VN - Ren'Py - Abandoned - Nothing Is Forever [v0.7.3] [MrSilverLust]

[0.7.3] Boring. There are too many paths, which (eventually) lead to the loss of the essential. An entry-level visual novel, with many scenes/events that make you to waste time... without a well-defined goal in the end.

Excellent, high-effort game. The dev has done a lot of work withing the Ren'Py library and I don't recall encountering any bugs during my playthrough, apart from some missing artwork in the current non-final chapter. The writing is confident and mature, was written by a fluent English speaker, and even the latest non-final patch has fairly minimal typos.

This game offers a wide variety of kinks. Progression is made by prioritizing 4 core attributes and using those points in a skill tree-like structure, which is a bit shallow but is refreshing nonetheless. The cast covers diverse archetypes (although I do wish that the role of evil bitch had gone to one of the five white women rather than the only Asian LI), most of whom are fairly three dimensional. Chances are that you'll really enjoy whichever core partner you end up selecting on your first play-through. As a Jen-stan, I really enjoy my kinky Queen's Gambit experience -- complete with chess commentary!

The plot is not one in which our MC suddenly gains super powers, a demon appears, or other strange "I'm not sure what to do now to keep things interesting" maneuvers. You're not trying to save the world, take over a company, etc. The stakes are personal, and I believe that the experience shines for it.

This game has quite a few songs, and, surprisingly, I find none of them annoying. I do wish that the karaoke songs had been more obvious and fitting, however.

The gripes: So far, I've been surprised by the lack of importance of the MC's ex except as a stage-setting device. The intro and first chapter led me to believe that she would play a larger role as she seemed to be a cipher for the MC's brokenness. I'm guessing that the author started wishing to do so, but found that the jack o' lantern face was more interesting/easier to render, but I think the original idea had more valence. Also, I appreciate the UI work that went into this game, but I do wish that the autoplay had some sort of indicator for when it was toggled on and off.

This game has minimal animations, and I find that a lot of the sexual animations lack a bit of oomph. The stills are very nice, though. Non-sexual animations were more common in the early chapters but they are less prominent entering the mid-chapters, likely due to resource-intensivity.

Overall this game is excellent and very polished. I would recommend that nearly anyone try it.

Review for: v0.7.0

Story: Despite finding the game from a story-first games list recommendation, the story isn't it's strong point.
Atleast not in the traditional sense.
There's no overarching plot, no consistent connection between scene progression. It's more like a Friends season with a loose plot rather than a movie with a compact plot.
It's not a negative though, but a choice in the games design. And boy does it work.
By giving up on these, it better showcases each scene, giving them more impact.
It feels like glimpses into the MC's life, showcasing the important parts while life goes on in the background.
It's a format that works very well for this game & you don't even feel the lack of a compact plot progression. Instead you can better enjoy the moments, for those moments are not swept up in being a part of a greater whole, atleast not right away.

Originality: It's not really original, but not exactly a copy of any other game either.
I guess this is as original as you can expect, with so many games nowadays. Definitely better quality than most.

Renders: They are okay renders, nothing that wows me, but nothing to complain about either.
Except that filter that does weird stuff sometimes. Like making it look like a characters head is detached from their body
The arrangement of the graphics is pretty well done tho, not your normal 1 full-screen render only, but a lot of different styles.
Works pretty well

Sound: Has some nice tracks & sounds. Definitely above average on this point.

Routes: Routes are mostly content routes that lets you choose between dom, sub, vanilla etc.
Only one route looks like "exclusive to a girl" route, and even then it just lets you choose between Loyal & cheating kinks. Loyal path ofc you lose scenes with other girls, while cheating actually adds cheating content
In short the game manages to somewhat hit the sweet spot of the choices being impactful without being restrictive, allowing you to play how you want instead of being forced to give up on certain girls/scenes.

Kinks: This the reason you play this game. Despite not having kink or fetish in the game's title, this is the king of using kinks in a game.
There's a wide variety of them, but I've only played my paths on the dom side so I can only talk about those, but those were God. Damn .Perfect.
Especially talking about rarely seen kinks like female orgasm control/denial, dominant ntr (netori/bull), cheating (actually used properly as a kink/fetish) etc. this game seems to have an understanding of kinks better than any other game & knows how to implement them to the max effect.

