Ren'Py - The Null Hypothesis [v0.7b] [Ron Chon]

I've been playing various offerings here for like 3 years?

This is the first time I've felt compelled to rate a game.

I understand the inspiration from RE but this game is distinct and more my style in all ways.

Positives:
-Cool setting
-Cool plot
-Cool characters (including the protag)
-Great art
-Great UI
-Great scenes
-Great interactivity
-Great character progression
-Great writing

Negatives:
-Could do with being less grindy and being able to get around to events with less clicking through menus.

Things I hope to see as the game develops:
-Expand on the character progression options of the player
-Complete the story
-Expand the side quests and ability to interact with non-LI's or friend-zoneable LI's outside of the hot content
-Expanded stable of LI's (even if that means some become mutually exclusive or if some characters are more like flings that can only develop so much)
-Expand on the dialogues and interactions available

Already a great game, interested to see what actually comes of it by the end of development!

Tedious game (as of 0.3b) with little to offer other than excellent graphics.

• Graphics are pretty good. There is no point to argue about it. It is the only reason it is getting the second star.
• Gameplay is boring. There is not much to do other than train, go to class, and try to shag a girl after some progression in the story. Even the shagging is pretty boring. This game needs a QoL improvement over anything else.
• Story is well.... Unoriginal? What can you say when at the start of the game the development team says that "it is heavily inspired by..." . I am not gonna enter in the discussion of which one is better, but it has been done before. Even the original story the game has borrowed is not such a great premise, so all in all there is not much to go on storywise.

If you want some Xmen porn, there are better places to look for it. When I play porn games I like the game part WITH the porn... if the Game is painful, I have better ways to find the "fun" part

Truly a fantastic game. The story you are telling is interesting and evocative. The art is great and the premise if fantastic. You even made me care about a non-sexual relationship. Nightcrawler is my brudder from another mutter. lol

Keep the story tight.. Have a ending planed. And this will stay and be a 10/10 experience.

Game is incredibly tedious. Navigating the mansion and the menus feels like it takes several steps more than it should. The art and the music are absolutely incredible but I don't want to actually play the game bc it isn't fluid.

Solve the navigation issues and make the user experience better and this game is unbeatable, until then it will just frustrate you quickly

I really don't understand all the 5 star reviews for this game... Including from people who manage to list more cons than pros in their reviews but will still give it a perfect score...

I used to play RLE for a while but eventually stopped because it just became so repetitive with no real meaningful content added to it. I am fully aware this is not meant to be a remake of RLE but a completely separate game, but the basic premise and so much of the base gameplay are so similar at this point that the devs cannot blame the players for wanting to compare the two.

There's no discussion that the strongest point of the game is it's art, characters are beautiful and I really appreciate the variety of pubic hair that can be selected even if it doesn't seem completely implemented into the sex scenes at this stage. I just wish we had a little bit more variety in the character's body shapes.
The art also works a lot better in the sex minigame than in RLE.

But the gameplay quickly becomes extremely painful after a while. The menus and the map are horrible to navigate, we end up spending most of our time clicking several times to get to a different location, or to trigger an action or a dialogue, including in the sex minigame.
And of course you have to endlessly rince and repeat just in order to get a handful of points or cash. Even using the console to cheat the stats and money it feels like the game takes ages to make any meaningful progress.

The story pacing feels excruciatingly slow, this update added more character events in order to flesh out the character stories but they seem to trigger completely randomly (some took several days to appear for me and I did keep an eye for them on the map) but in the end they just add to the grind and are not that interesting to me... If at least they included some degree of lewd events to show some kind of progression in the relationships. I'm all for slow burn games, many VNs execute it well but here it's just a drag.

The outfit system has a lot of potential, but at the moment it's just terribly implemented, hard to understand how to properly save outfits, half the time the shame stat doesn't appear (EDIT : finally figured it shows on the top left corner...), and there's a lot of nonsense with the different clothes stat values. I know they had to remove some of the outfits for this particular update, hopefully once they are re implemented the outfit system will also get a rework to make it easier to use and understand).

