I'm so sorry buddy. I really wish I had more power over how the android version works but I've done all I can do.
Nah, it's cool man, and the problem is my phone, it just sucks. It's a fucking Samsung J2. Yes, I have a goddamn J2 in 2022. This thing is what, 5 years old? More?
And on that note: here is my full review on the game.
What can I say except awesome? Outstanding game. I know that people complain a lot about the overly wholesome experience with a super nice MC, but not me. Hey, I played games like My New Family for hours and hours so give me that super, ultra corny shit. I'll take it. Especially since here there's a reason for all the wholesome stuff, it literally gives power to all of the characters. A nice lesson for real life, if only more people (me included) would learn that...
As I said, I played using the compressed version, and honestly the renders amazed me, not like my previous experience with Sisterly Lust (yep, I play a lot of incest games. Call me a weirdo), I just had to find a way to play the normal version on that one.
And the characters had their own special thing, every single one of them. And the ascension is a genius thing, their designs are beautiful and intimidating.
About the story... well... it has it's ups and downs that a lot of people already mentioned in the few comments I read. I have to point them out BUT for good reasons!
First, because I noticed how the game improved later on at least writing-wise, dialogues felt really weird and rushed in the beginning, specially with Kat. So congratulations for your progress. And second, because I see a lot of potential in this game, even more after it's first moments. I would say that the overall improvements start a little bit after Kat's ascension and it gets better from there onwards.
The big problem is that something which is super cool lore-wise kind of makes the lewd scenes too... forced? Which is the fade and it's effects. I get it that it's like a good, never-ending cycle of the characters feeding the fade with positive feelings and sexual energy, then it gives them their gifts (magic, immortality, etc.), amongst other things. But the scenes feel way too rushed, one after another. As I said, it is super cool lore-wise but brings some problems to the feel of the game.
As for relationships, it doesn't bother me. You made explicit the fact that this is a harem game and, in-game, the characters comment on how the MC attracts females of any species very early on, it is inborn in him, it isn't like he's brainwashing anyone.
And personally, there's one thing that bothered me from start to finish: the scenes of characters commenting about stuff that both MC AND player shouldn't know. I'll use the scene of Cam and Karen talking about the ritual to make the MC the god-king of Serenity as an example. That scene leaves 0 suspense to the player, and so do other scenes. It should just allude to the possibility of someone being lost after the ritual, and without the use of words, just the context of the scene. If the game ever gets a 2.0 super update after you finish it, these scenes need to be modified or just removed for the sake of story telling.
But all in all, with pros and cons, the game is great. I love it, it definitely became one of my favorites and I can't wait for more!
Oh btw, on the matter of multiverse stuff, I really hope that we get to see Lucy from My New Family in the game. There were a few moments with images of the game and her on screen so... nothing more apropriate than a visit from her to a land full of cat girls right? ^^" I hope Killer allows this.
Thanks for the review. I agree on all your cons. Playing back through my own game (which I reviewed myself actually), I cringed a lot. The entire first 3 days may be rewritten at some point down the road. Anyway, version 1.3 (the next update to Serenity) will be the last update to this particular build/zip file. It will continue in chapter 2 (new build) and hopefully be much better from start to finish - with what I have learned so far. But before I start on chapter 2, I will work on the first release of my next project, Last Human, which is a sci-fi/Neko series (ehh, Star Trek with Nekos? Yeah, something like that).
As for putting Lucy in my game, I did get Killer's blessing to do so but I don't know if I am going to (beyond the few images I already put in). I'm not as big a fan of MNF as I used to be. That's not to say I don't appreciate the wholesome nature of his game, I'm just not an incest fan. I remake those characters in HS2 myself when I bring them in. So, Celeste from Sylphine and Melody (from Melody of course) were my own version of those characters. It takes a while for me to get those right. I'll be adding a few more in chapter 2.
I had the feeling that Demitre wasn't going to be a one and done kind of fight, and Karen did talk about roles and stuff near the end of 1.2. So it only makes sense that you're planning a Ch2 for the game, and it really helps on every front including file size. About Last Human, I planned on reading more about it after I was finished with game, so I'm gonna take a look at the posts but I'm already hyped after seeing all your work and progress in Serenity.
Abour Lucy, I 100% understand your position, man. Neither I am a big fan of incest, it's not even a matter of liking it or not for me, it's more about not minding it. I don't mind incest irl and that standing kind of transfered to AVNs. I just like the deeper intimacy between the characters, feels stronger than the standard dating sims. out there, not that they're bad either.
And I knew that the game wasn't standard HS, I kept asking myself which software it was. I didn't play Melody but did play Sylphine quite some time ago (0.2 I believe, way back then), so I was like "Why is Celeste looking so different?" and it must take quite a lot of work to make these "special guest" things. And it makes sense that there weren't many during the whole game as of now, only 2 (or 3 if Cinnamon is from an actual existing game). But all in all the game is still one of my favorites, man. Really hyped to see what's next, the universe you created here is something completely new and fun to see.