**WARNING: The game discussed in this review is intended only for players 18 and older. Reader’s discretion is advised.**

The life of a succubus sounds ideal. You fly around, enjoy the company of many lovers, and can even have one-night stands without the worries of STDs. Fawn, the hero of Charger’s Succuquest, is not exactly like that. Yes, she loves her sex, but her dream is one that no other succubus would ever consider: to become a hero.

Thus begins Fawn’s journey towards not only being a hero of a kingdom, but also — most importantly — to build a harem of consensual (keyword here, FYI!) lovers of many genders and roles. The rogue hero, the scientist, even the princess will become a part of Fawn’s Love Heptagon. But in order to be both a great lover and hero, our succubus must set out to rid the kingdom of evil, all the while trying to prove that she herself has no evil intentions. Just, you know, sexy ones.

When you start out Succuquest, your only powers are your whip. Using the whip to defeat enemies can be fairly easy, and it will be your main weapon of choice throughout the game. (Thankfully, as time goes by, its attack strength will rise.) However, the real fun of the game begins when you can unlock new transformations and techniques to beat enemies and solve tricky areas. And this is where the game really makes you use your brain!

As a thief, you can climb walls and find hidden areas in a room. When in knight mode, your mighty sword can cut down enemies and break down walls. Slime bodies will allow you to slip through tiny areas and avoid being hurt by thorny walls. With a cow body, you can leap high areas and spray milk to change some enemies into a visual gag that’s both funny and adorable. At times, you’ll need to switch between multiple transformations to complete certain rooms, with some places needing you to do so quickly to avoid getting hurt.

It’s why I highly recommend using a controller to play the game. Although Succuquest is set up to use your keyboard and mouse, I found it a lot more comfortable to play with an Xbox One controller. The only downside is that every time you boot up the game, you’ll have to go into the menu and reset the controller buttons every time. It only takes a few seconds to do, but it’s still a minor headache with the game.

This leads to another issue I had: the menu layout. During half of my time playing, I had no idea that I had a map that I could use to navigate areas and see what I had missed previously. Only when I accidentally pushed a button did I see that there was a map all this time! It made me wish that somewhere — perhaps in a tutorial — I was told that a map existed, as it would’ve made going through previously-trotted areas a lot easier!

Thankfully, those are my two biggest gripes, aside from a couple of game bugs that made me have to use a drink that warped me back to the tavern that’s the central hangout area. Outside of that, Succuquest is surprisingly a good time! Fighting enemies, doing boss battles, and finding hidden objects is a lot more fun than I imagined. I’ll admit: when the game started, I thought I was in for a below-average side-scroller. Only when I dove deeper into the story, and the game unveiled its true Metroidvania nature, did I start to really enjoy what I was experiencing.

While progressing through the narrative, you’ll begin racking up the lovers in your harem. Some won’t play nice at first, resulting in a boss battle over a misunderstanding. But once Fawn calms them down and explains herself, they will find comfort in joining your harem. Throughout the kingdom, you’ll find items that your lovers will enjoy using during your intimate sessions, be it in a twosome or a threesome. (And yes, the visuals — albeit in visual novel form — are very tantalizing!)

Players can beat the game the first time around in about 8-9 hours. However, there are multiple endings you can unlock depending on how well you “pamper” the lovers in your harem. You can also nab other pieces of art if you beat each kind of enemy at least twenty times. However, it may require you to exit and reenter some areas in order to obtain some of the pictures.

PROS:

• Surprisingly fun side-scrolling gameplay
• Terrific transformations
• Nice erotic artwork

CONS:

• Minor game-breaking bugs
• Takes a bit before getting good
• Menu can be confusing

FINAL THOUGHTS:

It takes a bit to really get going, but Succuquest delivers a whole lot of fun for the 18+ gamer crowd. Even if it didn’t have erotic elements to the game (which can be turned off if necessary), Changer’s Metroidvania is still incredibly enjoyable. Fans of FlipWitch and Bloodstained will no doubt have zero issues with diving into Succuquest and joining Fawn’s harem!

Promotional consideration provided by Keymailer. Reviewed on the PC via Steam.