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

I think Caribdis is probably the best developer of erotic visual novels. Both this and their other game Eternum are some of, if not, the best you can get. The characters are sexy while also being endearing, the writing is engaging, the games look great, and it all just comes together. They're more than recommendations. They're must plays.

This AVN has a lot going for it. I jumped in expecting something else, but was pleasantly surprised.

There are lots of different games on the site, but for me they generally fall in one of two categories: A game that has less content, but a complete and concise story OR a game that has a lot of content, but an AGONIZING grind attached to it - along with very sub-par writing. You might be asking what the hell I'm talking about, it's a porn game. Well, do you want your fap material to be associated to a 2-3 hour grind when it doesn't have any mods/gallery unlockers?

This game is one of the more concise, complete packages on the site. The story is pretty out of left field, whereas the characters feel pretty normal. The MC is pretty funny/silly, whereas his family is pretty down to Earth and grounded. His school mates are some of the comic relief, with his hot teacher being the clear exception. Overall, there isn't really a clear antagonist for like 3/4ths of the game. It's a really lighthearted VN.

The models are serviceable, they're nothing special - but well-made for the release date. The sex scenes are nice - but I wish there was more sound/voices - as they are feels barebones. They have a lot of atmospheric moments throughout the VN. To be honest, it felt like a horror VN sprinkled in at some points.

Story goes: You're living in England with your family. You have bad grades. Your Dad is disappointed as all hell in you and figures he'll disown you if you don't figure something out. He leaves on a business trip. Meanwhile, the rest of your family is supportive of your endeavors and attempts to help you. One day, you visit the house basement and figure out your Dad might be shady as all hell. Then it turns out that he's involved with some sort of cult that aims to sacrifice people to make their dying leader immortal. Cue your journey to find the stuff the cult needs to perform the ritual, whilst also having the women in your life thirst over you.

It's a 4 out of 5 for me. I expected a little more content - but if you're looking for a somewhat comedic/whacky story with some horror elements sprinkled in, you can't go wrong here.

Like a lot of the stuff here. Always enjoy this art-style, whatever program it is, it's consistent, unlike some other stuff.

Game's got incest, lots of girls, scenes come fairly regularly, there's no sandbox element, there's a gallery, even if you don't use a walkthrough you can figure out pretty quickly if you've fucked up most of the time.

Something's really funny about how the mc looks at people and they look back at him when something crazy is happening, it always makes me laugh.

One negative thing is the japanese. It doesn't really matter, especially since most people know 0 japanese, but it seems to just be complete google translate, or else it's someone who took one semester in uni and then dictionaried a bunch of words to fill in the blanks. It's hard to describe why. It's like the people speaking don't use any contractions, and always explicitly state the subjects instead of saying 'it' or 'this'. That's the best english equivalent I can give. I don't know why this happens anyway, just put it in english and like change the color to indicate that it's japanese, or just don't do it at all, somehow this isn't the first game I've seen this in a game.

Still 10/10 though.

Holy shit, this game is one of the best games I've ever played.

I laughed at this game, the characters are super funny and the story is interesting, one of the few that I didn't skip the entire game just to see the sex scenes.

The art leaves something to be desired, but it's decent, there are some scenes where the discrepancy between the textures is very strange, but other than that, it's very good, the character models are cool too, especially the faces.

The characters are interesting and it's really cool to see their evolution throughout the story.

The story is very captivating, you can play and be interested in what will happen.

The humor is one of the best points the game has, holy shit, I laughed my ass off, the jokes are good, the abrupt cuts are good and references and the comic scenes are so fucking awesome, especially with the fat jack/fit jack, Tom and Stabby Mike, they are so funny throughout the story.

I saw a review that made me play the game, the user 7twenty wrote that even if the game didn't have the sex scenes, he would play it, and that's why I tried it, and now I totally agree with him, this game is actually really good. It's truly a once in a lifetime experience as user PhantomRem said.

My rating is 9/10, if the sprites were better and the graphics were more current, I would say this is the best game on this site.

Go play brother, you won't regret it.

Thanks Caribdis, I will follow your next works with excitement.

A great game, genuinely very funny, charming, and immersive.

The art is not great, there are many parts of this game where the environment assets look like they are from completely different games, and even a scene where a character is taking a shower but standing in the middle of the bathroom with the showerhead mounted on the wall above the sink.

