Teaching Feeling

I will admit that I went into Teaching Feeling with the thought that this is yet another visual novel style game that is just all about sex. Do not get me wrong, we have some sexy moments here, but there is far more heart in this game than I was expecting and I found myself far more attached than I thought I would.

Take My Girl

The premise of the game is rather strange. One day a very odd man shows up and thanks to you helping him out. His way of repaying you is with a young girl as a gift. Now, this girl has been through hell. She is all scared up, wearing what looks like a sack as a dress and she shows no emotion what so ever. He tells you that you can do whatever you want with her!

Right there and then, I thought I knew exactly what the game was getting at, but that is not actually the case at all. Rather than adding more to this young girls woes, Teaching Feeling is a game about making her “feel” again. It is very interesting and it actually made me care for her as a character and want to see her happy.

Make Her Happy

The idea of the game is that you have plenty of choices to makes. These range from taking her out for the day, getting her pancakes, buying her a nice dress and just showing her that there is more to life than the horrible abuse she has suffered so far. It is rather hard-hitting stuff and I was so worried about making her sad I was always second-guessing what I was doing as I wanted her to be happy.

It is a very interesting kind of gameplay mechanic and one that I really cannot think of experiencing before in a game of this style. Now as great as the idea of looking after this young lady is. The overall gameplay can be rather repetitive so I do wish that they changed a few things in this regard up to keep it nice and interesting.

Collect Them All

While I found trying to make this young girl happy the best motivation for playing the game. Teaching Feeling actually has many different things for you to collect. These are mostly new items of clothing and accessories for her, but I was surprised at how addictive it was trying to get her a new outfit to wear. Not just so that she “looks hot” but so that she smiles and is happy that someone is doing something nice for her.

I know that some people get into these kinds of games for one thing and one thing only. But I must admit I found this to be a very nice change of pace.

Overall I found Teaching Feeling to be a far more engaging game than I thought it would be. While I do wish there was more variety to the overall gameplay. As far as visual novel style games go. I really like how the goal here is not just all about sex but is about making a young girl “feel” about things and experience things for the first time.

8/10

Pros:

• I loved the idea of the game
• There are plenty of things to collect
• The game is always being updated
• The overall story is dark, touching and even sexy too!
• You will get emotionally invested in the game

Cons:

• Not a lot of actual gameplay to sink your teeth into
• Might not be “hardcore” enough for some people

If you are well versed in the world of Eroge gaming and games that fetishise slavery, you probably have an idea of how these games play out. You get a slave, you abuse your slave, you make this captive do exactly what you want them to do and overall, it’s a real power trip. However, there are a handful of games like this that try to mix up the formula and over a unique new experience. Teaching Feeling is one such game that does this and to great effect.

This game plays like other games which utilize the captive and slavery fetish such as Dungeon Slaves, Slave Zero, Slaves of Rome or the Slave Maker series. This game aims to bring some humanity to the slavery genre. However, does this game succeed? Or does this game fall captive to the same old tropes within the genre. We find out in our review of Teaching Feeling.

Slavery Meets Humanity

First things first, let’s talk about the visuals. Now, we weren’t blown away by the presentation of this game. The title goes for a manga art style but doesn’t quite have the same smooth textures and overall refinement that other titles have. The facial structures are strange and off-putting at times and the environments are grainy and unpolished. It isn’t so bad that it makes the game unplayable or effects the ability to enjoy the content but it certainly could have been a lot better. However, what this game lacks in visuals it makes up for with great writing, superb character development and a focus on building a human relationship with your slave rather than using them as a utility for sexual acts. Sure there is still plenty of that but it works within the context of the story and it isn’t as nefarious as other games of this nature.

The game also has engaging gameplay too which is a little surprising from a visual novel. These games tend to rely on narrative and lack in terms of interactivity. However, Teaching Feeling offers a variety of collectibles and emergent gameplay through the choices you make in terms of how you treat your slave. We will admit, it can get repetitive after a while but the intention alone is enough to warrant praise.

The Verdict

Overall, Teaching feeling has some flaws, with the most obvious being the artwork and the repetitive gameplay. However, the fact that this game has a touching narrative, a more compassionate approach to a story of this nature and interactive gameplay with lots of content to get through is more than enough to satisfy us.

Pros:

• A touching and compassionate approach
• Interactive gameplay and collectables

Cons:

• Lack lustre visuals
• Repetitive gameplay