Maelstrom: A Yaoi Visual Novel

I played this as a favor to someone from Y Press who responded to my comment on Itch.io that it didn't have appropriate tags. I now think that the warnings are sufficient, but that there should also be a tag for "Alpha/Beta". I still don't like the game from a moral perspective. In short: The MC struggles the entire time to reconcile the fact that he is straight, when the planet he is on is causing him to feel attracted to these men. A robotic backpack that is in his head and the LIs are constantly berating him for feeling confused. The backpack is constantly invalidating Demetri's feelings and the whole thing comes off as manipulative quite often. They try to coerce the MC into saying he will have sex with them the first day they spend time with him. The story only spans a weeks time at most, and it feels like Demetri is constantly being harassed. In long: Well, turns out Jader has the most uncomfortable route. I do think there was a lot of dubious consent with kissing in this, but the actual sex scenes I guess weren't. I do see tags for "mentions of rape and dubious consent" tagged on the store page which is good. The relationships still come across as awkward and manipulative. The story appears to only cover the span of a week or less, but the ENTIRE time the LIs are either whining or angry at you for not saying you will have sex with them. Your brainbox is also constantly chiming in to tell you you're being stupid for refusing them and negating your feelings. And you will always be the Beta. (Demetri's story about his complicated relationship with his dad does nothing for the story. It also doesn't seem believable and makes Demetri look too self aware. Also, he only tells it to the Brainbox in every route, never the LIs, so what's the point? And people don't need a backstory or reason to be straight or gay or bi etc... They just are. If you are genderfluid or bi or poly or whatever, then that's fine. It doesn't mean that everyone should/could be though) In every route you end up bartering with the LIs. You get something from them and they get your affection, and this is especially true in Zheng's route. The LIs are always giving the MC ultimatums for telling them he will be with them and have sex with them. And this is even used to twist it into being Demetri's fault that Jader threatens to rape him??? It doesn't come to that, but it is wrong. Basically, I think the story avoids non consensual sex, but almost all of the dialogue leading up to it is manipulative, uninformed, and convoluted. Would you feel the same way about this story if Demetri was a gay guy and Secren was full of women or if Demetri was a gay woman coming to this Secren full of men? The fact that in Zheng's route they talk about the "effects of Lightning" fading once they leave the planet reinforces my belief (and Demetri's belief), that the game tries to deny, that Lightning is controlling Demetri. If Lightning just "shows you the inevitable feelings that you would develop" for someone, then why do they refer to it's "effect" fading or it magnifying your feelings for someone once you "bond"??? If it is just showing who would be very good potential matches, then why would leaving Secren be so terrible? Wouldn't you still have feelings for the person? Uncomfortable dialogue in no particular order: "I'm sick of fighting these feelings" - with Zheng "I don't know what I'm feeling. I wish life on this planet wasn't so damned complicated" to which Brainbox replies "You brought the complications with you" - Helix "He makes me feel guilty for being Hetero" - with Helix "After all, men on Earth can change their orientation based on circumstances. Hetero men have gay sex in prison" then Demetri replies that that's true but thee are also instances where "orientation can be fluid". Brainbox replies "So, why is it so difficult for you to accept Helix? You're not some ignorant homophobe. Even if you were, such nonsense couldn't have withstood the power of lightning" - with All? "Stick it in, Demi, but don't get used to me saying that" (Ok so Helix can have preferences but Demetri can't?)- with Helix "Part of me wonders if that would have made things easier for me. If you just... I don't know...raped me." - Helix "It was hard to make the decision, but when I did, it felt right. I can't do much for him, but I can at least do this" - In regards to offering to give Helix a blow job because he looked "stressed and horny" and had had a long day. "Why would your feelings distress you?" oh because he feels like he's "being manipulated into being interested in another man" - All Demetri saying to Jader "I can't be your lover...I'm straight" and a side character saying "♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥! Every earthling says that. Every earthling gets over it!" - with Jader *** The whole conversation with Jader on literally the first day: Basically your brainbox tells Jader to "wait to make his move" until Demetri is "well and truly seduced". This is after a convo about how Secren men rape each other to prove who is the Alpha. Demetri, for some reason, didn't make it clear that he doesn't want to do it that way but was thinking that he is not ok with that. Demetri yells at his brain box saying, "You could have made it clear I'm not into attempted rape!" and brain box replies "Not even you are clear on that, Demetri, and this is a valid solution to your irrational hesitation" The brain box goes on saying something like 'well, it won't be as nice as you having sex willingly, but it's the only way since you're so stubborn and such...- Jader Demetri saying "This is my body, I'm in charge" and then brainbox asserting that it in fact is not Demetris body but that they both own it. - with Jader Demetri saying "I'm straight" and Jader replying "Isn't that just a word?" - Jader "There! I've put you to sleep." Brainbox forcing Demetri to immediately go to sleep without his consent. - Jader "He's threatening to rape me Brainbox!" "Only because you'd force him to force you! You're the one in the wrong here!" "It's time to put up or shut up" coming from your Brainbox saying that since you killed the guy trying to kill you, you now have no 'excuses' not to have sex with Jader - Jader "It's like my feet want to go one way, and my heart wants to go another" - Jader Weird moments/mistakes?: Jaders blushing is not aligned right on his face for the entire game. there is a large gap between his blush and his eye. The romantic scene with Zheng switches between two CGs where you're both wearing different clothes and it switches like 4 times? Looks off. How/why is Demetri giving Helix a blow job when Demetri has a broken leg that "looks bad" and "really swollen"...? Calling Demetri sexist for asking if men wouldn't make better soldiers since they can selectively breed for men. This is after being told they selectively breed men to be miners because "Men are better miners. Women just for breeding" Zipso says "I smell ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ you" Demetri is surprised Zipso is speaking to him in English??? There was never another language mentioned? Don't recall where but in Helix's route he's pissed at you one moment and the next you two are just happy and fine like nothing happened and never bring it up again... It ends with the same CG of Demetri looking dead/tired. There is a note saying you ran out of time for an ending CG, but why make it end like this then? End with a sunset or something you already have? ​