This doesn't mean romance is absent ofc.
But the way to get the best out of this game is to take part in the various kinks it offers, from dom to sub to neutral kinks (like exhibitionism).
You won't regret it (ofc don't choose stuff you're not into )

A great game that manages to achieve perfection in one aspect: 5 stars totally deserved.

A solid, 5/5 game for me, one of the best on this site.


The good stuff:

- Well-written story that keeps you engaged and interested for the most part (even if it does tend to get a little draggy once in a while).

- Well fleshed out kinks and fetishes system. Essentially you choose conversation options that forms the basis for the player character's personality and this in turn gives you points in four main categories. The unlocked subcategories determine whether you can initiate a sex scene with a particular kink, where relevant.
While this system as a whole is not necessary to the plot of the game and can hinder the experience of someone who just wants to see all the scenes and have a quick wank, I think it does a good job of coaxing the player into actually sticking to their established character's tendencies - which in turn provides a more immersive experience. Hence this is a plus in my book, overall.

- Amazing characters that are all unique in their own ways and actually have distinct personalities without just being mannequins for the player to fuck. Deb is a dominant woman with marriage problems and a sweet husband that I personally liked as a character. Emma is a conflicted feminist coming to terms with her own fetish for being degraded. Kim is a raging bitch that I despise to the core, and you couldn't pay me enough money to even try and romance holy shit words are not enough to describe the amount of hatred I have for this shameless unrepentant bitch even if I'm going off on a tangent right now. All the characters are realistic in their motivations and feel well-crafted, even the ones I don't particularly care for.

- The ratio of story to sex scenes feels perfect for me, and this is possibly very subjective. Many games try and fail to handle this delicate balance, ending up with too much story that drags on and tires the player out; or the sex scenes are too far and few in between, with too little frames such that they don't feel rewarding enough for having to slog through all the prior text. Sometimes it's a combination of both. This game, however, has a healthy balance of both in my opinion that I don't mind reading through the dialogue and text because I know the scenes that follow will be worth it, and all the more enhanced by my understanding of the story/characters.


Points for improvement:

- If there was one thing I'd say felt missing, it'd be the presence of some kind of conflict, climax and resolution. Most stories with multiple paths like this require some kind of overarching conflict or problem, with one or a handful of points where the scenes converge before resolving and ending in a proper conclusion with all loose ends tied. This can be seen in games like "Freeloading Family", "Acting Lessons" etc. This game's plot however, doesn't seem to be heading in that kind of direction anytime soon, so each girl's relevant plot still seems separate and unrelated to the game as a whole. Yeah, I love romancing Emma, but it doesn't seem to bring me closer to the conclusion in any kind of way, and each path seems to diverge further with each update. Maybe the game is still early into its lifespan and it isn't yet time for the story to start working towards its conclusion. Or maybe this isn't something the dev has considered - in which case I hope the suggestion has been helpful. Only time will tell.



TL;DR: As a whole, it's an enjoyable experience that I would definitely giving a try, because there's a little something for everyone even if you may not end up liking all the romanceable characters.

Also:-
Emma is love,
Emma is life,
She's a bit of a brat,
But still best wife

To be honest, the renders almost made me put the game into the trash immediately after downloading. Glad I stuck through though. The writing is very good. A lot of things feel pretty natural, there are some fun gimmicks to the game that make it entertaining, and I LOVE the development of the sex scenes. Lots of options, and I look forward to more of this game in the future.

This is a spoiler-free review.

As you can probably tell from the other reviews, if you're looking for a quick fap, then this is not the game for you. The animations are quite minimal—from what I've experienced so far—and the sex scenes themselves aren't as stimulating as other games like Being a Dik (animated) or Our Red String/GGGB (static images) for that matter.

However, this gem has the most authentic and clever route/kink system out of the majority of games I've played on here. It's actually fun and impactful to choose how the MC develops. The internal banter between the different sides of the MC creates a conflict within you that very closely resembles what one might feel in reality. I also feel like this game has better defined which kinks are or aren't for me based on which choices I opted for in my main playthrough, which I certainly wasn't expecting. Even the options I passed on have intrigued me enough to want to do another run just to see the different reactions and scenes.