The writing is great here but definitely a lot of art is out of place.

Im not going to write a huge review on this one. It speaks for itself. This was Caribdis's very first game, one of the first games i ever played as well. This game isnt just good. It's a masterpiece. Sure, the graphics are a little dated but this project was started quite a few years ago but it still stands up.

My honest opinion: stop reading and go play this. It's funny as hell, it has suspense, a tiny bit of well done horror, one or two funny fight scenes, a ridiculous game show that you have to win, and the girls are all amazing with their own characters and back stories. There is absolutely nothing that i can criticize this game for. I love it, 10/10. Hands down.

Best Ren'Py Game, Hands down. The story is super engaging, the scenes are gorgeous, the characters are lovable, the game length is solid, not too long not too short, and also the humour sprinkled here and there, honestly Perfect. If there is a six star or seven star I'll give it to this.

You only find one game like this "Once In A Lifetime" :3
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Great gameplay, scenes, musicsss!!!! Cool emotions on characters and cool story, funny gameplay!!! Its just if ure a milf addict its not best for it, sisters and other girls scenes are more in story, but u have to play it before diee!!! GOOD WORKK!!

When i played this few months ago, I got bored considering I just started playing VN games and from game like Harem Hotel where you have option to do what part of the story you want to do.

But now I decided to play this, and let me tell you I have no regret doing so.
Story is the best.
Overall, I am satisfied of the story thank you for this wonderful VN.

Review For Once in a Lifetime (Completed)
This game, let me tell you, it's truly a once in a lifetime experience. The name fits perfectly. I was blown away and my expectations were shattered. I had known about this game for years, even before Eternum, but for some reason, I never gave it a try. I'm so glad I finally played it because I loved every minute of it.
At first, it seemed okay, the visuals were decent. But as you progress, they get better and the animations improve drastically, making the experience even more enjoyable.
The girls in this game are amazing. Each one has a unique personality that meshes so well with the others. The way their stories progress is incredibly well done. The only thing I wished for was more screen time for Jasmine and Rebecca. They only appear a few times, but they were so good. I'm glad we could have them all in the harem ending.
Next up is the main character, he surprised me the most. Since I played Eternum before this, I expected him to be funny and charismatic similar to Eternum's Main Character. But Caribdis goes above and beyond, making him an amazing guy that I could see myself being friends with and I genuinely enjoyed playing as him.
Now, let's talk about the highlight of the game: the story. It's absolutely amazing. It doesn't overstay its welcome and the game moves at a brisk pace. We get to experience everything the story has to offer without feeling like it's dragging down the overall experience. I used a walkthrough mod (trust me, it's better that way for this game) to make sure I made all the right choices.
Romancing all the girls was a blast, and none of them lacked anything. The threesomes towards the end were *Chef's Kiss*.
The plot twists in the game were really good and they genuinely caught me off guard a couple of times. I had a few suspects for the main bad guy, but Caribdis managed to surprise me with that final twist. It got me good.
When you finally reach the final stretch of the game, you could feel the ending approaching and how all the relationships you built were coming together.
When I realized the game was about to end, it made me a little sad. I genuinely enjoyed the world that Cari created, with its lovable girls, great main character, and funny side characters like Stabby Mike, Fit Jack, and Tom.
I can't even begin to express how much I loved the Harem ending. It was absolutely perfect, especially with the added twist of pregnancy in the final scenes. It was both hilarious and heartwarming, accompanied by the perfect music. It truly felt like I was watching an incredible TV show, reaching the end of a cinematic experience. And that final scene, with everyone together, was just perfect.
All in all, this game was an amazing way to start my year. I'll really miss this world and its characters. I wish I could erase my memory and play it all over again, but I know that this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I'm happy to have played this game, and I'm excited to see what other adventures Cari has in store for us in his current game, which is honestly mind-blowing. So, if all of this doesn't convince you to play, then I don't know what will. Happy New Year to whoever is reading this right now, and here's to an incredible year ahead!

One thing I like to ask myself is, if you removed the sex from the game, would I still play it? Most games on this site, the answer is no, but this game, it is a clear yes. The story took me off guard, I thought it would be a typical over sexed slice of life game, but it turned out to be a great story about magic, bloodlines, the sins of the father, and the bonds of friendship and family that help you pull through. I loved everything about this game and I think you will too. As an aside, the music is pretty on point as well. Seriously, keep it on, you will enjoy it.