I really wanted to like this game. it has some really pretty artwork, but I am not comfortable recommending this game to others. The production value is fine, it is the treatment of the protagonist that disturbs me. (I am also a little bothered the fact I can only scroll back line by line to read history, but that is minor.) If what I say below doesn't bother or faze you, then this game might be a solid purchase for you. :) While I get that the pairings need some external motivational stimulus as the protagonist is very opposed to same-sex relationships, I am not comfortable with how the AI inside his brain and your chosen love interest just gaslights and emotionally manipulates you with ultimatums to "convince" you to enter the relationships. The AI is basically a fujoshi who does not respect your decisions. I would've been okay with the character development of dealing with internalized homophobia or coming to terms with bisexuality, or any other form of self-discovery of sexuality or the lack thereof, but the whole prodding and shoving someone into a relationship that they are clearly uncomfortable with made, and still makes [i]me[/i] really uncomfortable. To be clear: I did not finish any route, so maybe it gets better treatment later, but I was too uncomfortable from the start to make it that far. :\

Alright listen... Id just like to preface this review by saying that I LOVE Y PRESS Games. Its a great company, and I usually have nothing but the highest praise for the games they make. They have great artwork, amazing voice actors, and some of the best storytelling you can hope for in romance games with adult focus. I have nearly every game they've made, and I get excited as HELL when a new on is announced, I've evened helped fund a few on Kickstarter. Having said all that, this game has a MAJOR issue and it truly made it hard to enjoy all its positives. And that issue was...how its main character's sexuality was completely disregarded in a very disrespectful way. I get it, this is a yaoi game. I came here for yaoi romance, and was looking forward to it. I came here to watch a capable but justifiably defensive and wary protagonist find romance in a bleak and Mad Max-equse planet by learning to open up his heart (and cheeks) to the idea of true love and sexy times with alien men that want him. What I did NOT come here for, was a young man in bad situation have it made 10x WORSE by everyone and their mother (including the fricken voice in his HEAD) telling him "The sexual orientation you've identified as most of your life is stupid and silly and the only reason you THINK you have it because your an off-world hick who hasn't found the right penis yet." Im sorry...the ♥♥♥♥? I felt my blood pressure rise each time (and there are FAR to many) that crap happened. I picked Jader's route first, and the fact that he was such a sweetheart who respected your initial protests and tried to woo Demetri slowly was the ONLY thing that kept me on board. Its was bad story telling to rush the romance and it showed so much. Sure, ONE closed minded NPC feeling that way could be played off as a fluke of the character, but Brainbox chiming in every ten seconds like a worse version of Navi was PAINFUL to sit through over and over. A straight person coming to the realization that they are actually bi (or maybe even demi because although Demetri says he doesn't like men, he also doesn't talk about missing women all that much either) could have been told a lot of different ways and still turned out amazing. The idea of "Lightning" an actual FORCE on the planet that helps you find your soulmate was such a cool idea and i was looking forward to the game showing how that sort of bond could transcend differences of species and even sexuality. Instead, we got a half-assed attempt at bashing heterosexuality. The disappointment is real ya'll.

