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

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

The concept for this game is actually really good, but the writing is terrible. I don't mean grammar, that's fine. The reactions (or lack there of) to the accident, the sister acting crazy then getting mad at the MC for not understanding other people, the teacher's behavior after what happened, the character coming back to school two days after the accident and so many things that if formed properly might work. It feels like a Tommy Wiseau movie. Maybe if played deeper it gets cleaned up, but it feels so off I just cant. I will say I like the renders and I already said I like the concept. It looks like I might be in the minority. To be fair, having a concept that isnt a boy separated from his landlady and her daughters was exciting, but execution is everything.

Very deep storyline, love the fact you can make your MC chose to be the out right prick. I can't wait to see how this progresses. Over time I feel like this can be a masterpiece. At the end of the story when you decide to be there for the girl it is very touching and heart felt.

First of all I'd like to say that Summer's Gone has become my favorite VN game of all time. (I've played a hell of a lot VNs) Wonder why? Let's find out...

Oh boy, this is gonna be a long one... Where to start?

STORY

-Story is just amazing, followed with flawless dialogue which brings all characters to life. You can easily see the difference between every single character just by meeting them. They all have their own "mind" so to speak and are very unique. Overall story with MC being a "dead meat" who doesn't care for almost anything makes you connect with him in certain way where your decisions reflect his situation. You start to act and think like him. You become one with him. Overall, story is becoming more and more interesting with every new encounter. Your choices really have a huge impact on the story.

(Interesting story, well written dialogue, choices do impact overall story)

CHARACTERS

-Characters are designed flawlessly.
As mentioned previously, all characters are unique and respond differently, which is the main reason I like almost every one of them. Apart from their physical look, their mind is what makes them alive. You feel like you are speaking to a real person whenever you start a conversation with them. You decide how you want to approach and whether you want to start on a good note with them or not, which is a plus from me from the start. You can be a total bitch or you can be a "good" guy and approach more nicely. I don't think I have to waste my words on their appereance, right? Nah, I'm gonna do it. They look amazing. Renders are probably what most of the people look for when they see new VN game. I mean, you can go and see for yourselves. Ocean did fantastic work with their physical look. And their physical look perfectly reflects their mental one. I can't imagine them being any different.

(Perfect/well designed characters, both physical and mental, interesting backstories, flawless renders)

UPDATES AND GAME LENGHT

- As of now, Summer's Gone has only two chapters with the 3rd one coming soon. In both chapters there is a fair amount of content, quality content. Game is replayable and you can see a lot of different outcomes based on your choices. There are some cool cutscenes which is a nice touch to the game.

(Updates do take time but it's understandable considering Ocean is working on two games simultaneously)

Couple of words for Ocean.

I don't know if he'll ever read this review. In case he does, I'd like to say a couple of words about him and to him. This is my opinion, I don't care if you agree with me or not. I did send him a message on his discord (Beli ) server thinking that he'll not respond and he'll just ignore my message but no. He did answer and I was really suprised by that. That respond was a big plus for me because I like when devs don't mind to answer questions regarding games. (This was my first time messaging dev, honestly.) I'd like to clarify on thing tho, for those who like to ask questions about updates or something story related, no. I did not ask him any of it. Respect others if you want to be respected. Respect his work. He'll deliver when he is ready. Now a couple of words for this genius man. Keep up what you are doing. Don't ever think of quiting because you are amazing at what u are doing. Know that there are many of us who support you and will support you. Take care of yourself, especially these days, with this virus and shit. Your health is what's most important. I know that you are working on two games and people expect a lot from you. Wanna know why? It's simple, it's 'cause you are fu#ing good at what you are doing. Take it slow, one step a time. I know that you are never satisfied with your work and you always try to improve. And boy you do improve. With every new update there is something new and unexpected. Ocean, I can say things like; "Best game ever, amazing game, everything is perfect, love every part of it", but that wouldn't say anything to you really. Instead of that, I'm going to say this: Summer's Gone has a lot of positive reviews already (I can't describe you how happy this makes me feel) and I know that mine won't make any difference to you but I want you to know that this game is the only one I wrote a review for, and it will stay that way. Once again, stay safe, take care and keep up the good work!

