The Girls of your Dreams

I usually write long comments with all my feedback and thoughts when I play these games, this is the one I drafted and it's not perfect. I think some things could had been said or explained better, but sometimes I just write a template to myself to build upon. Like I was planning to go in depth on at least one of the monster girls and also to see at least one storyline (I think I read something on a vampire having one). I usually reword and rewrite the whole thing once I am done. Hopefully it has something that will be helpful in the development! I will write another one when I play it again

In case I didn't say it before. I have to say, I got the best start to the game. The best presentation. It was succubus queen first which made me understand how the game works, and then Yuki Onna which really hooked me in by showing me some of the best the game has to offer. I don't remember if they are scripted, but if they aren't, I really think you should make the first few levels people go through on their first playthrough consistent. Just to hook people. If you can't do that now, it may be possible later as more levels are added.

From December 23 2023?
....

Version: net-shag 0.3.34 (Prototype)

Trigger Warning (Skipable?): (skippable),

Non-pornographic depiction of....

Game: https://synthoel.itch.io/netshag

Note: Review in progress, I barely understand the game and I am new to it.

Note2: It's way too early in development to provide my thoughts on it properly. Some things that are underdeveloped can really kill my motivation to write here because I know it will be fixed in an update (but I also can't ignore it). I think I stopped after dying at the level filled with ghosts, he's already thinking about balancing the difficulty so it's okay but it also makes it so I can't write about that. There's also plans on improving the way you learn about the world and the monsters that would provide a much better raw experience.

So, I am very eager to play this once it's completed. So eager I might not wait until it's completed, but I really should wait some more. 

TL;DR version

This is the sex dream simulator. It's finally here.

Come and delight yourself in the amazing things you will find in this world! That you always find yourself in after you fall asleep or get killed, because this is a very sexy game that does a very good job at making every monster girl feel unique. Some of the girls want to be fucked so roughly they pass out! while others want you to prove you are worthy of even approaching them. A dungeon crawler game that is heavily text based, where you explore labyrinths and see what you find and survive for as long as you can! but don't think it will be easy, because most people don't make it out alive.....

The game won't hold your hand, there are many things you will have to learn on your own and you have to get used to the controls. This game is pretty fun! I highly recommend this game. It's very sexy. Beware though, you have to spam some keys to move around so to avoid hurting your hand, use a key macro or an auto clicker :)

