VN - Ren'Py - Zero End [v0.2.4d] [Stolen Rose]

OMG! Hands down one of the best games on this site. Hands freaking down!

The story is unreal - top notch! I feel like I'm reading a Vertigo Comic from back when they were written by the top writers Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, and Garth Ennis. Seriously, very well written. Crazy good.

Story 1000/1000 Easy.
Visuals are amazing 10/10 - perfect to capture certain moods and dramatic tension.
Characters are so unique and beautifully rendered 10/10 .
Sex 9/10 - it's hot and well done.
Music 7/10 - my only knock on this one - I personally just mute most of these games anyway and throw some ambient stuff on while I'm playing them.
The RPG aspect to it is woven in really well for Ren'Py - 9/10.
Choices - in this yes, they matter quite a bit 10/10.

My two favorite genres aren't even in this game (inc/preg) and I could care less. You can't rename the MC and I could care less. THAT'S how amazing the story is on this one.

If you dig Vertigo comics and ceremonial magic - you've found your great white whale. I really hope the author keeps this sucker on track. I'm having a blast.! Top five game for me.

Story 10/10 great story with great characters and great mc who you can shape with decisions; This game reminds of my favorite game Vampire masquerade bloodlines with all stats and puzzles;Also Swansong reminds me of Jeanette

Writing 10/10: great writing makes a story enjoyable so yeah this made story enjoyable

Art 10/10: Great renders ;all characters are hot like mc and girls are beautiful and alluring

Overall a great Vn with a story that quench my thirst for world of darkness
Content
I hope dev continues this way and succeeds

As a fan of games with mystic setting, mythical creatures and magic, Zero End is one of my favourite AVNs and it have a huge potential to be one of the best story-driven games in mentioned style.

Writing is really solid in my opinion, it makes me really invested in plot and characters, their backstories and goals. Despite overall tone of game, it have some quite funny moments and nice romance, at least as much as it's possible for a few in-game days so far. Atmosphere in this game is great. Gloom, danger and mystery are present throughough whole game, which is exactly what I was expecting from it.
Story is really interesting and captivating with exciting lore, good amount of branching, mysteries and tension. Due to yet unanswered questions regarding MC and his old connections, game keeps me interested all the time and makes me worried during some confrontations with antagonists, as I simply don't know what to expect.
Characters are written quite well as I've already mentioned earlier, they look quite beautiful and unique, and their personalities are actually interesting without too much of cliche imo. MC is also an interesting and smart guy with some intriguing background. He's kinda edgy, but I love how characters are making fun of it, sometimes including MC himself.
Visually Zero End is pretty damn good, at least to my taste. Animations are smooth and nice as well, no complaints here from me. Models of some creatures looks actually interesting and spooky, I'd say the game have its own style with rather darker tone and mood to set the ominous atmosphere, and I love it.
Music is also on point, great choice of sounds/melodies.
There are a few small puzzles in the game, controversial ones according to some people but personally it didn't bother me at all, even if I didn't know the answer and had to spend ~30 seconds to Google them, it made me think about solution for some time and it was interesting experience nonetheless.

Overall, Zero End is an amazing game, especially if you like some supernatural stuff, old-school magic etc. and it have really big potential if dev will keep improving with future updates.

The dark story is really nice, still shrouded in a lot of mystery, i'd say it still answers as much as it questions.

If you like story affecting choices and human reactions, troubled topics and playing detective, I highly recommend this.

0.2.4d: By far the most promising VN I've played in a few years. It's actually a little strange not having anything at all to complain about the writing. I do think there's space for improvement on visuals, but nothing major. Can't wait to see what this game holds for the future.

In my years of consuming fantasy media, there have been very few times where I've experienced world building on this level, done this smoothly.

This VN impeccable worldbuilding, and all of it is left up to the reader to piece through using their existing knowledge and context clues instead of being delivered through expositions or lore dumps. The dev has done some outstanding writing.

The character and dialogue writing is great too. None of the characters are particularly deep, but they are unique and serve the story well. The dialogue is extremely punchy and efficient and it never drags.

