To Have and to Hold

If you want a damn fine boys love visual novel, To Have and to Hold is a game you need to check out. I came across this by complete accident and I am glad I did. I am always a sucker for a well written gay lewd visual novel and this one here is one of the better ones that I have played this year. The art, the story, and most importantly, the characters are what really drive this to be a very memorable lewd experience. It is not the kind of game you would play through more than once, but it certainly left a strong impression on me.

The Life Of Yuel

Our main character (well one of two) in To Have and to Hold is a man called Yuel. Yuel is in his late 20s and he is not exactly thrilled with the way his life is right now. He does not like his job, he has a real lack of money and he is kind of estranged from most of his family. You see, he had a falling out with his rich dad many years prior and was never able to patch things up. Yuel ends up getting invited to his aunt's big wedding and has no way out of it so he has to go.

The Other Side Of The Tracks!

The other main character in To Have and to Hold is Tavi. While Yuel is rather insecure and not exactly happy. Tavi is a cool, handsome dude who loves to have fun. Tavi is Yuel’s cousin and after not seeing each other for many years, the two reconnect at the wedding. The twist is that there is a mix up and the two of them have to not only share a room, they have to share a bed as well. The whole cousin thing I am sure be a bit off putting for some, but it is not as if the whole thing is super gross or anything like that.

An Open Bar? Don’t Mind If I Do!

As it is a wedding the alcohol is flowing and Yuel ends up getting pretty hammered. So hammered, that Tavi has to take care of him and get him back to their room. In his drunken state, Yuel really opens up to Tavi and as you would expect with this being a boy's love game, the two end up getting into something that cousins should not. It is well written stuff and I think that both Yuel and Tavi are different enough and have a real connection with each other that I feel the developer does a great job of diving into.

Going Their Own Way!

One thing I will say about To Have and to Hold is that this is very much a kinetic lewd visual novel. This of course means that there are no choices for you to make here. I get that for some people this is boring, but when the story is as well written as it is here it is not bad. I actually think that if they did put choices in here, it perhaps would have taken away from the overall experience. It only lasts a few hours, but it zooms by as the whole thing is so engaging and entertaining.

Pros:

• The two lead characters are very well written
• The art is incredible
• It is a fantastic boy's love story
• It only takes a few hours to get through

Cons:

• It does have incest which is off putting for some
• Some may not like the fact there are no choices