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

Finally got to play the novel that everyone was waiting and talking about for months. One of the best story-driven novels by far. Renders are great, girls are great. The plot... Well, that's the whole other story.

From the very beginning, it drags you into this very dark place and you get to know the MC's tragedy. There are no questions left about why he is that weird, and why he acts as he acts. The suspense of the story is incredible, the whole time you spend in front of this novel you simply can't stop thinking about what happened to Summer and where did she go. The whole atmosphere is pretty dark as I already mentioned, but it just makes the narrative better.

The MC is a pretty depressed and anti-social guy with a lot of issues. Now, imagine this kind of a person being a freshman in college. An environment where everything around you changes in a blink of an eye. New people, friends, enemies, challenges, and problems to deal with, whether you want it or not.

I believe that it could be a good premise for a new Hollywood show. So, if you're tired of simple "mother-son" or "sisters-brothers" relationship kind of stories this is just what you need!

I'll give it 9 out of 10 due to the dev's constant shifting of a release date.

So... this return just brings me back flashbacks from the first time I played the game.
Almost a year has passed, still, It was nice to play from the beginning and watch the transformation and evolution in the game.
The renders and cutscenes are just dazzling, the way it's displayed, the angles, zooming in and out and others, it's a real piece of art for this genre.
The plot and characters are immersive, no one can say otherwise.
I posted that the story and evolution of the MC would be the core of this game and I still believe that.
The characters are solid, connections to each one will vary on your choices.
It seems some characters (others than the obvious ones) have a 'strong' background and may have more impact on the long run.
The Dev set the story on a high bar, read the dialogues, they are worth it.
This could be one of those games that the outcome is unpredictable and can go in many ways.
No sex scenes, and to be honest, I couldn't care less. I would still support this game for everything else and to aim for a different purpose.
Sure, it's not perfect, but then again, what is?

Damn You, guys!)) You creation made me crying several times (when i'm not such type of sensitive person) . I tried Your game long time ago. And this time played again from beginning (saves weren't working). What can i say - You're extremely leveled UP in writing and artistic skills. I've got so much pleasure,rainbow of emotions and feelings. I'm so happy to see, how the genre of visual novels progress, when masters are joining to the project. Thank You very much for pleasure! Wish You to finish all of Your projects and ideas. This one is GREAT!Keep the bar of quality!

My Rating of (Ch.3) is:

Pros:
+Long Playing time
+Lots of different scenes
+Nice Dialogs
+Great Renders
+Nice Story

Cons:
-None


Total Ratings is:
I really enjoyed the Game,with its different settings,there was alot of text to read,not in one minute did I think about skipping the text.
The was not many sex related scenes, but the story and Graphics made up for that.
Think I,m fallin in Love.
Last Words:
damn worth the Download
Cant wait for the Next version.

Very nice renders and very interesting story. Shaped the characters really well and alive and I enjoy it very much. Chapter 3 is a really good update after a long year of waiting. Keep up the good work!

The models are attractive and not just super generic Daz 3d models like most games on here. The Story is actually entertaining to the point where I play to know what happens next, and not just for fap material. The characters are all pretty well written as well, they feel real and developed. Definitely one of the better avn's on this site.

Very nice renders. I like the short cutscene videos. The setup may seem average but I love the well-educated story that unfolds... I like the characters...

I hope the dev(s) will keep this rolling <3

This game has just taken the top spot for me, all the girls are impossibly beautiful, and they actually seem to have realistic personalities that make you care for them. This presents you with the problem of actually choosing one to focus on but that’s an awesome problem to have. Congrats on the developers really!

The protagonist is interesting, and the story is not cookie cutter which have managed to keep my attention easily.

Things I would change, the long animated transitions that happen at some points don’t really add much to the experience for me and could maybe just be replaced by the music kicking in at those points. Especially if that would mean less time between releases. Maybe save that animation time for when there are actually sex scenes in the game. Don’t get me wrong never expected to like this game so much at a point it doesn’t even have any action in it yet.

The cons for me are the really long wait between releases and I also worry that the devs might just keep adding more incredible beautiful girls to the story which might lead to the protagonist not really developing his relationship with the existing ones or worse, even longer waiting time between releases.

All in all this thing is a work of art and should be experienced.

Truly blown away!

I've tried the chapter 2 some months ago, but wasn't expecting nearly as much quality as in this new version of the game.

I'll be probably echoing what others have already said but, the storytelling coupled with some unique characters personalities, the fact that this is not your typical harem game and that every girl has her own wishes and decisions to go through, are all traits that keep this game apart from most.

Arguably one of the very few games that is making me genuinely care about actual fictional characters that, thanks to meticulous attention and love, can truly feel alive.

