VN - Ren'Py - Yesterday's Crossroads [Ch.3 v0.4.0a] [CHAQUINN0]

Hi, Dev.

I don’t usually write game reviews (in fact, this is my first), so please take this feedback with a grain of salt due to my inexperience in this area.

First, I want to mention that I won’t review the pros of the game because I generally find them decent. The dialogue and grammar are okay, and the render quality is good. I’m also not too focused on the lewd scenes, as I prefer games that are more story-driven. That said, I’ll share what bothers me the most.

(I’m currently in Chapter 2, so I haven’t played the full game yet.)

My main issue is that everything seems to revolve too much around the main character. There are very few conversations between other characters that don’t somehow focus on him. Almost everyone thinks he’s perfect, even the male characters. I cringed a bit when one of the girl’s boyfriends kept complimenting the MC and asking questions about him for no clear reason. The girls do the same, and while they might have some past with him or lingering feelings, it doesn’t feel like a convincing reason for them to be so focused on him. While the MC does show some personality, there aren’t enough moments to explain why he’s so special to the girls. Complimenting them or giving them a "pat on the head" when they’re down isn’t enough to justify how obsessed they are with him.

You don’t have to give every character a major backstory or arc, but I think they should have more agency beyond just being obsessed with the MC. There’s a scene where a minor villain (I think that’s what he is, maybe I’m wrong) sees one of the love interests with the MC, gets jealous, and acts like an incel to highlight how good the MC is compared to him. But then, in the very next scene, he essentially repeats the same dialogue.

We already know he’s not dating the girl because he’s misogynistic and insecure, and we also know the MC is a "great guy" compared to him, so why repeat it? I just feel that each scene should serve a different purpose.

If the focus on the MC is intentional, at least show the characters having varied feelings toward him. The story seems to be going down the route of "I like the MC = Good, I dislike him = Bad," which in my opinion is kind of lazy. Not every character should either love him or hate him based solely on their perception of him.


Also, give the MC some agency. Most of the scenes are him reacting to what others do in his life. Give him a purpose other than just getting over his ex. If you're going to focus so much on him, at least make him lead the scenes. Show us why the characters are so drawn toward him.



Anyway, if that's the direction you want to take with your characters, that’s okay too. Perhaps this style of storytelling just isn’t for me. Best wishes!

Great game with gorgeous looking women. It's refreshing to see high quality non-harem, non-incest games on this site. Also the mc isn't a complete jerk, so that's always a plus.

One thing that needs a bit work in my opinion are the sex scene, make them have more dialogue, more foreplay, more build-up... right now you're just clicking through different positions and choosing where to finish.

Story 3/5
Story is pretty good i liked it most of it, and i gotta say its one of the first and proberly only game ive played where there is a forced LI at the start that makes sense to the story past and future and that truely is needed for story.
Ive seen many that claims a forced LI has to be there due to story but its almost never true untill this game.

Story starts with MCs girlfrend through years leaves him due to a job offer in her home country then story is about the break-up and getting over it and finding someone new, to then be slamed in the when the Ex comes back out of nowhere.
Personaly i would have a hard time forgiving her due to the way she left and the lack of information and that she kept it hidden untill she leaves, but you can forgive her, question is do you really want to.
Ofc ill proberly try a forgiving route at some point but not untill game is finished.

I also think its refreshing to see a none harem game for once, it really makes for a better game and gives some replayability compared to a standard harem game.

But there where things i really dident like, i found it a bit weird and stupid how you see keep seeing possible LIs feeling down or sorry for MC turning them down, i dont really feel the need to see that since it serves no real purpose for the story and its just a weird attempt to make the player feel bad which is idiotic when game is none harem.

Another thing is all the flashbacks, its a bit to much to hear how MC apprently has already fucked some of the LIs in past and taken multiple girls virginity (which ofc you dont get to see either) which is fine, i couldent care less about it since its before the player gets anything to say in it.
Also wasent a fan of getting a Keyla sex scene out of nowhere, sure its from the past but when you hate Kayla and find her brainless its the last thing i want to see, i get its story related but it could be explained instend of shown.

