VN - Ren'Py - Summer's Gone [S1 Steam + DLC] [Oceanlab]

Once one of the most promising VNs out there, came out pretty disappointing. All the dark vibes around the MC, the surpressed aggressions and his high school past thrown away for someone who hides in the shadows with panicattacks. Imho a very boring decision
It had been an intense immersion to think about what could happen when the MC looses it, but now I know he will be shivering in a corner
The rework comes with so many connection problems, I found at least 5 in 1 playthrough...
And why deleting the cg kiss between Summer and the MC in the beginning of the game ? It showed their love perfectly and set the gravity of his loss,
The mystery of her disappearance seems to be forgotten in the later chapters anyway
And the cliffhanger for season 1 about Bellas sister... don´t get me started... it is another missed oppotunity to put it kindly...
Yes, the quality of the renders is good and so is most of the writing, but storywise isn´t there much to it anymore
Let´s be real here, Ocean lost his Mojo to write a good and interesting story and I doubt he will do any better for season 2 even if there is still a little hope in me, because I want it to be good again

Despite being billed as not a porn game, and as a story focused game, this is in reality a slice of life game that is not story focused. It is a porn game without porn.

The inciting incident still hasn't occurred, and the disappearance of "Summer" still has not been explained/mentioned in 6 years. Every character is hyper sexualized. Seriously, what is with the outfits if this is "story focused"? No one dresses like that outside of porn. The "story" is sexual tension between the Gary Stu MC and every female character he interacts with. So far, there is no "plot" - you can opt into characters like Bella or Victoria, where you have "side stories" - i.e. screwing with Bella's neighbors. That is the hallmark of slice of life.

The models are attractive, the writing is well edited, and the characters are well written as far as AVNs go (if you can get past the cliche of every character panty dropping for the MC, while the MC cant get a boner outside of "Cheeto"). But it is hard to give this anything more than 2* when there is so little plot development and character development. 1* would be unfair given the production quality.

Story: 6/10
Renders: 10/10
Animation: 10/10
Sound: 9/10
Characters: 10/10

Let's talk about good things first. Amazing visuals and animation, the music and sound are also good. This game has a lot of characters, the character designs are fabulous, all of them look amazing.
The main problem with this game is the story is going nowhere. After completing Season 1, you would expect something, but no, also not a single NSFW scene, and this game has very little content overall despite it being in development for so long.
There is very little chance that this game will ever get completed, and most probably it will be abandoned or have a rushed ending.
Still, I am very invested in its characters, and I am looking forward to Season 2.

game is obv only about building relations rn no sex scenes, but that doesn't matter imo this is the best renpy game of all time, i mean wow there is everything u need from a game, not a single bad looking character, rly good story, congrats to the author for making this game

Summer's Gone is shaping up to be one of the more compelling visual novels out there. The first thing that grabs you is the gorgeous rendering every scene is crafted with care, from the lighting to the character expressions. It’s clear the devs are putting real effort into making this world feel alive.

But it’s not just eye candy. The story so far is genuinely engaging, with layered characters and emotional depth that pulls you in. It’s a slow burn, sure, but one that builds anticipation in all the right ways.

That said, I do hope the wait for the more intimate scenes pays off. The buildup is there, and if the storytelling continues at this level, those moments could feel truly earned rather than just fan service.

If you're into story-driven adult games with high production value, Summer's Gone is definitely worth keeping an eye on. Let’s just hope the payoff matches the promise.

Might as well rename the game twitch hot tub simulator, because yes the writing is good, but there is not even one single non PG scene at this point. There is no way you can classify this as an adult game, let alone a porn game. One of the truly biggest let downs especially when you consider the whole season. Never touching anything from this developer again.

The best looking AVN I've played. Cinematography is superb and really alleviates the atmosphere/feelings of characters. This game also has the best music in this genre easily. Tons of unique characters who are likeable and intriguing. A plethora of hot girls to pick from but this is a very slow burn game which I'm fine with, so no spicy scenes yet. MC starts off as an anti-social edgelord but that's one of the main aspects that makes this game so engaging and unique. Highly recommend!

How is this game a blue balling simulator that is disguised as having good writing.
It plays linear yet it jams so much fluff content in there which are not even remotely sexual in anyway. All this is, is a really long ass prologue that hasn't ended yet.

