VN - Ren'Py - Where the Heart Is [Season 1 Beta] [CheekyGimp]

Easily in my top 10. Most harem games are copy paste and boring or have locked out routes, but this is definitely one of the few I'm eager for updates every time they come out. I highly recommend playing this if you like games like like Power Vacuum or Mid Life Crisis.

More than just fun and alluring models and scenes, this game has genuinely interesting paths and tensions. Plenty of sexy situations will still have you feverishly trying to maintain a delicate balance between the different characters. Definitely a fave.

I am playing v21 and currently e14 but I can tell I like this kind of a games. Perhaps basics of the story is a bit worn, but this has quite a lot variation with it's subplots.

Pros:
- Render quality is good.
- Characters are all likeable
- Story was nothing amazing but it got the job done and is pretty enjoyable.
- Quite a lot sex scenes
- No grinding
- No bugs

Cons:
- Some of the milf faces were a bit weary
- Some revenge scenes were too harsh

Me like!

I donot have words to describe this game. My rating says it all. There are some games in this site or in this genre which cannot be described with mere superlatives. I feel this game will easily be in top 5 of that list if not top it....

The plot, renders, models, everything is top notch. Keep it up dev, you rock I know you will revive and come back like never before..... Oh this rating may be a carbon copy of my other rating as I cannot make up my mind which one is better.

Aight so BOOM!

It's rare for me to actually take my time and read the plot to a game because;
1. Probably because of the broken English
2. Bad writing
3. I'm just horny af and trynna BUSS A NUT!
However, with this game, not only is the writing good, but you have to pay attention to the scenario, because EACH CHOICE MATTERS!

*i complain about bad writing, but make a run on sentence... I bet my English teachers and tutors would flip if they saw this*

Each storyline for the characters in this game is pretty good. Each character seems like they come off with some certain stereotypical architype. However, the further the story progresses, you see there are more layers within them, causing me (personally) to be more emotionally invested in them. I also feel like the emotional investment added on top of the sex scenes make each nut AMAZING!

AS FAR AS RENDERS AND MODELS GO, I feel like we've all scene better renders in other games compared to this one. One thing that sets itself apart from your run of the mill VN are how unique each model seems. I have not seen the same old hair cut with the side cut even shorter with a 3cm guard (yes that haircut is hot, but it definitely is getting over used at this point).

There is animation in this game. For some odd reason, however, it feels like you get a fully animated render sex scene, then a couple of frames for another. Both types of animations are scattered though out the entire game. It does seem a bit odd that there is THAT, but it's not a deal breaker.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE FAP WORTHY MOMENTS?! I feel like every nut that I busted to this game felt amazing to the scenarios on top of the emotional investment included in this game. Every scene is worth a fap. It took about 20 days for me to get up to 21, and I'm hesitant on finishing this current version of the game. The renders may not be on par with the likes of a Philly D or Dr. Pink Cake game, but everything else makes up for it.

So yeah, not only is it a faptastic game, but it's also an emotional roller coaster worrth riding. Check out the game.

I stopped playing this game a while ago, but decided to give it a go given its popularity and genre; '3DCG'. Unfortunately, I am quite disappointed with the game.

The characters look like crap. Some faces are just ugly, some are very weird (for example, the redheaded girl with those weird colored lips) and some are very masculine.

Surely there must be more people who thought the neighbor looked masculine. I've never rejected a character in a game so hard, haha.

The total state of the game wasnt terrible therefore i thought 2 stars was the right amount.

PROS:

- The game never forgets it's an adult VN and creates sexually charged scenes often
- Plenty of characters and they're varied

CONS:

- Everything is shallow and banal. People don't talk or act like anyone in this game.
- In the first chapters there are some FUGLY characters.
- Same tropes as in all other games. One character is too shy while another is too forward. They're stereortypes of themselves which leaves no room for real character growth.

In short: If you like your VN's with a little depth and characters that seem at least a little realistic, this game is not for you. Other than that, everything is decent. It's not a bad game.

Very reluctant reviewer here, but this gem forced me to write one and I'm honoured to be honest. It felt really great after playing this. I loved the personalities of each girls, bubbly, energetic, mood lifters, some gorgeous milfs. Liked the mystery premise, it'll not give you any clue on who's is the one "among us". Animations 5/5; renders 5/5; romance 5/5. And well come back cheekyGimp

Everything about the game is great, but what ruins is the stat requirements, I literally fail every stat check even though my stats are not that bad, like come on.

I hate it when games force you to cheat because the stat requirements are so harsh.

This is an amazing game on all counts. I remember finishing the last version and being sad I had to wait then after hearing the game was on hold. This game is a perfect mix of great story as well as engaging character development and great scenes. Highly recommend didn't have any negatives at all in my opinion besides waiting for a new update lol

GOAT tier game this one. Underrated even with 250 odd ratings. Girls are extremely gorgeous and with distinct personalities, each one them has good personality development, awesome animations, and the main character with lively attitude. Romance part is really well done, I'd say best one out here in that genre. The intimate scenes are way too alluring and beautifully done. Cheeky has nailed this.

