VN - Ren'Py - Trouble at Home [Ep.3 v1.0] [CoolKittyRhymes]

I would have given this one a 4, rather than this rating but I made multiple mistakes in the past to give devs the benefit of the doubt so I stay with my gut feeling right now.

This is my bias review which enjoys incest + harem, If you don't and you are more into one-LI end then you should check it out. If you are, then there are some things which may be confusing first.

First of the bet -> Is harem possible ? According to the planned tag it is. And if you play the game you will see the groundwork for it already started. So that's good.

Incest ? -> Not sure. It's kinda building up around it, but it's not in the planned tags. So my suggestion is to wait for like ch.5 to arrive and see IF it progressed to this point.

What's with the NTR ? -> Well this one is quite tricky. For the current moment (And I hope it stays only this one time) is about a girl called “Sierra”. To make it short, she is your typical E-thot slut who fucks other dudes. The tags in this game “Netorare” AND “gangbang” are because of her since there are no other scenes like this present. Not so good.

The MC has the chance to flip her off when you have the chance to date/romance/flirt with her much later on. So it's up to you what will happen.

With that said, what about the rest of this game ?
Well, the term (as in the Developer Note being mentioned) “slice of life” suits it right, and this will be either a insta win for some, or a insta delete for others. As for me, I enjoy “slow burn” stories and as for Ch.3 it's decent. I don't mind having a loser MC as long as we see him getting better and stronger quite quickly in the story. And to some point it's here but not quite there. However some people will say this is a blue balls game where there are only a handful sex scenes, and they would be right. However in the grand scheme of things serviceable.

The models look good, the renders are very good and the animations are super. While the main focus IS the MC, you have the option to see the POV of the girls. Mostly there are for “slice of life” with no sexual content, and that one scene like I mentioned above is that one with NTR.

So i'm on the fence with this one but I would be lying if I didn't enjoyed my last 2 ½ hours with this game.

Writing: top notch - like others have said it's worth reading instead of just skipping through
Renders: original, with some very attractive girls though also some less attractive, kind of strange-looking ones. But most are hot and make you want to see them fuck.
Sex Scenes: A little short, but good cum shot endings. I'd like to see them lengthened a bit with another position each.

Overall content: The game moves a little slowly which is not a problem because the story is fun and interesting, but by the time I get to a sex scene, I want a little more then I get. Also, by the end of chapter 3 the MC in my playthrough had already had sex with 4 different women, but only once each. I understand and like the buildup of some of the relationships, (I don't want the MC to be able to fuck everybody right away) but for those that the MC has already fucked, I think additional scenes with those girls would be a great addition so that there can be more sex in the game. Basically, that's the main reason I'm giving 4 stars instead of 5 - I think the ratio of sex scenes to story-development scenes can be increased a little to make the game more arousing.

But it's really a great game.

It's a very good VN. The plot is a slice-of-life character study. The MC starts in a rough spot and the player gets to help him grow.

The amazing part is that the MC actually has two living parents that aren't separated. He has multiple male friends, one of whom is dating. This should be mundane, but in erotic-VN-world, it feels as innovative as the invention of the printing press.

Finally, regarding the NTR tag, I don't think it's applicable here. It's used to set-up the story, and thus far, it appears the woman involved will never be a possible love interest.

This game gets 5 stars from me. Starts out strong, with a fresh twist to introduce all the players and bring sense to what binds each story to the MC. As for adult scenes, nothing right off the start. Looking forward to discovering the way MC is able to spin off a few multiple events without breaking down his hero/great guy build. Brings to mind, how the story so far has both made the MC have a terrible cycle and yet still retains his smooth image. Looking forward to more chapters. Good luck Dev.

I've played through this game up to chapter 3, and I've got to say, it's been a decent experience so far. There's not much to criticize, but there's one aspect that leaves me with some questions.

First, the story – or the lack of a clear direction. While the gameplay is enjoyable, I'm still uncertain about where this storyline is headed. It's a bit like going on a road trip without a map, making each twist and turn feel uncertain.

Second, when it comes to the characters, it's a bit like attending a party to meet new people, but you don't know who's worth the effort. It's as if you're mingling in a crowd, trying to figure out who might become a lifelong friend and who's just passing through. I wish it was clearer as to who are potential partners and who are side characters.

