update is fucking awesome. this game is definitely approaching the Masterpiece category .. can see an amazing boost in animation and cutscene quality in this update, which was excellent quality to start with. i dont usually pay for incomplete games, but its already worth naming a price for this game :)
This have to be the absolute best virtual story I've ever experienced. I'm in awe with too few words. I'm almost finished with chapter 4 and it leaves me crestfallen as I know I'll have to wait for an update, but this is a game I'm willing to wait for. Absolute masterpiece.
Just started Episode 4. I don't know how I haven't played this till now. Ripples is an instant favorite. Story, beautiful animation, comedy, this has it all. You've definitely secured a new supporter!
His time travel window goes too far on the past though, as it is now he could be Skylar’s dad (and that would explain Luna), but everyone else including himself is a few years too young.
That said, Hoodie said he’d destroy the machine this time, so it’s possible that the next trip goes to a few years later and ties everything up.
Sure it would be a paradox for him to be his own father, but depending on the time travel theory the author subscribes to, that may not make it necessarily impossible. There is a great classic time travel novel with this twist (not going to mention the title as it would be a spoiler).
Can't be Skylar's dad. She states clearly that he's in prison for selling weed. I was thinking the same thing until I remembered that she tells MC that in the park. I think the Luna thing is just that Luna remembers him from the diner and she's scared of him because while people can look very similar, it's impossible for people to look exactly alike (excepting twins) without very extensive plastic surgery. Also, she says she never forgets a face, implying that she might have a photographic memory.
That's a fair point. I had thought of that. It just seems to me that Skylar and MC are close enough that she would have told him that the man in prison isn't her bio dad, and Luna is close enough to Skylar who is an adult and probably would have told her that her "dad" isn't her biological father. Speculating way too much. lol *shrug*
SPOILER TO ANYONE WHO HASN'T FINISHED EPISODE FOUR YET!
I was thinking that he might be the twins father because Scarlett's sister says to stay away from Scarlett and Alyssa tells MC that their dad disappeared shortly after Scarlett got pregnant.
The Itch app can’t update it automatically, and yes that’s unfortunate, but you can still download it from the webpage and install it by hand (I have). It’s totally worth it.
hey Jestur, love the game so far, just wondering if you could compile a soundtrack list here, in the game description, since the music in the game is fire. thanks man.
I imagined Luna didn't want MC to see Skyllar any more because she was the girl fired when MC used coins from the future, but it doesn't looks like it.
The hooded guy may be MC from the future trying to change his past ;)
Just a thought, but it would be quite a shock to MC if he had sex with the daughters in the present, then have sex with the mothers in the past, finally to learn he is the father.
My guess is two of your comments answer each other 😉 the other girls are too young to be his daughters (except for Jessica who’s apparently a few weeks too old), but Skylar would be just on spot. (Unless in a future chapter he goes back to a later year, that’s of course possible with the current story flow.)
He MIGHT be Alyssa and Alice's dad. Would explain April telling him to stay away from Scarlett and the fact that their dad disappeared shortly after knocking Scarlett up. Can't be Skylar's dad though. He's in prison.
I recommend using the itch.io app, it allows you to update games without having to re-download the entire thing and usually only takes a minute or two. This only works for games that are hosted on compatible sites (mainly games uploaded here.)
Thank you for the new ep, it was lovely, just wish it was little longer, but oh well... keep up a great work! Can't wait to see how will everything turn out. :)
But I must say I'm little worried if there be enough content for girls I like :P, I mean with all this girls + past/present time some of them may never get chance/scene or it will be only one scene at best (hopefully Scarlett, Luna and some others from 1999 get some love in present time).
Also, no (normal) face slap for Cindy in the last scene was wasted opportunity, I'm sure she would love that. :P Will me meet her in present time? I wonder... :) (honestly, don't remember if she was caught in accident or not)
(This review is based on Ripples 0.4.1 public release)
STORY & CHARACTERS ★★★★☆
Jack Wilson is entering his final year of high school and rejoicing the return of his childhood friend Darci, back from a year away at another school. It feels good for things to get back to normal — until questions start to arise about the power plant accident that killed Jack's father almost 20 years ago. Convinced that there is more to the story than what he's always been told, Jack embarks on an investigative quest that will bring him face-to-face with the events of the past. Choices matter, and for Jack, his choices may even rewrite history.
Ripples presents an engaging time travel story with plenty of mystery and intrigue serving as counterpoint to the everyday adventures of a high school senior, his friends, and his romantic interests. The novel offers a fairly well-balanced mix of slice-of-life, sci-fi mystery & adventure, and intimate encounters. Every scene is interesting and advances the story well, either in terms of core plot or character development.
