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

A nearly flawless piece of visual artistry.

+ flawless renders and character models

+ excellent writing, captivating story

+ well-written characters with unique personalities

+ smooth and natural interactions between characters

+ a lot of content already

+ visuals and audio blend in perfectly creating a very immersive world


- the hair of a couple of characters seems to defy physics on occasions

- a bunch of characters are the typical bleached blondes, which occasionally makes them look quite similar

- the story seems to suffer from bloating. characters are continuously added to the story even if there are a lot of exciting characters already in that struggle for screen time. I personally don't mind this, since most of the newly added characters are interesting, but some people waiting for content with their favorite character might get frustrated


+/- no sex scenes whatsoever. albeit this cannot be held against the dev, since he is very straightforward and informs everyone at the start of the game


All in all one of the best games on this site. Pretty much the highest quality available at this time.

(Review based off Ch.4 Beta)

SPOILER FREE

I have to admit, this game really makes you feel something unlike any other game. Through the amazing renders, the encapsulating atmosphere surrounding the scenes, all the way to the soundtrack that just fits perfectly for each mood the game tries to depict. And personally, I haven't gotten to experience such a gem in years, which is enough for me to write my first ever review on a game.

PROS:

• Very high quality renders that stay very consistent throughout the game (and even improve as the chapters go on)
• A soundtrack that fits every scene perfectly and invokes the right feelings that the developer wants you to experience
  • *Very big pro for me as a soundtrack can make or break a game, and this isn't just a set of songs that play by default and don't match the mood whatsoever like many games have*
• Actual character development throughout the game for multiple characters which makes the characters feel more realistic and three dimensional in a sense.
  • You may dislike a character in the beginning, yet she may end up as your favorite by the end.
• The animations and cinematics are very high quality, and this is the first time I've seen such cinematics in a game. +1 for that.
• The gallery is actually pretty well made with multiple categories that let you replay what you actually want, whether its just the CG, an entire scene (which is further divided into more categories such as romance/lewd/story, etc.) or one of the cinematics.
• The atmospheres depicted throughout the scenes really add much more to the game and can make you feel an array of emotions.
• Relationship building & pacing is done quite well and lets you choose which characters you want to pursue/continue parts of the story with.
• Big variety of character designs w/ their own unique personalities

CONS:

• Yes, as many other people have said in the reviews, the MC does indeed look like an edgelord with the hair. However, you get used to it and it gets a little better later on.
• Bella's car is just downright ugly, does not fit the aesthetic of the game and looks a tad messy in my opinion. Ayua's car too, but you only see hers for a few seconds.
• Some scenes can be a tad bit cheesy, but they are few and far between.
• Con for SOME people: there are no sex scenes at the moment. However, these first few chapters are meant to be purely story building, so if you're here for a quick fap, this may not be the game for you (they warn you about this when you start the game)

Overall, this game is definitely a must play if what I've said above has piqued your interest. I don't play VNs like this often, but I'm glad I was able to find out about this gem and give it a try. Looking forward to the future of this game and I wish the best of luck to Oceanlab and hope they continue their great work.

5/5 from me.

This game has some great visuals.

I think story takes itself too seriously at times dialogue wise, that's why I'd take off a star.

The girls are super hot, and I know it says it's not sex focused it would still be nice to see a few more lewd scenes integrated into the game. It's pretty solid from top to bottom though.

Damn this game has some amazing renders, and the story is really creatively written, each of the girls brings something interesting to the table and it makes it hard to pick a favorite. Victoria is a bit odd though, she is just TOO nice, was she like this before she got hit by the car? .

Can't wait too see more, the creator of this game has some real talent.

P.S I am a simp for Bella, I just had to say it.

This game is mixed,

Good renders, and some interesting characters mixed in with some rather annoying ones. You'll be forced into a fair bit of content with certain character whether you like it or not.

The writing has undergone revamps and edits so the exact version I even remember vs what is available may or may not even be the same at this point.

This could have potential, but the glacial development means you might want to check backin 10+ years to get to the bottom of anything (0.5 of a chapter in 6months, so 1 per year, and I think I read this is planned to have over 20 chapters or something).