It seems that the characters won't be as keen for nudity or lewd activities in public, compared to RLE. While I appreciate that the devs wanted to be a bit more realistic and didn't want to turn the LIs into addicted sex slaves, I also find it slightly disappointing because I think a middle ground could be found in that aspect that would not be as extreme as in RLE, but still have a degree of exhibitionism which was still one aspect I appreciated from the original game.

At the end of the day this game is no better or worse than RLE, it does have more story than the original but most of it doesn't really add much to the game and feels like a way to artificially boost the game content and it just ends up adding a lot of grind. It still gets super repetitive and the sex content ends up being just the same scene we have to replay over and over again with the same characters.

I had only played the previous version of this game and I feel like I had enjoyed it more, probably because it was my first time playing it. Now that I had to replay it all from the start it just felt like a massive pain and a massive grind to complete this update and it just became as repetitive and boring as the original...

It seems there is a lot of potential here and the devs seem to be quite ambitious judging from their posts on the thread, but I also fear they might just be over promising features and future content, especially if they already had to go back and "flesh out" the game and having to temporarily remove some content and features...
I'll be curious about the next update but I really hope we won't have to replay the whole thing from the start again because I don't think I'll want to bother.

Version: [v0.3a]

Beautiful art that suffers greatly from a not great sandbox execution.
This is gonna be short as there's not much to delve too deep into.

The art is really really nice, 2d art that is done well is a pretty rare find and it was the reason I lasted as long as I did with this one.
The writing is okay, nothing special if I'm being honest but definitely servicable.

As a game it is pretty bad.
The game is very laggy, the menus are honestly annoying and moving around the mansion takes too long and feels too bad (a way to move to a specific character instead of a location, 1 click move from the maps instead of changing floors etc, would be really nice), the phone should not exist as it does right now.
The text appearing in the corner of the screen as it does in comics is pretty pleasing thematically and visually, but is kind of uncomfortable in practice.

The gameplay is, as usual with sandbox games, bad. you spam boring interactions to build up stats and wait for events to trigger, even if they wouldn't take an eternity to trigger (randomly, of course), the mansion feels too empty, large, and pointless to justify the sandbox aspects.
Changing the cloths the LI's wear, as is often the case with 'Null Hypothesis', unintuitive, cumbersome and finicky. I gave up on it after a few minutes.
Well, after a couple of hours I saved and closed the game. when I came back I found out I lost around 20 minutes of gameplay, which consists of befriending X-23, and other seemingly random events proccing, and at that point I had to wonder, why do I even bother? so I closed the game and deleted it.

To sum it up - great art, serviceable writing, awful sandbox execution.
I'll be honest and say that my experience felt more like a 2/5 than a 3/5, but as I dropped the game without finishing all the available content, I'll round up.
Might check back in the future as it seems from the change log there are plenty of things that are changing and the dev is still figuring things out, but as of right now there's a lot of work that needs to be done.

I went into this game with low expectations, but it truly took me by surprise, exceeding what I had anticipated. The overall quality of the game is remarkable, especially considering its early development stage. The comic-book theme, the captivating setting, and the impressive environmental artwork contribute to a refreshing gaming experience.

Despite being in its early stages, the storyline remains engaging, and each heroine possesses distinct and charming qualities. The developers have introduced a character progression system involving classes, training, and studying, which I find particularly enjoyable. Although the mutant power system is still evolving, I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing its development.

There is a lot of potential here, and the game seems to be heading in an exciting direction. If you're hesitant about trying it out, I highly recommend giving it a chance. There's much to look forward to, and the game already demonstrates promising elements that make it worth exploring.

There are some bugs...and some issues with repetitiveness and grinding so far but it's not intolerable.

