Northern Lights: The Beginning

[v0.35] NTR route review. I'll keep this review short. The overarching plot with the investigation and the corrupt elites doing what they do... it's serviceable. It's pretty decent, even. The models are your hot Asians that this dev showcased in the previous game. There are two main issues in this game. 1) While the plot is okay in that mystery thriller secret agent way, the actual interactions and details in relationship dynamics are undercooked and just kinda glossed over. We don't know if the MC is a player that is pursuing three women secretly, telling each of them that she is the one for him and what not, or if they are all working with an understanding that the MC can sleep with any woman he wants because he is too cool for school. MC's bond with each of the woman is shallow, either by design to portray the MC as a parody of suave secret agent, or because of poor writing. 2) Sex scenes, and NTR in general is extreme bland, lifeless, emotionless, and barebones. First of all, this dev's previous game had the same issue when it comes to scenes. The lead up and build up to the scene is okay with topical dialogues that fit the particular angle of the scene, but the sex is just a series of grunts you click through. Also, the women are clearly enjoying the other cocks from the first NTR scenes visually, and they are moaning lustfully during the sex, but we are not given enough to determine their mental state. Are they full of guilt? Are they rationalizing? We are never let in on their emotions or thoughts.

Northern Lights: The Beginning [v0.35] So, I really like Asian models. Most AVNs ignore them completely. But I also like variety. So why are five out of six LIs not only Asian, but also look as similar as every sunrise on a clear day? On top of that, we have a MC whose face looks like that of a 14-year-old who is still desperately waiting for his first beard hairs. And finally, we have skin textures that are boring AF. Come on, you can do better. Women in real life use makeup to cover imperfections. CG models, on the other hand, are deliberately given beauty marks, freckles, or fine wrinkles and pores to look more realistic. Okay, enough lamenting. The renders are good overall. The first h-scene animations still felt somewhat unpolished and unnatural, but the later AI-supported animations turned out pretty well. The story is interesting so far, and I hope there’s more to come. As players, it’s up to us whether we want to corrupt the six LIs and drift into NTR territory. If we decide against it, we simply get fewer h-scenes at least in the beginning. In this version, I came across one replacement scene for the love route near the end of the available content. I can’t judge the NTR handling yet, since the story isn’t far enough along and the scenes involving characters besides the MC seem to result from compromising situations rather than from actual NTR dynamics. But I think it could become quite interesting for NTR fans. Music and SFX round out the overall package. Overall, this version is between three and four stars for me. Since I apparently am the first one rating it, I’ll round up to four stars to spark some interest among others.