Hey there again, I really enjoyed the game! I love Liz and Tris, both so spankable and so innocent in their own ways.
TLDR: This is a well-designed, worthy sequel to A Sure Cure for Thieving, Teasing Gals. As a spin-off game, Naughty Girls and Cruel Women is much more linear, less expansive in scope, and a bit shorter than its predecessor, clocking in at about 6 hours long or so. While the game has a somewhat different vibe than A Sure Cure, I highly recommend both.
Also, the combination of anal play and lesdom is delightful. The original game had some anal-focused lesdom content, but the sequel has even more, and that's pretty great. There's also a hint of soft yuri with Liz and Tris, and with Irina and another character, which I'd like to see more of.
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If you'll excuse a bit of gushing over the main characters in Naughty Girls:
-Liz is an adorably plucky, wannabe girl reporter / girl detective. I can't help but root for her even when her naive sense of righteousness leads her to do the dumbest, bravest things. Liz's friend Tris is also a total cutie, a pretty normal and quick-thinking goth/alt girl who just keeps getting dragged into Liz's hare-brained investigations. I do wish we saw more of their dynamic in the game, since the party often gets separated. There are a lot of scenes where one of them is being spanked while the other reports to Irina, and not as many interactions where Liz and Tris directly talk to one another, which is a shame because their dynamic is really fun when they do talk to each other. I hope we'll see more of them in a future game.
-Irina, everyone's favorite white-haired hussy, hacker extraordinaire, lewd streamer, blackmailer, consummate lech, and criminal mastermind is a welcome return from the first game. Despite being a zany criminal, she has great calm mommy vibes. Irina has less of substance to say in this game (mostly just commenting on whatever lewd situation the detectives have gotten themselves into now, and where to go next, or disciplining opponents in cyberspace), but more to do, providing support for Liz and Tris's investigation by directing them around the apartment and completing a number of hacking minigames. I miss her banter with Alice and Adik, but her wit, level-headedness, and insatiable lechery continues to amuse.
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-No bug reports this time, other than the gallery issue which has already been fixed in the latest patch.
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I've included some more detailed thoughts and a brief critique below in case the dev or anyone else might be interested:
-It's impressive how soon the sequel was released after the first game. Fap must have been drawing like mad to get the second game done so quickly, and yet the spanking art is as high-quality as ever. I think many of the images in Naughty Girls are even better than in the first game.
-The minigames, though sadistic in spots (particularly the first "dash" maze), are overall fair and provide a nice "cooldown" between the erotic scenes. Kind of reminds me of old ero flash games with the mazes and pipe puzzles. The "spark" puzzle near the end also reminds me a bit of the snake puzzles in Treasure of Nadia, if anyone's played that. Nice to have one's brain tickled, and solving the slide puzzle in particular without looking at the screenshot was very satisfying.
-On the whole, Naughty Girls is a very fun and mostly well-paced experience but also a much more linear game than A Sure Cure. Since so many sequences take place in the same apartment, the sequel has less of the first game's madcap energy and whimsy. Like, the LARP quests and different locations in A Sure Cure had a lot more variety. In Naughty Girls, there are also fewer item descriptions in general, and no clothing system. The number of item descriptions in the starting area is a good example--Alice's apartment had a lot more detail than Liz's detective agency. The gameplay in the sequel also feels a lot simpler, and not always in a positive way. Do a minigame, trudge around the apartment, see a deliciously rendered spanking scene. But Naughty Girls seems to be going for a different and shorter experience, so the comparison isn't entirely fair. While it's not quite as absolutely stuffed full of cheesecake as the original, it's an excellent short game at around 6 hours or so. The art and spanking sequences also build and improve on those in the first game even if there isn't quite as much writing or variety in interaction.
-I am reminded a bit of the demo for Neon Nights, the upcoming sequel to Third Crisis, which also went with the noir detective/investigation angle, and had noticeable art improvements compared to the first game.
-The shorter dev time for Naughty Girls relative to A Sure Cure does show in some sequences in the apartment where you're plodding from objective to objective and have already interacted with all the funny item prompts. There are also a few times where, when going elsewhere in the apartment from where you are supposed to go next, the old item prompts can be read by the wrong character. Like, some of Irina's item reactions in the nursery show up when walking around as Vivian & Abigal near the end, and some of Tris's reactions in the front entry show up when walking around as Irina. This isn't really a glitch or something that needs to be corrected though, since if you stick to the intended directions, you' ll never run into it. It only shows up if the player, for example, walks all the way back from the nursery to check the item descriptions in the front entryway, kitchen, or bathroom.
-The lack of a clothing/equipment display in the inventory seems a shame, since the art is already there for several different outfits and giving Liz or Tris the option to try to take off their pajamas would have been a nice excuse for a spanking. It would also have been nice to see different stages of "spanked" in the status menu, or something like that.
-While there are fewer descriptions than in the first game, the descriptions are still very good. Liz's naive or grossed-out comments and Irina's wisecracks especially. I wish Liz had more opportunities to show off her goofy wannabe hard-boiled detective act before getting scared, though.
