I recently did a new
Dog Days of Summer playthrough and I'm curious what people here think of it. As was the case in previous playthroughs, I find myself having very mixed feelings about it because there are about as many things I dislike about the game as I like.
For the uninitiated, the MC of the game is Vivian, a college student who at the start of the game is reassessing who she is and what she wants out of life. Most significantly, she is becoming increasingly aware of her attraction to women. Hijinks are sure to ensue!
The most unique aspect of the game is definitely the branching which is so extensive that almost every playthrough feels unique. Good Girl Gone Bad was obviously a huge inspiration for the game...to the point that you'll likely find certain characters uncannily familiar if you've already played GGGB. Our very own bacienvu laboriously created a
walkthrough for the game that you should definitely take a look at if you have any doubt about the game's complexity (or just need help).
In addition to the impressive branching, I appreciate how several of the characters are written and the believable college setting. Viv is a very relatable main character who is easy to root for particularly during those times when she is facing down her own fears and overcoming self-doubt and inertia. Characters like Desiree and Evaline in their best moments feel like real people I could have met on campus back in the day. The game does a pretty decent job of depicting university life compared to so many AVNs where colleges seem more like high schools.
I've decided I would've liked Dog Days a lot better if it were more grounded. The moments in the game I enjoy the most are just Vivian being Vivian: hanging out with friends, soberly and sometimes melancholily contemplating her life and worrying about the future, and wandering around campus doing college student stuff. The slice of life material tends to be quite well-written and enjoyable when it appears. On the other hand, the GGGB style over the top scenarios often feel forced and uncomfortable here when they occur. For instance, Vivian can help another student write a paper for a class she's struggling with. Depending on your choices, the teacher for the class notices the student's improvement, suspects Vivian's involvement, and then decides Viv needs some mentoring so she can become a domme with a harem of her own. WTF?! That said, like GGGB it can be entertaining to see the surprising turns the story can take and the unexpected significance of some of our choices in the game.
DDS also loves putting intrusive sexual thoughts into Vivian's head whether it fits the moment or not. For example, at one point in the game Viv's best friend Desiree, genuinely distraught over breaking up with her boyfriend, sleeps over for a night seeking support and comfort. Viv pretty much constantly pervs out over Des during the sleepover which considering the circumstances basically makes it seem like she doesn't really give a shit about Des as a person. It would've been so much better if Viv had had a stray sexual thought and dismissed it so she could worry about and care for her friend in her time of need. Somehow, though, the Des route still ended up becoming my favorite.
On that note, the game could IMO also use more characters who aren't love interests or fuckable who could contribute to the story in other ways. DDS like a lot of other lesbian games creates a world where most characters are lesbian or bi women and all tend to be very interested in the MC given the right choices. There's certainly nothing wrong with fantasy in AVNs, but I think the story would've been improved if Vivian had a few friends and family members who weren't romantic options. It would have been interesting to see her navigate through and interact with heteronormative society while at the same time also connecting with the queer community to find love, solidarity, and/or hookups. Alas, there probably wouldn't be any sapphic sororities in that version of the game...
Even with all the branching, I found myself sometimes wishing for choices that weren't there. I would've liked to avoid the supercilious, supernatural Tara altogether instead of having to watch her order Viv around. Also, it would've been nice if we could indicate the MC doesn't see her mom as a potential LI instead of having intrusive thoughts about her regardless of choices (the route isn't forced, just the thoughts). There are also a lot of routes I had no interest in playing because I disliked the characters involved, they conflicted with my idea of who Viv was a person, or I didn't like how they were set up.
My friend Kali wrote an interesting
review of the game that's well worth reading. I'm not quite on board with her critique of the MC's appearance (though I did rather like Viv's pre-makeover look better and her new wardrobe is definitely a bit out there in typical AVN fashion), but she's absolutely right on about the lack of proofreading in the game and makes a number of other really good points. The typos and misspellings, a few of which are so extreme that you might not even understand what word was actually meant, are ever-present and glaring. It's quite surprising to see given the loving care that's shown in other aspects of the game design such as the branching and the rendering (because Viv's appearance can be modified at certain points, many scenes actually have multiple versions).