Ren'Py - World's Crossing Academy [v1.4.0.3] [TeamEmberWings]

I had high expectations after reading the disclaimers about storytelling, slow burn, and meaningful character progression. But in reality, the MC is all over the place. He’s presented as reliable and understanding, yet his thoughts are constantly judgmental and lustful—like a hormone-driven teenager rather than a 23-year-old former martial arts instructor turned janitor. His behavior feels delusional and inconsistent with how the story tries to portray him.

Then there are the logical inconsistencies.
Many choices don’t matter. For example, rejecting the Goblin Princess is specifically said to leave her heartbroken, yet she acts like nothing happened. If the MC is meant to be decent, why doesn’t he at least give a proper response? If choices don’t impact the story, at least let characters acknowledge them instead of skipping to the next scene.

The so-called "slow burn" is nonexistent. You meet several girls, exchange a few lines, and they immediately throw themselves at you. And the MC isn’t just awkward—he's downright creepy, going after every girl and manipulating non-humans into lewd situations simply because they don’t understand human society. If this is supposed to be a decent guy, then why does he act like a sleazy manipulator? He’s not framed as an anti-hero or villain, but his actions say otherwise.

It’s not all bad—the worldbuilding, background story, and character personalities have potential. But events shouldn’t happen out of nowhere, and characters need to react to the MC’s actions logically.

Dropping my rating to 2 stars. Objectively, this just isn’t good writing for a VN.

Don't let the first few hours scare you off. The game gets BETTER. Wonderful arrangement of girls , each unique. The MC is cool & deep but it takes a bit of time to full grasp the whole of his personality. The writing is very good and the story keeps you invested and interested. The only minus point I have is ( but I am not willing to detect a star rating for that ) that the background renders could improve. In some scenes like a cave or water the environment looks really terrible but it might be the engine DEV is using. Anyway all in all a real solid game and I am waiting for future updates !

Fantastic game that I'd recommend to anyone who likes deep worlds, interesting characters, and/or addicting story. Without a doubt one of my top 10 AVNs. If you haven't played it I highly suggest you do.

Page one claims alot but upholds none of it, like " We're hoping that each route you choose will have hours worth of content" but you dont choose anything, its all forced and you cant turn down most girls, you can skip scenes but thats it.

For those giving this such a high rating they should try clicking no to girls and try to avoid things, then you will see how poorly this game truely is, you might be able to turn down some but alot will be forced and unavoidable, other then skiping meaning it still happens.

To make it really funny it claims making game-over is not something they will do and guess what they did just that as well lol.....gimme a break, you get 3 choices one leads to game-over, second is fake and returns you to the same 3 choices, leaving just a single pick?...brainless....

Story 2/5
It isent bad i kinda like the other worlds and all the diffrent races and such, but it gets absolutly ruined by MC having a mindset of a 12 year old and constantly thinking every single female he meets is cute or hot, even an old ugly ass teacher and just because she has some huge saggy tits....next he see the total oppesit 2 small goblin girls and ofcause he loves them to?

The issue is having an MC lusting for everything that moves feels so idiotic when you as the player only wants to turn them down, it kills all Immersion for the story and makes it feel stupid, it dosent help when MC starts telling girls how cute and lovely they are when you as the player might think fuck shes ugly as hell, its a huge fail to make MC act and think like that without any player controle.

Also it feels idiotic when MC meets with two goblin girls one a princess all because she wants to fuck MC after just seeing him once? they never met they know nothing about one another, its perfect for a b-porn movie but it dosent make for a good story and it shows perfectly how completely idiotic it is when MC tells the princess shes the most stunning and hot girl he has ever seen and right after he turns her down and tells her no she cant kiss him.... it just cant get any more stupid then that and thats the hole issue when devs thinks every player is into everything so they expect you to say yes to everything.

Theres no relationship build-up so you will never get to feel anything for any LIs which again makes for a boring game, i guess theres just to many girls so theres very little screen time with each of them.

