Ren'Py - The Bite: Revenant [v0.9331] [madmate.games]

  1. 4.00 star(s)

    SharkVampire

    The Bite: Revenant is a well-made game: in which author tries to create its own lore, add some gameplay elements and develop character personalities. Still, in spite of the fact that the author has really tried and done many aspects of the game very well, I can't say that I liked this game. I didn’t have enough interest in finishing this game after completing it to about 70% of the way through and watching the rest of the content with my ctrl pressed. However, this has more to do with my dislike of typical visual novels that gives little possibility of influencing the world, the expectations that come with a vampire setting, and other factors that I will write about below. Despite my nickname, I can't say I'm a huge fan of the vampire theme, although I did like it a lot at one time. Vampire theme, perhaps, like zombie theme, has been used too much and that is why it is really hard to make you surprised anymore. I'll try to highlight the main points that I found important. Both the good and the bad.

    Good and neutral.
    The vampire infestation was explained quite well, in my opinion. In this universe, vampires are carriers of a parasite and their abilities are not related to any mysticism. So here vampires are rather closer to living beings, which is not a bad excuse, for a game of adult genre, where the characters will have to engage in carnal pleasures.

    I really liked our patron Zoe, who took the protagonist under her guardianship. Apart from her sweet looks, there is something about her character that is rarely seen in girls in other games. She is probably the only character who doesn't immediately jump on the hero's dick and you really have to do certain things to make her trust you. However, this attitude may simply be due to her backstory, which is only hinted at a couple of times in the game. That would certainly be a disadvantage, as it's all too rare in games like this to find characters who know their worth and who really need to be conquered. To be honest, I even have some regret in dropping this game, as I would have liked to see more of this character. But not being able to fully play the character the way I want to, I think it would have ruined the experience of having a romance with her anyway.

    The writing in the game is at a pretty good level, and it's generally interesting to read the dialogue. However, I would note that the conversations are a bit too much at times.Yes, in the beginning it seems important, so the hero needs to learn the ropes of vampire world. But later on we see that it's more of a trait of the author to make "chatterboxes" out of the characters. The ratio between talk and action in this game I would estimate at 80/20, which eventually bored me.

    Sex animations are made on an average level. You can't call them very good, but you can't say they're bad either. I would rate them at 6/10 slightly above average than what you can usually find.

    It felt like the author was inspired by the World of Darkness, which can be considered a plus since it's one of the most developed worlds about vampires. However, many of its inherent qualities, which I appreciate it for, were either left out or not properly represented in this game. After all World of Darkness is about the roleplay, which is done poorly in this game.

    Negatives.
    When you play a vampire-themed game, you have certain expectations of what you want to do and see in the game. While everyone has their own preferences, I personally felt that something was missing. Something that didn't make this game a simulation of everyday life in a nocturnal setting. More use of vampire abilities and traits, confrontations with other vampires and vampire hunters, more of the supernatural. You can say that the game is still in its early stages and that everything is still to come, but you have to realise that the player needs something to keep them engaged until then. And I can say that this game turns the wheels of the story too slowly.

    I've already mentioned that I liked Zoe's character, but in terms of the rest, it's more of a standard set of everything you'd find in other novels. Although the writing in the game is at a good level, I can't say that anyone impressed me enough for me to remember them later. Except for one more character, formidable arbiter (a tall girl with a sword that acts as a judge), but there are very few interactions with her, and those that are there don't look like this dominatrix trying to dominate the protagonist. In general, the game is very bad with dominant characters, which for a vampire theme, I think is a very significant attribute. If there is a super being that lives for hundreds of years, whether you want it or not, but most of them should have already tried all the available pleasures, know their own worth and look at others from the position of their experience and power. In this game, this theme is very underdeveloped, and those characters that even have influence and power don't reveal their dominance in an intimate way. And I want to point out right away, I'm not saying that all of such vampires should be into bdsm, but even light femdom would be very appropriate, but it's not there.