I guess its to show that Keyla dosent have a brain, she saied yes to marry someone when on the same day she was going to break up with him, i mean really? thats proberly the worst and most idiotic thing in the story, but atleast there arent much of that stuff, but with Keyla it only becomes even more idiotic since she dident tell MC hes GF was leaving due to wanting them to break up, which makes no sense since shes married....and not only that she never tried anything after she got her wish and MCs GF left, and Keyla does nothing? so whats the point of her trying to ruin MCs life? just dosnt make sense, its just shows her as an extremly shitty friend, to bad MC dosent know about it so we could blow up and tell her to fuck off and never see her again but sadly game isent made like that, but if it was then i could see a reason as to why it shows us the past and all she has done.

Later it also shows that MC is a shitty friend since hes fucking hes best friend girl behind hes back.....its like they are trying to make players hate the MC and thats just a stupid move.

Overall i did like most of the story, but theres simply just to many choices already made for you by the "past" choices that the player might never wanted to do, like backstabbing hes best friend whos like a brother to him, they really should have made that kind of stuff a choice for the player to either stay true friends or to backstab, i hate when choices are made for you.

Then theres the content, i get its a none harem so it takes a bit of time to get with anyone since they all need screen time, but for me personaly i could only see one real choice for MC and thats Olivia since everyone else are either brainless or turned lesbian or lies/hide stuff from MC, Olivia seems to be the only normal girl and one of the few that isent from MCs past.

Not sure if it just has to many LIs but i think so, its been more then 1½ years now and all MC has done with Olivia is kissing her, so people only on her route will get bored pretty fast and shes proberly also the one with the least screen time, not even forgiving the Ex-GF will give you more sex scene that whats at the very start hell you dont even get back together with her even if you arent with anyone else, so as an adul game it falls really flat.

Girls 2/5
I liked a few of their faces, but the diversity in builds seem very poor since they all look the same.

Animations 3/5
Cant say ive seen much but the one sex scene that is forced wasent bad but not great either so average, they are also pretty short any not much of dialogs either, it feels like its something that just has to be there, so its ignore and over very fast.

Music 5/5
Its nice to hear some real songs with lyrics, its just to rare in games.

Choices 3/5
Well i like the fact that you can freely pick who ever you want to be with, but other then that the main story feels very very kinetic and alot of that has to do with the past choices made without player input, so you cant play the good guy since that choice has already been made for ya.

Ver. 0.4.0a.

One of the best serious romantic dramas AVN market has to offer. I'm only giving this game 4 stars due to personal taste.

Pros:
1) Very good writing.
2) Good visuals.
3) A great selection of girls.
4) The game has a database of characters through which a player can get to know them better.

Cons:
1) Next to no action (I know, an AVN doesn't have to have action, but I'm explaining my "taste" point from earlier).
2) The plot is trivial at its core, its practical realisation is what elevates the game.

A truly beautiful game with some of the most beautiful love interests and renders out there.
If you are playing purely for the lewd scenes then this may not be for you. But if you enjoy romancing beautiful girls then look no further.
The developer also doesn't milk his supporters which is something worth a mention. His $5 supporters get new updates on release day which is almost unheard of, so if you can go support him.

I have a feeling the prologue in this game will annoy some people but everything gets explained later on and the narrative in this one likes to take its time to unravel itself and slowly introduce characters' backstories and motives so might not be the best thing to play for impatient people.

Also, this game is heavily focused on drama and romance with adult content taking a backseat so for people looking for a quick fix this ain't it. For those who enjoy a good romance drama with multiple choices for love interests, appealing visuals, interesting writing, and characters check this one out, it's pretty entertaining.

Although, besides it might come off as too vanilla for some, the writing sometimes can be a little too on the nose with those self-reflecting life lessons, and the cuts to flashbacks could use better timing.

One of the better AVNs out there these days. All the characters have several layers and have their own storyline which makes it more interesting. Great graphics and the LIs are beautiful and varied in looks and personality. I like the fact that there are several routes and choices have meaning and consequences. The fact that I enjoy the romance and the lewd scenes are just bonus is a testament to the quality of this AVN.

Just wanna give an honest disclaimer for people looking to get into this AVN while it is good theres one major thing that should be noted off the bat

The prologue of this AVN is wholly unrealistic lol. I was having the worst time stomaching the beginning, which is that you start with a girlfriend. Not really a problem, in itself. However you'll quickly take note of all the LI's available and realize, that something significant will happen to the relationship (esp if you read the little overview note).