The story has an interesting and varied range of heroines and supporting cast. Most characters are well developed to some degree or other, ensuring that almost nobody feels like a cardboard standup. There is only one heroine that I feel I don't have an appreciable degree of investment in yet, while at the same time feeling that the author expects I should be invested. This is mostly due to limited scene exposure thus far, and may be rectified with later chapters.
Indeed, with this being a time travel story, Ripples has unique opportunities for backstory development. It has thus far availed itself of these opportunities judiciously, focusing the lens of the past on characters who are (thus far) ancillary presences in the present. And this is not necessarily a bad thing. Instead, Ripples seems intent to capitalize on the opportunity to present two generations of characters at roughly the same age — which of course presents interesting prospects for a story that features sexual encounters prominently.
Ripples wastes no time with such encounters, which is always appreciated in an AVN. But it does so using its main cast of heroines (rather than leveraging side characters for early "quick wins"), and consequently introduces intimate encounters with limited opportunity for the reader to have become fully emotionally invested in the characters. The novel depends on some hastily described history between the main character and these heroines, and in so doing, threatens to undermine the reader's early development of empathy for the characters. (In one of the more egregious examples, a classmate flirts with the main character by flashing her uncovered nether regions in class — and in full view of several other students — in a move so ridiculously unlikely that it taxed my suspension of disbelief almost to the breaking point.)
Fortunately, the game finds its footing later on and manages to avoid developing a terminal case of Pornomancer Syndrome. As the reader directly experiences the interactions between the main character and the heroines, the game starts to patch some backstory gaps, and the characters take on sufficient depth to make later intimate encounters more meaningful and rewarding.
GRAPHICS & ANIMATIONS ★★★★☆
Ripples uses the HS1 rendering engine for its characters and scenes, and I must say, it looks like the author has tried to squeeze every last bit of capability out of the engine. Scene composition is consistently good, and many shots are downright gorgeous for the tech being used. Lighting and DOF are extremely well utilized and give each shot a sense of depth, while also focusing the reader's attention on the main subject matter. Every scene has enough detail that it doesn't feel empty or underdeveloped. Very few scenes look overly flat. The most egregious exception, perhaps, is the ground cover in the forest scenes from Episode 1; and the game manages to redeem itself in Episode 4 with improved forest ground cover, as well as some absolutely stunning flora at the lake.
Characters are what one would expect from the HS toolset, but the author has tried to achieve as much diversity in looks as possible, and mostly succeeded. There are a few cases where facial expressions from one character to the next start to evoke a sense of déjà vu — the dreaded DreamWorks Face — but for the most part each character manages to distinguish itself from other others. Because of its time travel theme, Ripples has additional challenges. Several characters appear in the both the present and the past, and have to look roughly 20 years older/younger while still projecting a sense of continuity in their identity. Mothers have to look the same age as their daughters in the past, but still come across as sufficiently distinct. And as if that wasn't challenge enough, the story includes quite a few sister and twin-sister characters who have to look similar but still distinguish themselves visually. So far, Ripples has done an excellent job on all counts.
As for animations — there are a lot of them. And not just for the intimate encounters. Many characters introductions are handled with toe-to-head camera pans; animations are often devoted to subtle motions like character breathing or other minor acts; and various mundane shots like a car pulling up to the curb at night are fully animated. These all bring a great deal of life to the world, and they also aid in delivering added emotional impact for even non-sexual encounters with some of the heroines.
When it comes to the sexual encounters, I don't think I've seen HS-powered animations done as well as what Ripples achieves. The scene lighting and DOF plays a large part in this. Beyond that, the scene blocking, camera angles, and camera motion loops are all very well thought out and brilliantly executed. Tactical use of camera wobble — not too much and not overdone — marvelously augments the energy of sexual encounters. These elements are what separate "okay" H-scenes from spectacular scenes, and Ripples manages to elevate itself well above most of its peers.
Close contact between characters during intimate scenes is another area that seems to present a lot of challenges for HS-powered scenes. Here too, I was blown away by what the author has achieved. Ripples exhibits a level of detail in contact scenarios — especially labia-phallus interactions — that is absolutely stunning, and there were very few instances where I noticed unsightly polygon clipping that tend to plague games with more hastily designed interactions.
All of these strengths are on display during the sexual encounter with Krystal toward the end of Episode 3 Part 2 — a moment I consider to be the high point of the game. The scene has it all: great scene composition, great lighting and DOF, a wonderfully expressive heroine, near-flawless physical interplay between the main character and heroine, the most detailed and impressive clitoris-phallus interaction I've ever seen in an H-scene, camera work that makes the escalation of the encounter incredibly energetic and satisfying, and full animations for both the female orgasm and the male orgasm (a rare and delightful treat in an AVN). Combined with the sound palette and music selection (more on that later), the scene comes as close to achieving H-scene nirvana as one could hope for.