Rating ?/

Vibing

~~~ Full thoughts ~~~

This game has some amazing and exciting ideas with every kind of monster girl it introduces, it's so creative and it feels like each encounter has it's own story. Each story straight out of the perfect wet dream, attention is taken into your actions, your environment, and the people around you, as not only do you get the perfect fantasy in writing, with excellent reactions from your horny partners, but it does so with creativity. Introducing concepts that you never really hear in other sexual fantasy media, like the crystals that gets absorbed by your skin that rejuvenate you and allow you to last longer.

This game is a perfect wet dream all around. The art is amazing and every girl and species feels like they have a personality of their own that really stands out. There is some story telling in knowing the special properties of the Yuki Onna, how easy and horny the cat girls are, how violent the cow girls are, and how knowledgeable and egotistical the succubuses can be.

It even has something for cock and ball torture!.... or torture at least. I don't know if it's intentional, but I feel nothing but fear as I see the cow girl stomp on my helpless body until I turn into a pulp, bones breaking, arms spagetthi, can't feel my cock no more because nothing I do works! And they chase you and all I can say is "HELP, HEEEELP AAAAAAA!!"

I feel like I am back in high school again, being bullied and locked into the locker with the ferocious gyaru trying to beat me up, doing so until I stop dropping things like a pinata. I don't think they actually want anything I have, they just enjoy brutalizing me, and I am too weak to fight them off (or charm them without getting my knees broken the moment they see me).

I did eventually manage to understand how to charm them, but it's difficult

This is a very good game, and since it's only a prototype it's nice to see that the game can be so much better in the future. It would be great to see it be more polished and complete. The writing is pretty good, I would expect the quality in many areas to be much worse on a prototype. I can expect myself playing this for many hours since the gameplay is actually fun, having to figure out how to manage your resources and the best actions to take, this is a dungeon crawler! I think once it's done I might find myself playing for so much longer. It might easily become one of my favorite games, it's touching into the concept of dreams and the dream world and that is something I love, I would be excited to see how this would look once it's finished.

The music choice is great too, it's very happy music sometimes ^{^^} (maybe hololive bgm?) it can feel awkward when it gets quiet sometimes though.

Speedrun strat: Strafing = more speed. Press both right and up and you'll move faster for example.

Using an autoclicker or key macro may be recommended if you find yourself having to move so much your hand hurts. Autoclickers are more user friendly and easier to set up. (Alternatively, maybe one of your items can help you navigate)

One tip is that, if you are new to dungeon crawlers, don't be afraid to use your items. Even if the dev increased how many items you could store, it will still feel limited and the game can sometimes be very generous with item drops. Use them as much as you want! Have fun, but make sure to not drop an item you really need.

I am still pretty new to the game, but it might take a long time for me to take a break from this game and try something else. I love dungeon crawlers. So I'll be posting this now and sharing my final thoughts after I am done. (note, not from original draft: oh hey another template. At some point while playing I decided I won't complete it yet)

Bugs and more

Arch Linux - Wine GE Vulkan

• Items dissapear when you try to pick them up with your inventory full. If this is intentional, I don't like it. I could had made space for the item instead of having it dissapear
• The quit button doesn't work. This is likely an error on my end
• There's a delay when I press the x in the gallery. It takes a few seconds too long to close.

Writing mistakes

Due to the nature of the game (in my eyes, fast paced), it's easy for me to miss writing mistakes.

• renpy.rpa -> renpy.rpy line 135 mc says "She's *wired*" weird* This is when mc met this girl while she was having sex with SluttyMcSlut while smoking weed. (template)

Improvements

• It needs more mechanics and incentives to add replayability and make the runs feel more different. There's many ways to do this, I am not sure how to go about it.
• Better item descriptions, currently they are all vague, assuming the title is self explanatory. It would be nice to know in detail what it does (either by using more words or using stats. I prefer using more words)
• A way to move without having to spam the same key repeteadly may be important health wise, maybe shift+walk?. I feel like I will have carpal tunnel playing this game since you have to move a lot in one direction sometimes. It makes sense for it to be this way since sometimes each action you take can have an effect on you, which is why I think it should at least be optional for people to walk by simply holding a key instead of pressing it repeteadly.
  • A temporary alternative for players is to write a macro with your preferred tool of your choice (autohotkey, autoit, among others). An autoclicker should also help, that way mouse control won't be tedious since it doesn't have the same path finding rpg maker games have (rightfully so, otherwise you could cheat your way out of labyrinths).
• Girls with more personality and depth, having a wider variety of reactions that are less predictable
  • (delete) I want more girls for each species. Girls that are recognizable, likable, and have unique behaviors and dialogue. Just like the Yuki Onna or the Succubus
• Game over scenes, more incentive to lose but also more incentive to win small encounters. This game has gameplay that is engaging, but the sex isn't engaging because you end up seeing a lot of the same encounters and scenes and they all start to look similar.
• Some secrets and easter eggs, a rare combination of things that you can do with the girls that could lead to a different outcome.
• Would be nice if some of the monster girls were helpful instead of being a threat, or if you could get sex without worrying about the resource management aspect in special scenarios

Additions

Brainstorming and sharing ideas I love or would like

• More content where the players have to read closely instead of focusing on gameplay.
• Better visuals for your equipment. Instead of having it in text on the side have it on a window.
• Being able to have a pet or companion would be a great way to build a story based on a relationship. Either someone that's always with you or someone you recruit from your adventures.
• Corruption kink? Getting a character that isn't open to sex to become open to sex. Hypnosis kink? having your body controlled by something else. Illusion kink? Nothing you see is what's actually happening. Space and sci-fi elements, space is weird so it fits in a dream scenario.
• Physical combat. This is a mechanic that is discouraged in the game, but combat can be used to lead to a sexual situation if for example the girl likes it.
• More friendly interactions. I think every interaction I found so far is sexy.
• An android version would be convenient for me.
• More world building! I love world building. The game has already introduced some concepts that can be used to create a world, the species are thought out and it's characteristics are unique. Yuki Onna is not just a tall girl for example, she can summon crystals and use them as a healing property. Succubi are also deeply aware of the dream travelers, may even be toying with them or summoning them, and could they also travel to the same worlds the traveler does? Cowgirls seem to be perceived as the species with the lowest intelligence and are quick to attack anyone they see, maybe they have a community? The harpys seem very daring at first but are quick to run away when you show you can easily overpower them, how does that reflect with other characters? Seeing it all come together would be cool, but having it all stand on it's own is part of the charm of a dream simulator. Dreams can have connections but they are usually pretty good at standing on their own, sometimes people only realize their dreams are connected when they consult a professional.

Noob additions

Things I want in the game, but are probably not needed or are already in the game. With Dungeon Crawlers it's hard to know because they don't hold your hand or explain everything.

• I think cat girls can be more sexy or cute? So far I prefer the others because they have better dialogue and writing (Might need to keep playing)
• I don't see a way to use my items against the monster girls. If there's no way to do that, I wish there was, I want to try blinding them for self defence. For some reason I can only blind myself??? The restoration scroll can only be used to hurt me? I don't understand how to use some of these items. Since it's a dungeon crawler, I might figure it out eventually with trial and error (On Pixel Dungeon, I can throw it at enemies)(note, not from original draft: restoration I think gave me more health, it's hit or miss. It either hurts you or it heals you)
• An item to increase your inventory. I won't need most of the items immediately most of the time, so I end up getting rid of them or wasting them by using them most of the time. There's items I will probably never use because nothing motivates me to use them and I have to get rid of them.
  • I know I gave advice earlier that would remedy this. I'll admit, not only am I not great at dungeon crawlers, but my temptation to hoard everything never leaves me.

Developer, please continue to be strong! Your work is amazing and I want to see it through. Very happy to see you didn't give up on this