One of the biggest flaws in the game and what really kills it, is that story dosent follow your choices it simply ignores them, i said no to letting the goblin princess kiss MC and when game goes to season 1 first thing MC thinks about is that he got a nice kiss from a goblin girl which never happened, it goes on like this the hole game where the servant goblin constantly talks about how the princess whats to share MC with her, its idiotic since you turned down the princess and yet it acts like you dident.
Or like when you tell someone your not into the orc girl and then when MC meets orc girl he tells her how hot she is and how attracttive he finds her... it just gets way to annoying to constantly see MC flirt with everything even those he claims not to like or be into it just dosent make any kind of sense.

Theres also alot of lesbians/BI girls in this one and i mean alot, the two goblin girls, the security girl, the black girl, the elven girl, Sarafina or whats her name, you can even help a lesbian to be with another girl.

Anyway this should give you an idea of how the game is, so if you enjoy playinig an MC with no backbone, constantly being nice and lusting for everything, which feels extremly cringy all the time, then this might be for you, i just couldent stand MCs thought process and being overly nice, it makes him feel very submissive and like a pervert just like willy who wants to fuck everyone.

Girls 2/5
Normaly i like HS but proberly 80% of the girls just feels off somehow and not good looking, there is a great diversity in builds atleast.

Animations 3/5
They are pretty decent for HS, proberly the best part of the game, but it cant uphold the game alone.

Choices 2/5
I belive you can turn down some girls but alot are forced or will be forced later in story, like goblin girls, Jade, Mouse, personaly im just not into forced shit and page on claims you can choose but you just cant in to many cases.

Absolute classic for those that love monster girl, there's a stark lack of good content for us, but this game is one of the rare gems that has a ton of it.
Story is decent, charcters are pretty cool and each have a unique personality so that's nice, H scenes are done well, overall pretty good.
Would rate 4 stars but WE HAVE GOBLIN GIRLS. Fuck it 6 stars.

Hope we end up getting more "weird" girls instead of things like elf, cause those look just like humans.

Reviewed for version 0.2.2.2 (I think the first chapter of season 2, might be the second.)

The game has some really strong points to it. The characters are pretty distinct, and there is quite a bit of variety. It focuses quite a bit on people who are struggling with something in their lives, either past trauma, or trouble accepting who they are, or just finding a place to fit in. I was really drawn in a couple chapters in, when the second wave of girls shows up, but there was definitely enough before that to keep me playing.

There definitely are some things that keep the game out of my favorites. A lot of the girls have very young faces, and that doesn't do much for me. A few are called out in game, like Mouse, but several others fell into that space for me as well, such as Jade or your stalker. Nothing wrong, just not to my taste. There are also a few times that you have to sit through the same several renders, such as the morning routine, (which actually kind of worked for me, as you are occasionally given a story relevant twist, so I was waiting in anticipation to see if would happen that morning), the MC doing his work, or working out while reciting his reps. The first season is pending a re-write though, so some of those issues may go away. While the models and lighting are not the most outstanding, they are good enough to not detract at all from the story. I would say they are very average. Not bad, not great.

Now for the points that are truly outstanding. There is wide variety of different body types. From small and lean to big and chubby, big and muscly to shortstacks, there is definitely variety. This also extends to personality. You have the shy and the bold, the caring and the cold. There are some that are going to be a struggle to get close to, but the MC establishes himself as a person who respects boundaries, but is not afraid to play within them, and I really appreciated that.

This might be my favorite thing. The MC has an actual character, and he changes how he responds to the different girls. That might not be for everyone, but I really appreciate it. You have some cases where you can be more or less of a jerk, but it still plays within his character, and the relationship he has with the girls.

I can't give it 5 stars, but I will be keeping an eye on it for the future, and it was definitely worth the time.

The girls are quite varied physically and in terms of personality, so you are likely to find at least one that you like. All the different stories are interesting and flow well together--story and characters really driving the game along, rather than the H-content. Finished S1 and excited to see how the rest turns out!

This game is good. The renders may seem a bit clunky at times but they do have a certain charm that grows on you.