The story of this game is by far my number one favorite. I'm a sucker for psychology, and the way MrSilverLust incorporates that in a believable and seamless fashion makes this worthy of the praise it gets. With other games, I eventually get bored and start skipping unseen text just to get to the juicy bits, but this is the one that has broken that trend for me. As I mentioned before, the lewd scenes are secondary to the story, but the writing carries this game to heights I didn't expect. I'll even consider this to be the best written game on here, a title I previously reserved for Eva Kiss's games. Every character feels unique and presents their own challenges. As of version v0.7.0, the writing has remained consistent throughout each chapter, which is a huge win in my book. I've never developed a game before, but I can only imagine how difficult it is to remain true to your initial vision.

I can't believe I've missed this one.

It's definitely a slow burn. If you aren't wanting to read a bunch of text developing characters then it is 100% NOT for you. The animations are sub-par although the graphics are good. The models are excellent. The writing, however is the real star of the show, and the game design is quite good thus far.

Overall I recommend this to anyone who appreciates slow burns, character development, and realistic interactions. You will not collect women without consequences, but equally those women you do connect with come to life in your mind in surprising ways.

Deep game. I like it. Not tat often one finds a gem in this page. Nor does many of these games make one reflect. But you made sex game with meaning. Great job. I like it a lot. Hop you finish this gem. And that's something I haven't wished anyone in this page at all. Almost all of them are just wanking games. And a little wish: Emma and Main Character ending ut together would be awesome. They fit.

Well, there might be lewds in this game, but I'll never know. This POS went into the bin after the 3rd chess game. Too many characters, too many pointless choices, too linear, too many mini-games. I wish the dev luck, but from my perspective, this one is a mess.

Amazing. One of the best VNs to enjoy a great story you just want to read on and on. An absolutely unique work, perfectly crafted in every detail (also visually: I have never seen anything like this before). Thank you for making it real and putting so much work into it. Kudos.

all i got to say is i am amazed by this game being so versatile and being able to fit the kinks and needs of different people, never wanted to try this game until recently and i findout it is actually one of the best Femdom game, It gives u so much choices to make ur own route to avoid cucking etc. love Deb and Emma alot. The writing is really good and I hope the standard stays consistent. Looking forward to femdom content! Keep the updates coming dev, very good game.

Updated for 0.7.3:

In terms of adult indie games, this is in the elite tier. I think of it as a VN version of Friends with kinks, although I think this is better than Friends was.

I enjoy femdom in games but there aren't many games with it. This one is balanced with femdom, maledom and vanilla. As the apparently rare completionist I am, I try to view all routes and content, and if it's well written I can find enjoyment in all of them, although perhaps a bit less so outside my specific preferences. If you only prefer one of the above you will find plenty in this game. If you play all three you will get a considerable amount of content.

It's a slow burn and ramps over time, your choices give you different dialogue and of course can give you different relationships and scenes. For the most part there is a common route, some chapters stronger than others. The game has a wide cast of LIs, and each LI can have several distinct paths. The game has a "scenarios" option that allows someone to select the specific LI and path, giving the player a streamlined method of seeing each story. I'm not sure if the scenarios allow someone to experience 100% of the story. Even among each route there are many other branching options that might not be available in the streamlined story mode.

Kinks/lewd content are gated behind a "skills" system. Most dialogue options fall under one of 4 skills, each representing a tree, selecting dialogue gives you points in that skill. All of this is explained at the start of the game. Skills and LI information (including paths) are always accessible from a UI option on the top of the screen. There is never a lockout from not having pre-purchased a skill---you will always be shown the skill needed and have time to purchase the skill, if you have the points. Points will probably max out in at least one tree (and another shortly after) by Chapter 6 on a normal option play, but you can also select a "Relaxed" mode on future play that gives you double points, and will allow you an even easier time to purchase skills. You can also always rollback and try different options, the rollback will at least go back several lines.

