Now & Then

Discover immersive scenes, characters, and strategies in this captivating visual novel

Ever stumbled upon a game that pulls you into a web of steamy choices and heartfelt connections? That’s Now & Then for you—a gripping adult visual novel where your decisions shape intense encounters with characters like Naomi, Sydney, Alice, and Carol. I’ve sunk hours into it, chasing those elusive threesome scenes and perfect endings, and let me tell you, it’s addictive. From Chapter 11’s massive updates to pregnancy reveals in the finale, this game blends romance, drama, and explicit moments seamlessly. Stick around as I break down how to master Now & Then, unlock every secret, and maximize your playthrough for the ultimate thrill.

Mastering Now & Then Gameplay Basics

I still remember my first real playthrough of Now & Then visual novel. I was casually clicking through, enjoying the story, when I hit Chapter 11. My jaw literally dropped. 🫢 Suddenly, I was presented with over 430 new renders and animations in that chapter alone—a massive, luxurious cascade of scenes that made the world feel incredibly alive. That’s the moment I went from “this is interesting” to “I need to master this game.” It’s a masterpiece of patient storytelling and lavish payoff. If you’re here to learn how to play Now & Then effectively, you’re in the right place. Let’s break down everything you need to go from curious newcomer to a master of its rich, branching world.

What Makes Now & Then Stand Out?

At its heart, Now & Then is a classic visual novel experience, but it executes that style with exceptional depth. You play as John, a man navigating life after a global pandemic, and the core of the gameplay revolves around your relationships with the four main women: the resilient Naomi, the adventurous Sydney, the gentle Alice, and the mature Carol. Your dialogue choices and actions directly influence “Love” stats for each character. 📈

But here’s where it gets clever: the game uses a persistence system. This means your choices aren’t just locked to a single save file. Key decisions and stat milestones are recorded in separate “persistence” files. This is crucial for unlocking certain scenes and endings later, and it’s the backbone of the game’s huge replay value. Think of it as the game remembering your overall journey across multiple playthroughs.

A pro tip? If you ever run into a bug—like Alice’s love stat mysteriously vanishing, which can happen—you can often fix it by accessing the developer menu. Just press Shift+O to open the console and type persistent.alice_love = X (with X being your desired value). It’s a lifesaver! 💾 This ties directly into managing your Now & Then save files wisely.

How to Navigate Chapters and Choices?

The structure of Now & Then chapters is deceptively simple. You progress linearly through the story, but at key points, you’re presented with choices that feel like casual conversation. Don’t be fooled! These are the threads that weave your unique ending. A choice that endears you to Sydney might slightly distance you from Naomi, and vice-versa.

The game doesn’t hold your hand with obvious “Naomi will like this” prompts. You have to pay attention to their personalities. Is Naomi in a scene where she needs support or independence? Does Alice need a gentle approach or a confident one? This is the real strategy of Now & Then gameplay.

Crucial Advice: Save often, and in multiple slots! Before any major choice or at the start of a new chapter, create a new save. This lets you branch your path without replaying hours of content.

Let me tell you a quick story. My first blind run was a mess. 🙈 I was trying to please everyone and ended up with middling stats for all characters, locking me out of the more intimate, character-specific conclusions. I reached the end with a vague, “well, that was nice” feeling. My second run, I focused. I dedicated myself to Naomi’s path, carefully tracking her preferred choices (often supportive but not overbearing, and paying close attention to her “BI” setting in the game’s preferences menu for certain scenes). The result? A deeply emotional, satisfying conclusion that felt earned. The difference was night and day.

Here are my top 5 beginner tips for navigating choices and stats:

• Embrace the Focus: On your first few runs, pick one or two characters to focus on. Trying to max everyone in one go is nearly impossible.
• Decode Personalities: Naomi values resilience and support. Sydney loves adventure and boldness. Alice appreciates kindness and patience. Carol responds to maturity and directness.
• Leverage the Persistence System: Some major story unlocks require a combined total love from all characters across all your playthroughs. Don’t delete old saves rashly!
• Use the Preference Menu: The in-game settings have character-specific toggles (like Naomi’s BI setting) that can influence available scenes. Check them!
• Chapter Hop for Testing: Once you’ve completed the game, use the chapter selection to jump back and test different choices in key scenes without replaying everything.

To help you keep track, here’s a quick reference for the core relationship mechanics:

Unlocking the Gallery and Replay Features

Ah, the Gallery. That glorious menu where you can revisit every beautiful render and animation you’ve discovered. 🖼️ If you’re wondering how to unlock Now & Then gallery content efficiently, I’ve got you covered.

The most straightforward method is built into the final version of the game. From the main menu, you can simply click “Unlock All” in the gallery. This is perfect if you want to appreciate the game’s art (over 14,000 renders!) or if you’ve finished the story and don’t want to grind through dozens of hours for that one missed scene. It’s a legitimate, developer-included feature.

However, the traditional way to unlock the Now & Then gallery is through gameplay. Every scene you witness gets added. This is where understanding the chapters is key. Many of the most sought-after scenes, particularly the thrilling threesomes, become available after Chapter 16. To access these, you need to have built sufficient relationships with the relevant characters during your playthrough. The game will then present you with new choice opportunities that lead to these special sequences.

The best part? Once you’ve unlocked a scene by playing through it, you can use the chapter selection feature to replay that specific segment anytime. This makes experimenting for different outcomes or just reliving your favorite moments a breeze. It’s this combination of a generous “Unlock All” and a rewarding in-game system that makes collection so satisfying in this visual novel.

Whether you download the game from itch.io or use mods (which can add anything from quality-of-life fixes to new render modes), always remember to back up your save files before making any changes. A corrupted save is the quickest way to lose your progress in this expansive story.

Now & Then is a journey well worth taking multiple times. With its branching paths, persistent world, and incredible scene depth, mastering its gameplay is a rewarding hobby in itself. Now that you’ve got the basics down—saving strategically, focusing on choices, and unlocking your way through the chapters—you’re ready to experience everything it has to offer. But what about min-maxing your stats for the perfect ending, or decoding the hidden triggers for the most secret scenes? That, my friend, is a topic for our next advanced strategy guide. 😉

FAQ

Q: I missed a major scene with a character! Do I have to replay the whole game?
A: Not necessarily! Thanks to the chapter selection feature in the completed game, you can jump back to key decision points. Make a new save, choose differently, and play forward from there to unlock the scene you missed.

Q: My love stat for a character seems stuck or disappeared. What happened?
A: This is a known bug, particularly with Alice. You can fix this by opening the developer console with Shift+O and manually setting the stat (e.g., persistent.alice_love = 50). Also, ensure you’re checking the correct persistent save file in your game directory.

Q: The “Unlock All” gallery feature isn’t working for me. Why?
A: First, ensure you have the final, complete version of the game installed. If you’re using mods, they can sometimes conflict with this function. Try running the game without mods to use the unlock feature, or focus on unlocking scenes through traditional gameplay and chapter replay.

There you have it—your roadmap to conquering Now & Then, from nailing those pivotal choices with Naomi and Sydney to savoring every animation-packed chapter. My own journeys through multiple playthroughs taught me that patience and bold decisions unlock the deepest rewards, turning a simple visual novel into an unforgettable adventure. Whether you’re chasing the threesome replay or the emotional endings, this game delivers thrills like no other. Dive in today, experiment with your saves, and share your wildest outcomes in the comments. What’s your favorite scene so far? Let’s keep the conversation going!