SOUND & MUSIC ★★★★★
Ripples doesn't skimp in the sound and music department, either. The game boasts an extensive soundtrack, and while it's not original, all of the tracks are very well selected to fit the scene. This is particularly true of the sexual encounters, all of which seem to be paired with musical tracks that are very well matched to the tone and emotion of the encounter. This has a significant bearing on the impact of sexual encounters, so I'm pleased at the thought and planning that the author has committed to this aspect of the storytelling. The looping on some tracks is a little dodgy, but overall not distracting.
(Only one recommendation would I offer: DON'T leverage musical tracks that the Internet psyche has indelibly associated with Kerbal Space Program. I know Kevin MacLeod's music is non-proprietary, but KSP has a de facto monopoly on many of those tracks now — if only because the mood of a scene is severely compromised when the music evokes visions of little green men running around in a launch vehicle assembly hangar.)
Sound effects are well done throughout. In particular, the sounds of physical contact during sexual encounters are good quality, which is important as these sounds are highly repetitive in looped animations. While some refinements could be made, there were no sounds that were so out of place as to be the least bit distracting.
Heroines utter generic moans during sexual encounters, and these are extremely very well done. There seems to be a varied set of "voice packs" leveraged for this purpose, such that many character's moans sound distinctly different from others. There are variations that follow the escalation of the encounter, and the sound loops are very well put together. The result is a powerful synergy with the animations that makes the H-scenes supremely satisfying. (Again, the Krystal encounter toward the end of Episode 3 Part 2 features some fantastic voice work, especially at the height of the copulation. There is even voice work for the animated moments of orgasm. Top notch!)
GAMEPLAY ★★★★☆
In its currently form, Ripples is what I would describe as a "kinetic visual novel with an illusion of choice" — insomuch as the choices that are offered seem to mostly govern whether or not the main character will have an opportunity for future sexual encounters with specific characters. The main plot seems to be essentially on the rails, though I could be failing to discern some longer-term plot deviations that my choices may be affecting. A common ailment of AVNs is that choices tend to accomplish nothing more than selectively limiting opportunities for sexual encounters, rather than guiding truly interesting branches in storyline. It's a malady I've come to grudgingly accept about AVNs, and Ripples walkthroughs are available in the community for those who want to make sure their choices don't irrevocably close the door on future intimate moments. Various response options are even more trivial and simply exist to help vary the dialogue on subsequent replays.
A gallery exists to allow convenient replay of lewd scenes once they have been encountered at least once — a near-mandatory staple feature of AVNs. My main gripe is that the gallery thumbnails are not blurred prior to being unlocked, potentially resulting in some spoilers for the unsuspecting. This may very well be addressed in a future update.
OVERALL ★★★★★
Ripples is shaping up to be my favorite HS-based AVN yet! The story is superb, with an intriguing plot, interesting cast of characters, and range of situational scenes. The novel falters a bit out of the gate trying to balance character development with early H-scenes, but manages to find its stride and deliver a well balanced cocktail of erotic storytelling. The graphics and sound design are top notch, and I still marvel at what the author has accomplished with the HS1 rendering toolset. (I can only imagine what the newer HS2 Studio would be capable of in the hands of such an artist.) Episode 4, recently released at the time of this review, further expands the intrigue of the main plot, and I eagerly look forward to seeing where the author takes the story!
The quality of this game is unmatched and I love it but I did feel like this update was kinda underwhelming as it was so short. I understand if you had other things going on but I am still thankful for what you have given us.
if you are on pc, it should be on the downloads folder, if you are on mobile, it depends on your system, but it should also appear in your downloads or document folder
The quality of this is so fucking good i mean damn every scene had me going wow. Just the little details to make it that much more engaging, i love it lmao
Consider downloading a free VPN to use, personally I've used TouchVPN on the chrome store as using a VPN changes the IP address that MEGA sees which allows you to download with a fresh limit once you reach your initial limit
Try to download them using a browser or you can use the links in my Patreon. I hit Itch's upload limit of 4gb so I can't upload directly to itch anymore. Ripples is now 4.5GB
Really happy to start ep 4, this is one of my fav h-games in this site, the artstyle is quite unique from other renpy games and I love the characters, Skylar best girl.
Hey Jestur I was just wondering how would I be able to download episode 4 when it releases for free. Does it update automatically or will I need to re-install?
For some reason this gem had no presence on VNDB. I endeavored to stand up a decent entry for it this week, but it will need to be updated with new content and intel from Ep 4 over the next few weeks. https://vndb.org/v33448
Hey Jestur I was just wondering how would I be able to download episode 4 when it releases for free. Does it update automatically or will I need to re-install? (copy and pasted from my other comment)
Hey dude. Don't know what you're going through, but whatever it is, I hope you come out of it okay. Take as much time away as you need. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say we won't mind if you need a break.