I'm going to just say how it plays out is incredible unrealistic, both by the MC and the one friend. If you're curious I'll spill it here :

I feel like that prologue had a lot of building and the way it played out negatively affected me for the entirety of the story, but thats just me. I just cant fathom the way it was written lol. Not to say its a bad AVN, it gets better but it left a super bitter taste in my mouth throughout a large portion of the game. (Sorry Dev!)

One of the best AVNs you can play. It focuses more on the story, but the H scenes are very good. It is very deep and presents characters that are very different from each other, letting the player focus on his tastes.

I hope it gets the recognition it deserves.

Great game. Well written characters, not plot driven but the emphasis is still on the story more than anything else. There is a solid amount of content for how long its been in development.

Only thing would change is that the MC cheated with his best friends girlfriend in a flashback, which does not seem to line up with how the MC is portrayed at any other point in the story.

I haven't enjoyed a VN this much since AOA and that says a lot considering how picky I am.

Story:

There's a lot of drama in this story. But not the kind that feels forced, it's the kind everyone should be able to relate to. There's people who are still mourning their losses, heartbreak but overall a bunch of people that's just trying to move on with their lives and find their happiness. I enjoy the MC and the way he carries himself. I gotta give a nod to the Dev on how mature he made him especially how he handled the Kim situation. He wasn't as bitter and spiteful as most people would've been. He didn't curse her name to high hell it was just an overall mature response. When you have a MC like that it makes it more... understandable as to why some many women are willing to fall for him.

The situation with Keyla is messy and I think that everything or should I say the moral of this story should be about telling the truth and being open with the ones you love. Don't marry someone if you're not 100% sure because it's a colossal waste of time and you'll end up hurting others.

Michelle is still a mystery to me and everything that surrounds her. She's probably my favorite character or at least tied with Olivia and Julia. Then there's Julia who comes with the abusive EX baggage. I believe he resurfaced towards the end of the chapter. Curious to see what's the play with him.

Olivia is a really cool character, I hope she gets more screen time soon. I hate that she's losing her parents but she's handled it as well as anyone in her situation could.

Overall, the story is solid in my opinion. The lewd scenes could use work in terms of more dialogue added particularly from the MC's pov.

Dialogue:

Great.

Renders:

Top Notch.

Animations:

Good.


Overall impression:

This is a story that I can get behind, the choices matter, the characters aren't forced on you and the MC isn't a buffoon. Great work, CHAQUINN0!

Side note: There's two Kim's, Kimberly the potential love interest and Kim the EX. Also the transitions could be smoother, I never know when a scene ends.. until it ends.

Started Yesterday's Crossroads on release and it's constantly gotten better and better with each passing update. The amazing story telling and amazing render quality has made it a top AVN game for me, and IMO some of the most beautiful girls in AVN are in this game.

Loved this one. Its biggest strength is that you have a high degree of freedom in choosing how you approach relationships. It does have some problems, though. A few things really don't make sense, such as MC being pissed at Zeke for cheating on Keyla when he fucked Keyla behind his back.

Thankfully, there are plenty of likeable girls and a story engaging enough to keep you going. Kim and Keyla are dumb bitches, though. However, it was hella satisfying when MC confronted Kim, so good job to the dev on that. MCs are very rarely angry when they (understandably) should be.

Amazing renders and quality writing make up for the slow plot which you can see is building up to something special. The girls are all interesting and have more to them than meets the eye, which promises good branching and convincing romance that I am looking forward to.

One gripe again is my protest against starting with a girlfriend, but part of the main plotline is breaking up with her and trying to move on which is a compelling premise I am excited to explore. Following the development of this with close interest and high expectations from this strong introduction.

This game is an anomaly. When thinking about what I value in AVNs one of the top three qualities is always story. The problem I have with this game is that the main story is almost non-existent as instead of getting the main plot we are getting a few renders here and there and the game is concentrated around the romance with the LIs and their backstories. This couldn't work.... but it does. The storytelling is on point, we get the real dialogues, great son-mother relationship and the natural switch between events with each girl. There is only one other game that does it equally well, while not having the solid main plot - Bare Witness. Renders are good, music is very good, dialogues are great, LIs are fantastic and unique, romance is A+, choices are there and they seem to matter. All this together made this game an instant no.3 on my list of favourites. Keep it up dev!