    Overall, the sex content in the game is very vanilla, which is not what you would expect from a vampire-themed game. It's not a moe game with cute teenage vampire girls to make it so soft. There are different characters from different eras and backgrounds in this game, but they are all too "trivial". There's no real depravity, and no characters we could call perverted lunatics. The maximum we get to see in this version is a vampire girl masturbating in a club while listening main character's story of sleeping with another girl, and even that scene isn't written well enough to generate excitement. Most of the characters here suffer from the same thing as other games in the vanilla genre. The protagonist is the centre of the universe, and all the other men are just extras, and more often than not, nasty individuals that the protagonist has to put in their place. God forbid any vampire not keep themselves for hundreds of years for the sake of one and only main protagonist, otherwise the audience will immediately start shouting a three-letter word and hating the author. I'm exaggerating a bit, but it's true: in a game about vampires, you want to see sexually liberated characters for whom all this vanilla stuff should have stopped being interesting a long time ago. Ordinary people during 30 years of active sexual life most often get tired of it all and start trying new things, and here we are talking about immortal beings. It can also be noted that according to the lore of the game, in addition to huge physical improvements, vampires have insane regeneration, which should essentially lead us to the conclusion that their sexual stamina should be almost infinite. But in the reality of the game we see one simple intercourse with little imagination and one ejaculation and that's it. I don't know what the developer's plans are, but at the moment, I would feel very sceptical if any of the vampires would praise the protagonist for such "undoubtedly" divine sex from the height of their experience and vampire standards. Again all of this isn't just some silly nitpicks, I just don't understand why make mystical creatures the same as humans? As for the sex scenes themselves, they are rather short and, I would even say, weakly written. There's little passion in them if we're talking about the romantic side of things, and too little depravity if we're interested in dirty, fetishised sex (In one scene, the girl had a long tongue, which she took advantage of, of course. But that's about it). There is also no way to give it direction in any way, sex goes strictly according to a script.

    If you take out all the sex scenes from the game, it can be rated 16+. At first I thought that the tag graphic violence was simply forgotten to put, but after playing the game I was convinced that it really is absent here. There is only one more or less brutal scene in the game, where the main character is killed by another vampire. Everything else is text descriptions and a few blood stains. Again, this is a game about blood-sucking monsters with inhuman abilities, and turning it into yet another dating simulator is a waste of potential. Yes, this is all subjective, but as I said, the vampire theme raises certain expectations and even freaking Twilight has more violence than this game.

    Next, I'm going to name a drawback that is essential for me, but may not be so for others. Choices and their consequences. Right at the beginning of the game, a girl is thrown at us with whom the protagonist has sex, there is no way of avoiding it. To be honest, I thought this girl that will turn us into a vampire, an that's why it's mandatory, so I continued playing. But then it turned out that wasn't the case and we're going to be turned by another girl. I was pretty dissapointed that scene with this character was just made to show us animations and to show that the player has little control here. For me, there is nothing more frustrating in games like this than when the hero acts solely at the behest of the author and the player is merely an observer of his decisions. Fortunately, the situation improves a little later on and we can reject certain characters, but there are very few choices and alternative story options. There are also some skill checks in the game, and at first I even thought they would have a strong impact on the game. But later on, I started to feel like they served more as an extension of the scenes, merely adding extra dialogues, which led me to think that they didn't play a big role in the story. However, some kind of relationship system is present here and trust and relationship checks sort of affect whether a character is willing to go on a mission with you (this was the case with Zoe), but to prove it you'd have to go through the game a second time, which I don't really want to do. But like I said, the game doesn't often put the player in front of any choice.

    In the game, very often we are "pushed" to love interests that we need to interact with. Even after choosing the option that you are not interested in this character, we still have to listen to their babble until the end. And as I said, characters like to talk a lot. And like I said, things are very sparse with choices here. We very rarely get to influence anything and roleplay the character. So the main character, will play gentleman with everyone and listen to every woman's problems.

    The last drawback I'll mention is the protagonist's ability. Here is a little spoiler that reveals this ability.
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    I've never been a fan of overpowered protagonists, and I personally find it much more satisfying to accomplish something with limited powers or powers that everyone else has. But yes, in some cases even I can enjoy a powerful protagonist, but as long as the ability is not too ultimate and as long as the game continues to challenge the player. Again, I think it would be important to focus on the power-play fetish in the game. Here, however, such ability of the hero kills all further intrigue - it is too powerful and
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    And at this stage of the game, it doesn't really show up in the sex scenes either.

