VN Ren'Py Abandoned A Shot in the Dark [Ch.4] [ViM Studios]

4.20 star(s) 60 Votes
Discussion Reviews (60)
Kalibre26

Kalibre26

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Oct 4, 2024
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Oh jeez, so sorry to hear about the difficulties the devs are going through... I mean I only just found out.
From a "end-user" POV, knowing the "why" behind why projects get put on hold or (God Forbid) cancelled does take a little from the sting. But it's getting harder and harder with each VN/game I get invested that never reaches any sort of v1.0/completed status.

I mean, downloaded the demo awhile back but didn't get around to actually playing it. Just recently I finally got to playing it and damn, both excited and sad at the same time.

Side-note: you can certainly feel there's a woman's input in this, it reads and plays like a erotic novel at times and that's why I love it! Not implying men can't write erotica or meaningful dialogue (I should know, it's a hobby of mine), just that most of us don't bother to even try.

Just Jericho said:
Count me as one of the optimistic ones then. This is one of the few vns where an LI that I strongly disliked at the start became my favorite LI by the last chapter (Mai). That's just good character writing. So I really want to see where this one goes.
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That's strange, the complete opposite for me lol
After meeting my favorite LI (Alexis), drinking a coffee and then talking to Mei (I didn't meet Elly yet) I seriously went "waaait, there's definitely potential here too" NOPE
3 chapters later ("perfect" Mei run) and my character still gets second guessed, insulted and talked to as if they're some rapist that just jumped her in the park.

She's the most toxic character in the game, even more so than Sophie, because Sophie at least owns it (she doesn't do shit about it tho)
She reminds me of how TERRIBLE and ENTITLED people with awareness about their mental health and/or trauma issues are.
Just because you've been through shit or are Bipolar, ADHD, on the spectrum or have BPD or whatnot...
THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU GET A PASS FOR WHEN YOU ARE A SHITTY PERSON
And MC just coddles and enables her. Which is one of the few things I dislike about MC (his writing I mean), he feels inconsistent at times, his personality and demeanour seems to change based on what girl he's interacting with.

Perfect gentleman with Alexis
Prince Charming with Sara
Boy next door with Elly
Sex toy with Sophie
Erotica novel character with Natalie
Friendly plumber/milkman with Ashley
And doormat with Mei :LOL:
(I'm exaggerating for effect a lil bit ofc)

Otherwise holy shit, he's one of my favorite main characters ever. He reminds me of myself so much and he's also obviously ADHD like me (besides childhood trauma angle, also, like me lol).

Anyway, while I do objectively stand by what I said about her. I also subjectively have to say that I'm at point in life when I just don't really care for the "dark princess"/edgelady trope (the feminine of edgelord lol), so characters like Mei or Sophie bore me really quickly.

Now Alexis, Elly, Sara, Natalie and Delia? They got me instantly hooked and it lasted all the way through their last scenes (as of now). Great dialogue, great depth (each with at least SOME novelty added to their archetypes), great "chase", great payoffs and holy shit... some of the most memorable romantic/sexual interactions I've ever experienced in a AVN or the limited erotic literature I've consumed. Excellent work there, stellar writing, stellar renders (where that applies).
 
flaviopaganini

flaviopaganini

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TheNautilus said:
View attachment 5236440
Lmao these devs really just released a poll on a new game they have in the pipeline so much for that sob story. Abandoned in the dark it is.
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They specialized in 2D games and have a dedicated team for this type of project, which is why they’re making the next one. That’s why Prince of Suburbia had no development issues. It’s the 3D-focused team that is having problems, which is why only A Shot in the Dark is on hold.
 
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F

FuhQ6969

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Aug 20, 2025
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Kalibre26 said:
Oh jeez, so sorry to hear about the difficulties the devs are going through... I mean I only just found out.
From a "end-user" POV, knowing the "why" behind why projects get put on hold or (God Forbid) cancelled does take a little from the sting. But it's getting harder and harder with each VN/game I get invested that never reaches any sort of v1.0/completed status.
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And this is why I quit giving money and often even just attention anymore to unfinished games and AVN's, even Early Access normal games on Steam. Over the years I've been ripped off so many times I've wasted probably $5k and all I got to show for it is a few dozen abandoned half-stories that often end on cliff-hangers with 2-3x as many excuses. I'm so done with Patreon, Kickstarter and similar scam sites, as often even when a rarity happens and it gets completed it never got half the content/kinks promised 5 years prior at the start. These days I've went back to the old school way of doing it: pirate it after it's finished and if I liked it enough to make me fap (rare, I'm picky when it comes to kinks, that often include ones not allowed on prude platforms) and if the dev has their own site with a crypto wallet I'll send them $20-30 worth (maybe more, maybe less, it depends on how long/short it is).
 
