I wish I could put this game (abbreviating: MESV) at 4 stars but it was kind of a poor experience, I'd call it 3.5 stars. The game has a lot of charm, the 3D world is fun and lively, and the game is reminiscent of
other similar titles. The king of this genre is probably
Summer Memories (abbreviating: SM) and this title shares many characteristics with it (You are a male, staying with distant family during summer, you awaken your sexuality with them while also performing whimsical daily tasks like morning exercises, collecting bugs, fishing, etc...). My
Secret Summer Vacation (different game) is also similar (but that title has been banned from F95). Unfortunately, M
ESV was just a bit too fucky to get H content in, and while there was a good amount of H content, it was not quite enough to justify the fuckiness. Primary complaints:
- If you play MESV without a guide, you will absolutely make progress and see H content, however you will often have no idea what you need to do in order to progress, and aimlessly wonder around trying to find it. You will likely get to a point where you don't know if you've seen everything with one of the two girls or not, or if you have done everything needed for a good ending or not. This is a primary difference vs Summer Memories - SM is a bit fucky to get the harem ending, but you at least are quite confident with your progress (each girl has a progress tracker, you are told when you do something that progresses it, so you know where you stand and how to improve). There is also no repeatable sex scenes DURING GAMEPLAY in MESV - There is a well-implemented gallery but once you see a scene in a particular playthrough, it's gone unless you play again or visit the gallery.
- Another primary difference is the world - In SM you are basically teleporting around the map - quick and easy. In MESV you must physically guide your player there through the 3D world (for much of the game). At first it's charming but it quickly reveals that it actually sucks big donkey dick because the map is big and you are slow. You do quickly get a skateboard that allows you to travel ~2.5x faster, and then you eventually get a bike that allows you to teleport, but I have no idea why the dev did not just give you these items up front. I'm not trying to grind a character's abilities, I'm trying to grind my dick on some dummy thicc ass. Literally would have only helped the game by allowing a player to start with them.
Anyways, there are a few other complaints, but in summary it boils down to the game being a bit fucky and I eventually just downloaded a save from
the kind gentleperson on page 3 and used the gallery. This meant I missed some dialog between scenes but I was done. I have only touched on negatives, so allow me to mention some positives:
- The two girls are great compliments to each other; One young and naïve, the other older and well aware of sexual topics (somewhat similar to the two sisters in SM). They are both attractive and fun to seduce. There are a good number of scenes with each, some scenes are still-only but many are animated. The scenes have good dialog within. I do appreciate a game that implements a classic harem/pregnancy sex ending, and there is one here. Although the world is horrible to navigate for much of the early game, it is mentally stimulating and engaging to do so in. Low-res but the world is colorful and does not feel empty.
So yeah... I foresee some people 5 staring this, and I foresee a few people 2 staring it. I'd put it in the 3-to-4 range personally; and having read my review and knowing what to expect, hopefully you'll end up on the higher end. Do want to note that there are some guides (
1,
2) linked throughout the comments.