(Context before we begin: I played this game for about 17 hours, and then lost my save, since Godot games seem to hate using Steam Cloud. Understandably, I’m still pretty salty about that, but I think I’ve played enough of the game to give a proper review of my thoughts on the experience.)




I’ve been looking all over the place for LGBT-centric hentai games to review for my curator group, the Twink Treehouse, and this seems to be the creamiest of the crop. Made by trans women and very much for trans women, this game spoke out to me in ways I’ve never seen a hentai game be able to do. Identity is everything in this game, as it is in real life for many of my sisters. After all, what better time to reinvent yourself than in a cyberpunk dystopia?
This review is going to be a bit more loose in structure than my other content, and honestly it’s because spoilers: to most people I would probably recommend this game, especially to fellow queer people. Unlike the Flipwitch review, where I had specific notes for things I did like, things that could be improved, and things I didn’t like, I don’t have that much critique about Hardcoded. It has a mission: to show the lives (and bedrooms) of queer people living in a cyberpunk city, giving a representation of many issues queer people face nowadays, but in the format of an h-game. I feel like Hardcoded absolutely accomplishes what it sets out to do, but there’s still plenty I’d like to talk about: to show you why this game is worth its, admittedly somewhat high, price tag of 17$.
First off: you can tell that everyone on board with developing this game wrote AO3 fictions at some point. For an h-game with a visual novel aspect to it, the writing is the most important part, and it’s nailed singlehandedly. To best display the quality of writing in this game, I see no better way than to simply say that this game made me feel uncomfortable. And not in the horror type of uncomfortable where you feel like “I want to stop playing this right now, something isnt’t right, help me,” but uncomfortable in the way of “oh god both of these choices I don't really agree with given the situation ♥♥♥♥ i need to think about it.” Coming from an h-game, it delighted me to feel this way! I’m all for games that subvert people’s expectations of the genre, and it didn’t dissappoint here. While admittedly a bit slow to get things going, once you’re into the swing of things it’s a really unique feeling. My analogy of Persona 4 social links will come into play here, as I talk about the gameplay.
The overall gameplay consists of moving forward with a major plotline, while unlocking new routes for specific characters revolving around arcs/kinks. Each in-game day, you pick a character’s next meeting event (or the event for the main story), and you just… see how it plays out! There’s also some minor exploration you can do around the city (and plenty of small CGs that can be found as a result), and plenty of shopping for new cosmetics/room decorations. This really is all of the gameplay, and it’s more than enough to get its point across. It’s a visual novel after all, you don’t need much more than that.
From the wide cast of characters you meet, to the variety of kinks on display, there’s tons of good stuff covered here in regards to it being 18+. Even things that I’d consider too much for me, which is honestly great! I know there’s many kinks that get nowhere near as much attention as others, and it’s nice to see it here even if it’s not my cup of tea. However there is some absolutely wonderful stuff on display. Expect lots of frotting, sapphic cuddles, and playing around with toys :3 after all, the cyberpunk wasteland comes with some pretty unique toys! This game feels like it was meant for me (all it’s missing is petplay and chemsex smh), to where I’d consider it hot enough to be used as material! If you’re familiar with my reviews you’ll know that I largely don’t play these games to get off, rather to give these games a chance to impress me with going above the status quo, or to find games with great LGBT representation. This game manages to be both, which is amazing to see.
It’s clear to see that a lot of time has gone into making Hardcoded, by some wonderfully fruity people, and I’d want nothing more but to use my platform to give this game more visibility. This is exactly the type of game I want to show off to people to justify why I review hentai games. To the eyes of most people, many will completely overlook this gem. They’ll see the adult only rating and immediately click off without even letting the game clear its throat. Games like this are why I cofounded the twink treehouse: I believe that people deserve to know sources of valid representation and sexual positivity like this exist. You never know who can be really validated with this game, so I figure I’ll let as many people know about it as possible. While it may be a potentially hard sell for cisgender folk, it's definitely a memorable experience for fellow trans people like myself. Here’s hoping I forget my 17 hour experience so I can make a fresh save and properly see all of what this game has to offer.


Signing off for now,
-Dee Starlight, of the Twink Treehouse