VN - Ren'Py - New Antioch [R0.5] [TheRedMyst]

To begin with, yeah the renders and graphics are really, really good. The scenes are all crisp and clean, wonderfully lit, all the characters look realistic and interesting. The writing is also good, and the story is somewhat interesting from what we have so far. Maybe there's a bit too much dialogue though? Sometimes it drones on and on about not so interesting things. I don't know if we need quiiiiite so much lore or banter between characters. There's also basically no sexual content yet aside from suggestive themes. I also have to say I really do not like these "minigames" that are here. The fights were just annoying because you can just flip back and forth to find the "correct" responses. There's not any type of choice or strategy it's just figure out the correct response to the dialogue spoken. There's also like a small choice system in how to talk to certain characters? Again, the same problem really. I'd rather the character just talk in the way we are building our character to be, not trying to figure out what makes some depressed emo guy not sad. I can already tell this is going to be a game in which a walkthrough will be basically mandatory because otherwise you're going to be guessing and screwing around with the unknown dialogues in order to get the most "points" instead of actually just roleplaying as a character you want to. This is why I don't like these point systems because the end result is just fishing back and forth for the correct responses. And for that, it really doesn't work for the type of game where you have the strong base for a tough gruff character. Moving on from that though the girls are hot, though I really detest all the flashing around to different scenes with different characters that I haven't even met. That's just really lazy. You're giving me characters that I have absolutely no knowledge of or any type of feeling towards and having me pre-base my disposition towards them early without even meeting my character. When I meet someone they should basically be a blank slate unless they've been spoken about by other characters in the world. Otherwise, you've already made me hate or like a character without the roleplaying aspect, which clearly is the goal for this game, to roleplay as this character. Overall it's not a bad game and there are some very strong bases here, but I hope a lot of the negatives get cleaned up and this game becomes a strong game for people looking for maledom manly mc's instead of the goofy beta mc's that seem to flood this site.

Really, nothing negative to say about the game. Every aspect is covered well, from visuals, story, character writing, sex scenes, all of it. My only hope is that we get the possibility to get an upper hand and get into more domination scenes than just being beholden to those above, but that's more out of anticipation and hopes for the story than anything to say about the quality. It's the kind of game other newcomers should look upto.

-Very good looking render
-Great Mood&Tone
-Font look very classy and fit the story
-The witch turn me on
-Dialogue and choice seems important
-The best is Keanu Reeves as MC

Can't wait for me of this good work

An interesting start, loads of potential.
As a fan of the Fallout games, I think the premise and setting have a lot of promise. The MC is interesting, the mechanics are fun, and there is a lot of time invested in building the world over throwing the player into the deep end.

The renders are fantastic, and the characters all seem to have their own flavor.

The only downside so far is the lack of depth in relationships between characters, and lack of overall content length. But, it's early days, and I think this is a game worth keeping an eye on. It could become something great.

Fantastic so far. The setting and characters are interesting, and I think work the author put in on those aspects shines through so far. The graphics are good. The mechanics in the fights are pretty good. Too often odd sections like that can get frustrating, but it was pretty good. Looking forward to future releases

All in all, I am very impressed with the creator game and author of the story, I am eagerly looking forward to seeing more of it.

Some points that stood out;

• One of the few games here that actually has an intriguing and compelling story (so far). The characters are interesting and complex, with back story and their own issues, baggage, concerns and motivations.
• Models are good, mostly very attractive and not "inflated", disproportional or completely unrealistic.
• Interaction and choices seems to carry weight, how far and wide they carry we will still see, but its a very good start and choices do have mostly immediate noticeable impact.
• The writing, grammar and spelling are very good.
  Spoiler: Tiny Potential Spoil About "the world"

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• While sometimes there are some less serious moments that kind of detract from the plot where the writer does try and make silly lighthearted moments, I see this as something a first time VN creator and storyteller would do. It is not really fitting but it also does not "kill" the game or plot either. (its a small thing and something I personally can live with at the current dosage)

I hope that the story keeps the pace and intrigue it has created right to its conclusion. I also hope that we will be seeing regular and fair amount of content with each update.

