Prowler

Updated Version here - https://krtk.ee/go/AgaEw

I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to write up a proper review for this gem of a game; I hope this isn’t too terribly late! You indie devs put so much love into these projects, and I want you all to know how much it’s appreciated. Apologies in advance for the lengthy post! This is among the most engaging and polished NSFW games I have ever played, and I want to give it the attention it deserves.

Where to begin? Maybe a quick overview for the possibility that someone reading this is not a developer and hasn’t yet played the game. In that case: "Prowler" is an NSFW action-RPG with survival extraction mechanics, featuring a gorgeous gallery of BDSM- and kink-themed artwork - many of which are (wonderfully) animated and voiced. The general gameplay loop involves venturing out into the wilderness in search of resources and signs of your missing clan, while trying to return home before nightfall with everything you collected along the way. You play as Kivuli, a male Dusk Prowler recently separated from his packmates. Through exploring the surrounding locales, Kivuli must face challenges in the form of hostile flora, fauna, traps, and other creatures, all while trying to escape with his findings - and his modesty. (Or not, hehe. ;) )

"Prowler" boasts many spiritual similarities to GroveDev’s previous eponymous title, "Grove". Although Prowler forgoes the turn-based and grapple combat mechanics of Grove in favor of real-time hack-and-shoot with occasional quick time events, the basic premise of "bad ending centric" content remains just as familiar here as in Grove. If the story and art of Grove intrigued you, then Prowler will surely not disappoint. For those interested in M/M furry bondage content wrapped up in an extremely well-written and engaging action RPG, this is definitely the game for you.

***EVERYTHING BELOW THIS POINT CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR ACT ONE OF PROWLER. IF YOU HAVEN’T YET COMPLETED ACT ONE, THE FOLLOWING WILL REVEAL KEY STORY BEATS AND GAMEPLAY ELEMENTS THAT MAY IMPACT YOUR EXPERIENCE OF PROWLER. PLEASE READ WITH CARE.***

To keep my jumbled mess of thoughts somewhat organized, I’ll try to structure this review in three parts: writing & art, gameplay, and mechanics (UI/controls/etc.), with some miscellaneous closing thoughts at the end.

So, to begin:

---WRITING & ART---

I’m grouping these together because I consider both an integral part of a game’s general artistic vision. However, I’d like to begin with the writing, as that is my area of (mediocre) expertise and the part about which I have the most to say. Immediately, I found myself drawn into the world of Prowler as soon as I began exploring the village on the first day. The dialogue with the other Dusk Prowlers scattered around, the detailed lore on many of the scenery objects, an entire celebratory feast scene that both showcased the world's culture and characterized the other Prowlers at the same time... the worldbuilding in these first 15-20 minutes is just phenomenal. I actually forgot I was playing an NSFW game for a while, because I legitimately spent so long just talking to everyone and taking everything in. Especially during the nighttime festivity. A very intriguing world, presented in a way that felt natural and not at all overwhelming. That takes a lot of skill to pull off, so hats off to you for that.

Aside from the opening, the general narration of the game is extremely well-written. There's a great balance between environmental storytelling, optional text from interacting with scenery, and actual scripted scenes. In all of these, the grammar is always highly polished, and on the macro level, the variety in vocabulary and diversity of sentence structure makes for a very compelling read. This is surprisingly difficult to find in an NSFW game; it really helped to sell me on the world. And speaking of NSFW, the sex scenes are written very enticingly and greatly enhance the overall appeal, so well done on that. ;)

Character dialogue is worth mentioning, too. Everyone's voice feels quite distinct, from the Chief and Kivu to the merchants and the fisherman and the shaman, to the swamp clan and their leader. It really helps to immerse one in a world where every character feels different, and that's a testament to good writing.

As far as the art goes, I have less to say here that hasn't already been said far more eloquently before by others. I'm not an artist, but for me, this art style just *works*. It's easily recognizable and extremely well-suited to the game world - everything from color palettes to the light pixelation to the design of the characters. Simply put, I think the art is beautiful. And, of course, the NSFW scenes are remarkably well-made. I can't imagine how long it must have taken to put all of those together, on top of all the other assets. Like Grove, I love the visuals, but unlike Grove, I think Prowler's visuals have a substantial extra layer of polish that really sets it apart. Absolutely top-tier work here.

Ok, onto:

--GAMEPLAY--

I'll preface this section by saying that, while I haven't used it extensively myself, I know RPGMaker is fairly limited in terms of complex scripting capabilities. So when I say or suggest certain ideas, I understand that the engine can obfuscate a lot of things that may be pretty clear or straightforward to implement in, say, Unity or Unreal. That being said:

To start, the positives. As a relatively casual gamer, I really like the combat and find it quite satisfying to play. Enemy variety is impressive, even if the attack patterns are generally a bit predictable and pathfinding is easy to cheese. I think the "boss" enemies are fun as well.

