VN - Ren'Py - Halfway House [Ep.11 - Bonus 7-8] [Az]

When I downloaded the game and started my first playthrough I expected your average visual novel. The short story overview can't describe what a wonderful hidden gem you have here.

Initially the story didn't seem to be anything above your average plot, but once it opens up and the protagonist gets introduced to all of the main characters, the game starts to shine. Even if it's a bit cliche, the writing is one of the best I've seen in an adult game so far. You can imagine the MC is interacting with real complex personalities and not copy/paste avatars, who's purpose is to guide you to the next sex scene.

The main characters feel real, not immensely over the top, but animated enough to keep your interest until you start to like them and appreciate their defining qualities. It really made me look at them as characters from a sitcom or something similar.

Even the antagonist and other side characters feel alive and charming in their own ways. You feel like there's a living world out there in the game's universe and so far everything make sense, while being hilarious at times.

The tone of the game is lighthearted, cute, funny and even cringy at times It feels balanced with the overall "flow" of the narrative, but there are some "mature" themes intertwined in this adult game.

The aesthetic of the game and even the UI looks like there was effort and a lot of thought put into it, so it feels like an ambitious project from the get go. Something very few games manage to pull off in such an early stage. Not to mention the renders are one of the best I've seen so far.

From a gameplay perspective there's not much sexual content yet, but there is some. During certain sexy scenes or action scenes you have the option to switch angles. You have a branching storyline with multiple options so far, that I assume will take you to different outcomes as the story continues on and a point system with multiple characters and love interests.

The only con I can list is the lack of music. The game is very quiet as a whole, although I expect for it to be added at a later date.

Overall it's an excellent, must play title. Even if it's not your cup of tea, you should at least check it out.

5/5

Kudos to the dev.
so far one of the best games i even played on f95 ! story is original , models look very good n hot, renders and lighting are just top notch, enjoyed it really much the story goes on very well n smooth.
5/5 models
5/5 story
5/5 renders and pictures quality.

* the only thing that bothered me , which is not important at all is why their plates are washed clean after they have just ate their food, i mean do they lick it clean after being finished ?

Great art, great writing (good sentence structure, characters sound like characters e.t.c.).

Seems to be going at a good and reasonable pace and not too fast, not too slow.

The 3D rendering looks amazing, and I am very excited to see the future of what this game will become and am hoping to see more from this developer soon.

I've been following this game for about a week or so. Probably 2 weeks at most. I really wanted to refrain from giving it 5 stars this early but this is one of the rare occasions where I don't feel like I have a choice.

This is one of the best up & coming VNs on this site. The renders are great to look at and the characters are gorgeous and look different from the norm. And I love Az's usage of expressions on his characters. I don't know if he's using expression presets in Daz or whatever, but any and every interaction with any of the characters, particularly Emily (Best Girl) and Ashley are always brimming with life and personality because of their expressive faces during a conversation.

I don't think any of us go into any of these games expecting Oscar level prowess in the writing department, but Halfway House has shown to already be among the better written VNs on this site by a pretty wide margin. One thing I can say is that there isn't a story like this yet. And not only is it original, but it's also told fairly competently as well. Of course, you must exaggerate and bend the reality of this type of situation to cater to the term "adult game".

It says a lot about a game for me personally if I'm playing this and can't seem to wipe this stupid smile off my face anytime Emily sticks her tongue out and says "Bleh!" It's adorable watching her get all tense after being teased.

Ashley was a character I'd thought I'd dislike because about 80% of the games on this site has that "gothic" slutty friend of the female MC with so very little effort put behind their character. Only serving to give you your first sex scene before the target girl....and yes, she IS that, but not in a way that makes me skip over her dialogue like I do all the rest with a character like this in these games. Her hardass demeanor is interesting and offers up interesting and somewhat endearing dialogue with the MC as well. Their scene at the beginning of Ep 2 made me laugh more than get erect, which DID happen too though. All in all, I'm glad Ashley is in this game. If Emily wasn't there, Ashley would be best girl for me, but for me, they're almost neck & neck. Emily tops her only by a little bit. Though, going forward I would love to see her develop into a great character on her own. Right now, she's a trope made entertaining. Ep 3 seemingly unlocked the door for a little more nuance to her character, which I'm all in for. Don't know if I'm willing to let Luis have her though.

Samantha is the definition of a MILF and Luis is hilarious. So is Officer Monroe. The characters definitely show you a great time in this. This game could honestly go at A Wife and A Mother's pace, or even at a Dual Family pace, but I'd still play just for these characters interactions, because these are what I live for in playing any game, adult, AAA or indie.

