Ren'Py - Horton Bay Stories - Jake [v0.5.3.2] [Lumphorn Games]

I've downloaded and played this game about three times in two or so years, so my perspective of its progress has changed in large steps. Initially I thought "meh," the second time I thought "hmmmm," and the third time I thought "this is getting great." I wish I could give it 4.5 stars because it's still not perfect. However, there's so much truly inspired and extraordinary content that it comes closer to five than four stars.

Let's start with the "less than perfect" stuff:

(1) the navigation stuff is still a bit wonky. The devs have done a lot to make it easier, adding hot buttons and a very good map, but early on in the game, before the locations are unlocked, new players should expect to spend an hour or so clicking confusing arrows to navigate through town in the free roam setting. What they were trying to do--immersion in Horton Bay--was ambitious, and I give them credit for that. But my sense of what the cardinal directions were kept my internal compass spinning wildly. I think it's gotten better, however, and I expect further revisions to be made in future updates.

(2) some of the character art, particularly with the earlier characters, takes a while to get used to. Much has been said of this, so I don't really need to go into it. I like how the devs weren't going for "photorealism" but rather a cartoony/caricature feel. It's a fun and unique way to use DAZ. But the characters the MC encounters later in the game are far more easy to look at than the characters encountered earlier in the game. It kind of feels like the artist was improving as the game updates kept rolling out, which is completely understandable. But I'm often left with a feeling that the side characters, because they tend to be much hotter, are more compelling than the main characters who were designed earlier in development. I would almost suggest an artistic overhaul on the first three characters, but that would be a huge pain in the ass given the amazing amount of content the game has.

And this brings me to aspects of which this game is doing great:

(1) The afore-mentioned content. There's SO MUCH here. So many stories, side-stories, places to explore and get lost in. Oh, and lest I forget, a cast of characters that seems to stretch into the thousands. It's a truly impressive accomplishment. And the devs do a great job of connecting everyone together and weaving the stories into each other. The in-game directory of characters really helps keep things straight and points me in the right direction (most of the time) for pursuing character storylines I'd like to explore further. It's taken them a while, but the devs have created an immersive universe which can be explored and enjoyed. Bravo.

(2) The artwork. Yes, I know, I'm contradicting myself. As I said, the earlier artwork and character design felt a bit rough and poorly conceived, but in later updates things have smoothed out to a very impressive extent. In particular, the devs spend a lot of time on animation, which can be a huge headache to pull off in DAZ. But the animations are (generally) well-done, plentiful, and well-integrated in the story (it never feels like, "oh, now it's time for an animated cut scene").

(3) The pace of updates. This is something I was never able to handle, but these devs seem to have found a great production groove. The framework they've established lends itself perfectly to small updates here and there. Devoted fans can upload every update to see what story arcs have been pushed, but more casual players can skip a few updates and then be blown away at the accumulation of content.

(4) The writing is solid. It doesn't feel long-winded or "too talky." Instead, conversations tend to be punchy, brief, and entertaining. The game doesn't take itself too seriously, which I appreciate. There's a lot of content here that caters to many different fetishes.

Overall, this is a fun game, well worth a download and support.

This is a hard one to rate but I can at least give my opinion and review of it.


- Story is stock standard, and I don't mean that as a negative, but more so factually speaking. People did some bad things to you, you moved away from them to start this new life where you won't assumingly interact with them, meet the new roommates, etc.

You won't find anything that's going to surprise you, but that being said you at least have choices, and that's probably the biggest selling point.

- You can walk yourself into a corner and run into NTR or just be a jerk, or perhaps you want to be the nicest chill guy and ignore all the corruption and the so on and so on and you can do it all. It's a big plus, but I feel that it's kind of what the game was built around and things are built on toothpick supports from here.

- It's one of those "grind for stats/money/affection" games, and sometimes that works, but this one it feels a bit more grindy because I never felt the pay off was worth it. Yes you can get the girl and get the thing and so on but, it just feels hallow and I don't know why, perhaps it's what this game made me realize, which is the next point.

