VN - Ren'Py - Shards of the Past [v0.3.1] [Garou24]

I'm giving this a 5 stars because it is a very promising VN that deals with dark themes and it reminded me a lot of the Witcher lore especially the first game where the world is kinda bleak and oppressing and non-humans are being treated very badly. The visuals, renders, music and dialogue are very well made, you can see the dev put a lot of work and care into making this. I liked the characters especially Qinara and can't wait to see more of her. Wishlisted on Steam and will definitely grab a copy when it comes out.

It's a dark game that deals with themes like racism (towards elves), and it feels like I'm playing an actual RPG game instead of a visual novel (it reminds me a bit of The Witcher). Choices really matter. The renders look great, and the female characters in the game are beautiful. It's definitely going on my top games list, and I wish there were more games like this.

Expected nothing, merely checking another game out.
- Holy shit I got blown out of the water, takes fantasy tropes, but delivers it better than most movies (certain beach scene is very well done and sets the mood right). Subverts expectations better as well.
Branching path is also done well , there is a main story, but how you arrived there and how people will see you are different.
Sure not much content here atm. , but this game got me more hyped for more.

So TLDR = Top Quality, good potential for the plot twists from what we see here.

It's early, but there's just enough for me to give this a provisional 5 stars.
The world is pretty dark, so it might not be for everyone; it has tons of racism (against elves) and violence.
Let's see: the story is, as far as it has been developed, excellent. The first LI, Qinara, is great. The other two LIs that you see (but don't meet yet) are also gorgeous, so I'm looking forward to them.
You get to make choice which have serious impact on the story, which I like. (They're not just about whom you end up fucking.)
The world is compelling, the women are exceptionally gorgeous, and the story looks good. I have trouble seeing how this could not be a 5 star game when it's finished.

The good

Not sure if it’s simply because AVN’s are a different format of games compared to other games I have played that deal with racism against nonhumans. But the way this game explores humans being racist towards elfs is really well done. It makes me really feel for Qinara and hate the humans in this game with a burning passion. Unlike some other games, even some AAA games I have played in the past that touch on this subject ,I've never felt anything close to what this game has made me feel. Either way it’s one of the strong points of this game so far.

Choices have some impact from the start of the game. One of the first choices of the first bit of chapter will play out entirely differently based on your choice. Hell depending on your choices in the inn you can lose or win a bar fight. Most games don’t let you lose a fight unless it’s needed for the story.

Almost every time we are presented with some backstory / flashbacks that we have been told, have more purpose than character building. All but one time it also serves as a way to do some world building and build up some lore. So really all the flashbacks / backstory I'd say are pretty essential to the storytelling and not something to gloss over or skip just because you may not like or have any interest in a character.

The mixed

Was getting into the setting of this game being medieval and all and when get a bit of backstory of what happened to Branson’s father. But when it was revealed what the relic was it kind of broke my immersion for this being a medieval evil setting. As the relic feels really out of place and random with what is known of the world at the time of it being revealed. I will give the benefit of doubt to the dev and that it will work with the story later as we get more updates. But as of right now it just doesn't work for me.

What I didn't like

This is more of a me issue but worth mentioning I do dislike how the dev decided to disable being able to rollback instead of making it optional. Just makes it a bit more annoying to see all the dialogue options in one go. As the way I like to play AVN’s is to go through all the options then roll back and go with my decisions even if I plan to do multiple playthroughs it’s just my style of playing. At least I can still use quick save and load and get the same effect

Overall I really liked this game it is almost worthy of being 10 for me but I think I need a few more updates for it to make that list.

This is a fantastic start. There isn't a ton of content yet, but the intro is very promising.

The writing and dialogue is genuinely good. The characters and setting are pretty standard but competently done.

The game feels very premium visually. The interface is stylish, simple and looks fantastic. The renders are above average. Not the absolute best I have seen but still look very good.

There isn't too much more to say currently. As of now the story is still pretty much in it's intro phase. Right now it definitely deserves the 5 stars, and we will see if this level of quality can be maintained.

It seems like something that is still at the beginning, but I liked the storytelling, the characters seem to have layers, depth, I missed the sex scenes but it wasn't bothersome for something that is just beginning.

Legitimately a game of the highest quality, in every possible way. The only negative is that there's not more of it.

This is one of those games that you wish you could travel years into the future for so that you could play the whole thing. Top notch in both the writing and the visuals.