So I'm giving this a 5/5. Great start. Not much happens in Ep 3 but like I've been raving about, it's an episode that gives these characters time to just talk to one another and that's where this game shines. I hope this continues at this high quality and also hope we see plenty more episodes before it comes to an end.

I genuinely can't find any negatives to talk about. I would have to sit here and nitpick, but that's just not in me. There are a few typos here and there, but that's so small in comparison to everything this game does well so far. And it's not like those typos make the text unreadable like the grammar of some foreign-speaking devs. I don't need animations and I don't need music or sfx. It's great as is. I definitely recommend for those who want a nice story/character driven game to play.

So far it seems to be one of the better written games I played. Render, characters and story kept me interested ( Thats rare for me because while playing other games from here I usually stop carring and just skip most of the scenes). I will just wait for full release (hopefully it will not take forever) and play throughte whole thing. Cant wait for more Emily content, shes just adorable.

Perfect Renders, really good writing and hot chicks and milf for everyone with Asian aswell.

I just hope we will get some hot animations because now there are almost only static images. One of the most promising games on this site.

At Ep.3 theres only one hj/bj scene so if u are looking for this then u need to wait a bit.

[Played ep. 2]
This VN might not have dozens of hot girls and women in it but that is not really required for a hot and sexy VN game and this game proves just that.

If you want any semblance of personality on your virtual sex dolls, this game provides in spades and at the same time doesn't use that character (and story-) development to skimp on the sexy content like other VN's tend to do!

Technically it also seems fine under the hood and the visuals just look incredibly good! It could use some sound though, but it is not a big enough miss.
The choices you make in the game give out love and corruption points and you can't get them all in one sitting, so it it also makes for some nice replay-ability.
It is probably too soon to start thinking about a harem ending, but if I have to guess that will make for some nice cherry picking of options while if you focus on 1 (or 2) characters there will be optional content there. There already is small bit and it is only Episode 2.
Really looking forward to how this develops.

Wow, even in this early state (EP2) I think this is a big one.
Great story with good character development and fantastic models
(one of the hottest milf I´ve seen so far).
For me it´s a must play.

Tested: EP2

pros:
interesting story
great storyline
good character development
good dialogs
girls are hot and natural looking
very good render quality
choices
...and many more...

neutral:
-

cons:
no audio/music
no animations
some typos

Review of Episode 2

I have a backlog of about 100 games in my "To Play" folder. I download most things that look promising or interesting, but it's hard to keep up with all of the games. Unfortunately, some games just sit in that folder for a while, unplayed. That said, it's an absolute joy when I grab a random game from that folder and discover a fantastic game like Halfway House.

The secret to hot porn VNs isn't tons of content or hot renders, although those certainly help. It's solid writing, in both story and dialogue. This game has that in abundance. It's only two episodes in and I'm already in love with all three of the female characters. Hell, I love the two supporting male characters in the game too. These are people I want to spend more time with. The dialogue is snappy, believable, and hotly flirtatious. The MC is outrageous in an appealing way. This is a solid foundation upon which to flesh out these characters.

Briefly, the story follows a juvie convict who is being rehabilitated via a small halfway house in the country. The house "mom" is a delicious little tease, who also looks after two other female wards, an adorable little angel and a dirty succubus, as well as another guy who seems like he's always good for hijinks. Currently, the MC is settling in and getting to know the cast, but the flirtations and seductions have already begun.

The renders and models are excellent. While I'm fan of models who feature breasts that double as flotation devices, I understand that F-cup+ breasts are not everyone's cup of tea. For those folks, these beauties are slim-figured and moderately-chested.

The only complaint I have is about the numerous misspellings of words. They are rampant. Given the objectively high quality of every other aspect of the game, I normally wouldn't mention it. But I had to laugh when Eli is talking to the MC about the fact he was "tought" nothing in juvie lock-up. "Tought," indeed!

Overall, this is one of my favorite new games and I'm very excited to see where the story goes.

Highly recommended!

I like:
+ Likable characters
+ Compelling stories for me, played 2 EPs in a single row and still want more
+ Character design is unique and fit with the stories (Not like in some generic Ren'py games)
+ Unique character personalities from most game I played (But still H-oriented)

Also I don't really know how much branching makes the differences in the game

My Rating of this Game (EP.2 ) is:

Pros:
+ Fantastic Renders
+ Easy Playing
+ Active Play
+ Nice Closeups
+Normal Looking Women
+Great Milf

Cons:
-The guy does`t look like a 19 Year old.

Conclusion:
The Ladies look great.
The story is nice,and not too many places to run around,the graphics are great and the ladies hot.
Cant wait for episode 3 to come out.

One of the Top Games in my Book.