In summary, the game has its enjoyable moments but could use some more narrative clarity and character development. I'm taking a break for now and will check it again if I catch one of the updates. There hasn't been anything to turn me into a hardcore supporter, but I'll be here to see how it all unfolds. Best of luck to the dev on this journey, and who knows, I might return when it's more fully realized.

I had this game in eye for awhile played the first releases and saw this game sure had potential, now I played full episode 1 and 2 and my mind didn't change, even better, I like the game even more.

Stacy is my most loved girl, but god Ashley can be crazy mind driving too. Though I'm wondering if Jess going make a move on him as well or his sister, so far I turned most girls down, coze I want to see where it goes with Stacy and him.

Anyway keep up the good work and looking for more updates and sure hope this will be a game that get finished, tired of coming across good games that get abandond half way.

Happened to play this game for practical reasons, but stayed for the enjoyment of varied characters orbiting an MC who is suddenly sent by coincidence and malicious intent through challenges that only deepen as his senior year - before hoping to enter college - drives towards a rapid close.

It's essentially a game about an older teen navigating unexpected setbacks at a time in life when he thought everything was on track, with an ensemble cast, various forms of comedy, tension, drama and sex.

As a player, you can empathize with the MC's early confusion while also recognizing potential clues for how he might gain lifelines in the form of reliable friendships, advice from elders, self-discovery and learning to grab hold of opportunities that he previously took for granted.

A mix of social interactions and practical "adulting" moments in the MC's journey - learning to listen and make new choices (many of which you can control) - through downs and ups presented, make this game most enjoyable. The fresh graphics provide a rock-solid base for the player's experience and the different voices of each character - without any of them being fully compromised for fan service - keeps this game just plain fun to experience as you attempt to help the MC move forward.

Add in intrigue of a newly close, but somewhat mysterious, friend, looming enemies whose threats continue to rise at unexpected moments, dynamics of a modern, dysfunctional family and less than perfect personalities across the characters, and you get a fun take on an adult slice-of-life (with sitcom elements) game. Some purposefully whacky characters and actions balance moments of introspection and non-linear relationship dynamics, while even small stylistic cues such as clever double-takes can keep players entertained in ways beyond the story and sex elements, alone.

Yes, there is a "netorare" tag, which turned out to represent a catalyst in this game for entirely other things. It was used deftly, however blunt the action in the story might have seemed at the time, because it effectively setup the MC on a true journey of discovery.

TLDR: This game is not offering the deepest story. But it DOES provide a smartly woven series of subplots that revolve around and through the initially beleaguered MC, with options that you can sometimes control and which may have impacts far beyond when they were taken. It has crisp graphics and good erotic content which generally fits well with the story, plus characterizations that can cater to various interests.

As compared to the previous episode this episode is lot better you can finally see the development in The MC's character , he's becoming much bolder now as compared to before. Now regarding about having NTR in this game, it's my opinion and you can disagree with that, I wouldn't say that it's NTR because MC and his girlfriend ( now ex girlfriend) are not together anymore and from what I have seen so far in the game the ex girlfriend is portrait more of an antagonist (villain) rather than a love interest and i dont think MC would want get her back in the future because of his development I'm seeing so far. Now the issue regarding extra scenes from other characters perspective except from MC's ex girlfriend not even a single one have NTR scene rather than that they are all interested in MC or atleast the scenes are revolving around him. In short just play the full game yourself and you can judge yourself but i can say one thing this game has one of the best MC character development I have seen so far and it's worth to try it.

Ep. 2 v. 0,26:

This is pretty good stuff.

Renders are very nice, much variety in girls - not only optical.

The music is good. Nothing overly original, but at least not the stuff that is everywhere else and it fits the scenes.

I like the story and the characters in this VN too. Yeah I know the high school setting is a bit worn out. But this is easily one of the top 10 in that genre on this site.
Also it is just chapter 2 and already so much going on and so much content. A really unusual amount imo.

I especially like how you can chose not to be an asshole, but be "the better man".

I hope we can make up with the bitchy sister later, seems to got that way at the end. It's family after all, twins even and I still don't know yet why exactly they had their relationship broken.

Other than that this ex is just plain evil and toxic. So yeah, I get why some would throw NTR in the ring, but really? The time we found out what she did the night before ditching the MC... did anyone still care about her? I sure as hell did not.

