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

Maybe the best game i have ever played, in terms of story's quality. Nothing is left behind, when you play you really want to know more about story and charachters. Of course there is not a single sex scene so far , so if you look for something "easy", this is not a game for you. I would define it a masterpiece.

It would be difficult to express everything this visual novel made me feel in such a brief article.
The way Ocean portrays the various events and how they affect the characters' mentalities and their relationships is refreshing, especially when compared to other VNs of the sort.
I'm excited to learn more about these characters, their past and, of course, the world shared with WIAB.
Magnificent oeuvre.

Visuals

• I don't usually say this (because it usually isn't true), but the way this dev rendered Nami and the model they chose for her are the single most impressive I've ever seen when it comes to small breasts. Seriously. I'm not a fan of small breasts, ever. Nami's are perky, cute, and they even fall subject to a bit of gravity
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  Genuinely impressed. It doesn't hurt that she's really cute with a cute little ass, either.
• Branching out from there, all models and renders in this game are top notch. So much so that I do not mind waiting eons for new updates.
• The cutscenes/animations are fucking impressive. We get 3D motion, not just 3D characters moving in 2D space. Not the usual cyclic animation styles. Dev has (so far) opted not to inject any real sexual content, so it's hard to know how they'll approach animation for the standard BJ/stroke/intercourse, but I'm eager.
• There's a plethora of subtle lewd angles. Almost every time you wish for one. I love this. Everything from subtle areola exposure to an ass cheek in the foreground.
• Superb realism in character models, textures, and nary a bad render in terms of lighting. It really is top-notch, visually.
• Probably my only criticism of the visuals: MC looks straight out of a Final Fantasy-meets-Twilight wet dream. And not in a good way. He's a white dude with a super asian hairstyle.

Story

• Fantastic story. Great arcs, great setup, great execution.
• Characters are personable, relatable even.
• Relationship dynamics are believable and convincing.
• There are so many inventive, creative elements, like
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  And, unlike other VNs, it's well-executed. It's not overly-cheesy, it's not overzealous, it's just plain fun.
• One criticism I have (not sure whether this should be categorized as purely story since a good amount of it is a combination of visual and dialog) would be that the MC never really snaps out of being morose. We see the occasional feigned smile or the hint of one, but his appearance and his dialog at times give off this juvenile sense of self-loathing that can get a bit old. I would not expect a full-blown transformation, but he just feels a bit 2-dimensional in his constant dejection.

Dialog
I have yet to come across any glaring issues, an attribute I can't grant very many VNs. Super minor grammatical ones. And I have a knack for pointing this sort of thing out.


Game Mechanics & Other Notes

I will absolutely be playing this one through completion.

This game has the potential to earn 5 stars - something I have only afforded a small handful of titles - but only if the dev gets around to actually making lewd scenes. 4 chapters in, and still a slow burn. It had better culminate at some point, and in spectacular fashion.

great animations, great render quality, excellent characters design and personalities, great music.. pretty well writing. the story has a lot attention to details and builds a great setup for our adventure. A dev that definitly worth support

Among all the great games that I played, SG for me is by far the most interesting one. Great story and characters. This game made me emotionally attached to the story. It's really hard to wait for new chapters.

The fact this game has more than 330 reviews should tell you something.

Summer's Gone is one of the few games here that don't insult your intelligence. It's a game that puts all the focus on story and characters and trusts that players/readers will stay for the story and the characters, and not be turned away because this game - so far - has zero sex.

So many games that try to tell a deep story are often too afraid to commit to telling the story, and nothing else. So many other games throw random flings at you, easy access characters for easy sex, they introduce side plots, things that ultimately distract from the core of the story and also - in a way - cheapen the characters.

Not so here.
Summer's Gone is about damaged characters, an MC who has psychological issues, performance issues, who still suffers from a - yet to be fully revealed - teenage trauma when something happened to his love, Summer. But the MC is not the only damaged character here. One potential love interest is literally damaged early in the game when she has an accident and gets confined to a wheelchair.
And then there's Bella, the seemingly nasty rich bitch, who turns out to be one of the most complex and layered characters in VN land.

On the surface Summer's Gone is yet another college game, but in my opinion the setting plays second fiddle here and the real focus are the characters and how they learn to either overcome or live with their traumas.

