VN - Ren'Py - Summer Heat [v0.6.1] [Naughty Fox Games]

Review of version 0.4.1

Beside the very beautifull renders and models, Summer Heat has many strengths that make me give five stars

The pace is great, the the conciseness and simplicity of writing make the reading flow in a very pleasant way. You can read all 4 chapters in a row and not even realize the time passing.

The choices are meaningful not only in the sense of impact our relationship with the LI, but also can give different insights about the characters with whom MC interact, which (together with the writing) give to Summer Heat a good replayability value.

In the visual aspect, the renders are not only technically great, they also are great in the narrative. The angles, the subtle changes in the facial and body expressions, the way the characters react to MC by player's choices, the detailed enviroments and the good use of BGS, sound effects and music. All of this comes together to craft a immersive atmosphere in Summer Heat.

And it's always refreshing see a Visual Novel made by people who knows and understand one of the golden rules of visual storytelling: Show, don't tell. And Summer Heat follow this rule in a really good way.

In other notes, GUI and UI are also well-made and make the game even more pleasurable with a friendly and beautifull gameplay.

It's sure a game that deserve be followed, and supported for those who can.

v0.4.1
It's surprisingly entertaining at times, although not a whole lot of content just yet, especially in the lewd department.

The renders and animations are stellar and the characters aren't jumping on MC's dick immediately. I can respect slow burn as long as it doesn't become blatant teasing.

I like that there are little "sound effects" between every image transition to really make it seem like the characters are actually moving and doing things. It's a surprisingly nice touch.

The story and writing is... fine. The dialogue is realistic and believable but the plot and characters lean very heavily upon overused tropes and clichés. If that annoys you, probably look elsewhere. If you don't really give a fuck about the plot as long as it moves the story along at a realistic enough pace to get to more sexy stuff, you probably won't mind.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with it at the current version and it has potential to end up being a really solid adult game when all is said and done. As of now, just lacking a bit too much in content and the main plot is uninspired. I do wish the dev the best of luck with this project.

v0.4.1

Unfortunately, the story plays out like a teenage CW show with basic writing and characters that aren't remotely interesting in the game. I say this because they all feel very shallow. After 4 chapters we've basically learned nothing of substance about them. Plus we're on Chapter 4 and the game hasn't even progressed a single day. I enjoy a slow-burn but I'm just not sure where they're headed with this.

It's honestly too bad because the renders are very good but the game itself? Not so much. If you're easily entertained by mindless conversations and overused tropes this game may be for you, but it's not for me (yet?).

Of course, this could change but for now I feel my rating is appropriate.

Despite being developers’s first game this game is a lot better than most of VNs in the industry.Now don’t get me wrong it doesn’t do anything ‘Revolutionary’ but it does right what the game should get right.Renders are nice,characters aren’t entirely original but dialogs make them likeable and you want to learn more about them,and despite being short devs present frequent updates.

The reason i rated this game 4 star is the story.It is kind of none existent.We are in the summer camp and that’s it.Maybe that’s too early the tell but currently we are just getting close with the people around us and while i find characters interesting,since there is no end goal and plot it kinda feels like ‘go get em’ type of game.I still think this can be solved easily,the game just needs a bit of drama,threat,purpose etc.

After careful consideration, I want to rate this game 5 stars now, just to see how it goes. The camera movement in this game is great. The renders are top-notch, not to mention the lights and the texture quality. The UI is comfortable and not confusing. The gameplay is relaxing. And Mia is amazing.

I have played upto Chapter 4 (v 0.4.1) and I'm already hooked! The story is very exciting. The girls are simply sensational! The manner in which events are setup and built up makes it very interesting. Can't wait for further updates !

Rating v0.4.1 of the game

Usually I don't like rating games this early in the development cycle but I feel like this one deserves a little push so more people can see and enjoy it.

Models, backgrounds and overall graphical presentation is outstanding. The developer has a very firm grip of DAZ, the facial expressions and poses are extremely well done without feeling too stilted like many other AVNs. I assume that during the course of this game he will improve even further as there are already big improvements to be seen between the earlier and later chapters.
Animations still need a bit of work but I appreciate that they exist and they are servicable.
The MC is faceless in this one, which is a thing that I appreciate, but it can cause problems down the line. You just can't pose certain actions without the character having a head.

The UI looks great, bit of a departure from the standard Ren'Py formula but still recognizable.

Early on in the game you get a warning that you can't roll back certain decisions and you should take that seriously. You could still save edit to remove the variables but in gameplay terms you just can't walk back some choices once you've made them, which is a very interesting mechanic that I haven't seen widely used in Ren'Py AVNs yet. It's introduced like you would in a real video game, with some low stakes choices that show you the process. Great design.

The girls all look amazing without exception (okay well, maybe one exception). Fans of the itty bitty titty commitee may struggle a bit though.
They are all very charming in their own way, have their own personalities and believable agendas and the writing is well above average. No chinglish or typos that I would've come across yet.

As obvious by the tags, this is very much not a harem game and right now it looks like most of the girls are mutually exclusive. Throughout the game it's really hard to decide who to go for. When this is further along I assume it will be save game galore for me but I don't mind that.

There's a certain girl that seems very jealous and protective of you right from the start and the way that this is shown is nothing short of impressive. She just shoots you a little look from time to time after you talk to another girl and you instanly know you've fucked up again. And again. And so on. Genius presentation that wouldn't be possible if the devs grip on facial expression wasn't that great.

Can't say a lot about the update schedule yet as this is the first version I've played but there is already a good hour+ of playtime. No major amount of sexy time yet but lots of teasing, and I like slow burners that build up their characters in a realistic manner.