Visuals might be incredible, but they are good enough and never distract or detract from the story being told.

I didn't expect much, but oh boy what a pleasant surprise it was. Played 0.2, a few thoughts below.

Pros
- Writing hooks you kinda soon, dialogs feel natural plus sometimes caught myself thinking that the game feels like a movie.
- Characters feel alive, each with it's distinct personality and a few with their own inner demons. There was a kind of delay between the updates, but when I started 0.2 then remembered who is who almost immediately what happens very rare compated to other VNs.
- Music fits most scenes very good.
- Lore and worldbuilding are both definitely above average.
- Want to mention Lilith as a separate point - very cool debut and great duo with MC overall, liked their convos and dynamics so much, hope that dev won't lose the spark here.

Cons
- Graphics does not hit the major leagues level sometimes, I don't feel that I should take -1 star for that but still want to mention it.

I'd say this one is a must-play, waiting for future updates.

Brilliant writing to create a very engaging story and world. It definitely feels like a novel first and foremost, with the romance and sex scenes feeling a bit lacklustre in comparison while also a bit rushed considering I think only 4 or 5 days have passed in-game, but the rest of the VN more than makes up for it. Decisions feel genuinely impactful to give it some replayability for different routes, so it will be interesting to see where each branch goes in future updates.

I don't tend to write many reviews, but this time I think this AVN deserves one. Writing this review just after playing Chapter 2, it's hard to predict how the story will progress in the future, whether it will meet expectations or not... but what is certain is that up to now, it totally deserves a try. It’s a unique AVN, and just by reading the comments in the thread, one will realize that what hooks people the most is the story, not the attraction to one character or another. I myself am one of those who follow this project closely for that reason and not because I'm particularly attracted to any of the girls (which doesn’t mean they are poorly written or designed—personally, I adore Alice, who has become one of my favorite characters in all the AVNs I've played) since it’s undeniable that physically they do not match the classic bombshells characteristic of the vast majority of other games in this forum.

The characters are very well written, and you can tell from their backstories that there are hints of maturity that are uncommon and rarely seen in AVNs (from Selena, Alice, or Rayne to Brianna or any of the other characters). In the developing story, I see a very rich project, with a world well-crafted by its author, with a well-defined lore from the beginning, whose intricacies are gradually uncovered and which, in my opinion, draws heavily from esotericism. All this mix definitely hooks the player/reader.

While it is true that the sexual scenes fall a bit short (especially in this latest update), it’s clear that despite being an adult visual novel, that’s not the focus and doesn’t seem likely to ever be. In this case, sex doesn’t just become a mere excuse to advance the story or increase the render count per update; instead, the scenes happen organically and logically, which, honestly (at least in my life), is realistic: sex only sometimes. If you are in the AVN world for thrilling sex scenes where the story doesn't matter, let me tell you, my friend, that this is not for you. However, if you are looking for something more, give it a try. In the end, you may or may not like it, as with anything, but what is undeniable is that it is a great game, improvable in some aspects but unique in many others, and the least it deserves, in my opinion, is to be tried at least once.

To the author, I wish the best of luck with your project and that the final result, once finished, will be what you wanted it to be.

A bit short on porn, but considering how good writing is i dont mind.
It really teeters on the edge of being too "edge" but its not falling into tropes too much and so despite the wackiness youre not losing the immersion (too much, could be a bit more grounded and punishing, example - mc is a bit of a mary sue even though everyone says that he sucks, the succ being too strong and most situations getting resolved too easily without lasting impact).

Which part does suck though is the disparity in models, some are 11/10, some either look like 40 yo chainsmokers (the hunter), or utterly unremarkable (the lunar witch), i hope the dev cleans up or changes those models for future updates, anyways i subbed for patreon so it still gets my approval.

Unsuspecting game this, starts off very ordinary and maybe even boring but just keep playing and its brilliant.

The story, the dialogue, writing, lore and research is very good, very interesting and complex.

The only gripe I have is navigation especially in the cult house which is frustrating and that some characters are almost too odd to catch any of my interest, but thats just a personal comment.

