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About Guilty Pleasures
Guilty Pleasures is an adventure visual novel where you play Marcus Holmes, a PI navigating the messy secrets of the elite. Developed by TopHouse Publishing, it launched on PC on June 30, 2026, blending mystery with over-the-top drama. You’re investigating affairs, model disappearances, and high-society scandals as the nephew of a legendary detective known for prying into private lives. The story prioritizes dialogue choices and branching outcomes over action, with a noir aesthetic and a focus on moral ambiguity. It’s a narrative-driven experience for players who enjoy figuring out personal conflicts and seeing how decisions shape relationships.
Gameplay
Each case in Guilty Pleasures starts with a client meeting where you gather clues via branching dialogue trees. You then follow leads by interrogating suspects, reviewing documents, and uncovering hidden evidence. The game emphasizes relationship management, choosing whom to trust, when to push for details, and how to handle confrontations. Play sessions often last 2-4 hours per case, with around 10 main story arcs. Controls are keyboard/mouse-centric, with occasional quick-time events during tense scenes. The core loop mixes text-based investigation with occasional minigames like hacking or sneaking. Outcomes vary drastically based on your reputation, evidence collected, and who you alienate or ally with.
What Players Think
PlayPile users rate Guilty Pleasures 4.7/5, with 68% completing the main story. Average playtime is 15 hours, though 32% of players exceed 25 hours due to multiple endings. Community moods are 74% curious, 61% entertained, and 43% critical of repetitive dialogue. Critics praise the “wildly exaggerated character arcs” but note some “flat pacing in midgame cases.” Over 80% of reviews highlight the satisfying branching narratives, while 22% call it “a guilty pleasure itself” for its over-the-top drama. Achievement completion is 91%, with 50+ milestones tied to specific relationship outcomes. The game ranks #3 in visual novel popularity on PlayPile.
PlayPile's Take
Guilty Pleasures is a must-play for visual novel fans who want morally gray, drama-filled mysteries. At $39.99, it’s reasonably priced for its 20+ hour content and replayability. The 50+ achievements and 8 distinct endings justify the investment for completionists. While pacing lags in middle chapters, the over-the-top plot twists and relationship dynamics keep it engaging. Ideal for those who enjoy detective stories with a focus on personal stakes over logic puzzles. Skip it if you prefer tightly paced adventures without soap opera elements.
Game Modes
Single player
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