The MC is an introvert, and the game gives you a good idea what it means to be like that. People may think you are anti-social or even rude, other people can exhaust you, everything can be too much when you are thrown into an unfamiliar environment with lots of new people.

But even many of the potential love interests have huge issues. Bella suffers from a similar trauma as the MC, something happened to her sister a few years ago that still haunts her. Her defense mechanisms are obvious, she lashes out, she can be a bit mean, but if you choose not to ignore her and to engage with her you realize there is so much more to her and it soon becomes apparent how much the MC and Bella have in common.

The other major love interest, in my opinion, there are a few more, is the MC's sister (I used a patch), Nami. On the surface Nami seems to be mostly "normal", she's the older sister, she and the MC lost their parents at a young age and were taken in by a friend of their mother. So they learned to depend on each other. And that in turn resulted in closeness, not just emotional. You soon learn that Nami has deep feelings for the MC - as a player you can decide if you want to explore this angle. If you do (I would recommend you do) you get two major love interests in the game.

The MC's quasi mirror image... Bella. And the MC's anchor and the most important person in his life probably: Nami. And Nami hates, or at least greatly dislikes, Bella and is afraid of losing her brother forever.

So what do you do? i feel this is one of the central conflicts here.

That being said the other NPCs in this game are also - for the most part - quite layered and intriguing. Characters you first may seriously dislike, like Zara, become more interesting once you get to know them better and as usual you learn there is more to them than meets the eye. Someone like Sonya, she's from Iran and has to wear a hijab, is almost entirely a mystery still, but something is brooding beneath the surface here. You can say the same about virtually every other character in the game. They are really well written and not one of them is boring.

But if you want happy go lucky Chad MCs who sex everyone they meet... look elsewhere. This game will not give you want you want.

If you want an actual story about emotionally scarred and damaged characters who learn to live again... then Summer's Gone is what you want to play.

Also, despite the lack of sex, there is still erotic tension in this game. Mostly with Bella and Nami, but what you get is in many ways more meaningful than any of the scenes in most other games.
When Bella and the MC kiss under the light of a full moon you can feel their connection, it's tender, it's passionate and both are deeply conflicted about it because they sense how similar they are. Can two damaged people become whole together? Or will the cracks just multiply?

You also get a scene with Nami alone in her room when the MC is away with Bella. And she weeps. Because she's afraid of losing the one person she loves. Something that happened to her before when her brother and Summer, who was Nami's friend originally, grew closer but grew ever more distant from Nami. To the point that Nami felt some resentment. Something that is still haunting her. Other games have similar scenes, but here it hits home a lot more and you may find it very difficult to ignore Nami's attempts to win over her brother.

Also, the scenes you get are long. Nothing is casual here, you get very long sequences with both Bella and Nami for example (also with other characters) and while the characters often "just" talk you can almost always feel the (erotic) tension, the conflict inside the MC about what to feel and how to feel.

Of course not everything is perfect.
Summer's Gone still wants to provide titillation by dressing the girls in very revealing clothing. While that makes sense when a girl wants to test the MC's reaction, many other times it doesn't make sense at all and I wish the game wouldn't resort to the adult VN clothing conventions. There is sexy clothing and there's stupid clothing. It's even more of an oddity in a game that puts story and characters first and is not about super easy sex.

Then there is a very long table top gaming sequence in chapter 4. While the sequence itself is fine and interesting, it does - as far as I can tell - add nothing to the story or characters. Yet it takes up a substantial amount of screentime in chapter 4. I feel the resources spent on this sequence could have been used to advance the actual story. But maybe more will come of it in later updates. As of now I see no rhyme or reason behind this sequence, it's a fun diversion and change of tone, but little else.

Also, the game doesn't have all that many music tracks. Now when the music plays it's usually pretty good and a pretty powerful moment. But for long stretches there is nothing but silence. Maybe some background music for the many dialogue scenes would have been nice to have.

And one more thing... while you get to know Summer somewhat through flashbacks chances are high you will feel little for her, since she's mostly an unknown character. The MC loved her - a lot. And then something happened (you don't know what). And this is the crux: while you gradually get to know people like Bella or Nami and will gradually develop feelings for them, chances are very high Summer will just be a McGuffin from the MC's past for you. So his pain about losing her is more abstract, since you never experienced their love first hand all that much, you only get some glimpses in brief flashbacks. That may of course change in future updates.

