VN - Ren'Py - Forgotten Pathways [v0.3] [Ochilochin]

This game has an interesting premise, but inconsistent pacing, logical loopholes, "bizarre" information that is thrown to players in a casual manner without context as well as poor dialogue prevents it from reaching full potential.

To start off, the character renders do look a bit dated for a game that got started in 2023. I'm not sure which engine was used for rendering specifically, but the end result is roughly at the level of HS1 which is quite lacking in this day and age.

Another thing which spoils the experience is the vast number of simple grammatical and spelling errors that pops out once every few lines. While English ain't everyone's first language, most of these errors could have been easily fixed with a checker tool.

The way the story world is built leaves a lot to be desired. The developer has a good concept worldview mixing Science and Magic, yet the intricacies of this world could have been presented in a much more engaging manner.

Having Nina simply throwing up a few lines regarding the dome to the MC in a cavalier manner at the park and the MC almost showing no emotional response throws players off balance. Ditto the sterile population and babies sent off for research portion, Dan simply rattled off these somber facts to the MC and in the midst we get to see a few naked pics of his g/f in flashback which was honestly just very strange and mood killing.

It was also weird to learn that MC does not even know what a bicycle, car and washing machine is and somehow he just goes on a tour in the capital looking at things he supposedly has never seen before in such a passive and nonchalant manner.

The rest of the story involving fake IDs and academy enrolment did not gel well with the dire situation the MC was supposedly in. The interaction between MC and the rich village girl was really odd and unnatural as well.

This is a game with potential, but there are a few critical issues that need serious fixing before it can be unlocked.

In a nutshell , i really like it and find it great . I expected myself to dock points based on the whole kinetic aspects , with choices that can't be judged (for now) as really important or just superficial ... However the lore is fairly good and complex .
It was already impressive to see a cohesive world building and society with the concept and those parameters , and it gets even better with the existence of an actually complex and in-depth magic system (at least within the plot and lore)

I also expected to dock a point or two over the Honey Select/Illusion models and look . Especially the ones everyone pick for the MC , which are so "meh". Honestly while i love anime aesthetics it's getting a bit stale and outdated , to have either this or Koikatsu styled games ... but it works and looks good .

Looking forward to see how the game evolves and to revisit it

This game is mostly above average, The visuals are fine, the sex scenes are fine, the amount/variation of characters is more than fine, there are some fun visual "drunk" effects that are unique. The story setup and lore have had more work than necessary put in and go far beyond "MC fucks x girls at home and school".

My biggest issue is the borderline "kineticness" of the whole thing. If you follow the walkthrough and get the max amount of points with every character you hit a point where people start "betraying" you but all rely on multiple characters having to act stupid/unbelievable (in universe). This is fine because stories can have rises and falls.

If you follow the walkthrough and get no points with every character you hit a point where multiple people trust/stick up for you despite you only ever being cordial at best and then you hit a point where people start "betraying" you but all rely on multiple characters having to act stupid/unbelievable (in universe) only this time the "rise" makes no sense because nobody should "like" the MC. There is a particualrly glraring instance of this when at a party a character says they are going to leave (because you tell people you took sexy photos of her and promised not to tell) only for the next line of dialoge for her to still be sitting happily talking as if nothing happened...

Since the story is only "really" playable one way (ie you will (as of now) always end up at same place just with less (sex) scenes) to the point that choices dont really matter to the story which prevents the overall game from being anything more than average overall.

Futrueproofing: This could change as time goes on but 2 to 3 show little if any change in this regard

With a little early going retouch this could easily earn a steady 5 stars,
The writing (story) is well done, however the writing (language) could use a tweak here and there to feel less groan worthy or wooden..
Visuals are great and some truly beautiful looking characters to interact with.. Music is fairly solid but could use a bit of timing or better choices early on to have the music fit the scene..
Overall i'm glad i found this title and took a chance as its an interesting read that has a good sci fi-esq story mixed with fantasy and the standard VN tropes..
Well worth trying even if you on the fence for any reasons

Compelling Story. Visuals look great and story is unique. There a plenty of girls with unique personalities. For a game that is the developers first game, I can't wait to see how things go as they learn more. I recommend giving it a shot.

Had a lot of fun playing this one. The pacing is excellent, and the mystery aspect really kept me going. Another great aspect of this VN is the level of involvement you have as a player. There are lots of choices to make, and it doesn't go long without your input, which I really appreciate.

However, I do have some issues with the plot. For the most part, the MC is great, assertive and confident—a nice change of pace from the usual loser MC; however, he is awfully trusting, and his tendency to spill all his secrets gets annoying, honestly.

In one of the last scenes with a certain LI, he drops a bombshell secret on her and the plot somehow implies that a certain LI has proven she can be trusted, however, she hasn't. No matter how good-natured she is, it doesn't change the fact that she's the daughter of the family that is closest to the enemy.

Of course, this inexplicable trust in the LI needed to happen because "plot," but it was too convenient and it's hard to believe someone who has been betrayed like the MC would trust the daughter of the enemy for no reason.

That aside, the plot of this novel is truly its biggest strength. It really got me hooked and can't wait to know what comes next. The only weak point is the relationship building part, imo. That last scene with that certain LI was particularly bad, it felt artificial. They whisper sweet nothings to each other, but to me, it feels like they don't mean it. One last thing is that the expressions could use some work. The dialogue is pretty lukewarm, so, at the very least, the emotions could be conveyed more strongly through the character's expressions.

