Everything seems normal in the city of Mistbury.
You live with your dad, his wife, Carla, and her two daughters, Lauren and Judie.
Things are going well for you. until some mysterious secrets start coming to the surface.
Story
You play as a normal teenager who lives in yet another simple town. You can choose your name at the beginning, and you are welcomed into the game by the developer in a very witty way. Witty is the way I would describe the writing in general, which slowly develops into a really interesting story with a lot of secrets to unravel. This is a completed game with lots of content and about 10 hours of gameplay. If you haven’t already played this game and are interested in it, I suggest you stop reading here and go play the game because there are spoilers ahead. Just a heads up!
As I’ve mentioned, the story starts rather simple. You are just a regular guy who lives in a decent house with your busy dad, your stepmom Carla, and two stepsisters who are about your age—a more reserved Lauren and mischievous Judie. Yes, to answer your question, the sexy possibilities with both of your sisters become available later in the game.
Anyway, what you can find out at the beginning are some details about your past and life. Your mother left when you were very young, then your dad found a new wife some years later, and she became a very dear person in both of your lives. The MC dislikes his father because of his uptight behaviour and the fact that he’s never home, but is grateful for the life he has because of Carla and her daughters.
The MC and both his step-sisters go to the same school; the only difference is that unlike Lauren and Judie, the MC is failing the majority of his classes and needs tutoring. This is done by both Lauren and Judie, but also by their teacher, Rebecca. Rebecca does get her fair share of scenes as a side character, and I happened to like the balance between the actual plot and the side events, one of them being the tutoring done by Rebecca at her home.
Alongside your daily chores, schoolwork, and occasional fun by the pool with your sisters, something strange begins to happen. After Carla leaves for the weekend to go to a spa and your dad goes on another business trip, you have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go into your dad’s basement study room using a key Carla left in the house. You are reluctant at first, but change your mind after you happen to see your father in a dark alley with some strange men. What’s happening? Why does your father’s computer have a secret code on it?
Unfortunately, your sneaky sister Judie follows you to the basement, so you decide to tell her about everything. You learn that your sister is not as naive as you thought, and she becomes an important companion on your journey to find out more about the secret organization called the Sons of Astaroth. This is where your mission begins. You will be able to travel to different parts of the city, discover hidden villas, and explore dark labyrinths that lead to the headquarters of the Sons of Azaroth.
If you play your cards right, that is, make the right decisions, you can find out more about the organization and the connections it has with some important people in Mistbury, as well as the ones you know. How will you proceed from here? Will you find out more about the mysterious underground boss, Astaroth? Your sources say he is trying to take over the whole world, meaning that nothing will be the same as before. What can you do? Or, to be more precise, what will you do?
Find out more in this awesome VN.
Graphic
At first, I wasn’t really impressed by the visual part. It’s more cartoonish than realistic, and the MC looks weird. Still, the game sure does have that unique look, and I like the fact that they’ve decided to stick with it the whole time. In the end, I got used to the design and style. There maybe aren’t as many animations, but the renders are good, and the facial expressions and eye movement follow the dialogue and overall ambient of the scene.
The environments are nice, and I especially liked the details in the parts of the game where the organization is involved. There is a really fun scene in the dark where you can see the environment through those night vision goggles and everything becomes green. I think it’s a really cool addition. I wouldn’t really think that anybody would show something like that.
There are more sex scenes as the game develops; they are animated and fun, but maybe not as numerous as in other adult games.
Gameplay
As for the overall gameplay, I think that the combination of an intriguing plot, interesting characters, good sex scenes, and music and sound effects makes for a really fun game. The decisions count; there are some codes you need to guess, some doors you have to pick, and even some fights you have to win. The writing is amazing, and I loved how much humor it actually has. It was a really entertaining experience to play this game.
Curley’s comments
What starts as a seemingly average game with a basic plot soon turns into an intriguing mystery. I liked the fact that there’s no rushing, there are a bunch of decisions to choose from, and the game features fitting music and sound effects. What blew me away in this game is the writing and the fact that the writer was able to pull off so many witty lines in the most unexpected time.
I highly recommend you play this game or replay it again.
Some tags are: stripping, vaginal sex, masturbation, handjob, blowjob, pregnancy, romance, corruption.
Pros
- Amazing story.
- Humorous writing.
- Great characters and their development.
Cons
- So far, so good.
PATREON I DISCORD I SUBSCRIBESTAR I ITCH.IO
CurleyPubes is giving you our subjective review and opinion about the game Once in a Lifetime.
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Renders and animations
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Story quality
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Gameplay quality