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

I've fairly enjoyed the game and it's plot. The graphics was quite outdated but considering the time when the game was developed, it's alright. The Dialogue and story pace is also quite good. The cringe and ween shit was also tolerable. But the Ending was Disappointing. It was just bunch of collective images not the Ending I was Hoping for. Overall,

Graphics - 3/5
Dialogue - 3/5
Story - 4/5
Music - 3/5
Character Development - 4/5

Personal Rating - 4.10/5

Once in a Lifetime is more than just an NSFW game—it’s a masterclass in storytelling within the adult visual novel space. It’s funny, sexy, and surprisingly moving. If you’re looking for a game that respects your time and intelligence while still delivering spicy content, this one’s a must-play.

*This is an AI tailor made review so take it with a grain of salt. Im too lazy to write one anyways just look at how many stars i give it that's where you can base how good the game is imo*

Just a great and interesting story with intriguing characters and wonderful animations. Would highly recommend giving it a try if you are looking for an adult game that is not just brainless fucking, but also has a great story with lovable attached to it.

I like the tone of this game. This game is giddy and good-natured, like a fairy tale with a possible harem ending.

That's why it all fits together. What is this game? A high-school slice-of-life? A supernatural horror? A post-modern, meme-obsessed, self-aware, geeky mismatch of travels between Japan, totally-not-Silent-Hill-abandoned coal-town, and Western megapolis outskirts?

I don't know. It's all there, but that's not it.

I'm tired of supposedly high-quality 'deep' stories in AVNs, which are actually as shallow as a puddle. I am mostly skeptical of 'deep' psychological characterization.

For me, AVNs are fantasies. The effect is jarring when it is forgotten. The characters are not real people, and they will never be. It's all tropes, that's what I am saying, and that's not a bad thing. The real life is out there, not in an .exe file.

This game gets it. Three times I have tried to play it, and twice I turned it off ten minutes after. I'm glad I finally gave it a chance.

Solid one, perso i havent any pb at all with the visual, even in 2025 it passes fine and above all the story & charas are well made favoring a good immersion.
Of course the step up is big with Eternum but still if you havent played OIAL again, dont hesitate a second it put a shame 90% of the avn released everyday

Despite the possibility the visuals may be a setback for someone, at the time of the game's release, they were seen as normal at worst. And I do believe the character development compensates this issue (in case you consider it to be a problem). Personally I'd choose these kind of games -- with soul put into the narrative, making it it's strongest quality, and not trying to appeal to everyone with the models -- and not the other way around, all day. One could say they look pretty much alike, and denying that would be closer to lying that telling the truth. But as I said before, I don't mind that at all, and I don't think anyone would. Are they archetypal? May be, but why would I care if someone tells me a story I already know how it'll follow and end, if the narrative plays in a level which is pretty high above the average? Other than the visuals, I don't think there's any other thing you can reproach the author for this masterpiece of a game. One that truly lives up to it's title.

This is so good!
A thoroughly engaging story, that will certainly stick in my mind as one of the better AVNs I've played.
Overall, this has a well wriiten plot, enjoyable interactions, nicely done artwork and animated scenes, plus some very funny moments.
I especially liked the way each character's personality is portrayed with more depth than is found in many other VNs.
I think the original premise of the MC being step-sibling makes far more sense than the i-patched version.
The escape room-style challenges, combat moves and quizzes are often very tricky to get right (best to use the walkthrough to avoid frustration).
My only criticisms are early artwork has weird alien eyes on some LIs. Also the closing part of the adventure and the end of the epilogue slideshow left me with more questions than answers, despite having a feelgood ending (if you made good choices).
I feel certain I will replay 'Once In A Lifetime' in the future and enjoy it all over again.

The game felt just refreshing to play.

The humor was a hit every time for me, the mystery story was interesting, at some parts predictable but never dull, and it was enjoyable till the end.

The animations are good; many allow different camera angles. The girls are cute; some look a bit too much the same, but never bad.

The endings for only romancing a single girl are lackluster; it's a harem game with a good harem ending on the right path. The other paths' endings feel strange for ignoring some girls, but well, it's the conclusion of your choices, so it's what you get.

All time classic, if you want to know whether harem games (or VNs in general) are for you, this is the starting point.

The authors style of writing is one of the few that actually keep you somewhat engaged in the story. He is often funny and never takes the whole thing too seriously. The game just feels like a good time cuz you can tell the guy who made it actually had fun doing it. He cares about his characters and I'd say they are definitely written better than most basic VN characters. He obviously tries to hit a niche with most of them but he doesn't overdo it, which is refreshing. The world building and story are alright, but he knows how to get you invested into the secrets enough to keep on playing. But really the little things along the side are what makes this game great.

Kinda like the Harry Potter of adult VNs, except the author isn't challenged.

Without doubt one of the games I've enjoyed the most. The great strength of the game lies in its atmosphere.

The game's author has a sense of humour that I love. The plot is far more elaborate and captivating than most games. The slightly mystical atmosphere gives it extra charm.

Aside from that, the models are nice but on the negative point, they all look a bit the same.

