VN - Ren'Py - Dog Days of Summer [v0.4.1] [BlackWeb Games]

It's sad to leave this kind of review, cause its a fun story, full of promise, wlw done well...but...
A remake that's dragged on almost as long as the original rollout and has still failed to catch up.
Terrible proof reading, spelling, grammar. MS word would pick up 90% of these.
Tiny updates. Consistently failing to make their own release dates. Months, if not longer between updates when they do happen. It's either become too big a project or is on life support to keep the subscribers. It's a shame.

[v0.4.1] RW

Ngl I hate reworks. When it was announced I basically put the game into my "abandoned" list and forgot about it.

Today by a stroke of fate I downloaded it again to check the progress or whatever, but was quickly swept by the narrative. It made me remember how amazing this game is, how alive the protagonist and characters feel. Honestly, that alone carried the game - I still have no idea why rework was necessary.

Now, the game does look better. If you are experiencing it for the first time - it will be very nice. For the rest I wish to survive until we catch up at least. If I remember correctly weekend had more content than everything before, so we are barely half-way through. But the dev made it this far, so I'm willing to have some hope now.

Writing: 5/5
Artstyle: If you like it - you like it. I do.
Gameplay: VN/5
H-scenes: At the current point the game has like 100 CGs at most and 1,5 sex scenes. Most of the story is told with sprites and backgrounds. Not enough to rate, honestly, but it will get better.
Plot tree: 10/5. It is crazy.

TL;DR: it was one of the best lesbian games out there and now, being a half of that, it still is.

DDS is one of the best corruption lesbian AVNs out there and I would like to give it the best rating because of it, but it's not that easy.

What I like about this game is the sensual writing. It flows very well and even though the renders are pretty standard and very static in nature, the writing can still make the scenes very erotic.
Many of the characters are rather cliche, but they are still variable, and mainly so because of decisions you make and the impact they have. There is some decent pathing available in Dog Days.
I'm normally not a big fan of corruption games in general but I find it a little more enjoyable when your choices have varying degrees of influence on the plot. And by that I mean not only what happens to yourself but also your friends and contacts. It seems that's the case in Dog Days.

However, little of it has come to fruition yet. It feels like we are still very much at the beginning of this adventure and it will take a looong time until this game is half finished. In short, DDS is an above average experience but it isn't offering anything meaningful yet in terms of content.
The slow development pace makes me wonder if this game will ever reach the finishing line.

Another game with pointless remake but in this case it's doubly egregious since remake doesn't make anything better, renders are as bad as they were and the rest didn't change. The only thing that changed is that dev added some filter and called it a day, lol. Story is shit, characters are retarded and it has no redeeming quality really. What a waste of time.

perfect game for me, Loved the female domination aspect so fucking much. I like games with both straight and lesbian content, but here the story is so well-written that I dont mind the exclusive lesbian content. on the contrary, it made the scenes pop and made them much more enjoyable.
looking forward to the rework

[Edited review after reaching the end of the current content]

Firstly, I typically only give games a try after reading through a few reviews, so I have a better idea of what to expect and where to set my expectations. As the majority of reviews were very positive, I decided to try it. I can't help but think that perhaps the other reviews might have had access to another version of the game, because the one I played didn't match up to any of the 4/5 star ratings. The game certainly has some positive things going for it though, both the music and the design of the love interests are solid. The girls look distinct both from each other and from all of the other generic ones you see in many other games. Also, a lesbian focused game is a rarity, so I really hate to be so critical of a game in this genre.

Now for the bad:

The main character looks disturbing. I get that she isn't meant to look stunning (even though almost everyone she meets says she is) but DAMN!! Any passion or arousal that might have been building in any given scene is completely quelled by one look at that face. It's not outright ugly, far from it, it's just disturbing and off-putting. Top that off with a wardrobe selection that makes it look as though she's bought most of her clothes from Sluts 'R' Us. Seriously, the clothing selection for the MC (and some of the other characters) make it look that they were dressed by a horny thirteen year old lad. Also (sorry for another addendum to the same topic) but when at the start there's talk of a makeover, that hope is kindled in taking our ugly duckling and seeing her blossom into a swan... we simply get a bad long hair style replaced by (I would argue even worse) bad shorter hair style. At least there's an option later to decide on 'shaved or unshaved'.

Another really glaring issue with the game is the lack of proof reading. From the very beginning, there are misspelt words and grammar issues. I've played a couple of games where the author's first language wasn't English, so they've had to rely on a translation but that's not the case here (or at least I don't believe so). No, this is (imo) a dev that is likely dyslexic and for some reason seems adverse to not only using a basic spell check but also doesn't have anyone proof read what they've written. There are errors in what feels like every second or third dialogue box and sometimes in several in a row. This is a huge shame because the quality of the writing isn't actually that bad, it's just that reading it is a chore, as you're constantly having to mentally correct what's written. There is also a weird mix of English and American English that is slightly baffling. With all the spelling errors it's hard to say which is more prominent but there's Americanisms such as 'Mom' contrasted with UK currency references, with both 'pounds and quid' appearing.

