Indulge in the hedonistic delights of 1920s Los Angeles as Evelyn Cora West, heir to a wealthy family and proactive, promiscuous denizen of the city’s underground nightlife in Speakeasy.

Open Late Games were kind enough to offer Sweet & Spicy early access to their upcoming demo build of Speakeasy, which will be made available to the public on May 31st, 2023, via their itch.io page.

If anything about this game piques your interest, I highly recommend checking out the demo to help you decide whether or not to back the Kickstarter campaign. It’s a short, sweet, and sexy taste of Speakeasy – and a fantastic way to try it before you buy it.

☆ Game Name: Speakeasy
☆ Developers: Open Late Games
☆ Platforms: itch.io, Steam, JAST USA
☆ Genres / Vibes: Romance, Erotic, Historical
☆ More info: Kickstarter, Twitter, Website
☆ Age rating: 18+

Please note: Speakeasy is intended for mature audiences, with an age rating of 18+. This review contains screenshots and discussions of explicit sexual content. Please view at your own discretion.

Decadence & Debauchery

“Join Cora West for a whirlwind of forbidden romances found in the depths of a decadent illegal jazz club in Prohibition-era Los Angeles. Direct the heroine’s actions and determine whether she will make it out with her heart intact or lose herself in the glamor and excess.

Will you fall in love? Rule the city?

Or damn it all and descend into ruin? The choice is yours.”

– Official Game Description (itch.io)

The mood is set from the moment you open the game. Smooth jazz music plays in the background, with a grainy effect that gives the impression that it really was recorded nearly a century ago. The menu art is beautiful – an elegant combination of monochromatic black and white, highlighted with warm sepia tones. It’s dark, it’s mysterious, and it’s decadent.

I particularly love the art nouveau user interface, with the distinctive, geometric lines characteristic of this era’s aesthetic. It’s clear from the start that every detail has been carefully curated to craft an immersive experience, pulling you into the glitz and glamour of prohibiton-era nightlife. Before I’ve even selected “new game”, I’m dying to enter the world of Speakeasy.

Art & Music

The background music is phenomenal throughout the demo. The in-game music doesn’t always have quite the same vintage feel as the title menu music, but it’s still suitably themed with the game and available in a variety of tones and moods. It feels appropriate and immersive for the historical setting, and it’s easy on the ears, even if you leave it playing on a loop for a while.

The background art appears to consist of filtered photos. I don’t personally mind this style, so long as it still suits the aesthetic of the game. I do generally prefer illustrated backgrounds, but in this case, the images have been carefully selected and work well as complements to the gorgeous character sprites (seriously, they’re stunning).

My only critique of the background art is that there were a couple that seemed a little too modern for the era (e.g. Cora’s bedroom at her parents’ house), which did somewhat detract from the immersion. However, these were background images that only showed briefly in the game, and and all the major scenes – that players will be looking at the most – were both era-appropriate and aesthetically pleasing.

Regarding character sprites, each of the major characters has an absolutely beautiful sprite, with an impressive range of expressions and outfits. Yes, outfits. I am so excited by this, you have no idea. I always love it when characters have outfit variations, but I especially love it in games set during one of my favourite eras of history. 1920s fashion is iconic, so the more of it I see in Speakeasy, the better!

Furthermore, I loved the decision to use black silhouettes for characters without a sprite. It further contributes to the minimalistic, monochromatic colour palette, as well as the mysterious, shadowy atmosphere. It also feels oddly vintage somehow… perhaps reminiscent of shadow puppet plays in some way? I’m not entirely sure how, but it perfectly suits this game’s unique charm, and I appreciate the deliberate stylistic choices.

Characters

Evelyn Cora West

In terms of personality, Cora craves independence with a fiery passion, but her sheltered upbringing means she’ll need to work incredibly hard to achieve it. She’s an upper class woman tasked with being the heir her parents want her to be – but Cora has other ideas. I would love to say she has plans, too, but it would seem she didn’t get that far before acting out on her desire to emancipate herself from her social duties.

To be clear, I adore Cora. She may not have everything figured out yet, but this is fitting for someone with her background and (lack of) life experiences. She’s young and immature, so her decisions are – at least in the beginning – ruled by her emotions. Again, fitting for a character with her upbringing. I’m intrigued by her story and excited to see how she grows throughout the rest of the game.

Love Interests

Speakeasy features a delightfully degenerate cast of every flavour of pervert you can imagine… in a hot way, of course. Visually, they’re stunning, and from the glimpses we see in the demo, their personalities are just as weird and wonderful.