But that's pretty much it when it comes to criticism.

Summer's Gone is in many ways a very unique experience, a game that demands attention and patience, but will reward you with depth and meaning.
As I mentioned before, one kiss or even a gentle touch in this game have more meaning than most acrobatics in many other games.

A few words about the technical aspects. The game looks gorgeous. Chapter 2 is not remastered yet, and even here things look fine, but Chapters 1, 3 and 4 are still on yet another level. This is the best you can get.
There are animated cutscenes. And they are also top level. Summer's Gone is one of the best looking games. And of course everyone is really pretty. Several women are very busty, but not to the point that it's ridiculous, they still look human, if at all I would criticize one thing: almost every woman looks like a super model, achingly beautiful, but then again, it's fiction. So attractive characters are of course usually preferred. And you get plenty of them here. There should be a preferred type for anyone in this game.
The only things I don't like are the emo/anime hairstyle of the MC (even after the haircut) and Bella's over the top pony tail that is the longest and fluffiest thing ever and often seems to have a mind of its own, it looks a bit silly at times and I wished Bella would get a somewhat more realistic hairstyle. But it's nothing major.

So who will enjoy Summer's Gone? If you like games that put story and characters first and if you are ok with "slow burn", then you will hardly find anything better here.

If you'd rather have fun and easy action - look elsewhere, there are so many other games here that provide all this. Summer's Gone would be nothing for you.

But everyone else will experience a game that trusts its audience, trusts that you can appreciate the build up, appreciate really getting to know the characters and trusts that you will not lose patience just because the characters in this game don't jump on each other after five minutes.

If you are ok with the somewhat somber subject of this game - walking in the shoes of an emotionally damaged MC may not always be easy - then go ahead and download the game. It's as good as all the other people here say.

I wanted to try it so often and yesterday was it finally the time.

From start to chapter four in one run, a really long night, but it was more thatn worth it.
Oh boy, what a masterpiece,

I love that it´s not rushing like other games, where you fuck in the first half hour of gameplay half the city.
The characters are so lovely written, the relationships between them all, and of course they are super hot.

The renders are over the top, the 3d Scenes, just the opening scene and I was speechless, definetly not the average porn game!

There has someone got a new follower!

I'll try and keep this as short and sweet as possible lol

In all honestly, this game is a 10/10 for me thus far, I would've said 11/10 or 100/10, but I mean, it literally is absolutely amazing.

I've been playing since Chapter one, basically, and even since then, this game has been something else.

Personally, the best parts are:
- Character complexity
- Character personality(ies)
- Character development
- An AMAZING ass story
- Dope writing
- Fucking magically dope ass renders
- Storytelling

Basically everything honestly. I know not everyone might agree with what I find amazing, but then again, this is just my opinion(s) and my personal feelings of this VN.

I honestly can't recommend this game enough if you're into the actual story aspect instead of just mindless porn. I've been with this since the first chapter, and with every week I've basically been checking every second day, RELIGIOUSLY for new updates or news regarding the VN in general.

I'm so excited to see where this goes.

TL;DR
VN is fucking dope, story, characters n writing is dope; solid 10/10, at least. Do recommend. A lot.

Finally, I gathered my strength and thoughts to write a review for this game. From the very beginning, I would like to clarify that there will be just a ton of text here, because I want to describe my feelings and opinion about this game in as much detail as I can. As usual, I'll write general impressions first (for those who don't like to read too much) and later I'll write about every aspect of this game (for people who don't mind reading a book-length review).
P.S. My English is far from perfect and sometimes I will use a translator, so do not be surprised if from time to time you see some controversial word, but I will try to describe my feelings and thoughts as correctly as possible.

I'll start right away with the main one. I HIGHLY recommend this game to absolutely anyone who is not indifferent to games with a beautiful and interesting story.
I read a number of different reviews with different ratings, analyzed everything in my head and try to be original.
Obviously the strongest side of this game (IMHO) is the graphics. For all the time that I played such games, I saw such a clean, beautiful and close to realism (as far as it is possible for a game) only a few times. Perhaps this game even took first place according to this criterion for me personally.
The next thing I want to highlight is the plot. I have always liked games with a university setting and the life of ordinary students. But in this game you will play far from being an ordinary student. The personality of the protagonist is one of the most interesting for me, although the idea is not new.

