I've only played through the game the one time, and it didn't seem to last too long. It's well put together, with thought-provoking questions, and some very unbiased, clear-headed stances on this, that, and the other. There's really no point in getting into design and technical details with these CYOA-style text games, as everything's subjective, so it's probably better to just get right into the content.

Maybe I'm dense, but reading through the description on the store page, I thought this game would present more of an indulgent, consequence-free experience. I got the impression that there'd be hurdles, and controversy to overcome, there always is, no matter how feel-good the material presents itself, but on some level, there'd be a chance to really dive into a vice, at least the once.

Thaaaat's, definitely not this game. It's a cynical study on indulgence, and escapism- and raises questions about what drives a person toward that escapism. If you're feeling romantic, or smarmy, you might even draw comparisons between the story, and any kind of art-form. Something happens that changes someone, for better or worse, and in their attempts to cope, grappling with their new responsibilities, scars, failures, memories, what-have-you, they produce art out of it. A game, a movie, a story, music, something that tries to capture what they're feeling, so they can better understand it- and maybe hear what others make it of it, as others gather around to indulge in this piece of themselves. The game even captures the folks concerned only with profit- and the folks concerned only with reputation and image, in this big ol' 'maybe-metaphor'. I.. Don't hate it. It's not what I expected, but the message is important. Escapism is modern society's bread and butter. Maybe way back when, it was just a 'hobby', something to be done in between farming, hunting, chores, negotiations, wars, and all the rest of the things that modern technology makes quick and easy inconveniences. So understanding this all-encompassing behemoth that is escapist entertainment- movies, games, anything that can suck some of your idle hours- and any loose change you have rattling around in your pocket- is.. Good.

I'unno. I don't have a lot of enthusiasm in my praise, because it's also just kind of a downer. It's a real downer experience, from start to finish. I didn't really get to touch on any vices. The opportunities they present, aren't exactly the kind of things I was expecting, a lot of it seems to involve self-harm, more than indulgence.

Spoilers from here on, I guess.

You start the game divorced, with a kid of uncertain age. The romance in the game is more of an after-thought than anything, so it's not exactly a huge deal to have an ex- though for all the game's 'trigger-awareness', it somehow misses the irony that more people will end up triggered over that, something as harmless as a failed relationship, than they will over some of the triggers in the game, heh. A lot of choices feel sort of.. Weightless. Meaningless, in the long run? Small bumps in your stats here and there, but none of the stats rise much anyway, and there aren't a lot of instances that they seem to be called upon. That's not a condemnation. I'm the kind of person that enjoys easy victories, and shallow satisfaction in games, so I'd be fine with there not even being a stat system, and to just succeed in whatever I'm doing, period. I'm aware that wouldn't make for much of a game, I'm just offering some context to my feelings. The game asks a lot of questions, but how many of your answers matter is up to your interpretation.

Your kid's importance is entirely personal. Your ex's value, entirely personal. People only mean what you make them out to mean. The story doesn't really put words in your mouth about that. It implies pretty standard, neutral stuff- feeling like a bit of a failure when you realize you don't know how to talk to your kid, that's par for the course if you're in that situation, guilt and shame would be the conditioned responses. I would say that the game does have a short-coming in that it doesn't present you with any reasons to feel anything for the characters, really.. Your ex doesn't have much to characterize them. They're your ex. They work two jobs. Their father doesn't like you. They're the father/mother of your child. How much you care is entirely personal. The game doesn't punish you for not being involved with your kid, or your ex more, from what I've seen. Really, the game doesn't exactly punish you for much of anything. It's just.. Such a bummer. Less about 'winning', and more about introspection, I guess. If I'm being entirely honest, it's not hard to believe that the author of the story is drawing on personal experiences with this story, and exposing a piece of themselves in the writing there. Not my business, I know, but it offers a little context as to why the game is less about making you feel good with cliche romantic conquests, and more about a romantic conquest that didn't pan out.

If you're someone looking for a good time, a pleasant fantasy to get lost in for however many hours, I think you should look elsewhere. Even still, I'll give this a very half-hearted thumbs up. The message is valuable. There's a bit of a sting to it, knowing you're paying for that message, but that's for you to justify to yourself if you purchase it. It's not.. Fun. It doesn't feel good. Given a lot of the content, I'm pretty sure that's the point, for it not to be fun, and not to feel good- a sobering examination of things that you might have better things to do than to think about. Or at least, things you'd rather do.. It's been a long time since you could say 'games are supposed to be fun'. If it's an art-form, as varied, and colorful as movies, then you've got to take the sad ones in between the latest Disney animation. If the fact I can't think of a single sad movie to name here is any indication, I don't usually so much as sip this particular 'flavor' of escapism. Here's hoping the next one will be more comfy, and cartoony.