Hi, bought this game here on itch.io some time ago and only recently played it. It's really captivating and I'm hooked since starting it. The scene with Darci and coffee is just hillarious. I would love to see updates, but that you feel well is much more important. Take all the time you need.
You doing okay man? Read about your tough times and I hope you aren't pushing yourself. I started a support thread below if you haven't seen it yet. Quite a few people in the community around your game have posted replies to it as well. Hopefully you read it and it helps you feel a bit better. Just know that there are good people here who support you.
Great freaking job im hooked. I see from the comments your not doing so well and i hope you get rest and recover and anything your going through. I wanna keep playing. How many episodes do you have planned? Once i get money id def. Support your patreon.
I love this game. It immediately starts off funny and engaging. Only thing comparable to it, to me, is Once in Lifetime and I've caught two references to that already and thought they were great. The art, animations, and the writing for the girls is superb. Cannot get enough of Skyler and Darci. Looking forward to some more Riley and hoping to get close to Lizzie as well. A+ effort on this one in every regard.
For everyone wondering about updates, please be patient. Jestur is currently dealing with some rather serious personal issues, and updates are probably the last thing on his mind right now.
That being said, I would like to ask anyone who reads this post to wish him well. Showing him the community around his game cares about him may make a huge difference to him right now.
So Jestur, if you read this post, please take your time to overcome the obstacles life has placed in your path. The game can wait until you are ready to return to it. Best wishes to you man.
Jestur, I wish you well and I hope whatever you are going through comes to past. Do not worry about the needs of us, we can be patient and wait. Your needs are much more important.
Sorry to hear life gave you a curve ball Jestur. Well wishes and good blessing hope everything settles for you. You do amazing work. Take your time we can wait.
Hey Jestur, I do not know you, but I do know about obstacles. and if yours are anywhere near the same as my own, i will say that sometimes the victory is in the struggle. Take care of whatever it is that you must, You have created something wonderful here in this game. So much in fact, that I felt compelled to send you some encouragement , This is because when i was feeling at my lowest, it was this story, that I happened to download, and by the end of the night I felt so much better. Your content helps people. so the least we can do is help you in return. Good luck and I hope everything works out for you.
Jestur. I love this game. The story is amazing. The subtle and not so subtle innuendos. Love it. The characters are amazing. I am so drawn in, wondering who it is in the mask at the power plant.
And when is the MC going to go for Tiffany?
And Janelle!!! Omg!!
So many things on the go!!
I cannot wait to see the next part. But I will happily wait for you to get through the obstacles in your way. Take care of yourself. We will be waiting for when you are ready to come back.
I wish you the best man I won't pretend to know what your going through but I do know that somethings can lead to a dark place and the key to getting out of it is to find the thing or someone that can pull you out for me it was stories like your game the sex is nice but the story itself is better written then many and I mean many other games like this you have a great talent I hope you can get well soon and I don't mind the waiting there are even some Manga that take a year to update its like opening a candy bar for the first time. It was worth the wait :)
My best wishes to Jestur as well. Not aware of what kind of problem life has thrown at him, but I hope he manages to get through it and rise back even stronger than before.
← Return to game
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
I'm guessing there's no dickgirl content, eh?
dick girls are disgusting
To each their own. (shrug)
i respect that but bro 乁( ⁰͡ Ĺ̯ ⁰͡ ) ㄏ
Man this is awesome, I love it!
I just finished when Bob fell down and when that shit got bent I suddenly lost all the strength in my body lmao.
bro last update was so good
update is fucking awesome. this game is definitely approaching the Masterpiece category .. can see an amazing boost in animation and cutscene quality in this update, which was excellent quality to start with. i dont usually pay for incomplete games, but its already worth naming a price for this game :)
This have to be the absolute best virtual story I've ever experienced. I'm in awe with too few words. I'm almost finished with chapter 4 and it leaves me crestfallen as I know I'll have to wait for an update, but this is a game I'm willing to wait for. Absolute masterpiece.
Just started Episode 4. I don't know how I haven't played this till now. Ripples is an instant favorite. Story, beautiful animation, comedy, this has it all. You've definitely secured a new supporter!
I might be crazy for thinking this, but could the MC be his father?
That is actually possible 😂🤔
No.
That is would be the very definition of a paradox.
He COULD be the father of some of his female friends though.
We'll see what happens as the story unfolds.
His time travel window goes too far on the past though, as it is now he could be Skylar’s dad (and that would explain Luna), but everyone else including himself is a few years too young.
That said, Hoodie said he’d destroy the machine this time, so it’s possible that the next trip goes to a few years later and ties everything up.
Sure it would be a paradox for him to be his own father, but depending on the time travel theory the author subscribes to, that may not make it necessarily impossible. There is a great classic time travel novel with this twist (not going to mention the title as it would be a spoiler).
