VN - Ren'Py - Completed - Once in a Lifetime [v1.0] [Caribdis]

caribdis mustve made a deal with the devil to be able to create peak like this. story, dialogue, comedy, renders all fucking peak. i had been putting playing this game off because i thought it was overrated but ive been proven very wrong

This game comes as close to a perfect as a VN can get. Play it even if you doubt the honeyselect graphics. It beats almost every other game on this site, even Eternum.

The writing and the characters are so comical, funny, and still so relatable at the same time. It has a somewhat dark plot underlining the whole thing, but all the actual events involving the characters always get you laughing in the end.

The strongest element of the game is the amazing pace and build-up of the sexual scenes. There's a ton of hot voyeurism, which is a big ++ for me. The H-scenes are well written and feel like they evolve so naturally. It's not just a hot giga-chad MC picking up hot girls, and asking them to fuck, but instead there is a real mix of pre-planned and accidentally evolving sexual moments.

The game always puts you in a cheerful mood. Just play it.

I'm usually not into visual novels or 3dcg but this game does a spectacular job with both. The characters are attractive, plot is interesting, dialogue is funny, and sex scenes are sexy. The save and back options makes for easy navigation too. Multiple endings and good story pacing.

I found this game through rape and pregnancy tags, but this content is not easily found. Spoiler alert: rape happens only in 1 specific dialogue option, and pregnancy happens only in the ending, save for some line of dialogue of the girl(s) finding out they're pregnant. As a forced breeding kink enthusiast, this had me disappointed. However the overall game is still very good and I fully enjoyed my time with it. This is also the first sex game to make me laugh

Some games try to dazzle you with artistry; others simply make you smile. This visual novel belongs proudly to the latter. It may wear the label “adult,” but its greatest seduction is laughter.

The art will not take your breath away — let’s be clear about that. The models are familiar, the proportions a touch uneven, the shading occasionally wayward. And yet, somehow, the developer has squeezed every ounce of life from them. Through clever framing and expressive detail, these once-generic figures have become genuine characters. There’s a spark behind their eyes — the unmistakable sign of a creator who knows exactly how to make limited tools sing.

Every personality bursts from the screen. The cast is loud, eccentric, and brimming with charm, each line delivered with impeccable timing. But the comedic relief — ah, the comedic relief — is a revelation. Rarely have I seen a character so perfectly absurd, yet so essential. They steal scenes not by demanding attention, but by earning it, turning every exchange into a small triumph of wit.

No, it’s not a masterpiece of visual splendor. But it doesn’t need to be. It knows exactly what it is: sharp, funny, and irresistibly full of heart. And in a genre that often forgets to laugh, that makes it something rather special.

The game is interesting enough to follow, and it actually gets better as you go.
The models look pretty rough early on, but by the end they noticeably improve and feel more polished.
The story itself is curious and keeps your attention, though the relationships between characters don’t always feel believable.
Some moments are too sudden or unnatural, but overall the characters are chill and easy to like.
The writing has a nice flow, even if it sometimes leans into clichés.
Scene animations are well done, and I especially liked the facial expressions. It’s not the best one out there, but it’s clearly made with efforts.

One of the first novels I read, I'm very fond of it. It's not the best in terms of story or characters, but it's very enjoyable and has an interesting plot that makes you want to keep playing. It's worth it.

Okay, there are 2 things that make this an exelent experience. First the writing, it's surprisingly well executed, all the jokes and the visual elements to it, it's amazing how good the pacing and the story are. Second the characters even the MC (witch has the name you give him) it's a simple character easy to self insert, but believable and actually entertaning, all the girls too are not only pretty, but full of personality and nice and entertaning dialogue, even if they are way too horny and a bit shalow, still. they are likable and adorable. the scenes are decent, some are really hot, but all the story taking me there was also very good to follow, this is almost good enough to recomend to non eroge fans, unfortunatelly the sexual part its too present to recomend to normies tho. In the end is of awesome story in a really nice, and hot enough eroge. recomended for the vanila enjoyers out there. peace

One of the best visual novels on the site for sure.
The sex scenes are extremely hot, and while it might "just" be honey select they are some of the best honey select scenes I have ever seen.

The characters and writing are good, not amazing but they absolutely fit and work together.

The game is linear and the difference in choices doesn't really matter, the "correct" answers are usually quite obvious, there are no alternate endings it is just whether you miss certain sex scenes or sometimes if you leave a path.

It is a true harem story.

Also is actually funny.

Simply masterpiece, art style is little bit wonky for my taste but it really improves trough the play trough. Story is unbelievable, last song and ending is also memorable, great ending to an amazing game.

ok, i can't believe this was his first game. he nailed it...literally! eternum is incredible as well, i'm happy to support him. wanna keep these super quality fapping games going!! you all need to send him money too! plz!

I don't know man, I don't completely get why the reviews are so good. It definetly has some really great aspects, like the writing in general, the witty comedy and the animations but I feel like the story overall is just a little bit silly. And what bothers me personally the most is that the relationships feel just completely unrealistic and forced. You go from nothing to getting a handjob and then a blowjob immideately with the step-sister character for no real reason. Or from being thrown out of a party to fucking, just because you bet that you can make a girl (that hates you) cum in 5 minutes.
Stuff like this just really makes me lose intrest and take me out of a game.

