Lateshifter

There are very few porn games out there that have managed to surprise me quite as much as Lateshifter. It’s safe to say that 99% of all porn games are damn near identical. Hell, half of them are hentai visual novels and the other half are Nutaku’s gachas. But, if you search carefully enough, somewhere in between you’ll find something like Lateshifter and it’ll get under your skin in so many wonderful ways. You can’t not love this game. It’s impossible. It’s such a unique little work of art that I think that everyone should play it. It’s not too long, it’s not too complicated and above all, it gets to the point really quickly. It comes with a very original story, with a thought out cyberpunk setting and of course, a bunch of sex scenes. But it’s not just the sex scenes themselves that make this game an absolute must-play. It’s how you get to the sex scenes and who you have them with. The game does such a great job immersing you into this world. It only takes a few minutes for you to start identifying with the main character and once you meet the girls within this game, well, you won’t be able to forget them for a while, I’ll say that much. Then, there’s the original art style which I have straight up never seen in any other porn game, period. It’s perfectly unique. No-one else has ever made a porn game with this art style. Don’t believe me? All right, let’s dive into the details.

A Dense, Short Story

Playing Lateshifter really feels like you’re reading a legendary two-page short story about love, pain, mystery, the value of human life and what it means to be free. Deep shit, I know, but the game really pours it on you with no remorse. By the time you’re halfway into this game you’ll have tears in your eyes and cum stains on your pants. I guarantee it. You play as a random shmuck in a cyberpunk urban dystopia. The world has gone to shit, androids have taken half of all the jobs and you’re a keyboard jockey at a processing firm. It’s your first day on the job, too. The very first thing you notice when you arrive? Well, the beautiful receptionist, Estella, of course. But, it’s not just that she’s beautiful. There’s something more to it. She’s sincere and she’s also in pain. She wants to be rescued. You can tell she’s never had a real friend, let alone a real lover. She’s been alone and terrified for most of her life. Oh and did I mention she’s also an android? That’s right. Your main squeeze in this game is a mechanical girl with a heart of gold. She’s one of the sweetest most lovable women you’ll ever meet in a porn game. Hell, you might be crushing on her for months after you’ve played Lateshifter. That’s how well she’s written. The story of the game basically revolves around a few days at work. You go to your desk, type out some memos or whatever and spend the rest of the time fucking about the building, either with Estella or with some of the other girls that are arguably a lot less fuckable.

The Plot Thickens

There are several girls in this game other than Estella, but the most important one is the chick in charge, who also happens to be Estella’s sister. You see, if you start dating Estella and the two of you fall in love and start dating, then the sister will come along to burst your bubble. She tells you that Estella can’t be trusted, that she’s just out to use and abuse you to gain her freedom. She dead-ass orders you to trick her and trap her there at the office, forever. Estella on the other hand wants you to pull one over on her sister and steal her access codes so that the two of you can make a run for it and start a new life together, somewhere far away, somewhere safe. You can see what I meant when I said that this is a legendary short story. It ramps up the pressure and the feelings really quickly. Half of the time you’ll find yourself with your dick in your hands wondering what the fuck you were doing before the tears started pouring. But, then Estella will take her shirt off and suck you off and you’ll remember – you’re here for the pussy.

Retro Visuals

There are technically three types of visuals in this game. There’s the gameplay, the dialogue and the sex scenes. You get different art styles for all three, but they all use the same browned-out palette. Seriously, everything in this game is really fucking brown. You’d think that there were shit particles in the air throughout this entire goddamn game world. Anyways… When you’re out and about the office, you’re basically playing a 2D exploration game from the 80s. It’s all 8-bit looking and crude, but the artist knew what they were doing. The game looks consistent and it doesn’t get in the way of your enjoyment. Oh and there’s also no combat. You’re either talking or fucking in this game. I liked that a lot. Then, we’ve got the dialogue visuals and these are a far cry from the retro games of old. These actually look like 16-bit portraits with basic animations. What’s the difference? Well, they actually look like real people and also they move. And, they take up most of your screen while you’re talking, so you actually get to see these girls up close. They’re all very cute. They have fuckable faces. Finally, there’s the sex scenes and they deserve a heading of their own.

Original Sex Scenes

I said it once, I’ll say it again, I’ve never seen sex scenes like these in any other porn game ever. I don’t know if that automatically makes them a 10, but the developer gets my props for being this original. The sex scenes all look like they were drawn over actual porn clips, but in a retro 16-bit style that looks like it was passed through a coffee filter. Everything’s grainy and sort of… extremely animated. I mean, the girls all look super realistic. Their asses might as well be photographs of real chick’s backsides. But, the textures, if you can call them that, are about as far from realistic as you could possibly get. They pretty much only use like 6 colors across. It’s like you’re watching porn videos on a new computer, hooked up to a monitor from 1976. All of these weird stylistic decisions have made for some damn original scenes that feel both realistic and unsettling at the same time. I mean, the girls all look drawn and fictional when you talk to them, but once the sex scenes roll out, it all feels a bit more tangible. I can’t quite put my finger on what it is that I love so much about Lateshifter. I guess it’s the kind of once in a lifetime experience you just have to try for yourself, because words fail me. There’s no way to describe this game properly and do it justice.

Loaded with Quality

Aside from the amazing sex scenes and the gripping story, you also get over 39,000 lines of dialogue in Lateshifter. Yup, you read that right. So, how can it be a short game if it’s got more words in it than the average book? Well, the game is meant to be replayed, several times over. There are many different scenes and endings for you to unlock. And sure, there’s a main story, but there’s a ton of shit for you to do in the meantime. There are four romanceable characters, with 15 unique sex scenes for you to unlock. Plus, you can always watch specific scenes without playing the game, right in the main menu. Ideally, this game will take you no more than 2 hours to complete, your first time around. But, I’m willing to bet that you’ll come back to it, over and over again. It’s just that good. Oh and did I mention the best part? There’s almost an hour of quality music in this bad boy. You straight up get an original soundtrack. Lateshifter’s soundtrack is better than 99% of all the OSTs you’re used to hearing in triple-A titles. None of that generic cookie cutter bullshit. These songs have heart and they really capture the whole Cyberpunk vibe the game was going for. Lateshifter is one of the greatest porn games ever made and it’s free to play. Plus, since it’s so retro, I’d venture to bet it would run on a toaster. If you’ve got Windows, Mac or Linux, the game is available for download, straight from the developer’s blog, so make sure to check it out.