Can't be Skylar's dad. She states clearly that he's in prison for selling weed. I was thinking the same thing until I remembered that she tells MC that in the park. I think the Luna thing is just that Luna remembers him from the diner and she's scared of him because while people can look very similar, it's impossible for people to look exactly alike (excepting twins) without very extensive plastic surgery. Also, she says she never forgets a face, implying that she might have a photographic memory.
The weed guy could be the dad who raised her, though, and he’d be the biological. I mean, you’re right, but it’s not out of the question.
That's a fair point. I had thought of that. It just seems to me that Skylar and MC are close enough that she would have told him that the man in prison isn't her bio dad, and Luna is close enough to Skylar who is an adult and probably would have told her that her "dad" isn't her biological father. Speculating way too much. lol *shrug*
Interesting，but I don't think so.if MC is his father, he should not coexist with his father . I do know a game that MC is his father,<Timestamps>
plot twist:
he is everyone's father, including his own
I think the MC is Tiffany's sister Jennifer. She had the knowledge to develop the time machine as well as knowing about the report.
SPOILER TO ANYONE WHO HASN'T FINISHED EPISODE FOUR YET!
I was thinking that he might be the twins father because Scarlett's sister says to stay away from Scarlett and Alyssa tells MC that their dad disappeared shortly after Scarlett got pregnant.
Support Android 11?
WAS a nice game, now it goes into a memory hole where i hope i remember to check when it's complete, it since it cant be updated.
guess the dev had enough testers.
The Itch app can’t update it automatically, and yes that’s unfortunate, but you can still download it from the webpage and install it by hand (I have). It’s totally worth it.
hey Jestur, love the game so far, just wondering if you could compile a soundtrack list here, in the game description, since the music in the game is fire. thanks man.
One of my fav VN's so far. Great animations! Looking forward to more!
Nice story, I've been hooked :)
I imagined Luna didn't want MC to see Skyllar any more because she was the girl fired when MC used coins from the future, but it doesn't looks like it.
The hooded guy may be MC from the future trying to change his past ;)
Just a thought, but it would be quite a shock to MC if he had sex with the daughters in the present, then have sex with the mothers in the past, finally to learn he is the father.
My guess is two of your comments answer each other 😉 the other girls are too young to be his daughters (except for Jessica who’s apparently a few weeks too old), but Skylar would be just on spot. (Unless in a future chapter he goes back to a later year, that’s of course possible with the current story flow.)
He MIGHT be Alyssa and Alice's dad. Would explain April telling him to stay away from Scarlett and the fact that their dad disappeared shortly after knocking Scarlett up. Can't be Skylar's dad though. He's in prison.
Loved the Diner scene. Laughed my arse off. Little gems like that really add to the experience. Well done.
Is there a way to download just the new version? Or do I have to download the whole 2 Gb game again?
I recommend using the itch.io app, it allows you to update games without having to re-download the entire thing and usually only takes a minute or two. This only works for games that are hosted on compatible sites (mainly games uploaded here.)
Can you please give me the link to the itch.io app, for Android
That unfortunately doesn’t include this game 😅 at least the most recent release was uploaded to Mega, which is not supported by the Itch client.
Thank you for the new ep, it was lovely, just wish it was little longer, but oh well... keep up a great work! Can't wait to see how will everything turn out. :)
But I must say I'm little worried if there be enough content for girls I like :P, I mean with all this girls + past/present time some of them may never get chance/scene or it will be only one scene at best (hopefully Scarlett, Luna and some others from 1999 get some love in present time).
Also, no (normal) face slap for Cindy in the last scene was wasted opportunity, I'm sure she would love that. :P Will me meet her in present time? I wonder... :) (honestly, don't remember if she was caught in accident or not)
I absolutely loved this game, but episode 4 ending got me wondering if there will be an episode 5?
(This review is based on Ripples 0.4.1 public release)
STORY & CHARACTERS ★★★★☆
Jack Wilson is entering his final year of high school and rejoicing the return of his childhood friend Darci, back from a year away at another school. It feels good for things to get back to normal — until questions start to arise about the power plant accident that killed Jack's father almost 20 years ago. Convinced that there is more to the story than what he's always been told, Jack embarks on an investigative quest that will bring him face-to-face with the events of the past. Choices matter, and for Jack, his choices may even rewrite history.
Ripples presents an engaging time travel story with plenty of mystery and intrigue serving as counterpoint to the everyday adventures of a high school senior, his friends, and his romantic interests. The novel offers a fairly well-balanced mix of slice-of-life, sci-fi mystery & adventure, and intimate encounters. Every scene is interesting and advances the story well, either in terms of core plot or character development.
