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

There are a couple good points: the girls are very pretty, and (almost) all the characters are well developed. I can see why some people get drawn in. But I am not one of them. Despite the quality of the characters, I couldn’t get into it. Something about this game also made my depression worse every time I played it, which definitely isn’t a plus.
There are a lot of things wrong, from someone giving the protagonist sertraline for an acute panic attack (do not do this. I can see why a placebo might work for someone having a panic attack, but it’s still a terrible idea, and although the protagonist could likely benefit from SSRIs, they need to come from a doctor. Also, you have to come off SSRIs slowly. I’m not sure what it’s like to go from a single day of a large dose to nothing at all, but if it’s anything like missing a dose, the character should be suffering horribly from it.) to using “retarded” as an insult, like it’s 1998, in a game in which “The game’s approach to mental health is healing…”
The opening is poor. I fought through it. It got better, but not enough.
Plot problems abound: the main one: there isn’t a main plot. There are a few subplots, but they’re fairly disconnected from each other. The character’s experience with growth is the unifying factor, but it doesn’t resonate with me. At no point did I really want to know what’s going to happen next. Then, there’s the fact that there’s no explanation of what the fuck happened with Summer, beyond “she’s gone.” Kidnapped? Murdered? Ran away? Abducted by aliens? It’s the end of S1 and I still don’t know the experience that lead to the protagonist’s breakdown, just that it sucked, and that Summer is gone.
Also, the protagonist smokes? But he does it like twice, so is it weed? I don’t know, but the player should.
I don’t necessarily mind kinetic novels, but, here, the lack of choices bothers me. Perhaps it’s because the protagonist is in college, where there are numerous possibilities open to him, and he chooses them without consulting the player, or even explaining them. Why does he agree to basketball? Why does he join the board game thing? These are important omissions.
In terms of what is straightforward, it’s a game that I don’t feel any need to follow, so I’ll give it three stars. I might try it again in the future, when it's 100% complete. I hope not, but I'm usually too curious for my own good.

There’s something else though; there’s something wrong that I can’t put my finger on. I don’t know why, (and that bothers me,) but my depression felt worse after each session with this game. I feel like I should mention this. I like plenty of games with disturbing content, and with characters struggling with mental health, so it’s not the obvious that’s the problem. It’s not that mental health is handled terribly, because it’s done reasonably well (although I do have a few quibbles.) That would justify a 1 star review. Perhaps it’s that nothing in this resonated with me, and there wasn’t any catharsis, but that wouldn’t explain why it made me feel worse. Whatever the cause, I can't think of any game, book, or song that afflicts me like that. For that reason, a part of me wants to give a 1 star review, but it doesn’t feel right to do so when I can’t find anything that wrong with this game/story/protagonist.

I also feel like I should mention that, If you're just playing for sex scenes, you're in the wrong game - there aren't any.

One of the best Visual Novels ever!
Trust me after Summe's Gone and the second Ocean game - Where it all began, 90% of VN will seem like something very mediocre.
- Great visuals
- Gorgeous characters
- Clinging plot with a touch of intrigue, with great anticipation you want to read what will happen next.
And actually the fact that the first season has no bed scenes, for me it's more like a plus, MC even though it feels a little pathos, typical dead inside, but I got it more than MC pervert who is still in puberty.

What's a shame Ocean removed a lot of content for the sake of a low age rating on Steam, was it worth it? I think not.

All in all, looking forward to the sequel to both Summe's Gone and Where it all began!

THIS GAME DOES NOT HAVE ANY H-SCENES AS OF SEASON 1!

I discovered this game about a year ago looking for a quick bit of fun and was immediately put off by the warning when you load the game saying that it has no H-Scenes yet. Reluctantly, I gave it a try a few days later and it was probably one of the best games on this site.

Visuals: 10/10 - For starters, every render in this game is absolutely gorgeous! You can tell that the developer, Ocean, put a lot of thought into each render. I'd even go as far as to say that almost every render is good enough to be it's own wallpaper. And that's not to say that there are only a few renders. There are thousands of different renders; enough to keep you satisfied but not too much where it seem that every line of dialogue has it's own render.

Character Design: 10/10 - This may be up to how you view it, but compared to some other AVNs that aim for a more "realistic" character design (as opposed to the anime-esque type of style), this is one of the very few games where the characters look real, which is also linked to the quality of the visuals. The body proportions of the characters are genuine and not blown out of proportion and there is plenty of variety to suit everybody's personal preferences.

Music and Atmosphere: 10/10 - The music and atmosphere, paired with the stunning visuals give this game a sort of nostalgic feeling that's really hard to put into words (maybe anemoia?). Each song was picked and licensed by Ocean and it is done so almost perfectly. I highly advise using the Music Restoration Mod as some of the licenses were revoked later in the development of the first season.

