⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Addictive Game ~ Brilliant Story
What an amazing experience. The BDSM/Training content is some of the best I've seen. It's not just porn for porn's sake. There is psychology, depth, and meaning for every action within this... unique experience.
I don't want to call The Headmaster a "visual novel" because of the sandbox and game elements, but its not just a game either. Epic forms of art like this deserve their own category.
The premise is a bit over the border into fantasy but how the MC "Headmaster" stays true to his philosophy and guiding behavioral-modification principals gives a solid, believable foundation to the events transpiring within this isolated all-girls school. It's refreshing to see such smartly written dialogue and characters.
The story isn't 100% done, but many of the character arcs that are closer to complete are emotionally complex and rewarding. This is hardcore, adult content with mature themes. I can't express enough how wonderful it is to find a deeply erotic story that doesn't feel totally targeted toward children.
Game-play-wise: The strategic punishment system actually forces you think about how to balance pain, humiliation, and pleasure when brute forcing personality disorders, and teaches you about real-world human psychology. Progression within this system is tethered to individual students' lives (through quests) and throttles options but makes the whole corporal punishment system seem believable and rewarding.
The Headmaster allows you to focus on one young-woman for a while or spread out your attention, yet the web of their interconnected lives woven by the overarching story makes this feel organic. You'll see your quest log update with "progress further with x student first" because their relationship to each other, or the school as a whole, fits this requirement perfectly.
I only discovered the wide world of visual novels a few weeks ago and after sampling about two-dozen of the highest rated on this site, I've come to really treasure the games/novels that allow the player/reader to progress at their own pace and not force you to constantly reference a random walk-through and/or lock out major pieces of content due to arbitrary choices. This whole experience is a budding flower of linked complexity, not the frustrating blind mazes I've witnessed with other titles on this site.
This is just my personal preference, and The Headmaster executes the expanding sandbox style flawlessly.
There are many threads I cannot wait to see fully realized , but if I had to chose, it would be "training-doll Amy".
Bravo, Altos and Herdone