REVIEW
[Note: my reviews are for accessibility awareness and growth. I will go over Content Notes and Trigger Warnings, the gameplay/story, accessibility features, and recommendations for players and the dev.]
Content Note: Kink (petplay, praising), NSFW,
TW: mild swearing. This is not suitable for those under 18 however there are no graphic depictions, and all depictions are consensual and soft with no humiliation.
This Visual Novel is a great introduction to petplay and exploration of new dynamics without being too patronising. It navigates exploring boundaries, consent, physical affection in early relationships, and aftercare organically, while displaying healthy approaches and realistic concerns.
It's refreshing to find content like this and I hope to see more chapters coming soon.
You can play as either a 'kitten, puppy, bunny' or just 'pet', and choose a selection of common terms for the dominant. There are at least 3 points you can escalate or slow down sensual activity which highlights the need for regular check ins for consent of both parties. The game also acknowledges things like Dom Drops which are often ignored in popular kink content that tends to be written more for fantasy than for reflecting real experiences.
I found the cover art of the game was quite distinct from the game art, so I found the fellow less attractive in game than I thought he'd be, but that was just a matter of getting used to the less 'bishy' (handsome anime man) aesthetic if I'm honest. The art work is genuinely beautiful and the expressions are well done.
The writing is clean, organic, self aware with how flirting can be a bit cheesy, playful and quite genuine seeming. It's obviously made by those with lived experience and deep respect for kink which improves the writing and deepens the characters.
Accessibility:
~Accessibility features: Text speed, skip feature for text that has been read, and sound controls.
+Additionally, Ren'Py has accessibility features such as Self Voicing (press V) which provides a built in screen reader.
-Navigating the menu:
+ there is clear text font that is legible,
- text is a mid-grey which is less legible on the background
- the background is a gradient (light purple and dark blue) colour
+Audio was clear and you can separately control the general sound, music and voices to ensure a balance that works for you.
*There is good quality voice acting for the main character's dialogue.
+Visuals (character and setting design) are clear and easy to process, with no flashing lights, moving screens or jump scares.
+The font is clear and simple
~Text contrast is a little mixed:
-Most text (narration and both characters speech) is mid-grey, on a gradient background, which is a poor contrast.
- Dialogue choices are within black boxes with mid-grey text; this weak contrast may be inaccessible for those with low vision.
+However, hovering over the dialogue choice boxes changes the text to white, providing a clear contrast.
There are no additional triggers I could identify in this game, although players should take not that this is an adult game with the above mentioned content notes.
Suggestions for the creator:
*Avoid gradient backgrounds where there will be text, or introduce an opaque text box over it to increase contrast for the text.
*Free contrast checker tools can help you identify which colours (hex codes) are accessible contrasts.
*As this game is run on Ren'py, it should have some built in accessibility options like a screen reader. Adding directions for people to access the accessibility options would massively increase accessibility and offset some of the contrast issues.
*I would also recommend advertising the accessibility options in storepages so prospective players are aware before running. This is a good place to direct them on how to open Ren'py built in accessibility options while also highlighting the attention to accessibility in your work :)
Recommendations for Players:
I recommend this game to those curious about BDSM or petplay, or those wanting to see softer, affectionate explorations of BDSM. Those wanting to see dynamics that centre around consent without reading like an instruction manual for ethics, and those wanting a little bit of fluff with their smut.
This review noted some text contrast issues: the grey text may be inaccessible for those with low vision, especially against a gradient background. Until the contrast issues are improved, I would recommend test running the menu to see how legible it is for those with low vision.