I'll be keeping an eye on this for sure and I recommend everyone to do so too and support the dev if you happen to like what you see. This could be big.

The renders and animations in this game are top notch, the story so far isn't bad either. I will definitely keep this one on the radar going forward, the girls are all really sexy. Great job so far Naughty Fox Games.

Incredible quality. Renders, textures, hair, skin, environment, sound all great quality work. Animations in the latest chapter are not the best I've seen, but still good. Definitely a top 5 game for me personally.

Definitely one of the best AVNs currently in development IMO, has great characters, good writing and a good, albeit lighthearted, story (so far). Highly recommend this game to anyone especially those newer to AVNs or those who enjoy romance

This one is a really unique game. Next to top notch renders, it has a very special atmosphere, a bit foreboding, but that makes it interesting. Every scene has depth, it is remarkable how characters can talk just with their eyes. That is one of the reason not to use the skip button, since the scenes themselves are never stale, with every click one of the characters has a reaction to the MCs words or action. There is almost always background interaction if there is more than one character in the scene, it is really nuanced and I like it very much.
My only concern is the games story, which will naturally lose it's mysterious vibe if more cards are on the table. Hard to keep things interesting after some major reveals.
Only the best devs can keep such an atmosphere alive, I hope everything goes well in this regard. Let's hope for the best. So far this one is AAA material for sure. It all depends on how the story will unfold, I will update my review once there is more progress.

Summer Heat is one of the most promising games on this site. It really has it all, it lacks content because it's early in development. I have no doubt it will be one of the best games on this site a while from now.

+ Humor
+ Good sound
+ Visuals
+ Dialogues
+ Characters (personality and attractiveness)

Holy shit, i guess i have a new favourite game. The renders, the hot Girls and the atmosphere of the game in general is amazing.Much love for this game. I hope there will be many more updates and i think i will also support the project on Patreon.

PS: Sophie is best Girl Imo

Great set up. witty banter. hot characters. natural feeling UI. Story progression feels natural as well. While a horny game its not an outright fuck fest so far, but each sexual interaction feels earnt and properly built up to.

What happens if you bring along two craftsmen who know what they are doing? You get a good fucking quality product.
I can't find any area that is lacking in this game.
The artist is doing a fantastic job as well as the writer.
I feel invested with characters and want to know more about them, and not only girls but also about Mr Miller
Static renders and animations are one of the best if not the best that I've seen so far.

This game deserves so much support.
Keep up, devs. You are doing fantastic jobs.
Follow your vision and don't burn out please.

And lastly, can we all just agree that Sophie is the best AVN girl all time?

I've been following this game since the chapter 2 was released, and the only thing that kept me from writing a review is that I've already seen so many projects that had high promises from the very beginning and then eventually ended up being abandoned or extremely slowed down.
I'm so happy that's not the case for this game and it's gotten even better with the recent update even though it was next to impossible because it was great from the start.
You'll find here an awesome and extremely likeable female characters, dialogues that sound very natural, lots of banter, flirting and fun between the characters, and a lot of nice little things such as a poses, looks, facial expressions of girls that makes them very plausible. And of course they have their secrets you have to reveal.
Without a doubt, Summer Heat deserves to be at the top of the chart among the well-known and mature projects here.

I must say, this new game brought me a big surprise, the model, plot, rendering are very good, there are certainly a lot of cute girls, but in fact, compared to the young girls, deeply attracted me is that there are two MILF, Hill and Cassandra is really too sexy! I will keep a very high regard for this game!

A Very Wholesome Game

Dialogue seems very formal, but once you understand the wholesome factor, it feels more sweet than awkward.
The renders are amazing, and there are a lot of renders per line of dialogue. A lot of conversations have a different render per line or two.
Girls look amazing, ESPECIALLY Helen. True goddess!!
Hoping Bree and Sophie are a package deal, or have the ability to be.
Not a long game for four updates, but those 4 updates have all been within 2022, so not bad for the length of time, especially for the amount of renders in the game.
Doesn't seem like a lot of branching, in a good way. Feels like its going to be either Mia or everyone else in the end, but it's still too early to really say.

Wow a new VN with characters that actually speak like people. Poses without the usual jank (especially around the face) that I know you're all used to. Main character isn't an annoying prick like most games. Story progression, intrigue, very good.


10/10

UNBIASED SUMMER HEAT REVIEW

-Pros
-As of Chapter 5. Its no question, this game has currently the BEST renders of the entirety of AVNs. Unless you're talking about style and medium then that's a whole other debate.

-Love the slow burn and tease. It legitimately feels like an actual progress to a reward that isn't blue balling too. The right balance of teasing and receiving.

-Many side chicks and full of potential bust material.

-Phone dialogue is fun and isn't gonna throw your entire gameplan off like BADIK's style where one choice can get you totally fucked.

-Milfs nuff said...


-CONS
-updates should still be a little more beefy but I am rectifying this review because considering the quality we are getting prehaps the is the best that Northpx can deliver. Chapter 5 was nice to play and im being more lenient on this.

-Phones are still buggy during free roam because it resets the entire phone progress if as so much so as reload a save point even after finishing some convos.

As Chapter 6 is upon us, it took from Oct of last year to end of Aug of 2024 to develop despite the promise of delivering on faster update cycles with less content. Yet this time its less content and just as long of a wait. This honestly doesn't reflect well on the state of development the devs claim to be in.

Why bother with a survey again when its an empty promise once more. Dropping this review by one star which is a damn shame but Its a big flaw of this game.

3 / 5