So to make it short, even if NTR normaly makes me feel not good it didn't really touch me here.

I love Emily, she's like the shittalking female friend I have for over 30 years now.
And I guess there are some girls for other tastes too. The shy one, the sisters best friend, Ashley, several girls from the track and field team (not sure, I didn't go after any of them) and so on.

Give this one a try. And yeah it starts of a bit slow, but stay with it at least until end of chapter 1. You are in for a threat. Easily 5/5.

[v0.26]

I think the game is really well done so far. The artwork is great, the characters all have a lot of personality to them, and I enjoy the running gab of the main character having to occasionally ask women to repeat things because he misheard them. The game has enough choices in girls to give variety, without having so many that you get the sense it would bog down development in the future.

There is one unavoidable sex scene which is something I generally dislike, and it didn't really fit the choices I had been making for my character. However, it is not going to be a deal-breaker so long as it's the only time we have one. The sex scenes aren't fully animated, they just do that thing where they transition back and forth between two images.

Great start into the game.
I like seeing the MC having many troubles that we have to work through. If you ask me the scenario of his ex Sierra where she fucks 3 dudes was a bit unnecessary (although it wouldn't be NTR/cukcolding since she's off the table at least in my opinnion with her actions and attitude).

The bitchy sister is a bit too much so it would be good to show the player as soon as possible as to why she acts this way. You can still create a story line between the two with the MC having no clue as to what she's on about but the longer I have to wait the more she seems like just a bitch.

Love the models, don't like the fact we're in an actual HS rather than college. Good variety of male support models but also many to antagonize against.

A game that definitely doesn't deserve the bad ratings. A lot of it is down to people's personal preferences and fantasy definitions of existing terminology.

We have a story here, where the MC is supposed to be driven to the edge a bit, where he gets screwed with until he feels like shit and then get up again. That includes his girlfriend cheating on him, while he does a heroic deed.
(That does not make him a cuck, by definition).
The MC considers the consequences of his actions and tries to act accordingly, this story is about him finding a way to come back from the blows he has to take.

Then we have the best buddy, who is an annoying but well-meaning idiot.
People hate him and I can understand that, but again, it is clear that he is supposed to be like this, not because he wants to fuck with the MC, but because wants to be a good friend, but is bad at thinking about consequences of his actions and isn't the smarted tool in the shed.

The game can be funny, the MC IS a bit of a simp, but I would call him a lovable simp, the look of the women range from nice to great, though like most of the time with DAZ games, we have seen them before mostly.
I don't like what happens to the MC at the start, but I look forward to the "villains" getting their comeuppance, once the story develops further.
The story is well written, with a few lengths, I wasn't thrown out of it, by countless typos and grammar errors, which is something that happens quite often.

Last but not least, the dev does warn you about the content that people have problems with, if you don't want to see that, even for story purposed, don't play it.
Not every game has to be done exactly the way you want it, that does not make it a bad game.

When I downloaded this a few days ago, I saw some awful ratings and assumed they were unfair.
I can't compare them, as the ones I recall seem to have been removed, but what I can say is that this game doesn't deserve the criticism I recall them throwing at it.

so, let's get to a pros and cons:
pros
1) The girls are pretty and the renders are good. Further, I don't recognize elements that I tend to see reused in a lot of games. That makes it feel more unique and it's own thing.
2) It is either written by a native english speaker, or is well translated. In either case, narrative and dialog all make sense, and allow for the story and characters to be followed.
3) I rate this a pro, others might a con, but I like that the MC isn't typecast in a group, and has a loser-ish element to him. He goes to a gym, he plays sports, he likes video games, he has some level of social anxiety, and he's dealing with some bully issues.
He isn't shoehorned into any trope, and he isn't some thundercock alpha, nor is he a complete loser. It makes him more relatable. Something of a blank slate, but that makes it easier to impose yourself on, for the purpose of these games.
4) a few transitions of time and place could be better, but otherwise nothing feels out of place or disjointed.

cons?
1) I get that he means well, but I'm not a fan of Mark, the best friend.
2) bitchy sister. I get it, but it gets old. Why is she like that, why does MC tolerate it, did they ever have a better relationship, and is she worth redeeming as a character or is she a shitty person?
3) No incest tag. Not a problem, not all games are incest games. But your sister actually is pretty hot, so if she isn't a total slut and the story worked in a way to build a better relationship with her, it would be worth it. As stands, no reason to think she'll ever be an LI. Also, Stacy and her family... any group activities would also fall under incest, technically, so without that tag, i'm assuming that can't happen.
4) Here's the big one that cost it stars: locked side content. I don't know what it is that I can't access and am not seeing. And while I totally understand that these games take time and effort, and both are money, so getting patreons is a big deal, locking that content behind a pay wall doesn't incentivize me to give money.