-I'm not a huge fan of the white outlines in the images. The intent seems to be to block out the RPGmaker backdrop in certain scenes, perhaps to save the trouble of animating the RPGmaker sprites. While the hand-drawn images are slightly better in the second game, the RPGmaker sprite animations in the first game were quite charming and added an additional level of polish that is absent here. Like, when Tris is getting her butthole spanked by Vivian and Abigail, the sprites can be seen on screen from the secret room, but aren't animated. Whereas in the first game, when that goblin gal is getting spanked in the stocks, there was both a hand-drawn image and an animated RPGmaker sprite showing her getting paddled, which I found really charming. The difference in polish is noticeable only if you've played both games. Focusing on the images and less on the RPGmaker sprites was probably a reasonable tradeoff and allowed the game to be finished more quickly, but I do miss little details like that.
-The characters are still written with the same humor and charm, and the spanking scenes are still exquisite, non-pareil. Lots more anal play this time too, and a spot of delicious padded content. So gooood. The cyberspace hacking sequences were also refreshingly goofy. Good stuff. I laughed particularly hard at the image enhancement gag near the end when Irina is trying to crack the door code.
-For reasons that I can't quite articulate, the interactions, dub-con situations, and overall vibe of Naughty Girls feels much less light-hearted than the first game. To be clear, this isn't a bad thing, but it is different. A big part of it is that the characters are often separated, so there is a lot less jaunty back-and-forth between different party members. Instead, it's either terrified Liz or Tris being interrogated or lewded by the nannies, or world-weary Irina being frustrated in cyberspace. I found myself missing Alice's jaunty irreverence and Adik's bratty comments. Liz and Tris are great when they are together, though, and I do like Irina's wise-cracks very much. Liz and Tris are also more innocent and butt-virginal than Alice & the gang, so some of the wapey stuff hits a bit harder. I enjoyed the tonal dissonance and absurdity of the antics in A Sure Cure of three naughty gals looking to make some money while causing absolute chaos, whereas the investigation in Naughty Girls has higher stakes and some sense of horror seeping in at the edges. There is still a cynical vibe, some meta humor, and good jokes, but where A Sure Cure reminds of wacky adventure games and the cynical irreverence of something like Postal 2, Naughty Girls does not. It's still wacky (especially the hacking stuff), but just a smidge more grounded and claustrophobic. Hell, even the apartment is "spookier" and grungier than anywhere in the first game. And man, that janitor sequence feels kind of sinister, in a way the guys in the first game did not. Dunno why exactly. Maybe it's the setting and the more innocent characters. It's hot, but definitely darker.
-Irina's wacky phonecall with Vivian and Irina's lawyer disguise are great moments of levity, though!
-My other gripe with Naughty Girls is that there is usually only a single task to fulfill, and the style of puzzle-solving is pretty straightforward, focused mostly on minigames or simple directions. The first game had more of an adventure game feel, find-and-use-the-right-item to trigger a new development, rather than a linear investigation seen from multiple perspectives. I like both styles, but definitely prefer the adventure game format. It's a matter of taste though, and it's cool to see the dev experimenting. The changes aren't bad, but it does feel like a noticeably different (and slightly darker) game.
**Spoilers about the ending**
-I mostly liked the ending, with Irina's release of the footage publicly humiliating Liz and Tris but destroying the evil nannies' careers. Suitably noir and hot. A "happy" end, but not a happy end.
-I think the dev's vision should be respected, but I do wish Vivian and Abigail got more comeuppance: specifically, it would have been fitting if the bitchy nannies got a taste of their own medicine, perhaps duped into signing a contract and shipped back to Emberthorpe for remedial lessons. Vivian in particular shows signs of immaturity that would be fun to see corrected. Preferably with some harsh discipline, like the nurses in the first game. And the more level-headed Abigail seems like she would be fun to break. Not every game needs a happy end, but these two teasing lady crooks deserve harsher punishment than just losing their hideout and being sent out of town with nary a spanking. Maybe we'll see them again in another game, this time getting the sore butts they deserve. And Vivian's humongous milkers look pretty ripe for punishment too.
-Irina leaking the footage of Liz was hot but kind of sad at the same time. This is not intended as a criticism, just as an observation that the ending seems a bit darker than the first game. Like, for Alice and friends, who are cheeky thieves and hedonists, money and punishment sex feel like satisfying endings, but for Liz, who has her own naive principles and sense of justice, the monetary reward feels a bit anticlimactic and kind of sad, which I wasn't expecting. Sure, she successfully escaped, stopped the operation, was thanked by her client, and got some compensation money and a new car, but it feels like a loss or bad end. If I could change anything about the ending, and I don't think it needs to be changed, I would add a bonus image of Liz and Tris relaxing on a beach together somewhere, or something like that. You know, like the extra sketch that sometimes gets added at the end of a dark doujin to the take away a bit of the sting. I really like Liz's character, and I like seeing her get into these ridiculous dub-con/wapey situations through her naivete, bad luck, and refusal to compromise, but it would be nice if she got more of a win for once, especially after that brutal (but super hot) taser scene. Maybe I just like Liz too much. Feels bad man, but entirely genre appropriate, so I have no grounds to complain.
