VN - Ren'Py - Shattered Dreams: Redemption [v0.5] [Nebula Dreams]

incredibly average, plot is incoherent like a bad wattpad story and renders and sex scenes just feel like renpy and 3daz got invented yesterday, this game belong to that milfy city category where its just aged milk except this is new.

Shattered Dreams: Redemption is a pleasant surprise. The story is engaging, the dialogue feels natural, and the love interests all stand out. Choices are simple but effective, the art is excellent, and the music is kind of forgettable but fine. Overall, it is a polished and enjoyable AVN worth checking out.

I started off really liking this AVN, but somewhere down the line it seems to have lost the plot a bit.

To begin with, the dev is talented. The production is solid, renders are good and the story has a nice pace to it. Some parts are well rounded, like the relationship with the MC's father. It helps drive the story, but there is not too much of it.

Some of the challenges for me include Lena. I can't stand her. She was off putting from the beginning. I liked that the MC was basically able to shoot her down early on, but you miss a lot of h scenes if you do that.

Speaking of h scenes, they are "meh" at best. I mean Maddison is a smoke show and they have a lot of sexy time, but the interactions are just "meh". The dialogue during these scenes is weak, with the animation you can chose slow or faster (which makes little difference), and it is just kind of vanilla.

Then there are the expressions of the characters. Everyone's faces are so stiff and wooden. Everyone looks the same. Even when they smile, they barely register. Just look at the cover image of the OP. They are barely smiling and seem kind of bored. I mean, this would be okay except every scene is like this. Most of the time, the characters all look bored and emotionless. They all wear the same "out of the box", deadpan expression.

And that kind of leads me to the story. It's very much like the character expressions. It's just kinda "meh". The interactions are all "meh". The sex is all "meh", the AVN in general is kind of "meh".

Then there is the MC. He is a bit confusing. For example, he seems to be able to handle himself with other males but struggles with the women. For example, there is one scene where Mina clearly crosses the line and she says something like "what? I'm not allowed?" and the MC replied "it could threaten your image and my job" (I'm paraphrasing), which was a totally rational, mature way to respond. Instead the diva gets up, basically tells the MC to fuck off and she leaves. The MC sits there and says "I could have handled that better." What? You did nothing wrong my dude! She was totally out of line. There are other scenes like that were he has a totally normal response to something and then questions himself after the interaction.

I am probably making it sound worse then it is and there are parts of it I really like. I think the story has a good foundation and it looks like some random threads are going to all come together eventually so the dev seems to have thought out things pretty well. Plus it is not all about getting laid. There is character development and exploration happening. You get to learn about all the LIs and what drives them and we are no where near a fuckfest. The dev is making an earnest attempt at creating something special here and I think they can get there.

If you are looking for an AVN with a story and hot LI's, then download it and check it out. PersonalIy, am looking forward to seeing where this all goes.

The visuals have been elevated beyond mere graphical enhancements, showcasing a meticulous attention to detail.
and Each character has a distinct personality that makes them memorable.
Despite the somewhat generic storyline, Zoe's animated facial expressions and captivating appearance made her a memorable character.
I can't stand waiting any longer for the next release.

Outstanding game with great characterization, good renders and an interesting plot. The animations don't always correspond well to the dialogue would be my only major criticism. Looking forward to further content.

Renders are really good not spectacular but really good.
Animations are there and looks good enough, some voicing is good and immersive.

Story is all over the place and characters talk like robots not like people having actual conversations.

MC makes so many stupid decisions that you can´t choose or choose not to. Because if he didn't the plot couldn´t happen.
Cheap way of controlling the narrative but becomes boring very quickly.

Another example of a non-harem game with bad execution.

The story is intriguing and on the higher quality side of porn games. It is worth playing for it, although brought down by various bad decisions from the dev.

