VN - Ren'Py - Halfway House [Ep.10 - Bonus 7-8] [Az]

I gave it a 3 because, potentially, it could have been a huge hit but that potential was squandered by limiting the love interests.

I don't need to spoiler it because the dev told us all this himself in the thread which I will give him props for, he didn't string us along.

I, liike a few others when this launched, went into this thinking all 3 girls in the house were potential love interests, they aren't,

Ashley and Samantha are purely there for sex fodder. They have no other purpose than to serve as sex bait. There is only 1 relationship that can happen and that is with Emily.

It doesn't matter if you want all 3 or 1 of the others, Emily is the only one getting an ending. There is an ending with her and 1 alone, that is it.

Everything else is great but Emily is the least interesting of the 3 girls and limiting that side of it does remove a good chunk of the enjoyment for me.

On top of that this last update turned the MC from tolerable to full on douche.

The game itself still has some potential if the dev can salvage the MC but with such a limited relationship/ending it's not going to reach the potential I thought it would originally.

By all means give it a try and see if it's for you just don't go in expecting a harem or a chance with anyone other than Emily.

*Excellent storytelling, original, not seen in any other games
*Astounding CGI's, and character models
*Good sense of humor
*Very nice progress system with characters
*Multiple routes in early-stage of the game

I really liked the game! The plot is not hackneyed and not typical for an erotic game. The characters are interesting, that is, everyone has their own story, their past, their own experiences, plans for the future, etc. Various erotic moments to the place are logical, and not scattered around the game, anyhow. The ero moments themselves are enough to quench a player’s “thirst”. Although the game goes straight to the plot, it has a fork in the plot in terms of relations with girls (Love / Corruption). The solid five of this game is also for Ren'Py engine, let's see what will happen next! Many thanks to the developer of this game for the work!

My review as of 0.4

Renders are great. I don'y know if the dev worked on any projects before this but if this is the devs 1st one.. it's pretty damn impressive.

I personally relate to the story, not the crimes the main character committed, but having to do with Heroin. I lived in a 14 bedroom coed sober living house for about a year with the 1st floor being women and the 2nd men. With the former prostitutes, convicted criminals, and similar stories that I've personally witnessed... it reminds me of when I first got out of rehab and moved into the house.

I see on pateron he posted that he will only update it every 45 days instead of monthly. Not a bad length so far for the project only being launched in July. I look forward to becoming a pateron and the next update.

played 0.4
Quality stuff here, were we focus on a few fairly well written characters. All of the cute/sexy in their own way, watch out for further updates for this one.

great renders.
pass-able story.
great characters.

This, for me, is one of the higher quality games. It stands out on visual quality. Characters are likable and have a nice background story as to why they act the way they do. I'll definately keep track of this game and would recommend everyone to do so as well.

The story is really good, there is not as much sex and nudity as in some other games, but it's a really good tease. There are some minor errors in the language, but not so much that it becomes a nuisance (unlike some other games).

Great game, at first didn't know what to expect but got hooked pretty fast. The writing, for the most part, is very well written with an interesting story and good looking and written characters with depth and personality. The renders are excellent with very detailed character models, and the intimate scenes just like the renders are really well done. The only thing that could turn some people off is that there is only one true romance option, but there is more than enough interaction with other characters and as the development of the game goes further this might change.

When I downloaded the game and started my first playthrough I expected your average visual novel. The short story overview can't describe what a wonderful hidden gem you have here.

Initially the story didn't seem to be anything above your average plot, but once it opens up and the protagonist gets introduced to all of the main characters, the game starts to shine. Even if it's a bit cliche, the writing is one of the best I've seen in an adult game so far. You can imagine the MC is interacting with real complex personalities and not copy/paste avatars, who's purpose is to guide you to the next sex scene.

The main characters feel real, not immensely over the top, but animated enough to keep your interest until you start to like them and appreciate their defining qualities. It really made me look at them as characters from a sitcom or something similar.

Even the antagonist and other side characters feel alive and charming in their own ways. You feel like there's a living world out there in the game's universe and so far everything make sense, while being hilarious at times.

The tone of the game is lighthearted, cute, funny and even cringy at times It feels balanced with the overall "flow" of the narrative, but there are some "mature" themes intertwined in this adult game.

