Ideology in Friction

About

"Ideology in Friction" is a game set in the Kingdom of Viktor, where two top cadets, Clacier and Annette, are about to become knights. However, their plans are disrupted as mysterious beasts begin to appear, causing havoc and devastation. The cadets must fight these monsters, protect their friends, and uncover the truth behind the beasts' appearance. The game's ideologies and politics within the kingdom add depth and complexity to the narrative.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 224 reviews

story63 positive mentions

grinding12 negative mentions

The game features a surprisingly good story with deep character development and multiple endings, making it engaging beyond just the H-content.
The artwork and animations are of high quality, with well-done voice acting that enhances the overall experience.
There are various routes and choices that significantly affect the gameplay and narrative, providing good replayability.

The combat is overly simplistic and easy, lacking challenge and making it trivial to progress through the game.
Accessing H-content requires specific conditions, such as losing battles, which can be frustrating and may detract from the experience for some players.
The dialogue can be excessively long and filled with exposition, which may bore players looking for a more streamlined experience.

story
223 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
67%
4%
The game's story is a mixed bag, with many players praising its depth, character development, and engaging plot twists, particularly in the knight route, while others criticize it for being overly linear, dialogue-heavy, and sometimes dull. Some players appreciate the dark themes and emotional weight of the narrative, while others feel that the hentai elements are disconnected from the story, leading to a lack of cohesion. Overall, it seems that the game offers a compelling narrative experience for those who enjoy story-driven content, but may frustrate players seeking a more balanced integration of adult themes.
- “The story is deep; it literally is still worth it even without the h-scenes.”
- “This game is a masterpiece; what's better than the h-scenes was the story.”
- “The story features three different routes, with 10 different endings and many optional side events.”
- “The story is really boring though.”
- “The combination of subpar story, weak writing, and god awful combat made this game a very shallow experience that I could not bring myself to even finish.”
- “While the h content was fine, though lacking substance at times, the story itself became rather uninteresting after the first few chapters, which is a shame because it did have potential at the beginning.”
gameplay
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
73%
7%
The gameplay is characterized by traditional turn-based RPG mechanics typical of RPG Maker titles, featuring a straightforward combat system that lacks depth and customization options. While some players find the gameplay enjoyable as a backdrop to the engaging story and art, others criticize it for being repetitive and simplistic, with a reliance on "throw fights" to unlock scenes. Overall, the gameplay is seen as a comfortable but shallow experience, primarily serving to support the narrative rather than challenge players.
- “Not only is the gameplay satisfying, but the story is amazing, and the visual arts and illustrations are great!”
- “Gameplay is closer to old school JRPG turn-based combat, with a wide variety of skills and spells.”
- “Overall, I would recommend this game to anyone interested in anime-style RPGs and are curious how games of this genre work in adult mechanics without them being overbearing. With 3 different paths to take, plus a new game+ and increased difficulty for the base game's mechanics, it's hard not to invest 20 hours into this game to see everything it has to offer.”
- “The gameplay loop is the classic RPG Maker one; you have only one character where you can't really customize the build, etc. It's the usual boring stuff, but this isn't the worst thing.”
- “The gameplay is here as a comfy exercise between story bits, but does little to really engage you otherwise.”
- “The 'throw fights to see h-scenes' gameplay is particularly cumbersome in this game, with it expecting you to throw a certain number of boss fights to choose between the main routes, combined with a totally opaque 'corruption' mechanic.”
music
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
27%
12%
The music in the game has received widespread praise for its quality and ability to enhance the storytelling experience, with many users noting its catchy and memorable tracks. The soundtrack effectively captures the mood of pivotal scenes, contributing to the overall atmosphere, while some users highlighted the interesting variety and even unique cultural influences in the music. Overall, the game's music is considered a standout feature, elevating the gameplay and emotional engagement.
- “The soundtrack for this game is fantastic, especially its voiced tracks.”
- “Great soundtrack, the music kicks in during pivotal scenes and it's quite good.”
- “The music really does capture the mood, and is hard to get tired of.”
- “If I heard the music that played in the h-scenes outside of the game, I would honestly just feel depressed.”
- “You'll probably hear the same tune over and over again, but the music is catchy, so I'm not going to give it too much of a bad rating.”
- “Unironically played it for the plot and the soundtrack.”
graphics
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
53%
16%