Honestly, I'm a bit of a hater of this dev but I love yaoi, so I occasionally play her games but I'm mainly annoyed in the process, so I have to take long breaks between novels. I mean I didn't expect anything good here again, plus this time I saw lots of negative reviews but even with that biased attitude I was amazed what a fun experience this story is! An astonishingly pleasant read! <3 If only I were that mistaken all the time :) https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3557564603 [u] Praises [/u]: +Visually it's such an appealing story!(♡∀♡)I saw a complaint that they used the same sprites from their previous novels but I lloved them before and it felt good to reconnect again! All the guys are just too handsome not to use them again :) +I'm always a tad reluctant to start Y Press Games' novels because of all those frequent, intricate (often meaningless) choices, so to get all the endings and achievements you just have to buy their official guides. But this novel had a guide, and it became the main reason why I gave it a try. And surprisingly it wasn't that difficult to reach all the endings on my own. Though I'm still missing one variation of a CG but I'm ok with that. It's not a reason enough to spend extra money for their official walkthrough. I'm grateful for one more “perfect” game in my steam collection without much trouble. +The story was exciting in all routes! Even mc's struggle to accept his true nature didn't seem that annoying surprisingly, esp after all the reasons were revealed. All LIs had unique personalities & circumstances for all their issues. I seriously felt so rooted I couldn't stop reading till the end. Though their CGs had the same motif it felt rewarding to unlock them again, the anticipation of the same sweet content with a new guy felt awesome! https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3559016862 +MC is gorgeous in everything – the way he looks, choices he makes, his wish not only to survive personally but to help the whole planet, make such a grand difference was impressive! He wasn't too righteous being a professional soldier, just perfectly balanced. +I enjoyed all the different endings. There were more than enough funny moments that made me giggle, lots of adorable, romantic, healing scenes, but also tragic, heartbreaking situations. I lloved how complex the story turned out be. +It was a pleasant surprise to see MC play different roles in all those relationships. Not only Beta as it seemed at the beginning. +I found that world enjoyable. Lightning is such an amazing thing, I'm envious :) Though it was compared to our chemistry notion, so it was an easy to imagine concept but at the same time smth so great I longed for similar stuff :) That special nerve-numbing medicine, the problems on other planets, women's position, robots etc. The setting felt so well-though & well-created! +An [spoiler] extra route [/spoiler] was a nice surprise! <3 [u] Minor complaints [/u]: --I found it annoying that the same bits of text in different routes were unskippable :( Unfortunately I see it in too many novels:( WHY?! I perfectly remember how I've read that before! Is it considered to be such an important information I have to reread it? I'm sorry but it spoils all the immersion, I just feel enraged. Like, for example, here again and again to read about his dad and not to be able to skip through that was a torture. I usually give up quite soon though & start clicking through the same scenes risking to miss something truly new. Why is it created in such an inconvenient way I sincerely don't understand. --Again I can't say I enjoyed English (my main reason of reading novels). This time, I get it, it was justifiable and intentional as the characters didn't get any education and their speech could be not ideally machine translated on that planet but even realizing all that my brain still stumbled at all those moments. Closer to the end of the story I even started feeling slightly afraid that illiterate way of speaking will stick to me as well :D https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3553247058 --Despite all my grumble in general, I appreciate all the yoai novels released by this dev. There aren't as many games of this genre as I'd like. So beggars can't be choosers. They have lots of explicit novels and this one even in its name has 'yoai' BUT there's nothing here that could justify that T_T It's Boys' Love maximum :(( It was such a letdown when after such a loooong way mc finally surrendered to his desire then suddenly...a black screen, morning, happily ever after O_o That was NOT satisfying at all :( After all that long struggle we deserved more :( but alas nothing detailed visually or in the text T_T --I wish the numbers on the save pages/gallery were highlighted somehow to indicate where I am at that moment. When they look the same it's always a struggle which one to click next, I was constantly wrong:( why is it made in such an inconvenient way :(( Overall, I enjoyed it to such an extent that I'd like to replay it after some time. It was a real pleasure! <3 [table] [tr] [th]More thoughts about the game in a [url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/readingnook/discussions/0/603038516968954540/] Reading Nook [/url][/th] [/tr] [/table]