Note:
Review for Yesterday's Crossroads, version 0.3.1, on 2024/02/27

General:
A visually gorgeous game that tries too hard to be inspirational.
The dev describes YC as: “This will be an episodic visual novel with a lot of adult content, beautiful in-depth story guided characters and many plot choices.” Sadly, I don't think it's there just yet, specially in the “story guided characters”-aspect.
While it's true that every character has their own history, opinions and goings-on, the game's writing fails to convey actual emotions or opinions to the player. This is offset by great visual storytelling, we'll see characters being happy or sad, but the accompanying writing often fails to make these moments impactful.


Adult:
Despite being relatively early in development, YC has a few lewd scenes. Visually, they look great. There's no doubt in my mind that the dev has a talent for putting scenes together. My criticism about these scenes is the same I have about the rest of the game, there's a lack of depth. While the motions are fluid, the actions feel robotic. There's no interplay between the characters, no teasing or real foreplay. They go through the motions, but the scenes fall short of being hot.
One thing I do appreciate is that the MC doesn't have a comically oversized cock. While still on the endowed-end of the spectrum, he doesn't need to worry about physically hurting the women he sleeps with.
One nitpick I have is that creampies don't look liquid, but more like a plastic plug.

Visual:
As I mentioned a few times already, visually, this game is gorgeous. There's a lot of attention to detail, expressions and positioning. Lighting and shadows are used and create a believable atmosphere.
I'd love to see some more variety in body shapes. If you're like me, and find petite women more appealing, then you'll be starved for choice.
As an aside, most LI seem to be in the same age-range as the MC, but look (and act) older. I'm not recognizing 20-24 year olds, instead they look and feel 30+.

Novel:
Sadly, this is where it falls apart for me. Instead of a character-driven novel, I'm seeing an absence of character development. It's mostly the MC who's guilty of this. The writing isn't giving the player any insight into the MC's mental state or personality. He'll react stoically to adversity, dropping some pop-philosophical lines, more like a narrator describing a scene instead of an individual living through it. There's no indication of him getting angry or disappointed when someone lies to him, instead he'll shrug it off and is immediately understanding, putting the situation in perspective. In contrast to this, the player sometimes does get to decide how the MC feels about something, but due to the MC's robotic nature, this just falls flat. There's no follow-up or follow-through. However the player decides to feel, it will immediately be waved away, to the point of dismissing his emotions.

There's no overarching story of the MC dealing with loss and/or depression. A time skip of a year lets the MC put everything behind him, and allows the player to experience a generic slow-burn AVN.
Due to telenovela-level plot twists and motivations, I'm not convinced that the dev has planned out the complete story in detail. Facts are being kept vague, names are omitted, and weird coincidences constantly happen. While I appreciate the large cast of side-characters, it's odd and off-putting how every main character is connected to each other in some way, with Zeke and Leyla being the worst offenders.
We'll meet characters at a low point, but then don't see them shine in casual circumstances. We're told that the MC is keeping in contact with someone (Olivia), but we don't actually see this happening. The MC will say how great someone is, but the player doesn't really get to experience that.

Worst of all, and something that made me dislike this MC, is that he's a liar. When an LI asks him out and the player refuses, the MC will make up a lie or excuse. He'll claim he doesn't know an area well enough to give a tour, or that he'll have to work that day. This could be interpreted as letting them down easy, but I see it as him toying with their emotions. Why not tell a co-worker “Sorry, but I'd like to keep things professional”, so they know where they stand?

Suggestions:

• It's often difficult to gauge the passage of time, with scenes transitioning without providing context. It would help to put all events on an actual timeline, and inform the player about the date, time and location. Chapter 1 feels like it happens in a week or two, but would've happened over the course of months. (I think it's spring or summer in Chapter 1, fall in Chapter 2.)
• Related to the previous point, feel free to introduce a scene. A single line can add so much: “As usual, I went to the gym in the morning and found Zeke sitting outside.” This lets the player immediately immerse themselves in what's going on, instead of having to think about what's happening and how it relates to the story.
• And, related to the previous two points, it would help to add some casual scenes between the MC and LI where we explore their character more. Chapter 1 feels compressed in time because there's no filler. Even a montage of the MC going about his day, would add context to what he's doing while time passes. You can show him going to the gym, chatting with Julia, sending a text to Olivia, and so on.
• Visually, you're there. You have the skill and instinct to create compelling scenes, you know what's important to display. Where writing is concerned, I think an editor would elevate this game to the next level.
• Don't rely on vagueness, it often leads to confusion. There's no reason to not expose that certain couples are married instead of dating, for instance.

