itch.io

General Impressions:

A1)    I love the game so far.  Many eroge that involve the feminization of a (former) man beat the player over the head with humiliation, the player character being dominated, and the shamefulness of having a penis.  It is nice to have a game where the player can be proud of who she is, accept all of her body parts, and generally be welcomed by her community.

A2)    I am a big fan of world building, and I have to say, the world you have created definitely gets my attention.  One of my fantasies is about a world inhabited solely by futanari.  The world in Hard Love comes pretty close to this.  The way the three genders appear to be structured is quite compelling.  I would be curious to know about the ratios in the society at large are (I am willing to accept those that Nova interacts with might not be a random sample).

    I love how everybody’s tits, cocks, pussies, and asses, are on display all the time while still allowing for fashion.  Each portrait of a human so far shows a variety of clothing made for conflicting purposes of style, functionality, and status.  The personalities of the characters matches the clothing they chose to wear.

    I love how casual sex is in the world of Hard Love without taking the issue lightly.  People can show off their bodies, solicit others casually, show their excitement, have sex in public, and can be honest with each other while still having sex and sexual relationships be meaningful.  So far the game clearly makes a point of having sex and sexual relationships be very important, with a wide variety of attitudes towards these things, with openness about these topics, with rivalries, and opportunities.

    The game creates a society with a wonderfully erotic atmosphere and one that I happen to find quite stimulating.  I have fantasized about such places and even written some descriptions of worlds with this dynamic.  The execution so far in Hard Love is more appealing to me then any of the worlds have I written down.  Just having an opportunity to explore this world is enough to engage me in the game.

A3)    On top of that the dialogue is great.  It is wonderfully lewd and sex positive.  The same drama exists in such an erotic setting as exists in this world: people finding their place in the world, rivalries between people over stupid (or not so stupid) stuff, people struggling with morality, people needing to balance their short term and long term desires, people needing to make tough decisions about how best to support those that they care about.

    These intrapersonal, and interpersonal issues don’t seam to be made harder or easier, better or worse, by the innate eroticism of the setting.  Exploring them in such an erotic setting is very stimulating.  The dialog accentuates this dynamic really well and in a really stimulating way.  I don’t think there is enough game yet to form an opinion on the large scale writing for the game but the small scale writing is excellent.

A4)    The artwork is amazing.  I love how varied the characters are and how well drawn each of them are.  It’s hard for me to chose favorites but there are some I like more then others.  This is, I’m sure, mostly a mater of personal taste, but I quite enjoy the variety of parts that need to be covered on Terran societies.  You mentioned how long it takes you to draw and I can definitely believe that.  It looks like a lot of work goes into the artwork and that you have been practicing for quite a while.

A5)    The voice acting is good.  The lines that are voiced really bring the dialog alive and they’re fitting for the characters and the mood.  It’s also wonderfully stimulating to hear all of this lewd dialogue read in… such a compelling voice.

A6)    There is a lot going for this game that I enjoy.  It is difficult to be patient while waiting for more.  There are many questions I have about the world of the game.  I can’t help but to speculate about what the answers might be.       I’m also eager to see where the game is going next, to know what new lewd things the characters are going to say or do, to hear this dialogue spoken with such a sexy voice.

Possible bugs:

B1)    The English translation does not appear to be complete.  There are two options “Always Run,” and “Remember Commands,” in the options that aren’t translated to English.  (Also “Font” is misspelled as “Fount”).  The remember commands function does not seam to be working by the way but that doesn’t bug me much.

    There are two non-essential lines of dialogue that aren’t translated.  One is from Priestess Basth during the wisdom nectar ceremony.  The other is when Nova tries to enter the cave at night.

    There are various elements of the interface that remain untranslated.  The battle feedback most prominently but it’s not hard to figure out what is going on.  “Essence” isn’t translated from the in game menu.  Nova’s heal spell isn’t translated under skills.  I’ve also noticed that the location for the wet house is untranslated while I’m there.  That’s all I can remember at the moment.

B2)    If I purchase Nova’s outfit piecemeal from Trina (Nova’s Corsets, Small Heals, and Diadem), I can’t change into these clothes from Amber’s bedroom (I can still equip them and get the battle benefits but this doesn’t change Nova’s appearance).  Also when I look at the option to purchase the new outfit from Susana, the stats don’t appear so in my first playthrough I thought they were really two different options.

    Perhaps these options could be removed from Trina or Nova could mention in her mind before talking to Trina (when reading the shop sign of first talking with her) that she can get the same things cheaper from Susana.  It was also not clear that I have to select the outfit and hairstyle options from my purse before I can change my look in Amber’s bedroom but this wasn't hard for me to stumble upon.