Yet another issue with this (for me at least) is that it's very clearly a lesbian focused story, written by a man. Firstly, the whole thing is written in the third person, which is a very odd choice. Also. almost every time something even vaguely stimulating happens to the MC, it's almost immediately commented on at how wet she's getting. Sorry to burst any bubbles here but it doesn't work that way (most of the time anyhow). Take a look at the lesbian routes in games written by women and you'll see a variety of ways to convey feminine arousal that doesn't equate to someone activating the sprinkler system in her undies. A change to the first person would be a big improvement, as would a greater variety of language being used to convey arousal.

After reaching the current end-point (an ending that sprang up far sooner than I anticipated considering how long ago this game was first posted on the site), I'm not really feeling too inclined to revisit the game and explore other paths, currently there are sadly too many negative issues impacting my enjoyment of this title to warrant another play. Going forward, even if the dev can only change one thing, I would implore him to make that change with the proof reading, hell, even a basic spell checker would be a step in the right direction, though I have read that he apparently does use one (if so, I'd highly recommend finding a better one).

This game has probably the best femdom on female setup I've ever played. The funny part is, I chose that path on a whim (I usually choose the "good girl path" but this time said fuck it). My favorite scene was . The protagonist herself also feels realistic, and I really like the harem aspect that is implemented. I'll definitely be following this title. I would rate the game higher, but as many people have stated, the spelling mistakes break the immersion (I'm very big on proper grammar in games).

Dont bother with this game. Just copy paste of the game, which author mentioned in spoiler overview but with more lesbian sex. I mean entire scenes exactly the same: art gallery, nude posing, rival of your friend wants to be your friend etc.
Moreover its outdated technologically and English not that good(Yes, mine neither but I ain't author).
Lastly, main character looks bad, but its just my taste, I guess.

One of the better games in the lesbian genre that I've seen. Great story and lots of paths to take. I like how much your choices impact the game, which makes this interesting to replay.

My biggest issue was the scene that involves a sexual situation with a man when she's getting blackmailed by the professor. Also not a fan of when her mom starts going on about her late husband's sexual history and how he would have been involved. I'm playing this because I wanted a lesbian game so I could do without the hetero content, even if not explicit.

I would have rated this game at 4-5 stars normally BUT sadly i cannot.

Its a good game, dont get me wrong but for me there is one major issue with it. Choices.

Now, i like choices in my games as much as the next guy BUT when there are SO MANY choices and branches and flags to keep track of like in this game, then no thank you.

Normally this wouldnt be a major issue, most games have walkthroughs or something to help you navigate the game. This game had 2 fan made EDIT: 3 fan made walkthroughs but both all 3 got abandoned because it was becoming very difficult to make them and keep track of everything.

Way too many flags, choices, branches to keep track of. I tend not to play a game more than once even in those games where the dev says you need to play multiple times to see everything because in most games the difference between different playthroughs are very minor and not worth it.

So to that end i try to play the game once and with the use of saves i keep multiple paths open and play them at the same time.

This is impossible in this game. At least for me. I only played a tiny bit but i already had 4 pages of saves. It was frankly confusing.

Otherwise a good game but overkill on choices.

Maybe im dumb and its actually easy to navigate through this game, who knows. I mean, walkthrough devs gave up on updating their work, think about that.

Its a shame really because i actually like the setting of this game and the story seems somewhat interesting.
Im into female protagonists and lesbians. This is a big plus for me. Im sure i would've loved the game if it wasnt for the above mentioned issue.

Also, the art style is ... not bad ... but ... could be better. In some renders the MC looks outright ugly which is really bad since its the MC.

This game has some nice girls, so I'm already in the game.

But then it accumulates things I do not like very much.
1) "image background" with characters in front of it. I hope it is only in the beginning and the dev goes in the direction his other work uses (which is quite fantastic with characters direction in the scenes, etc.)
2) many spelling mistakes. Again, classical, but rereading the text seems to be something many devs do not, or are not able to do. It's quite annoying to spot typos while playing a game, especially when you are not a native speaker of English, and have to ask yourself "is that word a word I don't know, a word created for the lore of this game, or a mistake for another word I should guess"?

So my start is a 3 stars, but I hope that the game gets better with time, because it HAS potential.

When I saw the screenshots of this game, I fell in love with it!
It's just gorgeous. It might sound shallow, but that is what drew me in.
After playing up to the latest update, I am now smitten with it

I love the characters so far and the paths/choices with domme/sub content, how the characters are exploring this new side to their relationships.

I adore Des! I can relate to her on her sub path, the excitement and devotion to someone that can just look at you and make you squirm!
She is adorable ♡

A beautiful game with fantastic art and music, plus a captivating story to explore. My only complaint is it finished sooner than I wanted.