There are several other reviews that cover a lot of the red flags with this one, so go read those too, but really I just want to say this story had potential and it sort of just flops. Some people like VNs for the story, for being able to shape the plot, and some people want more of a veiled excuse for romance and intimate dealings. This is neither (the story/choices are lack-luster and the romance/intimacy moments are disappointing and even a bit boring). It's a shame, because if time was taken to sharpen the plot and characters, and, you know, remove the abuse that goes into manipulating the MC and shaming him for not being homosexual, there could be something good here. Also, the brainbox thing is absolutely ridiculous and distracting. I found it to be one of the worst aspects of this experience. It is a totally unnecessary character that has been shoe-horned in to try to justify the abuse on the MC. It's like they think that because the AI is "connected" to the MC it's okay to just mercilessly berate him about his sexuality? It frequently reminds us that "they're the same person," except the brainbox has its own agenda directly opposed to the MCs and its personality, not to mention, the way it speaks alone would drive anyone to rip it right out of their nervous system. It's downright annoying from a literary perspective, and, seriously, the MC just has a permanent metal backpack strapped to him all the time? This just becomes yet another thing the MC is pressured about; being permanently tethered to this stupid box because it will traumatize it if they're disconnected? Why? There's still potential, but you'd need a good editor, some patience, and a good chunk of time to look critically at this and refine it. I was pretty disappointed in it and I honestly don't really even want this in my library anymore. So, I was stuck with this game since you can't return after 2 hours of play (and lord knows you can't really get a true and fair feel for a VN in only 2 hours) I mulled it over and decided to give the other routes a shot. I will say, I wasn't moved to alter my previous comments; they still stand, but I think I understand maybe what the creators were going for. Obviously the desire was to create tension, some conflict with the MCs sexuality, but it's the way it was done and the lack of real resolution that made it, well, disgusting. There was real potential here to do this a better way and make a so-so story really stand out (and also maybe even make it heart-warming and meaningful). There's a lot of plot holes and little bits here and there that make no sense in the context of the setting (example: referencing Easter Eggs in Zheng-Li's route??? WTH should any of the characters know Easter how present day Earth knows Easter?). I also see that the brainbox thing was probably just trying to do something different with narration (really by trying to eliminate narration), but I'm sorry, it flops here. Narration is a key tool in story-immersion to help readers paint the picture, and there's nothing wrong with using it, even if you use it minimally, and any book you pick up about writing or editing will tell you that. There are large chunks in the plot of these routes that are just glazed over that a little narration could have really helped (another example from Zheng's route--when he visits the mines to see the deplorable conditions). These could have been very character-defining moments but they were wasted. I'm this far in and I may as well see all there is to see, so I'm going to try Sawyer's route and see how I feel after (and if I want to add praise or more pissy commentary to this review). ...Sawyers route was actually pretty good. Possibly the best. Relationship dynamic was more organic, less forced and less disrespectful/derogatory. Plot was fun too, very neat idea I think. Even brainbox was less annoying.