    This seams like a big deal for me as in my first playthrough I bought everything from Trina.  This made training against the Mowos frustrating and more difficult then I believe is intended.  Being able to get equipment earlier in the game (getting the outfit all at once from Susana makes these items cost about a third as much as getting them from Trina really allowing me to get more equipment faster) made this part of the game feel much more balanced.

B3)    The options of upgrading equipment with Pytras isn’t clear.  I think I have some things figured out but not completely.

B4)    It is possible for Nova to walk on the lava and quickly die on the lower floor of the cave.  Given the chosen save system this was… quite frustrating to have figured out.

B5)    When replaying “Another Wonderful Day,” for Nova in the Wet House, the same line of dialogue is spoken over and over (the written text appears to be accurate to the earlier game).

B6)    The sign at the start of the Wooded Path suggests being level 6 before proceeding.  I can handle Nova just fine with being at level 4 with a full set of equipment that has quite a few upgrades.

B6)    That’s all I can remember at the moment.  When I replay through the game I could catch more.

Room for Improvement and frustrations:

C1)    I don’t trust myself to ration my budget well on Patreon so I don’t have one.  I would like to support the game financially however with a one time payment.  Being able to purchase the game on itch.io would work from my perspective.  I don’t know what that would entail for you.  Having another way to make this payment could also work.

C2)    I am not a fan of having limited saves.  This might make sense in trying to make the game more difficult and requiring the player to make more strategic choices.  If this is the choice you want to make then I respect that.  The game would still be worth it for me to play and pay for.  I suspect that most of your audience would be more interested in the erotic aspects of the game rather then the strategic (though I do appreciate a game that can pull both off well).  Some players might be too frustrated by the save mechanics to give the game a good chance.

    There are other suggestions in this thread about ways to change this like having Amulets available for purchase or having the statues be repeatable save locations while the Amulets would allow for saving away from the town (perhaps both).  Having a single releasable Amulet (that all the island residents have to feel the love of the goddess no matter where they are) would also work.

    Having any easy infinite save option would require a repurposing of the statues.  I initially was thinking about having them provide a healing function but I think you have better plans for that.  Perhaps Nova could jerk off into the donation plate for a small amount of experience.  This could be limited to once a day to prevent experience spamming.

    If I could change any one thing about the game this would be it.  I really don’t enjoy having to ration my saves.  I think it could make sense in some games but I don’t think it fits in well with this one.  I respect your choice but this is how I feel about it.

C3)    Having a healing option.  At one point I was thinking about having a healing option of having Amber being able to heal Nova (any point after having Nova return form the shining tree of course).  Nova could get her hitpoints replenished by taking it up the ass from Amber and replenish her mana by getting it down her throat.  If Amber and Nova will adventure together then this wouldn’t make as much sense.

    Being able to have party members healed by visiting Priestess Basth and/or Doctor Nora would make more sense.  Perhaps Dr. Nora being able to top off hitpoints while Priestess Basth could refill mana reserves could make sense while forcing allowing for the player to visit both to get back up to 100%.

C4)    A quest log would be helpful.  It would help keep track of what’s on Nova’s mind (especially if I need to take a break from the game to recharge and come back to the middle of something) and could be a useful place to give the player hints on how to proceed or tips on the game.

C5)    A way for Nova to gain Essence and experience would be nice.  It seams to me like these are features planned for future releases and I apologize if I’m stepping on your toes.  There are two training grounds that Nova cannot yet use and these would be good places for her to train once the town trusts her abilities more.

    If this moves into a more open RPG type of game rather then a guided path then there are lots of jobs that Nova could do to make more money.  The most obvious choice in a game like this is prostitution but I don’t think this would fit in with the game’s social structure.  If time of day becomes a thing in the game (and it looks like the framework is there) then Nova could spend one or more time frames working to earn money.

    The hospital could use a dedicated receptionist to allow for Luna to focus on her nursing duties.  Trina could use an assistant.  Nova could work to clean up various shops or civic locations.  Nova could have a garden outside of town on the north of the island close to where we first meet her that she could grow produce to sell in town.  She could remark on the irony that she can’t eat any of it (it’s only the fruit of the shinning tree or cum for her).  A bonus could be exploring to exotic fruits and vegetables that people eat in this world like milkpods, and phallusroot.

    If nothing else there could be a place that Nova could go to to level grind to get experience and money.  Perhaps level appropriate Mowos span in the cave everytime Nova enters?  I would prefer the more RPG methods mentioned above if they fit into what the game is going to become once the player is out of the introductory phase.

C6)    The hunt and seek for hidden chests is not that entertaining for me.  It is a little bit but I would prefer to focus on other parts of the game.  Having chests scattered around in plain sight would be nice.  This isn’t a big deal for me just something I thought I would mention.