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the artwork and animated vignettes as aesthetically pleasing and well-detailed, while others criticize the overall quality as somewhat dated or blurry, particularly in the overworld. Many players appreciate the art style and voice acting, noting that the visuals enhance the storytelling experience, but there are calls for improvements to address graphical glitches and clarity issues. Overall, the game is seen as having good graphics that complement its narrative, despite some technical shortcomings.
- “This game is very aesthetically pleasing.”
- “Sometimes I found myself staring at the artwork, looking at the attention to detail.”
- “Ideology in Friction is a top-tier HRPG; fantastic blend of storytelling with outstanding art style, voice acting & usual RPGMaker's gameplay traits; great background music too.”
- “The visuals are so-so.”
- “This game has far more polished graphics - featuring some decent animated vignettes - and a load more going on, but nothing interesting in the way of depth.”
- “I love their games; they are great. The only problem I have with most of their games is that the graphics are blurry and there's no way to fix it. The only game I have of theirs that has perfect graphics is Treasure Hunter Claire. Other than that, the rest are a bit blurry. I hope that they read my review and fix this problem ASAP because I'd love to replay these games with better graphics.”
grinding
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding in the game to be excessive, particularly for unlocking erotic scenes and h-stats, which can detract from the overall experience. While some appreciate the opportunity to develop their characters through grinding, many feel that the combat is too easy, making the grinding feel unnecessary and tedious. Overall, the balance between grinding for character development and the enjoyment of the game's content remains a point of contention among users.
- “The grinding for h-stats to see ero scenes is greater than the average Tony Hawk Pro Skater levels, jfc.”
- “This game's combat is too easy, and it feels like when doing the lewd path, it takes too much work and grinding for mostly vanilla stuff.”
- “Only problem is that the spicy route is a lot grindy to get into.”
emotional
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
86%
43%
The emotional aspect of the game is mixed; while some players find it lacking in narrative coherence, leading to disconnection from the story during intimate scenes, others appreciate the wholesome elements and character development, with some even reporting emotional moments that evoke tears. Overall, the emotional impact varies significantly, with some players enjoying touching moments amidst a backdrop of more intense themes.
- “Instead of going for the h-scenes, I ended up staying for the plot and got a wholesome ending.”
- “It ranges from catchy to touching.”
- “First adult game that made me shed a tear.”
- “I spend more time with static or minimally animated images telling me a rather boring story (the usual high fantasy) than actually playing.”
- “The emotional depth of the characters feels shallow and unengaging, making it hard to connect with the story.”
- “I expected a rich narrative experience, but instead, I was met with clichéd tropes and predictable plotlines that failed to evoke any real feelings.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its over-the-top villains and absurd situations, such as the protagonist's teleportation despite lacking the necessary items. Players find the game's ease and mechanics, like bosses dealing zero damage, to be comically entertaining, making it accessible and enjoyable for newcomers. Overall, the humor adds a lighthearted charm that enhances the gaming experience.
- “Great RPG, really easy for newcomers to pick up and quite funny.”
- “The villains are so over-the-top edgelord evil, it's hilarious.”
- “Boss damage can be as low as 0, which is hilarious.”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
The game offers significant replayability through its multiple routes and branching narratives, featuring over five possible endings. However, some players found that achieving certain endings required less enjoyable gameplay choices, which could detract from the overall experience.
- “And has an amazing story and replay value to boot.”
- “+ multiple possible routes add replay value.”
- “With three different routes, and several endings to go through, it adds a lot of replayability as well.”
- “In a way, the 5+ possible endings add replayability to the game, but getting all but 2 of the endings meant playing the game the worst possible way, and I didn't have fun getting them.”
- “With three different routes and several endings to go through, it adds a lot of replayability as well.”
- “The multiple possible routes add replay value.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
Reviews highlight that the game features strong character development and interactions, indicating a well-crafted narrative that prioritizes both plot and character growth. However, some users express disappointment that the potential for deeper storytelling may not have been fully realized.
- “Do you want a great story with a heavy emphasis on character development?”
- “Nice character development and interactions.”
- “It's a shame, because oneone1 clearly had a story to tell and prioritized plot and character development with this one.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Overall, users note that the game's stability has improved significantly with the DLC, which addresses many existing bugs and glitches.
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
- “I experienced constant lag and frame drops, which ruined the overall experience.”
- “There are numerous bugs that disrupt gameplay, and stability seems to be a major issue.”