    In conclusion, I would like to say that while I gave this game 4 stars, I personally rate it much lower. But I try to be unprejudiced and I realize that many things in this game are not done badly, they are just not done for me. So if you like visual novels, where the story the author wants to tell is more important than your inner desire to shape it, then you might like this game. If long conversations with little on-screen action don't bother you, and you're a fan of vampire theme, then again, you might like this game.
  2. 5.00 star(s)

    Sneaky Heresiarch

    Phenomenal story. Def worth a playthrough. Especially how unique the settings is.

    Coincidentally one of the better vampire concepts in general, not just VNs.

    The only worry I have is if it's perhaps too ambitious. With the quasi-sandbox setup and a lot of complexity to each character, it will likely take a while to finish.

    Great work tho.
  3. 4.00 star(s)

    bananabonzai

    As of version 0.91
    This is one of those refreshing games that isn't solely just focused on lewd, depraved shenanigans. Story is very compelling, characters are fleshed out very well, and there are a decent amount of choices you can make that can change the story.
    Only reason I gave it 4 stars (for now), is because this VN seems WAAAYYY ambitious. And at the rate updates are released, and the pacing of the story, as well as the pacing of how fast the MC develops his powers, it could probably be years before this VN comes to a conclusion.
    Overall, still a very enjoyable experience so far...
  4. 5.00 star(s)

    eien

    Game is really, really interesting. Characters far b etter written tha what you find on this site

    The only con is the amount of content, which is decent by itself, but takes a long time to get updated
  5. 2.00 star(s)

    yeetermcgee123

    Want to give it 5 stars, but I just cant. Story, pacing and writing are all good. But the amount of content isn't great. Looks like its too ambitious - we're two+ years in and theres not a single "trait" thats unlockable despite appearing to be a couple dozen in que. Game would also be better served as a visual novel opposed to sandbox.

    Would recommend playing, it is good. Just not the high hopes it is ever going to be completed.


    Edit: Updating review a year and half later. Reducing to 2 stars, the story is not going anywhere.
  6. 5.00 star(s)

    desolate sharidan

    Best vampire game I've played here, the entire vampire mechanic is well-thought out and explained. The story is engaging, the girls are great and have actual personalities. Definitely recommend this game. My only actual gripe with the game is a personal one: Please make it optional whether we want the girls to trim/shave (some of us are into that!)
  7. 5.00 star(s)

    monk_56

    TL/DR: Nice vamp Iseki title with a slew of smart chicks as LI and good pathing diversity. Faction power-play is deeply integrated. Includes the tried and true "corruption" slider via the "control" stat. My only bit of sadness relating to the game is despite being a cool vampire, the MC isn't much of a sexual power-trip, almost underwhelming even.

    + The Mc's "memory dive" ability is a really fun and compelling way to present flashbacks.
    + The characters react very naturalistically, dramatically, and dynamically based on your choices / their relation with the MC. Its awesome how much variance the Dev put into everything.
    + Having your character pass a skill check and having the PC backgrounds makes each play-through feel more unique.
    + I love all the hypothetical LI and there is good diversity in them. Lots of different angles to pursue. (Claire and Doc are my fav's so far)
    + Skill sytem seems fun and interesting.
    + Nice music, SE, and Ui polish.


    Neutrals / Suggestion:
    ~ It would be very nice to be able to see the Trust and Affection stat on the NPC paperdolls.


