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

Man, I really had fun playing this game. At first I wasn't sure with the look of my MC cause it looked like I came out of a graveyard but I got used to it. The game itself is great and the humor is something else, while the hentai part of it is great too. Really balanced.

Playing this game is definitely an enjoyable process even though I am not a fan of this kind of fantasy theme.
First of all, I witness an incredible improvement of art, modeling and posing. It is very important for me that a game has good art so I can enjoy the story and writing without being disturbed by weird human face.
Secondly, the style of Caribdis' game unexpectly matches my taste. Though I think his writing still can be improved especially the part of dialogue. But character's body language and expression can make up for the dialogue deficiency.
Last but not least, there are three elements in this game that I have to give 5 stars for them. 1. Aiko is exactly my type, both her face and personality (I still can not find a girl I like so much in Eternum) 2. As a huge Evangelion fan , playing Animenzzz's version of A Cruel Angel's Thesis (Evangelion theme) during wedding can't satifisfy me more 3.the Chinese meme song (beifengxiaoxiao) at bathhouse made me Lmao. Haven't find any other dev using memes such well.
And there are still other things I cant tell clearly. I am not a fan of horrors. Caribdis' horror is scary as hell both in OiaL and Eternum. But I just couldn't skip the horror parts. There is an urge to slowly watch the scary scenes I totally don't understand. Maybe it is some kind of Caribdis magic.
I missed the development period of this game to share my emotions with others in time. These are just some thoughts crossing my mind.
Anyway, big thank you to Caribdis for making such a wonderful game.

What can I say about this wonderful game that hasn't been said yet.. I've read so many of the review here in this site, and each one is a revelation. It is amazing to see the joy that the game has brought to so many people, it is heartwarming to see that so many connected this this tale just like I did.

It is a testament to the quality of this game that I just finished my second playthrough and it was even better than the first one. The game has many strengths, of course, but I need to mention one in particular: Caribdis has woven a tale that makes us care about the characters. This may sound easy but in reality it can be something very difficult to do, and the author nailed it.

Caribdis is obviously a very talented developer, and we are very excited to see all their future creations. I'm eager to start their new game "Eternum" which has also gathered so many rave reviews here and elsewhere. I'm also looking forward to playing "Once in a Lifetime" again in the future. And when I do, I know that I'll still love it as much as I do today.

I know it deserves 5-star rating, but there are still some things that I just cannot oversight. First, about the amazing things in this game:
+ THE FUN. Wow, it made me laugh so hard multiple times, the way the studio is playing with the sounds, with the camera, with the situations. Just wow, it was definitely a thing that kept me in the game.
+ The characters. Well, Stabby Mike is now my favourite character among all the characters in any adult game. Apart from this, they are all quite well written and have their peculiar traits. But overall, none of them can compete with Mike
+ The story. It's ok, keeps you in the loop and brings some horror and. I think the dev is really good at keeping the balance between the weight of the story and the lightness of the atmosphere.

Now, about the things that I just can't skip.
- I guess many have said that Clara is too young and sisters look alike pretty much (yeah, they are sisters, but still). Maybe it was more crucial for me that the bodies of the characters are quite a like, same shapes of female figures, 2 sets of boobs size, no real pecularities that can differentiate one character from another. That was sad for me, especially Clara's being too young kinda ruined the entire MILF-boy connection.
- Fetishes. I wonder why none of them have fetishes. And in that sense I believe that the best written character is Rebecca, the teacher. She has a fetish, her face is very different from others, some traits of it are quite sharp, she looks older. So, yeah, with this one they really did some work out of the box. As of fetishes, again, the sex with different characters is just the same. I understand that the build-up, step-by-step, could be and it has its thrill, but when the trust and passion is higher you want to explore more, I guess.
- The dev even included optional NTR that just does not make sense. Not because of the story, but because it does not really satisfy the needs even for those who would appreciate some NTR. And many opportunities through the game has been lost. I personally would appreciate some different fetishes in the game, that basically could be as a fanfic. Besides, even the NTR scene is not in the gallery so it's hard to tell if I missed something.

Overall, the game is fun, characters are very likeable but sex wise it's a bit too raw, which is still ok as the build-up with the characters is what kept me in the game.

This game was absolutely amazing. I love that the creator of this masterpiece didn't choose to make as many meaningless sex scenes as possible, but instead he decided to make fewer scenes that made a lot of sense and had a great buildup and were very nicely animated. You can also easily notice that by each version the animations and music get better.

I thank the dev for a truly once in a lifetime experience! I just really hope that the story in his next game will be as good as in this one.

I absolutely loved this game. I have played through a few times and changed bits and pieces of along the way. Each ending has its merits but my favorite is the all together one. Highly recommend to play this game. Also check out other games by the same creator.

This game was honestly amazing!

I generally don't like over complicated stories when I'm just trying to get off, but this still managed to suck me in. The story was great, the characters were charming, the scenes were hot, the humor actually made me laugh.

