Debasing Grounds is a web-browser-based text RPG and social simulator set in a post-apocalyptic world. You can play it online or download the latest version and open the Debasing Grounds.html file using your preferred browser. The game is compatible with various platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android. The game is currently in alpha version.
Debasing Grounds contains graphic and dark material that can be unsettling or triggering to some people. The game contains descriptions of non-consensual sex, bondage, sexual humiliation and physical abuse. You must be 18 or older to play this game.The game focuses on dark themes and offers different paths where players can explore (or at least try to) dominant or submissive questlines and sandbox mechanics. Some of the most developed themes are BDSM, feminization, humiliation, non-con, dub-con and pet play. The game includes feminization, sissification and transgenderism themes.
Your name is (X) and you are a (X)-year-old (boy/girl) (selectable from age 18). Your skin is (X) and you have (X) eyes. You have (X)-long (X) hair. You are of (X)-height and (X)-built, with a (X) chest.
A gust of cool air brings you back to reality, making you shiver. Your surroundings snap into focus, an unfamiliar landscape that leaves you feeling more lost than before.
You open your eyes to a strange town, with a mix of new and old buildings, some of which have been hastily patched up with different materials. The newer construction seems to be done with bricks and tiles, yet the older structures appear to be composed of metal and concrete. A massive wall made of mud and metal bars surrounds the town.
A few strangers appear walking down the street, wearing a mixture of modern clothes and tattered robes. When they come close enough, you hear them speaking your language. Their faces are rugged and unwelcoming.
There are more than 300 NPCs the player can encounter in the world.
Players find themselves in a desolate world with no clear direction. Your priorities should probably find shelter and make some cash. Don't stray too far at night!
Alternative starts:
Debasing Grounds v0.4.3: "Expanded Slavery and Body Modifications" released for supporters in SubscribeStar (preferred) https://subscribestar.adult/debasing_grounds and Patreon.
Previous version v0.4.2 now public at http://debasinggrounds.com/
Here's the changelog for
Version 0.4.3: "Expanded Slavery and Body Modifications":
Expanded Player Slavery:
- It's now possible to start directly as a slave sent to the digs, skipping the auction.
- Guards on the Keep grounds now use slaves for sex. New scenes: face-fuck, cock-worship (male and d-girl NPCs), cum-play, vaginal (all NPC genders, strap-on variant for females), anal (all NPC genders, strap-on variant for females), orgasm scenes (ejaculation variant), orgasm control and ruined orgasm scenes.
- Kaelin attempts to break enslaved players' minds into total obedience through sexual punishment.
- New Kaelin sexual punishment long scenes: group flogging/ice water shock, needle play (requires heavy punishment toggle), rigged dildo
- Acting eager, being given orgasms and breaking under orgasm control increases slavery fetish (among others)
- New human toilet punishment for poor performance (requires Water Sports toggle) New public toilet scenes (group piss, face piss, throat piss, strap-on and regular face fuck with cum play).
- At 60% submission, Kaelin will place a personal property collar on players. This prevents guards from approaching players for sex, but makes Kaelin approach more often.
- At 80% submission, Kaelin will brand the players. Kaelin gives players the choice of where to wear the mark.
- Players who reach 100% Slavery Fetish and 100% Submission to Kaelin will no longer be able to escape the Keep Grounds.
- At a Precision skill level > 65, Kaelin will have players work in the Curator's Warehouse and give them some equipment to improve their Precision and Observation skills.
- After promoted, it is no longer possible to hide broken artefacts. A check will be made at the end of the day, and if the player has broken any items, or failed to clean 5 or classify at least 10 (or any combination that adds up to 10 points, with cleaned artefacts counting as 2), they will receive a full day of punishment.
- Players will now need to receive 10 major punishments and have Trust < 20 before being transferred to the Food Processing Centre. The counter resets after being promoted to Specialist Slave and after receiving an ID.
- At Trust > 70, Kaelin will offer players a quest that requires them to infiltrate the Thulle Deviants and pass an Observation skill check. If they accept, Kaelin will give them a slave ID and allow them to leave the Keep grounds, but they must return every two days.
- Failure to return in two days will make the player a fugitive.
- Sleeping in the Beast's bunk now requires a control check, making it difficult if the player is in too much pain or distress.
- Working in the excavations now starts a quest to escape or gain Kaelin's trust.
Body Modifications:
- Inventory menu now shows tattoos and branding marks under the Piercings section (now renamed Body Modifications)
- Janny Piercings renamed to Janny Piercings & Tattoos
- It's now possible to get fetish tattoos at Janny Piercings & Tattoos.
- Possible fetish tattoos: cocksucker, cum dump, slut, sissy, whore, slave, rope slut, pain slut, torture slut, human toilet
- Possible Tattoo Locations: Forehead, Cheeks, Neck Sides, Collarbone, Upper Chest, Chest, Ribs, Abdomen (Both Sides), Lower Abdomen, Shoulders, Upper and Lower Back (Both Sides), Pubic Area, Thighs, Shins, Biceps, Wrists, Ankles
- Aria (Deviant's Hall) does free gang and fetish tattoos for Thulle Deviant members.
- Bishop (the Hazy Haven) does free gang and fetish tattoos for Ronda gang members
- Having a fetish tattoo will make NPCs with that fetish approach the player on sight and give the NPC a lust boost.