The extraction mechanic is cool as well, though I'll have more to say on it in a bit. For now, I like the idea of gathering a bunch of materials basically from scratch and slowly building up your own encampment. It felt very good to watch the little base around our tree grow and even have merchants show up. I'm personally a huge fan of collecting everything in games, so this definitely scratched that itch with the sheer number of items to get.

I am also a big fan of the "renown" mechanic. I always love optional reputational systems (unless it's Destiny 2... *shudder*), and Prowler kept me constantly excited to level that renown up ASAP to see what new story beat I'd unlock. The shaman's was particularly, uh, *exciting*. ;) One minor thing for me here was that I had a bit of difficulty discerning who was who on the reputation board. I was probably just being stupid, but it wasn't super obvious to me at times, and I had to deduce to whom each bar belonged by backsolving how much reputation I had with everyone. Maybe a name or clearer indicator could help the average bad gamer like me to tell them apart better?

Onto some more constructive feedback. Some of the navigation bits were a bit frustrating for me, especially trying to push the box along the rail with the gun shooting at you shortly before the Interloper boss. I was glad for the save point beforehand, and I was less frustrated with the actual difficulty of the task than with the movement mechanics (I used the keys) sometimes taking me a tile too far or too short, and getting hit as a result. This happened in other areas as well, but it was most annoying here. Again, more of an RPGMaker thing, but worth mentioning as it's part of the experience in a game designed around avoiding traps and enemies' projectiles.

Now, this next point ultimately comes down to a difference in preference, I think, but it's a pretty major one. I understand that you the developers have a vision with this game, and I 100% think that's awesome and encourage you guys to hold onto that. DON'T act on what I'm about to say, unless you'd been feeing similarly about this and came to this conclusion independently. The issue is with the objective of the game, in my opinion, fundamentally disagreeing with the perceived "reward" of the game. Please let me explain.

Prowler is a game about getting resources and escaping back to your camp *with those resources* to upgrade your base and gear and allow you to progress further, unlocking new areas with new content. Simple enough progression. However, it's *also* a game about getting tied up and used by some kinky kinksters in a "bad ending" when you (un)willingly succumb to your enemies' might. For many, myself included, those "bad endings" are what drew us in, and as fun as the core gameplay loop may be, most of us are ultimately trying to collect all those scenes, first and foremost. The problem is that a "bad ending" is exactly that: a bad ending. All items and gear on your person are lost when your will is broken. Meaning, to seek such an end is to necessarily prioritize the "reward" of the game (the porn) over the game's objective of constant advancement. And while I'm aware that not ALL of these scenes immediately result in a will break/permanent loss of items, it is fairly easy to get recaptured a second time and unintentionally lose all your items.

This was much less of an issue in Grove where the potential for loss was minimal, if anything. Just pop a save before a new encounter or obvious boss arena and you could immediately submit yourself to the whims of that slime. In Prowler, however, saving only occurs back at camp. So if you've been exploring for 5-10 minutes and come accross a new enemy type, there's now a conflict of incentive between advancement and reward.

I understand that this "bad ending" gameplay is, in itself, a fetish for many, and that's why I completely respect this as a game vision. However, as a *gamer*, it creates a good deal of frustration when we're caught in a dichotomy of advancement OR reward. Honestly, I wouldn't know where to start in addressing this without making the game drastically different, and I'd never wish for that, because the game is OUTSTANDING as-is. I guess the most microscopic solution I could wish for might be some optional "easy-mode" toggle that reduces will loss upon capture, to help those who wish to prioritize seeing Kivuli getting milked and railed also be able to progress with minimal risk of loss. But overall, I think this just comes down to a difference in vision, and that's 100% okay! I hope you guys stick with making the type of games you love! <3

One more gameplay-style suggestion: maybe there could be a bit more "trauma-response" for Kivuli after getting captured, or some longer-term physical or psychological consequences that only the shaman can heal. Obviously this is a game with hypno elements - the Interlopers' corruptive brand has quite an effect on Kivuli's enjoyment of his captures - but I do think it would be in-character for him to look back on some of his encounters with a bit more fear/disgust. Maybe he gets some Status Ailments post-escape that last until the shaman cures them, like a sore ass or balls. Or maybe there could be some stats similar to Grove's "Corruption" mechanic that affects Kivuli's dialogue and reactions in the sex scenes. Maybe there could be dialogue options to try to resist or submit, which could influence those stats. Just some ideas for something that isn't even an issue, merely an addition that I feel might boost immersion!