I like this kind of settings and visuals are good. Like the guy below said yeah it follow used and tested formula. One thing I hated in the game was choosing the choices of Branson. I hate when I have to make decisions for other characters doing except MC. Dev if you want to make Branson more cruel make him like that or otherwise. There was another occasion where we have to another decision for Branson to save his sister from groping of other guy. If we choose to intervene Branson will save her from groping nothing happens. If we let it happen, we can see Branson having an orgasm from watching the groping scenes. Seems like Branson have hots for his sister. If Branson's sister is a Love interest of MC I hope she won't suffer from these kind of activities in the future. But also I only like to choose decision for MC only hoping dev will consider this. I also saw sharing in planned tags hoping it will avoidable . Apart from this game is enjoyable. Game got nice visuals and sound effects and music for the ambience. It's a shorter game at the moment.

This is a four star rating mainly because it's still too early to give a five star review. The content you will find here is merely an introduction or demo. Right when the plot starts to get going you reach the end.

What I can say however is that the writing is very good, the characters seem multi-layered. There is some indication that this story could take a very dark turn at some point and the appearance of a certain relic really opens up a number of ways this story could unfold. There are choices but we have to see if there will be any payoff or not.

I would recommend to wait for one or two updates before giving this a try. Put it on your watchlist and give it some time to cook. But when you come back, it's definitely worth your time.

[Reviewed as of 0.2.0]

1. A very promising start that feels true to the genre.

2. Uses "tried and tested" formulae, but executes it with full conviction and pulls it off really well.

3. The scenes are rendered really nice.

4. Qinara = Adorable.

Impressed with the quality of the renders. Definitely a five-star game visually.

The strength and consistency of the narrative is a bit hard to judge as yet. But it is at least literate.

Preventing rollback at decision points is not a good idea, irritates the player and should be abandoned with the next release. It's actually a great deal more disruptive of immersion to be constantly saving.

But this is a promising start, I'll definitely have a look at the next update.

Updated after playing 0.3.1. This is developing well, with plenty of mysteries being set up for future resolution. Preventing rollback is still a bad idea, but I will buy on Steam when it becomes available.

Very strong opening for this VN, really good renders, the lighting was actaully the first thing that caught my eye, writing is also strong. And thankfully the MC seems to have an intact spine and personality ! The introduction of elements was a welcome surprise. Congrats on the first release and great job !

Pros: renders are beautiful along with the whole environment, writing is decent, Music is delightful too, currently only about 15min content but seems to have potential cuz left on cliffhanger. Possible LI is very cute too.

Cons: towards the end of chapter, diff music would have been good due to cliffhanger so some kind of thriller or suspenseful music would be great there. Also, more lore would be great.

Verdict: Definitely give it a try! MC seems mature enough and the plot has many ways to go alot can happen!!

(Insert Palpatine Voice) We will watch your career with great interest...

This is a really good start.

We don't know too much about the plot but it's an enticing start for sure.

The overall quality is good: good renders (no animations so far), good attention to details like sounds and fitting ambient music and a lot of branching in terms of choices with different outcomes.

I'm giving 5 stars for the moment but this kind of detailed work require a lot of time and patient, I hope the dev keeps up the good work!

[Reviewed: v0.1.0]
This version gives us the first chapter in the protagonist's story, and already there's a number of choices that affect the game play, but otherwise it's really just enough to introduce the main character and a few others. We don't even meet all the folks pictured in the main OP image.

The renders are all very nice. It would be nice to have an indication when we're going to be given a brief "slide show" or when the game's waiting for the player's input. There's more than a few typos in the text, "lets" for "let's", "it's" for "its" (and the reverse) -- a proofreader would bring the text quality up to that of the rest of the game.

The story starts with the main character walking through the woods in the dark, and we're given the choice of whether to respond to a cry for help. The game makes note of how you choose and doesn't force one on you. That doesn't mean we won't end up meeting the same characters eventually, but his choices will affect how these characters feel about and behave toward the protagonist. You can also decide whether to get into a tavern fight, and your choices, if you opt in, can have you winning or losing.

So far in the story, there's nothing lewd beyond peeking at a woman changing. Seems like this is going to be a slow burn. There are some score points maintained as well, paragon/renegade for example.

I've rated this 5 stars (excellent) but that's only based on what's there so far. I'm looking forward to how the story continues in future updates.