This is an excellent game if you have had too much of the magic/drug corruption incest tropes.
Excellent renders
Interesting characters
Good writing (Some grammatical mistakes)
Fresh story (for me at least)

ep. 2

a VN i really enjoyed after quite a while. the set-up and story is fresh and unique. although it does have a hot 'mom', bitchy 'older sis', cute 'younger sis' and an idiot 'brother', i'm really glad it does not have any incest in it and honestly, it is not needed in this one. all the characters are well done with vastly different backgrounds and personalities. the interactions and dialogues felt really natural to me.

i guess the best part of this VN for me are the characters:
Samantha-a hot milf(well mature lady would be more appropriate) who actually looks like one and not some 30 y.o. with extra large breasts. i love that she's flirty and not act like "oh no i should not do this...but i like how he looks at my ass".
Ashley- who doesn't like a hot babe with tattoos(and piercings)? well i guess not everyone. anyways i would probably describe her as a 'free spirit'. she acts like a bitch but is hot af
Emily-probably the cutest characters i've seen in adult games/VNs. she would probably be well described as a 'tsundere'

another nice feature is that you get alerted when there decisions will result in branching paths. that way you can save at those moments to replay later. saves you the time from playing it a dozen times to get all the scenes(if you're interested) or looking through a walkthrough(now, there isn't a need for that)

i really hope this gets all the attention it deserves, 'cause it has huge potential

tl;dr : fresh story, unique characters, worth the download

Great game ! one of the top game !
about Story : very good story . 5/5
about animations : very good i love it 5/5
about scenes : perfect. 5/5
amount of content : enough content to enjoy for very version. 4/5
about dialogue : excellent dialogue . 5/5
about the game :for me 10/10.
about chars. : they r beautiful. ! ... specially Ashley . 5/5
Note : just Perfect ...i enjoy with every dialogue every scenes ... this game will be one of the top games for sure .

First off it has another punk/alternative type chick that is a slut just like pretty much all other games that use that type of girl, than her backstory is not to my liking at all than the MC is not allowed to say if he likes her or not when you first meet the other guy, The other parts of the story is good and the renders are also good.


Story. 6/10 would be higher but the cliche of slutty punk girl
Sex. 3/10
Characters. 7.5/10
Art/renders. 9/10

As always reviews and ratings can change with new updates.

probably one of the few games with character depth , there's few minor branching path but they all lead to the same pathing. lots of teasing not much sexual content besides a few nude and 2 jerk scene. overall i enjoy the game.

Based on Episodes 1 and 2.
Super solid game.
+ great characters with some history and depth, not your typical fuckdolls,
+ the characters are looking really solid,
+ interesting story about development of a dude with a shady past,
+ Luis is a cool thug dude, some kind of a highschool friend that makes the life interesting,
+ Ep. 2 ending was intense af,
- the camera moving options is kinda weird so I'd take that as a downside.

Really looking forward to the next episodes. Keep up the good work, Dev!

Honestly one of the best looking VN games made in Ren'Py right now.

-Story is super engaging
-all the characters feel real.
-One of the best, if not THE BEST, looking Ren'Py-made game. Skins on the characters all have natural shine (if you've been around this site for a while you know that there are plenty of others games that have characters that looks plasticky like a doll or looked oiled up). And while it feels weird to say this, but this game also has one of the most realistic looking cum (none of that complete opague white looking half solid that's trying to pass as fluid)

-if there's any take away I'd say the dialogue can use some more proof reading. There's some typos here and there and some awkward phrasing imo but nothing that breaks the immersion
-if eventually this game can adopt actual animation for select sex scenes that'll be fucking rad

Honestly this game has an unbelievable quality for being a rookie project. I can say that this is probably one of the few games that'll definitely be worth supporting if the dev keeps up the quality. I can't wait for the next episode!

This game is one of the most unexpected games so far this year, and is practically a hidden gem so far. The renders are practically god like and the nude scenes are perfect.

Art Style 10/10
Renders 10/10
Story 8/10
Writing 9/10
Characters 9/10

Why are you still looking at this review? Go "play" the game.

For a first release this is very well done.

Story- The characters make sense., the situation makes sense and it's decently written. The 3 women are all hot (Ashley in particular) and all in different ways, they also all have different personalities. It also looks like choices are actually going to matter. The fact the dev has limited it to 3 main women also means I'm not too worried about this spiraling out of control to the point the dev loses control of it all. I do hope there is other women later on in minor fuck scenes though.

Scenes- There's not many yet but what is here is good, the fact the scene has different camera angles the player can toggle is a nice touch. My overall feeling was wanting to see more.

Overall for a very first release you have something that's high quality, has 3 sexy women and is well written. Literally the only criticism I can bring is the relative lack of scenes. That said I cannot wait to see more. When/If the dev releases a 3rd episode if it's of similar quality I'm backing them straight away.