Penny Larceny: Gig Economy Supervillain

I think it's fine. Big fan of Fiction Factory. They make excellent games. This one misses the mark on a couple different things. Characters in this game generally lack personality to bring them to life. Every character feels like an archetype and little more. I like the main conceit of the game being replaying the story in different ways to uncover the main mystery, that's very cool; The execution doesn't quite hit the way I'd like it to, mainly bc the heists aren't fun in this version of the game. I like that they tried to make the star system so that heists are gamified, but it just isn't enough to make the heists have any kind of interesting stakes. I really think the lack of a failstate hurts the heists. I like that they've upped the ante on LGBTQ+ friendliness. This game has a lot of queer stories that are written very well. Arcade Spirits was open to queer dialogue and explored the area in a general sense. Penny Larceny gets more specific and highlights real aspects of living as a queer person. Ultimately, I recommend Penny Larceny to anybody who played and loved Arcade Spirits, but if you haven't played Arcade Spirits, go play that instead and then come back here if you love that experience.

TLDR: Be gay, do crime. This game is surprisingly deep. I really wasn't expecting the writing to be so intricate. It's very well written and I like that the game takes your past decision-making into account so that you end up having continuity between and among your conversations. That shows a special level of effort. The game play itself is quite fun. It seems simple from the outset, but it's surprisingly complex. Planning and executing the various heists is a blast. The characters are well-written and their interactions are a lot of fun. The humour in the game is quite good and self-aware. Expect the fourth wall to be broken many times. :D I love that, the player, is a character in the game as well. That's so clever. The various stories are full of twists and surprises. Super entertaining. I'm 12 hours in and I've only experienced two story lines so far and there's just so much more to do. The amount of content is surprising. My only complaint is that I wish Penny's outfits changed a bit more from scene to scene and that there was a bit more in the artwork department. Reusing artwork for multiple heists kinda hurt immersion a bit. Overall, I'm super impressed with this developer and the care they put into their games. After having played The Shadow Over Cyberspace (my first introduction to this developer and their latest game which is FREE), I've noticed the effort at continuity lore-wise between and among their games. It's awesome. I really hope this developer continues to make games, because I look forward to playing them. Well done! <3

I did not mean to play this game for nine straight hours, but it suckered me in good. Once again an amazing plot in a really fun world with a great cast of characters. This game makes me want to write fanfiction. I love it.

An absolute delight of a game. Gorgeous art, fun and interesting characters, great story.

Everything I like about Fiction Factory Games and its connected extended universe. However it lays the preachiness on very thick at times. I'm not going to be one of those troggs that just dismisses it as "woke" but I have to acknowledge how sanctimonious it begins to feel after a bit of time in the game play.

I was not expecting to like this game as much as I did. Don't get me wrong, I was expecting to like it! I love a good visual novel, and I'm a sucker for a story about superheroes-- and even more about supervillains, a tragically unexplored perspective. And that's all I was expecting to get when I opened this. But instead... I got something MUCH more. Sure, the hallmarks are all there-- a very fun flow to the 'heist' setup and executions, a forgiving difficulty system that encourages replaying without forcing a completionist mentality, a score of fun characters to delve into, romance, and all handled VERY well with opting in to sex and romance at all stages-- but... this game is a LOT more than that. I don't want to spoil too much, because this game needs to be properly experienced firsthand for the full effect. But this game gets into a metanarrative level that I was not REMOTELY expecting. It's both subtle and frontloaded, introducing the elements right as you stick your feet in and getting you so used to them that by the time you hit your first ending, you're blindsided by the way you didn't see where it was going at all. And that ending encourages you to play again, to see more, until-- if you're anything like me-- you're sitting back in your chair after an eight-hour binge feeling shockingly emotional about what you expected to be an enjoyable weekend timekiller. It's most comparable to Slay The Princess, which if you know anything about that should let you know EXACTLY what you're getting into, but Penny Larceny deserves enormous praise for managing to SURPRISE you with the fact that it's like that. And considering that is what I truly believe to be one of the greatest visual novels of all time? I think it's the highest praise I can give, and more than enough to convince me to buy Arcade Spirits near immediately if it's a FRACTION of this good. If you like visual novels, pick this up. If you like superheroes and supervillains (or should I say Capes and Masks? Play it, you'll get it) pick this up. If you like compelling characters, incredibly well-written and thought-provoking writing, and a really adorable artstyle, pick this up. If enough people do, maybe the devs will have to follow through on a sequel or DLC at some point-- though I think there's value in leaving a story with its happy ending and how you could follow up this one is a job for a much wiser writer than me, I certainly wouldn't mind a few more capers with Penny, Gibson and friends. Because as cheesy as it sounds to say, that's what they feel like after 100%ing this game. A caper successfully pulled on my heart, Fiction Factory. Five stars. And also Farsight is adorable and I cannot see any reasonable explanation for having any alternative opinion, that's my hill, I'm dying on it, so there.

oh this was just excellent

I don't usually play Visual Novels, but this one was recommended by a trustworthy source - and it was a lot of fun! The three main villain-employers have delightful depth, with motivation and backstory that fosters a desire to see each of their plots through - and then, play through the next one. However, it's not simply a retry of the same game - each run-through took about two hours, and each one adds more to the overarching narrative, culminating in a much bigger story. I played it on my Steam Deck, and it felt exactly right for the platform. It was great for the flight I was on, in a format that worked well for long-distance travel.

Delightfully woke visual novel

This game was actually a lot more fun than I initially thought it would be. I'm not usually into visual novels, but I really enjoyed the characters and how your choices can change the story. For me, the story got a little bit 'saucy' at times, but I don't normally play a lot of dating sims or romantic type games. Not saying it was bad—actually, I found some parts pretty funny! And the kitty <3 <3 <3