Recommending Laguna's Favourite Games

[Lagunavii]

Over the past year, I have been playing a lot of games, trying to establish a top 10, if you will, or even more. It's been strenuous research, to be honest. Some games have been great. Some have been meh. Some have found a happy place between the two. I figured like many have done in the past before me, to put together a little list in the hopes that some of you who may be looking for your next fix may find something you may have missed.

In terms of actual games, I tend to stick towards Ren'Py. I will try games made in Unity or other programs, but I tend to stay clear of any of the RPG Maker games. I will also shy away from sandbox games. It sounds silly when I keep calling them games, but I am here to read, not play. That's not to say I won't play sandboxes. I find they can be a little bit grindy.

Recently and I don't know how it happened, as I thought I left that life a long time ago, but I have been leaning towards the games of an NTR genre, so you might find a lot of them type of games on my ever-growing list. But bar a few exceptions I am open to most, however, any futa, gay, fury, paranormal, monster or bestiality will get a wide birth from myself.

Generally speaking, in a game I don't like things to be drawn out. We all know why are here after, that's not to say I want Lewds, lewds, lewds I mean I wouldn't say games that you could class as a slow burn are out of the question, they just need to be done right. This brings me to the next point Characters are a big seller for me. I want them to behave in a meaningful way, not behave in a way that gets them a lewd scene. Choices or lead-up to that choice should not only make sense for the character but the story as well. I'm a firm believer in actions having consequences. I want any choice to be made to have ramifications thereafter. What is the point in giving us the choice if all roads lead to Roam?

Anyway on with the list for now in Alphabetical Order. I will sort this and add reviews as time goes on

• A Life Worth Living
• Being a Dik (My Review)
• B.E.S.T (My Review)
• Defending Lydia Collier
• Law School
• Origin Story (My Review)
• Our Red String
• Race of Life (My Review)
• The Beautiful Game (My Review)
• With Eyes Closed (My Review)

Spoiler: List Changes

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I have a few games on my watchlist too, it is too early to really say anything about them, but they do look promising

• Elmwood University
• Harmony Heaven (My Thoughts)
• Heaven's Door (My Thoughts)
• Moonripple Lake
• My Husband’s Boss (My Thoughts)
• Shadows of Ambition

Spoiler: Other Games I've played that do not quite make it into the Hall of Greats

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The Year So Far

January
February

I won't lie, thanks to talking to some people already my "to-play list" is massive and is ever-growing. I look at it sometimes and wonder if I can ever get through it all, but I always welcome recommendations. Please feel free to send suggestions my way. Ill get around to them eventually.

This thread will obviously grow as I get through the to-play list I will add reviews to all games I play and ultimately add reviews to the games already on it.

 

[Lagunavii]

Race of Life by Underground Studio

Story - The story, it throws the whole College setting game on its head, it is quite refreshing to play a game on the other side of it and be the teacher rather than a student. However, it is hard to get away from the Hot Student/Hot Teacher dynamic that this genre has. That being said, only the school seems to take a back seat and we enter the crux of the game. It's as the title suggests races and to be fair it's not out of place altogether. Though we will get to that...

Looking at the games summary, you won't even get what this game is really about. That overview, it doesn't even scratch the surface. But anyway for a teacher who suddenly finds himself in the underground world of street racing, the Mcguuffin that gets us there, it is a believable and heartfelt reason. There are some heavy themes in this game and we've only scratched the surface

Visual - The renders are simply stunning, and the character models all seem to be well-proportioned and believable. All environments seem to be well lit and there does seem to be a sense of continuity between all places in the game. I get the feeling some characters were made before others. Some stand out more than others in terms of effort put in, but I do not know if that is just my bias there with hating a certain someone.

Characters - Well we certainly go all out with characters here don't we, whether it is a shy little student with a hidden dirty side, An ex Wife who wants to hate you (who clearly doesn't), a neighbor with a past, or an overbearing colleague with attachment issues. They all seem to have some sort of backstory and our dev isn't scared to build on that. what little character development we have got so far in these chapters is believable and central to the overarching story.