Honestly, by the time the game was over, I felt a little sad. This was one of the few games where I felt attached to the characters by the end. Hell, I even got attached to some of the male characters.

Ironically enough, I found this just browsing through games with the pregnancy tag. If there's any of that, I think I missed it... so kind of misleading for a tag. Obviously I don't regret playing though. Thanks again!

TLDR: Great game, I played it for free, I'd pay for it... Gonna go see if I can scrounge up some money to donate.

Honestly one of the best ones I've ever played. Very good story and character development, alongside a good system to keep track of the decisions made and several different endings that were well done. 10/10 game, and the ending made me feel so many good emotions.

The story and animations are damn near perfect. Keeps you gripped in and actually provides a fun tale with exciting moments rather than being just essentially interactive porn. Love this creator because they made a game that has all the sexy hot moments, completely animated btw, that you'd want, but it is also a good story.

the perfect formula of storytelling, romance, plot, and comedy put together into one game.

unlike most other games of unfunny comedy, this game actually made me laugh out loud a few times.

plot is 10/10

the romance and relationships are great, only one i didn't really like was jasmine's path.

overall a very good game. definitely give it a shot. checking out eternum once it's updated a little more for sure.

I mean, the other reviews have said it all. The hype and praise that Once in a Lifetime receives is absolutely deserved. There is only a singular problem with this VN. Graphicly, it's not great. If you can get past that, you'll be greeted with one of the best experiences.
It's funny, suspenseful, horny, and just plain fun. I never really laugh out loud when playing visual novels, but this one is an entirely different beast. From countless amazing references to fantastic use of 3d models and their faces. Once in a Lifetime truly sets a high bar when it comes to writing and general charm. I can't recommend this game enough. Seriously, just play it.

Hi there, let me start to say that I've been on this site for many months now and by the time of this review was made I only made like 2 or 3 other reviews tops.

I want to say that this game never ever caught my attention until I read it in another game post that this one had a lot of comedy.
Now I enjoyed Mifly city, Personal Trainer, The DeLuca Family, Acting Lessons and One more chance not because of the sexual scenes alone but because of the pure comedy and this game managed to surpass them all by far!!!! The only one that I think about that gets close in pure comedy is In a Scent, but that one is still far to new.

Anyway let's keep this on topic shall we?
I'm usually not really a fan of paranormal or magic games unless they help you with getting in someones pants but on this game not only I enjoyed it also made me "starved" for more and more about the story.
All the scenes even thought they are tiny are up for the quality of the time they were made.
The affection/path points I really don't if they serve for any purpose only to know you choose the correct answer.

Out of all of the games on this site I really, really can't recommend enough of this master piece. Yes it has a flaw here and there but they are so meaningless that aren't even worth mention.

My only regret about this game is not having tried it sooner.

I just hope, Caribdis, you're next game is just as good or better than this one, because the expectations and hype are so f-ing high right now.

Tl;dr - Tried the game, it's awesome and easily one of the top 5 on this site.

Cheers

Absolutely wonderful... Not only were the sexy scenes HOT, but the story was also awesome. You actually can make some really bad choices in this game. (I like that a lot.) The story itself is a heck of a roller coaster and I really found myself following it... Not to take away from the NSFW stuff and there was certainly a lot. The graphics were great. The animations were well done. Every aspect was great. 5/5 from me!

Long story short - you should play this game. It's really one of the best 3D porn games you can find in internet. The rest of a review will be mostly about my thoughts on how it could be even better (in theory), but you still must understand that this game is really, really close to be considered as masterpiece.
Also, this game is highly recommended for those who just started to get interested by porn games and want to have some fun. Quality H-scenes and lenient gameplay will leave player in satisfaction in 95% cases. But let's get back to the reviewing.


So let's talk about "problems" of this game. It's mostly nitpicking because any other porn game would suffer from many lot worse flaws, but I still think that there's no limit to perfection. And my first nitpick will be about gameplay process.
1. The whole relationship system is redundant. Points doesn't affect gameplay anyhow, as long as you're on the right path. Their only purpose - show which of your choices they liked or not, which is just a lame way to imitate progression, meanwhile the actual progression with girls is clearly visible in the game.
2. Path system is sometimes non-intuitive. You easily can lose a path with a heroine you like and you wouldn't even notice this, unless you will constantly check the "Paths" tab in the menu. It is also weird that you can lose a whole progression with a heroine only because you've said something that you shouldn't had (but it'd be hella hard to implement this into the game: it is already very big, and the only way to solve this is to make it even bigger)

