#130

Crystal Goddess & Scarlet Maiden (WIP) By Otterside Games
Rhya's Crusade By BlackFortressGames

[Summary]

Old-school 2D pixel action platformers focusing at challenging gameplay, complimented by erotic animations and sexy artwork

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Review:

It's been almost a month and a half since I reviewed an action game, and if you want to be even more precise, make that 2 and half months since I curated anything with shooting that wasn't a certain white substance.

Today I'm bringing you back the old-school gameplay, the kind where I know it might come as a shock.. but you actually have to use BOTH hands to play!

Look, I'll warn you ahead of time - these games don't f*** around.
❗ If you just want some quick release session, then this isn't the post for you, so you better scroll down for other titles that may be more suited to your instant needs.

However, if you do consider yourself a gamer of culture, who enjoyed games such as Eroico or Libra Heart releases, then stay tuned for some quick competent fun that you don't get to see often in the scene.

Our first game, Crystal Goddess, is an interesting release.
At first glance it already seemed like another decent H platformer, but upon closer inspection it appeared that Otterside Games have actually released a more basic version of their stunning WIP "Scarlet Maiden".

Judging from the provided GIFs on their Twitter: going from the nipples covers, to the characters physiques etc... Crystal Goddess feels like what is likely a field test before the real thing.

Thankfully they didn't bother with a story. It doesn't need one.
Your only mission is to rescue hot babes getting pounded by evil plants and horny ogres, while collecting the magical 4 gems that were stolen from you.

?️ Gameplay consists of basic movement, jump, shoot, special move, and special move cycling.
⚠️ * IMPORTANT: The current build has insane keyboard input lag, basically making the game impossible to play with it. USE A GAMEPAD!!

We're talking about a classic linear action platformer. Get from left side to right side kind of stuff. Enemies die in a few hits, but you can ignore most of them, unless they get in your way.

Each rescued babe will grant you either a heart piece (3 for +1 container) or some hp refill. Make sure to look out for star damage upgrades for your cycled powers, and most importantly - the scattered CG cards.

? An additional CG card will unlock from the boss of each area (along with a new power), making it a total of 10 CGs to view at the gallery.
The artwork for them did feel a little basic compared to the beautiful pixel animations, and I was a bit disappointed that there is no way to view the captured babes animations separately without replaying each stage and standing next to them.

Unlike Scarlet Maiden, there is also 0 interaction between the heroine to any of the enemies, which was another disappointment that I can forgive, understanding that as competent as this game is, it's more of a prologue than a main IP.

At no point during my adventure I found the game to be particularly difficult, but I did notice having to pay more and more attention if I didn't want to get thrown back to the checkpoint.

Each level is short, but there are a lot of them. I enjoyed the different use of each power, along with new enemies and capture animations, that kept the game fresh throughout the entire journey.

All in all, this is a solid, yet basic, erotic platformer, with more emphasis on gameplay.
I know that to some people this is a wild concept, because they play adult games for  a very specific reason, but to me the mix of adult themes is what sets the true "platformer, but for adults" tone, that is ever so rare in the scene.

Crystal Goddess is available to purchase on Steam.
Surprisingly, it's also available on Nintendo Switch! (probably minus the NSFW)

⭐ Our next game, Rhya's Crusade, seems to be inspired by no less than Metal Slug and Contra - series that we all hold dear to our hearts.

⚠️ Now, keep in mind that this review only covers the DEMO, as the game isn't fully developed yet! (I will review it again when it's fully released)
However, I decided to give it a brief cover anyway because of its very promising potential, and also because we kinda needed more juicy pixel lewdness in this post.

?️ Rhya's game is a classic retro arcade shooter, where you can aim in 3 directions, run, jump, throw some grenades, and collect limited special ammo Contra style. (y'know, that wiggling thing in the air you gotta shoot down)

Controls are tight, and gunplay feels satisfying so far.
The first stage focuses mostly at deleting everything in your path to progress, and less about platforming. Hopefully we'll see more complex level design and perhaps even enemies interactions.

? Currently the only way to unlock H content is via destroying consoles (some are hidden) and defeat the boss.
Console scenes at the moment are still CG, while the boss "reward" is fully animated.
All gallery content is beautifully drawn, and totally worth unlocking - accessible at main menu.

I've read some complaining about the difficulty, and admittedly I did get down to 1 health a few times, but as long as I paid attention, I didn't feel the threat of death looming.
I will say that less experienced players may find the game a bit frustrating "just to enjoy some H content". (Honestly, don't play it if that's only what you're after)

The very well made classic NES/Famicom style gets big bonus points from me, as it left me in complete awe and expectation of future development.
You certainly don't come across indie games designed with such retro integrity, let alone an adult ones.

So keep your eyes peeled at Rhya's Crusade, currently available as a FREE demo on itch.io.

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