At first I wasn't sure that this VN was for me, it started kinda weird and I was on the point to drop it... BUT THANK GOD I DIDN'T. The music and the character development quickly hooked me up. Each character feels alive and huge thanks to the beautiful renders, their expressions feel so human that you can guess what they're feeling.

I know you're on this site for some sex scenes, but the story and linear character development makes you forget about your friend down there (though there are some nude scenes). This game made me do a whole 180° on a girl that I initially couldn't bear and that I came to absolutely love and ship with the main character (Yes I'm looking at you Bella). Every girl has insane renders, but Cheeto and Bella are my fav.


Overall please give this vn a shot, you won't regret it! (Did I say the renders are insane? )

Approximately twice a year you reservere a weekend all for yourself. You turn down all that important stuff you thought you should do or move it to an another day. You appologies to friends and relatives and says that you won't be available at this weekend. You prepare snacks and drinks, whatever you like. Then, you download the last SG update. You thanks Nami & Sasha for the blueball warning, then you play the game slowly from beginning to the end. You admire your favourite scenes and dialogues as well as you enjoy the new content. Of course, you play different playthroughs for Bella, Nami and Vici. And by the end of the weekend you get yourself reassured again that the SG is still the best VN you've ever played.

The animation is just beautiful and I like how the music mixes well with it

The models are just fantastic too, I really like the effort they've pit in

As for the story, the story is so good and entertaining
(Even though it doesn't have any sex scene and only a bunch of kisses)
But the story won't disappoint and will exceed ones expectations
Especially how almost each one has an interesting personalities and all that has happened so far makes sense in some realistic way

But of course everything has a bad side and all I can say about it in this game is...
How robotic the scenes are but it isn't so bad, but if it was a sex scene I would not like it to be so robotic and image like, maybe when there's a sex scene add a little motion that's allbut there's no sex scene.... So for now I will rate it on how it is in the present

Perphaps, strictly speaking story-wise, this is might just be the best game of the site. Yes, it has no sex scenes, we are painfully, PAINFULLY aware. Yes, the update between chapters are LEGENDARILY long and the supporters of the game have so much patience Buddha must have a statue of them to pray, but it's worth it. The game is worth it. The story and characters are rich, nuanced, and deep. They are charming and real, and don't just fall into one category. I can understand where they come from, and how they think. That's very rare for a game like this. Top 3 best games in here.

If only it had sex scenes XD

Not gonna lie, when I first saw the first images of the game, I avoided it because the Mc's hair looked ridiculous to me, and I judged this single little detail and decided not to play it.
After years, I finally decided to give it a go, and I'm glad I did.
Game is one of the few in its genre that makes me really interested in getting to know all the characters.
While Bella is my favorite for personal reasons, Ocean manages to make every girl likeable and attractive, not a single one of them resembles the other, not only on the looks but on personality as well.
Be warned that this is a slow burn kind of game, but It's totally worth it.

The story is excellent.
I really like the depth of character development especially with the MC.
The character models are excellent. So many different female characters and they all look great.
I love that there are no mini-puzzles or mini-games.

Interesting story with great potential. Much less X-rated material than most in this genre , really more PG, yet still a nice erotic romantic fantasy. Well written and animated including small things like emotional transitions in facial expressions in what in most other VNs are static shots. And much like Eternum it has a game within a game, albeit a largely kinetic one.
The team that's developing this is doing high quality work and I'm looking forward to any future efforts after they complete this one.

Disclaimer: Sorry if my english is bad. One of the best game i have ever played. Renders and cutscenes are good. The plot is excellent imo. Recommend if you want to enjoy the story. After all, we are here to feel, not to fap. And appreciate the dev for not making the MC tries to bang his landlady

The difference between ep1 and 4 is insane. Also the render and animation quality is so high that i fear that it will spoil me to much so iam pretty sure that this VN will be a masterpiece in no time . Looking forward for the remake in a few weeks. I really like the story building so far and iam curious where Ocean will lead us.

There is no way in hell i will ditch Bella for any other LI in my first playtrough. Team BELLA!

This game has a really nice graphics but a bit boring story. What is a biggest disappointment is the number of sex or naughty scenes. There is so few of the if some. It is really pitty because the graphics looks fantastic.

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.