I have only played this game twice. The second time I played it was just yesterday. But I remember very well my feelings and impressions from the first playthrough - I was simply blown away by the quality of the game, the variety of incredibly interesting characters (I'll talk about this later), the music and the plot itself, which I already mentioned.

Yesterday, when I finished episode 4, I was just devastated. But in a good way. It's very rare that I feel like this when, after finishing a game, I can't generate one simple sentence in my head. The only thoughts that went through my head at that moment were "Wow. Damn. What the hell? I just... Now what? I have no words. Incredible." It was only after a few minutes that I was finally able to process what I saw in the game.
To be honest, I don't even know what else I can say about this game in a nutshell, what can I add. It is better to move on to a more detailed review of each aspect of the game, it is more convenient for me to formulate thoughts.

[VISUALS]
As I said, this game is one of the most beautiful games I have ever played. The visual component of this game will not leave anyone unsatisfied, I am 100% sure for that. Some of the characters are so wonderfully done that I looked at someone for minutes and just admired the beauty. To be honest, right now I can't think of another game that had cinematics like this game. This game regularly showcases some moments as if you were watching a movie instead of playing a game. I think that in terms of graphics - this game is on a completely different level from others. The final score is 5 out of 5.

[PLOT]
As I said, I love the setting of games that describe student life, university, teenage feelings, etc. The backstory of the main character is quite curious and interesting, but sometimes I felt that some moments are quite strange (IMHO)
You will have to play as a guy who experienced a very difficult loss of a loved one in childhood, because of which he received psychological trauma. Playing as a mentally unstable and insensitive character is quite an interesting experience, to be honest. At some points, I sat and thought, "What the hell happened now?" I don't want to give a lot of spoilers, so I'll move on to the rating - 5 out of 5.

[MUSIC]
Here, to be honest, I have mixed feelings. The background music is just great, besides by clicking on the corner of the screen you can see the name of the song, stop it or switch to the next, very cool feature, respect for that. But there were moments during which there was absolutely no music. I don't know if it was a glitch or by design - but I spent quite a lot of time without any music, only with the sounds of messages on the phone from time to time. And it spoiled the impression. During the cinematics, the music is there and it's just incredible.
If I'm not mistaken, in the latest update, the music issue was gone and the game experience was much more enjoyable. Like I said, I don't know if I had a glitch with the music or if it was quite limited in some parts of the game. Therefore, I can not give the maximum rating. 4 out of 5.

[CHARACTERS]
My favorite part. I just fell in love with many of the characters at first sight. As I said, this game has a fairly large number of characters that we are slowly introduced to. I don't know how, but the developer managed to make all the characters so interesting, with different personalities and outlooks on life, that it's hard to believe. When I played, I thought "Damn, how many more cool and interesting characters will there be?"
The only thing that I could single out a bit in a negative context is the figures of female characters. They're too perfect, seriously. Slim waist, medium or large breasts, perfect round ass. As far as I remember, there has never been a character in the game who was completely out of shape, with a flat chest and butt, or overweight. (or I was inattentive and distracted by the perfect girls around lol) But I assume that the developer in this way compensates for the lack of a sexual part of the game, so that there is at least something to look at. But this in no way affects my impression and opinion of the characters.
Although, there is one more "minus", which in theory I could explain by the mental state of the main character. I do not like that during the whole game, he will share absolutely any information with everyone, even if this someone is not his friend. I assume that due to his mental state, he does not worry at all about the fact that some information is best not shared with others, that it might be better to keep it secret, etc. In general, the game has a sufficient number of negative moments associated with the main character due to his condition, but this is not bad. It is very interesting, I am curious to observe his behavior and his growth in social terms. By the way, 5 out of 5.