Minigames - once the Mcguffin is revealed and the main motivation of the character is revealed the mini game is shown to us, betting and racing. its not too taxing and if they can be skipped if they are not your thing. However as minigames go, its a fun experience going through the gears or trying to get the right choices

Overall - This game has some serious premise, it knows when to be serious, it knows when to be humourous, the characters are well thought out and are getting developed well. Visually while arguably there could be room for some improvements in some aspects, it does not deter from the fact this is quite the stunning game. It is certainly not lacking in ambition and the potential is massive. I really hope Underground Studio can stick the landing.

Solid 9/10

 

[cowardleech]

Great list alot of my favourites are up here. You should check out In Her Service it would be right up your alley.

Overall - This game has some serious premise, it knows when to be serious, it knows when to be humourous, the characters are well thought out and are getting developed well. Visually while arguably there could be room for some improvements in some aspects, it does not deter from the fact this is quite the stunning game. It is certainly not lacking in ambition and the potential is massive. I really hope Underground Studio can stick the landing.

I thoroughly enjoyed this game and the devs have a real gem in their hands. But I feel like the devs could have done better if all the girls did not act like they want to get in MC's pants from their first interactions. Like there should have been more "trap"/"bad" reactions we could make which would lock/make it harder to get on LI's paths. But I guess many people don't want that in their games and many prefer this approach. Also it seems you can be on every LI's path at the same time as of 3.2, I would've liked it better if there were more options other than choosing Veronica or not. But it's too early for that I guess. Also Maggi's arc didn't hit for me, her story isn't intertwined with the main story line (yet) and her model just feels like a worse Natalya. Anyway this game is great and it will easily be in AVN hall of fame after it's completed.

 

[Lagunavii]

Great list alot of my favourites are up here. You should check out In Her Service it would be right up your alley.

Yes I'm aware of this one. It's one of those that's on the list. I will get round to it eventually. I just need a few more hours in the day.

 

[Lagunavii]

The Adventurous Couple by Mircom3d - Reviewed at Version Season 2 Part 3A

This one is a bit of a weird one for me, if you have ever been in the thread for this you will know exactly how I feel about this one.

Story - Quite simply put there isn't one. We join the titular couple 5 years into their Marriage and it's on the rocks. Well I say on the rocks... its just become sexually stale. You could argue the reasons for this as the games go on, but its never really explained.. but the couples solution is to join a website called "The Adventurous Couple" where they are sent weekly tasks in the hopes that it will spice up their relationship. A simple premise to be fair.

It was made clear in the prologue, that our MC has floated around the idea of sharing Anne in the past to which she scoffed at the idea. She even mentions it in game that she wants to go at her own pace. SO it does seem a fast how quick Anne is willing to open her legs for someone. However she does indeed get the bug and its all downhill from there. Once it becomes the "Anne and her Cock of the Week" its just the same old same old. it simply feels like the game is pushing content over story

Visual - Rendering here is completed to a good standard. There are no real girls with an overly massive arse or massive gravity defying tits. The environments themselves are varied, lit well and suit the scenes completely and Microm certainly seems to be getting better with his assets as time goes on. There is an over us of flushing the girls chest red to signify an orgasm, I've never really seen it used else where and it can be a little off putting here

Character - This game is a big fan of show not tell so it may seem very little character development and motivations often exist and what does is often open to interpretation. There are a verity of characters, though they mainly exist to be there for Anne, often appearing for a scene or two then disappearing. There are a verity of woman for Tony. However all girls are average at best, Some slightly above, some majorly above. There is no one truly stunning

Overall - I have always got the feeling playing this, that the game simply does not have any idea what it wants to be or where it is going. There is a little bit of a feeling of throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks. I mean we have a relationship point system that will measure the health of the relationship and force Anne down a path if low enough, however we also can make that choice for her. With the low points the path makes sense, with the high points it does not. I will always maintain that the game would do better telling the story through Annes eyes rather than the MC

