Once Ever After

About

Once Ever After is a single player role playing game with fantasy, anime and erotic themes. It was developed by SierraLee and was released on December 8, 2022. It received positive reviews from players.

Everyone knows how the story goes: innocent, 18-year-old Red Riding Hood goes into the woods and is corrupted by the naughty, naughty Big Bad Wolf. Ingrid is the newest Little Red Riding Hood: she doesn't know what awaits her in the dark woods, but she knows that it seems exciting.But Ingrid's world is only one of an infinite number of Tales, and those stories are starting to bleed over into one a…

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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87%

Audience ScoreBased on 110 reviews

story64 positive mentions

grinding13 negative mentions

The game features a compelling and well-written story that explores themes of self-discovery and character evolution, making it engaging beyond just the adult content.
The character progression system, utilizing archetypes, allows for a diverse and customizable gameplay experience, enhancing the RPG elements.
The art and design are high quality, with unique character sprites and well-integrated adult scenes that contribute meaningfully to the narrative.

The combat system can feel repetitive and grindy, with some players expressing frustration over enemy respawns and the need for excessive grinding to progress.
There are frequent crashes and bugs reported, particularly during area transitions, which can disrupt the gameplay experience.
The adult content is less frequent than expected, leading some players to feel misled about the game's focus on sexual themes compared to its narrative depth.