I'll tell you as briefly as possible about the biggest minus (according to a certain number of people) of this game. Lack of sex. There are literally no sex scenes in this game. Hell, there aren't even blowjobs in this game. And I understand this approach of the author. I played several games that refused to provide players with sex. And they were incredibly annoying. I can't even say that about this game. The plot and characters easily make up for the lack of sex. It feels like you're not playing a porn game at all. And in addition to the author's approach regarding this, the game explains why the main character cannot do at least something sexual with girls (besides his mental problems). If this saddens and upsets you, let me tell you that there are more than enough sexual moments in the game. Naked girls, naughty angles, etc. But for now, there are no sex. You were warned.

Summing up, I can at least say that this was a really LONG REVIEW, even I am surprised. This game touches on very interesting topics of psychology and the rules of life. More than once this game made me think seriously about some moments when I sat and thought "damn, but really. It shouldn't be like that. what the hell is life arranged like this, it's so stupid and unfair ..."
I am most grateful to the developer of this game, he makes an absolutely great game that will forever remain in my memory and which I will replay again and again with great pleasure.

I would like to discuss all these aspects in much more detail, but unfortunately the review would be just gigantic. Hell, I doubt anyone will even read this review in full haha. But if there are people like that, I want to say thank you for your attention, I hope I have given you enough information about this game.

P.S.
I'd love to discuss minuses of the game that was mentioned in other reviews, but this is not the place for this.
There were a few delusional reviews where people mentioned absolutely dumb cons of the game, I'd advise you to not take it too serious and actually give this game a try.

Man Oceanlab pulls through again. Came from playing his other work Where It All Began and after playing this one, i became a fan of his work. Whether his stories may be up your alley or not, one thing you can expect is a visual masterpiece. And this one is certainly a visual feast to the eyes. Imma start with the strong points of this game.

• The story may not be be upto everyone's liking as it has the usual college themed setting but the plot has way more to offer. It has the inclusion of dealing with past trauma, getting out of the shell, loss of loved ones, dealing with heartbreak, becoming a better version of oneself, creating new relationships yara yara. Thinking about it, the plot may not be that deep but fuck it at least it's interesting and my eyes got a treat.
• The characters are sufficiently written too. The female models are gorgeous and almost perfectly designed with no flaws to them. The two i found the most well written were Nami and Bella, especially bella who has more to her than just a stuck up blonde bitch with a past trauma. These two also have the most chemistry with the protagonist.
• The music is really well implemented too with fitting background and context of the story.
• If its not enough gushing over the visuals, the animations and rendering of this game is off the charts. The lighting is really well done too and every still frame looks gorgeous. Some people may hate the cutscenes but i loved them. Its rare to see the cinematics so well done in adult games like these so props to oceanlab.

Ok there are other things i didn't like about this game tho.

• The first one is the exclusion of sex scenes. Let's be honest, we all love a well written adult story like leap of faith, eternum, acting lessons or once in a lifetime but, if those games didn't even include a single sex scene....there wouldn't be as many people talking about them. The developer outright says that this game doesn't have sex scenes yet cause it focuses more on character and world building but you can still do that whilst adding some sex scenes. The games i mentioned just now are the prime examples of that. The protagonist being a eunch who can't get his pp up doesn't help.
• I previously said that there are well written characters but that's only a handful of them. As there are a lot of female casts..like a lot in this game, some of them are kinda one dimensional with not enough spotlight to them while others like nami and bella are really well written. This is a lil gripe of mine as the game is still in development and those characters may get some spotlight in the next updates.
• Let's talk about the protagonist as i have mixed feelings with the guy. The dude suffers through mental trauma resulting in him being a antisocial and insensitive person. But his character is really inconsistent as one moment he's trying to better himself by genuinely being a nice and friendly guy but the other moment he acts outright sociopathic. And this happens in a few span of dialogues. There were some instances where his dialogues made me unintentionally laugh . And i like that the mc at least has a personality despite being a weird one unlike some other games where the protagonist is either a wall or a peepin tom with nothing more going to him.

Overall this game has a lot of potential despite some flaws that needs to be worked on. I would've gave this 4 stars if not for the amount of work that went into its production and visuals. Also am i the only one who noticed the quality decrease in the frames and rendering around chapter 2 then the quality became consistently high like nothing before after that... Anyway i really enjoyed playing this one and i'm eagerly interested to play the future updates for this game.

