[Intro]

[Disclaimer: I'm trans, kinky, and extremely pretentious. Take everything I say with a mountain of salt]

Lust Doll Plus is a delightful little game with a surprising level of mechanical depth that I've sunk dozens of hours into (at minimum) and absolutely adore for a whole host of reasons. It's also a frustrating example of accretion and scope creep (which, given that the plus version has been in more or less constant solo development since 2019, is pretty much inevitable) and has a few bits that haven't aged super well.

That being said, I can't think of many (if any) other games (SFW or NSFW) that do what LD+ does. It breaks out of the qualifier "good for a smut game" and is just Genuinely Good. It's weird and messy and has its moments of yikes, but there's nothing else like it. Shine on, you absolute legend.

[The Good]

First, the positive (and there's a lot of positive). At its best, LD+ is an RPGMaker game that, frankly, borders on being an immersive sim. There's a lot of clever, interlocking mechanics on display, and the level of control the player has over both their character (appearance, actions, etc.) and their experience (NSFW vs SFW, different kinks + content, etc.) is extremely impressive. Even outside of the NSFW space, it's difficult to find games that offer this level of control over your character.  The design as a whole allows for a pretty broad range of experiences, which supports the open, modular feeling of the game world.

The art style is communicative and appealing (not just characters, but the world and UI/UX), and the writing is generally very good. LD+ feels like it functions equally well as a SFW game as an NSFW game, and I found it (generally) very easy to lose myself and vibe out with the world and characters. Very immersive, much flow state. 10/10.

Additionally, the fact that LD+ can make going from a map that's essentially one specific genre of smut + storytelling (e.g. the Abandoned City) to an entirely different genre of smut + storytelling (e.g. the magical forest, Ark City, the desert oasis) without it feeling extremely jarring is genuinely praiseworthy. Having writing + art this consistent (tone, quality, general aesthetic) over a game this large (and with this broad a range of content) is impressive. Yes, this is the remastered Plus version of the game, but it still merits being called out and appreciated.

Also, writing sex scenes that are both good and hot is Not Easy. Kudos to the dev(s) for their writing chops.

[The Less Good]

There's elements that feel like wasted potential (what IS the player character, what's the deal with the post apocalypse, how does this cosmology make sense, why are there only like 4 tattoo options, etc.), and some areas + mechanics feel unfinished or underutilized (tattoos, Upper New Ark City, etc.). Some of that is to be expected for a game that's been developed/supported for so long (and has this much content), but it's still a shame.

Additionally, although the player is given a lot of control re: what content they do and don't see, it's not always clear what those kinks refer to (especially for first-time players and/or people unfamiliar with the specific kink in question). This largely applies to character creation (since there isn't a lot of context or explanation re: what the different shrines refer to) and becomes less of an issue over the course of the game's runtime, but imo that's the LAST time a player should feel like they have to either open up a wiki or risk enabling content they're not comfortable with (or disabling content they're curious about or would enjoy). 

Speaking of character creation, I should also mention that some of the character creation shrines flat-out have slurs on them (and some specific plot beats + characters play pretty heavily into transphobic/racist stereotypes). The game does let you change the specific terms in use for some of the more Gender character types (and is very specific about what those terms refer to, which is extremely welcome), but the fact that adjustments are needed at all is still super yikes (and it doesn't really do anything about the at-best-racially-insensitive stuff). Yes, this game has existed in some form or another for about a decade at this point, but it still really sucks to see (especially since the game is still in active development).  I'm still playing LD+ and having a great time, but having moments like that (especially in the earlier parts of the game) can make it hard to enjoy the experience (both in a SFW way and an NSFW way).

[Wrapping everything up]

Lust Doll Plus is flawed, problematic, and kind of a sprawling mess. It's also well-written, cleverly-designed, and easy to lose yourself in. I have my gripes, but they come from a place of loving the hell out of this game and wanting it to be the best it can possibly be.

It's not perfect, but there's not much else like it (if anything).

Also oh my god how is this game so mf cheap? Absurd bang for the buck (if you'll pardon the pun).