The aesthetic of the game and even the UI looks like there was effort and a lot of thought put into it, so it feels like an ambitious project from the get go. Something very few games manage to pull off in such an early stage. Not to mention the renders are one of the best I've seen so far.

From a gameplay perspective there's not much sexual content yet, but there is some. During certain sexy scenes or action scenes you have the option to switch angles. You have a branching storyline with multiple options so far, that I assume will take you to different outcomes as the story continues on and a point system with multiple characters and love interests.

The only con I can list is the lack of music. The game is very quiet as a whole, although I expect for it to be added at a later date.

Overall it's an excellent, must play title. Even if it's not your cup of tea, you should at least check it out.

5/5

Kudos to the dev.
so far one of the best games i even played on f95 ! story is original , models look very good n hot, renders and lighting are just top notch, enjoyed it really much the story goes on very well n smooth.
5/5 models
5/5 story
5/5 renders and pictures quality.

* the only thing that bothered me , which is not important at all is why their plates are washed clean after they have just ate their food, i mean do they lick it clean after being finished ?

Great art, great writing (good sentence structure, characters sound like characters e.t.c.).

Seems to be going at a good and reasonable pace and not too fast, not too slow.

The 3D rendering looks amazing, and I am very excited to see the future of what this game will become and am hoping to see more from this developer soon.

I've been following this game for about a week or so. Probably 2 weeks at most. I really wanted to refrain from giving it 5 stars this early but this is one of the rare occasions where I don't feel like I have a choice.

This is one of the best up & coming VNs on this site. The renders are great to look at and the characters are gorgeous and look different from the norm. And I love Az's usage of expressions on his characters. I don't know if he's using expression presets in Daz or whatever, but any and every interaction with any of the characters, particularly Emily (Best Girl) and Ashley are always brimming with life and personality because of their expressive faces during a conversation.

I don't think any of us go into any of these games expecting Oscar level prowess in the writing department, but Halfway House has shown to already be among the better written VNs on this site by a pretty wide margin. One thing I can say is that there isn't a story like this yet. And not only is it original, but it's also told fairly competently as well. Of course, you must exaggerate and bend the reality of this type of situation to cater to the term "adult game".

It says a lot about a game for me personally if I'm playing this and can't seem to wipe this stupid smile off my face anytime Emily sticks her tongue out and says "Bleh!" It's adorable watching her get all tense after being teased.

Ashley was a character I'd thought I'd dislike because about 80% of the games on this site has that "gothic" slutty friend of the female MC with so very little effort put behind their character. Only serving to give you your first sex scene before the target girl....and yes, she IS that, but not in a way that makes me skip over her dialogue like I do all the rest with a character like this in these games. Her hardass demeanor is interesting and offers up interesting and somewhat endearing dialogue with the MC as well. Their scene at the beginning of Ep 2 made me laugh more than get erect, which DID happen too though. All in all, I'm glad Ashley is in this game. If Emily wasn't there, Ashley would be best girl for me, but for me, they're almost neck & neck. Emily tops her only by a little bit. Though, going forward I would love to see her develop into a great character on her own. Right now, she's a trope made entertaining. Ep 3 seemingly unlocked the door for a little more nuance to her character, which I'm all in for. Don't know if I'm willing to let Luis have her though.

Samantha is the definition of a MILF and Luis is hilarious. So is Officer Monroe. The characters definitely show you a great time in this. This game could honestly go at A Wife and A Mother's pace, or even at a Dual Family pace, but I'd still play just for these characters interactions, because these are what I live for in playing any game, adult, AAA or indie.

So I'm giving this a 5/5. Great start. Not much happens in Ep 3 but like I've been raving about, it's an episode that gives these characters time to just talk to one another and that's where this game shines. I hope this continues at this high quality and also hope we see plenty more episodes before it comes to an end.

I genuinely can't find any negatives to talk about. I would have to sit here and nitpick, but that's just not in me. There are a few typos here and there, but that's so small in comparison to everything this game does well so far. And it's not like those typos make the text unreadable like the grammar of some foreign-speaking devs. I don't need animations and I don't need music or sfx. It's great as is. I definitely recommend for those who want a nice story/character driven game to play.