I have 2 concernes with this game: - First I've played Gods of Love... You know, the first game done by this same team... Even some completly free lazy indie game teams won't re-use illustrations AND musics of there other games so obviously! I fell so disrespected ! I was so pissed and disappointed :/ You even did a crowdfunding and we still have the same backgrounds for the realm of Lysander AND for the fortress of Zheng-li ! - And second, most of the musics are completly out of thune... (probably because they weren't meant for this game at first) I recommand to shut them for a better experience. And to choose an appropriate playlist on youtube. BUT the story his great and the original illustrations are awesome. So play it... (but with an angry face). I've read the web novels on kindle a long time ago and it's good to see a game about it. Yaoi + space cowboys is just a must for me -^^- So when i saw your game on it, that was an insta-buy ! Plus I loved all the games edited by YPG so far. The storys are thrilling ! If you're into Firefly, Cowboy Bebop, Borderland or Warhammer 40k like me, you'll be delighted \o/ It was nice to meet again Helix et Demetri, and even the anoying BrainBox. Zheng-li and Jader where nice surprises too. In fact I choose Jader first because he was so intriguing ! And I don't regreat it o/ I'm still waiting for Alpha Hole Prison in august. I'm sur it will erase my disappointment about YPG.

Maelstrom is a visual novel with a rich, well written world. My first route was Jader, because I love his design, but I found myself disappointed with his personality. And I hated Brain Box on Jader's route. I waited a while, and then tried Helix's route and had a much better time. Zheng's route was ok, but it was Sawyer's route that really impressed me. So advice for new players, do Helix, then Jader, and then Zheng. And Sawyer is best boi.

The Brainbox character is awful and should have been deleted. Brainbox constantly denigrates or ridicules Demitri's sexual preferences and orientation. Early on Brainbox declares that it will never act in opposition to Demetri's wishes yet it acts frequently in opposition all the time with numerous comments made not only to Demetri but also directly to other characters, manipulating and influencing the situations to get Brainbox's desired outcome. What art existed was gorgeous but there isn't enough of it -- what art you see is heavily repeated throughout the game. On one or more occasions you'll see a character's one permanent "bionic eye" switch absurdly from right to left to right, just because they wanted that character to be angled a different direction and wanted to reuse the same art. For some reason my screen went black whenever the game got to a steamy scene -- if that's by design then the game was really a waste. The game was generally a big disappointment.

"Maelstrom: A Yaoi Visual Novel" is a love story about a handsome young man wrongly-convicted, then sentenced to hard time on an All-Male Desert-Mining Planet. To survive, our "heteros3xual" hero will have to "betroth" himself to one of several strong, gay male Power Figures, most whom are at war with each other!! ART: The artwork in this Adult Visual Novel (AVN) is VERY S3XY, especially for 2D renderings!! However, there is NO explicit visuals in this Sci-Fi Love Story!! Although it's plot is intriguing, these renders are practically a PG-production!! Regardless, the artists depict a BEAUTIFUL Western-Inspired landscape, complete with Rail-fencing, dilapidated-barns, and desert-mines beneath starry skies!! The art is so ROMANTIC, it's "screenshot-worthy" and combines with epic story-telling to keep us enraptured to conclusion!! STORY: This AVN is SO professionally produced, the Hero's conflict of surrendering his heteros3xuality and mate for survival is a challenge most people would not believe achievable!! However, this Sci-Fi-saga spins it's tale SO well we find ourselves disappointed HE resists his LOVER for FAR TOO LONG!! In fact, this happens to a FAULT!! Realistically, I don't believe most men would choose NOT to satisfy their s3xual needs, even if it meant same-S3X partners--ALL because NO females were available!! Our Hero resists giving in to what he clearly comes to desire!! And unfortunately, this HURTS the story's immersion!! WORSE: the AVN also denies ANY s3xually-explicit scenes! Albeit, conclusions ARE satisfactorily achieved!!! SUMMARY: For a CREATIVE SCI-FI-Saga featuring: Lust, Love, Adventure, Battles, Violence, Hate, Romance and Vengeance, this AVN spins a tale you will most likely become TOO CAPTIVATED TO QUIT!! If you're shopping for ARTISTICALLY-RENDERED STORY, LOVE, and ACTION, this is one you DON'T WANT TO MISS!! HOWEVER, if you're one who REQUIRES explicit hardcore ACTION, you WON'T FIND IT HERE!! For THIS RECOMMENDATION, you have to choose ONE or the OTHER!!

I'd rather it be a bit more consensual for my yaoi romances. Also his backpack being a fangirl shipper really did grate on my nerves. Useful in combat but that was the extent.