VN - Ren'Py - Isabella - Chasing Shadows [Ch. 4.3] [badtimetales]

Before I give it a rating. I give certain categories more weight on my personal rating like enjoyment, character enjoyment and Story.

Only 3 other games have made me feel sad or bummed out the game was over or I had to wait for an update. To me that just shows how good this game is.

One other side note : I'm easy to please or entertain I think so I'm not as critical as other people when I review or talk about certain aspects of games , movies etc.

Renders : There were times where it did look off here and there but for the most part through the entire game they looked pretty damn good. Sure other games may have some prettier renders but I liked them here.

Animations : I want to give this a 10/10 however ive seen a few other games that impressed me more but not by much. So to me i dont think it would be fair to give it a 10/10 on animations.

Characters :
All the character models looks really good I cant say anything negative about them

Alex : Honestly I love and some what don't like her at the same time. She is really well written has some fun dialogue so a good all around character. What I don't like is how frequent the sex scenes feel with her. I understand you are sex buddies with her but still feels a bit too often Especially in the beginning of the game.

Isabella : While I feel at the moment Alex has a better backstory / character development. Isabella has some kinda of charm or spell over me that I cannot explain. Even on my personal LI list I put her at #3 despite there being other LI that are straight up better characters. Just one of those things you cant explain but it is what it is.

Story : Honestly I didn't think I was gonna like it at first seemed like a simple story based on the description. Yet I think this story is one of the better ones out of the 20 or so AVN games I've played since I came back to these games for story and not lewds.

Enjoyment : This is one of those categories I put more weight on when ranking a game. I'm just not sure if this is tied or slightly under the 3 or 4 games id give a 11/10 on this category. Especially how this game made me feel that sad/ bummed out feeling early one because I got attached to the characters right away. I only had the feeling right away not just cause character attachment but I had a feeling either the game wasnt gonna be super long or something bad was gonna happen and be on left on a cliffhanger. That power emotion from a game is rare for me even on regular games made by AAA or AA devs.

Played it after the remastered version was released. Love the models, they are not ones you see in every game. The story keeps you enraptured and keeps you wondering who did it? The sex scenes are fluid and are more realistic then most games. I would recommend it to anyone who loves a great story, while enjoying said scenes. This one will keep you happy and looking forward to the next release. 5/5 from me

Really enjoying this game so far. One of my favorites for sure.
Very well written and intriguing story.
The renders are great and it has lots of animations.
Really like both girls. Isa is smoking hot and I can't wait for MC to build something with her, Alex is extremely loyal and very cute.
Can't wait to see what happens next.

5/5 Definitely worth playing.

This game is gorgeous, it has a story before we catch up to the characters,
life did not stall to the point of ending right before and did not run amock right after we enter head fast into the lives and desires of the characters.

MC is believable, he is a relatable grown up slumped between personal hardship and the very good and heartfelt intentions of the two most relatable and closest people he has around. Both of them just happened to have found it inside their hearts, each in their own ways, to welcome MC back into their lives, even after and despite his self deprecating soul decomposing plunge into grief.

This game has a pace, it has a plot, following MC as he rebuilds his work flow
and his self confidence, while being immersed into the lives and exploits
of the people around him.

This game takes twists and turns that string MC along and creates all sorts a situations where MC can have a say, pursue someone, throw some opinions in there and see where they get him.

HAppy following the adventures of MC and friends is this game state of mind.

Version 3.3

Great game, one of the best plot-driven AVN's in development. There's a lot of intrigue and mysteries here to be solved. Some good suspenseful moments. Alex is a compelling, sympathetic LI, very attached to her at this point. Dev is doing very good work here!

Version: Chapter 3.3

Writing style is overall very solid... competent and effective.

Story is interesting and enjoyable so far. Some of the parts are a bit far fetched, particularly when it comes to a certain bit of technology, and there's a certain level of contrivances that are pretty typical for the genre but overall it's been good. It's easy to digest, yet full of mysteries and intrigue slowly unfolding, and it kept me hooked and wanting more.

The characters are great. All the gals and guys are likeable (when they should be - Alex's sister is insufferable), unique, and nuanced enough to be a joy to interact with in the story... all while not knowing if I can actually trust any of them in game as full of intrigue as this one is something which I love. Some of the known "bad guys" are definitely a bit over the top and cartoonish but not as quite as bad as a lot of games.