Characters: 9/10 - The are so many characters in this AVN, which is appropriate given the setting of the story taking place at college. They all feel like genuine people with their own interests and goals and don't seem to revolve around our MC and all interact with him in their own unique way that isn't just confined to typical tropes (like Tsundere, Yandere etc.). The only downside to having this many characters, though, is that a lot of them don't get a lot of screentime and it gets hard to keep track of who's who after every update, especially if you're not playing the game attentively.

World Building and Story: 9/10 - The world of Summer's Gone (being a sequel to Ocean's other game which he is currently developing - Where It All Began) is a realistic world set in the modern day. It touches on a boy journeying into adulthood whilst also dealing with the trauma of loss, his past actions and ultimately trying to escape. This overall theme probably contributes to the stellar atmosphere of the AVN. There are a couple of moments, especially right at the beginning, which don't really make sense (like Victoria talking to the MC, the car crash incident etc), but ultimately they are easily accepted and the story certainly gets better as the game goes on. There is also a subtle undertone of mystery as to who our MC is, which is even more noticeable if you play the prequel game before this, but is not a major theme of the story.

Animations: 8/10 - This is definitely one of the weakest areas of the game, however, it still beats the quality of other games. This is not too big of an issue as there are not too many animations in the AVN and, when they do happen, it's not an eyesore. The main problem is that the characters feel a bit too stiff during animations, but it's not too terrible especially when you consider the stunning visuals.

Overall: 9.5/10 - An absolutely stellar game that may not be suited for everyone given that it's a slow-burner and currently contains no H-scenes. I would definitely advise everyone to play this game (after the prequel game, ideally, but it is not necessary) if you have about 5 hours to kill. Make sure you have your wank first though as you'll definitely be blue-balled if you don't!

also Sasha is best girl

what a great masterpiece by Ocean, great story, great renders, this is amazing honestly, just a few VN had this feel of immersion. Immediately played other Ocean games as well, cant wait for the next update

F*ck me, that game somewhat hit me hard. Only thing I regret is the fact, that I've discovered it so fast, that now I have to wait for the rest of the story.

Btw. those Bella renders... I'm not a big guru in those games but they are simply as perfect as you can expect from a visual novel.

I actually have to say, this is the best vn i have ever played. Sure there are many things you could upgrade and fix, but the dialogues the chemistry between the characters, the story, the pictures are so perfect. This visual novel is a masterpiece and should be even more in focus. Massive respect for making this, its even philosophical and just absolutely pretty. Thanks a lot and please continue to work on it! <3

(Review of S1 + DLC)

An excellent novella based on a school setting where we play the role of a guy still trying to move on after losing someone very close to him. He may be awkward but at least he's not the usual wimp we have to put with time and again in the average AVN, and he can even defend himself in a fight.

Technically the product is perfect; some tunes are known from other games and the developer might have a thing for girls in tight pants but that's OK, the models are varied enough. What makes this such a great experience is the story and the characters. There are several moments of pure genius where the composition of a scene and the dialogue match so perfectly that you will remember that special moment for a long time. I mean this is BaDIK-level material if not better.

If you're into adult games with a strong story be sure to give this one a try, just be ready for a carrousel of emotions.

The game is good and the female character are has diverse personality. They are not generic unlike some other games. The slow burn is quite good as well in my opinion. The story is quite engaging as well. As of now Bella has the most engaging story for me.

Edit: I forgot to mention this previously but if you don't install the patch the story of Nami does not make sense because they are only roomates so no blood relationship and they can be together.

For now 4 star rating for me

This was once my favorite VN of all time, and while a couple of others have surpassed it, it is still an all timer.

Usually, my biggest issue with VN's are how the MC comes off, and usually trauma-filled MC characters are insufferable at the start to simulate character growth, what the author did was give you more agency in how the trauma affects the dialogue you say. Obviously, the game isn't perfect and there is some weird dialogue, but the romance with Bella is an all-time enemies to lovers plot line. Very few games make me want to be monogamous to a fictional character in a porn game. Bella and the MC are perfect for each other and I will fight whoever disagrees.

Great models, a great story, can't wait to see what season 2 has to offer.

nice stories, i thought it was just some adult scenes, but i was wrong, the stories is better than i expected, im hoping for much more updates coming up so i can get to know more about these nice stories and also the adult scenes

Just... wow. The renders are insane, all of the LIs are well written, and I checked to see if the game had an update 3 times the same day I finished the most recent content release. Easily top 5 and at this pace could be a contender for best of all time. I usually struggle to replay games but it hasn't even been a week since i've finished it and i'm already considering it.