The story has an interesting and varied range of heroines and supporting cast. Most characters are well developed to some degree or other, ensuring that almost nobody feels like a cardboard standup. There is only one heroine that I feel I don't have an appreciable degree of investment in yet, while at the same time feeling that the author expects I should be invested. This is mostly due to limited scene exposure thus far, and may be rectified with later chapters.
Indeed, with this being a time travel story, Ripples has unique opportunities for backstory development. It has thus far availed itself of these opportunities judiciously, focusing the lens of the past on characters who are (thus far) ancillary presences in the present. And this is not necessarily a bad thing. Instead, Ripples seems intent to capitalize on the opportunity to present two generations of characters at roughly the same age — which of course presents interesting prospects for a story that features sexual encounters prominently.
Ripples wastes no time with such encounters, which is always appreciated in an AVN. But it does so using its main cast of heroines (rather than leveraging side characters for early "quick wins"), and consequently introduces intimate encounters with limited opportunity for the reader to have become fully emotionally invested in the characters. The novel depends on some hastily described history between the main character and these heroines, and in so doing, threatens to undermine the reader's early development of empathy for the characters. (In one of the more egregious examples, a classmate flirts with the main character by flashing her uncovered nether regions in class — and in full view of several other students — in a move so ridiculously unlikely that it taxed my suspension of disbelief almost to the breaking point.)
Fortunately, the game finds its footing later on and manages to avoid developing a terminal case of Pornomancer Syndrome. As the reader directly experiences the interactions between the main character and the heroines, the game starts to patch some backstory gaps, and the characters take on sufficient depth to make later intimate encounters more meaningful and rewarding.
GRAPHICS & ANIMATIONS ★★★★☆
Ripples uses the HS1 rendering engine for its characters and scenes, and I must say, it looks like the author has tried to squeeze every last bit of capability out of the engine. Scene composition is consistently good, and many shots are downright gorgeous for the tech being used. Lighting and DOF are extremely well utilized and give each shot a sense of depth, while also focusing the reader's attention on the main subject matter. Every scene has enough detail that it doesn't feel empty or underdeveloped. Very few scenes look overly flat. The most egregious exception, perhaps, is the ground cover in the forest scenes from Episode 1; and the game manages to redeem itself in Episode 4 with improved forest ground cover, as well as some absolutely stunning flora at the lake.
Characters are what one would expect from the HS toolset, but the author has tried to achieve as much diversity in looks as possible, and mostly succeeded. There are a few cases where facial expressions from one character to the next start to evoke a sense of déjà vu — the dreaded DreamWorks Face — but for the most part each character manages to distinguish itself from other others. Because of its time travel theme, Ripples has additional challenges. Several characters appear in the both the present and the past, and have to look roughly 20 years older/younger while still projecting a sense of continuity in their identity. Mothers have to look the same age as their daughters in the past, but still come across as sufficiently distinct. And as if that wasn't challenge enough, the story includes quite a few sister and twin-sister characters who have to look similar but still distinguish themselves visually. So far, Ripples has done an excellent job on all counts.
As for animations — there are a lot of them. And not just for the intimate encounters. Many characters introductions are handled with toe-to-head camera pans; animations are often devoted to subtle motions like character breathing or other minor acts; and various mundane shots like a car pulling up to the curb at night are fully animated. These all bring a great deal of life to the world, and they also aid in delivering added emotional impact for even non-sexual encounters with some of the heroines.
When it comes to the sexual encounters, I don't think I've seen HS-powered animations done as well as what Ripples achieves. The scene lighting and DOF plays a large part in this. Beyond that, the scene blocking, camera angles, and camera motion loops are all very well thought out and brilliantly executed. Tactical use of camera wobble — not too much and not overdone — marvelously augments the energy of sexual encounters. These elements are what separate "okay" H-scenes from spectacular scenes, and Ripples manages to elevate itself well above most of its peers.
Close contact between characters during intimate scenes is another area that seems to present a lot of challenges for HS-powered scenes. Here too, I was blown away by what the author has achieved. Ripples exhibits a level of detail in contact scenarios — especially labia-phallus interactions — that is absolutely stunning, and there were very few instances where I noticed unsightly polygon clipping that tend to plague games with more hastily designed interactions.
All of these strengths are on display during the sexual encounter with Krystal toward the end of Episode 3 Part 2 — a moment I consider to be the high point of the game. The scene has it all: great scene composition, great lighting and DOF, a wonderfully expressive heroine, near-flawless physical interplay between the main character and heroine, the most detailed and impressive clitoris-phallus interaction I've ever seen in an H-scene, camera work that makes the escalation of the encounter incredibly energetic and satisfying, and full animations for both the female orgasm and the male orgasm (a rare and delightful treat in an AVN). Combined with the sound palette and music selection (more on that later), the scene comes as close to achieving H-scene nirvana as one could hope for.