The cast is nuanced with a lot of different personalities to offer, which I enjoy. But if I could forego some of the romance options in this game, I definitely would opt out of some of the more loli-centric ones. That's not for me.

I also have an issue with the main character praising himself for his ability to restrain himself from groping or assaulting the people around him.

That being said, there are enough good things in this game to bump it up to 4 stars from a mediocre 3 or a not great 2.

I doubt it will ever receive 5 stars from me, but I enjoy it for what it is rather than dislike it for what it isn't.

Looking forward to future updates.

Cute characters, and a nice flow in the writing. Certainly worth a playthrough. As I am required to write at least 200 characters, I will ramble a bit, and encourage those who can help support the author to do so.

This game ticks a lot of boxes for me. The writing is interesting and the story is intriguing. The characters are varied and interesting. The lewd scenes are pretty good.

There's just this one big problem that keeps me from sticking with it. And it's the over the top amount of time it spends on a soap box about anti misogyny. Don't get me wrong I believe in equality and mutual respect but this reads like a pamphlet on how a man should behave himself in the presence of feminists at times.

Ease off the ideals and tell the story, please? padding your novel out with non-stop "I will love you so respectfully with your permission milady." It's like you forgot you're writing an erotic visual novel. By it's nature this media absolutely objectifies the characters sexually.

Jeeze I want to like this game. Make no mistake btw, my beef is specifically with the MC's knee jerk self emasculation to push the message. Not the girls, not even the boss lady.

This is like 'Consent: the Game'.
Which on it's own isn't really that big of a deal, not all of us like the 'rape' tag, but what's most annoying is the anti-male sentiment that runs throughout this game. Apparently one guy was a creepy pervy asshole, so the MC trips all over himself making up for that and trying to be super conscious and polite and likeable and just cringe as hell. As if women can't be pervy creeps? Check out the rate of teachers sexually assaulting students if you ever doubt that. Hint: it's overwhelmingly female teachers doing it.

Anyway, the girls are really cute, and the story is very interesting, but MAN it's a pain to roll my eyes so much over this weak-ass MC and the forced 'men are bad' narrative.

Play at your own peril.

The developer says he is an experienced author focusing on story quality .

I've only played Prologue but it was enough to see that the story is bad. In what world police ignores theft and severe cutting a guy with a knife?

MC is a constantly whining wussy, just trying to run away from his problems, and of course he fails to do even that.

Models are not attractive (though honestly I'm not a fan of HS models in general). And the only sex scene in Prologue is of a crazy girl banging a doll.

Maybe that's something for masochists but for me it just makes me sick.

I don't mind poor renders quality sometimes, it's understandable for a beginner.

+1 star for an interesting idea of connected worlds. (Blaming males for problems is sexist and stupid though. But, as I said, the story doesn't make much sense anyway, so whatever).

Geniunely really good game. I enjoyed the story and it really feels like the plot is a serious part of the game, not just an afterthought. I love all the characters and really enjoy the way they depict yandere realistically, the small 4th wall breaks and the geniune care and realism of the fictional characters. Just wish there was more content out, feels like the games over in an instant.

Good writing accompanied by increasingly better renders, characters feel real and likeable, but i am afraid it might change with even more characters being planned to be added, i'm worried it might impact the quality of the writing with a cast as big as this to take care of, but i do hope my worries are for naught, probably one of the best overall in the recent months, props to the dev for improving his work with each update, highly recommended.

Positives:

• Characters are so well written! I do have a knack for monster and fantasy girls, but I'd never guess I get more attach to a goblin than an elf. But damn Nook is just too cute.
• The Story is also interesting. It never lost my attention. Also helps that the characters are so well woven into it.
• Lewd scenes are fine, not that many yet but that's completely fine. It's clear that the focus is character and story progression, as it should be in my opinion.
• MC is very likable. Just all around good and realistic guy.
• There is some good humor here and there.

Negatives:

• Sadly, the renders and animations aren't that great. It's the only "sore thumb" of this game. But what it lacks in visual attractiveness, it makes up in excellent writing and characters.