If you are first discovering this game there is considerable content, the game is somewhere around 70-80% or so complete. I don't know the exact number of hours for a single playthrough, but you will need several to experience all the content. While waiting for updates, this means the content for each route will feel smaller with longer update cycles, but when this game is fully complete it means you will be able to try different routes to see different things. At this time it is at least as long as a mid-sized professional VN, possibly on the longer side. I have 48 hours played with a 90% dialogue read (you can see this stat under the options section of the game). I can't say how many of those hours or what percentage of missing dialogue is from updates changing the totals. When this game is complete and if a person first starts at that time, I'm sure the hours will be lower, but it's still an indication of a lot of content.

As of the 0.7.3 release, the dev has indicated 2 more chapters, updated in probably two parts each chapter, and a possible epilogue. Chapter 7 complete was released a few days over a year from Chapter 6. There were however unique circumstances involved. Speculating on 5 more content updates, at 5 months apart each, and the game would complete in just over 2 years. Note these are just estimates from me, not the dev, and I will update this if there is more information and if it would be helpful. At some point the game will be complete and there will be no need to worry about updates. But as of now it's still a very strong amount of content and there is no need to wait to play it. Saves have always been compatible between updates.

I can't give this anything less than four stars, as much as I didn't enjoy it, based on the hard work that went into it, the suitable aptitude for design and the plethora of paths.

But astoundingly, despite how many paths their are, the game is still very rigid and stiff (though it didn't make me so) in both its kinks as well as an absence of humor or life. It's also just incredibly boring - and this is coming from someone who enjoys a slow-burn natural progression in these sort of drama-based AVNs. Writing & plot also have a very mid-wit feel, in a dunning-kruger striving for insightfulness it never reaches with its outlook on sex, psych, sociology and societal issues. Sure, that still puts it a couple IQ points above the average game on here, though no one ever asked for it. Some lofty goals are better never tried at all if the capabilities aren't there, rather than tried, failed and ending up cringe or cheesy. Especially in a sex game. This is more like a middling, self-published, erotic novel aimed at young 20-something adults who read such things than it is a good porn game. I didn't walk away from it gaining much of anything at all, except some time lost. I would've preferred to have at least lost a little weight to my nutsack. Even with all the paths, this just wasn't erotic to me, nor was it worthwhile from a narrative standpoint. Very basic-bitch in its aesthetic. Will edit to write more later, but dear god, this is a snooze-fest.

I played the game not exploring every path. I primarily played the submissive MC and femdom paths. Consequently, this review will be focused on those aspects.
This review is for version 0.6.3

This game was rated as the best femdom game in the poll on the Femdom Finder 2.0 thread. I had no idea what it was about but recently decided to give it a go.

Boy am I glad I played this game!

The good:

- Characters: I hold the belief that a compelling story is rooted in its characters. A well-crafted protagonist is the virtuoso soloist, a good supporting cast is the harmony that adds depth and nuance, and the plot is the twists and turns of the melody. MrSilverLust has orchestrated a beautiful concerto that captivated me from start to finish. Nothing is Forever has one of the best cast of characters I have read in a very long time. I can't stress enough how well the characters are written. Each has their own rich pasts that shape their present desires, needs, and motivations. Notably, despite catering to similar themes/kinks (if the player so chooses), no two characters are interchangeable.

- Protagonist: Nothing is Forever stands out among games with femdom themes by presenting a mature, capable, and eloquent protagonist. Unlike the stereotypical weakling or doofus that just can't stop sniffing panties and can't wait to molest his sister or mother, the protagonist here is a grown and complex adult who, like us, is grappling with human imperfections. He displays moments of vulnerability but never succumbs to caricatured behavior I often see in other games with a similar theme. His flaws and occasional loss of self-control are relatable and serve as an opportunity for growth throughout the narrative. There is noticeable character growth throughout the story.

- Plot: The plot progresses smoothly and isn't overly convoluted, but the characters carry it forward effortlessly. The internal turmoil of the MC is a big part of the plot and propels it forward. It's a bit drawn out, but it's well written and is at least partially relatable. The other driving force is his quest for fulfillment and intimacy. A few twists and turns might make the story more compelling in the future. So far, the plot has maintained my interest in following the protagonist on his journey.