A different CYOA of cyberpunk than usual fantasy and superhero genres. Narrative is dark and only appropriate for adults. A very good attempt with huge potential. Unfortunately for me, I felt the plot developed very fast with very less at stake for the MC to chose sides. As an outsider who just wants to do his/her job, only to be thrown into the political ring very fast. 'Why am I here? Oh I am the MC so I am important' is something that could have been avoided. Other characters also was not developed properly and felt a bit shallow. A little bit of motivation or character background instead of thats how they are will be better. Story also a bit short. Demo was convincing but left much to be desired in full game. Only recommended if you into cyberpunk or dark narratives.

5/10 Had a son. Named him. Called him 'boi'. Only few times. Disappointed.

*Negative review seems harsh, I would have gone with 'Maybe'.

I wanted to like this very much but the whole VE Pros and Cons thing felt forced and not all that contraversial. Also, the way the main character deals with and has relationships doesn't seem genuine and real. Another thing is the way the story unfolds... if we don't walk down a certain, specific route, our character's motivations seems strange and the story and choices stop lining up well making the whole story experience feel disjointed and uncordinated. A good idea, but should've just stuck to something simpler... maybe have a series of simpler cases going on at the same time, no baggage like an ex-wife or child to give the player a bit more freedom to mold and sculpt the main character.

Started off well enough, and hooked me enough to purchase the game, but my excitement quickly tapered off as the story progressed.

Characters aren't as fleshed out as i would like, and as some others have said, the actual Rent-A-Vice system was a plot device. Was disappointing, as I was hoping for a deeper in-depth level of world building.

Was also kind of unclear about why I had to pay child support, when your ex spouse and you share custody(?).

Romance could also have been worked better. At the end of my first playthrough, I was surprised when I ended up with a specific character, despite only having been polite and friendly (never romantic!!).

Not the worst game I've ever played, but would give a pass.

Starts out great, rushes too much towards the midway point, and is too short. Overall, though, I'd recommend the demo over the full experience, as the best parts are there, in my opinion.

A lot of potential but compared to other Choice of games:

• The stat system was less malleable and used less complexly, removing strategy from the game.
  
• The concept was less delved into. You don't really take part in the rent-a-vice system in the way that the summary suggests. It's more there as a plot device than as an actual game mechanic.
  
• The choices made were less plentiful and less important. In one situation, I made a choice that burnt a bridge with a character, had no chance to defend myself, and in the next scene they accepted me back with open arms. It's not horrible, but it's not as good as other Choice of games I've played.

It's not bad per se, it's just not amazing. I'd say only play it if this trope scratches your sci-fi subgenre fix.

The writing had me for a while, but some of the paths don't link up that well. I put in a lot of time with one contact, then did something they disagreed with. I then had an interaction where that contact was cold to me, which is fine. I could see that. Then I show up to the contact in another scene and I'm lauded as a hero for the good decisions I made. The paths clearly don't sync up that well. Another example is with the ex-spouse, where mine got mad when I was unavailable but welcomed me warmly later becauseI set our backstory to be a breakup on good terms.

One of the earliest options was so poorly written as well. I'll describe it in vague terms then in spoiler terms. Vaguely, I ignored a call from my daughter to pursue a lead in the case, and my ex got mad because it was urgent. My lead was going to slit his wrists and my daughter got beat up so bad at school that she had a fractured rib. The situation just struck me as so over the top that I lost faith in the rest of the writing.

Nowhere near the best Hosted/CoG has to offer.

Not worth it. It feels shorter than it really is, and not in a good way. The plot is bad. It pretty much takes a possibly interesting topic, and then 100% handholds you (Feeds you) through it with no twists at all. The story is not shocking, not emotional, and to be honest just boring overall. It is the definition of moving from point A to B. That is all that really happens. The most interesting parts in this are literally only semi interesting at the very best. I gave it a 3/10 but to be honest that is the BEST rating I could give it. This should have been free at best because it is not worth the purchase.