Obviously this is a very unique kink and its not for everyone. Though I will say that game is thoughtful in this regards, if you really wanted too and played the game well enough, you can only see the "hot wife" scenes. SO if there are certain kinks you enjoy less than others. it is possible to avoid (though it does require a very specific route through the game)

For what it is though this is a fun little game and things have improved a lot in this version than the last. As the updates have gone on and more paths open, it has started to show that actions have consequences (which I like a lot) what will come of this though... We shall have to see, luckily though the updates come quite fast. It just needs a direction to head and this can really go somewhere.

Average 5/10

 

[Lagunavii]

Unseen Instincts by DemonLad reviewed V0.50

Story - Here we have a basic murder mystery plot, not exactly gripping at the start and it doesn't ever seem to want to pick up any speed. The interjection of describing plot points seems out of place in some areas and can seem off-putting. The game definitely going by the Mantra tell not show.

Renders. Not that great, below average at best. The character proportions look wrong and the majority of the chests look very odd, some characters have hair that wouldn't look out of place on a Lego piece. There does seem to be more thought put into some characters than others and it shows. Lighting and shadows seem good, but sometimes the environments do seem empty

Characters Absolutely no one stands out, our MC Nicole clearly puts her work above all, including relationships with others. there are nice little flashbacks that try to help Flesh put MC Nicole but I am not sure this works at all or if it does it is yet to be seen

Overall - The basic murder mystery plot of this game doesn't seem strong enough to carry the game forward, as slow burns go this is one of the worst. There is a lot of teasing in the first parts and while they don't seem forced, the game would continue on with or without them. when we finally do get to Lewds, they are nothing special and both quite vanilla and not interesting at all. I would like to say there is potential here, however the lack of excitement tells me otherwise. It's by no means a terrible game, but I cant help but feel it will never achieve more than average

Under Average 4/10

(Probably will not be continuing this one)

 

[Lagunavii]

What Could Go Wrong? by WsZgamez Reviewed Episode 2 Part 2

Story—I'd say the story here is a bit of fresh air. What starts as the usual cliched "sex with a married woman" thing you see in many usual AVNs soon takes a turn for the worse. The MC chooses to sleep with the wrong woman here and is soon run out of town due to various reasons. Instead of our usual cheating VN, we have a fish-out-of-water tale.

Renders - The models have been done well, the girls are not too overly proportioned and are somewhat attractive, Not overly stunning but they are your standard Daz Models, don't be too surprised if you recognize a few of the characters here from other games. There is an absolute plethora of environments, which does add some verity, however, they can either be lit too much or not at all. It's not a major issue, but it can be a little off-putting.

Characters - The MC is portrayed to be mysterious, there are a few hints of nobody knowing anything about him, and the game references his mysterious past on a few occasions. He is boarding on being an alcoholic. Amanda, the catalyst for the whole game is easily influenced and doesn't really seem to give any thought to her actions. for now, she seems like a plot device. Kaitlin, who we meet in the office, is probably my favourite character, the writing seems to step up when she and the MC are interacting the playful and flirtatious banter is done well. Most if not all characters have a bit of flesh to them and there is somewhat of a backstory there, rather than them being just there to fuck our MC

Overall - There does seem to be some potential here, I am just not sure if the game knows what it wants to be, the first 3rd of the game is incredibly fast-paced, getting our players where they need to be, however, once the change happens the game slows down to a practical crawl. The game seems to be tracking absolutely every choice you make, why I couldn't tell you. As there doesn't seem to be anything major happening from these choices as at the moment the game has specific paths and at the time does seem like it's on rails... though I suspect as more characters are introduced and more chapters this might change. I'll keep an eye on this and see where it goes

Average 5/10

 

[Lagunavii]

By Justice or Mercy by TowerBoyGames Reviewed at v0.3

Story - Early stages, but the story seems to be set in place already. A father is murdered, his son returns to town to seek vengeance and seems to fuck everything in his path on the way there. it's not the first time this story has been done, it won't be the last. In fairness, we are still in the early days, so it might not be fair to judge it at the minute. But based on history, we all know where this is going.

