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

I love Oceans games and each update he does you can see massive improvements in his renders...Atm he has some of best looking women in my opinion than any other VN out there. If you played the new Where it all began then you can also see his animations have made leaps and bounds too.

(Version reviewed: Ch. 4 Beta)

Easily the game with the best art and animations among the AVNs that I've played. The storytelling isn't quite good in the first two chapters, but improves a lot from Chapter 3 onwards. The music used is quite good and is very fitting for the scenes that it is used for. The romance with Bella is quite immersive and has good pacing. On the other hand, the story has spent a lot of time on Bella that most of the other LIs haven't felt the love just yet. Another complaint about the game is the slow development time. But, the content released always seems to be worth the wait.

Unique in that it isn't just an endless fuckfest with a pervert of an MC. Interactions are somewhat realistic and meaningful. This is the first game on here I've actually become invested in.

Aside from some typos here and there, I generally love it and the characters. Bella in particular is my favourite, I think I've developed a type.

I am also very curious to see where the plot goes. Interesting so far.

It has recently occurred to me that I have not yet left a review for "Summer's Gone", a Visual Novel that easily belongs in my top 5 favorite VN's...and seeing as I have just recently finished Chapter 4, how's about we change that?!

PROS:

-Bella (Her bond and chemistry with the MC is amazing, and you hardly see such relationships formed in Visual Novels, or even in Television Shows/Movies. It's very unique and I love it.)

-Nami (Classic Sister who is in love with her brother and lusts for him archetype, but boy is it done extremely well here, normally these archetypes annoy me but it's insanely hot in Nami's case.)

-Renders are incredible, to the point it feels like you are playing an interactive TV series rather than a Visual Novel. The lighting, posing of the characters, camera angles are all top notch.

- The story is above average in some areas BUT definitely has some flaws, which I will get to in my cons list.

- The girls all look really nice, despite some proportional issues here and there.

- Animations - I can take or leave animations when it comes to Visual Novels and not sure why they are almost always seen by the vast majority as a necessity, but in Summers Gone the animations are very well made and a nice addition.

- Slow burn relationships with the girls. This can easily be seen as a con just as much as a pro, depending on who you speak to, but in my book it is a very welcome pro. The way that Ocean is really letting these relationships build at a believable pace with the girls, will make the inevitable and eventual lewd scenes THAT MUCH better when they come to fruition. Nami especially, that girl is driving me all over boner town, damn it!

CONS:

- The Writing ; As I previously stated in the pros, the story itself in Summer's Gone is actually quite above average in a lot of areas. So why is the writing a con? Well, because it is very evident that the writing is coming from someone who's first language isn't English. A lot of the structuring of the sentences are odd, unnatural and awkward, and there are quite a few typo's and grammatical errors. With renders this amazing and to such an insanely high standard, it's really a let down to see such errors in the writing. If I recall correctly, there was meant to be a proof reader touching things up a few updates ago. Well I must say, whoever's doing the proof reading really isn't doing an awful lot. There are still many, MANY errors.
Not only this, but the story itself can feel quite confusing at times. The MC in particular's motives and a lot of the things he says, make absolutely no sense. This could be due to a lot of the lackluster grammar and writing, but I am not so sure. I remember there was literally even a Mass Effect line copied and pasted at the beginning of the original intro that the MC spits out "Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh" yes, that was SUPER cringe, but thankfully that was taken out with the recent intro rework.

- A lot of characters constantly being introduced to an already messy and unclear storyline. I like the fact there are many interesting girls in this game, but if Ocean is going to make every single one of them a potential partner of the MC, then it's going to become too much very fast. This is a common problem with many Visual Novels, however. There are so many questions in the story and with the already existing characters that are still yet to be answered, but instead there are just more and more characters being introduced. I would like more of the MC's interactions with his therapist and Bella's mother Amber so we can get a better understanding (and also because Amber is sexy of course, duh), but instead... we get a lot of basketball and roleplaying games. I wouldn't mind the basketball and roleplaying game parts if they didn't take up such a large portion of the updates, but I am guessing they are being used as filler.

- Developer is working on another game at the same time, and also reworking both of them. Need I say more about this con?

Despite the cons, Summer's Gone is still one of my most beloved Visual Novels. It's special, unique and insanely well made in so many areas, which is why I give it 5 stars.

Great job OceanLab, but please get a competent English proof reader to go through all the writing and touch it up. That will really give this game a truly immersive experience.