Story 2/10
Choices 3/10
Emotional Attachment 1/10
Romance 2/10
Character Customization 1/10 (You only get to name yourself/kid/ex)
Overall score (9/50)

DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME

It’s hard to leave a review for this game. In one sense, it achieves what it aims to achieve. It’s well-constructed, and the writing has particularly beautiful moments. However, because of the actual content in the game, it’s not something I would actually recommend to anyone. To me, Rent-A-Vice is an experience you need to stumble upon, read the summary, and use your best judgement about whether you as an individual can enjoy this type of content.

In a world where virtual experiences can feel real, the ethics of feeders and users opens up a labyrinth of mystery. As a divorced P.I., your life is turned upside down by your newest case. Searching the underground world of virtual experiences for a man pronounced dead, you experience firsthand how and why these experiences are important to the world you live in. Find out the truth, deal with your past-trauma, solve your case and try to stay alive between warring factions.

- I like that you can opt-in to trigger warnings. I didn’t think I’d necessarily need them (I did. Good gracious), but I turned them on by chance. From self-harm to police brutality and so many other things, I was so glad that I didn’t have to approach these aspects blindly. Part of the object of this game is to leave a bad taste in your mouth, but it doesn’t surprise you with trauma.
- The writing style I also like. What a subjective point, right? Still, the writing matches the tone and the genre without being all *noire misogyny irritant*. The parts of the game that I like—like spending time with your kid, or overcoming your trauma, are really elevated because of how these experiences are written.
- Positive Possibility . Although the game and the experience are pretty dark, I’m thankful that one possible route of your character’s personal journey is one of healing.

- It has so many triggers and dark content. It’s purposeful, it’s not just awful for the purpose of being grimdark, but it’s still so much, and so constant.
- You have to engage with the triggers. Again, this makes sense, but it’s still something I really didn’t want to do.
- Flat side characters. I wish the peripheral characters had a bit more substance.

- You like film noire and/or cyberpunk
- You enjoy dark content—or at least it tends not to bother you

I think this game is well written and catch the cyberpunk/near future vibe really well also this game try (and for me succeded) to give you a way to "personalize" the main character: This is a Private Investigator who's hired to search a presumed dead/missing girl involved in this new Virtual Reality trend: a "user" connect to a helmet that will give them the real-life experience of a "feeder": that's someone who live a dangerous/special experience: Climbing, Fight wild animals, feed himself like a pig,etc. Why he/she does so? because the feeder is forced to (illegal market) or because like youtuber guys who upload their videos to get attention and be paid for it in this cyberpunk world there is guys/girls who will do anything to make a life of it and get "users" give them feedback.

ln my "playthrough" I made a big intimidating Black man (only by name: Tyron) with a scar on his face and his best trait is calling his son "muffin" and have a soft spot for smoothies (for this alone it made me laugh XD). Aside the case you investigate you've a child to care for in joined costudy with your ex (who will ask you money at the end of the month). And a thug who you have a debt with (Jerry big bastard). All this situation i think is created by the author to make you feel the choice between doing good for your family (taking brides sometimes to make it to the end of the month) or stick for what you believe for. I also think the guy/girl who's a model investigator and your colleague is a good character with some "rival" potential (too bad this later lead to nowhere and this character is pretty much there to tease you, I would have liked some kind of "confrontation" at the end)

This is the good news now the bad news:

This game lack in my opinion the "motivation" to get you involved in the "Virtual Reality Experience Rule!" vs "Booo Make Feeder carrer Illegal" as what the game give you is in my opinion a really *really* dumb perspective (and it's pretty much all the story) even if you want to pick a side both the parties are pretty much: mind sick (pro-VR) or corrupted (no-VR) (If the game had given me the choice to pick the side of the thug who take my money every month I will had at least the choice to pick someone more sympathetic than the Politician or the Activist). Maybe if you are an activist in-real life (the kind of these who like to go march on the street and says slogans) And want to "make" the difference (change the outcome of the decisions others want to do by their own) you will enjoy the story more than me.

If you take the neutral path the game pretty much "piss" on you for being a selfish person. By the end my character get no debts, reconnected with his ex, have again a big happy family (♥♥♥♥ you father in law) and aside some burns get because stupid-Lori have trust issues, I'm feeling pretty swell (even if the game think otherwise but ♥♥♥♥ that too)

In the end there is worst CoG around (*cough* congresswolf) so for me you should give it a try (The adult theme is strong here but really not an issue for the "standard" of today media: You probably seen worse zapping on News channel )