    Cons:
    - MC is basically an average height skinny white dude with a 5 or 6 inch prick. Not much of an Iseki power fantasy. Hopefully he can physically upgrade at some point with the use shapeshifting or other powers. He is pretty boring in scene content.
    - Not much latitude to gain power. while maintaining your sanity. I love the push and pull / pros & cons of gaining power / losing control in a game- when you can maintain an interesting balance b/t the two tiers- but I'd like to see some opportunists for goodly MC to get power too, such as having ppl who trust him freely allow him to feed on them- ect. If the pure good Vamp route is really toothless compared to the corruption chud that is pretty boring for those who want a white knight fantasy.
  8. 3.00 star(s)

    allanl9020142

    It's ok.
    - characters don't look bad but not that great
    - the story is interesting enough, I just get kind of bored with all of the dialogue
    - sex scenes are underwhelming which is a shame because that's the only thing to fall back on
    - Sandbox elements seem interesting. Too bad I couldn't make far enough to actually do anything with it other than put some blood in the fridge.
    - grammar and sometimes spelling aren't good. Kind of broken English.
    • A lot of "You are", "I am" make it sound awkward. Especially when the next sentence contains the contracted forms "You're", etc.
    • Lack of diction. "fight" would have sounded better if it was "battle" instead. Makes it sound like it was some schoolyard fight. Makes characters who seem to have a more "sophisticated" tone look really lame.
    • Too many statements ending with question marks. "Maybe blah blah though?" Just because you say something with an upper inflection, doesn't make it a fucking question. It's incredibly passive-aggressive and brain-dead.
    • Awkward phrasing " ... What you are?" " ... what I am."
    I don't know. It's interesting but not interesting enough to make up for the awkward English. I've pretty much run out of patience with that kind of shit ... again. Which tells me it's time to stop trying new games for now.
  9. 5.00 star(s)

    ajajkajadha

    This game sooo underrated.
    Everything about the game turnout to be so interesting and smooth; the dialogues, characters and placement, all those elements works as they should. This VN is much better than most VN's at the first page.
    I'm nothing but impressed.

    *edit

    Yes, the sandbox ...
    the sandbox is so minimal, it simply doesn't bother me at all. it's like a time to breath between the quests.
    Ends up adding to the game, to be honest.
  10. 3.00 star(s)

    Sababukin

    Graphically a good level.

    Subjective feelings about the girls - Not counting the two girls met during the game, the rest are very uninteresting and the one that caught my attention has almost no content.
    Story - It's not the worst, but I felt a bit bored. And its length, for a 0.8 it's not much, I've played several games that at 0.1 or 0. 2 had more content, if you read quickly and don't skip the long, painful and uninteresting parts of the story then after 1:30 it's at the end, at the end which is not marked, you circle in free roam for a while because you don't know what to do and checking on the page you find out that it's the end of the game(shock because it's 0.8 so you expect a lot more) and the author forgot to let you know about it.

    The music is.

    MC - I have no problems with him, he's not stupid, he's not creepy, he doesn't have a million thoughts.

    Narrator - Half if or even more of the game's subtitles is the narrator explaining absolutely everything, after a while I started skipping because he was tiring me out telling me everything I see on the screen.


    I recommend waiting a few months because there isn't much content here, don't be fooled by the 0.8(1.12gb as I checked now, so I could expect in total, but I didn't check that it would be that short)
    As you are here for the lewd scene (I am not) I don't know if there are any at all, probably one, but it's hard to say because the girls I was interested in with one came to a kiss and that was it.
    I thought I had playing and reading for a few hours and it turned out to be very short.

    Nevertheless, I wish good luck and hope that in the future I will be able to change the rating to a higher one, unfortunately at the moment I feel cheated, the game should be marked as 0.3 at most
    Don't get me wrong this has the potential for 4 or even 5 stars, but if it's 0.8 at the moment it means we're at the end and there's not much game here. Looking at the content to unlock (traits) then the game will end at version 190.1 xD
  11. 4.00 star(s)

    Deleted member 2093814

    I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised after playing this. What I expected to be just another meh Vampire game on here, turned out to be an absolute cracker. It really has a lot of potential.

    The story hooked me in and does have a similarity to one of the best Vampire games ever made: Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines. We have the MC forced into his new vampiric life and have to struggle to survive among the plots of the Vampire clans as they seek to use him for their own machinations.

    The RPG type stats is awesome. I love how you can fail trust/affinity/etiquette/esoteric checks etc. due to the background or dialogue choices you selected. For instance, blabbing to the Arbiter about your creator will lose you Zoey trust and later you will fail her trust checks when asking for her help with an investigation.

    Speaking of Zoey...well she is just the best and hottest character in the game. Who wouldn't want to win her over as more than a friend...
    She is just so damn hot and has a great personality, even if it is cagey at the start. Some real chemistry there.

