VN - Ren'Py - Cindy's Diary [Ch.3 v1.3.3] [Skull Design]

The Good: The art is nice. Its not great but at times it really shines. The art style very clean as you can see in the previews and the characters are decent. The scenes are WAY too posed - just people always looking like they are about to have a photo snapped of them even when it makes no sense.

The not-so-good: The dialogue sounds robotic. The author is definitely not a native English speaker so the conversations don't flow very well at all.

Also - for what little story exists so far there are already logic holes. The daughter catches the mom and dad banging and talking about their Swinging life and then when she walks in on her mom banging a dude its like that scene never happened... its really off-putting. Not into incest AT ALL and that tag is missing but it feels like that is where this is going.

I am awarding this game with 4 stars based on my impressions from playing Ch.3 v 1.3.3. Honestly I would give it like 4.25 if I could.
Overall, I genuinely enjoyed playing the game and had no issues with the interface or mini-game. I'm not especially bothered by the use of Cindy because this seems to be somewhere between fan-fiction and "inspired by" a character from another game. I also don't mind the use of AI as long as the characters are attractive and don't have gross malformations.
The author is creating a compelling story where actions have consequences and the setting gives me the verisimilitude I look for (meaning the world feels real and lived in). The characters seem reasonably coherent in their motivations. The characters have some tension between them which leads to drama, which keeps me interested in the story.
There are minor continuity issues that could maybe be addressed
- Cindy sees her parents in sexual relations but then her father Earl is upset that his wife is denying him intimate relations?
- Cindy is upset Marcus is sexually engaged with her mother when she was with him last night, but the route I played through had a day or maybe 2 between those events.
- I get that Sharon took off to visit another lover and Earl was feeling dejected, but he spent quite a bit of time telling her (and us) that it really excited him. I understand this is a complex emotional situation, but it came across as a bit too much like gaslighting. But then again, maybe he was lying to himself to try to convince himself.
- I originally was confused why Cindy was upset at Sharon's sexual activity with Marcus because I thought she overheard her father and mother discussing their open relationship. I totally get that she was freaked out by Marcus being there and doing that so quickly after their night together.
Another thought that occurred to me was wondering whether Marcus connected Cindy and Sharon as daughter and mother before taking Cindy to bed. I look forward to seeing what happens in the future with Cindy/Sharon and Cindy/Marcus. That tension creates a nice bit of drama if explored properly in future episodes.

I've played up to Chapter 3 and I honestly think many reviews have been unfairly visceral. The game is not bad; although the start is slow, it's clear the developer is aiming to establish a solid narrative context before inserting meaningless sexual scenes. The best part is that the story improves progressively, and the adult scenes have a clear connection to the plot—they don't feel like filler. There's noticeable, constant improvement in the graphics and animations with every update. The mini-game is optional (you can skip it), but completing it unlocks a scene in the gallery, rewarding dedication. If you're looking for instant gratification, this isn't your game, as it's an adult story that builds intensity over time. I'm giving it 4 stars because I see great potential and the effort to improve is clear.

Cindy's Diary v1.0
I will try to keep this to the rules, Cindy's Diary is awful. The AI CG is incredibly generic, the writing is more so, and it barely builds a narrative other than "Cindy sad, and now there is incest". Plus, with only 1 real choice to make in the demo (with one of them being greyed out and making you wonder why it was put there in the first place if it holds no value), if you choose to not "peep", the game just ends. Cindy's diary is incredibly shallow experience and I have zero interest in future updates.

The setting immediately drew me in, feeling immersive and original. Despite the art being AI-generated, it was visually pleasing and enhanced the game's atmosphere, leaving me excited for the updates.