Past Tense

Ch 2 - I'm not sure what the appeal is here, this is a badly written mess. The dev appears to be confusing not explaining anything to the reader about what is going on, as an easy way to create an intriguing, mysterious novel. It isn't. This "story" is simply a few interactions between some characters. It doesn't make any sense. I spent the first chapter thinking that the MC was perhaps talking to ghosts in a deserted, dystopian city, as there's something off and sad about the writing style and there's no other people around in the renders. However, it turns out the dev is just trying (and failing) to create mystery and drama. At least give the reader a chance to be engaged with a decent introduction monologue or a montage animation or in desperation, a flashback chapter 3. Then there's the LI's who are decent looking (+1 star) but what is the appeal in any of them. This is another novel that has incest in all but name to get around the censors. You have your 'not sister', your 'not aunt' and your basket case, 'not cousin' and by some extraordinary fate they all end up living together (shocking I know) and now you are presumably going to be forced into relationships with them. This is not exactly original. Why do the majority of the LI's have to be 'not related' to you??? Why not the minority and have more LI's away from the family home? If you want to avoid that therapy inducing drama you are only left with your ex (? or friend / wannabe girlfriend - not explained but honestly who cares) and a street thug. The dev has stated that this will be a slow burn story but if one of this selection of women is your reward at the end of hours of tedium, while you solve the mystery of what's actually going on, then I'm happy to quit now, as I think you're going to need to be 10 chapters deep before you have any clue. Maybe you will read this VN and love it but I just want to know what is going on and a enjoy a good story, when I read a novel. I hope that I'm completely wrong about this and this will turn out be amazing in a few years time but I can't see it in any sort of positive light right now.

I mean it's pretty and all but it needs to cook a lot more and what is there kinda left me feeling frustrated whilst playing. Like there's hints of plot but it seems to just be a bundle of story threads playing out separately. Visuals are fine, the MC looks a bit generic but it's hardly the first game to focus more on the LIs instead. I think the game's biggest problem is the lack of any real explanation to what's going on, which leaves the player with no clue on what they're meant to feel. "A good story shows rather than tells" is something mentioned a lot but with this game it neither shows or tells but rather hints. Which can leave the player feeling a bit like they're flapping in the breeze. You get introduced to characters and you've no real clue who they are. The game starts with you going home, for reasons that aren't explained, it seems you leave someone behind. a girlfriend? a wife? a friend? Not really explained. Which is fine but when you start calling her as a player I'm not sure how I'm meant to feel about her. The description of the game states explicitly it's non-harem so obviously I'm going to have to pick a love interest going forward so.... do I even want to try and keep in touch with the old flame? As mentioned there seems to be different threads that currently don't really interact. It's like all the LIs have their own thing going on and you're just sorta dipping in and out at times. Some random on the train has a drug thing going on, you've got the ex who didn't want you to leave, you've got the sister like character who wants to go to college, some random blonde who's living with your aunt, another blonde who somehow knows you.... I dunno.... there's nothing here to draw the player in. The updates are both short and kind of vague on details so is it worth playing? Not really, not right now. Maybe in another 5 odd updates which is a bad sign. 2 updates in just over a year means there's nothing to keep you engaged till it gets good and if there's nothing to draw players in till then will it even last that long or will it get binned?

Well, this was pretty cool and pretty short! Amanda is the hottest & Cutest one here, that’s for sure. But Rosie is pretty damn cute too! The amount of titties in the first two chapters is just right. We’re only getting started, and Howie ( the wholesome dev making this soon-to-be masterpiece ) is clearly building the foundation for some mafia-drug-school-thriller-romance story. There are only two really short episodes out right now, so it’s way too early for any kind of final verdict but it’s heading in a good direction, so I can’t say anything else except: Keep up the good work, Howie!