    The other chars are cool as well. From the stern and scary Arbiter to the downright terrifying Emilia (if this was VTM:BL she would sooo be Nosferatu clan)....the characters feel like they have their own secret goals and make you feel apprehensive what you say, in case you slip up.

    The renders are good enough to add to the atmosphere, while not top notch. That's fine as overall the whole game oozes atmosphere and menace.

    As for my 4 star rating, well I detracted a star because of the sandbox/freeroam element. I honestly think it would be better as just a pure VN with simple choices on screen for the quests. Much less work for the dev and well, I'm not a fan of these elements in VNs to be honest. They don't add enough for the hassle - in fact they can pull you out the story immersion or be a pain in the arse when you missed clicking on some small item on screen.

    Still, overall this is a great Vampire game and it's a compliment to the dev that I actually forgot I was playing a VN from a porn site at one point, so deeply was I trying to get the best stat choices for my character.

    Great work Dev! I look forward to more of your ambitious and rewarding game in future updates.

    Now if only Zoey could be corrupted to the dark side and embrace her vampirism...my dream would be of a wifey Zoey and keeping Claire and Julie as a pair of thralls to feed on and enjoy sexy time with Zoey...
  12. 5.00 star(s)

    sunaboz

    I'm pleasantly surprised by this game, very rarely does it happen that I find the story of a porn game engaging and to the point where I would enjoy it even without erotic aspects but here it happened! Maybe it has something to do with me being a Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines fan (and World of Darkness in general) but this story just feels different than any other porn game I know. There are some vampire porn games I've played but this one is by far the best.

    First and foremost - it's a proper Visual Novel, with tons of choices, stats and skill checks, very intriguing plot and good dialogues. The game is worth playing even without erotic content which is a testament to its quality. Our choices do matter and there are consequences whenever we make a decision, as it should be in any good RPG. So in essence it's a Choose Your Own Adventure game which is very rare for a porn game.

    Secondly, the porn part is great. Female models are sexy and beautiful, sex scenes are enticing and there's enough of them to not be left hanging. Definitely a good game if you're feeling an itch.

    Thirdly, the atmosphere here is magnificent. Like I said, it reminds me of VtM games (and most likely the dev is also a fan) which is a good thing. The abandoned hospital is awesome, the other vampires are awesome and in general visuals and text compliment each other very well creating a convincing illusion of a real world with some supernatural twists.

    All in all it's one of the best porn games I've ever played, absolute top of the top. 10/10, will play again and again because it has also very high replayability value which I haven't mentioned earlier.
  13. 4.00 star(s)

    Blizzard2255

    (Version Reviewed: v0.81)

    The Bite: Revenant is a difficult game for me to rate. I can see myself rating it as low as 6/10 to as high as 9/10. In the end, I chose to go for somewhere in the middle at 7.5/10.

    What I enjoyed about the game:
    + Premise. I love fantasy stories. Vampire fantasy stories have been explored in the past, but I think The Bite: Revenant is the best title in the genre.
    + Story. The storytelling has been excellent throughout the game. Our MC is turned into a vampire without his consent and a woman vampire is forced to adopt our MC as her scion, since the vampire community does not allow orphan vampires. We explore the delicate politics among the vampire clans involved in the vampire community while living as an outcast i.e. one without a clan. Overall, it has an immersive story.

    Meh:
    = Art and Renders. It does not look great. Nor would I call it bad. The art is a bit too grainy for my tastes. The animations feel like it's moving so quickly as well.
    = Characters. Zoey is quite an interesting character. But, the rest of the LI cast have failed to deliver so far. They just feel like characters to be fucked by the MC at the moment.
    = Music. Some good tracks mixed with mediocrity.