*As of V0.3a
Pros:

• Great animated 2D art, which is a pretty rare find outside Japanese games iMO
• Not much story yet, but the characters are written pretty well, and they do feel pretty alive, which helps cut the grindiness that some players have an issue with
• Sex minigame is decent imo, reminds me of the 2000-2015 Japanese trainer games.
• Enough mechanics and flavor to not feel like a copy paste VN
• Some people say it gets laggy, but I've reached the end of the content for this version, and never got any while running on a M1 macbook air.

Cons:

• Quite a few bugs as of this version, at least in the Mac download, but nothing game breaking.
• Can get repetitive, especially since the story isn't far along yet.
• Can be grindy to some players, but not as bad as many Twine games
• Some optional goals/events are hard to trigger.
• Can use more body movements, especially in standing art and facial expressions (makeout and orgasm reaction, etc)

Additional Notes
The game has great potential, and hopefully production runs well, since that is a bane of many of these games, and please don't resort to AI art...

This is to me the peak of what Adult Games can be. It blends the story of a typical Visual Novel with more interactive features, its characterisation of fan favourites from its chosen franchise work perfectly and the art is beautiful. One of the few games I've played that truly feels like a passion project.

A skip button would be nice and obviously the content is far from complete (albeit plentiful in its current state) but it's the only true 10/10 I've ever found on this site. Amazing job guys I can't wait to see more.

Longtime lurker, I've seen games come and go. I've seen the memes, the shitty games, the god tier ones too. I've seen devs do nothing and soak in money, I've seen them working their asses off to get updates regularly. I always figured didn't really need to put in much input because someone else does it for me.

This game changed that.

Every character if fun and with the new update we get to see more of them besides the normal dates and few lines of repeating dialogue. Each one of them actually feels different which was always one of my few complaints about rouge like.

Also the MC actually feels like a person instead of just a blank slate to insert yourself in, adding with the archetype feature I feel like I can actually immersive myself into this version of the x-men.

I'm extremely looking forward to the potential of going on missions and learning more about Null's powers and seeing where the plot goes. Farouk being a major antagonist makes me wonder how Storm will come into play.

The artstyle itself is some of the best 2D art I've seen on the site, like ever. Like the artist makes each girl feel different. Like I don't see a single different sameface.

The only complaint I can think off is the sex minigame can be a bit tedious but its not even the worst one I've seen on the site.

I want this game to be big, it deserves every bit of praise it gets.

This game is gonna be up there with some of the all time greats or I will eat my entire x-men collection mark my words.

The game's nice for an easy-going dating simulator. Mechanics-wise there isn't many sophisticated layers, in fact now come to think of it its kinda a bit simple. But the story setting and character interaction just barely compensates the downsides, along with great visuals, made it a pretty relaxing game to play. Would love to see more diversity in daily mundane tasks, and increased interactions between the girls. Strong foundation, now just gotta build on top of it.

This is a remarkably high quality game. The art is excellent, the storyline and character development are surprisingly deep, and the sex scenes are interactive, bringing a level of realism that is often lacking. The women will respond to your relationship level, so if you try to do something more than they aren't "ready" for then they will deny you... until you convince them

I am quite pleasantly surprised to be honest. I had very low expectations, but I was proven wrong. I will definitely be following this game.

My only wish would be to see the girls from more angles, and to allow the same progression system to continue for things like threesomes, new love interests, etc.

Also, the trust stat grind is a bit much.

This game is excellent. I expected the visuals to be better than Oni's game, but I did not expect the story to be better... Especially when I saw the story was written by the not-so-illustrious "Buttholder". But the story *is* better. Good job guys - keep it up.

THe game has a nice story telling, the interface is streamliend and clean and the drawings of the characters are of high quality. It does not reinvent the wheel but so far quite solid. I hope they continue it

Review For The Null Hypothesis (v0.2b)
I can't stress enough how incredible this game is! Even though I've played everything the current version has to offer, I still can't get enough. The developers' passion for the x-men universe shines through in every aspect of the game, from the amazing comic book vibes to the captivating storytelling.

