Ren'Py - Short Sad Stories [Ch. 4] [Pent Panda]

If you want to take something from this review, here it is: this is is a masterpiece, pure and simple, deep and true. I will only say that it tells stories that could happen to any of us; but how deep it goes, what emotional power it contains, I will not tell - first because I'm not that good of a reviewer, but also because I don't want to spoil the experience of following these stories till their bittersweet ends.

Full disclosure: Pent Panda is one of the very few artists that I support on Patreon. The other games from this developer are my favourites and this one is his best one yet. I've experienced this VN some time ago but, due to the fact that my mental health took a sharp turn for the worse in these last weeks, I've postponed this review till when I felt a bit better.

The reasons why I support Pent Panda can be found in this VN: the mature writing style, the amazingly well-constructed characters, the humour that is weaved into the story, the erotic scenes that have a reason to be there instead of just happening because whatever.

The storytelling is exemplary, lean and mean as it always is with this dev. There is not an ounce of padding here. Every scene, including the sex, every single line of dialog and every character moment is necessary to the story and advances it. It takes not only talent, but also a lot of discipline to write like Pent Panda.

What really elevates this VN are the characters. The main characters as PP write them, both in this VN as well as in the previous ones, are among the most complex I've seen in VNs of this type. Hell, even some of the side characters feel more developed than most MCs from the VNs I've read.

This is specially true with SSS, since this particular story needs particularly strong character to stand on its own. This is delivered in spades. Pent Panda knows that we can like characters for their strengths, but we can only love them when they share their faults and imperfections with us: a perfect character has nowhere to go, but an imperfect one, when seen with clarity and truth, can take you to meaningful journeys.

And here, through Pent Panda's focused and insightful storytelling, you can start a journey where you will be drawn deeply into the lives of fictional people that you may end up caring very much about.

I am in awe of the story telling. Everything pays into the story: characters, imagery, lighting, writing.

No VN here has made me cry within the first 15min but this. I was invested from the start.

It's great, a masterpiece even in how it comes together. It is funny where it needs to be and still retains its depth.

I love it. Thank you for making it.

A very good storyline not like other games . I like the artwork , the MC and her friends and their sidestorys. The game is funny, a little sad too because like the real life is. The artwork imao is special, i like this style, the animation is slowly, but not bad, the sound good. Best game from PentPanda imao. Have fun bye play the games from the Devloper.

So far it's one of the most well written storys I've seen here. The one who wrote it have a good knoledge of how people with problems for example AN disorder etc, can react depending on others behavior. Even if it's some sad part's it's a kind of tragic feel-good with some erotic elements that pass by naturaly.
I strongly recomend this novel if you like a good story with some erotic moments that also is a part of peoples life.

[Reviewed as of Ch. 4]

Short Sad Stories is a masterclass in showing the lives of an intricately interconnected group of characters in a clear and engaging manner.

True to its title, SSS is primarily driven by the various hardships and bad luck we come across in life. But it never feels cheap or exploitative. Probably because:

1. It's so efficient in its storytelling that, while it lets you feel the sadder moments, it never drags anything out unnecessarily.

2. But most importantly because, this VN is not about that bad things that can happen in life, but about overcoming them.

(And even the most darkest moments of the story pales next to the steady undercurrent of hope SSS offers.)

Long story short, Short Sad Stories is truly a gem of a VN.

Dur, sombre, beau, véritablement artistique, honnête. C'est émouvant, ça dérange et ça fait réfléchir. Le dessin est riche et réel. Sérieusement, cette œuvre mérite plus de reconnaissance. Merci pour ça !

Google translate:
«Hard, dark, beautiful, truly artistic, honest. It's moving, it's disturbing and it makes you think. The drawing is rich and real. Seriously, this work deserves more recognition. Thanks for that !»

This story is exceptional in everyway.

The characters are well developed and feel real. Dialogue flows great and the development of the story is natural. The renders are a unique style to the author you'll either like it or won't but I appreciated it. The lewd scenes while not the focus felt sexy in their simplicity.

It is a collection of short sad stories but it has undertones of hope and survival so it's not all misery porn.

Normally I can't stand multiple protagnoist stories because I feel like it splits the focus and it's hard to relate but it's done exceptionally well here. The Brother/Sister combo feel like the two MC's anyways and the rest of the side stories intersect with them so if you need someone as a self insert the brother works pretty well.

The pace that the author writes is also really great. It is 100% worth a subscription on patreon to get an update every 3-4 weeks that is usually 30-45m long.

yet another great work from Pent Panda!

Love your style and the approach

emotional and beautiful, well executed in every way, models, atmosphere, wording ... you did great on this one

each title is just getting better and better and they just keep getting better

This VN is best described as an anthology series with interwoven stories. Most of these stories could probably stand alone, but the connection between the individual chapters is very strong.

Short Sad Stories is not exactly focusing on lewd content, but there certainly is optional lewd content. You could say sexuality is treated with respect and it's much more erotic than pornographic. Which is quite rare and welcome.
The lewd content is used to emphasize strong emotions and fantasies, intimate bonding and escapism. So, Sex is not just there, it has meaning and context.

The stories themselves can be emotionally heavy stuff, depending on your mental state. So, if you have lost someone recently or are vulnerable to sad things happening in VNs, be warned. But I suppose from the title alone it's been advertised clearly enough.
The drama is not melodramatic, it's a grown-up approach to things that happen to real people. But sometimes I feel developers indulge a bit too much, treat it like a masochistic kink. That is not the case for SSS.
All the protagonists in this VN are in a rough place, but the way they cope with it is deeply human and inspiring, depending on your choices of course.

Short Sad Stories is a well-written VN with a grown-up approach to humans and their emotions. The writing is subtle but great in its subtlety and deserves a much bigger audience. That goes both for this Visual Novel but also the earlier works of Pent Panda. Most of them have a different style but I find them all very appealing both in terms of writing and technical presentation.

Another great game by @Pent Panda!
We can see his style in the art.
But the game lives up to its name. It's deeper and darker than his other games.
About losses, death, recovering, life being harsh but still with hope.
Despite the darkness of some part of the story, @Pent Panda manage to put some funny/silly moments from time to time, which lightens up an otherwise depressing story.

About the gameplay, we start by playing a girl (Alice by first default), before switching to her brother ( Zach by first default), then switching back to Alice so far. Sometimes, you can also play another characters for a few moment, seeing things from their point of view.
Generally, I'm not so fan of multi-protagonists game, but here, it doesn't bother me.

Take notice that this version is a demo including the first 2 chapters of the game.
The complete game is available for Patreons, at any tier. So it won't cost you a lot to support him and get a complete game in time.
And no, @Pent Panda didn't payed me to write this (however, I am open to any form of bribery ). But I think he deserves more supporters.

I really liked this game so far. The art style was interesting and I found the story to be well written. As of yet, the multiple view points don't detract from the story when it's being told as whole. It's also more original then a lot of the other stories being told.

Like it very much, not the usual wanking stuff you find here. Looks to be a very interesting story although a really sad one like the title said. Both the art and music and even the sex scene sounds were great(which i usually dont like listening to). Definetly invested and cant wait for more.

I love the graphic art style an the careful storytelling. A melancholic tone and porn actually mix, if well done. It gives some real life vibes to the story. The characters are well created and likeable.