I guess it's fine overall but I just expected something extraordanary given the ratings.

This game is a masterpiece, one of the best i ever download from this or any site.

I've played over 4000 games, between Japanese and English visual novels, but this one is really remarkable.

Good story, good visuals, good characters, insanely good comedy, this game has it all.

The MC has an interesting personality, all the girls have something unique about them. Stabby Mike is one of the best side characters that i have ever seen in terms of comedy.

[SPOILER ALERT]

I already knew this game before Eternum, but I put it aside for a few years because I’m not a big fan of early HS1 graphics. Fast forward, I got bored at night and for some reason, then my heart told me to try this game so of course I downloaded OIAL at midnight. I didn’t expect much from it because it’s Caribdis’ first ever AVN. But boy was I wrong…

So, the graphics are kinda outdated due to the age of this game. I managed to push forward because I was here mainly for the story. Not gonna lie, I had so much fun with the jokes in this game compared to Eternum. Most of the jokes are creative and original, I haven’t laughed this much while playing an AVN for so long. The LIs are good looking, especially Rebecca because she does look like a real human being. Judie and Lauren on the other hand, at first they look off but once you keep going, they’ll look just fine. I have no complaint about the lewd scenes at all. The MC is somewhat ugly at the very beginning, but he slowly becomes more handsome thanks to his new haircut. Overall, it’s a very good AVN where the jokes are the main focus.

Now here comes the bad part of OIAL. First, the ending is VERY anticlimatic. No proper fight, no proper big show or showdown, nothing. It’s just a taunt over another taunt between the MC and Astaroth. In order to defeat him, you just have to accept his handshake and then say no to him. That’s it, nothing spectacular. Second, the aftermaths are VERY underwhelmed, especially if you go for non-harem path. Basically, harem path is the only true path but even so, it’s still kinda underwhelmed even the pregnancy stuff here. Third, despite having seven love interests, only four of them are considered your true/main LIs. The other threes are just side LIs and they don’t have enough lewd scenes, unlike Eternum where every woman is your main love interest. I still have no idea the reason behind his choice about it. Lastly, because of the true nature of this game, choosing someone over harem is not recommended. I remember doing a special playthrough for Rebecca only and in the end it failed miserably because somehow I couldn't stop her marrying David. I still have no idea what to do, I replayed her path for three times and they all ended the same. I had to use the walkthrough mod to be able to continue her path.

Final verdict: 4 out of 5 stars. Playing OIAL is like eating a really good ice cream and when you have finished it, it leaves you with that specific feeling of disappointment because you wanted to eat more but somehow you can’t.

Good game. A little slow for my taste, and very vanilla as well, as I am a dark dev, but I got to give credit where credit is due. Good game, and Enjoyed my time with it. Story is slow, but it's good when it gets into it. Also, I'm the 1000th review. Yeet!!!
Good jog dev. You made this dark af dev enjoy a slower and loving game.

Easily one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences I've ever had, especially when it comes to the characters, writing and story. Really sets the bar high for a lot of other game devs out there for sure. Not just game devs either, but all manner of authors and artists could learn something from this game, especially ones who create harem series. It absolutely deserves its praise and recognition as a genre staple and a classic.

I've consumed a variety of harem fiction over the years, including anime, manga, light novels, western haremlit, and various games. Few have ever come close to the level of enjoyment to be found in this game and even fewer have left such a lasting impression on me as the canon ending of this game has. Of course it has its flaws, and for sure it was Caribdis' first game, but for a first game to be this good really says something about the talent of its creator. The dialogue is witty and fun, but there's also a sense of horror at times too and no doubt your choices certainly do matter for the endings you get.

I laughed, I cried, and I felt the melancholy and loss of finally completing the game when I saw the end credits. That's how I knew just how attached I got to the whole cast and their story as I never wanted it to end. If I could, I'd pay infinite money just to see hundreds or thousands of more hours of the gang just living their lives together. Caribdis, if you ever read this, thank you for creating such a wonderful story! You got a fan for life. I'll remember this game forever.

Absolute Cinnamon! 10/10 would play again. The story was really good and surprisingly well done. I really liked that you had choices to make, and ways of doing things differently. It had a lot of humor to it as well. Well done!

I love the story and the character development. But it feels rush how climax and the ending came. And the final battle between the protagonist and astaroth was underwhelming I thought it will be fight like just Tom. But still love it.

Caribdis first game. While it is graphically outdatred compared to Eternum

In my opinion OIALT blows Eternum out of the water in terms of the story. The writing is more solid, the characters are more loveable plus the plot is more interestimg what's not to love?

I've discovered this game recently because I played quite extensively at Eternum (which is in my top 5 easily).
But this one from the same dev shows already signs of greatness and glad to have played it. It's obviously older (graphics, animations...) but it's a gem.

This game is just so fucking peak. The story pulls you in and the characters keep you there. I have completed this game twice now and I am so impressed with the work that was put into this game. I would highly recommend you give this game a try and if if you enjoyed it as much as I did to support the creator.