Yesterday's Crossroads.... what can i say. wow, is probably the first to come to mind.

First things first; quick Disclaimer to potential readers. this is a Slow-burn AVN, much more mature in context and execution.

Bad points; lets get this out of the way. for me, and this is purely my opinion. the only negative, and stopping it from being a 5/5 for me. is the Transitions. a quick glance at other reviews, all point to the same thing. Dev; if you read any of these, please make this small adjustment if possible, even at the expense of more clicking. Its worth the hassle, because at present its quite jarring at times and throws you out of immersion.


Okay the GOOD, and boy is this a good AVN, i honestly didnt expect much from this one at all, it was queued up my list of never-ending AVNs, and the brief blurp of the description was, well bland if im honest. a generic story.

However that all changed after just afew minutes of reading. the story telling is good, very good. im not an english lit guy or anything. but i had zero issues, reading, following or even spotting 'engrish' . suffice to say, I, was, hooked! time flew by before i realised.

A very mature and natural approach to this story, not a fap-fest, not a OMG girl sees MC, panties drop, take me now and build that harem ASAP.

To be honest this AVN was giving me vibes from another great AVN, Intertwined.
lots of connections, lots of choices and more importantly.... depth. each of the LIs or Sides or whatever, have depth. they aren't just mindless barbiedolls... i can see each has there own histories and scars of the past... and cant wait to discover them.... choosing is going to a nightmare, defo one you will need to play through multiple times.

Music is a very good touch and blends really well, i feel could be better in places. but sofar its more than good enough, to help get you into that immersion and bring the feels.


Final Thoughts, this is an excellent AVN, deserves a play and a Subscribe-Support. i know i will be. still early on and has more depth and emotion that most AVNs that have hours and hours of content.

Overall: 5/10 Honestly it could be better. Its not bad, but i dont really feel much playing this.

Story: 5/10 When it comes to the story the only real pro i can think of is that the writing is pretty good. Its easy to understand the the interactions between characters feel pretty life like. However outside of that the story has nothing going for it except for What was at the beginning was a very well written emotional story however it quickly become repeating bland and predictable story. What i mean by this is the story has the issue of constantly repeating the same facebook life lessons over and over which take away from the emotional impact. It worked at first but when its the same thing over and over again it becomes stale. The predictably part is coming from someone who is normally bad at catching clues and predicting stuff. Certain Plot points that feel like they arent supposed to be obvious are pretty obvious.

Cons the 2 big things are the transitions and as mentioned earlier the random life lessons. The transitions are awful, i mean one moment your having sex than the next you in the middle of a desert. It happens several times, your talking to someone only to be teleported randomly. Another review mentioned this but the writer has this tendency to throw all these Facebook life quotes in almost every sentence. Now dont get me wrong in some places it fits. But not every single sentence.

Renders and animation 7/10: While the renders are pretty good. the animation is rough its extremely grainy and hard for me to enjoy.

Sexual Content: 4/10 While there are a few scenes, they arent very good. Like i said the animation is bad and the angles are worse. The sex doesnt feel very natural, the scenes are also very short.

On the upper side of average, in some ways. Honestly, there just isn't much there. The characters aren't very interesting. The story isn't interesting. The writing is competent, except that the writer(s) are obsessed with putting big life lessons in every single conversation, to the point that it's kind of offensive. Oh, and it's revealed that the protagonist slept repeatedly with his best friend's girlfriend during college. Oh, and the "unimaginable situation" in the description is completely predictable by the way. And you don't even get to express disapproval towards characters who keep important shit from you.

I'd have keep playing past where it currently ends, but only because I have a weakness for redheads, and she's one of the few characters whose personality doesn't put me off. Ultimately, I'm not sure if I'll try the next update or not, but I got nothing out of it so far except for this mild rant.

Everything is perfect, story, visuals, renders.
Exceptions:
1. Transitions are to be worked on, sometimes there's nothing that ties two random scenes together eg. MC is talking with a girl then all of a sudden he's in the kitchen with his mom.

2. Sex scenes could be more progressive instead of all options available right away. It doesn't feel natural and I'd definitely appreciate fewer longer scenes than many short ones.