The MC is an unbearable pretty boy, smoker, and feels detouched from the player. It doesn't help that you're thrown into a FWB "relationship" with one of the LIs. Throughout the game I couldn't find a single moment where I could relate to him. He is not ugly, but thats about it. Since the player makes no real decisions throughout the sex scenes, it is more like watching some playboy fucking someone.

The LIs vary, but wasn't important to me because of the worst set up you can give a player in games where you have to choose a LI: forced relationship and sex scenes.
Nothing of that was necessary, it was just the typical dev decides for you nonsense.
In a harem game it is somewhat tolerable, because the building of other relationships benefit most of the times from such existing relations. Here it means hurdles to get with every girl on separate routes, because of baggage.
I found the LI in question rather disgusting (especially with the repeated talk about her boyfriends while pausing their "relationship").

Decisions about friendships etc are handled for the player as well, so might as well make it a kinetic novel for each of the girls. It is disappointing.

The graphics are beautiful and unique.

A proper rework, with decisions before forcing the first LI on the player, removing the dumb drug addiction, and proper player choices in general, and this could become a really awesome game.
At the moment it is mediocre at best.

Well I can honestly say that I was very pleased with what I just played through. I did not even need to skip my way through the storyline as it was actually interesting enough to keep me focused. That is saying quite a bit. The characters are interesting and even though I felt like they could have stood to have a bit more development and lead in to get to know them better I am not complaining about them. The LI's, and there are apparently a hell of a lot of them, are nice and interesting people in the story. As with the general characters they too could have stood to be more developed and have more of an introduction and lead up. It was nice to see that most were not fuck on the first day LI's though. But still it was way too easy. True one was a crush from high school and one was the easy piece from high school as well. But aside from nitpicking every little detail, it was an enjoyable overall experience. I look forward to seeing how things turn out. I would suggest the Dev do a bit more research on dirty cops and drug activities though. The interactions don't match what has been experienced in real life even closely. But for fiction it is nothing to bad that it is worth complaining about. Looking forward to future updates just to see how things go with the story even though I already have some predictions already in my mind.

The game looks beautiful but the story while it has potential is lacking pace and action. The main plus to the story is the LI's are beautiful. I know it will be subjective but I think one of the LI's is the most beautiful I have seen in a VN, so it gets a bonus half star for me. I'm hoping I'm surprised in the future episodes but I feel we are heading in a certain dark direction to one or more of the LI's to create a decision from the MC or to add drama with this one but I hope I'm wrong.

Review of version v0.4
I ended up downloading the game through the latest releases and it was a pleasant surprise for me, the story is very good and engaging, the relationships are good and I don't think they are unrealistic, with the exception of one which is the reason I didn't give the game 5 stars.
Madison is the only negative point I saw in the game, even though she is the girl on the banner, I think she is a bit confused, she seems to like the MC, but she literally disappears from the game, only returning out of nowhere.
Leaving me with the impression that she was only created so the game would have a sex scene at the beginning of it.
For one of the few people who stayed by the protagonist's side after his injury, she is a bit different, even his friend is more present than her, look how she still criticizes him as soon as the game starts.
But apart from that, and the game is still in its early stages, she can shine more in future updates after all.
(Sorry if there is any spelling mistake, I am from Brazil so to write a review I had to resort to Google translate)

Versio 0.4

I am not a fan of realistic crime stories in VN setting. Writing is ok, but the story feels unrelatable and hard to take seriously. I personally want more from stories that try to create realistic setting. Or maybe i just see everything less than Braking Bad/Sopranos quality not interesting enough in this genre.

The girls are beautiful. Still, the whole "failed super athlete turning to gold digger" setup, combined with how emotionally distant and guarded everyone is, just doesn’t do it for me. Everything feels so depressing.

MC: "Exciting? When i saw your face, I saw everything but excitement."

Visually game looks good. Those sex scenes that i did see were just average mundane sunday sex. Sex and sexy are clearly not the main things in this AV and it does show.