Extremely cringe MC. He's supposed to be this bipolar PTSD emo sadboy who's also a social recluse with a stick for his body, but apparently every girl he meets instantly falls for him because "he's so mysterious and rebellious." This ain't Japanese middle school, things don't work like that. The characters, despite the author trying superficially, are one-dimensional and unrelatable. Especially the MC, which is a huge problem because this game, unlike most other games on this site, is sex-free, which means that in order for us to get engaged and invested, something else has to draw us in. OceanLab attempts to do this by creating an immersive and engaging story, but none of that works because the MC's character development runs in circles. One scene, it seems like he's finally growing as a person and learning to cope with his childhood trauma, and the next scene he's back to being an angsty loser who can't properly interact with other human beings. The logic that the game uses also feels quite unrealistic at times, and the choices in the game may as well not be there, since apparently you can keep every single girl in your harem by making the right choices; these disrupt any sense of immersiveness that remained. Overall, just another attempt at creating some serious adult game and failing miserably because of poor character development and writing.

It's hilarious how the only good thing about this game is its graphics, yet on a website filled with porn games, there's not a single sex scene in this game to gain more legitimate appeal. If OceanLab spent 10% of the time it took to make these stupid ass cut-in scenes that everyone skips anyways, on either writing actual good story or hiring people who can, maybe this game would actually be good.

amazing renders and good story. The girls are very good,there is some choices that affect the story and that is always good,the cutscenes are good too. Te only let down is the time takes to have a new update but for what delivers he can take the time he wants. Hope the story is next versions continues to be good and the choices with impact on the story and the relations with the girls.

Review based on Ch.4 Full.
Finally, I gathered my strength and thoughts to write a review for this game. From the very beginning, I would like to clarify that there will be just a ton of text here, because I want to describe my feelings and opinion about this game in as much detail as I can. As usual, I'll write general impressions first (for those who don't like to read too much) and later I'll write about every aspect of this game (for people who don't mind reading a book-length review).
P.S. My English is far from perfect and sometimes I will use a translator, so do not be surprised if from time to time you see some controversial word, but I will try to describe my feelings and thoughts as correctly as possible.

I'll start right away with the main one. I HIGHLY recommend this game to absolutely anyone who is not indifferent to games with a beautiful and interesting story.
I read a number of different reviews with different ratings, analyzed everything in my head and try to be original.
Obviously the strongest side of this game (IMHO) is the graphics. For all the time that I played such games, I saw such a clean, beautiful and close to realism (as far as it is possible for a game) only a few times. Perhaps this game even took first place according to this criterion for me personally.
The next thing I want to highlight is the plot. I have always liked games with a university setting and the life of ordinary students. But in this game you will play far from being an ordinary student. The personality of the protagonist is one of the most interesting for me, although the idea is not new.

I have only played this game twice. The second time I played it was just yesterday. But I remember very well my feelings and impressions from the first playthrough - I was simply blown away by the quality of the game, the variety of incredibly interesting characters (I'll talk about this later), the music and the plot itself, which I already mentioned.

Yesterday, when I finished episode 4, I was just devastated. But in a good way. It's very rare that I feel like this when, after finishing a game, I can't generate one simple sentence in my head. The only thoughts that went through my head at that moment were "Wow. Damn. What the hell? I just... Now what? I have no words. Incredible." It was only after a few minutes that I was finally able to process what I saw in the game.
To be honest, I don't even know what else I can say about this game in a nutshell, what can I add. It is better to move on to a more detailed review of each aspect of the game, it is more convenient for me to formulate thoughts.

[VISUALS]
As I said, this game is one of the most beautiful games I have ever played. The visual component of this game will not leave anyone unsatisfied, I am 100% sure for that. Some of the characters are so wonderfully done that I looked at someone for minutes and just admired the beauty. To be honest, right now I can't think of another game that had cinematics like this game. This game regularly showcases some moments as if you were watching a movie instead of playing a game. I think that in terms of graphics - this game is on a completely different level from others. The final score is 5 out of 5.

[PLOT]
As I said, I love the setting of games that describe student life, university, teenage feelings, etc. The backstory of the main character is quite curious and interesting, but sometimes I felt that some moments are quite strange (IMHO)
You will have to play as a guy who experienced a very difficult loss of a loved one in childhood, because of which he received psychological trauma. Playing as a mentally unstable and insensitive character is quite an interesting experience, to be honest. At some points, I sat and thought, "What the hell happened now?" I don't want to give a lot of spoilers, so I'll move on to the rating - 5 out of 5.