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- This game, as I eluded to, made me realize how I thought I played these games was way off; I am a bit shallow and I'm not in fact able to push through if the story is good enough. The female characters in this game are ranging from not bad to borderline nightmare fuel looking like they are literally not human beings with their facial bone structure. Eyebrows creeping up their faces in unnatural ways, eyes looking as if they are simply not humans, random still shots during conversations of faces that look like the characters just pooped their pants in the midst of a sentence with awkward expressions. It really took me out of the game more often than they pulled me into it.

They are certainly unique, which is something I've praised other 3D games for, but this feels like it was trying to simply be different and forgot that these games aren't just random RPGS, they are uh, well erotic games for tickling the brain meat, and when a character walks up and smiles at me and I'm like "Do I need to call your sponsor, cause you look like you fell off the wagon" and not "oooo I'd like to get intimate with you pretty lady", feels like it's missing the entire point.

Not every character is this bad, but there were far too many times that I almost stopped playing altogether because of how off-putting a character model or an expression was.

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- I know this is an unfinished game but it really FEELS like an unfinished game more than others at times. I saw another comment saying this wasn't immersion breaking, but I felt exactly the opposite.



I don't hate this game and there is something there that could still make this really good, but I just can't in good conscious recommend it as is. The people rating this 4 and 5 stars just to "balance out the low ratings" are really doing people a disservice, because it's not a 4/5 rating game right now.

I'm finally giving up on it.
The whole thing is just too grindy and too convoluted as the story goes.
That the girls all look like dogs didn't help either.
It's Monday morning 11am and I'm going to the supermarket by the gas station to buy pills, and the store is simply closed.
Can't be bothered doing business I guess.

Good story, the NTR scenes are well implemented, the characters are fine, good animation, this game has a lot of good things, but my bad review is because the hint system sucks, I wasted hours until I could "level up" my relationship with Christine because the hints don't help at all, some times it gives you like 4 task to get a better relationship with a girl and you have to do all of them because you don't know which one is the one you need to do and some times looks like they even didn't help, I'm stuck in Attraction 14 and I can't progress, I did everything the hints say "Meet her in the backyard, invite her to watch tv, join her in the bathroom, give her a massage" and I can't progress because her score is capped to 14 until some event happens, I looked into the walkthough and looks like I did everything but that event never starts, so clearly I'm missing something that the walkthough nor the hints in the game explain or fail doing it.

review for 0.3.8.4

Character renders look better in the status screen then in the game when you play
they all are around the age of 19-20 But look like 50
NTR can be turn off
Sandbox navigate is good
To much WIP characters
Story is good
No bugs
Cumming in a girl seems to be a bad choice
to much useless sidequest
moral thing is dumb
there is a cheat menu that ifnores slow grind
No way to get rid of lucas witouth cheating with NTR off

So, let me begin by saying that this game is clearly made with a netorare audience in mind. This is not the reason why I played the game and it's not a kink that I'm looking for. But if you are, this is a very well done netorare game.

Large parts of this VN are sandbox and the sandbox feels unfinished as of this version (v03.3.3) but it's still playable. You'll just stumble across "this is still in development" plenty of times. It's not immersion breaking as it only happens in sandbox mode.
Many reviewers criticised the character models and I disagree completely. I find them very unique. Not every woman or man looks like a supermodel, some even look like they have a history with hard drugs, but every character has something going for them, both in terms of visuals and character.

This is the type of ntr game that allows you to play a good guy and not be punished for it. So, while there is a very strong and constant ntr theme going on, you have actual influence over what happens. You can stop scenes unless you have acquired too many naughty points, you can decide to intervene or walk away basically.
If you play the way I did the ntr feels rather relatable. It's not over the top and not forcing you to suffer. It's just the consequence of your own actions and in many cases doesn't even happen to you but other people. The ntr in the prologue will happen either way though, even if you disable the ntr it will happen offscreen.

