Photo Studio is a lewd sandbox game about photographing models in a photo studio.
At-a-glance
(Adult) Content?
(F, FxF, FxM) Sexual content.
Censorship?
No. Woot! Woot!
Hours of Gameplay?
One hour.
Modding Support?
No.
Patch Available?
Download as Steam DLC.
Foreword
On my own volition, I have decided to revisit my review for Photo Studio. It seems like every other day, the developer launches another update for the game. I thought, “surely my review is out of date now!” The developer provided me with free DLC after writing my first review for Photo Studio.
Gameplay
Play “dress up”, pose and photograph your subjects. There are a handful of NPCs to play with (some of which sold as DLC). At your disposal is a camera which can be used to take photos or videos (as opposed to screenshots, which would incorporate UI). The camera sports a wicked zoom lens, and there are a number of photo filters to choose from. There is no goal to Photo Studio; as a sandbox game, you make your goals! The game takes place inside a humble abode, but there is no incentive to explore. By adding Youtube links to the “YoutubeUrls.txt” file in Photo Studio‘s base directory, you can play any video in the background (or since there’s sound playback, listen to some jams as you play the game.)
Though Photo Studio has received numerous updates, it’s hardly better.
NPCs and the studio are controlled by a floating control panel. Its limited number of buttons does not owe to a smooth experience; Photo Studio desperately needs a traditional menu for non-VR users. I would have preferred directly interacting with equipment and NPCs. Even though there is a whole house to explore, there’s no reason for it to exist — outside two select rooms, the house has zero interactivity. You can’t even move props or NPCs to take advantage of the environment. It’s difficult to obtain ideal photos due to the camera controls: you can zoom, but you cannot crouch. As many poses take place on the floor, there should be a form of adjustable crouch!
I miss the old camera system — it was deeply flawed, but more engaging!
Story
There is no story (and I’m not making one up).
Visuals
There is no titlescreen — it’s straight to the action. The user-interface isn’t very attractive. Most of the game is controlled through a frustrating control panel. You are forced to cycle through options one-by-one (and there’s still no “back” button). You can adjust audio, display and graphical preferences from the pause menu. The player animations don’t usually work great; when he moves forward, he (or she) drifts forward instead of walking; but I deeply appreciated the jiggle physics! Based on my experience modding Skyrim, I know jiggle physics aren’t cheap — I think they should be toggleable for low-end systems.
The Goods
The base game contains no adult-content.
18+ for Photo Studio [DLC]
This DLC includes about seventy animations, most of which dance numbers. 18+ for Photo Studio allows you to strip any character in the game (including you!) It also gives you the option to add pubic hair male genitalia to your subjects (including the ladies!) The nudity isn’t half-bad, and I loved the boob physics. Unfortunately, visible seams are rampant. If you’re not interested in the dances, this DLC is grossly overpriced (at twenty-five USD).
Porno for Photo Studio [DLC]
Unlocking over fifty sex-animations, Porno for Photo Studio adds quite a bit of content to Photo Studio. The animations are okay, but they don’t always sync correctly. They also lack progression or money shots — which is kind of the best part! The DLC includes straight and lesbian animations. Male roles can be switched out for female NPCs, effectively allowing all animations to be girl-on-girl. With the 18+ DLC, you can have transgender sex too!
Verdict
Wait for updates. Photo Studio was a train wreck on release, and despite the developer’s best efforts it still kinda sucks. The developer keeps adding more characters and poses, but content isn’t the problem — the problem with Photo Studio is functionality. Photo Studio is hardly a functional game. You have virtually no control over the lights and props. There is a camera — but it’s hardly better than Steam’s in-built “Screenshot” tool. Yes, it can zoom. . . but without the ability to crouch and rotate, at the end of the day it’s a glorified screenshot tool. What I expected from Photo Studio was a robust tool set for photographing customizable NPCs. Instead, I am disappointed by the time I have wasted rewriting this review. I truly hope Photo Studio becomes something awesome — but I don’t think I’ll be revisiting this game for a long, long time.
