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

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

Honestly this is a forgettable VN. I just can't give it any fewer than 3 stars. I realize that lots of time has gone into creating it.
PROS
Models are sexy
No grind
CONS
Story is so-so
MC is either weak or nuts. No development beyond that
Choices have little impact
Overall
As of this version, you only get a hint of what the back story is, but it holds a strong meaning in the present. Maybe that's where I lose interest in this VN. It's been almost a year since I first played this VN, and just happened on it again. So in my opinion, it's completely forgettable. It is a super slow burn. If this one ever gets an update, I'll give it another try. Unless I forget about it again.

This is an updated version of my old game review where I gave it five stars. That is no longer the case, as I cannot in good faith give this game five stars anymore. The direction the developer has taken the game in is the same as many others and will more than likely not reach it's intended conclusion.

With all that said, I'll breakdown how and why it's the way it is.

The Potential & It's Downfall (0/5)
Summer's Gone had the potential (at least for when it was first released) to easily be one of the best adult visual novels seen in a long time. The promise of a focus on a Slow-Burning story with ever evolving characters is a rare thing in this genre. However, the developer has been remastering the "First Season" for so long that any progress that could've been made has been thrown out the window. After all this time there is no new noteworthy content that drives the story forward. Literally the last changelog lists Grammar Fixes as a notable development. Pathetic.

The Story (4.5/5)
The protagonist suffering from a loss no words could describe, having to deal with that every day going forward has taken him to a point where he doesn't care about anything anymore. It's up to the others in his life to bring him back from the brink.

The Characters (4.5/5)
There is a plethora of hot attractive female love interests present in the game, this isn't a harem game, and therefore your choices ultimately determine which girl you have a future with.

Sex Scenes (0/5)
There are none. There's some teasing, lots of cleavage shots, and suggestive situations that have gone absolutely nowhere. This isn't usually a deciding factor in my thought process but even in a slow-burn game there should be something.

OVERALL RATING & SCORE: 1 out of 5 stars.

There's a lot of good, bad, and ugly things to say about the game but I think I covered most of what's here. If anything changes regarding the state of the game, so will my review.

If I had to define it in one word. Edgy.
This doesn't means that this game is good or bad, just.... too much at times.


Story is good but the dev takes it too far in certain scenes and it feels like a forced soap opera.
Renders are 10/10. Absolutely beautiful.
Most of the characters are in-between Ok and meh, but its still early in the game so I'm not sure.
Some of the girls are really nice and interesting.


Best Girl(s): Mila and Vic

The story of the game is really interesting, engaging and well written.

The MC is literally depressed and fits well into the story of the game, but it gets boring after a while. For example, when someone asks you how are you, you keep saying things like 'go away' or 'I'm bad' or 'leave me alone'. When someone shows interest in you, you throw them away. As I said, this situation works very well to some extent because you have recently lost someone you love very much, but after a while you say 'ok now we understand, you are depressed but enough is enough'.

As I said, the story of the game is really interesting and well written. The best part of the game is the story. Graphics are good enough,
The girls are pretty attractive but you know the thing, you are depressed and you don't take anybody into consideration.

I really like the game and look forward to the next updates.

[As of Ch. 3]

The Good:

- Girls are nice
- Very intriguing story
- Very Cool Animations


The Bad:
- Zero Lewd and Sex scenes (so far)


Conclusion:
A game with Huge Potential.
Since we are still early in the story, ain't gonna judge too much.
4/5.

The animations and scene transitions/cutscenes are awesome, dont change that please.

Story so far is interesting, with a dark backstory slowly coming to the surface. Cant wait to see the next chapter.

I really like how you are introducing the characters and getting me interested in them. It will make fap scenes more emotional when they are finally added.

I hope incest is a tag. The sister dynamic should be explored, perhaps negatively, no one does negative incest relationships, might be interesting and compounding to his woes if he loses the support of his sister for a time.

ui is plain/default... it even has the blank squares on the ends for avatar faces that isnt used. I dont know, it just seems like such a simple way to make your game/story stand out a little, by customizing the ui. I recommend making the text block smaller, so it takes less of the screen, in fact it should automatically be the smallest it can be, and dynamically resize to the text size.

I see multiple sizes and colors of characters, appreciate that. Havent seen anyone fat yet, so still room for improvement.

The humor is good, a bit childish, but not overbearing, so good.

thanks for sharing your hard work, I cant wait to see what you publish next.

Nami's so gorgeous love the story but lacking some emotions i think. But it was great development for all characs. Uhm don't know what to say so just keep up making great games im just here to support you and i lnow its hard to make a game but you're still making it because of passion and us who's waiting for your games and be horny hahahahah