story
167 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
60%
2%
The story of the game is widely praised for its depth, engaging characters, and intricate world-building, often described as a compelling blend of personal journeys and meta-narratives. While it features sexual themes, these elements are integrated into the plot rather than dominating it, making the narrative the primary draw for players. Many reviewers highlight the thoughtful writing and the unique twists on familiar tales, suggesting that the game is best appreciated for its storytelling rather than its adult content.
- “The standout feature of this game is, first and foremost, an excellent story filled with interesting and engaging characters.”
- “The story explores themes of sex, violence, abuse, control, and personal identity in a mature and entertaining way.”
- “Sierra Lee consistently proves what an excellent storyteller they are with this game, especially when it comes to deconstructing genres and subverting expectations.”
- “On paper, the story is as grand and filled with tasty layers of lore as ever, yet the execution isn't there for most of the time.”
- “But it never really stopped feeling like a chore; and whenever you achieve a plot point (or an h-scene), it always ends up going off like a damp squib.”
- “The story is the star here and if you don't like reading or deep thought regarding plots, then this might not be the game for you.”
gameplay
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
59%
6%
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it repetitive and basic, particularly criticizing the dungeon combat and mechanics like monster respawn and lever puzzles. However, others appreciate the integration of story and gameplay, noting that it offers a satisfying RPG experience with unique mechanics and character-driven elements. Overall, while some aspects may feel primitive or buggy, the game is generally seen as enjoyable for those who appreciate its narrative and artistic qualities.
- “The plot, the characters, and the gameplay all weave together to create a fantastic experience, along with Crescentia's amazing artwork.”
- “Overall, the game is extremely well polished and executed; the art is impeccable, the gameplay is fun, and the story and characters are incredible.”
- “Sierra is a passionate and innovative fan of RPGs and always brings that creative energy not only to her narrative writing, but also to coming up with unique and fun gameplay mechanics both in combat and out of it!”
- “Repetitive dungeon combat, doubled down by monster respawn and 'guess a lever combination' mechanic.”
- “The gameplay is extremely boring and primitive, bare bones basic RPG Maker combat, enough said.”
- “This game is mechanically trash and I wouldn't recommend for anybody to even waste their time playing it, even if it was free.”
graphics
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
55%
17%
The graphics in the game are described as cute and charming, with decent artwork that enhances the overall experience, particularly in adult scenes. However, some users noted inconsistencies in style, such as a mix of pixelated characters and static enemies, which can detract from immersion. While the art is generally well-received, there are criticisms regarding repetitive scenes and occasional graphical lag.
- “The world art style is cute.”
- “The plot, the characters, and the gameplay all weave together to create a fantastic experience, along with Crescentia's amazing artwork.”
- “The artwork during the sex scenes is well made and vividly shows the emotions the characters are going through during the act.”
- “The only cons I find are sometimes the graphics feel like they're lagging.”
- “Speaking of the art style, the in-battle art is an eye-hurting mixture of several different styles, with pixel party members (that only have like three animations each), static non-pixel enemies and backgrounds, and stock RPG Maker visual effects.”
- “The art style is well drawn but knowing that the scenes were vanilla and generic, they just didn't grab my attention.”
grinding
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that grinding in the game is generally not a major requirement, with some players noting it may be necessary for optional challenges or to overcome steep difficulty spikes. While the respawning enemies and leveling system can make grinding feel tedious, many found that strategic skill use could mitigate the need for excessive grinding. Overall, the game encourages a more focused approach to combat rather than traditional grinding for experience points.
- “This game has respawning enemies, and while the system of archetypes is neat (you level up and draw abilities from what are effectively different fantasy archetypes), the time it takes to level them is tedious.”
- “Sometimes it feels like you should grind to be able to get all content, as some very hard battles are nearly impossible without farming.”
- “I think I've managed to lock myself out of getting the true ending by missing a couple of crucial +int bonuses somewhere in the game; which makes the prospect of starting a new save from scratch and grinding out another 20-odd hours an absolute nightmare.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
86%
43%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with players noting it as fitting and enjoyable, enhancing the overall experience. While some describe it as good but not spectacular, others appreciate its variety and suitability for different gameplay moments, including combat. Overall, the soundtrack contributes positively to the game's atmosphere.
- “Gameplay-wise, it's a perfectly competent and enjoyable RPG Maker game with good artwork and music.”
- “The gameplay and music also help make it an even more enjoyable journey.”
- “The music is good to listen to and is different in many parts of the game.”
- “Oea is an RPG Maker-based game, but it lacks any of the default art or music.”
- “The music in the game feels generic and fails to enhance the overall experience.”
- “I found the soundtrack to be repetitive and uninspired, which detracted from my enjoyment.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its heartwarming narrative that combines emotional depth with adult themes, offering a unique blend of heartfelt messages and steamy content. Reviewers appreciate the focus on genuine emotional connections between characters, distinguishing it from typical adult games that lack emotional variety. The incorporation of dark twists on traditional fables adds complexity to the storytelling, making it both naughty and wholesome.
- “It's honestly heartwarming.”
- “Do you want a sexy, NSFW story that isn't all about constantly having sex, but includes serious heartwarming moments and real emotional connections between the characters, along with a horrifying and dark twist on the nature of fables and fairy tales?”
- “This one is remarkable in how it can be both really naughty and really wholesome, along with all kinds of other flavors.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is praised for its clever and saucy writing, effectively blending meta-commentary on RPG and eroge genres with engaging mysteries. Reviewers appreciate the balance between humor and drama, noting that it enhances the overall experience without overstepping boundaries.
- “The writing is top-notch, the mysteries are worth solving, and the humor is fun and saucy without crossing the line, at least in my opinion.”
- “I won't spoil the plot, but the level of meta-commentary on stories, specifically RPG and eroge games, is hilariously well integrated into this game.”
- “There's a great balance between humor and drama.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The game is generally well-optimized, offering functional gameplay and challenging encounters without necessitating complete optimization, while effectively minimizing RNG elements. However, some users report performance and stability issues on specific devices, particularly those using RPG Maker, suggesting that playing on a more capable PC may yield a better experience.
- “The main positive thing to say is that it is highly functional, has some challenging fights without requiring complete optimization, and greatly de-emphasizes RNG (with much of your build incentivized to reduce its presence even further, treating it like the enemy of progression that it is).”
- “Currently, I have frequent issues with performance and stability while playing on my Windows Surface. However, I believe that this is more related to RPG Maker than the game itself. Chances are, if you play it on a proper PC, you won't encounter similar problems.”
- “The optimization is lacking, leading to frustrating lag and crashes that ruin the experience.”
- “I find the game struggles to maintain a steady frame rate, which detracts from the overall enjoyment.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
Character development in the game is well-structured through an archetype system reminiscent of Final Fantasy's job system, enabling characters to unlock new skills effectively. However, players note a pacing issue that detracts from the overall experience.
- “The character development is engaging and allows for meaningful choices that impact the story.”
- “I love how the character development feels organic, with each decision shaping the protagonist's journey.”
- “The character development system uses something called archetypes, similar to the Final Fantasy jobs system, to allow characters to access new skills, which is actually very well implemented.”
- “The pacing of character development is a significant issue, making it hard to stay engaged with the story.”
- “While the character development has potential, it ultimately feels shallow and lacks meaningful choices.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The game offers significant replayability through hidden secrets and variable outcomes that enhance its depth and responsiveness to player actions. Additionally, engaging with the game without prior knowledge can lead to a fresh and rewarding experience on subsequent playthroughs.
- “And as always, she loves incorporating secrets and hidden variables throughout the game that enhance its replay value and give the game's world a sense of depth and reactivity to your actions.”
- “That being said, it does some interesting things mechanically and has substantial replay value, especially if you play the game blind.”
- “That having been said, it does do some interesting things mechanically and has substantial replay value if you play the game blind.”
- “The game lacks meaningful choices that would encourage players to replay it, making each playthrough feel repetitive.”
- “While there are some secrets to discover, the overall experience doesn't change much, leading to a lack of incentive to replay.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been reported to have significant stability issues, with users experiencing regular crashes to desktop approximately every few hours of gameplay.
- “I found the game to be quite buggy; there were regular crashes to desktop every couple of hours of gameplay.”
- “The game frequently freezes, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
- “I experienced numerous glitches that disrupted my gaming experience.”