Anyway, before it gets too negative, I'll cut the review short.

TL;DR: Very fun game, certainly stands above the average game, although it could be better.

The game is not perfect by any stretch, but it is definitely promising.

The dialogue in general isn't fantastic. It is fairly obvious that the devs are not native english speakers. Somehow the MC manages to seduce women with 2-3 lines of stilted dialogue. However, compared to most games out there, it really isn't that bad. Certainly not enough to stop playing over.

The renders are alright if you like the style. I happen to, so it works for me.

The plot is extremely anime, so again, your preferences may vary. I don't hate nor love it. It's weird and presented oddly, but there is a decent amount of potential here.

The review so far probably sounds kind of lukewarm, and it is. For the first 60-75% of the game, I had mixed feelings. I probably would have rated it 2-3 stars had the last 25% not picked up, but it did. Certain events occured that leveled up the intrigue, and actually got me invested in the game.

This is what I feel is the strongest part of the game. Before this, it kinda seemed like the MC was just coasting along, nothing interesting happening. With the reveal that many characters may not be what they seem, as well as the fact that there is some plots/subterfuge happening behind the scenes that the MC may be caught up in, there is a lot to look forward to in future updates.

I hope that the devs continue to improve on the game, and maybe work a bit more on making the dialogue sound more natural.

Review for v0.2.1

Pretty funky game. Being real, this lost me after the second time skip. I can't say I've ever cared for amnesia plots either, and this game certainly has not changed that. But that's only a single piece of the pie. The overall premise itself is rather unique honestly, but there's a lot holding me back from getting into this.

After a bit of pointless retracing our steps with a girl who found us passed out and brought us into her home, we find our amnesic self in a city where a rival country has casted a magical dome over its entirety. If anyone tries to enter or leave, their heart stops beating. Also no one knows how to get rid of it despite trying for 18 years. Also also, it's made almost all the women sterile. Also also also, people who do manage to have children get their children abducted to be studied on how they might relate to this magic dome. Also also also also, the mc happens to be one of the exceptions according to his age so now he has to hide his true identity so he doesn't get abducted.

Did that seem weird to read? Yeah, it was strange for me too when all of this got info dumped at once. And that's really this games problem. Playing this game felt like listening to someone's incoherent rambling in VN form if that makes any sense. It likes to info dumb you something awful, and at the same time, off screen a bunch of events I'd actually want to see only info dump you more. The classic mistake of telling and not showing. It doesn't help that the English is less than stellar as well, often causing dialogue to read weird. Though admittedly its's not incomprehensible, still I found it to really be hurting a lot of the conversations.

What also bothered me is that after learning we must hide our identity, the first thing the MC does is tell another girl, who we have absolutely zero reason to trust, his true identity. Then he decides he's going to create fake documentation to apply to a magical academy in the town?? So essentially all of this build up about being taken and tested on actually means nothing.

The game just doesn't flow very well. It jumps around a lot, time skips multiple times for no reason, and throws us into random mundane events that I just don't care about. Why not show us adjusting to living with this girl instead of skipping over it? It feels like the dev held the skip button on their own character development. Though the MC manages to charm everyone by doing nothing so I guess it doesn't matter anyway.

There are some cute character models, decent music, and a potentially interesting story, but the overall writing is killing this for me. Obligatory didn't play it very far, so perhaps it picks up later. I'm just not hooked enough to find out.

What excellent surprises I had playing this game.
First of all, its length, which is really excellent for a debut (2 major majors according to the Changelog ).
The story is really intriguing and well-crafted, and we're given just enough information to keep us guessing, but enough to understand a minimum.
The only thing I'd criticise is the incredible speed with which the MC charms everyone, as if it were natural and normal.
We'll have to see over time if the story/sex balance is right, because I can't wait to see what happens next!
Good luck to the developer!

I think this is surprisingly good. Even the pacing is pretty good and you don't go too long between scenes. Overall a really good beginning I got to late, and a follow up I was lucky to catch right after I finished the first release. I largely like the girls and find the plot intriguing. I kinda dislike how experienced a lot of the young girls are... but as I thought about it even that has a relevance to the plot as perhaps the society just doesn't care anymore with the lack of a real need for contraceptives. A largely hopeless society is perhaps less prone to care about paternity or monogamy with no real hope for a family in the future. Interested to see where it goes, and collecting all the pokegirls. It's not a perfect game but definitely top tier available and worth playing.

I am seriously impressed with the storytelling in this VN. The graphics could probably be better, but the unfolding of the story while gradually revealing more about the characters involved, and increasing the complexity of the web of interconnections is masterfully done. The story kept me wanting to read more, and leaves me waiting for the next installment.

I like how the game is going, the truth is, the renders look good, however, they could also be improved but they look good, but a first version, but from there everything is fine, it is also worth commenting what I don't like about the game is that it shows a naked girl (who is also hot and is possibly the love interest of someone else and who potentially does not seem to be an LI, it is that they make you want and in the end there will be nothing with her, however if she becomes an LI it is appreciated the fact that it shows me like this and well I look forward to the next update, if better luck with the game and please don't abandon it, it has potential, regards