VN - Ren'Py - Abandoned - Shards of Her [v0.3.6] [Soul Persona]

first, I do not understand why it has the abandoned tag though, yes there has been no update since may 2024, but yet being a dik which has had no update since 2023 does not have that tag, so seems the abandoned tag was seriously premature here.
despite this the game itself is great, the renders are amazing, the story is really gripping, it isn't the shit set in a college trash that is over used, so that is a very good plus point, the story makes you want to keep playing, and unlike most other so called better games, the story doesn't go stale, nor does it have shitty cheesy lines that it calls humour.
The renders are some of the best, far better than most of the so called best games on this site, no over large tits just for the sake of it, not over large asses just for the sake of it, and more importantly there is no stupid bullshit, like those futa freaks aka "girls" with dicks in this game.

One of the strangest AVNs I've ever seen. Much of it is probably due to the writing/story being lost in translation but I'm guessing it is weird even before translation. The story and writing seem like pure nonsense to me, I don't understand any of it.

I eventually had to skip most of the writing but it is so bad I couldn't even enjoy the sex scenes, which is a shame. Other than the writing this is due to the stupid simp MC,* my disconnect with the characters/story and also due to the MC not having a connection with most of the LIs (Lust Interests I presume). Also, being tied up and forced to have sex with strangers (if being forced to be an ass licker or foot licker can be called sex) takes away all interest as well.

It's also due to all LIs having the same unnatural stick bodies with huge curves. I like lean women with nice curves, but they are unnaturally lean and curvy and they are all have the same proportions! Even the feet are stretched to unnatural caricature proportions.

Some of the LIs are lesbians who like a side of dick on occasion (i.e. MC is a temporary 3rd wheel). The MC is an ass/foot licker* (who does what he's told like a good little bitch) which may appeal to some, but I choose not to degrade myself in that manner so it's a miss for me. YMMV.

7 / 10
+ God-like visuals.
+ Interesting worldbuilding.
- Acid trip of a story.
- Very boring dialogues.

If the author finds a partner who's good at dialogues and scene construction (scene flow) - aka Aaron Sorkin of the porn world - it could become one of the best games on this site.

But right now going through this game is like swimming through tar.

So 7/10 - and that is already generous.
Just cos I'd love for the author to keep going - fix the problem, and evolve to the next level.

Ok i have to say I'm pleasantly surprised by Shards of her.

Quick note: I play relaxed I don't rush content or skip content. So playtime can differentiate

Pros
Renders 4/5 Beautiful girls, Environments are well designed Lighting in the renders Amazing.
English 4/5 Very well written Only misses some capitalization after Comma's
Story 4/5: So far really good Beginning is slow and can seem to be a bit boring, But IMO it fits the story.
Amount of content 5/5

Cons:
Incessant Use of DOF most of the renders have DOF. He creates beautiful environments and they are all obscured by DOF

Note the review said the sex scenes were mediocre/bad Some are animated some are not I did not find them bad

What is it about without spoiling it:
Plays in the future with elements of Cybernetic enhancement. And Creature as old as time or even before the beginning of time.
Mc is a big key to solving the mystery of his missing girlfriend While he is slowly getting pulled into a game played by creatures far more older and powerful then him,

My Quick take on it
would I recommend it if you like a fantasy game in futuristic setting, Yes
is it for everyone, No

Interesting world. Has some serious potential. Very nice main menu, which includes lore for the characters and gives even more world building through it.

Some downsides include: grammar issues, and some repetitive statements and lines. For example: a character states the same thing twice back to back, no need for that.

Fascinating narrative! I truly appreciate the music, and the art is exceptional, a solid 10. The only peculiar aspect I've noticed thus far is the recurring scenes where characters seem to be consistently tiptoeing.

Story is starts out ok but i just got lost in it at some point, nothing really made sense to me anymore and all the forced shit i just hate, im just really not a fan of having girls or monsters forced on MC, story related or not i dont like it and its weird since you could turn some down but then later same girls you turn down is now forced on you, it just dosent make sense and really ruins the game and fun of playing it.