This game was good at first but then became annoying. I like the premise and the 3 main characters. All besides 3 of the characters let you have sex immediately which is annoying because then there is no challenge or desire. For some of the supporting characters you have no choice but to have sex with otherwise you cant progress later. Most worst with Katie. I cant advance with Katie unless I also have sex with 2 other girls that I don't wanna do. Then frustratingly I have to comfort Katie by saying she's my number one girl when she suggested the whole idea. The supporting cast eventually takeover and the 3 main girls force you to involve them. The 3 main girls tell you to go on dates with the supporting cast. That's when it stopped being fun and felt like a choirboy type game. I didn't have much agency of the decisions.
He can use the images he already has and tweak it to give another path one with more control of the story.

I LOVE this game so much!
Beach scenes, modelling shoot scenes, Party scenes are epic and all of them are one small game-sized. Very interesting plots and really good writings ( lots of lines ). The content is rich and every character in this game is so active and hot. Also, seeing some characters from his different game roommate was kind of cool. This game is definitely one of a few games that deserve Patreon funds.

Review updated for Ep. 23:

When I found this game, I'd been playing adult VNs and similar adult games for about 18 months after being stuck at home and bored during the pandemic. I've now played over 250 350 games that were nearly all 3D-rendered Ren'Py games. I started playing Where the Heart Is after Episode 18 was released and I've now played through Episode 23. The game is outstanding and I rank it at #2 among all the adult games I've played.

The plot/story is good. Some parts are contrived, but it keeps the player engaged and entertained. You can read the discussion thread to see that there is/was a lot of excitement and anticipation on the story continuation when the Episodes got into the late teens.

The writing is superb. In visual novels, there are limits/tradeoffs the writer must make in prose, but the developer nailed it in this game. It's refreshing to just find an adult visual novel written in good native English, but this game has actual style. [Side note: I've noticed a few reviews that complain about the writing in this game when the reviews themselves are written in broken English. Go figure.]

I love the crude but playful humor. The banter between the MC and Katie had me laughing out loud. I appreciated it, but I'm guessing some players were not enthused and that's why the "tone it down" option was added and I can understand it being a welcome choice by some players.

The graphics/art/rendering/animations are good. I wouldn't say they're outstanding, at least not consistently. Players can see that the graphics are more crude in earlier episodes with lighting and shading issues, but they get significantly more refined in later episodes. The developer says the earlier scenes will be remastered after the game is completed, which I like since so many developers just stop game progress for several months to go back and work on old content. [Edit, as of March 2023, the developer decided to pause the game to go back and remaster Episodes 1 -10. It's disappointing, but probably makes the most financial sense.]

The character models are attractive. The faces are pretty but not perfect or fake-looking. The character's body shapes vary a lot but they're all beautiful and even seem a little too good compared to the faces. I suppose that's not a bad thing for a porn game, and at least they don't all look like balloon-titted Barbie dolls. The exceptions are Zarah, who I found unattractive before about Ep 18 and Monica's hair which looks like it belongs on a 70-year-old, not a 40-year-old (sorry Monica fans).

There is plenty of hot sex and plenty of potential partners to choose from. The tension build-up varies with the different girls. There's something for most tastes although the types of sex are pretty mainstream. The male-domination, humiliation, and spanking scenes are very tame and I think that's a good thing. The group sex is either MFF or MFFF. There's a good variety of different types of sex, but the game doesn't cater to niche or more controversial kinks, and that gives it broader appeal.

The interactive choices in the game are mostly limited to wooing/seducing specific girls, which basically leads to the various sex scenes with those girls. I think fits well into a porn game, but players looking for more of a "gaming" experience aren't going to be happy since this makes it more of a kinetic novel than a game. I read complaints that the choices seem like the developer is forcing the player down specific paths. I didn't encounter that on my playthrough, as my goal was to have the MC attempt to have sex with every hot girl in the game. However, it was easy to succeed at that goal, maybe too easy. I did go back and play the game differently and I understand the complaint. I suspect the developer has the story and the game paths completely mapped-out and is coaxing the player down the most "entertaining" path. I guess we'll see.


The "Start Any Episode" feature is awesome. I have seen this feature in only two other VN games that I can recall. The feature allows the player to try different paths from specific points in the game without having to manually create and keep track of dozens of save games. It also very clearly reveals which choices (or groups of choices) in the game actually matter.

The game had a built-in gallery feature that allows players to replay scenes. The interface was a little clunky, but it worked. However, after Ep 18, the gallery was never updated and after Ep22, the gallery feature was completely removed. The "Start Any Episode" feature helps to make up for the lack of a gallery, but if players want to replay a scene that's' not at the beginning of an episode, then it's very tedious to skip forward to a specific scene because of all of the choices. [Edit: It will be interesting to see if Cheeky will add the gallery back in as part of the Episodes 1-10 remaster.]