I really hate that you can't date multiple girls at the same time, so much wasted potential. Other than that, the MC's personality and some of the characters are very well done, as are the renders....

Hands down the most overrated AVN on this site. Granted it has some of the most beautiful girls you will ever find in a game, great renders and good music but that is all there is to praise. You play as one of the worst main characters ever written. Let's first adress the elephant of the game: He can't get a boner because his childhood sweetheart is missing... Ok. His personality is a unique blend of depressive, cold, arrogant, zero empathy and negative charisma. Whenever he opens his mouth you just want to roll your eyes and puke at the same time. It's impossible feel a shred of simpathy for this guy. On top of it all he has a unique set of skills that allows him to embarrass himself whenever a girl tries to get too close to him, for example there's moment where he has the hottest chick in the game on his bed wearing nothing but wet panties and she tells him she's horny... imagine what the faggot hero does? Absolutely nothing. In result she puts her clothes back on and leaves. And yet somehow this guy is woman magnet. Logic that only make sense in the SG universe. But hey, if humiliation is your favorite kink this is the perfect game for you.

Gorgeous renders,
Interesting, different and engaging characters with nice supporting cast and their impact on the story.
Nice and riveting story so far, awaiting impatiently for the next episode.
Continue the great work.

I absolutely hope this review ages like milk, but I'm mostly writing this because, by God, Ocean simps are like no other animal I have seen.

Let me preface it that despite the rating I'm giving this, I like Summer's Gone. No AVN is perfect, but this one gets way too much praise for what it actually is right now. Screw it, I'll even extend an olive branch and start with...

The Good:
1. The most obvious part, the visual quality. If anything, the game indeed feels cinematic, the details can be seen, the lighting is on point.
2. The premise of the story is interesting.
3. Whenever Ocean actually remembers about that, the atmospheric moody scenes of the game can touch the soul.

The mediocre:
1. The writing is hit and miss. Aside from the slow burn nature of the romances in the game, there is actually very little character development, something I saw other reviews downright raving about being excellent, where that is factually incorrect - the majority of the girls that are supposedly MGs, in 5 chapters and thousands of renders in, have very little impact on the story itself, or any presence to speak of. There are also inconsistencies on when events happen, idioms that don't translate too well from German to English, some events that have been fully rendered out have no actual value to the story.
2. Coming from the previous point, the character cast is way too big for one game, and Ocean is simultaneously attempting to make two games at once. Game is supposed to be 30 chapters, but only 2.5 of the 10-12 main girls have had any real time spent with the MC.
3. The music. That part is subjective, but for me personally, even the "restored" version of the music is more annoying than it is helping me get immersed and I turned it off.

The bad:
1. This is an attempted joke that very likely will fall flat... unlike the majority of the female characters.
I don't know if Ocean grew up around women with no tiddies and he's overcompensating now, but it's easier to list the girls with what would be considered reasonably big tits in real life but are categorized as "small" within the game. Even if you have not seen what the game used to be before, currently your choices are "big tits" and "really humongous badonkerous" or however that copypasta went.
2. I don't care about the "fucking retarded"phrases encountered in the game, but shit like "bibi" and "wormy" make my soul die inside a little every time I encounter them, I could easily do without them.

Bad things outside the game itself:
1. Ocean simps are like nothing else, man, I swear.
2. This is obvious, but the dev times. Unless Ocean speeds up dramatically, neither of you who somehow reached this part of the review, nor me, nor Ocean himself, will live to see this project to the end.

You are allowed to like things, you can also be touched by them like nothing else, but you also can be realistic when talking about it. A shiny McBurger is tasty, but I am also fully aware of what it does to my health.

In short, it's not a game. It's fucking art. I've read a lot of books, played a lot of games, and watched a lot of movies and TV shows in my life. And some of them, with their gigantic budgets are completely unprepared to stand comparison to what Ocean does.

The characters are 1000/10. Each one of them is alive, with emotions, with their own worries, problems and shit in the closet. And it's very interesting through the episodes to learn everyone's story. Nami <3

The scenes are absolutely stunning and gripping. The chemistry between the characters is visible to the naked eye and it's all enhanced by the incredible soundtrack. So good is it all that I've saved many scenes separately to revive fond memories in anticipation of the new season.