The story itself is pretty standard - move to a new place after being wronged, start new, prepare and finally visit a college, do college things, have criminal people try to walk over you and steal people you love with drugs and tricks - kind of plot. It's not revolutionary, but I want to repeat that I enjoy that you have a lot of agency in how the events unfold. And not just accidental agency, you can pretty clearly decide what you want to happen. At the same time, it feels rather organic, it's not just a click simulation but logical cause and consequence scenarios. (still porn logic though)

So overall I think this is a minimum of four-star game and I give five stars to compensate for some of the negative ratings that seem rather mean and superficial. A lot of work went into this game and I think it deserves to be appreciated because it's actually pretty decent.

damn this game is really underrated and i know why, you really have to go out of your way to figure shit out. The UI needs a total overhaul to make the hint system just 1 click (no need to put it in the phone). The main story ending basically bricking your progress in the game till the next update isnt helpful either - there is TONS of side content that the game doesnt explain well (luckily i had a save before going into Pies Pies because otherwise your fucked considering the last mission just needs you to be in your room midday).

Theres a really good game here, it just really needs some TLC on the finer points. Also yes some of the earlier models expressions can be a bit off-putting but it improves over time.

This game is really fun and has some very hot scenarios in it. I would def recommend but be vigilant with completing the side stories before the you complete the main story.

This is hit or miss, it does some things well but suffers some genre tropes too:

The good:
- The bodies are all good, no forced milfs or alien-proportions for breasts/ass
- the background story and things like how cameras are introduced are excellent compared to the genre in whole and they didn't use the MC being immasculine and afraid of women to control pacing/morality
- Its sandbox, I like sandboxes

The Bad:
- Terrrrible faces
- The sandbox navigation with arrows is awful. There is a second way to navigate but its still fiddly. So is the computer

I like this game, but a pity that there is no incest in the story for example with one of the girls from the apartment or from the university

otherwise it's a great game I'm waiting for the next update and I'm delighted to see the evolution of the mc on his relationships

While my initial review and opinion of this title was some what negative.. My recent playthrough has done a complete 180 on that..
Yes the visuals on the girls NEEDS a MASSIVE rework to stop most of the main cast and others looking like they have a rapid aging disease at times BUT in terms of Quantity over quality, then this title delivers..
A LOT is still hidden behind 'In Development' BUT there is still a vast amount of content if you work hard to uncover it..
Originally i was a little frustrated with the inability to find anyone or anything to do but on a replay i found that id missed a crucial story start point and had glitched myself into a no way back situation..
The game is far from perfect but it has a lot of potential and once more of the development on various characters and activities is complete it will be a VERY Addictive title.. Hell i gave Hogwarts Legacy a few days off to get immersed in this title lol..
Animations are a little clunky at times and could use a slight retune, as said before the girls could do with a little beautify session here n there.. but story and content is right on the money..
Id love to see a few mini games thrown in there for optional play if the dev team can work out the programming.. Ie Being able to play the darts are snooker/pool to earn extra money or maybe a poker table in the pub or clubs etc..
Overall This title is well worth the time put into it and I'm glad i gave it a second chance because its become a firm fav

This is a decent game. The writing is good. The female characters are an acquired tasted but decent. The overall art is good.

This game needs some improvement in two main areas:

#1 "filler" - the game is completely lacking in content on the weekends. Characters just disappear all weekend. Also, it needs "filler" dialog after serious events. After the MC walks in on a NTR event and then later talks to the girl involved the two or three lines consisting of "I don't want to talk about it" or "Let's pretend like it didn't happen" is not enough. Actually, it's kinda lazy, to be honest. These events need to be fleshed out a lot more. This applies to other events not involving NTR as well. I just chose to focus on that because it is definitely something that should not be brushed off as nonchalantly as it is.

#2 This game runs slow as piss. Not sure what is bogging it down. It definitely isn't my rig. It gets worse in late game. Nothing is more annoying than having to click an icon 2 or 3 times because it didn't register the initial click. Only game I can think of that runs worse is Lab Rats 2.

Also, it would be cool if they added a corruption element to the MC as well. That being that he gradually begins to like the NTR events he experiences, at players choice of course. Although I get that this game is one of the rare few NTR games in which the MC isn't an absolute doormat, which is nice. I just think it would be a neat element to add which would cause a change in dialog during these scenes.

