itch.io

I have just rebuilt the game and re-uploaded the archive. Please try downloading it again to see if the new build fixes the issue.

Since I don’t own a Mac myself, it can be a bit tricky for me to troubleshoot macOS-specific bugs firsthand.

I reached out to an AI tool to analyze your issue, and here are the recommended steps if the fresh download still won’t open:

Remove the macOS Quarantine.

macOS often silently blocks newly downloaded apps from launching.

You can bypass this using the Terminal:

Open the Terminal app on your Mac (press Cmd + Space and type “Terminal”). Copy and paste the following command, then press Enter:

bash

xattr -cr /Applications/LaylaShatteredHopes.app

(Note: If the game is not in your Applications folder, type xattr -cr with a space at the end, and then drag-and-drop the game’s .app file directly into the Terminal window before pressing Enter).

The built-in macOS utility sometimes corrupts file permissions inside Ren’Py ZIP folders during extraction.

Delete the current extracted folder.Extract the new ZIP archive using a free alternative like The Unarchiver or Keka, then try launching it.

If it still won’t open, we can force macOS to show us the exact error:

Right-click (or Ctrl-click) on LaylaShatteredHopes.app and select Show Package Contents.

Go to Contents → MacOS.

Double-click the executable file inside (usually named LaylaShatteredHopes).

A Terminal window will open. If the game crashes, please copy and paste the text from that window and send it to me.

Thanks. Yes, I’m planning to release the game on Steam. The store page should be ready around autumn. I’m using itch.io just as a free platform for promotion, since you can’t sell NSFW content there — or rather, the game would disappear from search and indexing, which is why I stopped selling it there.

Did previous episodes work? What error does it give? Can anyone confirm that the Mac version doesn’t work? I don’t have a Mac to test it.

Already working on it ;) For now, Episode 8 is the latest one.

Thank you, but there isn’t a single sex scene without sound — I pay attention to that.

Yes. Non-sexual scene animations were made using AI.

More than an hour if you take all the branching paths. And tomorrow, episode 8 is coming out for free subscribers. So it’s worth waiting ;)

It’s very difficult to answer this question, because everyone plays differently. At the moment, across 7 episodes, 2 branching paths, 2920 renders, 92 animations, and 93 music tracks, I’d venture to say that you’ll have to spend at least an hour – very roughly speaking.

Yes, this page has Episode 6. You don’t need to download the previous versions — it includes all content up to this point.

Yes, I’ll add a replay gallery when there’s more content. Right now there isn’t enough to make it worthwhile, but it’s planned for future updates.

EP4 includes all the previous episodes, so you only need to download that one file.

Thank you for the kind words! Yes, you can follow all the news on Patreon and Boosty (though I see you’ve already found a way—cool nickname, by the way ;).

Episode 5 will be out very soon. Both the City Route and the Whore Route will receive equally substantial continuations.

yes

Ha, not a bad idea! But she’ll have to go through so much before that point (especially in the Whore Route)… I’ve prepared so much for her ;)

I hope that in the next episode, I can prove you wrong about the City Route ;) As for the Whore Route, it will always be updated. Even when the City Route gets its story branches, the Whore Route certainly won’t be left behind.

Will there be lesbian content? - I am leaving that possibility open. You will be able to see the first hints of it in Episode 5 (City Route).

Regarding the bug with the name ‘Marlene’: it was fixed a while ago. The version available here is not the latest one. I will update it, along with all other bug fixes, at the same time as the Episode 4 release on October 4th.

Thank you for the feedback! You’re the first one who actually gave me a full explanation about the slow transitions. People had mentioned it to me before, but only in a couple of phrases, so I thought it was just about musical cues and that people were playing without the music, lol. But after reading your post, I rewatched everything and finally understood what you meant! Thank you so much for that!

I’m also trying to make the story as believable as possible, but of course, I have to cut some corners to keep it from dragging on too long. The “whore route” will have a slightly faster-paced plot and a darker story with unpleasant characters that Layla will have to deal with. The “city route” will be more slow-burn, with a lot of focus on the story, which will become especially apparent in episode 5. The characters and relationships will be completely different from those in the “whore route,” but naturally, it won’t be without sex ;).

Thanks to your feedback, I was able to fix something that was probably annoying a lot of people. Thank you once again

Transitions (fade-outs/black screens) were mostly used in the first two episodes and will be significantly reduced starting from the next update.

The story split into two paths in Episode 4:

Path 1: She stays at the café

Path 2: She decides to move to the city

All events are currently skippable.

In the first path (café), the direction is clear — it’s a corruption arc. The second path (city) is more complex and will later branch further, including romantic relationships, cheating, and more nuanced emotional developments.

P.S. All transitions will be remade in the next update.