[MUSIC]
Here, to be honest, I have mixed feelings. The background music is just great, besides by clicking on the corner of the screen you can see the name of the song, stop it or switch to the next, very cool feature, respect for that. But there were moments during which there was absolutely no music. I don't know if it was a glitch or by design - but I spent quite a lot of time without any music, only with the sounds of messages on the phone from time to time. And it spoiled the impression. During the cinematics, the music is there and it's just incredible.
If I'm not mistaken, in the latest update, the music issue was gone and the game experience was much more enjoyable. Like I said, I don't know if I had a glitch with the music or if it was quite limited in some parts of the game. Therefore, I can not give the maximum rating. 4 out of 5.

[CHARACTERS]
My favorite part. I just fell in love with many of the characters at first sight. As I said, this game has a fairly large number of characters that we are slowly introduced to. I don't know how, but the developer managed to make all the characters so interesting, with different personalities and outlooks on life, that it's hard to believe. When I played, I thought "Damn, how many more cool and interesting characters will there be?"
The only thing that I could single out a bit in a negative context is the figures of female characters. They're too perfect, seriously. Slim waist, medium or large breasts, perfect round ass. As far as I remember, there has never been a character in the game who was completely out of shape, with a flat chest and butt, or overweight. (or I was inattentive and distracted by the perfect girls around lol) But I assume that the developer in this way compensates for the lack of a sexual part of the game, so that there is at least something to look at. But this in no way affects my impression and opinion of the characters.
Although, there is one more "minus", which in theory I could explain by the mental state of the main character. I do not like that during the whole game, he will share absolutely any information with everyone, even if this someone is not his friend. I assume that due to his mental state, he does not worry at all about the fact that some information is best not shared with others, that it might be better to keep it secret, etc. In general, the game has a sufficient number of negative moments associated with the main character due to his condition, but this is not bad. It is very interesting, I am curious to observe his behavior and his growth in social terms. By the way, 5 out of 5.

I'll tell you as briefly as possible about the biggest minus (according to a certain number of people) of this game. Lack of sex. There are literally no sex scenes in this game. Hell, there aren't even blowjobs in this game. And I understand this approach of the author. I played several games that refused to provide players with sex. And they were incredibly annoying. I can't even say that about this game. The plot and characters easily make up for the lack of sex. It feels like you're not playing a porn game at all. And in addition to the author's approach regarding this, the game explains why the main character cannot do at least something sexual with girls (besides his mental problems). If this saddens and upsets you, let me tell you that there are more than enough sexual moments in the game. Naked girls, naughty angles, etc. But for now, there are no sex. You were warned.

This VN has certainly attracted no small amount of controversy since it's inception. Looking through the discussion thread you can find plenty of heated arguments. The most common complaint is that it lacks lewd scenes.
Yes, it's true that if you are playing it to rub one off, then you guys are going to be left deflated in more ways than one..

This is focused primarily on story telling and that's one of the reasons I love it. It's like my guilty pleasure or maybe it just reminds me of my own troubled high school years.

I can relate to the MC since I was a bit like a female version of him in some ways. Emotionally cold, targeted for being different and I also got into fights a lot with both guys and girls, enough to get expelled from one school.

There is a lot of drama that enfolds and while it's fun to see it, it's also touching at moments. I actually felt a lump in my throat as the MC begins to open up and his social circle widens, leaving him drained and exhausted. Again, mirroring my own journey in life.

The renders are nothing short of stunning, as are the animations. My jaw dropped a couple of times the first time I played it. They really are on another level. Ocean is a bit of a perfectionist and I totally get why he wants to remake the earlier chapters to the standards of the later ones, plus tweak some dialogue scenes. I have no issues with that.

Criticism has been levelled at the dev for the length of time each update takes and I understand that, people really do want to have more of a great thing, it's normal to get frustrated. I can wait because it will be worth it.

Overall I really recommend this VN for F95ers looking for something that has drama, dark humor and stunning images. It stands out in a sea of generic clones on this site and is without doubt one of the top visual novels on here.

I cannot wait for the next update and see more of my bad bitch Bella.