Great animation with original models with an intriguing plot with multiple paths to choose from, this game has more longevity than most Visual Novels & the Developers are dedicated to taking their time before each update so it makes it worthwhile for each update to be downloaded, Episode 20 ends on a huge cliffhanger that I won't spoil it but things are going to get very intense in Episode 21. I hear the Developer CheekyGlmp was really sick so I wish them a speedy recovery before continuing the story

Great story and lot of potential in game. The renders for beginning chapters are a bit on the downside but have been picked up well as the game progresses. Looking forward to how the story plays out with the two sisters.

(As of V22 I am downgrading to 4 stars. I still like this game, and recommend it. But I've been noticing a real drop in the quality of the writing. Girls are losing agency - becoming more slavish to the MC. There's more of people saying what they're doing while they're doing it. I suspect the problem is just keeping all the relationship balls in the air, and stretching out the whodunnit doesn't help. Don't get me wrong, still a good VN).


Young man returns home to stay with his mother's friend and come to terms with his recently deceased father (who was not, it appears, a very nice man). This sounds very somber and mopey, but the execution couldn't be further from that. This game is an absolute hoot.

VN with choice, the choices really only determine sexual partners. And there are a bevy of them. There's at least 2 of each, 2 milfs (actually more), 2 super hot fashionistas, 2 best friends, 2 nerdettes... It's an all you can eat buffet. And, despite the quantity, they are all well-differentiated. The dev team does a great job of giving time to all the girls to reveal their personalities.

I'm big on tone, and I love the tone of this game. It's very playful and silly, even the serious moments are quickly deflated with a wink and a nudge

The dialogue is like an Abbott and Costello routine, and can become a little too fey, with everyone launching zingers. I wouldn't say it's funny, but it's very breezy and light, and I come back to it repeatedly just to enjoy the sheer pleasure of all the fast-paced natter with the beautiful girls before sex.

There's a kind of a whodunit thing going on, and you can read the discussion thread for all the sleuthing, but I actually don't pay to much attention to it. To me it feels like a red herring just to get the MC connected with all these beautiful women. It's like how in an 80s teen sex comedy they might throw in a side plot about stolen secret plans or something just to get the hero to hook up with a femme fatale.

The artwork is good, not top-of-the-line, but better than average. I really notice the improvement in rendering as the game progresses. The early art was fine, but clunky, but the later art has become quite skillful in composition, animation etc. At least one character has been substantially re-worked (and I still think she's ugly, but there are so many other beauties who cares?).

You're playing from the MC's POV most of the time, and there are some wonderful moments of intimacy where you get closeups of a beauty's face as she leans in for the kiss. Other games do this, but I don't know any that do it as well.

Btw, the MC is not cringy, imho. He's a basically good person who can't avoid temptation. Most of the plot is driven by him reacting to what other people do (which is kind of realistic, I suppose...)

The Dev team were good at releasing substantial updates, but they've had some health issues and we can only hope they recover and are able to resume. Because, frankly, I just can't get enough of my gal Katie.

Another great VN game.
MC has a large magic cock and every female character wants it, what's not to love?
Similar situation to Sisterly Lust (another of my favs), where the MC is a long lost Son/Brother and moves into his mother/sisters house.
Lots of stunningly gorgeous girls and a decent story.
Very much looking forward to the next update.

Game: "Are you interested in this woman?"
Choice: "No"
Game: "And then you do what woman wants, do you feel uncomfortable?"
Choice: "Yes"
Game: "And then you strip further. Do you want to continue?"
Choice: "No"
Game: "And then you proceed"

This game seriously made me uncomfortable during some dialogues. Just no, no, I don't want to do what game forces onto MC. Let me move on, please. First game I actually gave up on.

One of the best visual novels i have played if not the best.

Great looking and interesting characters, not mention some good animations. Nothing ground breaking but very enjoyable nonetheless 0 complaints.

Though I would have liked an incest plotline but this isnt that game which is fine. I mean heyyy thats just me, not everyone has to force incest or ntr or other fetishes if they dont want to and its in a way refreshing to see someone doing what they want. Respect.

And the romancing of characters is done incredibly well, its a slow build and it feels very nicely done. On top of that the plot is interesting which is quite rare for games like this, and it isnt even supernatural or futuristic which makes it even more rare. Very intriguing, cant wait to see how it plays out and who the two mysterious women are...

Certainly worth checking, not to mention this isnt a seasonal type game which I approve of, though I love Being A DIK, I much prefer a well told concise story that isnt dragged on. These games take so damn long to make, so making just one season can take several years, or cancelled outright. So to imagine there are going to be several? That could mean years and years until you see the conclusion and that idea alone damn near gives me an anxiety attack.

Keep it up