Being a DIK – Season 1

Foreword

Gameplay

. . . in a nutshell

I need to make some revisions.

out the shell. . .

As a visual novel, you’ll gonna be doing a lot of reading. Most of the gameplay consists mashing though text boxes with the “enter” key. However, this game features a lot of minigames to switch things up, and there’s quite a bit of choices to keep your mind in the game. These can range from small talk, to some major, game-changing decisions that will require multiple playthroughs to see the results of.

As you make your decisions, you have to manage a “DIK Meter”, which represents your relationship with people. The lower it is, the worse people see you. The higher it is, the better that people will you. Certain levels of DIK will grant otherwise unobtainable scenes and content. For example, a lot of lewd decisions require a high DIK level, such as “checking out” or groping lady friends. Treating people poorly (or cheating in classes) will enhance you DIK score.

You also have to manage “money tokens”, representations of your “pocket money”. You can carry up to five money tokens at any time. It’s a bit hard to find money, so spend it wisely. I spent mine on “Asain takeout”. Here’s a hint. This Asian takeout was a bit. . . mouthier than the average meal.

At any (non-cutscene) time, you can access your phone. Your phone provides a variety of utility, such as information about your stats or DIK score. In addition, you can access a wealth of valuable history about characters, which is useful for refreshing your memory between game sessions. You can also call and text characters. I managed to shimmy a nude out of the protagonists main love interest. When free-roaming, be sure to keep a look out for interactive objects. You can unlock a lot of scenes that way. Also, be sure to check your messages so you don’t miss out on saucy content.

Scattered throughout the game are “free roam” segments. In these parts, you are able to freely explore (and interact with) your enviroment. Before completing your main objective, be sure to find hidden magazines (which unlock content), and catch up with your friends (using your phone). Sometimes, you can also find useful items (such as money) if you look hard enough.

Story

The story is divided into episodes. It begins with the protagonist giving us spiel about his family, and a fantasy about Josy (his in-game crush). With a smack of a tennis ball, he snaps back into reality. A clerk calls him a naughty word, and he tells him that that’s not his name. A prompt showed up, requesting a name for the protagonist.

I inputted the naughty word. Here’s a clue, it rhymes with “Duck Face”.

As it turns out, Duck Face is in fact, really named Duck Face. And Steve (the clerk) is a bass. . . hole. Duck Face is infatuated with Josy, but he’s awful (and I mean awful) with the opposite sex. He and Josy have their eyes set on education, but only he was accepted into Burgmeister & Royce, the local university. Duck Face professes his love to Josy, and she professes hers to Duck Face.

But there’s a problem. She’s taken.

Shortly after arriving at B&R, a local named Maya introduces Duck Face to the four fraternities and sorority. There’s the nerds (or tri-betas), the preps (or alpha nu omega), the jocks (or tri-alphas, and DIKs (or Delta Iota Kappa). The sorority is known as the Eta Omicron Tau, or HOT, and Maya identifies them as ♥♥♥♥♥. Each group has their own respective characters, all intertwined in some crazy schemes (with often involve Duck Face).

Duck Face’s heart is with Josy, but as it turns out B&R is chock full o’ hot girls. From blackmail to wet dreams, I couldn’t seem to keep Duck Face’s member out of trouble. I wound up beefin’ with the jocks, and stealing panties from the HOT. Problem being, I got caught, and next thing I knew I was streakin’ the campus in my birthday suit. Mistakes were made.

Visuals

First off, the user interface looks awesome! It is very clean and attractive. From the title menu, you can begin (or continue) your game. There is a gallery and music player, both welcome (and staple) sights for a lewd title. The gallery is divided into two panes, one for story scenes and the next for “reward scenes”. The latter can be found via hidden objects in-game. To be honest, it looks a lot like other VNs I have played, but a lot more polished.

Now, let’s talk about the artwork. It. Is. Awesome. Most virtual novels use one or more character portraits, which is repeated throughout the story (to indicate who’s talking). Full art scenes are generally reserved for key moments, often to save on production costs. This title uses 3D models, very similar (if not the same) as what are used in the Daz and/or Poser programs. They are wonderfully made models, and who ever rendered the in-game scenes is clearly competent with the software.

The Goods

Using 3D renders to create scenes provides the possibility limitless scenes, for a low cost (discounting hardware from the equation). Being a DIK makes full use of the advantages that come with 3D, by bombarding the viewer with picture after picture of fresh content. There are so many fresh images in this game, it’s insane. Now, not all of them are perfect, but the vast majority of them look great. Expect to see some animations here and there, and some basic sexual content.

Verdict

Yes, buy the game. It’s of high, high production quality and I’ve been deeply absorbed into the “plot”. The renders are beautiful, and the jokes funny. Be sure to grab it while it’s on sale, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!