Totally recommended.

This is one of the few games I'm actually really waiting for.
The characters are the best, pretty, hot, intriguing and interesting.
Not yet a porn game since it has no sex scenes or anything really of the sort yet!
However a very well made game.

Summer's Gone is a difficult AVN to review for me. Despite being frustrated and bewildered by several elements of it, I kept playing it.

I'll start with what kept me hooked. Above all, the visuals are superb. The dev has talent and skill. Apart from all the nice still renders, there are some wonderful (and lengthy) cinematic animations. Moreover, the female characters are gorgeous. A few of them are so similar looking it occasionally confused me, but they are beautiful and plentiful.

I also love that Summer's Gone is a slow burn. In general, slow-burn games guarantee that when sex finally happens, the experience is so much more gratifying than it would be in a game where sex happens immediately and easily. Summer's Gone has lots of teasing, in the sense that female characters get naked or just sit around in their underwear or see-through outfits for no particular reason, and the result is that I am hot and heavy for several of those characters (Nami, in particular). If/when sex ever happens, it will be climactic (in more ways than one).

The story, unfortunately, is rather muddled and confusing. The MC is clearly traumatized, and maybe it's because he suffered some unspeakable tragedy. Or maybe he's just a narcissistic prick. And that leads me to my biggest complaint about this AVN: the MC acts like a total psychopath, utterly devoid of empathy. Some dialogue hints that he is like this because of PTSD, but he says himself more than once that he enjoys hurting people.

Having a psychopathic MC might make for a compelling story, but as a player who must inhabit this character, I must say it is off putting. It also impacts my suspension of disbelief. Yes, this is an "adult" title, but with the MC's personality and douchey Dragon Ball Z-inspired haircut, I just don't buy that all these females in the game are attracted to him.

Despite this, I give it 4 stars. I will check out future updates, all in the hope that someday I can have virtual sex with Nami and/or at least one other of these gorgeous female characters.

I just wanted to beat my meat and finished ch4 in love with a fictional character.
I was so into the story that I even forgot I had my dick on my hand.

I feel like that at least untill now (Ch4) this isnt a porn game, this is a love story, the writing is really well done.
Just wish we had more teasing scenes.
Anyway, I love the game and I can't stop thinking about Bella, its been 2 weeks since I finished the last ch and shes still in my head.

Starting off with eerie feelings and wondered why is this one of the most highest rated games in f95, once the story clicked, now I know....

Story & Environment:
Firstly, I don't like how the game can be kind of emotional roller coaster. Later on, I guess it makes sense how the dev wants us to feel like MC who has (severe) anti social behaviors and I enjoy how he still acknowledges that he's a dick but sometimes doesn't care about it.
On my first playthrough, without knowing anything, the environment of the game is gloomy; doesn't feels relaxing at all. It gets better later on, not sure why (maybe Cheeto saved me). And current state of story is not progressed that far, there's still much more to tell.

Girls:
Gotta give Ocean (dev) the credit, not only does he uniquely creates a lot of interesting and beautiful girls, but also even the minor characters like groups of the girls in the hallway are unique. I think I play enough of AVNs to be able to recognize familiar faces throughout different games but in this game, no one resembles a strong vibe of any other similar characters that I've seen so far (correct me if I'm wrong tho).

First off: Sasha Simp
In a few playthroughs: I found myself somehow became Bella fan
*but still love to see Sasha story later on, only fews of her content of so far

Songs:
Love it, even some of the lyrics match the situation. Got my new favorite playlist

Lack of Sex:
Not that I mind cuz Ocean told us first so yeah gotta be worth the wait tho

The game that made me going out to get a burger at 2 am.
10/10 would play it again

Excellent game, i hope that to see the next chapter soon.
Character are all good and i love the story so far. The MC is cool and the relation with the other character are different.
Keep the good work

This is the first game where I've made the effort to read the entire story in a language other than my own. There are some words I didn't understand, so I will look up their meanings and start over. I'm also going to follow this game because I really liked it; the author's work is great. After playing 'Bein a Dik,' I tried other games without finishing them because they weren't for me. I'm glad I discovered this story. I'm not frustrated that I didn't get any adult content, and I think it could be added in a DLC. This is just my opinion. Great discovery for me!