SOUND & MUSIC ★★★★★
Ripples doesn't skimp in the sound and music department, either. The game boasts an extensive soundtrack, and while it's not original, all of the tracks are very well selected to fit the scene. This is particularly true of the sexual encounters, all of which seem to be paired with musical tracks that are very well matched to the tone and emotion of the encounter. This has a significant bearing on the impact of sexual encounters, so I'm pleased at the thought and planning that the author has committed to this aspect of the storytelling. The looping on some tracks is a little dodgy, but overall not distracting.
(Only one recommendation would I offer: DON'T leverage musical tracks that the Internet psyche has indelibly associated with Kerbal Space Program. I know Kevin MacLeod's music is non-proprietary, but KSP has a de facto monopoly on many of those tracks now — if only because the mood of a scene is severely compromised when the music evokes visions of little green men running around in a launch vehicle assembly hangar.)
Sound effects are well done throughout. In particular, the sounds of physical contact during sexual encounters are good quality, which is important as these sounds are highly repetitive in looped animations. While some refinements could be made, there were no sounds that were so out of place as to be the least bit distracting.
Heroines utter generic moans during sexual encounters, and these are extremely very well done. There seems to be a varied set of "voice packs" leveraged for this purpose, such that many character's moans sound distinctly different from others. There are variations that follow the escalation of the encounter, and the sound loops are very well put together. The result is a powerful synergy with the animations that makes the H-scenes supremely satisfying. (Again, the Krystal encounter toward the end of Episode 3 Part 2 features some fantastic voice work, especially at the height of the copulation. There is even voice work for the animated moments of orgasm. Top notch!)
GAMEPLAY ★★★★☆
In its currently form, Ripples is what I would describe as a "kinetic visual novel with an illusion of choice" — insomuch as the choices that are offered seem to mostly govern whether or not the main character will have an opportunity for future sexual encounters with specific characters. The main plot seems to be essentially on the rails, though I could be failing to discern some longer-term plot deviations that my choices may be affecting. A common ailment of AVNs is that choices tend to accomplish nothing more than selectively limiting opportunities for sexual encounters, rather than guiding truly interesting branches in storyline. It's a malady I've come to grudgingly accept about AVNs, and Ripples walkthroughs are available in the community for those who want to make sure their choices don't irrevocably close the door on future intimate moments. Various response options are even more trivial and simply exist to help vary the dialogue on subsequent replays.
A gallery exists to allow convenient replay of lewd scenes once they have been encountered at least once — a near-mandatory staple feature of AVNs. My main gripe is that the gallery thumbnails are not blurred prior to being unlocked, potentially resulting in some spoilers for the unsuspecting. This may very well be addressed in a future update.
OVERALL ★★★★★
Ripples is shaping up to be my favorite HS-based AVN yet! The story is superb, with an intriguing plot, interesting cast of characters, and range of situational scenes. The novel falters a bit out of the gate trying to balance character development with early H-scenes, but manages to find its stride and deliver a well balanced cocktail of erotic storytelling. The graphics and sound design are top notch, and I still marvel at what the author has accomplished with the HS1 rendering toolset. (I can only imagine what the newer HS2 Studio would be capable of in the hands of such an artist.) Episode 4, recently released at the time of this review, further expands the intrigue of the main plot, and I eagerly look forward to seeing where the author takes the story!
The quality of this game is unmatched and I love it but I did feel like this update was kinda underwhelming as it was so short. I understand if you had other things going on but I am still thankful for what you have given us.
this game has been amazing just wish there were more of it out..
Hi :) how do you access the episode 4 walkthrough?
PDF file, if the file doesn't download here try their patreon
How do you find that in the files? and thanks :)
if you are on pc, it should be on the downloads folder, if you are on mobile, it depends on your system, but it should also appear in your downloads or document folder
I know I'm late but thanks :)
The quality of this is so fucking good i mean damn every scene had me going wow. Just the little details to make it that much more engaging, i love it lmao
Can you add more download links, such as google drive for example? Mega keeps saying that I've hit my limit and cannot download any more
Consider downloading a free VPN to use, personally I've used TouchVPN on the chrome store as using a VPN changes the IP address that MEGA sees which allows you to download with a fresh limit once you reach your initial limit
Opera has a built in VPN that you can activate at will. Granted the locations are fairly limited, but they are there.
i cant download it says its using third party website someone help me how to donwload it pls
Try in a browser or the links in my Patreon post.
ok thx jestur
both of them didnt work:(
It won't let me use the Mega link to download
Try to download them using a browser or you can use the links in my Patreon. I hit Itch's upload limit of 4gb so I can't upload directly to itch anymore. Ripples is now 4.5GB
Finally chapter 4 is here, literally the best hgame now.
Really happy to start ep 4, this is one of my fav h-games in this site, the artstyle is quite unique from other renpy games and I love the characters, Skylar best girl.