Otherwise, pretty good

I rarely write reviews, and generally only for games I really enjoy. This is one of them.
Excellent plotline, characters, story, music choices are top shelf, has CYOA elements well done, including multiple endings. Worldbuilding is extremely well done, I can really appreciate that aspect.

5/5 would rate again if I could. Top 1% of games on this site.

This VN is such a wonderful surprise. I can't really explain how hooked it got me from the get go. There were a few scenes that made me very emotional and the game does a great job tackling sensitve issues in a mature but plot accurate way. Choices feel very real and consequencial, even when they're probably not.

My only sadness is the lack of a harem tag (but that's a personal thing, I guess). The romance options are very interesting and fleshed out and it saddens me not being able to experience all that their interesting plotlines have to offer in the same playthrough.

This VN is truly an amazing art piece.

damn boy! I have no word for this masterpiece. the music, soundtracks, story, graphics, gameplay. all of these are superb. this game is literally deserve 5 star rating. wish there are more game like this in this site. I have a weak spot for mystic-fantasy worlds like this. I hope the dev keep continue develope this game. I have no words. 5/5 Game.

Rating as of 0.13/0.2

Good

• One of the few AVN where the characters are multidimensional
• Puzzle game that suits the theme/environment and not there for the sake of being there
• The world building, story and theme is excellent
• One of the best written game here. The story and character dialogue have their unique flavor. You can sense the personality and not the generic cliche school setting characters
• The MC is overly edgy and the dev is aware of it while making fun of his own characters. This add another layer of meta humor
• Music and sound effects are good thematically
• Unique story and world theme. The initially deity selection actually plays a major role in the story
• MC and side characters are likeable and you want to punch the villain - which shows that the writing & story is in a good direction.

Bad

• MC name is locked so it takes the immersion out abit
• The puzzle need better hints for those who is bad at puzzle. However, it is a simple puzzle game
• Renders are good but not great. Some of the character art design is a bit generic and could use more refinement. All in all the art is enjoyable.
• Spicy scene are average - could use more spice to heat up the H factor
• Personal take - no harem story option
• Combat system is not that fun. Could use some alternative style maybe

Summary
Constantine meets Jeanette Voerman made an AVN baby. One of the few AVN where i can comfortable give a 5 star rating even though there some rough edges. Overall, an enjoyable and unique story telling. Still same rating as of Chapter 2. Must play

This has a kind of teen angst flavour i never was part of yet feel strangely nostalgic for. Something lame people would call cringe. But its made with passion so i cant help but love it. Also solid on a technical level.

- Good characters with thought out motivations and backgrounds.
- Decent renders. Set design can be a bit dull but composition and mood makes up for it.
- Entertaining dialogue and the kind of plot that takes the world for granted, expecting you to keep up instead of holding your hand. (Good thing imo)

Looking forward to more updates!

Very well written and keeps you engaged, I like the MC s edginess and inquizical nature. The supporting characters are also interesting although the lewd scenes do feel forced somewhat. I kind of want a little more back story on the MC but I suspect the Dev will be filling in the gaps as the story progresses. I will definitely be following this AVN good job so far.

I don’t usually bother to play or review a game until it has several updates, but somehow I stumbled on this at v0.1.3 and spent an evening playing through the sparse content a couple times. It has a gripping supernatural / horror vibe to it, a very-relatable protagonist, and it makes me want to take a cigarette break even though I don’t smoke.

The cons are perfunctory sex scenes, and some gamey-wamey elements that are a little annoying (there is a walk-through that helps with these). There is not a lot of material yet, but I recommend bookmarking it and taking a look when you get a chance.

Captivating story, great characters. Just need more of it. More, I say! We must get more of this wonderful story and great characters. Also, can you lengthen the sex scenes? That would be great.

Seriously though I'm enjoying the combination of different material into this. I want Swansong's name. Make her a loyal lover to the MC!

This looks like it has a lot of potential, a game you must play.
Great story that really steps out of the usual stuff and the universe is really interesting . The renders are also well done.
Hoping for more choices and a long plot.