Another small negative point is that I'm not a fan of the totally unrealistic "harem" & "incest" concept but the relationships are pretty well developed and the really feelgood and funny aspect of the game largely compensate it.

To sum up, I'd highly recommend this game, especially to those looking for a captivating and funny story and who won't be disappointed by the graphic quality, which is perhaps a little inferior to other games.

[v1.0]
The game is excellent.
The story is compelling, off shots are funny, nice touch of comedy. The scenes are nice, even though most are vanilla, allowing you to change the view on the action. There's a hint of incest since it your step sisters and mom, but there are other girls too. I enjoyed the harem ending.
Only drawback is the art design, the people sometime look like dolls, which is a sentiment that fades over time but you are reminded every now and then by some of the 'cheaper' renders. This is a minor thing, but for some might be unbearable.
5/5

Great game
Lots of ending but we all know what we are all here for (harem)
The sex scenes are very nice.
MC's face can be a bit uncharming at the beginning but you'll get used to it and it's worth it too.
Very funny I had some very good laugh love the SFX.
A bit lacking on the music side sometimes tho but still great.

Anyway a very good experience, still I always hate the emotional whiplash I get after a good story game.
The epilogue is nice, a bit lacking I feel.
The only ending I didn't get a big whiplash was from Headpats & Handholding by Insomnimanic Games.
I played with the walkthrough mod, tho I select almost every choice to see what would happen if.

It's been a while since I've played this game; however, I did play all the way through it and enjoyed it. It is a visual novel, obviously, so if you're not into that, then you probably won't like this game.

That said, despite not loving incest, I enjoyed the relationships between the characters. And while I wouldn't call the story the pinnacle of writing, it was there and unique enough amongst the genre of adult visual novels.

The graphics feel a bit dated these days, but they're not the worst thing ever, and graphics are subjective anyway. So, if you like what you see in the screenshots, you'll be fine.

Do I recommend it? Yeah, for sure. If you're on the fence, just play it.

I will never regret getting to know the author and his work. Although I initially learned about him through his second game "Eternity", I was glad to get to know his first game, I saw how his art grew and where he started, yes, the game has drawbacks, but they are so insignificant that they in no way interfere with the enjoyment of the game, I was glad to become a participant in this adventure, I am glad to get to know the characters, laugh at jokes, feel the tides of sadness and joy from replaying the plot.

This is one of those works that will sink into the soul. I am grateful to the author and all those who support his work. From the bottom of my heart, I advise you to immerse yourself in this story and go through it to the end, reaching the true ending. It's a great story, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

I started playing this a couple of days ago and I used the walkthrough mod as well as reading the walkthrough itself and went for the harem ending. If there's one thing I would say about this game, it would be that it is absolutely fucking magnificent!

The story is interesting, the graphics are excellent, the comedic moments are funny, and the animation is great! With the walkthrough mod, you can see the other endings at the end. I really wish that I could vote 5 stars twice, it's really that good. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of visual novels, this is easily my favorite visual novel now.

I thoroughly enjoyed this game quite a bit, its in one of my favorite engines made by this dev. Not only did this dev nail this game but they also nailed Eternum. I didnt even know this game existed until yesterday, but glad im playing it now. its enjoyable and has all my loved tags.

I think it's the 1st AVN I played, first one here at least. Top notch humor, good story and very good pacing, very nice character designs (I despise most of the other AVN's designs). Stabby Mike is the best bro.
I'd prefer it with more variety for the romanceable girls body types, and an epilogue for the harem ending, but it still amazing as is.
This game deserves anything above 4/5

I am a bit rubbish at writing reviews, but I had to give this the 5 stars it deserved. Amazing cast of characters, fun, engaging story, and pretty funny too. One of the few games I've played until the end.

I haven't even finished the game yet but I had to come here to say this game FUCKING RULES!!! Oh man the writing is actually understandable and suspenseful, I have no idea what's gonna happen next. The character design is soooo good, I find myself rooting for everyone. My favorite non-LI character is definitely Stabby Mike, he's the homie for real. I'll come back to edit this after I'm done, but so far I'm blown away by the quality of everything. Some games have good writing and bad animations, or vice versa, but this game does it all!

SPOILERS BELOW!

Edit: Finished. Wow, I don't even know where to start. I don't have much else to say, the ending was phenomenal and I was on the edge of my seat for every moment. The whole thing with Mike coming to help and then almost dying but showing back up at the end was awesome. The end scenes were lacking in content, but I don't really have a problem with it since the game was so good. It felt like it wrapped everything up nicely and the MC gets to live out his dream. The only thing I have criticism for is some of the choices felt like they should have had an impact on the story and yet they just don't. Such as telling (or not telling) Asmodeus about the grimoire, felt like it should have meant something. Still one of the best stories I've ever read in a VN.

The visuals is very outdated but still acceptable. All the characters look extremelly young with extreme body propotions. I dont find it aesthetic.

The writing is good but too much quantity over quality text. The plot is good enough. Too much weeb humor, some hit some cringe but hey thats jokes.

The harem ending is lacking and lackluster. I expected to see much way more. I guess I have been spoiled from Bare Witness Poly ending

I honestly expected way more based on others review