I can't get over the fact that it seems like the text is written by AI. Nobody talks like this:

"You are here early"
"I wanted to be on time this time, since you often blame me for being late. I've already taken the seats, do you want something to eat?"
"No thanks, how about you?"
"I'm not hungry"
"Shall we go?"
"I'll follow you!"

This is how robots talk. Otherwise the story seems to be good, though the animations are bad.

game is literally perfect...

you got a real interesting story, that feels realistic too for the most part... characters that feel real and genuine... beautiful renders and the right mix between teasing and naughtiness

and of course crazy baddies

I like it. I love the pacing. It's fast. In a good sense. You dont have time to get bored. Characters and dialogues dont feel dumb.
I liked Jennie, but we know the least about her among all LI.

Sex scenes a bit short and animations could use some polishing. Also, please add optional butt stuff. Not everyone into it, but having the choice is win-win.

Lena scenes are wild. Love them.

The only thing that could possibly brick the plot for me is the mobs story line. So far it's okay and I love dedication of the old detective. We'll see where it leads.

As of v0.3 there isnt too much content, I was hooked and finished game in one go after maybe couple of hours. But I liked it and again I wanna praise the game and dev(s) for pacing. Feels great. I might skip several updates to dive for more.

This... is difficult to review accurately, honestly, but I'll try.

tldr: can recommend if you're looking for a game where your bar for writing is "decent enough that I don't want to poke my brain out but not taking too much time reading to get to the good stuff".

Game begins at a breakneck pace, conversations between characters are damn short, then there are time skips between them, sometimes quite considerable ones, risking causing a reader whiplash, like

THE FUCK IS THIS
THE FUCK IS THAT
THE FUCK ARE YOU

...but at the breakneck pace the game begins, the characters you meet are seen repeatedly before adding new ones into the rotation so a total whiplash is avoided.

It slows down a tiny bit as the MC starts to form relationships, but only slightly - scenes, dates, sex, etc., everything goes by quite fast, and on one hand - that way no character overstays their welcome nor it gives you time to start hating them.

But that's also the reason I can't give this one 5 stars, and unless the dev changes considerably the way they go about the project, it won't ever reach 5 stars for me. We are at 0.3 in and due to the short time we spend with the characters, we still barely know them.

If you've come for amazing character development and lengthy stretches of time to get to know the girls, look elsewhere. Character development IS present, but isn't given nearly enough time to appreciate or shine. The gals are not soulless copy-paste bimbos that lust for MC's cock, they are distinct enough from one another that you can enjoy variety, I just wish there was a lot more time given to each of them.

However, if you came here to goon first and not receive second-hand aneurysm from dogshit writing second, I probably can recommend the game. The girls, with no exceptions, are all gorgeous, and not difficult to understand or interact with, but also keep in mind, there's only one main girl and one side girl that have full sex scenes, others relationships are still in their earlier stages.

I disagree with our honorable friend below that the plot is messy... we are talking about v0.3 here, and I find (one path explored so far - Mina) that it is extremely coherent and almost elegantly well thought out.; I find this VN is cleverly constructed. Try it and judge for yourselves.

I liked the game very much and the story is heartwarming and the atmosphere in the game has characters very nice and nicely made music good environment and choice of actions good in the game in general the game is very cool done

To be honest, this is not a plot, but some kind of mess. There's the first number of the NBA draft, the mafia, and a famous singer. The story is incoherent and not at all catchy. There are beautiful pictures, but it's not enough for a good game.

It's one of those games where the story keeps you so entertained that the sex scenes are almost secondary. The plot is very engaging, with well-developed characters and a promising narrative that hooks you from the start.

This VN is an example of how being good in every aspect leads to a great final product. It has a simple yet surprisingly well written story. The writing isn't novel or ground breaking, but it is very competent and enjoyable.

I also like the characters - the women are varied, well written and memorable. I also like that the MC isn't a blank doormat. It excels in the visuals department too - the character models look great and the lighting and backgrounds are very well done.

This VN is an example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts and I'm really looking forward to future updates.