Renders - They seem to be hit-and-miss to be honest, there are girls perfectly proportioned, and then there are girls that are absolutely ridiculously proportioned. Boarding on parody at some points. Sometimes the renders also appear grainy and other times they appear perfectly fine. I'm not sure if the dev has rushed some models for ease, while is taking care with others. The lighting does seem on point though. After one play I did not really see anything out of place with the environment.

Characters - My god there are a lot of them, and it doesn't look like we have even met them all yet. Though so far we have only really met busty girls or super busty girls. It is difficult to comment on the characters, due to the nature of the choices in game as you seem to be able to mold them as you like.

Overall - Overall given the cliched plot, we don't have a bad game. The most interesting thing about this is the multiple choices you are often getting that will shape your journey throughout. It seems to be trying to cover a wide range of fetishes, with all of them being optional from the start. The lewd scenes seem to come fast and plenty and although some feel kinda force for the sake of having them, they generally work in terms of the plot. It'll be a difficult road for the game as it isn't exactly traveling a path that hasn't been traveled before. I'll be interested to see what it does to try and stand out from the crowd.

Slightly Above Average 6/10

 

[TonyMurray]

You're bagging a few games from my "to try" list here. I'll still give them a go regardless of anyone else's review, but I'll have someone to bring my thoughts to if I get to them at any time soon!

 

[Lagunavii]

You're bagging a few games from my "to try" list here. I'll still give them a go regardless of anyone else's review, but I'll have someone to bring my thoughts to if I get to them at any time soon!

You know me Tony, I always like to chat with you about the games we get of our ever-growing "to try" list

 

[TonyMurray]

You know me Tony, I always like to chat with you about the games we get of our ever-growing "to try" list

I've managed to avoid adding any new ones, so I'm at 398 now. Just need to keep it sub-400 for a few more days to achieve my unofficial goal!

 

[Lagunavii]

B.E.S.T by Dolyla reviewed at Episode 3

Story - Interesting story we have here. A foreign exchange student travels to a US university to find it is an elaborate program where 100 students will face each other in various tasks for the prize of a lifetime (think Hunger Games with fewer killings) It's a fresh take on the popular school genres. though how fresh this will stay, remains to be seen

Renders—The girls are absolutely stunning. Every single one of them is well-proportioned and believable. The environments are okay; however, sometimes objects seem to lack something. The lighting in the scenes is well done, and the world seems full and lived in.

Characters—My god, there are a few of them, and the game throws them at you fast. There is not as much as in some games out there, and there is a wide selection of girls to choose from. Though I do find it hard to believe that 3 of our main LIs are virgins, but hey, never mind. The motivation of the girls is questionable. I have yet to see any reason why these girls would throw themselves at the MC, especially given one of the options at the start.

Overall - This is a game that knows what it is and even specifies "The Seven Rules of AVN's" As long as it at least sticks to them the potential is here. It is definitely a slow burn of a game, don't go into this expecting Lewds Lewds Lewds. However, the story is compelling to keep you at least invested. Considering the game is not written by a native English speaker, there are not too many cases of "Engrish" though the dialogue could do with some polishing here and there. I think the animations could do with some work, there was one scene in particular in which I got a sense of motion sickness. The actual premise of "the B.E.S.T System" should also be enough to at least ensure you can have multiple playthroughs. Defintely one to watch.

Respectable 8/10

 

[TonyMurray]

Yep, that's another one on my list, and a favourable score is promising!

 

[Lagunavii]

I enjoyed it, I have a few paths to go through, but I was pretty impressed with the first playthrough. Its one to watch anyway.