I will wait for the next update with anticipation <3

Would love to have given this game a higher score, as there is much to like about it. A great plotline, a likeable main character and some genuinely classy erotic content. So well done for that.

But the quality of the written English needs serious improvement.

- Convoluted and ambiguous syntax.
- Words spelled wrongly.
- Words spelled correctly, but not the right words, eg "knew" for "new" and many more examples.
- Words misused in ways where it is clear the writer is unaware of their actual meaning.
- Sometimes the literal meaning is the exact opposite of what, in context, the writer clearly intends.

As a literate native English speaker I sometimes had to read passages twice to understand them. I'm sure many non-native speakers would struggle. And it is frustrating to be at the point of being caught up in the story to be jarred out of it again by yet another painful mistake in expression.

So a couple of strong suggestions:

- A creative writing course (online or out of a book) would probably help the writer produce clearer, more understandable English. There are a few simple rules to clear expression which are not difficult to apply.
- Some serious proof-reading by someone competent to do so, to correct the errors in spelling and word usage.

If the writer reads this, my apologies for being harsh but it is sad to see something that is so very good in most aspects being let down by something as fundamental to story-telling as the use of language.

Review as of v0.5.1

Quality Writing and Branching Narrative are the highlights of this 10/10 game so far.

You play as Vivian and get to influence her personality, and how she spends her time in her summer holiday.

The writing is probably one of the best you'll see in an adult VN. When the author says they write good smut, they aren't lying. The characters are really cute, and the ways Vivian turns out on different paths are all beautiful in their own way. The adult scenes are all very exciting.

The music selection in this game was easy on the ear and helped one get in the mood of each scene/situation.

I can't wait to see more of this story. In the meantime, I'll just explore the different choices I could've taken.

A good lesbian themed game that is worth a playthrough.

Pros

• Above average character models
• Good writing
• Good story
• Good character development
• Good sex scenes

Cons

• MC is average looking in my opinion. I would have preferred a better looking MC. Her face looks weird and not 100% human.
• Breasts are displayed in funny and weird shapes frequently outside of a normal standing position
• The areola (area around the nipples) has too much color saturation/contrast in several of the female character models
• English is below average. So many authors refuse to use a proofreader
• No animation
• Too many still frame scenes where the MC and other characters are just standing next to each other in a default pose. This is a bit lazy in my opinion. If you are going to use 3D character models why resort to this old and generic method?

I hope there is more development with side characters in future releases. I especially want to hook up with the race car driver a lot in the future.

It is a solid game but does have several weaknesses as listed in the Cons.

The main problem with the story for me is you have a very average looking MC that gets way more attention than she deserves based on her looks and appearance. I can understand the attention from her best friend but the others feel like a stretch.

It sucks, but that is the way life works. Good looking people get far more attention then average looking people. I knew several guys in my High School and college days that were good looking and took advantage of girls all the time. They got by on their looks but their personality was shit. The same girls wouldn't give the average guy the time of day. Some girls would even throw themselves at these guys because they thought they were hot. One of these good looking assholes got three different girls pregnant. It shouldn't be that way yet here we are! Human beings place a large emphasis on physical appearance and looks.

I recommend the game and encourage others to give it a try.

[v0.5.0] Five stars because i´m missing nothing

It is a very good game. It is fun to play through and you not realy need a wallkthrough.
All theese choices leeding to different endings. And there is no "best story-path to win" the goal is the way through the game, and that´s amazing.

Very good renders, believable (no, not real) characters, great story, just a very good game.

This is a great game with heavy focus on player choice and its consequences. One of few games with lesbian focus.

The world building is the best I've seen in a VN which makes the game come to life. The story line is intricate and very interesting while also taking into consideration all the choices you have made. Very well written game.

The characters are also all interesting with troubles that are realistic and believable.

Scenes are excellent and sex scenes are really hot.

At this point in the 21st century, are games still being made with static figures on fixed backgrounds? Haven't we outgrown the Japanese visual novels of childhood?

What about animation? What about framing? What about lighting?

Ah, sure, that takes a lot of time and work.

Congratulations for the theme, it's interesting, but the technical realization of the images seems to me poor and boring.

Too bad, a game that could be good and interesting, comes to nothing because of an outdated and wrong approach.

I came for beautiful graphics and a female mc and staid for the intriguing characters and arousing scenes.
This game reminds me of old-school japanese vn where choices mattered and lead to different routes.
In fact there are so many that navigating them becomes akin to finding your way through a labyrinth! Luckily your journey is lined with beautiful imagery of alluring maidens doing naughty deeds.
I hope the dev continues making the game for a long time to come. Pitty they don't have a whole team at their disposal for the multitude of branches must require a lot of effort. Anyway, best of luck!

Ok, so I played this game a bit, and it is really good. I am getting the vibes of Good Girl Gone Bad in some way, which means that it's potential is high. While GGGB was quite extreme, I hope this is not that extreme. Loved the arts and storyline so far.