And lastly, onto:

---MECHANICS---

More storage more storage more storage. I am a filthy hoarder in RPGs, and I like it when a game allows me to do that. I don't think Prowler should start us off with ample storage. I actually quite enjoy the tight inventory management at the beginning; it really made me prioritize what to keep and what to toss. However, as someone who enjoys collecting at least one of every item, I was a bit sad when, even with the max storage capacity, I was struggling just to hold all my *necessary* materials in the stash. By the late-game (though I know it's technically only Act One), I feel more storage would be a fair option to offer, even if it's expensive to obtain. Maybe more specific storage containers like the berry pile, such as a fish crate, a clothes wardrobe, a weapon rack, and/or a materials pile.

A minor gripe with some of the UI: navigating the item pouch menus to find the waterskin and accessory case, as well as the equipment menu, was a bit of a hassle. Again, I know RPGMaker (MV, I presume?) is pretty lousy at making robust UIs, so I understand that is 100% not your fault and you likely did the absolute best you could, but it's just a minor inconvenience.

I think it would also be cool if we could somehow collect and disenchant some of the machines that get used on Kivuli for him to (optionally) use at night as Lust relief. E.g., the lovely milking machine from the Interloper's outpost, or the electro-gel vibrator/dildo. Maybe they'd remain stuck on him after escape and could then be disenchanted like other gear; until then, maybe they'd increase his Lust each night until removed.

---CONCLUSION---

As I said at the beginning of this monstrous review, Prowler is one of the finest and most formative NSFW games I have ever enjoyed. I will absolutely be playing the heck out of future Act(s). The level of polish and detail here is really astounding, and I hope you all continue to make your games your way. Indie game dev /small studios really are the lifeline of gaming right now, and I thank you folks for carrying that torch into such a niche genre as this. You've definitely inspired me to get back into game programming myself!

One more addition, as of this week: I saw that you just released a new game - congratulations to you guys on another great project!! :3 I think it's really brave and commendable for you devs to make the games you want to make and put them out there, even when the theme may not agree with a portion of your audience. I hope the game performs super well and introduces a whole new group of people to your portfolio, because success for you folks means more great games for us down the line! ^^ Looking forward to the next Grove/Prowler/mini-project from you all!

Excuse me, how do I open the door in this area?Bahasa Indonesia:

Hope that you will release your awesome games on Steam in the near future. Good luck with development.

BUG 好严重啊，已经遇到不能攻击和绑定装备下不掉两个恶性bug了

Really fun and hot game but could be quite challenging. I like the art style and gameplay, but survival mechanism is a bit tough to progress hah. Still it’s a great game!

Настолько сильно захотелось купить игру, что завёл виртуальную карту для покупки игры, каюсь, играл в пиратку, но теперь оффициально купил, увы, но вышло дороговато, ни о чём не жалею)))

i love this game

Looking forward to the second chapter of this game

Such a unique RPG gameplay style! Feels like it'd be perfect with some roguelike levels similar to Binding of Isaac imo. :)

totally worth the price fr

still tryin to figure out how to get all the accessories since im missing some

This happened while I was talking to the fisher guy in the water cave

Does the Spiker tonic do anything?  I have used it a few times and I have never seen even one spine regrow even when staying around for a long time.  Kind of a bummer when it comes up to lose 40% stamina for seemingly no gain. 

so I love this game its fun and exciting but I found a few things that are a little odd but not game braking

first sweet berry jam is labeled wrong in the recipe book as just berry jam witch is kind of confusing but on the same note it also doesn't say its a ingredient which makes it more confusing 

on the same vine stewed honey truffles recipe says just normal swamp truffles when you need cooked swamp truffles so also a little confusing 

but yeah that's really all like i said nothing game braking just a little confusing but beyond that i had a lot of fun still missing one recipe and one accessory tho got to keep hunting for that stuff as well as fish

also sorry no periods I'm not the best with grammar 

HIIII, THE GAME IS SUPER GOOD BUT I JUST STARTED AND ITS SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND SOME THINGS FOR ME 🥹 BUT I LOVE ITT. 

I have A question, how much does it takes to finish the game? 

Do I get to see the old chief or the other parts of the clan in the future? 

(I'm just in the beginning so idk if I will, but I'm scared that all my old clan will be died 💔)

Hello, do you a list of all accessories to unlock please 

Henloo there
When Act 2? :D

The Boss fight is so brutal, wish there was a save right before the actual fight. I'm so close but so far