Plot-related issues:
1. Am I the only one which don't understand the connection between the game's title and the game itself?
2. And, which comes from the 1st paragraph, the beginning of the game doesn't really connects to the rest of the game. The first impression you get when you start the game - this is a game about fixing your school marks and relationship with the girls as well (which is ~70% porn games are about, boredom, so I probably should be thankful that the game isn't like that). My guess is that author had 1 idea in their mind but, during production, changed it to another and tried to re-make the story. In my opinion - not really good. But you can't drop your ongoing project to start another one, right? Also it'd believe more into MC luring heroines with demon nature and big cock than with fixing his school marks.
3. The game's main plot theme is about cultists - and that's the weakest part of this game. The only vibe they give to me is the vibe of 4chan massons memes about hidden governments with Jews in charge. Thankfully, the game doesn't really getting too focused on that and focuses on the progression between MC and heroines instead. But what if the cultists actually were a threat? Or, which probably would've suited the game better, they were caricatures on society's problems? The game's lore is really weak and if the game was only about it then nobody would've played it. But, again, this is only ~5-10% of the game so it's not critical at all. Also it doesn't tries to be somewhat significant and serves only as a background for a real show.

This sums it. Literally nitpicking, I feel so filthy. But the game is massive and it inevitably would have flaws, which I've listed in here. Nobody asked for it, but it's my pleasure. Again, in my very humble opinion, this is the best 3D porn game you can find and play. Porn scenes, characters progression and intercourses, gags (yeah, this game is pretty funny I must notice,) and a lot more are really magnificent. A few flaws can't ruin it anyhow.

5/5 - Peace

Wonderful game, I would have loved to get more scenes with Carla or Jasmine, but honestly, this is one of the best AVN I've played.

Great choice of ending music too!

Props to Caribdis for such an amazing journey from beginning to end!

Real awesome light hearted game. Recommend to everyone! Pretty nice animations and great even though a bit silly story. Perfect as well if you´re coming from a heart stopper *cough* AL *cough* LOF *cough*. I really needed that feelgood bullshit!

Review for version 1.0

So, I'm pretty sure this is the first adult game I've reviewed, and I'm pleased to slap a full five star rating on here. There were a couple of minor things that bugged me, but the overall quality of the game is enough for them not to affect the final score.

The pros:
- Riveting story, legit had me wondering what would happen next
- Great humor. A few jokes fell flat from time to time, but overall great. Got multiple laugh out loud moments from me.
- I enjoyed the girls quite a bit. Both their personalities and their designs. Good variety, and I liked all of them.
- The rest of the cast were great too, whether as characters themselves, gags, or simply to service the plot. Stabby Mike is a legend. I defy anyone to make it through the game without becoming a Stabby Mike fan.
- Titillating sex scenes. While a lot of the animations seemed to just be canned Honey Select animations, they more than served their purpose. The dialogue was nice as well, the dirty talk ranged from serviceable to hot as hell.

(minor) Cons:
- Had some gore. Not a fan of gore in general, but there is one particular instance of a gutted corpse being front and center on screen that I found especially uncomfortable. Luckily it wasn't near a sexy scene, so no boner loss, but still unsettling. Expect to see some blood, a little gore, and some disturbing looking critters.
- Lackluster pregnancy content. Major pregnancy fan, so was disappointed to only see two or three images showing any pregnancy, and even though you can impregnate all of the girls you don't get to see all of them pregnant. I loved the moments they discovered their pregnancies, though. But I definitely would have loved to have seen more shots of them pregnant.

And that last bit is the real kicker here: the fact that I was disappointed in the area of my favorite fetish (pregnancy) and STILL give this five stars should tell you how much I loved it overall. A masterpiece of adult VNs, and I've played through quite a few.

Once in a Lifetime is an incredible game! An amazing mix of story, humor, romance, and love, I just couldn't step away from it. Finished it in a couple days, and will definitely give it another playthrough a while later!

Just finished playing this game.
It's an amazing experience.
Actually this is my first review here.
You've just got yourself an another loyal fan!

Author (Dev) really took effort in creating this. I can feel it.
Story is not hard to understand. It's actually very simple about a secret cult. Author (dev) has interesting sense of humor honestly. Great writing, well paced story!
This game also has some silly jokes, it makes you laugh in middle of playing. Never thought r18 game would be so fun to play.

The emotions in this game are so vivid, along with the dialogues.
Those suspicious eyes, speechless faces staring right to your soul. 5/5
Even sometimes characters crack joke in middle of serious conversation.
The scripted lines are well balanced with the models expression. It's accurate.

I've seen in many games where characters fail to match the scripted lines which results in awkward character design.
I'm sure if dev had choosen daz over HS, it would've not been this good.

At the very least characters would've been flawed. That I'm sure of it after playing it now. (No offense to daz fans btw)

Playing this game made me reaffirmed my love for Honey Select again!

Last but not least, our MVP Stabby Mike!!
This man carried MC all the way to the end. Roff~
Also "travel guides” are no joke. I'm serious!

P.S. Stabby Mike and Hiromi. Good Job!

So dev, I'll be playing your next game soon enough. ^^

Final rating : 4.5/5
- Rex

Great writing, nice pacing, hot girls and a good story. Definitely worth trying. Nice to have a game where things don't feel rushed. Hopefully someone will eventually do a remaster. One of the best in it's genre that I've come across. 10/10