This is one to watch and support! Keep it up

EDIT: Version 0.4 Review

Adding onto my previous review, I stand by it and if I could endorse this game any more, I surely would. It is the first game I rated 5/5 which is something I very very seldom do as I believe nothing is perfect but this game is very close for a VN.

Apart from visuals including cinematic, which are very well done. The game has a story that is not simply drivel and is structured to have a decent flow and buildup of suspense. Sometimes you think its the end of the update with a fade to black scene just to start the next part.

Update 0.4 was a decent one and left off with the player wanting to know what happens next.

I highly recommend this game to all here and implore, if you are able, to support the developer who has rightfully earned it with this project!

The renders look amazing. The game can easily contend with being a top-rated game like Eternum, BaD if the updates continue to be as good as the game has been till now.

I quite liked the extra interaction given with the personality/fighting style related information for making choices. Also, the choices are not just yes/no choices disguised in long sentences. It looks like choices will matter, but let us see in further updates.

The premise of the story can allow many things to happen, but what actually will happen is yet to be seen and I am eagerly awaiting what this dev has in store for us.

[R0.2 Public]

The writing is solid. It's damn good, actually, considering the generally low standards we are used to. That said, I did have some personal gripes with it.

While the writer has a good handle in weaving the humorous scenes with the more serious stuff, I had the undeniable feeling that I can't take this story seriously. Perhaps that's intended, but the goofy ass facial expressions and the numerous jokes and gags makes it rather hard to get immersed in the dystopian setting. It's not a sin to feature comedy in a dystopian setting (after all, Fallout did that and that seems like the prime inspiration for this game), but rather than dark humor, this game has something like Disney humor with all the exaggerated expressions, gestures and personas.

It was especially difficult to land on a consistently depicted MC because he is acting like a goofy ass dude one moment, then killing people in cold blood, then acting like a good dude, then being an asshole, then a naive guy, etc etc.

That said, the world building is pretty good, the English is exceptional, the dialogues are natural, and the renders are of high quality. It's definitely worth a play.

Review for R0.2 Public

Try as I might, I'm jut not into whatever the genre is called that mixes medieval fantasy (or middle ages in this case) with sci-fi/modern day technology. A personal problem, but when I see a dude in full roman armor whip out a taser it just breaks any and all immersion I had.

Even still, I'm giving this game 4 stars. It's almost a testament to its quality that I'm still enjoying this despite not being into the setting.

New Antioch is also not the game I thought it would be. I was expecting a darker and gritty experience perhaps akin to another popular post-apocalyptic game of the desert variety. While there is a lot of political intrigue and conflict, mixed with it all is humor. A surprising amount of humor actually.

I did find most of it funny, but it also sort of breaks that immersion I had of the MC being on this serious mission to take down an entire city. But since I'm not into the setting, I'm actually finding the humor working more for me? I definitely had to bend my expectations, but I think I now have a much better outlook on the game.

There's a fine line between me finding maledom either palatable or cringe, but it's working here for me so far. The MC isn't a cocky douchebag nor an "alpha" meathead, but rather just a likeable dude which is nice. He also happens to be the son of a feared warrior and has the skills (and intelligence) to match. I would like to see him shine more on the political/strategical side though, but it is early.

The love interests are hot, but I need to see more from a lot of them. I do hope they are more than "woman waiting for a real man to take charge" and have some real relevance and impact on the plot. I'm getting that vibe just a smidge, but I'm chalking it up to this being a maledom game. As long as they don't all turn into brainless robots as soon as the MC whips his dick out then I'm fine.

Overall the game is pretty solid. Atmospheric, lots of good world building, etc. I'm invested in the story and characters enough to want to play this again. Hopefully the next couple updates sew up the few doubts I have, but this was enjoyable so far.

I'm not at the end of this update (I'm at the part where you play a board game) but geez, I didn't expect this game to have such good writing. It's almost uncanny in a way because it feels like the writer for this game has professional experience. One of the biggest writing strengths of this author was to do the "show don't tell principle". This principle can be used during a suspense scene to let the audience see the potential conflict and develop anxiety in them.

Seemingly minor details are used to pay off situations in a big way, which is the staple of a great movie. If the game continues in this direction, I have little doubt that the author will have a bright future in whatever endeavor they choose.