- A visible Deviants tattoo will trigger an encounter on sight when entering Ronda gang territory and will prevent you from entering Thulle territory.
- Most tattoos can be covered by clothing, preventing their effects.
- Piercings in the same location are now numbered in the inventory menu.
- New chat approach options and insults for characters with fetish tattoos.
- Having tattoos prevents players from working for Ms/r Harrow unless they take the job before getting them
Other stuff:
- New locations on South Street
- Minor mini-map changes
- Some new NPCs moved to the new South Street locations
- Grip-enhancing gloves now improve precision work
- Current NPC stats such as Pain, Exhaustion and Fear will now update as time passes (previously only happened for captured NPCs)
- Removing a gag from your inventory now instantly grants chat options
- New item: Magnifying Goggles: +10 Stealth, +5 Lockpick. Sold at the hardware store.
- Slave collar, shock collar, and some NPC property collars can no longer be removed from the "Get changed" menu.
Bug fixes:
- Fixed a problem with some Stoic Stance checks where they would always succeed regardless of the challenge.
- Fixed a bug where players would show up in the Eastern Passage after leaving multiple locations that were not there.
- Fixed a bug that was causing NPCs' homes to change incorrectly when their schedule was changed during in-game actions.
- Fixed scene issues in 5 East Street, bathing and bed warming scenes and effects when paused during full floor cleaning
- Fixed typos in description screen, 5 East Street, 6 East Street, brothel, sex stats and Thulle scenes
- Fixed minor bugs in Thulle quests, brothel slave scenes and restaurant
- Fixed bugs that caused strap-on fetishes to trigger incorrectly during sex
- Fixed minor bugs with chat options and locations
- Fixed a bug that prevented players from cuddling
This game surprised the heck out of me and I wanted to write an honest opinion on it. Something I've not done in a few years as there was a lot of the same stuff flloating about. Suddenly came this game, on the surface some of the same tropes but well written. However, the depth of gameplay - if you look for it, made me double take. Seriously, knock a door, as it's an option, and next I know I'm someone's ponygirl? I was so delighted I had to put it out here. This game has several such semi hidden story lines and it's nowhere near done. I wanted to praise the sort of non-linear way this was done. Give it a go, even someone more surface oriented won't be disappointed.
The best thing about the game is probably the writing. The author "gets" what makes dom/sub interactions hot in a way that not many do. There is plenty of extremely good content revolving around the player's humiliation and corruption in an unbelievably harsh world. Even better, despite being early days a lot of it feels somewhat "organic" from the conditions the game sets up. The game world feels well thought out and has quite a lot of depth in some areas and throws plenty of surprises to keep the player engaged.
Overall I really enjoyed this game and would definitely recommend it.
There is also some room for improvement though. For example- even though the game is set in a harsh world, sometimes the character interactions are a bit "much", even for the setting. For instance, over about three gym sessions Holger moves from insults to skullfucking. It just moves way too fast. Ditto for the cafe and maid storylines- phenomenal writing but the characters have a distinct lack of chill that kind of breaks the immersion. Also in personal interactions, even your flatmates will jump straight from asking your name to full on sexual assault. (The insult mechanic is amazing, by the way- though it rarely seems to trigger). The scenes themselves are great and I know the author is probably still working on the pacing but generally I wish there was a bit of a slower burn. It would also be good if there were a cue to let you know that you'd come to the end of content in an area.
Currently there isn't really any feminisation content in the game. Transformations are implied but AFAIK cannot happen to the player (though there is the groundwork for them to be implemented soon). Personally I didn't really notice the lack of images- the descriptions are good enough.
I played this a bit, it has a decent amount of content, but a few things stand out: it can be quite repetitive, it could use at least some graphics in addition to the text, and lastly (and most diappointingly, from my perspective) the 'feminization' content in the game involves very little actual feminization, and doesn't seem to understand the fetish at all.
I’m inclined to view the current iteration of the game as the ‘bones’, rather than the ‘meat’, but I’m sure that’s something the creator is aware of. That said, the two things that are apparent to me from the outset are these: First, the game suffers from the same issue that begets a lot of games on this site, a lack of connection between the audience and the PC. The writing, as stands, does not give much in the way of a PC’s thoughts, feelings, or motivations beyond ‘find a bed’. Your understanding of your own character is more or less limited to your stats, with everything else being the responsibility of your own imagination.
The second issue is more or less a lack of signposts to guide PCs to interesting content. The billboard at the start is decent, as it directs the PC to a quest and employment opportunities. But beyond that, you sort of have to hope that you talk to the right person at the right time at the right place. Which is why the previous review by Salisria remarked on the need for a guide or stronger hint system.
Having not engaged with this game in earlier stages of development, I can’t speak to what earlier stages looked like. But if development has an ‘outward’ focus, as in building more content events, I think it might not be for me. If development instead has an ‘upwards’ focus, as in strengthening the pillars of the gameplay loop, plots, and your understanding of your character, then I think it has a very strong start and potential.
It just depends which way the dev takes it.
The good:
There's a decent amount of content here already, and it works as advertised.
The bad:
The game is extremely grindy, more than is truly needed at times.
The ugly:
The game is in need of either an in-game hint system or an out-of-game walkthrough.
There's promise here, and it's even playable if you don't mind the grind.
As far as game play is concerned, the free penultimate version is as good, albeit one version behind, the paywalled ultimate version. I'd recommend paying for this game to reward existing content rather than to spur development of new content.