It's starts off with some of the worst lighting I have ever seen in an AVN. I mean, I get that the dev is trying to be all artsy, but it is just too much. The lighting on the train with the sun directly behind the MC and then the shadows as they move along blanking out their faces and then lighting them again... I mean, I get it that it's supposed to resemble what it would be like for light on a train as the sun is setting, but this is an AVN where the V stands for "visual". It should be lighted like a movie or a TV show when most of the time you can see the people's faces. Besides, light is not necessarily a unidirectional thing. There are reflections off the pavement and/or buildings as you are walking, there is ambient light in rooms and trains... Okay, enough about the shitty lighting, but it made for a very distracting viewing. It kept pulling me out of the story as I tried to figure out what I was looking at. The rest of the story seems okay, but there are some forced interactions and scenes that you cannot avoid. I didn't want the MC to have anything at all to do with the chick on train, but you are subjected to her silly responses and interactions. Speaking of silly, the dialogue is mostly okay with a few cringy, silly sections you can't avoid. IDK, I mean with the content ran out, I was like "meh". I was a little hard on the dev in terms of the lighting, but they are talented. The way they used some light takes some talent to be able to do all the shadows and get the light to come through windows correctly. And there were some good scenes like the lighting at night when the MC arrived was really good. IMO, they need to work on blocking and making the faces more visible with some dynamic lighting rather than the unidirectional stuff they have been doing.. Hopefully it will get better as they go along.

The models are really good, and I think the game has potential, but I don't think the author understands what fundamentally drives a visual novel. The MC in the game is a vessel for the reader to interact with the story. This MC has a past, what kind of past? Who knows, it's not in the game yet, we are introduced to characters we have no connection to or characters that have a connection to us, and we have genuinely no idea what's going on. I want to understand this fixation with some authors wanting to exclude readers from their games. I have said this in a different review of a game, but it applies here. As the author, you know the story; you can see every strand of silk on the spider's web of the story. We do not. All we have in this game is an MC that has to return home because SOMETHING happened, and other characters have had SOMETHING in relation to the MC happen, but we have no fucking clue. It does not make me eager to learn more; it makes me frustrated. I thought after chapter 1 things would clear up, but chapter 3 needs a desperate flashback episode or something that ties everthing together or people aren't going to want to play your game. Which is a shame, because you have great models for the characters, and I actually enjoy some of the characterizations. This is constructive criticism. I am not trying to attack you; you need to include your audience in the story, because we know absolutely nothing, and we aren't even getting any useful breadcrumbs. We just see the story happening around us.

Reviewed: Chapter 1 Decent writing and grammar. Not perfect, but good enough. Don't know much about the story yet as the first chapter was quite short. The relationships are a bit confusing. One of the girls is maybe his step-sister? Hard to follow, or maybe it's just me. Great renders and attractive love interests. Good music and sounds No sex scenes yet. It's got potential, but severely lacks content at this point.

Quite strong beginning , Its very good so far and it seems to have good potential for something great. Visuals are very good and the soundtrack quite good. The story seems interesting and quite good with heavy dose of mystery and intrigue and underworld elements (i hope MC can fight if this is the case... and not cower in fear) MC seems good so far and the Lis are all beautiful and unique. I personally loved Rosie so she is gonna be my main Li ... (if nothing changes) and Amanda and Agnes probably gonna have different runs. I don't really mind that it doesn't have Harem it seems more realistic this way and if the romance and story is good its actually preferable for me to have solo paths. I have bookmarked and im gonna keep my eye on it for next chapters .

While this initial 0.1 release is still in its early stages, there's an undeniable spark of potential here. While the writing has potential with some intriguing character dynamics, right now it's mostly setup with various plot threads that don't quite connect yet. Most scenes feel like they end just as they're getting interesting, and the romantic tension hasn't had a chance to develop beyond lingering glances and subtle hints. For a 0.1 release the art is impressive, even if the story content is still finding its feet - if the developer can maintain this visual quality while expanding the narrative, they could have something special on their hands.

Game Review: Past Tense Ch.1 Past Tense starts with a premise that unfortunately feels a bit tired. The story of an MC who has faced or is facing a tragedy and now has to "become the man of the house" has been done many times before. This game doesn’t add anything new to that formula. One of the biggest issues is how it handles the emotional core of the story. From the start, you know the MC is upset about something, but you’re not given any context or backstory. Without knowing what happened or even what his relationship is to the family, it’s hard to relate to his feelings, and the emotional weight just doesn’t land. The dialogue isn’t much better. There’s no inner monologue or depth to the conversations, which makes it hard to connect with the characters or get excited about where things are going. The romance so far feels lackluster as well, though it’s worth noting that this is still an early stage of the game. Even so, a stronger opening would have gone a long way. Visually, Past Tense does well. The graphics are pretty good, though for some reason, the MC’s design feels a bit off—he just looks strange compared to the other characters. As for the music, it’s repetitive to the point of being distracting. With the same tunes playing regardless of the scene, it lacks the variety needed to set the mood or build immersion. Overall, while Past Tense has some decent visuals, its unoriginal story, weak emotional setup, uninspired dialogue, and repetitive music hold it back. It’s still early days for the game, so there’s room for improvement, but as it stands, it doesn’t leave a strong first impression.