So far it seems to be one of the better written games I played. Render, characters and story kept me interested ( Thats rare for me because while playing other games from here I usually stop carring and just skip most of the scenes). I will just wait for full release (hopefully it will not take forever) and play throughte whole thing. Cant wait for more Emily content, shes just adorable.

Perfect Renders, really good writing and hot chicks and milf for everyone with Asian aswell.

I just hope we will get some hot animations because now there are almost only static images. One of the most promising games on this site.

At Ep.3 theres only one hj/bj scene so if u are looking for this then u need to wait a bit.

[Played ep. 2]
This VN might not have dozens of hot girls and women in it but that is not really required for a hot and sexy VN game and this game proves just that.

If you want any semblance of personality on your virtual sex dolls, this game provides in spades and at the same time doesn't use that character (and story-) development to skimp on the sexy content like other VN's tend to do!

Technically it also seems fine under the hood and the visuals just look incredibly good! It could use some sound though, but it is not a big enough miss.
The choices you make in the game give out love and corruption points and you can't get them all in one sitting, so it it also makes for some nice replay-ability.
It is probably too soon to start thinking about a harem ending, but if I have to guess that will make for some nice cherry picking of options while if you focus on 1 (or 2) characters there will be optional content there. There already is small bit and it is only Episode 2.
Really looking forward to how this develops.

Wow, even in this early state (EP2) I think this is a big one.
Great story with good character development and fantastic models
(one of the hottest milf I´ve seen so far).
For me it´s a must play.

Tested: EP2

pros:
interesting story
great storyline
good character development
good dialogs
girls are hot and natural looking
very good render quality
choices
...and many more...

neutral:
-

cons:
no audio/music
no animations
some typos

Review of Episode 2

I have a backlog of about 100 games in my "To Play" folder. I download most things that look promising or interesting, but it's hard to keep up with all of the games. Unfortunately, some games just sit in that folder for a while, unplayed. That said, it's an absolute joy when I grab a random game from that folder and discover a fantastic game like Halfway House.

The secret to hot porn VNs isn't tons of content or hot renders, although those certainly help. It's solid writing, in both story and dialogue. This game has that in abundance. It's only two episodes in and I'm already in love with all three of the female characters. Hell, I love the two supporting male characters in the game too. These are people I want to spend more time with. The dialogue is snappy, believable, and hotly flirtatious. The MC is outrageous in an appealing way. This is a solid foundation upon which to flesh out these characters.

Briefly, the story follows a juvie convict who is being rehabilitated via a small halfway house in the country. The house "mom" is a delicious little tease, who also looks after two other female wards, an adorable little angel and a dirty succubus, as well as another guy who seems like he's always good for hijinks. Currently, the MC is settling in and getting to know the cast, but the flirtations and seductions have already begun.

The renders and models are excellent. While I'm fan of models who feature breasts that double as flotation devices, I understand that F-cup+ breasts are not everyone's cup of tea. For those folks, these beauties are slim-figured and moderately-chested.

The only complaint I have is about the numerous misspellings of words. They are rampant. Given the objectively high quality of every other aspect of the game, I normally wouldn't mention it. But I had to laugh when Eli is talking to the MC about the fact he was "tought" nothing in juvie lock-up. "Tought," indeed!

Overall, this is one of my favorite new games and I'm very excited to see where the story goes.

Highly recommended!

I like:
+ Likable characters
+ Compelling stories for me, played 2 EPs in a single row and still want more
+ Character design is unique and fit with the stories (Not like in some generic Ren'py games)
+ Unique character personalities from most game I played (But still H-oriented)

Also I don't really know how much branching makes the differences in the game

My Rating of this Game (EP.2 ) is:

Pros:
+ Fantastic Renders
+ Easy Playing
+ Active Play
+ Nice Closeups
+Normal Looking Women
+Great Milf

Cons:
-The guy does`t look like a 19 Year old.

Conclusion:
The Ladies look great.
The story is nice,and not too many places to run around,the graphics are great and the ladies hot.
Cant wait for episode 3 to come out.

One of the Top Games in my Book.

This is an excellent game if you have had too much of the magic/drug corruption incest tropes.
Excellent renders
Interesting characters
Good writing (Some grammatical mistakes)
Fresh story (for me at least)