Models and renders are beautiful. Isa alone could make this worthwhile, but Valerie and even Annoushka are also stunning. While there are some stretches that seem to have longer dialogues with only minimal renders the author uses them effectively as needed and a lot of attention is paid to the expressions of characters in each individual renders even when they're only shown briefly.

Sex scenes are serviceable but lacking. The animation itself is decent but parts of it feel pretty robotic, particularly watching the head and facial expressions. It's like watching two animatrontics having sex. There's also a noticeable disconnect between what's being said during them and what's being shown. Things like "Faster!" and "Harder!" are usually followed by the animation not getting any noticeably faster or more intense and the MC continuing to just slowly poke poke thrust. Overall a lot of the scenes are simultaneously a bit sexy but lacking in passion and intensity. As much as I love seeing the bouncing boobs... I'd prefer if effort was was put into being more descriptive in the writing of the scenes. Most of the writing for the sex scenes are just really short dialogue.

The background music is decent, varied, and fits well. There aren't a large amount of other sounds and none during sex scenes which I didn't feel were needed anyway.

Small nitpicks that could be worked on:
-Too many unneeded animations. For example, having an animation for each time we move from one place to another seems like a waste. I can imagine a car drive to get from point A to point B so I don't really need it animated every time we're traveling unless it's an important scene that involves travel (like the bike ride with Isa, though that was the shortest despite being arguably one of the few to actually make sense to put in the extra effort into and highlight). While there are some animations that do add to the presentation, there are lots of other shorter but unnecessary animations that often don't really add anything.
-A lot of stopping on black screens that aren't necessary and you don't know if you should click or not until nothing happens for a bit.
-Some renders have a lot of noise that could be cleaned up. It's not a ton, but parts where it's present it's really noticeable.
-Occasional clipping with clothing/model
-Doorbells can be startling in the game, so either tone them down a notch or warn people to turn the sound level down
-A lot of people asking about why the MC is looking into his wife's death after "all this time" when it's only been a year seems strange as that's not a lot of time when it comes to a loved one having passed away. It comes off as odd and insensitive while I think it's just poor phrasing.

Personal completely subjective takes:
-I didn't personally care for Alex physically/romantically. I love her snarkiness, teasing/banter, and her jealous faces/remarks but she's not right for my personal tastes. Having to start out with her and most of the sexual content being her scenes so far wasn't horrible but not ideal if you're not really into her.
-I found the nipples a bit odd looking. Almost all the girls have the same nipples/areolas with just different colors/textures and there's something about the plastic-looking pencil eraser tip with indentations in the middle look to the nipples that just didn't sit right with me.
-The cum shots/facials I really appreciated but had slightly mixed feelings on. I really loved the effort put into them (though some were a bit weak compared to others) and the choices that we get for doing them in certain scenes. Everything is awesome except the texture. If that was improved a bit they'd be top notch.
-I'm loving the slow buildup with Isa!

This is definitely a well put together AVN that deserves more attention so give it a shot. I'm looking forward to seeing where this one goes quite a bit!

Just found out about this game and I can say I'm very much intrigued about it, the mystery revolving MCs fiance pulled me in. I also like these animations between the scenes like when MC drives from a location to another or these little things like coffee steam and all these little transition moments that gives the game an extra touch.

Aside from some minor dialogue inconveniences, typos here and there there is not much I can complain about so I'm very curious how this will continue and hope dev will manage to finish the game and the story he wants to tell.

Overall really good game so far with beautiful renders.
+Exiciting story with some thriller elements.
+Realistic characters with feelings and their own motives and not just brainless dolls.
+Some of the best renders i have seen so far in these type of games.
- No music or sound during lewds. Sometimes the ambient music just stops when a lewd scene starts which kills some of the immersion.

I've played until chapter 3.0, and I definitely love the story. I find myself curious about what will happen, and I can't wait for the next updates. I like the depressing premise, and find myself hoping that the main character finds love, happiness and sex.

i wish I could like the game, but if you're not interested in the "super" model "Isa" you feel pretty forced into her, bc the mc neither stops her advances nor even tries to set a clear boundary by saying he's not interested. on the contrary hugs,kisses,flirting and simping for her, you can't avoid it. whatever Isa wants like mc sleeping at her place (bc she is scared to be alone) mc is just fine with everything even sleeping in the same bed as if she would be a kid, poor Isa. couldn't be more forced seriously it reached a point where it's annoying that the MC just does whatever she wants.