My all-time favorite game, A pure masterpiece on every level, The setting is great (also a little generic) The LIs are unbelievable each one being 11/10 hot and so well written, that you feel connected to every single one, and the renders in this game are second to none it is so beautiful, I love the writing in this game and the darker gloomier take on the MC its refreshing to see an MC that isn't just a pussy chasing pervert and has some more depth to him, an MC that needs to come out of his shell to realize all the great things around him, Also love his calculated minuplating side we get to see, Story is great so far and very intruqing, A lot of people criticze the decison to be slow with the scenes but i think it is one of the best decisons a game can makes, it is meant to connect you to the girls and who they are what they stand for, so when you do get the scenes its that much more meaningfeel and amazing, if you just want to see sex watch porn, but what ocean is building here is so much more, its art with incredible connections to the incredible woman and world he has build, truly a masterpiece that is second to none, with one of the most talented devs in the industry captioning the ship, a true must play for all fans of this genre.

I got the game as it was recommended by some many if one likes a good story and characters. Well I got it and was realy realy struggling at first. The entry with the dream and some stuff behind didnt catch me and I found it rather (lets say bluntly) stupid. I was wondering why so many people liked it.
Finaly I gave it another try and pushed thru the first happenings of the story. Well what can I say the story has a (lets say) weird beginning but develops extermly nicely with its characters and storyline. So all the claims that this is for sure one of the best games here is (alt elast for my tast) true. To be honest its not that much sexual content aside from the very beutifull girls and nudes. However I think the behavior of the people are much more realistic (as far as this could be in a VN). Played it thru and cannot wait for S2.

So if you are in for a nice developed story and characters, pretty awesome visuals you should give it a try. I also tried "Where it all begun" but I would rate this one here much better as the characters are more authentic....from the way they look and act (from their age). It of course has some realistic glitches but its a VN and some compromise one has to make to drive the story

This game is polarizing. There are only those who love it and those who hate it. I for one love this game!
There are so many things right in this game...

++ The lighting in conjunction with the respective mood is on a level that I have never seen in a game before.
++ The story is far away from the usual "MC fucks his way through high school" kind of story. The loss of a loved one, the depression, the struggle with one's own feelings, the social problems and the will to change despite all odds make this game so unique!
++ The storytelling in addition with the chosen music always touched me and gave me a hard time playing it ... in a good way!
But not only the MC, but also the LIs with their own stories, their backgrounds, their emotions created a connection with me.

The only point of criticism for me would POSSIBLY be that various decisions up to this point have not had a decisive influence. But I'm sure that this journey will bring a few surprises...

I can't wait for the next update and YES, it's the best game for me right now. Damn good job Oceanlab!

This used to be one of the greats to me. Visually stunning, interesting premise, gorgeous LIs and great choices in music.
But sadly, Ocean just can't stop tinkering with everything. It's not just the constant unnecessary reworks, it's that no character in this game is safe from being altered with every update.
You fell in love with Mila? Too bad, now she has tripple D booba and looks like she ate nothing but McDonalds for 2 months. But only for 1 chapter, because she now looks different in every single one of them.
You fell in love with Ayua? Too bad, now she's just the next generic looking girl, no longer the hot Asian babe.
And this just goes on and on. Every dev update you're just waiting to find out who got the ZBrush treatment this time. Maybe it's your favorite LI next? You can bet your ass they'll all get the treatment.

And the worst part is, it's not even just visuals, now entire personalities are being altered mid-development and nothing is consistent anymore.

Spare yourself the pain of watching the characters you fell in love with being butchered in front of your eyes, it's not worth the pretty renders.

Very nice game, very good story with strong and interesting relationships.
Great approach with the depression, the loss and the resulting sexual attitude and dealing with other people.
I would have liked it a bit better if the dark themes that were there in the earlier versions hadn't been removed or toned down, but all in all a really great game

Summer's gone is one of those AVN's that the community love or hate. It's my favorite, so I am one of those that love, so here is my biased opnion. Visually it's the best out there, Summer Heat and Dreamland have similar qualities, but Ocean's work with light is just another level and next season will be all renders in 4k. The Mc is very different from the usual but that's what make it different and unique from the rest. Story wise, it has so much potential to be great and if you played WIAB(Ocean's first AVN) you know where SG is going to.

I like slow burn games but this one is way too slow and doesnt have a single lewd scene.Lagging behind in the main aspect for which we are here.Gave 3 stars for the render quality.Top notch renders but wasted potential

Let me start this review by saying the renders are excellent. Probably the best I've seen in a title. Major kudos to the dev for that - they are a true artist in that regard. As for the rest of the game, however...