Either way, i haven't played the entire release through yet, but considering the bad reviews I saw before, I figured worthwhile to pop in and say, hey, not a bad game, so far.

My Rating i based upon the titles Future Potential..
While im not a great fan of the mc's hair colour and it could be a shade darker to not look so over the top bleach dyed..
The rest of the visual novel has some great foundations.. Hopefully the creators can realise that and keep the updates coming in such a steady quality..
The writing is good and there is room to have some interesting stories as well as this game being a potential BA Dik success if done right..
The characters are ok but with every launch title there is room for improvement and im looking forward to seeing what future updates can bring.. Just dont unload too many characters and like aforementioned title really build the core characters to be memorable and make us care about their visual novel existences
Nice music choices in keeping with similar genre efforts and again keep up the good work

I have a soft spot for stories where the not-so-lucky protagonist rises from the bottom and achieves his goal.

I liked the prologue. The author was faced with the task of showing the most terrible day in the life of the protagonist, and in my opinion, he succeeded.
Together with good renders, characters (except Mark as I hate him) and dialogues, it's a great start and I'm looking forward to more.

I will add that I do not understand the complaints about NTR, "beta male" and so on. This is not a harem game.

we were warned... a LOT of Shit would happen. Seriously, and i understand with the way the world is today. this is a gen-z high school life nightmare. where the average person is Stupid and useless and everybody is Sure their life is the worst. and then there is the MC trying to be the 'good guy' and being mature about it.
I was frankly surprised at how good this game turned out to be, i mean Very surprised.
i realize most people either don't remember HS or simply don't want to face the real shit going on in HS and the world in general. 40 yrs ago we thought the same thing. most people 14-26 think they know all there is or at least all they need to know. it is a FACT of life.
now this game... starts very Fucking annoying. and Mark needs a serious punch in the face. but give it time and it read quite well. the characters are real and most real annoying, they look good and i dare say this could be a good game. look , i almost rage quit on this thing, but i am patient and willing to give most games a chance. i say this game is worth the time but definitely needs a huge chill pill to get thru.

Firstly i would say it is demo so there is not exactly much to review.

The renders looks ok,not good stuff (cant rid of impression that characters are "plastic") but not completly amateurish. There is definitely a lot space for improvement.

Story is not exactly much original, as u play as beta male colledge boy whose GF broke with him ...(yep not much original plot, but it must working when we see it so much in games right?). What will became in future only dev know right now and probably could improve in something original.

English is probably not bad.minimaly i understand it, but what i know. I am not native English user.

summary:

Renders: 2/5
Story: 2/5
English: 3/5
Patreon voting power 1/999 (just joking but it could be problem in future)

overall: 1,4 (but it is demo and there is place for improvement so worse 2)

more than a decent start of a solid-to-be vn.
unlike most of so-called "demos" this one actually has a fair amount of content to be judged.
sadly, anyone can "judge" in open net/forum space, hence shitloads of very helpful "reviews" and very appropriate "ratings" everywhere, yet back on the topic:
the story isnt unique yet good enough, the writing so far is solid (unless you are a fan of shakespeare or 23 sisters, in which case you could end being disappointed here).
characters are diverse, both supposedly (future) LIs and only side characters.
there is a saying "per astera ad astra", and it seems as our mc will have something similar journey here .
the starting point isnt that favorable, gf has broke with him, and he is still reluctant to left it behind and explore other options out there.
once he starts doing it, no doubt, it will become better and better journey for him, and those playing it in future.
five stars, hopefully the dev/s will keep the quality and fulfill the game promise.

This game is a cringefest. Decent renders i can give them that but the writing is god awful. Lots of attempts at making jokes but most of them didn't land, maybe because of the translation? Regardless, the MC is as bland as a wet paper.