Many thanks to Ocean, for all his hard work and time invested in this masterpiece. This is one of those stories that I can recommend to everyone with a completely clear conscience.

Ever since the rework this game has never been the same...
As if it couldn't slow down any further my heart breaks at the fact that it will likely never finish.

Playing it feels like a chore now because there's too many side branching stories that really don't progress the main plot at all and has since create a stagnancy of a game where you're clicking with no goal in sight because your favorite Li's content hasn't moved due to new characters and poor decisions in writing. Its a shame I truly enjoyed this once because this was one of the first VN's that focused more on 'plot'

First time playing a Complete VN. Non half VN with sandbox mode or farming whatever. I didn't expected to have my complete attention in the first 5mins. The story is very interesting and have a good balance in every thing you can think. If you read this, try it and remember! isn't a full porn game, you will see some adult content, but don't expect too much

I played this game months ago and never wrote a review on it. I loved it so much the first time I started another play through the next day. This is my #1 AVN hands down, and my most anticipated. I loved everything about it and it was the second AVN I jumped into, the first being 'Being A Dik', another remarkable AVN.

It'll probably be A LOT of time before Season 2 is finished but I cannot wait until the day it rolls out. The graphics, the characters, the scenery, the story-

Everything about this AVN is exceptional and I'm considering jumping into 'Where It All Began' next, but I will wait until the first season is done if I can. It's nice to have a story, narrative driven AVN that focuses on the build up of connections between the MC and the characters. These are the types of AVNs I truly love. I'll be back here when Season 2 rolls out!

The writing and story in this game are next level, I honestly thought at one point that I should reconsider my own score on story writing in all the other VN games I ever played. Perhaps the RPG game with aliens and stuff was unnecessary filler, but this kind of sidelining in the story never clicked with me in all other games trying the same stuff. Strangely enough the basketball game was not as boring as expected and even the book club chapter was interesting enough although I would have preferred to see real progress in the main story instead.

Still characters or least some of them are really exceptional. Story overall and especially parts related to MC his "roommates" and the Bella part are a true masterpiece. In the start of the game I expected dark and moody story with MC that is riddled with internal struggles and that will make stupid decisions that will persist through the game. Instead everything has been served with a very healthy dose of humor while keeping the sensitive topics at bay and the mood in a much lighter tones. The game transitioned into school atmosphere in a quite unexpected manner and the clash with Bella and the how the story with her unfolded was made with such a skill that I couldn't stop playing.

Too bad the author did not use all that talent into creating and integrating some hot lewd scenes... could have been quite fun part.

This game has the best story of any visual novel I have played. It has brilliant visuals and sound design. This VN is brilliant and I am looking forward to the future content. I would highly recommend this to anyone who hasn't played it!

Summer's Gone [S1 Steam + DLC]
Overall - 9/10
Highly recommend - about broken people connecting with other people and other broken people
No Hscenes, just learning about what and whys about the characters - fun.
Story - 9/10
Set in university - you MMC starts university, drama follows you
MMC lives with a childhood friend both connected to Summer (another childhood friend), which together are bonded by trauma + friendship
MMC has unresolved trauma and connects with other FMC that is also a broken person -> broken people is a big leading point in this game
Interesting to learn more about characters and what justifies what they are doing.
Renders - 10/10
No complaints
Animations - 9/10
Has cinematics - cool foreshadowing of chapters, its good
Hscenes - n.a
Kissing is the most i saw - still frames transition into cinematic type animations
Sounds - 10/10
Don't remember SFX, but BGM is really good fits to themes
Also some BGM songs are good enough to listen out of game (Late Kids - Some Days)
Playability - 10/10
Simple VN with impactful choices

Summer's Gone isn't just a game... It's an emotional journey

Summer's Gone has everything that I want in a game such as a great story and emotional driven characters.
The renders are beautiful and the cinematics are unmatched.

One thing that I enjoyed the most is that the game is about damaged characters and the healing process that come along is such beautiful. I teared up many times when I played this. That's the type of emotion that I want and it delivers on that.

I can't wait for Season 2 and for what's to come.

Games like this deserve support and I can't wait for more.