 

[TonyMurray]

I randomly decided to pick a quick game from the front page and ended up with Stay Online. Really not my usual thing for a couple of reasons, but I thought it was actually really well done for what it is. Practically a horror story in one way, but that's I guess what it sets out to do (although the presumption is that you're into that sort of thing, I guess, or why would you play it!). As something quick and different, I quite liked it.

 

[Lagunavii]

The Beautiful Game by Daggum reviewed at Chapter 1 v0.8

Story - Here we have another fish out of water tale. A young man travels to a new city to start a new job as a women's football team sports scientist. It is a pretty basic plot as things go, nothing seems to be moving it forward at the moment, other than porn logic, but we are only in chapter 1. As the chapters go on, I assume the building of a winning football (as a Brit I will not call it soccer) team. Though given the number of women here there might be some tension brought by jealousy too

Renders - The game is stunning, we are dealing with well above-average renders here. Some of our models have shadow and lighting issues but nothing that takes you out of the game. the girls themselves come in all shapes and sizes, some believable some not so much. Our environments here are also amazing. we have lots of varied settings from offices, to homes, to coffee shops, to a football pitch, and night clubs. They are all varied, lit well, and presented nicely we get a sense of just how big this big city is.

Characters - Our MC is a fresh guy, who has been sheltered by his mother most of his life, it's questionable how he gets himself in most of the situations he does. But to be fair the lack of realism there can be extended to the other characters too. We have multiple of love interests and what I can only assume are side girls ranging from a landlady (yes an actual landlady and not a stand-in for Mother), to an entire football team, a coffee shop owner, and a goth hairdresser. There is a bit of crossover with some of their personalities, but barring the "past it milf" or "the inexperienced teen" most of them do seem to have individual personalities and looks. there will be someone here for everyone

Overview - I feel this is a game that knows it is ultimately an AVN, doesn't take itself seriously, and gives us somewhat logical and believable reasons why we are going that way (even if there is an undertone of porn logic) though that story does seem to be a slow burn. regardless the visuals are stunning and with the wide variety of girls, there is more than enough that there should be enough to keep you engaged. I am interesting to see where this goes, more so when we get out of preseason and start playing football. If there is a "football manager" type feature of this game, the potential here is huge and exciting.

Respectable 8/10

 

[Lagunavii]

High Desire by Wingmen Labs reviewed at Ep.1 Hotfix 2

Story - I'll be honest, given we only have one chapter and a prologue here, it is hard to judge the story at all. It hasn't really gone anywhere other than setting up the path for the future. But here we find out MC an enthusiastic young race car driver passing his finals and getting ready to get to university. however, his plans are derailed by the death of his mother and derailed further after a falling out with his Father. A bit more bad decisions and bad luck finds our MC homeless, with no money and not much hope. you can probably guess where we are going next based on the overview on the game's main page .So far there is nothing really gripping about the story, but as I said, it's early days.

Renders - There is something off about the renders and I cant place my finger on it. Our MC doesn't particularly have the look of someone women will eventually be throwing themselves at and I would say has dead eyes. The other characters we have met so far seem very generic and nothing really stands out, in fact, I would argue the models do need a little work in cleaning them up. The scenes always seem so dark, and I can't tell if that is what the dev is going for or if that is just lit poorly. in terms of general presentation, nothing is screaming amazing apart from the animations, though they are short, they are varied and what we do get is very impressive.

Characters - It's difficult to talk about the characters, we have barely had time to be introduced to any and the ones we have we haven't spent enough time to even judge them. Nobody stands out at the moment anyway

Overview - Where it's clear to see what this game's premise is and where it would like to go, I can't say I have been overly impressed with what we have got so far. I'd say it isn't really fair to cast a firm decision on this game as we are barely into it, but on the other hand, we have Race of Life, which is doing a similar premise arguably better. I'd like to give this a chance though, so I'll return to this review after a few more updates, but for now, I can't say I am excited.

