Sweet Shine is a lewd physics-based puzzle game with assorted hentai.
Adult Content?
(FxM) sexual content.
Censorship?
No. Woot! Woot!
Hours of Gameplay?
Two or three hours.
Patch Available?
Not necessary.
Foreword: published December 3rd, 2021
I received a free copy of this game for review purposes — thanks Hot Hand!
Gameplay: published December 3rd, 2021 (4/5★)
Using up to three colored lines, you must guide a set of balls into a marked goal. Represented by a tiny hole, part of the challenge is keeping them from rolling away! The length of each line is determined by an inkwell; regardless of remaining ink, the moment you let go of the mouse button you cannot use the same ink well twice. You need to get really creative with your ink wells to progress; to unlock lewd CGs, you must collect hearts while also avoiding strategically, inconveniently placed broken hearts. If you’re an achievement hunter, you’ll also need to collect “stars” by taking care not to lose any balls. It’s easy to pass stages with the bare minimum balls, but unlocking all of the CGs and achievements takes some hard thought! I found Sweet Shine to be more difficult than similarly priced hentai games with like-mechanics. If you’re ever stumped (or perhaps disinterested in the gameplay), there’s a handy “skip” button that not only unlocks the next stage — it collects all of the hearts and balls for you!
Sexual Content: published December 3rd, 2021 (4/5★)
The gallery is a bit small (nine pieces), but the animation is nice and each CG offers a lot of visual customization. All of the animations are unlocked from the get-go, but nudity and interactivity must be purchased using “hearts”. Unless you take advantage of the “skip” button, unlocking adult content is a slow grind. Instead revisiting the gallery to unlock cosmetics one at a time, l waited until I had enough hearts to unlock all of the “upgrades” right away. Though the game advertises “sexual assault / sex without consent“, I didn’t see any blatant rape scenes (unless Hot Hand means to imply none of the depicted women were willing subjects). Considering there is no dialogue or exposition, it’s hard to say what’s consensual and what’s not.
Story: published December 2nd, 2021 (1/5★)
There is no story whatsoever. The women and gameplay could be replaced with something else without consequence.
Sound: published December 3rd, 2021 (2/5★)
The same track is played at the start of every level; It didn’t take me long to grow weary of that stock piano theme. After maybe ten minutes of gameplay, I decided I had enough and muted the music. The sound effects also felt stock, but I tolerated them. The sexual content was a bit jarring with constant background noise and breathing into the microphone sounds. The moaning is like annoying hentai (where you wish the woman would shut up) and cum shots make an icky bubbling sound.
Visuals: published December 3rd, 2021 (3/5★)
It’s clear where the budget went — beyond sex, Sweet Shine is a mediocre sight. The gameplay looks cookie-cutter with seemingly stock sprites and clashing art styles. Clearly, the gameplay and adult content were designed independently from each other. I wish there was a “pause” menu that could be accessed in-game. Not only is pause functionality is basic quality of life, the “Options” screen is only accessible from the main-menu. Chances are, you’ll have to exit multiple screens before you’re allowed to adjust so much as your audio preferences. When viewing unlocked content, you’re free to hide the user-interface using “photo mode” — unfortunately, there is no way to enjoy climaxes without first revealing the interface.
Verdict: published December 3rd, 2021 (3/5★)
Not bad Hot Hand — I didn’t think I was in for a challenging puzzle game with competent progression and decent artwork! Sweet Shine isn’t a remarkable game (on the contrary, it’s rather generic), but it’s a not a bad buy if you enjoy the type of physics-based puzzles it offers. I was genuinely challenged by the increasingly complex gameplay. However, even though there is a “skip” button I can only recommend this game if you intend on completing each stage as intended. On it’s own, the sexual content isn’t worth the price — and the skip button has a “cool down”, making it a tedious grind if unlocking achievements or the gallery are your only prerogative. The Cute Honey series offer more bang for your buck, but they aren’t quite as challenging. Sweet Shine may be a little pricier than the competition, but it’s a fair price for meaningful gameplay and okay hentai!