Important: I am story type of a guy. I don't care if there are no any nude/xxx scenes. I'd be perfetly fine without them because I only care for a good STORY.

Note: I apologize for my grammar mistakes, wrote this on my android.

Wonderful story don't even feel like telling the game. Probably a good game should be taken as a story.
The developer has thought out a wonderful scenario that is logical and plausible, of course, with some assumptions, because it is a genre thing and it leaves its mark.

I enjoy this game very much.
Frankly speaking, this is not like an erotic game at all. So far, I have hardly felt the sexual urge in it.
But this can't let me deny it, it is really a good game novel.

Various scenes, character design, personality, expressions, actions, etc., can be seen that the producer is very careful.

Cons-
The only scene that makes me feel uncomfortable is when MC is stroking his own arm in bed and thinking about something...
What is this? This scene really makes me sick...Can the producer modify this scene?

I mean, the scene can be the MC looking at the window, or just staying in the room. There is no need to show the MC touching his arm... "even an animation".

The content of those ideas in MC will almost take you 2 or 3 minutes to read.
And when you are reading those words, the background is MC touching his arm and sweating...
I don’t know what situation this is going to express? Romantic? or creepy?
Anyway, I think this scene is really disg...

Very well made game. The characters are being developed very well, fleshed out slowly with lots of interesting characteristics. The dialog is very well written, and the story is quite intriguing. The renders are also very well done. Can't wait to see what's coming next!

Worth the play even with no sex just for the story and characters alone!

Rated on Chapter 2

I guess I will repeat many things already stated in the reviews, but there are far to many to read them all.
I really appreciate the dark character of the MC, even if it seems to the loss of a girl again. There are far more reasons to become rather pissed of the world and especially people but of course this one can be a big deal. The MC is not a dick driven "pleaser" and does not act like a trained puppy to get physical with every pair of boobs around. So slipping into this character feels very natural for me. I also like the fact that you can avoid further actions with the sister.

I really like the plot a lot and can see myself lost in a choice that may come in the future, even now. Guess it will break my heart or make me stop playing, cause I tend to take the consequences and refusal quite serious. I'm nearly living a good game and this is a good example for it.

I admire the developer for his skills and wish him all the best for the future. This game is definitely one of my favorites and I hope to see more of it.

The other known game of the developer, often mentioned here, I see things a bit different and I think this is not the place for it. So I hope to be focused on this piece of art.

For the graphics, there is no need for further rating. Like most of the other reviewers have stated, they are OUTSTANDING.
I must confess I haven't checked the music nor the Sound effects. Most of the other games implement just irritating noises, like it's important to hear slamming doors, roaring engines, slapping noises and so on. When there is music mostly on the main screen and there are only these few noises, I don't get what they're good for. Waking up the player, cause he might have nodded off? But I will enable them in this case to get an idea.

Voicing would be interesting, but things can go south with giving it the wrong tone. I'm rather sick of this japanoid squeaky voices, for they mostly give me the feeling off dripping honey in my ear and brain until I'm down in a sugar coma. But in the end, I can disable them if necessary.

This is an adventure I really enjoy and can't wait to see more of it.

THX so much!!!

If you like dark and tragic stories with an MC that is struggling with the darkness in his heart, caused by a missing girlfriend, this is the game for you.
Choices fuckin matter so you can either climb out of the grave or drag everyone down with you. While we haven't yet had to paid their price, actions will have consequences... I'm lovin it!
Cinematics and renders are just yummy.. at times I just spend an hour looking at the screen...
There are many LI, but I'll speak about the 3 that matter.
Nami is MC's roommate, she's the one fighting to keep him alive and pushes him to seek the light. she's the energetic redhead with a passion for superhero landing that every guy would want to be a pillow for. she crosses boundaries.
Victoria is the cutie with the sweetest smile and wicked boobies, that girl can cure cancer and cause diabetes. but due to certain events, she's struggling with her pwn problems, will she find support in MC or maybe you're the kind of sadistic bastard that flogs puppies?
and finally there's Bella, the ultimate love interest ever created, my penis started singing "despacito " as soon as she made her appearance. This review is not biased, but she's just perfect. she sports a killer's smile, a ponytail giving her + 10 to hotness and a hypnotysing ass that sways even in stills... her personality is just perfect a mix of viscious, kind, dangerous, sweet, damaged. basically she's the modern version of an eunuch test... if the player is an eunuch nothing shall arise. Despite their early conflict, she's the only one that could understand what the MC is going through, and together they would find healing in eachother's embrace.