Average 5/10

 

[TonyMurray]

High Desire by Wingmen Labs reviewed at Ep.1 Hotfix 2

Story - I'll be honest, given we only have one chapter and a prologue here, it is hard to judge the story at all. It hasn't really gone anywhere other than setting up the path for the future. But here we find out MC an enthusiastic young race car driver passing his finals and getting ready to get to university. however, his plans are derailed by the death of his mother and derailed further after a falling out with his mother. A bit more bad decisions and bad luck finds our MC homeless, with no money and not much hope. you can probably guess where we are going next based on the overview on the game's main page .So far there is nothing really gripping about the story, but as I said, it's early days.

Renders - There is something off about the renders and I cant place my finger on it. Our MC doesn't particularly have the look of someone women will eventually be throwing themselves at and I would say has dead eyes. The other characters we have met so far seem very generic and nothing really stands out, in fact, I would argue the models do need a little work in cleaning them up. The scenes always seem so dark, and I can't tell if that is what the dev is going for or if that is just lit poorly. in terms of general presentation, nothing is screaming amazing apart from the animations, though they are short, they are varied and what we do get is very impressive.

Characters - It's difficult to talk about the characters, we have barely had time to be introduced to any and the ones we have we haven't spent enough time to even judge them. Nobody stands out at the moment anyway

Overview - Where it's clear to see what this game's premise is and where it would like to go, I can't say I have been overly impressed with what we have got so far. I'd say it isn't really fair to cast a firm decision on this game as we are barely into it, but on the other hand, we have Race of Life, which is doing a similar premise arguably better. I'd like to give this a chance though, so I'll return to this review after a few more updates, but for now, I can't say I am excited.

Average 5/10

Another one on my "to try" list - I thought I had tried it, but it must have been something else with a similar name. Looking at the thread, I think I was maybe waiting for some more content first.

This in the changelog made me chuckle though:

Ep.1 Hotfix
Animations can now be skipped after 2 seconds have elapsed.

Ep.1 Hotfix 2
Fixed issue where animations would automatically skip after 2 seconds.

 

[Lagunavii]

Another one on my "to try" list - I thought I had tried it, but it must have been something else with a similar name. Looking at the thread, I think I was maybe waiting for some more content first.

This in the changelog made me chuckle though:

Tis a weird one Tony, I feel coming to it after Race of life is a bit of a mistake. It definitely needs some more content. I'll come back to it, just not anytime soon

 

[Lagunavii]

Hard to Find by Onyx Reviewed at Episode 2 - 2.1

Story - So here we follow an up and coming girl as she rises through the ranks of the porn industry, and that's about it.

Renders - They are very good for what they are, most if not all the character models have a sense of realism about them. Our MC has some massive tits, yet she's not stick thin, the tits are not bolted onto her and look ridiculous. Most if not all of the character renders are done believably and it's quite refreshing to see. Environments are few and far between, they serve to progress the lewds and that's about it. They do seem over-saturated at times, but I think that may be intentional to simulate a "movie set" Overall, the renders are not exactly mind blowing, but they are certainly not bad by any means

Characters - Character development is practically nonexistent, yes there is a bit of background to some of our stars and there is an effort to make them grow.It doesn't quite work though. This might change as time goes on and the consequences of our MCs step into the world of porn really comes to a head. but bar the MC, her manager, her friend, and her Mum, there don't seem to be many that are sticking to the end.

Overview - Though the actual premise of this game is by no means new and unique, I can't help but find this one fails to stick the landing. Our MC steps into this world far too easily and it's like there is a lost opportunity for her corruption, which I think would be the better story to tell. for now, it feels like the game is done, our MC is in porn, and she loves it, without some underlying theme of jeopardy or similar, we will just be getting into a cock of the week situation. Which for those who like Lewds it wont be a problem, but there still needs to be a story to tell.

Under Average 4/10