Hentai Visual Novel Review: My Girlfriend

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Written by Jin0uga, edited by Otaku Apologist

My Girlfriend, a hentai visual novel developed and published by Dharker Studio. Released on March 22, 2019. Download on Nutaku for $20.00. For PC Windows, Mac and Linux. No voice acting. Uncensored genitals.

An ordinary guy gets a big break when the most popular girl in school accepts his confession. His sexual market value immediately skyrockets, and very soon he finds himself swimming in pussy. Who would have thought young girls are so shallow?

STORY

You are Josh, a regular guy who juggles with his studies, and relationships. He’s written a confession letter to Luna, a hot girl from her school. There’s only one problem: She’s out of his league. She meets her at the school rooftop, prepared for a scathing rejection. To his shock, she agrees to date him! They won’t be exclusive, while he is expected to carry out a boyfriend’s duties.

Josh gets more than he’s bargained for. Once news gets out that he’s Luna’s new boyfriend, he gains all sorts of unwanted attention. Even Luna’s fellow co-actress, Celia, takes an interest in him. Pressure mounts as Josh tries to be a good boyfriend to the standoffish Luna. He begins to discover that his relationship with Luna might come with too many offsets to be worth it.

The writing is decent compared to the the last travesty I reviewed. It’s on par with Negligee, a lesbian visual novel from the same developer. Dialogue is occasionally witty, and the game doesn’t take itself too seriously. Josh’s inner thoughts are enjoyable when he isn’t tripping over himself to lick Luna’s feet. His chemistry with the other girls is great.

Events can feel disconnected. For example, Josh wakes up in the middle of the night, followed by a scene where he’s late for a university tour with Luna. It didn’t match the previous scene I went through with Celia, where they were having fun at the beach. After all the fun everyone went through, I was expecting a positive ending. Instead, I got a bad ending, like a kick to the balls.

I’m quite tolerant when it comes to bullshit logic in visual novels, but My Girlfriend had many moments that tested my patience. Josh gets walked all over by Luna, he bows to her every whim. It really irked me that he was completely self-aware that he’s being used. He doesn’t care, he just wants to date the most popular girl in school.

Despite the relationship between Josh and Luna being central to the story, I found her route to be the most lackluster. There’s other girls in the story who were much more interesting. I wish the other babes got more attention.

CHARACTERS

Josh, the main character. He’s a typical harem protagonist with a bland, non-offensive personality. He’s got some common sense, but he usually ignores it for the sake of trying to impress Luna.

Luna, the cram school celebrity. Despite her fame and beauty, she projects herself as disinterested and apathetic to the world around her. She does as she pleases, you’re only dragged along for the ride.

Melissa, the childhood friend. Her slightly ditzy nature is endearing. It’s obvious from the start that she wants Josh’s penis inside of her. The moment she learns that you’re dating Luna, she wants to date you.

Celia, a sexy actress. Her animosity towards Luna is obvious from their first meeting. She has a sharp mind and an even sharper tongue. Josh is constantly on his toes around her, and for good reason. You never know what devilish plans she has in mind. Celia was my favourite because of her snappy dialogue and good humour.

GRAPHICS

Dharker Studios has a recognizable western art style. Like other western developers, you can identify the Japanese anime inspirations in certain character designs. The game only gives you faint glimpses of Josh’s character, but he’s a typical well-built dude. Girls look like fuckdolls with big breasts that visibly strain their clothes.

There is a nice variety of facial expressions and outfits, including lingerie. Character sprites also have different variations of poses and stances. Melissa fidgets with her hands, Luna is commandeering with her hands on her hips, etc. There’s plenty to admire in character close-ups, like the waxy sheen of Celia’s tanned skin, and the muscled slope of her arms.

Backgrounds look crisp and detailed. There were a few recycled images I recognized from Dharker Studios’ previous games, but most backgrounds are new. CGs are beautifully drawn with plenty of detail.

The game employs a bright colour palette. Colours are especially vibrant in outdoor areas, like the beach. Shadows are heavily used in backgrounds. They are more faint in CGs, used to accentuate each girl’s soft curves and feminine features.

SOUND EFFECTS AND VOICE ACTING (SFX)

The game has no voice acting.

Sound effects are minimal. Navigating the menu and selecting any options produces a faint click sound. There are no environmental cues for character actions. Even some stock sound effects would have made the game more immersive.

MUSIC

The game kicks off with an explosive rock song. The Japanese vocals come barrelling in and raises the intensity of the song. It was jarring, and if the main purpose of the song is to give the game a more Japanese visual novel feel, I’d say it succeeded.

The song that kicks in after you start the game combines drums, synth piano and a mixture of sound effects. It’s a surprisingly neutral song compared to the bombastic opening theme. The mood is easy-going. Most of the game’s music is made with acoustic instruments, drums and synthesized instruments. The music overall can get repetitive, but there’s a good enough variety of tracks.

GAMEPLAY

My Girlfriend is a visual novel. Clicking the textbox advances the story. The game has all the basic visual novel functionalities. You can save your game at any time. Exploit it to explore branching dialogue choices throughout the game to reach different endings.

The user interface is good. Bringing up the menu is effortless, and it matches the romantic comedy appeal. The pastel pink textbox also adds to the game’s charm and is consistent with the overall art style. The font didn’t strike my fancy.

HENTAI

After slogging through a handful of annoying scenes between Josh and Luna, I jumped at the chance to discover more about Celia. I was not disappointed. She kidnaps Josh to help her pick out lingerie, and dons a sexy school girl outfit that exposes her tanned stomach and thighs. The two proceed into dirty talk, exchanging day dreams about which place in school she’d fuck him. It didn’t escalate into sex.

On my second playthrough, I unlocked an erotic scene between Josh and Luna. You can have her jerk you off, or blow you. I chose the blowjob option. While she munched on the dick, she wasn’t talking much. The scene was quick and dirty, and satisfying.

The outcome of my second playthrough was a pathetic breakup, but Josh got his due. Celia helped him get lucky with three of her actress friends. Josh made shitty decisions and got rewarded with an orgy with hot women – impeccable hentai logic. Unfortunately, it didn’t end with him sticking his dick into any soft, wet pussies.

The hentai scenes are short, featuring little descriptions. They mostly rely on sexy CGs and brief animations.

CONCLUSION

The characters are shitty people with baggage. If you want to relive your teenage years when getting laid was a matter of life and death, this game delivers that experience and then some. It’s a story of a miserable guy going to incredible lengths for a hint of romance, only to get used and abused in a one-sided relationship.

You can download My Girlfriend at Nutaku.net. All sales support our writing and comic production. If you missed the last project we completed, go check out Two Princesses One Yoshi 2: Wrath of the Dinosaur.