Should I write about this subject or should I not? Should I let the prose bust outside of my mental hymen or should I stay my hand and exercise self restraint like a pre-marital celibate? If the title of this article is to be believed, a decision has already been made.
I chose Evil.
I find myself in a creative rut, slumped and unable to climb over the wall of Writer’s Block. I figured that a good way to overcome such an obstacle would be to search for inspiration within a less travelled path. As it happens, I haven’t written about pornography since 2012.
So here we are.
The time is right for me to exit the zone of comfort and dive headfirst into the area of… slightly less comfort. Take my hand, o brave reader, and I shall gently drag you along on this journey. You can trust me.
Someone, somewhere, at some point during the course of history, managed to crack the code of Storytelling. Their cerebrum vibrated in ecstatic titillation as The Greatest Idea Ever Conceived leaked out of their nostrils, manifesting itself unto Reality.
Hear me out: what if you were to take the premise from H.G. Wells’ The Island of Dr. Moreau, turn it on its head and make it sexy/profitable?
What if the island were to be a vacation spot for obscenely wealthy furries and the animal people living in it had been created for the purpose of satisfying certain desires? What if you were to visit such a place and meet said creatures?
…
…….
…………
What if Jurassic Park let you f*ck the dinosaurs?
Anyway, some horny people made a FNAF porn parody titled In Heat: Lustful Nights which is about anthropomorphic sex workers being very “heated” about you, all of the time.
Actually, I might be selling this game short. From what I gathered, it’s a spiffy-looking, ambitiously designed and lovingly crafted entry in an otherwise oversaturated genre and definitely worthy of its own analysis… That analysis will have to be postponed indefinitely because this article is about a slightly different topic. Bare with me, o kind reader, for I am almost done with prosaic preambles.
The leading animator for the abovementioned smexy romp worked on a side-project during their spare time.
They made a visual novel. They made a funny visual novel. They made a witty, well-written, high-quality visual novel and I wish to espouse its merits.
In Heat: Honeymoon! is the brainchild of solo-developer Aquapaulo and a spin-off to Lustful Nights - enjoying the latter does not require extensive knowledge of the former.
You play as a hapless loser who had just received a golden ticket to Paradise after the previous holder (your boss) was caught by his wife. You are now enjoying a fully paid, three days vacation at the Diamond Straits island resort complete with entertainment, beautiful beaches and massive monster gals who could crush you simply by looking at your general direction. Your goal? To get crushed. Or not. It’s up to you, really. You could literally spend the entire trip sleeping in the most comfortable bed in the universe, for that matter.
Upfront, I must draw your attention to the production value showcased here. The characters appearing on screen are 3D models. These enormous babes have a plethora of motions, quirks, poses that complement their personalities and appearances. Most likely, Aquapaulo reused the models already made in The Other Game and went through the effort of cel-shading them. The end result is a ‘toony aesthetic which complements the darkly comedic tone on display. However, do not mistake my words of praise for deception, Honeymoon! remains pornographic in nature. On that note, the aforementioned babes look very nice while doing The Business.
ALTThe promise of a fulfilling fantasy might be what entices you to read this visual novel but it is the writing that shall keep you invested. To put it simply, it’s hilarious. There were many a moment where I found myself laughing out loud, caught off guard by such unexpected levels of wit.
ALTIt is the sort of madcap causticity that plays off of genre conventions, delivering some genuine gems in the process. It’s inherently aware of the humorous potential tied to the premise and its risqué scenarios. Of course, the prospect of a 400kg mega-fauna performing a sexy back massage will result in a Bad End. It is common knowledge that a hot date with a lagomorph woman can only lead to a fireworks heist and arson. Three thirds of this dating simulator are about you fumbling your chances at courting these beastly ladies in a manner only comparable to Leisure Suit Larry. All the while, it still manages to be the horny game that it is.
It’s surprisingly arduous to find a good balance between comedy and explicit copulation. It is even more difficult to nail the timing between setup and punchline in a medium paced to the beat of a mouse click but this game accomplishes both tasks wonderfully, in my opinion. In fact, beyond the funny dialogues, the game occasionally flaunts a cinematic quality to its presentation that enhances the experience. That is to say, it uses well-established filmmaking techniques to punctuate its funny scenes, such as hard cuts, a shift in musical cues, Dutch angle shots and more.
Speaking of Cinema, the H-scenes come equipped with a juicy, extra layer of psychology wherein characters’ feelings are explored just as deeply as their bodies.
Threesomes are neat, sure, but threesomes as a pretext to work out the psycho-physical hang ups of a tiger/bunny couple with you as their “therapist” are next level!
Obviously, Honeymoon! is not for everybody. Not so much due to its status as a furry fetish bait (and I mean that in the most neutral way possible) but because a baseline appeal of the In Heat universe is the concept of being overpowered by someone twice your size.
To that effect, you should be warned one of the bad endings might be pushing some unpleasant boundaries, suddenly veering into a much darker situation that ill-fits the overall tone of the game. I was not bothered by it, personally, but my experiences are not universal.
Still, one must always keep in mind that sexual fantasies are just that, fantasies. Art that aims to explore or cater to certain desires may be worth engaging at its own terms. You’ll never know if you stumbled across your new preferred kink if you seldom leave the comfort of your own bubble, after all.
Aquapaulo’s In Heat: Honeymoon! is not the kind of art I usually, comfortably peruse but the leap of faith allowed me to discover a pleasant reading experience. There were funny jokes, goofy gags, sweet emotional moments, and the sex was good too!
If you feel sufficiently convinced, you can buy the game on Itch.io.
It’s not properly finished as of yet but all the available routes can be played to completion. Once again, you should be aware of what you are getting into and reframe your expectations accordingly.
I must leave now, my planet needs me. And by that I mean my bed. My bed is my planet. I’m not going to use it for love-making, though. I’m just very tired. Sex is nice but have you ever had a nap? Anyway, review is over.
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