The first LI we meet is poster daddy, Vincent Harlowe. His introduction packs a testosterone-fuelled punch, leaving anyone who loves a powerful, rich, charismatic man feeling weak in the knees. He’s one of those guys whose presence commands whatever room they’re in. I could go on and on about all the reasons why he’s devastatingly attractive, but really, he had me at “kitten”.

Next up is the other Mr. Harlowe, this time, Milo. In my notes, I gave him the nickname “Heart-and-knee-breaker”, and for good reason. He’s more rough around the edges than his suave, sophisticated relative, and a smooth-talking flirt. From his introduction, he seems to be in charge of… “discipline”, at the club. All I know is he could break my heart or my knees and either way I’d say thank you. Oh, did I mention he calls Cora, “doll”? Well he does, and it’s hot, and I love him already.

The other love interests are introduced after the initial chapter in a sequence of scenes that will presumably show up in the full game, later in the story. There aren’t any spoilers – in fact, the scenes largely revolve around the sexual preferences of each character. There is some intrigue… but also a lot of sex.

First up is William Durrant, the pianist. He’s an artist, but clearly from a wealthier background, or at least an educated one. There’s nothing rough about him, and he carries an air of elegance that makes me wonder what on earth he’s doing at an illegal night club. He and Cora seem to connect over their love of the arts, and I’m interested to see how this more refined love interests fits into the scene Cora seems to have found herself in.

Ah, Silas. Sweet himbo baby Silas. The only thing larger than his muscles is his heart. His pure innocence adds a refreshing, wholesome spin to the hedonistic pleasures of the night. Plus, he comes in a package deal with Momo, the absolutely adorable baby kitty cat (shh, don’t question it) who even has his own character sprite! I have a feeling Silas is going to be a fan favourite, but I won’t spoil why. I just know of many people for whom Silas is going to tick all the boxes. Plus, he’s a sweet, pink-haired, tattooed cinammon roll who loves animals… what’s not to love?

Stretch Goals

Open Late Games – the studio behind Speakeasy – will be launching a Kickstarter campaign later this year. In this campaign, they have several stretch goals planned, including some bonus routes that otherwise won’t be available in the main game. These “stretch goal” love interests are Dahlia, and a polyamorous route with Maxim and Nika.

Dahlia is not only the love of my life, but also a sapphic fortune teller and Cora’s boss – at least, temporarily. She’s harsh and intimidating, and if these demo scenes are anything to go by, she’s excellent at making people feel humiliated. As I said, she’s the love of my life – and once the campaign launches, I’ll be on my knees, hoping and praying for her route to get funded.

Maxim and Nika intrigue me. They have an odd dynamic that I’m dying to explore. Maxim is cold, both to Cora and Nika, yet Nika just… takes it. I can’t tell if it’s because Nika’s into that, or if there’s a secret warmth to Maxim that isn’t quite obvious in the brief glimpse at their characters we see in the demo. Everything about them has piqued my curiosity – although I would say, as of the time of writing, I’m particularly interested in Nika.

Story

One thing that immediately stands out about the writing in Speakeasy is that it’s written in third person. This is standard for prose, however visual novels are typically (but not always) written in first person. This is to allow the player to feel like they’re experiencing the story themselves, rather than witnessing the story as it happens to other people.

That being said, I don’t think this choice of perspective is incorrect. Butterfly’s Poison, for example, is also written in third person. It’s simply worth noting that, since there’s an extra element of distance there, self-insert players may struggle to picture themselves as the heroine. Interestingly, the inner monologue is written in first person, so it feels as though the reader’s perspective is shifting back and forth between Cora’s POV and a third-person POV.

Regardless of the perspective, the script maintains key standards of the visual novel format – namely, prioritising dialogue and inner monologue over description through narration. Due to this blend of styles, I believe that players who enjoy both novels and visual novels will likely connect with the writing style of Speakeasy the most.

Demo Release

The demo covers an introductory chapter that establishes the premise of the game, as well as Evelyn’s personality and background. You then get a chance to meet two of the love interests before an intro sequence rolls (which is incredible, by the way), and then short scenes with each of the other remaining love interests as individual, standalone moments, rather than an ongoing narrative.

This highlight reel of scenes after the initial introduction is structured in such a dynamic, engaging way that it smooths the transition from one section to the next, even without the flow of an ongoing narrative. I personally like the creativity of it, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to meet the whole cast without the game revealing too much of the story prior to the full release.

Smut Talk

The smut factor in Speakeasy will appeal to many visual novel and otome fans. Even from the introductory scenes in the demo, it’s clear that there will be a wide variety of preferences and fetishes being catered to, all in a delightfully explicit fashion. 

