VN - Ren'Py - Layla: Shattered Hopes [Ep.4] [OtB Games]

Very good game, so far, tho it is just beginning.

The MC is deeply hot, and just the right blend of ignorant, driven, and stubborn to make believable her making the stupider decisions neccessary for the properly degrading, humiliating, and disillusioned outcome the game's title promises.

The MC, it should be noted, can apparently avoid personally partaking in any negative sexual interactions in the game, if one chooses less risky paths. Just sayin'. Not that you'd want to, but you can (at least as of Ep 4).

One hope I have is that the last choice in chapter 4 (which makes the pivotal decision of going with outright degradation or not) will still pan out for potential shocking humiliations, even on the "good" path: else the game's title is a misrepresentation. I suspect that the game won't go more than an update or two without such negative opportunities being snuck in there, since the creator certainly knows what venue is promised.

It's clear a lot of work went into this game, and it paid off. The character designs are on point, especially with Layla (as noted) actually being hot (a hot MC is not always a guarantee in indie porn games) and the writing is actually pretty good, which is a rarity: there are even moments of actual poetry.

Overall, QUITE good. If it starts getting to sexual situations far more rapidly in future updates (a slow start is absolutely reasonable, but the rhythm could certainly quicken, as things progress) I will probably upgrade to giving it five stars.

I'm liking it so far, excellent renders. The only downside to me is the Whore path writing feels rushed. How is this a ''shattered hope'' if she is ''forced'' to accept that fate for money , but at the same time she is showing a desire to fuck strangers? this feels more like a win at the very beginning than a tragedy. It'd make sense if she realized later that she has a kink for it ( to somehow ease the pain of that fate).

The writing is pretty good, it's engaging. I never feel bored reading through any scenes. The art is good, the main character looks atractive. The type of story you really enjoy is the one that keeps you wanting to find out what's next, excited to see what's ahead. This game has that for me.

Version reviewed - Ep.3

Possible spoilers.

The story of a naive country girl that decides to leave her dead end home town and travel to the big city in search of a better life.

Along the way she meets a stranger who knows someone that can hook her up with a job and a cheap place to stay. Desperate to hit the ground running she accepts the mans offer against the advice of a kind cab driver.

Shortly after ariving at her new place of residence she meets the owner of the seedy motel. It doesn't take him long to get our not so brainy damsel intoxicated and take advantage of her. He then boasts to his friend that he has found a new slut that will make him rich.

Our MC soon realizes that the patrons of the seedy cafe where she now works will only "tip" for sexual services. So now she is torn between keeping her dignity and staying poor, or going against her morals and prostituting herself for some extra cash.

The episode ends at this point, but it's quite obvious where this story is heading.

Pros:

1- The gorgeous MC is by far the highlight of an otherwise mediocre game.

2- If you like to see old men fucking hot young woman then you might enjoy this.

3- The premise of the story, albeit unoriginal, shows promise if the writing were to improve and the story diverges from the simple corruption based path it's headed in.

4- Some of the naughty dialogue, especially from the elderly cafe cook, was actually pretty hot.

Cons:

1- The game starts off with a poor attempt at artistic writing, which feels terribly out of place in a corruption porn game. This style of writing demands great skill and is very rarely done well by amateur storytellers. Fortunately, the attempt at artistic writing ends once she boards the train. Unfortunately, the remaining dialogue isn't much better.

2- The sex animations were inconsistent. Stop frame renders were mixed in with actual animation and it looked awkward. Also, during the only sex scene the males penis changed shape numerous times.

3- With the exception of the sizzling MC, most of the character models used were pretty basic and uninspired.

4- The scene where two assholes in a car try to pick up the MC was one of the worst scenes I have ever seen. The moron who was supposedly dancing looked like he was having a seizure. I was actually expecting to see him start to foam at the mouth at some point during this painful scene

Final thoughts-

There are some games that are flat out bad, but because the MC is drop dead gorgeous it still manages to create interest. This may be one of those scenarios, as the MC is stunning. Other than that there wasn't much else about this game that was done well.

I also have the feeling that the game is just going to turn into your run of the mill corruption game where everyone takes turns fucking the naive girl. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, it just isn't very interesting.

The story does show a hint of promise. Hopefully the dev will be able to improve it enough so it becomes worthy of your time.

Sometimes I really wonder what kind of world the developers live in—or want to live in.
A very pretty protagonist, but for the first 20 minutes, it's just ugly guys. For a change, not just old and fat, but a few younger ones too, but their faces are still awful.
Go out, walk through your city, and find some templates for male characters that don't fit this stereotype.

Unfortunately, some of the heroine's facial animations or poses don't look very flattering. For example, Laly's appearance fluctuates between 16 and 36 years old within a single conversation.
Or the pose when she serves the first order in the cafe.

The gestures with the second customer are very consistent, and I also liked that the player isn't asked whether or not to allow touching with the third customer. The developer's decision here is very fitting.
At this point, it's a shame that the version is already over.

I find the writing style refreshing, as a lot of it is narrated alongside the story, which creates a more atmospheric atmosphere. I thought the job interview in the cafe was brilliantly narrated. Unfortunately, I'm the wrong person to judge grammatical or spelling nuances.

The scene with the two youngsters in the car was also something new. However, the driver's animation could be improved. If he's going to slam on the brakes to facilitate a conversation, he should at least occasionally look over to see who his friend is hitting on.

Generally speaking, I think Laya's story could be quite interesting. I would like to see some visual decisions reconsidered and improved.
So, with a clear conscience, I'm giving it 4 stars, but it's not good enough for 5. Not yet?

Addendum: The game isn't over yet. I was fooled by the save prompt.