Pros:

• As above, the visuals and renders are amazing. Really, really beautiful.
• The characters also look great. I think the girls are all gorgeous, and I love all of their character designs. In most VNs there's usually at least a few that I feel "meh" about, but they all look great here.
• The characters themselves are pretty good also (with the exception of the MC, which I'll get into below)

Cons:

• The pacing and storytelling are just off. There's so much slog in this VN that the story hardly advances at all, even after hours of play. Some sections drag on for WAY too long. For example, the DnD bit was cool - but I found myself rapid-fire clicking through it towards the end. The first basketball scene was another example. I'm not even joking, there were times playing this game when I felt like the dev was fucking with us - like he was purposely wasting our time.
• The main character is a fucking asshole, and not even in a mysterious anti-hero type of way. He's just a melodramatic, sensitive pussy. The fact that anyone in this story even puts up with him is beyond belief in itself, but the way the other characters all swoon over him is just nonsense. Not only would this person have zero friends in real life, but he would be fucking loathed by every person he encountered.
• The writing is beyond cringe at parts. It reads like an American college story written by someone who not only never went to college, but has also never even been to America. At one point the MC kisses a girl - just kisses her - and suddenly everyone in the game universe acts like the two are a serious couple. If you agree to take a girl out for dinner, everyone starts referring to the two of you as "dating". This is not what the real world, let alone what college or even high school is like.
• It's beyond a slow burn. It's pretty much a no-burn. I know the dev has apparently said this isn't a "sex game", but come on. Nobody is playing this purely for the cringe, convoluted story.

All in all, there's potential here - but I played for over 4 hours this weekend and felt like I got nowhere. Maybe I'll check back in a couple seasons with a gallery unlocker.

(A quick heads-up before the review: This opinion piece is heavily influenced by the developer's note that the game is not a porn game, but rather a story-focused visual novel with adult imagery sprinkled throughout. Therefore, it is only fair to give the story a fair critique rather than dismissing it with the notion that "it's just a porn game, so you cannot expect amazing writing." The developer himself says that the story takes center stage, and I will provide a fair critique based on that.)

To start off, I have to mention something that has probably been said a million times in this thread already: The renders and models are probably the best I have seen on this site by a long margin. Nothing really comes close to the level of detail present here, and that alone is why I gave this game four stars.

Now, let's move on to the main focus of the game, which is the story. It attempts to start a genuinely interesting narrative about trauma related to the loss of a loved one and the complete mental shutdown that occurs during recovery periods.

However, the problem lies with the character interactions in this story. The idea that the main character deserves this amount of attention from his family and from literally everyone he encounters for the first time does not reflect real-world behavior and comes off as very "porn gamey" in the end.

To elaborate on the strange character dynamics, let's examine Bella and the main character. Bella shouldn’t care about the main character from the start, but the inexplicable psychic pull that the main character has over her is both strange and often comical. For a newcomer to college to be paired with the hot, popular girl is tolerable as a plot convenience, but the moment the dynamic shifts to Bella constantly trying to get the main character's attention, it ventures into the realm of fantasy.

This type of relationship dynamic, where a guy who acts disinterested gets the attention of the attractive girl due to being mysterious, is reminiscent of how a child might imagine their aura in class, and it has been overused in cheesy Hollywood and Bollywood movies since the 1950s.

A person suffering from severe trauma and anxiety attacks is not typically perceived this way by others. The way every woman at the college swoons over a barely fit main character is poor storytelling and contributes to the "porn game" feel, which the developer wants to avoid.

There were many ways the developer could have made these interactions interesting while keeping them within the realm of possibility. For example, Bella could have been portrayed as a genuine antagonist in the initial chapters, actively trying to harm the main character due to her wealth and power, until she discovered he was seeing her mother as a therapist. This could have given Bella a real reason to stop being antagonistic, rather than the abrupt change in behavior after they see each other in the gym or class and suddenly decide to become partners in crime.

Another major issue is how every woman views the main character as if he is some sort of messianic figure. This is cringe-inducing at best and horribly tone-deaf at worst. He is not a superhero; if a woman approached the main character and he acted nonchalant, she should not continue approaching him unless he initiates contact.

Overall, the story is rather lackluster in terms of substance, with the exceptions of Victoria's arc and the ambiguity surrounding what happened to Summer, which are the only engaging aspects. The only way the next season could be salvaged in terms of storytelling is if the developer focuses on the fact that the main character is not a superhero but a regular person who can face genuine repercussions when dealing with others rudely. Only then would the story make sense, given that the main character is portrayed as someone undergoing unimaginable trauma and shutting out everyone in his life. If there are no consequences for behavior during the lowest points in life, then the story lacks authenticity and becomes just a porn game plot, which the developer claims it is not.