It's not the worst start into the game, but the dev really needs to do a lot of fixing and adjusting to make this project last. Start with working on the MC's face, it's hard to identify with someone who looks like pacman. The twist also feels rushed. Teh girls seem very generic and dialogues are okay. I will be happy to update this note in the future, but I doubt I will looking how the incest sh*t is pushed at the player

Writing : Solid. There are a few instances in which I would've changed up the phrasing just to make the sentence flow better or sound more natural, but apart from that I have no complaints. Renders : Very, very good. Love the lighting. There are a few renders which could use some fixing up here and there, but that's the same for every AVN. The one visual complaint I have is the MC's skin looks a bit 'plastic-y' at times. I want to stress that this isn't the end of the world, and you shouldn't re-do any renders with him in it. But you might want to consider changing the skin for Chapter 2 and onwards. Apart from the skin, the MC is definitely one of the more attractive MCs out there. Plot : I'm very intrigued with the direction of the story. It's too early to comment on how good it is, but it seems as if it has a very solid base. I've read some complaints with regards to the fact that the plot is confusing. The only thing which is confusing is those complaints. It's true that we're left with more questions than answers, but that's to be expected given it's only Chapter One. I imagine as we receive more content, those questions that we have currently will be answered in the future. I also want to stress the fact that I love how the dev doesn't explicitly tell the reader some information, but hints at it instead . A good example is Robert's and MC's relationship. When MC first sees Robert, he doesn't think "this is my best friend", the dialogue between Robert and MC tells us they're best friends without explicitly stating it. This is a sign of good writing, so hopefully the dev keeps doing this. It's too early to have a favourite LI... but if I had to choose, mine would be Amanda thus far. Rating : All in all, a 5/5 because it's in my top 20% of AVNs. As a monogamous, romantic AVN with an actual narrative as well, this AVN is right up my alley. Can't wait to see more. This rating is for Ch. 1

So far so good. Pros: - Good story telling so far but there are a few unclear things. - Each person has a unique personality - Renders are of a good quality and are inline with some of the better VNs Cons: - Not really a con so much but found one typo that I am sure will be fixed later ( "the you of two" should be "the two of you" ) - All the females have larger breasts some are WAY over the top even for my liking. ( I know this is an opinion but I think the largest size like this is rather discussing ) - Along with the above there is not enough female body type verity (not that its a big deal) would have liked to see a bit more verity in this area

Interesting Story which promises drama to come. Fun characters that are diverse enough to feel fresh. Good-looking renders that seem crafted with love... I will be following the development with great interest. Best of luck to the dev!

Looks like we getting good drama here and I'm all for it! Interesting cast and its full of beauties. Great start, definitely gonna be keeping close eye on this one. Good luck on your development path!

+ The models are not bad. (Though I prefer small breasts, IRL very often seen on young girls). + Renders quality is good. +/- Characters have different personalities. (But they can be weird. Yola, the prettiest girl, that seemed kind and nice, suddenly is some heartless bitch. Amanda is just inexplicably weird, and that doesn't feel good, even though I expect it would be explained later). - Dialogs (and storytelling in general) seem clumsy. A typical exchange: rs "Are you sure it's nothing? You look... sad." p "Yeah, it's nothing. And I am not sad, you worry too much." p "Hey... I'm sorry I make you worry. I promise you I'm fine..." I mean, the same feelings, relations, situations could be expressed in more natural way, you know? In a rather short "Chapter 1", the word "sorry" is used 19 times. And MC and Rosie make huge deal when a strap of her bra goes a bit down. That doesn't make sense, you know? (Especially because her boobs are still fully covered, why get so hysterical?..) - Choices are not clear. Suppose I like the girl; should I choose "Be bold" or "Be polite"? In the dialog before that choice MC sounded like a wimp, in 3 phrases saying "sorry" twice. So I choose "bold", but somehow that leads to being arrogant (and stupid). And it gives "-1" to love from that girl. Now, how would I know that being bold would be punished, and being a wimp rewarded? That girl didn't seem to be the type to like wimps!.. To conclude: I'll give it 4 stars, but only because I hope that the game will become better in further updates. Now it feels more like 3 stars, due to mediocre writing and unclear choices, though models are OK, and the story itself seems to be interesting and promising. [Ch.1]