- Dialogue: Conversations sound authentic and natural with each character having a distinct voice. Very good writing and thanks to the proofreader(s) who also help with this aspect.

- Chess Enthusiasts: If you like chess, or you think you like chess after watching a certain show, this game has interesting chess-related content. I personally couldn't tell you if it's good, but it certainly looks interesting. These bits are skippable if you are not interested.

- Visuals/Renders: Are there better renders out there? You bet. The renders are good and serve their purpose of enhancing immersion and adding another layer of storytelling on top of the excellent writing. As with most other VNs, every girl is drop dead gorgeous. It's good eye candy, but not very realistic. We need some ugly girls ASAP.

- Kinks: The game's primary appeal lies in its extensive exploration of various kinks, showcased through an intricately designed "kink-tree" system. They are seamlessly woven into the narrative and character development. Nothing feels forced. Each kinky scene is distinct and some are ridiculously hot.

- Pacing: The game generally has good pacing, maintaining a steady rhythm between story progression and sexy time. Sometimes, things might get just a bit slow. If you decide to pursue one love interest, intervals between story development and intimate moments may appear lengthy at times.

- Music: The background music generally aligns well with the scenes and their themes. It could have more variety though.


The (only slightly) bad:

- Plot could have more twists and turns. Everybody is very understanding so far. Perhaps more conflict?
- An external antagonist (and I'm not talking about that irresistible lawyer) might spice things up further.
- Sexy time sessions could be longer.


The ugly nitpicking:

- Everybody's chucklin'
- MC shouldn't be getting advice about how a certain kink is practiced in real life by someone else, he's a sexologist, he should know better.
- MC has a bit of underbite.
- No facial hair fence-sitters, please. Either grow a beard or shave, Mr. Sexologist.

One of the best games I have ever played, and I have played a lot of games. It's carried by its writing and mechanics but the graphics are still above average. The world building and character development are top notch. There are no bugs that I have noticed which is astonishing considering how many branching paths there are.

The highest praise I can give it is saying it got me into kinks I have always ignored. Now I'm scouring all my porn sources searching for things like chastity caging and ruined orgasms.

I like this game a lot, will definitely support the dev. Every girl is better than each other and you can always find the playstyle you like. This is a game for everyone's taste. And art style? It is just mesmerizing. The only downside i can tell, the game is a little bit boring. There is too many unnecessary words and those are so much pain to read for slow-readers like me.

The choice/trait system is one of the most interesting in this genre but also quite clunky in how it actually works in the game. The cast is also interesting in that there's a girl for everyone in ways most games don't do. The girls are so different from one another that you may lose interest in most of them. Graphics are decent but could be better. It's a good game.

Nothing is Forever is an above-average AVN game with its writing, vast number of characters and characterization, particularly good storywriting and development of said elements. The love interests all have differing qualities, keeping the gameplay and conversations fresh and intriguing. The concepts explored in the game almost always have scientific explanations that draws from their real-life counterparts which adds up to the immersiveness. The music choice along with some of the other features like the mobile phone reminds me of Being a DIK, which is almost always a good thing. What draws the game back the most is, in my opinion, the sex scenes; arguably the most important aspect of these AVN's. The renders don't appear like they have too much effort behind them which is a huge problem. The worst part is, this doesn't seem to improve in any way with updates so we're left with what we've got.

Overall, Nothing Is Forever is definitely worth a shot if you're into AVN's in general (which goes without saying, I mean, you're here in f95zone reading my review for Christ's sake.) and its pros outweigh its greatest con.

It's amazing. I can't wait to see how much more develops out of this. I hope it's a ton. There's still a ton of scenes/kinks that many of the girls need to be able to play around with. I hope we get a slightly less intense cuck route for some of them. Just because we want to have them fuck other guys doesn't always mean that we want to suck on their shoes or get pegged by the girls lol. The one sharing scene we have now is incredible though.I'm very excited for all future updates.

What can I say about this game... no, what can I say about this masterpiece..., I found myself several times in the shoes of the character, I would point out that this remains very very rare, the art presented in this game remains very specific to itself and fits very well with the way the story is written. If I had to limit myself to a few words I would tell you to go there with your eyes closed, the game is excellent.