#168

Lala and the Bizarre Dungeon
The Stray Cat of Belheim By C-Laboratory

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[Summary]

Control beautiful heroines in 2D action games where you proceed through strange dungeons and meet with a variety of obscene incidents.

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Reviews:

It doesn't get more classic H Action gaming than these two games.

✔️ One handed controls.
✔️ Questionable story.
✔️ Scuffed difficulty.

And yet, there's always a certain level of charm involved that keeps you going, with decent gameplay and rewards that make the experience worthy of a quick romp.

I've put Lala and the Cat together under the same post because they use the same enemies assets, with similar lewd content integration.

⭐ Lets begin with the first "sequel", Lala and the Bizarre Dungeon:

? "Ciela Lanciel (nickname: Lala), a student attending a knight's academy
meets with an accident while in a cave for a practical test,
and gets lost in a vast dungeon deep underground."

Honestly, they could've said that she found a mysterious green pipe that took her to the mushroom kingdom and I would've still bought it.
It's nice that these kind of games have a story, but I always say that if you can't get the user invested in it - just let the H and the gameplay do the talking.

?️ The gameplay as mentioned is fitted for one handed gaming:
Left & Right movement, Basic attack combo, Special move (costs SP), Parry, and back dash.

The game is split into areas that repeat themselves (unfortunately) with the same enemies that gain new attacks and also become more aggressive as you progress.

Each wave contains two or more of them with unique attacks for each one.
They'll attempt to either hit or stun you, where getting stunned will always result in an H interaction that will reset your position when it ends.

Attack and Back dash cost AP (you get 6) that will reset gradually by waiting or instantly by perfect parrying.
Regular attacks will build up your SP, which you can use to unleash a devastating attack that generally takes out at least 50% of the enemy's HP.

Overall the game truly does repeat itself a lot, so I found the best way to mitigate the dejavu experience was to play on beginner mode, where you can deal with enemies a lot faster without the AI getting dumber or anything.

? There are two types of H-scenes: one is VN based (with some animation in the scene), and one that takes place during the action part when the player gets stunned and grabbed.
Both types are beautifully animated and complete the entire experience.

The in-game scenes also have an additional "zoomed in" animation, that aren't just an enlarged view, but unique animations in their own right.

There is another "secret gallery" that you can unlock based on your gameplay performance by earning bronze, silver, and gold medals.
Flawless gameplay is required for gold medals, so do keep that in mind, especially since the provided "gallery unlock" doesn't unlock it.

⭐ And with that we can move on to "The Stray Cat of Belheim", which is kind of a sequel, but not really.

While the devs did use the same monsters assets as Lala's, every interaction with them other than getting grabbed to initiate an H scene is completely different.

The story this time is about Mia the Fox girl (Kitsune):

? "In a small village near a vast sea of trees known as Belheim Forest,
there lives a catgirl named Mia. One night, she notices her sister
wandering into the monster-infested woods.

To keep her beloved sister safe from the dangers that lurk within,
Mia plunges into the depths of the timber-choked darkness after her."

Mia's game is basically a straight upgrade to the old system:

?️ Gameplay is now more dynamic, as enemies constantly approach from both sides, actively engaging the player with variety of attacks, plus new summons that spice up the encounters - some with their own unique H animations as well!

Instead of the old hit and run / parry, you're given complete free movement, with a fun combo system based on how you land your first hit (From air, dodge, slide, or standing).

Enemies waves are much quicker to handle now (thank god), much thanks to the new leveling system based on your performance.
You can now execute more actions than simple combos, such as grabbing blocking enemies, snappy tail attacks, or a butt slam that will send anything at your height flying to the other side of the screen.

Although the stages still repeat themselves, only with different spawns.
Every few waves you'll be granted a star to collect. Collect all 3 to advance to the next stage until you unlock a new H ending.

? Speaking of H, the artwork is clean and animations are in the same high quality as Lala, and now we have animated game over screens as well! (no animated CG events though)

Another new feature that I appreciated was the option to retreat back to safety between waves and jerk yourself off gently or vigorously.
And if you really have to - then even take a piss!

It's a mechanic we've already seen before in other games, but usually forced on the player when maxing out the horniness bar, while here you can choose to let off some steam, or keep pushing with a high sex drive.

The gallery doesn't take as long to unlock, and to be honest I found myself unlocking everything naturally as I had a great fun with the much more engaging combat system. (even if easy)

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Overall, the two "sequels" are definitely worth checking out.
Each title plays differently, so playing both of them will feel fresh even with the reused enemies assets.

These may not be among the top H ACT games out there, but they certainly hold out as solid experiences with integrated lewd action.

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Lala and the Bizarre Dungeon & The Stray Cat of Belheim are available on DLsite.

❤️ For relevant H content of these titles you may contact me in DM for referrals.