I’m a big fan of passionate romance, shall we say, so when I saw such unapologetic debauchery in such early stages of the game, I was excited – in every sense of the word. If you’re looking for those adult themes you’ve been warned about, you’re in the right place.

My only critique regarding the sexual content of Speakeasy is that – at least thus far – it feels like almost everyone is a switch. This isn’t inherently a bad thing, especially since sex scenes tend to be highly personal in how they’re received, so having lots of kinks and power dynamics being covered means that anyone should find something they enjoy, even within the same route.

And, honestly, this could just be how I perceive it as someone who is not as versatile as our protagonist appears to be. I have a distinct preference for one end of the dominant-submissive scale, so anything that swings the other way is bound to turn me off, and therefore stand out more to me than someone who has an interest in every direction.

In fact, I’m almost certainly talking about two particular characters who I had my eye on as potential “best boy” material, but was devastated to discover their bedroom preferences don’t align with mine. In fact, quite the opposite… but, I still have hope that at least one of the other love interests will be my type, depending on which stretch goals are achieved (Dahlia please, you’re my only hope! ♥).

In general, I noticed (and appreciated) that the protagonist is fairly proactive in her approach to sex. She knows what she wants, and she’s not afraid to take it. For visual novel fans who want a more assertive female protagonist in their horny romance games, Speakeasy is the game for you. I might personally wish she was a little less assertive, but I know there are plenty more games with my preferred dynamic than this one, and I’m all for stories that cater to different audiences.

Perhaps my favourite aspect of the smut in Speakeasy is that the explicit scenes feel confident; there’s no hesitancy or discomfort in the way they’re written. They come across an integral part of the story rather than something tacked on for the degenerate fans, written by an author who clearly doesn’t feel comfortable writing them. They’re seamless with the rest of the story, and the writer clearly understands the appeal of each dynamic and kink being presented.

There are also hints at polyamory and sex scenes involving three or more people, which is rare in this genre. Actually, not even just hints. Provided the Kickstarter campaign reaches the appropriate stretch goal, there will be a whole polyamory route. All in all, representation of gender and sexuality is impressive in this game, even with a non-customisable female protagonist – although straight, she is most certainly not.

Gameplay & Features

There aren’t too many settings and features to play with at this stage of development, but this is fairly standard for a demo. It would be good to see some more accessibility options added prior to its full launch, but for now, there are the basic settings for volume, text speed, and font size.

As someone who needs gameplay images for reviews, I appreciate screenshot functions too. If there is a keyboard shortcut for taking screenshots in Speakeasy, I’m not aware of it, so a controls page that lists keyboard shortcuts would also be useful, particularly for making players aware of the ‘backspace’ menu.

Otherwise, the skip and auto-play buttons are available at the bottom-right of the text box once you get into the game, along with a “log” of the previous text, an option to hide the UI, and buttons to take you to the settings and title menus. As mentioned above, you can access the save/load buttons by pressing ‘backspace’ to open a separate menu.

You can also use the scroll wheel on your mouse to quickly go backwards and forwards through the script – although, I wouldn’t mind an option to disable this. I had my notes page open on my second screen and kept accidentally skipping backwards and forwards through the text in-game when I was actually trying to scroll through my notes – but this was more entertaining than annoying, and I likely wouldn’t have thought of it at all if I hadn’t been writing while playing!

Final Thoughts

There is so much to love about Speakeasy – and it isn’t even out yet! From the dark and glamorous setting, to the elegant aesthetic and intriguing cast, I knew from the first glimpses of this game that it was going to appeal to me in all the right ways.

After playing the demo, I’m still convinced this is a game worth keeping an eye on. I’ll be backing the Kickstarter campaign once it launches, and I’ll be hoping the stretch goals for Dahlia, Maxim, and Nika are met, so I can fall for them too.

I can’t wait to have another notch on my “spicy romance game” belt, and if you’re at all interested in diving deep into the forbidden nightlife of prohibition-era Los Angeles as a sheltered, upper-class woman, then I highly recommend checking out the demo for Speakeasy once it has been released over at the game’s itch.io page on Wednesday 31st May, 2023, at 8am PST.

Game Info

☆ Game Name: Speakeasy
☆ Developers: Open Late Games
☆ Platforms: itch.io, Steam
☆ Genres / Vibes: Romance, Erotic, Historical, Decadence & Debauchery
☆ More info: Kickstarter, Twitter, Website
☆ Age rating: 18+

Thank You

~☆ Patrons ☆~

About the Author

Contact Us

For all enquiries, please email us at sweetnspicyreviews@gmail.com or via the social media links below:

• Twitch
• Patreon
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Reddit
• Discord

More like this…