If my opinion mattered I would say that it would be a good decision for the dev to flesh out and complete the content in the game before adding more content. I am a firm believer that a small number of characters with immense depth is far better than lots of shallow characters.

Good game though. Worth the download.

Of course, the game needs to refine already available content (weekends, for example). The characters are beautiful in their own way, they have different personalities (at least the main ones). For some reason like ntr in this game and hope we will have more options later (not only ntr or not, but a mix of it). But if u want to skip this stuff, u can do it mostly (I don't think ntr is someone has an affair with people unknown to the player - about gf).
The plot is good for now, not outstanding, but good.
P.s. really like Gemma's character. Good luck to dev.

this is a game that doesn't make its character models its strong point. The faces of the characters are all strange (one even has squints), but considering that there are many games where the female characters have huge asses and breasts, these characters are suitable for a niche of gamers who are tired of the usual female models (barbie type ). The story is quite good, the freedom is huge and the developer is doing a great job with all these dozens of characters.
Cons:
-for skip the time you have to use the bed
-difficult to find the characters in the map
-quest log need to redone
-need a better gallery (replay)

Some of the faces are meh but story and bodies great. Honestly love Gemma sad that I like NTR at the same time. Such a pull from both non-ntr and ntr for me. Gives options. Looking forward to the story being finished on this one.

The game is really grindy, but in a good way. Have you ever wanted to be British. Neither have I , but in this game we get to see how our friends on the other side of the pond live. The models look like their people. They're hot, but in a British sort of way. I honestly really enjoyed this game and I hope you can to.

Horrible looking models that don't even match each other in art style. Horrendous writing. This is one of those games you avoid but don't understand how it has more than a star. Yeah, there's content. No, it's not worth the uncanny valley nightmares.

1 star. Terrible.

Ok, so yeah, navigation is a chore, weekends are empty, and you'll have a one hour window once a week to do 3 key things...So why can't I stop playing it?

A few reasons. One, as much as some folks don't like the models, these look like actual British people. I'm boring when games set outside California have a beach blonde who's supposed to be from Glasgow. Second, the story is different enough from the usual NTR fare to be of interest. The cheating happens right at the start, and for once, the hero tells the girl and guy to GTFO. Then, he essentially has the choice to move on, keep getting cucked, or essentally become the Netori. Side gals could use more development, and if you're playing a good guy, it's a hell of a slow burn, but I keep coming back and want to see how it proceeds.

I found this game to be entertaining to say the least. While it's a little grindy there are much worse titles out there and at least the grind content seams to have some narrative that makes it less grindy, lol.
It definitely has a lot of potential for a open world concept and the writer has an alright handle on giving the girls individual personalities, although it's still to early to tell how that goes.
Definitely not a game for those that absolutely despise ntr even with the ntr shutoff cause there is plenty implied that would get the despisers feeling stressed out.

At first look, I was intrigued, since most of the women shown aren't huge in the chest/ass so they look deformed. But sadly, the deformed was reserved for the faces.

The models are all terrible looking facially. Making an H-game with the women all having deformed facial features is just a horrible mistake.

Well the game is an ambitious project.
A lot of characters, a lot of gameplay, but so far it's in the initial process.

My real grade today would be 2.
But I'm going for 3, because it might turn out to be a good game.

About the appearance of the models, they are all, let's say exotic. Most of them are strange. Some are ok, and some are well done.
Same thing with the animation, it's different from the games I usually see. But except for one or another, I prefer the conventional ones.

I'm doing the gentleman's route with the NTR deactivated.
And actually you can mask it, but it's really bad to have the feeling that this is not the original script.

But for the harem I'll believe what Dev writes.

About the ex, at first I even wanted her to come back and the MC to get rid of her. But I don't think that's Dev's plan.
So I'd rather she just disappear anyway.

And the game is missing some more grounded girls. Who is not naive, but who is not a bitch.
Mix Gemma and Adel