C7)    In the same spirit of the hidden chests, I don’t have strong feeling one way or the other for the Dream Drops.  It’s something I could do without but nothing that breaks my experience.  I can find or purchase all of the memories easily enough so far.  Perhaps once the main game is done these can be repurposed to show memories from Nova’s past or future.

    Some such memories I might like to see: Nova still on Terran confiding her true identity in school to some of her friends and being awkwardly supported.  One of Nova’s webcam sessions.  Nova being tended to her first month on the island when she was feverish and drifting in and out of consciousness.  She still had to be fed right?  This could be the origin of Amber and Maya’s rivalry over Nova.

    The Lover’s duel between Amber and Maya.  Nova meeting priestess Basth for the first time.  Nova’s first tribute to the Queen.  Amber and Nova’s wedding.  Nova meeting Melinda.  Nova being pregnant and loved by Amber (both non-erotic love and erotic love).  Nova taking care of her children.  Nova teaching her children in the ways of the island once they get older.  Nova’s children’s weddings.  Amber and Nova spending quality time during their twilight years.  A somber but loving ceremony after Nova past away after a good long life only to wake up from a dream back when we first saw her on Earth with, inexplicably, an artifact (like a Goddess Amulet) form this new world proving it wasn’t just a dream.  A happily married Nova on Terran showing this Amulet and telling the story to her adopted children (finally telling the full story to her adult children or having the story appropriately censored).

C8)    I would like an option on the tittle screen menu to view the credits for the game.  I found some credits once but I can’t remember where and haven’t been able to find it quickly.

Hopes for the future:

D1)    Honesty, you have brought some of my favourite fantasies to life in a better way then my own imagination could have done.  You could ignore everything I say and I’m positive that I would still love the game.  You have asked what players are interested in and I trust you would want such feedback.  I am have no expectations that you will fulfill my personal desires for this game.  The thing I want the most is for you’all to continue working on it and to bring your’alls vision to fruition.

D2)    You have mentioned a karma system.  I think a system for Nova that goes from Loyal to Slut with subtle and/or not so subtle effects could be intriguing.  I would like Amber and Nova to stay married even on the Slut path but possibly with Amber treating Nova differently as she goes more in one way or the other.

    If on the loyal path, the two could become even more committed to each other and have a wholesome (for this world) family life.  If on the slut path then Amber could encourage and push Nova into being a slut and doing slutty things while still taking full advantage of her and other betas and women.

    Regardless of how it’s implemented, a loyal and slut karma system appeals to me more in this game than a more traditional good and evil karma system.  I also would rather see the main content of the game worked on and than the implementation of a karma system as opposed to the other way around.  I’m sure I would love the updates in either case and could see how implementing the karma system after the main content might be more difficult than vice versa but that’s what I am most eager to see.

D3)    Everything that explores the world that Nova inhabits would be things I would appreciate. I want more to fill out Nova’s library and I would especially appreciate dialogue and action of the game that explores these things.  I am also particularly eyeing the “Found Diaries,” portion of Nova’s library.  I am eagerly anticipating what’s going to be there.

D4)    None of the characters (other then Nova) seam particularly shy to me at this point.  A character whose shyness equals Nova’s and who Nova is friends with could be enjoyable.  Perhaps her sister in law?

D5)    Seeing Nova develop over time would be really interesting.  How big will her ass finally get?  Will she develop a respectable chest?  I know the game mentioned her cock and balls getting bigger but I honestly love how they’re currently proportioned and like how cute her comparatively small size makes her.

D6)    For some reason, I especially want to see what Trina looks like.  I think that it might be that she has some lines voiced but doesn’t have an image.  It might also be that I want to see what gear she does her metal work in given her world’s fashion sense.  Would she have a transparent apron, or a protective cocksleave (or cover for her pussy if she’s a women), or does she just let it all hang out and have to be careful?  Does she protect her nipples with pasties while having the rest of her tits exposed or is she confident enough to show them off?  Does she have to wear full body protective equipment?  Inquiring minds want to know.

D7)    Maybe Nova could adopt a Mowo as a pet at some point and have a Mowo wondering around Amber’s home to receive pets and to be all cute.  Maybe help Nova get through times when Amber isn’t there…  Amber of course would want to kill it when she first finds it and Nova would have to try and convince her to accept the creature.  The domestic conflict and resolution could be interesting.  This could also be a small daily source of money as the Mowo could leave Essence fragments in its litterbox.

D8)    I wouldn’t mind some (potentially optional) watersports scenes.

Conclusion

E1)    That’s all I have more now.  I absolutely love the game.  There’s not much of it right now but it has amazing potential and I have enjoyed what is there quire a bit.  It has already surpassed the expectations I have for such a game given how the memes for these specific fetishes play out.  I will do my best to be patient.