in general the game feels more like a kinetic novel with choices that don't really have an impact to the story. if you don't like it when an MC (or the Dev) tries to make you fall for a girl that you may not want to, i would avoid this one. Especially if you only want to go for Alex you will not like it how the MC behaves around Isa that so called "smoking hot Supermodel." which is imo a naive,whinning blonde that never reached maturity.

the renderings are good, quality renderings

story is interesting enough to make me want more ... and That is what makes me think a game is great or just ok ... this one is great

the characters are memorable, Alex is awesome, tho that hair cut is not so much, hope to see how she develops

I wish the dev nothing but smooth going

My one problem at the beginning was that I found and still find that news report a bit unbelievable.
It seemed to be an attempt at serious investigative journalism, and neither the writing nor the presentation held up to any standards. It just felt clumsy and awkward.

Thankfully, this seems to be the only fluke of that kind, the story itself, while being sensationalistic and filled with many convenient deus ex machinae (I counted at least 4 or 5 in the existing chapters), is quite well written.
Characters are somewhat believable, which is not exactly common in this type of game, and even stuff others criticized I find quite believable. Like Isabella thinking Zeus is dead, when he is just drugged.
Given the circumstances, I thought her not catching that he was still breathing was something that could very well happen. I mean, she was clearly panicking and completely emotional. Drugs can also slow down your metabolism so much, that the breathing can be quite flat and not much movement of the chest area will be seen. She might have just felt for a pulse, didn't find it, and was then convinced the dog was a goner.

One thing I didn't particularly like, is the MC is quite the MarySue. He can fight, he is super smart, and women are just automatically drawn to him.
The problem is, he doesn't act particularly smart, and you wonder a bit why someone who seems like a bit of a doofus is so attractive to women.
Unless they know how loaded he is.
I actually find it kind of limiting story-telling wise, if the MC is too strong, not to mention that flawed characters are more interesting.
And no, I don't consider having a breakdown after your fiancé dies as something weak. That is a devastating thing to happen.

Visually the game is fine, the renders are okay and set up nicely enough.
In addition, the girls have quite diverse looks and body types, even if there is a strong emphasis on blonde ladies.
While I appreciate that diversity, I admit, someone like Alex is a bit too thin and for my tastes also could have slightly bigger tits, but I think it's fine to have something for everyone.
It's definitely a good thing that, so far, the characters aren't just the usual tired 10 daz models we've seen in dozens of games by now, without alterations, except for age and breast size (and while I love them boobies, I can also appreciate that so far the game keeps away from ridiculously large ones)
I mean, I know most of the models, but I'm not tired of them, like I am of some others.

As for writing and story, there is definitely room for improvement, maybe the MC could be a bit less capable at everything and not so conveniently have someone at hand who can help with whatever kind of problem he has at that moment.
That's certainly not like it works in real life.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE QUIRKY

Take a Hollywood film like The Bodyguard and add developed characters, real plot twists, and well-written dialogue and you have Isabella: Dark Paths. Instead of a singer you have a supermodel, instead of a single crazed fan you have a potential conspiracy, and instead of a bodyguard who delivers lines like sliced sausage hitting a countertop, you have someone with depth and personality. It's not always a single ground-breaking idea that makes for a good story. More often it's a combination of elements. In the case of this VN, the combination is very well done. This information is current as of Chapter 3 (v3.3).

THE GOOD

THE BAD

THE QUIRKY

Although also possessing solid renders/animations, sound, and dialogue, the plot and characters really are what make Isabella: Dark Paths shine. Connections breeding connections is hardly an easy feat to manage, but Badtime Tales pulls it off well. And what might turn out as two-dimensional papier-mâché in someone else's hands has been given depth and provokes empathy from the player. Some games rely on many love interests to motivate players for upcoming updates; others use enjoyable characters and an interesting plot to drive anticipation. Badtime Tales has chosen the latter, and it shows.

My thoughts after playing Ch 3.3

I've got three words to describe this game, great, interesting and hot! It has great renders, sounds and animations but it would be better if sounds were also added on the sex scenes. It has an interesting story which got me hooked even on its early stages. The women and the sex scenes are hot and I am really hoping that there would be an option for a harem route in the upcoming chapters. This definitely has the potential to be one of the best VNs out there.

(This review was written just after the release of Ch 3.3)

In case you don't want to read the full review renders are great (especially Isabella and Val's). Story is not extraordinary (for now) but being ordinary doesn't always mean being cliche or boring it is quite intriguing actually. It's promising and definitely worth giving a chance .