The overall graphics are really good and there are alot of girls that looks very nice, but then theres also the extremly ugly monster girls that are even forced on you which is a huge turn-off.

Another issue is the lack of animations and the quality of them, so many nice girls and quite a bit of sex scenes but barely anything is animated, a foot job, a blowjob here and there, but they all are pretty poor and very short, and its just to little to only see a BJ doing a full sex scene and it really needs to be more then just a few seconds.

Even some sex scenes that arent animated also feels boring, like the 2 girls giving a BJ no animations doing it, you see one girl put it in her mouth then next girl then MC cums theres no movement, it makes it look like MC cums in 5 seconds.....other full sex scenes are only pictures like with Nakata or Omikami.....man if this game had good animations with multiple scenes insted of the standard single short one or even none it could have been one of the top games....

Music is pretty good seems to fit the game nicely.

I just cant justify giving this more then 2 stars even if renders are great, it dosent save the story from making 0 sense or the forced monster girls and forced fetishes and so on.

I mean at one point you get 2 choices either foot fetish or ass licking fetish? i mean come on really? its clear to see dev is into that stuff since most of the animations is of those type of fetishes where normal sex are barely ever animated and when story dosent hold up the game and animations are to rare and most almost pointless then theres just no reason to play.

The game was kind of interesting at first glance, but for how much sex is in this game, the sex scenes were extremely disappointing. Animations are very rare and none of the penetration scenes are animated. Apparently, only blowjobs and footjobs are worth the dev's time to animate. A lot of fading in and out to black screens during sex scenes, too, for some weird reason. Just overall a huge waste of potential here. Hope this improves in the future.

Some jumbled dialogue, possibly due to translation issues and the standard issue of false choice options. Choices should matter and be followed up on not ignored and simply an illusion. I understand the desire to tell the story the way you want but don't give an option to make a choice only to have it not matter, instead don't give the choice and instead provide an explanation to make narrative sense as to why it has to happen. Sometimes I feel developers just add lewd scenes into the story to make horny dudes happy because they can't go 30 minutes without seeing animated sex scenes. Instead stay true to the story you are trying tell and only add the lewd scenes if they make sense to be there. Also not everyone is going to find the different girls available appealing so if you as the player say, "you know what I'm not feeling this girl or the potential relationship, I'm gonna skip it" then choose the option to turn down that girl don't then show a scene with you and the girl getting it on. But again if it's needing for the story, explain why and have it make narrative sense so that the player can move past it and not feel forced into the situation.

The optional femdom lacked a bit of humillation talk, or it wasn't degrading/hot enough. But the game is in it's first steps, and fetishes should progress with time, so there is time to make hotter femdom scenes.

Him laying down in all scenes didn't help much. To lay down is more of a casual act, on the other hand to kneel down is IMO hotter and more of a voluntary submissive act.
But the renders are great and It holds great potential. I'd love to see other types of femdom in the future besides feet worship (I love it). Some of them could include ass worship, facesitting, pet play, toilet play, pegging, etc. But please don't include blowjobs and vaginal sex in the femdom path. For that content there is the other path in the game already.

Great looking game. Although I must confess I skipped some of the story because I wanted to see if there was real femdom content. But what I read seemed well written and the renders quality was excellent.

This game has truly impressed me, and I find myself liking it a lot! The graphics are stunning, creating a visually immersive experience that brings the game world to life. The attention to detail is remarkable, from the breathtaking landscapes to the intricate character designs. The story is equally captivating, keeping me engaged throughout my playthrough. The well-developed characters and their interactions add depth to the narrative, making my decisions within the game feel consequential.

The prospect of future updates adds to the excitement. Knowing that there is more content to come keeps me eagerly anticipating what's next. It shows the developers' commitment to refining and expanding the game, ensuring a continued enjoyable experience.