I honestly think that if this game would have better renders and animations, it could reach top 10 placements on this website. And I mean, HS is not the problem. If the visuals had the same quality like Eternum or Pale Carnations as example, it would have it's rightful place alongside them. It's the same problem for some of the LIs, which I frankly do not find attractive or even a bit hideous. But at the same time, I find myself caring for them and wanting to see more of them just because they are written so well.

Attractiveness is a personal matter, but I think more would agree than disagree with me. And as mentioned above, there are HS games with overall very attractive LIs. Such a pity this game is not exactly one of them.

I hope I didn't offend anyone, since I can't really grasp how much effort it takes to create imagery on any level. I hope the devs are open to suggestions and maybe are willing to work over some of the LIs models, even if it means they suddenly change from one update to the next. I honestly would welcome it.

TLDR: Exceptional characters, great writing, interesting story, interesting world, all sadly a bit held back by not so good visuals and less attractive LIs.

I liked the description and thought I would give it a go. I must say very few games with this style of graphics hold my attention. I’ve played a lot of this style and most get me to go ehh and move on. This one is special and the creator is a brilliant story writer and kept me interested to know more and more. I mean I absolutely love all the npcs and get excited to learn more about them. It’s a slow burn favoring story over lewd, which is amazing. This is truly a game I will keep looking forward to and replaying from the beginning every time.

Surprisingly good content, engaging story, interesting characters. Dialogue is actually good, better than most on the site. 5/5 stars, I'm interested to see how this project develops, but it's on a solid foundation right now.

Not sure how i missed this one but i loved it. Great characters and a lot of them, seriously Dev that's a lot with more to come evidently, and it's well written. The Animations are top notch as well. And if like me you're into the green girls... Yummy, I blame the original Star Trek for that particular fetish. Definitely worth a play through though. And i can't wait for more!

Great story with excellent writing which is rare in HS games. The only reason this is getting 4 stars instead of 5 is the render quality. It's not bad, but not great either.

Best of luck to the dev team.

Version Played: 1.5.5
Time Played: About 4 hours

While school settings are a dime a dozen, this game intrigued me since the player character is neither a student or a teacher. I also really liked the fantasy theme with different races and species. As I began to play, I was struck by the overall quality of the writing and different characters and their backgrounds and was drawn into the game enough to play to well into the night to see more.

Positives
+ Engaging setting with plenty of room for progression in terms of world-building, individual character stories and overall plot
+ Wide variety of girls of various body types and species
+ Good writing
+ Bush

Neutral
= MC is cheerfully bland. He's very nice, helpful and capable, yet strangely not all that interesting. Part of this could be because he has to be a stand-in for the player, so you can't characterize too much, but his personality is a little too saccharine for my tastes. That said, I vastly prefer this approach than the MC being a mean-spirited, misogynistic prick.
= Not a lot of sexual content at this stage. Again, character-focused game, so don't expect slam town after every interaction.
= Choice outcomes aren't always clear. There are some choices that seem trivial, but it would still be nice to know if every choice actually has impact or if there are simply a lot of "flavor" options.

Negatives
- I'm on record for saying that it's hard to make an ugly character in Honey Select, but this dev seems to be trying. Obviously, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but just about every woman here has something...off about her. Thankfully, the character writing is strong.
- There are a ton of characters even at this early stage, not a lot of content around any of them. I understand (and fully support!) the creator's desire for this to be a character and story-driven game first and foremost, but so many characters get introduced only to be relegated to the background almost instantly. It would be nice to focus on a core group first then expand outward as those stories get told.
- This is a nitpick, but the text moves agonizingly slowly during the text message portions. This should really be click to advance. Seems to be fixed as of v0.1.5.81

I have a habit of laying into the games I really like and it seems to come off as discouraging as devs who normally are happy to drop a "like" sometimes don't even when I give the game a high score. I want to stress that I really enjoyed the game and see a lot of potential in it. If you don't mind a slow burn, enjoy character and story-driven games and aren't put off by the character models, definitely check this one out.

Note devs: Sounds like you've been through some stuff recently. I hope things get better for you and thanks for this game!