First of all, I want to start with a characteristic feature of this game. Isabella Dark Paths contains videos/animations (in addition to sex scenes) to improve its narrating and it works very well it makes you feel like you are playing something more than a virtual novel. For example, when you're driving your car a cutscene starts. I wanted to start with this feature because as far as I am aware of there aren't many games using videos/animations to improve narrating

About renders, I know it is not the peak of rendering art but as I mentioned in my short review it definitely has some gems in it like Isabella and Val's renders they are certainly high class in my opinion.

Well, I know a romantic relationship between a supermodel who needs protection and her bodyguard is not something you've never seen but I think what makes a story interesting, gripping is narrating skills, twists, etc. rather than its originality. To me even a well known fairy tale can be intriguing if told effectively enough. There isn't much to say as of now since it hasn't reached its climax yet but I can say it is worth reading.

In conclusion, great renders, kinda ordinary but intriguing story and most importantly there is a hot blondie supermodel yep definitely worth playing. It is neither a teasing simulator nor a fuckfest it's perfectly balanced as all things should be.

Excellent story, well written with few if any grammatical errors and several plot twists. Conversations hold interest and not a lot of extraneous dialogue.

Interesting characters with depth and background, well written and realistic.

Good graphics. Characters are attractive but not a bunch of supermodels (except the supermodels) or waifus. They look good but realistic.

Minimal animation but they work well to help tell the story

Review made as of version 3.3 (final version of 3rd chapter).

Took me some time to try it out, but i have to say i came out the other side pleasantly surprised. The VN follows the story of a healthy man who's girlfriend has recently died. This is one for the "Plot" lovers and well worth it.

I have to start by saying that the simple fact that it automatically reduces the volume at first startup by itself deserves praise.
Plot: Is front and center this VN's biggest strength, an intriguing mystery to solve, beautiful girls to protect and a MC that is likable, only slight con is that you start with a "friends with benefits" / girlfriend which only later can you choose to keep or not
Art: Its not the best out there but its fairly good, the girl's models are really good, and are the posing and direction (shot framing) there are also animations used to change scenes which are fairly well done.
Sound: The VN has sound effects when appropriate and some background music which helps setting the mood and increase immersion.

TL;DR: Very Intriguing plot, a mystery to resolve, good looking girls to protect/help and enough sexy bits to keep all but the biggest perverts.
What more can one ask for.

I'm not sure why I haven't tried this one before. Dark Paths has great storytelling and thriller atmosphere with convincing action sequences, there aren't many LIs which means you get to spend more time with them. Always a good thing in my book.

I particularly enjoy the sound design and the non-lewd animations that really give this VN a high quality vibe. The plot develops rather quickly, which can be a good or a bad thing depending on personal taste, I think it wouldn't hurt to slow down a bit but then again, I am a sucker for telenovelas and this is clearly a different genre. So it's not really a valid criticism.

I can only encourage the developer to stick to his guns since he is doing a good job so far and I enjoy the ride.

(as of version 3.2)
Love this game. Can't wait for the next update.
I usually ignore blondes, especially the rich and famous ones, but Isa is just an awesome character. And Alex is the kind of woman who needs a bit of spanking once in a while. She'll drive you mad with her jabs at you but she will also be there for you in your darkest moment.

The story is interesting.
The renders are great.
The characters are very well written.

TL;DR = this game in nutshell: tragedy, crime, detective drama, thriller, hot girls, a supermodel and a lot of sex. Really good mix.

Story: 5/5
+ Game starts when somebody kills MC's fiancée. After he stops mopping he will start meeting new girls and he will also try to investigate the murder of his fiancée. Things get more complicated when he meets this hot supermodel who has stalker issues.
+ This game has really good plot (for porn game). It is actually an erotic thriller. It might not be on the same level as some real detective drama, but it is close.
Art: 5/5
+ The girls are hot.
+ Renders are good.
+ Game has some good animations. Not only sex animations, but also some common activities (riding a bike, car, etc.)
+ Sex scenes are good.

Gameplay: 4/5
+ This is typical VN with some choices.
- Choices are usually minor things. It is mostly sex related.
+ English is good.
+ Game also has pretty decent soundtrack. During tense moments you will hear thriller music, during cheesy moments you will hear cheerful music. Etc,

To sum it up:
I really like this game. If you like some good story in your games, then this game is PERFECT. Go for it.