The renders are some of the best I've seen in the genre. The writing is better than average. The biggest problem with the game is the story/plot. The plot is boring and trite. There's no fun or excitement to be had with it. You're literally just waiting around until the next lewd scene.

One of the best games on the site. If you haven't played this VN till now, you are missing out on an incredible experience.

Summer's gone is great in every single aspect - the plot, characters, visuals - everything is 10/10.

Every character has a unique central trait they are built on, but unlike many stories, they aren't just that trait. Most of the characters are expanded beyond their defining trait and it makes every character unique, memorable and interesting. Also, the deadpan delivery of the MC makes some scenes very funny.

As for the narrative, because the characters are so well made, their interactions themselves are very entertaining. But the creator manages to inject drama into every scene taking it to a next level.

And the visuals are next level. I'm an amateur 3D artist and I sometimes spend several minutes just looking at a single frame in this VN. Every single frame is incredible. There are also multiple cinematic videos.

All these incredible factors make this the VN to play. I replay this VN once every couple of months and I'm awed every single time by its narrative and technical prowess.

Perfect Game, Perfect Story, Perfect Plot, Perfect Characters, Some of this Characters feel so real, really makes you feel for them and rote for them. So many Waifu contents and even the male leads are really interistering Cant wait for more will follow this series really closely

This game is one the best games that this site can offer. I personally prefer the Visual Novel and this game has everything so flawless, be it graphics, animation, models, those short important motion clips (these were the icing on the cake ) , dialogues, everything is so indulging. Hats off to developer and his team. Thanks for making such a beautiful and wonderful game. This is a must play game. Cheers!

Holy damn, that's some good writing, art, and animation. I played the whole thing (thus far) in one go, in one day.

It's a hell of a slow build, but totally worth it - I will be watching for updates on this one with regularity.

Summer's Gone is great VN, top 3 for sure with potential to be top 1 imo.
The quality of renders is incredible, best animations in the genre.
Amazing storytelling, characters.
It does not feature any sex scene yet but i dont see it as a bad thing, because the game feels more realistic because of that.

Beautifull animations and pictures, a very unique and nice story combined with unique and interesting characters, make this VN a real gem.

Altho I feel that bella got the most attention and other girls like victoria and mila were lost on the way - I look forward to the next updates, I realy enjoy
the story (the mc even reminds me on myself at times), I totaly recomment to give it a try to everyone who hasn't yet.

5/5

ps: Nami best girl, altho its a hard head to head race for me between nami and sasha, will need to see more of sasha to be sure. Keep up the amazing work!

Some of the best visuals in the Adult visual novel genre.

I think easily the best animations in the genre.

Writings good, though sometimes things don't quite add up or make sense like in a real world aspect, but generally enjoyable and every character in the game has their own unique personality.

In my opinion its probably in my top 5 games would be way higher but lacks enough content at this stage and we still don't know how's the stories going to unfold with sooooooooo many girls in the game. It makes me worry about how relationships and how the story will go.

Realistically for what I've seen its a 4and half star game or maybe even a 5 because its one of the games I'm excited and never let down when an update comes up. However its getting a 4 because it takes one year to update and too much uncertanity

Ch.4
I've been fairly patient with this VN. However, the seemingly unending praise it gets just doesn't seem right. The animations are gorgeous and there is certainly a variety of girls, but the rest of it doesn't work. I will say the writing can be charming at times, but it's usually sloppy and not well thought out.
I'm sure you've read in other reviews how annoying the MC is, and they're right. Absolute edgelord. Not even the fun kind. Just an asshole who hates everyone and everything for one stupid reason. Which brings me to the biggest issue with this game and it's story. The mystery of what happened to Summer is just a poorly handled plot point. I get trauma and how it impacts people, but this is to much. Essentially, the MC lost his childhood sweetheart to a (maybe) horrible accident and has become bitter as a result. Except he isn't some jaded dude. He's an average emo prick mimicking their favorite anime protag and being a dick to everyone around him.
This VN has potential and what makes it so frustrating is that I see what the dev is trying to do, but they just don't have the writing skills to make it happen. For instance, it's a shame that characters like Mila get significantly less time than characters like Bella. Mila is a realistic love interest for the MC. The chemistry is fucking perfect between them. However, Bella gets so much more of the spotlight simply because her involvement with the plot and all Bella is, is just a female version of the MC except she's rich. Her character progression doesn't make sense and makes her involvement with the MC feel forced.

