretty, played it till two updates because I liked the story but there are better games out there whose creators are giving constant updates. Overall, its an average game.

Early episodes are a tiny bit outdated with the design of certain characters but if you pass through that and you will experience a VN with great characters written with realistic dialogue and not the greatest animated scenes but its more of the connection you build with the harem of women throwing themselves at you.

A great VN if you want something straightforward with no grind but having to read conversations that feel real and at times can be funny. A ton of content and can be a tease at times with sex scenes but its well worth the wait.

I'm a straight simp for my goddess Katie.

Reading the story plot and looking at some of the character renders, I very nearly passed on this VN. Story sounds usual generic "Mum died and young guy moves in with 2 girls and their Mother"......plus the main girls looked nothing special to me. I am so glad I gave this a try!
Where this game really shines is the characters and their dialogue. The dialogue is the best I`ve ever seen in plenty of similar visual novels and oh man is it hilarious! the absolute killer humor of Kate`s banter makes her the best psycho-tourette syndrome, love interest I`ve seen......made me laugh so many times....and her bimbo brained friends Debbie and Lily....oh sweet, dumb Lily. Add lots of romantic choices and paths, with an average storyline, this became one of my top choices in erotic VN`s. Play it just for the Katie content alone! 5 star approval from me.