:)
when is the game getting updated
how many days is the game goona get updated
5 or 6 months maybe?
oh ok thx for the answer
Does it have pregnancy
as of right now no, and have no idea if it will.
there is at least Tiffany pregnant in the past, but for now no scene with her
but you can see MC kicking the ass of an asshole trying to hit Tiffany's belly
Hey Jestur I was just wondering how would I be able to download episode 4 when it releases for free. Does it update automatically or will I need to re-install?
P.s This game is amazing!
It doesn't automatically update. You'll have to download the new version.
Was this inspired by the TV series Dark by any chance?
It does have Dark ring to it. Can't wait to be my own father or something ;)
For some reason this gem had no presence on VNDB. I endeavored to stand up a decent entry for it this week, but it will need to be updated with new content and intel from Ep 4 over the next few weeks. https://vndb.org/v33448
Oh nice! Thanks ThorsHamster 😀
Hey Jestur I was just wondering how would I be able to download episode 4 when it releases for free. Does it update automatically or will I need to re-install? (copy and pasted from my other comment)
Hey dude. Don't know what you're going through, but whatever it is, I hope you come out of it okay. Take as much time away as you need. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say we won't mind if you need a break.
Thanks!
Hi, bought this game here on itch.io some time ago and only recently played it. It's really captivating and I'm hooked since starting it. The scene with Darci and coffee is just hillarious. I would love to see updates, but that you feel well is much more important. Take all the time you need.
New Update is out on Patreon and Subscribestart for early access!
Public Release here will be Jan 30th.
You doing okay man? Read about your tough times and I hope you aren't pushing yourself. I started a support thread below if you haven't seen it yet. Quite a few people in the community around your game have posted replies to it as well. Hopefully you read it and it helps you feel a bit better. Just know that there are good people here who support you.
I'm alright. A little up and down. Thanks for asking.
Take your time and don't push yourself too hard man. Your health is more important than the game is.
Jestur, i hope you will get better soon.
what happened to him, is he ok?
Great freaking job im hooked. I see from the comments your not doing so well and i hope you get rest and recover and anything your going through. I wanna keep playing. How many episodes do you have planned? Once i get money id def. Support your patreon.
Any updates boss really like it.
Please see my post below.
I love this game. It immediately starts off funny and engaging. Only thing comparable to it, to me, is Once in Lifetime and I've caught two references to that already and thought they were great. The art, animations, and the writing for the girls is superb. Cannot get enough of Skyler and Darci. Looking forward to some more Riley and hoping to get close to Lizzie as well. A+ effort on this one in every regard.
For everyone wondering about updates, please be patient. Jestur is currently dealing with some rather serious personal issues, and updates are probably the last thing on his mind right now.
That being said, I would like to ask anyone who reads this post to wish him well. Showing him the community around his game cares about him may make a huge difference to him right now.
So Jestur, if you read this post, please take your time to overcome the obstacles life has placed in your path. The game can wait until you are ready to return to it. Best wishes to you man.
Jestur, I wish you well and I hope whatever you are going through comes to past. Do not worry about the needs of us, we can be patient and wait. Your needs are much more important.
Jestur, best wishes to you friend. You are a brilliant creator!
I hope things get better soon.
Hope things look up Jestur, you do amazing work!
Sorry to hear life gave you a curve ball Jestur. Well wishes and good blessing hope everything settles for you. You do amazing work. Take your time we can wait.
Hey Jestur, I do not know you, but I do know about obstacles. and if yours are anywhere near the same as my own, i will say that sometimes the victory is in the struggle. Take care of whatever it is that you must, You have created something wonderful here in this game. So much in fact, that I felt compelled to send you some encouragement , This is because when i was feeling at my lowest, it was this story, that I happened to download, and by the end of the night I felt so much better. Your content helps people. so the least we can do is help you in return. Good luck and I hope everything works out for you.
Jestur. I love this game. The story is amazing. The subtle and not so subtle innuendos. Love it. The characters are amazing. I am so drawn in, wondering who it is in the mask at the power plant.
And when is the MC going to go for Tiffany?
And Janelle!!! Omg!!
So many things on the go!!
I cannot wait to see the next part. But I will happily wait for you to get through the obstacles in your way. Take care of yourself. We will be waiting for when you are ready to come back.
I wish you the best man I won't pretend to know what your going through but I do know that somethings can lead to a dark place and the key to getting out of it is to find the thing or someone that can pull you out for me it was stories like your game the sex is nice but the story itself is better written then many and I mean many other games like this you have a great talent I hope you can get well soon and I don't mind the waiting there are even some Manga that take a year to update its like opening a candy bar for the first time. It was worth the wait :)
My best wishes to Jestur as well. Not aware of what kind of problem life has thrown at him, but I hope he manages to get through it and rise back even stronger than before.
We're all cheering for you, mate!