I will say that I prioritize writing over smut, so if you go in looking for a quick "fix" you may be disappointed.

Edit - I really like the story as I've stated already. So far, my only criticism is that for some reason, the author is shoehorning in many misogynistic characters later in the story. When it was just Enzo, it was charming (that was part of his character) but when a guard, a prisoner, some girls boyfriend and a fighter are saying the same kinds of things as Enzo, it makes me roll my eyes.

It feels less about characterization and more about showing "how cool and awesome" the MC is compared to these sexist guys when the MC doesn't need that at all. I also roll my eyes equally in games where all the males are white knights and the MC is "this cool dude who puts women in their place" blah blah blah. This is moreso a gripe then anything and the game is still amazing.

Quickly rocketed towards the top of my most anticipated games. An intriguing premise; a good blend of humor, action, and suspense; and love interests that are genuinely intriguing characters on their own.

Very good start to the game. Unfortunately, no lewds in chapter 1 but the writing is great and the world building is superb. If the next chapters are of the same quality than this will be an amazing game.

Pros: holy....fuck. absolute banger for a starter, MCs a fucking viking looking alpha gigachad but you can shape his personality how you want based on choices, characters are very well written, Renders are AM-A-ZING, Music is delightful, Plot will actually pick up in next chapter and I can already sense it has HUGE POTENTIAL to deliver. Writing is very top notch to match the whole setting, humor is used very very well (scene near the bar was hilarious), MC also cares for his bro so I love him for that.

Cons: nothing really honestly. If you are expecting lewds there's none cuz it's new. But honestly the game can carry itself even without them cuz plot is so good. With that said there will probably be some in future and will probably be slow burn or random one night stands cuz MC seems mature but could be going from place to place like nomad so normal relationship building will be difficult (im hoping for former with some romance and slow burn tho who knows..)

Verdict: Absolutely play right now!! Even with just one chapter in the writing, renders, and the characters are just lovely. Not too much lore but not too little either. Honestly hope the quality remains same or surpasses with next update. Goodluck!

(Insert Palpatine voice) We will watch your career with great interest.

Very strong start, and lots of choices, some people might dislike the lack of a sex scene but I think the premise of the story is excellent and it seems like you can lean into the "Dreadwolf" name of your father's legacy or become someone new, someone who shows mercy, I can't wait to see what episode two brings.

Great start so far! Well written, atmosphere with smart usage of music is good, even had a pretty impactful choice early on which I hope continues to pop up. Renders are pretty good as well, looks exciting for sure.

A promising start to the game, and I'm eagerly looking forward to more! The story seemed intriguing, and the writing was pleasant to read. The characters and renders looked great, and I also enjoyed the humor in the game. You just earned another supporter!

It's an enjoyable read, leaves me wanting to know more. The art is pretty good as well though there is a bit of uncanny valley. The music and sound is used well to amplify the scenes rather than just thrown in like in many games. Definitely going on my watch list.

Another really good looking start. Im Glad i found this game because it has a really good story which seems very interesting, it has very good writing, the dev is able to convey emotion with his writing and the choices seem to really matter, It has a good soundtrack and good visuals, of course ther is no sex scene or anything like that in this first update so not much to say about that, but from what ive seen everything is awesome. Only thing that wasnt great so far was the acial expressions. Sometimes they just make the characters look weir or dumb and the women so far werent too hot in my opinion. Giana was fine but the other two werent really hot so well see where this will go.

Overall tho it was amazing and im looking forward to more updates i think this game is definetly worth trying out.

Great start to the game. Got a lot of potential. All the characters (including Li's) look like they've actually lived a life before meeting mc. They've got scars and other such stuff which makes them look a lot more real. Also the dialogue is surprisingly witty in a non cringey way. The mc also looks badass. Really looking forward to more. Keep at it.

Lots of promise in this very early release. The setting and plot feel fresh and exciting.
The visual style is impeccable, the renders feel real, characters have dirty faces, scars, real character. The lighting and camera angles are beautiful and dramatic.
I'm really excited to see how this game develops,with this very early release it feels like they have created a vast, well built world to explore.