TlR : choices matter, there are consequences, renders and animations are breathtaking( even before the remaster), finally we got a game with ponytails, and Bella is waifu nr 1.

the only downfall at the moment is that the MILFs are a minority, but each and every one makes it count.

Play it ASAP

I love Ocean's writing and plot construction skills from WIAB, so I expected a similar experience. And damn boy this game did not disappoint.

Feels like an actual piece of literature rather than the usual look and forget kind of works. Interesting characters with a good premise of a story. Then to add, you see the Ocean's growing experience of the mechanical side of things. Character models, renders are amazing. Quality is far superior to the average works. Short cinematic styled animations are mesmerizing.

Just like WIAB 0.6, you can see the level of the upgrade from SG's 0.2, everything seems to will only get better and better.

I must especially mention the number of funny lines this game has to offer. So many good jokes, funny interactions. Not afraid to touch and joke about some subjects which many do not risk bringing to their universe just because of a potential backlash. Praise for that. Quality lines made me laugh several times.

Amazing game, can't wait for more. I hope it gets more exposure.

I like the story so much, this is a clear example of why sex scenes all time are not needed and taking things slow are way better.
The characters are amazing and the renders 10/10.
And well, we got Victoria. What more could we want?

Version Played: Ch 3

TL;DR: Oceanlab is one of those creators that defines what quality is. I can feel the incredible passion put into the story, characters, and renders.

Time to Complete: 3 hours.

[5/5] Story: This game reminded me that there's always a story why behind why people are the way they are. Nobody is ever an ass for a reason. For some, they chose to inflict pain on others because they're in pain themselves, though they don't allow it to show. - I truly feel the pain of many of the characters.

[4.5/5] Renders: They're so incredibly close to flawless. The only issues I noted were "fake" facial lighting being too obvious in one indoors gym scene, and a character standing in front of the sun being weirdly lit.

[+10/10] Cinematics: This game, like others by the dev, has cinematics between some scenes. Although the animations are far from perfect, and the dev is learning by doing, they're still absolutely gorgeous and add to the game's quality immensely.

[+5/5] Music / SFX: "I've always been a dreamer." -- Holy fuck some of the music in this game is beautiful.

WOW. This story grabbed me and finished let go till i finished. Damn i wished the whole story was done. The portrayal of loss in the first chapter was spot on for someone withdrawn. although in chapter to the MC's loss is shifted to there characters. hope that it will be cleared up and or choices can clear it up, either way great job will be watching and supporting.

Also would love to have the option to include or exclusive sister as it seems to fit the story.

It's official. I am in LOVE with the aesthetic of your game. I don't mind a bit of waiting for sexual gratification. The MC is a dark and brooding and overall unpleasant individual but the mystery is intriguing. The girls in the game are down to earth with a bit of spicy drama mixed in.


I will most definitely be keeping my eye on this one!

I reviewed this game during chapter 2, so the accuracy of this review might change.

The overall story has been emotionally impactful so far. While the MC's trauma has not been elaborated on enough to become understandable or provoke enough empathy, the premise of a depressed person and a cheerful and newly-paralyzed person helping each other heal is heartwarming. However, do not expect much sexual content during this stage (as the game developer has pointed out.)

The likely love interests are interesting as characters, mainly due to their respective traumas, emotional baggage and depths. It is no exaggeration when I say that for these characters, I am happy to play this game without any sexual content.

My biggest complaint would be the slow speed for updating as it could turn away previously emotionally invested players. But for now, it is worth the wait.