One of the few games i played where melodrama doesn't make me roll my eyes to the back of my skull. Graphically its also up there. It has a lot of potential to be really good, but can go either way. Maybe it will be shit, or maybe it will be the best game.
There are some criticisms:
1) Its embarrassing to put so much effort into renders, animations and character models and not proofread your own punctuation. Undermines the quality and makes entire work seem amateurish and low IQ.
2) The game is approaching 2 year mark and what content is there could be considered a prologue. Another 2 years and all those cool animations and models, which is the strongest side of this game - will all look like shit. 0.3 beta is a pathetic rate of work at 2 year mark. Its entirely possible to make an entire game in 2 years, of similar quality.
3) Author keeps introducing new girls, there's such thing as too much sugar. MC is becoming spread too thin, like a slim layer of butter across all the girls, and nobody is progressing anywhere with him. Maybe its all part of the developers plan, but at this rate ill have my own son and he will bang all chicks in college faster than MC will.

Having played a lot of adult games, I can without a doubt say this is the absolute best imo.
This story so far really stands tall and bold amount the numerous other VN's. It grabs you in and I found myself becoming invested in certain characters more than I'd ever think for a VN. There are lots of unique characters to learn about and I for the love of god can't say how much I love that the MC isn't a pussy like most VNs.
The renders are top tier, I played the beta version so the music wasn't 100% completed but I enjoyed the ones that were there.

Overall I would go as far as to call this game a true masterpiece and recommend it to anyone who's interested in a VN with a excellent story and not just interested in sex.

It was definitely worth the wait and I wish Ocean all the best with both his games.

6 star rating all the way! This one has it all, graphics, story, music! The plot pulls you in and wraps you up. I can't wait to see where this story is going. Definitely give this one a try and support the dev if you can. Eagerly awaiting more from this dev. Outstanding work, please keep it up.

This game...It's just on another level. One of the best game on this site. Masterpiece. Amazing renders and cinematics.Story and characters are also cool (Bella ).
P.S. I wish there were more sounds and music that suit scenes.

Well if You want to see sex stuff then this is not for You. But if You want to read an amazing story (So far) then I definitely recommend it. I bet You not gonna regret reading this! Conclusion : Masterpiece!

This is a really good game. The tone is unique the protag and most of the characters saw bad side of life so narrative is melancholical sometimes. Renders and girls are beutiful especially the work with lights is amazing. Game is mostly teasing yet but its ok I don't like fan service sex just when the story requires it.

I just can't imagine how anyone could not like this story. Tastes differ, that's for sure, but this VN is several times better than the vast majority in direct comparison. The story is emotional, everyone is warned from the start that it's not a quick number and it's more about the story than personal "pleasure". Even though it took a year to the new update (EP3), it was worth the wait! The story touches me, I am curious how it continues. The characters look great, stories interwoven or told on their own, giving each main character a deeper meaning. For me one of the best VN and I really hope that this VN can be told to the end. So please stop giving this VN bad ratings just because there is no sex yet and because the grammar is not right. Not every developer is a good writer or a native speaker. So I find it a bit inappropriate to criticize someone for that. Keep up the good work! Please we all want to get to the bottom of this story!

This game is terrible. The whole story is all about dialogue that doesn't keep you in suspense. We have a few nice moments, but it is definitely not enough.
Renders are by far the worst part of the whole story. They only have a few side shots, but no depth. They lack adequate lighting. Some of Chapter 1 is really like a different game.
It is not worth waiting for such updates. I don't mention sex, but the whole MC relationship -> The woman they prefer to keep their distance.
GRAMMAR IS TERRIBLE. The spelling does not exist in this game. And sentences can be interpreted as pure evil.
Animations .... Nothing interesting background and imposed characters, everyone can do it, I really advise against playing such games.
Final Score 1/5 Pity wasted potential.

Explored this story/game from the initial release, seems interesting although updates take extremely long time to come out, Which is off putting. Although in some regard's to RL issues can be understandable.

* Good story line, not new but it is handled well so far.
* Renders and graphics are well done, not cheap like so many others.
* Animations are pretty smooth, and hopefully if there is sexual interaction the animations will not be short and cheap like so many others.
* The story is immersive, Story is usually better when it can evoke emotions, this story does. Will get confusing if there are too many characters though.

/ Updates take an extremely long time, really testing the patience of anyone interested in the story/game.
/ Spelling and grammar need a lot of work. Many lines are out of context, makes it seem like a cheap novel.
/ Already becoming a bit confusing with so many characters.

I do give credit to Oceanlabs for the work done so far, it is a higher grade of graphic story than so many others. Very interesting as well.

So many dev's need to realize that patrons are not going to wait for year's, to go through a story. Way too many take ridiculous amount's of time to put out updates in content ( some do it on purpose ).

The game become better and better. I really enjoyed the latest version. The graphic is awesome. The plot is pretty cool. I am looking forward to see soon more updates. I would appreciate if not so many women might be introduced and the main character might get a deeper connection. Great work anyway!

I thought that this was going to be abandoned. Luckily for all of us it didn't and we just need to be very, very patient. After a year wait the update I played today was by far the best I have played since starting to play AVN's.

Story -- Definitely interesting and not too original with college being the main background. However the diversity of the characters blows most AVN's out of the water. 5/5

Renders -- Absolutely Amazing 5/5

Animations -- I am a sucker for blinking animations. All the animations so far are as amazing as the renders. 5/5

Other -- Please for the love of g.o.d. do not make us wait another year for another update... please!!

-- Rannell