Overall, Summer's Gone is a game that better start polishing its writing or else the eye candy won't be enough to make up for it. Try it to see if you like it, but don't let the praise skew your perception.

CH. 4

How can Isay it? I played the game before more for because the amazings renders!

But this time I played again from the begin and pay attention about the story! The chemistry and mistery about the characters is almost perfect! and don't have some sexuals stuffs yet for promovet the game and yet this way the game is better more and more.

I'm falling in love for about crazy Nami, shy Sonya, nerd Nadia, sweet Vic, hot Mila, intrigued with Vanessa.

I can't forgot the speak about amazing effects in scenes like RPG game allien.

Story 5/5.
Images 5/5.
Animations and transitions 5/5.

I have to give this a 5 star rating because the renders and animations are so top notch. Also the story is very compelling and enjoyable, the characters are distinct and have their own personal dramas that keep things moving along.

The MC is a very broken shell of a boy. The personal trauma he experienced when younger has left him devoid of feelings...sort of like emotionally crippled. He starts attending College and after meeting the other classmates, begins to regain some social status again, as exhausting as it is for him. Increasingly more, the girls from College begin to rely him and realize he has a gift for helping others despite his own damaged state.

As the story progresses, there are a few hot girls interested in him.

The one who stands out the most is Bella. She is initially a potential enemy early on, but can become a serious love interest when both her and the MC share their common childhood traumas. Both have much in common and have anger issues. When the first kiss happens, it's really sweet. Both fighting against their feelings...

The drama is compelling in this and although there is no real lewd scenes, the story is more than enough to hold your attention.

Oceanlab is a very talented dev that knows how to hook the player in his own dark fairytale.

I so recommend this to anyone. Try it and you won't be disappointed.

One if a kind game. The only thing that i am scared that author wont be able to finish this beatiful game. Every single character is pretty interesting. Kinda dont like the fact that most of them are weirdos but that makes game more enjoyable i think. So thank you for doing it. Hope you will continue your good work. Love

I played through chapter 1-4. Up to this point, I don't get where this story is going or what the protagonist is aiming at. The entire plot can be summed up into one sentence: the mc lost his first love many years ago and is finally trying is get over it (also the sister has a crush on him). It is as mediocre as it sounds. The mc may seem like he is moving on by finding other love interests, including the sister, but everything from the visuals to the plot screams that's not the case. He looks down on everyone because no one matches up to his first love. He actively hurts females psychologically because of a supposed moral high ground. Not only is he not moving on, he is falling into depravity on a subconscious level. There is not even an illusion of choice here since the dev doesn't want anyone to interfere with his supposed masterpiece.

If what I said above is not the dev's real intentions, then there are serious massive issues with both the narrative structure and the personalities of this game (if we can even call it that).

The last and most egregious problem is the game's façade of normalcy. If every single girl around you falls under your spell, then either you're a millionaire or it's just a dream. Most devs understand this, but not this one. The desperate drive for everything to seem normal and realistic is extremely childish. Now, it is the very thing that drags the story down. The lewd and reality does not and will not mix. Every other dev builds a realistic environment as a backdrop for fantastical storytelling, this one tries to make everything real but somehow there's impossibly lewd models in it, doing weirdly normal things. And is there a clearly defined reason for that? No. Now it both looks and feels ridiculous.

To conclude, the story has no anchor point. It's just words floating in the air right now. The mc is inching very close to a weird egomaniac, and the sheer desperation to imitate the real world causes grave Ludonarrative dissonance.

Quite honestly, this is one of the best games I have encountered.

Stunning graphics with smooth detailed animation. The females actually look like females...not the usual parody of gigantic boobs and a ridicuously sized arse.

The backstory is great, as is the main story. The slow burn is fine by me as it's not padded with repetitive dribble talk that adds nothing but filler to a poorly thought out story .

This is a dev. that has real talent and I hope to see many more of these types of games in the future

Excelent game - interesting story (side stories are bit inconsistent tho) and outstanding visuals.

Mandatory warning - for those who are looking for a game with MC getting an easy lay with every girls that steps into the game - not a game for you.

Few porn game made me stay/saved them, but this one will definitely have a place in my PC. The new story (ch 4 beta) just take it further. I hope you can keep on making this great drama without a problem.