    What I did not enjoy:
    - Save Breaking. Okay, this is the biggest problem with the game. For a game that has been around for two years, my saves have broken twice. Not ideal and it's frustrating whenever you have to play from the beginning.
    - UI and Development Speed. This is another problem with the game. While the progress seemed quick in the initial year. It feels like the dev has bitten off a bit more than he could chew afterwards. I have no idea why the game has become a sandbox. It would've been a lot more easier if the dev had just stuck with a regular VN or allowed the player to choose the quest in a simple pick and choose method.
  14. 5.00 star(s)

    wastegate

    It's not often you get a good Vampire story, one filled with back stabbing, scheming, intrigue, plotting and dealing with the sexiness of the world and what you are. Knowing you have power over others while also watching your back. If you are into Vampires in a more "The Masquerade" universe, you will like this.
  15. 5.00 star(s)

    LandwardOrphan

    come for the kinky vampires stay for the story !
    Amazing game.
    I steamrolled through the game in one sitting.
    great characters, really good story with a gripping intrigue. I really enjoyed the fact that the characters acted normally. If you're here for non-stop action you're gonna be disappointed but I enjoyed the scene with Ciara in the bathroom.
    10/10 would play again.
  16. 5.00 star(s)

    Donkeyddd

    Good vampire isekai esque visual novel, one of the best ones and least gay too. The best VTMB type visual novel by a country mile thats for sure. If you want examples of gay vampire games check the ones of steam if you know you know. But this here is actually genuinely good

    Most vampire games tend to get a bit too gay with the characters and story. You know, twilight stuff smarmy mc all that bologna. Here it goes VTMB route where you get turned into a vamp and then you get plunged into this new vampire world and you try to get by learning the mechanics and what not.

    And as I said earlier the way it is done here is really good, the MC acts like reasonable normal guy, maybe a bit goofy but whatever. It feels more genuine and the vampire gimmick is handled real well with the whole power use vs trying to be a reasonable vampire guy without abusing your powers kind of like EVIL vs GOOD choices. And you get to choose how you want your character to act in situations and both paths work great.

    Maybe im overestimating the EVIL vs GOOD amounts but whatever it feels like there is choice in the game atleast even if it is illusion. For sure check it out if you like supernatural visual novels or want to play an actually good VTMB visual novel off shoot
  17. 5.00 star(s)

    benny7

    So far overall I'd give this game 4.5 Stars

    Good writing 4.5 Stars
    Story drew me in 4.5 Stars
    Animations are decent 3.5 Stars
    Unique attractive characters 4.5 Stars
    Nice romance aspect to the game 4.5 Stars

    (Gotta fuck 'em all! I hope so)

    Sex scene animations could use a bit of polishing (Decent enough to fap too) but are good enough to not take away from the overall game itself.

    The game world and characters remind me of WTM Bloodlines (2004 Game) which is a good thing.
  18. 3.00 star(s)

    nitkonikic

    Not for me I guess. This one suffers from simple issue, one girl gets most of the playtime.

    Unfortunately for me, I found that one girl incredibly dull, uninteresting and horrible match for MC. So after few hours of reading dialogues mostly between just the two of them, decided to drop it.

    Choices are mostly "Yes" or "Yeah". 2nd one also gives affection/trust points. but doesn't change anything really.
  19. 5.00 star(s)

    dotawolfbrother

    Absolutely amazing. It's a relatively linear VN, but it's amazingly well-paced. You'll be jumping from scene to scene and character interaction to character interaction with no brakes, and I enjoyed every second of it. Every reveal has been great, every emotional moment on point.

    If I had to say one thing I didn't like, there were a few scenes where characters you might like get taken off screen only to reappear a few minutes later, and I'll just be sitting here complaining that they were taken off screen in the first place! Best problem to have. 10/10 game, and my only issue is that there isn't more!

    (Oh, and I'm worried about the sandbox. I had a scare when it suddenly switched to sandbox and asked me to do things, but despite that slight hiccup, it still remained remarkably well-paced and awesome. Don't be discouraged, it hardly last 2 clicks!)
  20. 5.00 star(s)

    RetroGuy

    I really liked it. It's a vampire story clearly inspired by Vampire The Masquerade world but it's well performed. The story is interesting and probable (okay, assuming that vampires do exist). It also develops at good pace. There is some advanced statistics system which is used only a little so far but it certainly has potential for making the game non-linear, with choices that actually matter.

    The sex scenes are few but I liked them, just like the tension between hero and the main girl.

    Certainly waiting for more!