First of all, not my type of game. A, it's a VN and B, it's a porn VN. I don't like VNs, just not my type of fun though I did end up playing some gems. As for 2nd, well, I play porn VNs by holding Ctrl and skipping all text, saving on decisions and clicking on them in order without caring about the story or anything except Gallery. Not a great fun. Oh, and I'm not a fan of this kind of art, more realistic one, in porn games.

BUT. One of the best VNs I played in general. 5/7, mastapiece.

Story is OK, I'm shit judge of that, I look for other related stuff way more. Not sure if this is spoiler or not but is about The thing I really liked are characters and how they grow and change, amazing. Stabby Mike will always be remembered as one of Emperor's finest. Grew a connection with them, at least main 2 girls, like the one you get from reading a really good book or manga and when I finished the game, I felt the same feeling of "what the fuck am I gonna do now that I'm done". Really good game, looking forward to playing Caribdis' other game.

I have no idea about sound tbh. Played it muted, was too risky to have headphones on.

Art, great. Scenes even better. Girls, noice. Very noice. Changed my mind about more realistic stuff. GGWP my man. Or woman, I don't know.

Has gallery, has branching paths (and they show if you failed some girl's path or still on track), has proper text skip. Has a shitton of humor, I really had fun playing this. Seriously good game, with or without porn, worth playing, worth giving author money, deserved.

First hour is pretty slow but it picks up and you can really see how the game improved over the course of it's life. Also goes to show a little bit of music goes a very long way to bringing a RENpy game to life.

Once in a Lifetime is probably one of the best VNs I have played so far, and, believe me, I played a lot of them.

To me, it has everything, from a good story, great renders, believable LIs, likeable and understandable MC, great doses of humor. You can really feel the idea and concept of the game was thoroughly thought, not a "think of a path as you develop" kind of way.

I can understand that people who don't like to read and get focused on the lewd aspect of VN erotic games are going to be disappointed if they play. It is not a game to play like that.

However, if you like a good story, hold on to your hat. First of all, the degree of fantasy is just enough so the dev didn't have to create a new setting and explain every aspect of it, but it adds a refreshing element to us who have played hundreds of stories. The MC is as confused as the player, and the story unfolds through his eyes.

You will find yourself cheering for the MC, sad in the emotive moments, bursting out laughing most of the time, and admiring the work of art this game is. You won't like when the story has laid out the pieces and you know it's going to be over soon. Even that is magnificently done, no sudden endings that look like somebody cut funding for the project.

You may think I'm exaggerating, but then again, play it yourself: I'm currently waiting some time so I can forget the story a bit and replay it, that's how good it is.

I gave this VN a go because of it's high rating and I must admit, the experience was not a good one.

So much text for a adult game that in the end is tideous to read and have poor lewd scenes (1-2 animations) that are very clunky.

The story is very confusing and gameplay is extremely frustrating.

- The visuals are bad... especially for modern times
- Story is decent
- Writing may not be bad, but it has too much text for a porn game man, the jokes dont hit for me, lacks creative ways to deliver the joke.

This VN is like a power point slide, you just follow along and theres ton of text. Theres no choices to affect the story or play it different. The only difference is who is in your harem and you have to replay to get the right choice to continue playing..

Its a average game that you play once in a lifetime. And I feel like its not whats advertised...

The game was amazing. Each of the characters were unique and fun.
The humor was 10/10. Laughed my ass off with the faces of the characters on many of the scenes.
Sex scenes were what you can expect from koikatsu.
Story and pacing was nice as well.
Overall i really enjoyed playing and i would recommend to anyone who hasn't played this gem, to do so asap.

I've just realized I never left a review for this game. This is one the best avn I've played and everyone that's interested in the genre should play this game.

Animations are great and so are all the characters.

I have to say, THIS IS THE BEST GAME I EVER PLAYED IN MY LIFE!!!!!. The scenes the incest of course the story, the story was amazing, the end was 8/10 but the story in general, OMG the harem, the sisters awesome. It would be best if this game has incest Mother/Duaghter, but even if this game does not has this it was perfect!!! The game developers are phenomenal, i hope Eternumm can exceed the expectations that the developers left in this game.