-I guess the sticking point for me is that Liz and Tris have pretty noble motivations. They're not exactly naughty girls, but are pretending to be for the sake of their investigation. Liz won't even steal a dress, she's such a goody-two shoes. It's very hot to see them punished despite their innocence, but it would be nice to see some more deserving butts spanked as well. All the actual naughty girls in the game--Irina, Adik, Vivian, and Abigail--get away without any spankings, except for Adik and the "clankers" that Irina fights in cyberspace. The game delivers on the cruel women part, but it lets the naughtiest girls more off the hook than is satisfying. I thought for sure Irina would get spanked, at least, but no dice. And unlike the older nanny from A Sure Cure, who seemed tough but fair by her own psychotic standards, Vivian and Abigail are just plain old bad girls. And bad girls reaaaally deserve a spanking or worse.
-Liz taking the car and agreeing to Irina's blackmail scheme does show that she is growing as a character, getting a little corrupted, which is interesting. On that note, it would be nice to see Liz and Tris again in a future game, maybe having developed a closer relationship as a result of their forced intimacy. Liz seems like she has a bit of a subby side and clearly likes girls even if she won't admit it, so maybe something stuck. It would be cute to see her with Tris again under happier circumstances, perhaps dating or in a situationship. One wonders whether they would really remain just friends after all they went through. (I smell an opportunity for glorious yuri!) In any case, I would like to see more of their dynamic.
-The nursery scenes are superb (especially the bottle-feeding and the potty break), as is Irina's rescue of Adik. That's the sort of lesdom content the world needs more of. And it was an absolute delight to see the two thieves again, especially Adik. Such an adorable brat. Best girl, rivaled only by Liz. (Does make me wonder what Alice was up to while all this went on, though.)
-The dev might consider adding a screenshot for the vent crawling sequence or altering the vents slightly. Since only a sliver of the tops of the character's heads are visible while in the vents, it can seem like the rendering has failed to work properly, and left me wondering if it was intended or simply a glitch. Also, I wish entering the vents had an image of Liz and Tris trying to squeeze inside. It seems like a missed opportunity for cheesecake.
-There are some nice details in the apartment descriptions from the perspective of different characters. Like, I don't know if this was intentional, but there is a marked contrast between how Liz and Tris see the apartment and how Irina and Adik see the apartment, with a thief's eyes.
-Adik's comments and descriptions are also the funniest in the game. I found Adik's brief interactions with Vivian particularly cute. Whereas Tris refuses to memorize the rules but quickly submits to Vivian and Liz is too flustered and pure to obey correctly, Adik has a bratty innocence and self-assured cleverness that is just awesome. And when all padded up--absolutely irresistible. Moe and ecchi all at once, a bundle of joy.
-Also, it's nice to see Vivian mix gentleness with cruelty when dealing with Adik. Vivian's bath scene with Tris and diddling scene with Liz were highlights for the same reason. Mommydom content is best when there is some softness to contrast with the deliciously lewd cruelty, and these scenes strike that delicate balance just right.
-Adik and Irina's interactions are likewise superb. Adik is the perfect foil for Irina because Adik's impulsiveness, embarrassed innocence, and gremlin-like chaos contrast with Irina's shamelessness, cool-head mommy vibes, and lechery. The two share a love of crime and money, and both are articulate and skilled in their own areas. In contrast, Irina and Liz seem much more distant and, although believably aligned as friends/business contacts, have less interesting friction in their dynamic. Liz has better chemistry with Alice in the first game and with Tris in the second game than with Irina.
-Tris's reaction to first seeing Adik is **chef's kiss** perfect.
-The escape sequence stuff was perhaps the weakest point of the game, and the only part I found tedious. The mandatory stealth sections had little payoff, and I didn't dig the basement scene or the bus stop sequence, as the desperation and horror-style gameplay kind of dampened the whole mommydom vibe. Like, it was hot when Tris tried to run out the door or was hiding in the locker, but more tedious than fun watching Liz and Tris flee the building while avoiding the patrolling NPCs in the grimy lobby and grungy streets. But these are small quibbles. The overall game is excellent.
-In terms of highlights, other than Adik's nursery scenes and the other stuff I've mentioned already, I especially enjoyed seeing Liz's punishments for "eating the cookies", for "masturbating", and for actually breaking the teapot. The misunderstandings are delicious. Tris's punishments, especially the stuff in the bath, were also delightful, and the final double anal dildo scene, though cruel, is superb. The big highlight, though, was again Adik's nursery stuff.
To the dev: thank you for making the game--this was a blast! I hope you keep making games in this series, 'cause I really like the characters, and your spanking art is the best!
-Extrawise
P.S. Moar padded nursery stuff and more overt yuri, plz!
P.P.S. Any plans for a sequel?