Right now, there are only three romance options, and I have a feeling Storm will be the final female option. But who knows, maybe there will be more in the future? Despite having just three love interests, the developers have done an outstanding job integrating them into the story and making them blend seamlessly with the main character.

It's been a while since I've read any x-men comics or watched the movies, but this game truly immerses you in the x-men universe. Laura is hands down my favorite character, and I appreciate the attention she receives in this game.

The dating system is almost perfect with a few things that can get improved on, and the user interface is easy to navigate. Building friendships with the girls and progressing your relationship by hanging out, training, and studying together is a major part of the game, and it never gets dull. As the main character discovers more about his overpowered powers, he becomes stronger, and the girls are always there to support him which is something I really liked.

The game is still in its early stages, and the story is far from over, and I'm eagerly anticipating more exciting developments. Currently, most of the game revolves around spending time with the girls and deepening your relationship with them. Once you meet certain requirements with all the girls, you progress through the story, which includes thrilling sections where the main character uncovers something new about his powers and confronts some badass marvel villains. (The "I'm the Juggernaut" moment had me in stitches, as it reminded me of the original video. I'm grateful that the developers included that joke.)

Now onto the best part of the game that I absolutely loved - the interactive sexual scenes. To be honest, I believe other games should take notes from this game because the freedom to explore various choices and ways to have a good time with the characters was fantastic. What made it even better was the fact that you couldn't just jump into bed with them automatically. You had to establish a genuine connection, earn their love and trust, and then unlock new actions which made the experience truly feel rewarding.

The game's progression wasn't too tedious either, and depending on the time you invest in this game, you could complete everything in just 1-3 days.

Considering everything I've mentioned, I genuinely hope this game doesn't get abandoned because it holds immense potential. Honestly, it's one of the finest Marvel parody adult games I've ever experienced. So, if you haven't given it a try yet, what are you waiting for?

Making a game with good immersion needs both optimum level of coding and artitistics. It's like putting ingredients and flavour in jambalaya, too little or too much spoils the whole dish, they have to be in balance. Devs have hit to a sweet spot and create great ladies with seductive essence and somehow refreshing flow that kept this old wanker playing. This is fun and horny.

Great art, great game. I haven't liked a game sinci this one for a l,ong time. Hopefully, this game wont be abndoned like many.

If you are wondering should you play this gmae, the answer is yes.

Biggest gripe with the game is how messy and clunky the phone is. I also for the life of me do not know how to hcek the amount of money I have.

wanna let the devs know that this game is amazing and i'm hooked- spent the whole day on this. no regrets. this is amazing and i spent the whole night tring to get down on x-23. the art is amazing and the writing is really good.
please let more kinks in in the next versions!
all the best

"The Null Hypothesis" is a sandbox game that explores the interactions between the player character, a male protagonist, and various female X-Men members including Jean Grey, Kitty Pryde, X-23, and Storm. Developed by Imaginary Realms Studios, the game blends elements of open-world exploration with narrative-driven interactions in the mutant-filled universe.
The game introduces an intriguing premise, allowing players to navigate the dynamic relationships within the X-Men world. The sandbox format provides players with the freedom to explore iconic locations like the Xavier Institute, the Danger Room, and the bustling streets of mutant-populated cities.


Graphically, "The Null Hypothesis" is visually impressive, capturing the essence of the comic book world with vibrant colors and detailed character models. The sandbox nature of the game allows for a diverse range of activities, from honing mutant abilities in the Danger Room to engaging in epic battles against iconic villains.

In conclusion, "The Null Hypothesis" presents an intriguing concept, blending sandbox exploration with narrative depth in the X-Men universe. With its engaging characters, visually appealing design, and potential for a rich storytelling experience, the game has the opportunity to captivate fans of both the X-Men franchise and open-world gaming.

Honestly one of the most refreshing and exciting up and coming games out right now. The art is fantastic, and the writing is enjoyable enough for the game. I like how to story is progressing and appreciate the work on so far.
Really excited to see this go somewhere.