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Raynare69

Raynare69

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Jan 1, 2022
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I only played this game for Ashley pretty much, and I remember coming here discussing some things and having some theories about what had happened before, but I've pretty much all but forgotten what happened. It's unfortunate what happened with the creators and I hope their kid gets well and we someday get a continuation to the story. It was one I was genuinely interested in and was subbed to their Patreon for a while until they put the project on hold.
 
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Raynare69

Raynare69

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Zorro#34 said:
She's awesome; both my favourite LI in this game and my favourite AVN aunt. In fact, she's the only 'family' AVN LI to be better than her No More Money counterpart imo.
I do like Mai and Elly too though.
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Oddly enough I only play NMM for Lauren haha (probably extreme minority)...
I'm honestly not that into the whole 'family' trope so much as I simply just go for whoever I think is the hottest in any given game regardless of whoever they are or whatever they've done :LOL:
 
Quetzzz

Quetzzz

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Sep 29, 2023
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I think there's something wrong with the core of this game.
We're introduced to the MC, told he's shy and uses his camera to hide behind. He has to take certain medication and sees a psychologist.
In practice, he's a social butterfly who just decided to stop being shy and to say all the right things. What we're seeing isn't someone who gets anxious or withdrawn, someone who's averse to confrontation. Rather, he's a people pleaser; he can't say no, and he adjusts his opinions and attitudes based on those around him.

This last part is the game's objectives shining through. Choices don't really matter in the sense that they teach the MC anything or define him. Instead, they are only used to filter LIs. We're told several times that choices matter, but then we get:
  • Decide not to go to the party
  • Watch porn
  • Goes to the party anyway
Worse, the narrative forces events to happen that are nonsensical. The MC using his cellphone in class twice or having extensive conversations. Who is he trying to impress, and why? If he was shy and risk-averse, wouldn't he do his best to pay attention, certainly in English 101 after he already got in trouble during Photography 101?

Then there's the sorority thing with Sara and Alexis. Apparently he's the only good photographer in a college that has photography courses? And what kind of sorority leader in her right mind would invite a horny male freshman to a girls-only sleepover to take candid pictures?
All of this coats the game in a kind of fakeness and insincerity, I think. I'm constantly taken out of my immersion because the MC doesn't act the way he's portrayed, and events are too nonsensical and forced to feel believable.
 
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PickerLewd

PickerLewd

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Dec 22, 2022
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Quetzzz said:
We're told several times that choices matter, but then we get:
  • Decide not to go to the party
  • Watch porn
  • Goes to the party anyway
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Although the game does force you to go to the party, things are different because you arrive late and encounter other characters on the way. Who ends up missing/kidnapped can also change depending on what you do at the party.

P.S.: I found out much later that the game that the MC plays in his room before going to the party is actually another game by the same developer :LOL:.
 
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Quetzzz

Quetzzz

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PickerLewd said:
Although the game does force you to go to the party, things are different because you arrive late and encounter other characters on the way. Who ends up missing/kidnapped can also change depending on what you do at the party.

P.S.: I found out much later that the game that the MC plays in his room before going to the party is actually another game by the same developer :LOL:.
Click to expand...
That's my point. Choices change the events surrounding the MC, but often aren't compatible with the MC's personality.

We get several choices to kiss the girl, but are told by the therapist we're not proactive enough.
A normal frienship with Ella is difficult even if you're just friendly and never signaled you wanted more... I suspect all in favor of the game revealing that she's the niece and you fucked her...

So despite having a ton of choices, they don't really impact all that much, and certainly not the MC.
 
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pantypriv

pantypriv

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There's several games were we are told that the MC is shy, lacks confidence and needs to get out of his shell.
Yet what we are treated to is an MC that is fairly outgoing, bold, confident and gets it going with stunning girls on the 1st or 2nd meet... Good for him, but not what it says on the thin.
Instead we could have...character progression over time?
I actually don't mind a slowburn story, but the devs often rush into lewd stuff, because the masses want it or something, I think that's an underestimation of the actual users.
 
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4.20 star(s) 60 Votes