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

This game elicits such a polarizing conflict within myself that it has forced me to write my first ever review on here. I've played a LOT of AVNs over the past several years varying between the most popular story-tellers, and the less popular purely-erotic AVNs. I wouldn't exactly call myself an expert critic, but I can confidently say I have a pretty good understanding of what a good AVN can offer. With that said, here's what I have to say about this one:

The Good

1. The renders are top-notch and rival (if not surpass) the renders of most highly praised AVNs.
2. I didn't start playing this game until Ch 5, so I'm completely unaware of the depth this game "lost" through the years that many other longtime fans have mentioned. With the most recent update being my first experience, I still believe this game's story stands as one of the top narratives I have witnessed. The dialogue is captivating in such a way that I never found myself clicking mindlessly through boring conversations. The characters seemed to be actually talking to each other rather than simply talking at each other which is a big problem I've seen in a lot of other AVNs.

The Bad

• There's MANY LIs, but there are only 2 (Bella and Nami) that you can really pursue at the moment. There are 2 others (Vic and Milla) that can you get a decent amount of dialogue and choices with, but they are greatly overshadowed by Bella and Nami. If you aren't into the bitchy but secretly affectionate type, or the quirky, practically-forbidden childhood friend type, then you will be sorely disappointed by this game.

The Ugly?

• While this one has been beat to death already, I feel it's very important to emphasize that when people say this is a slow burn, it is a SLOW burn. This aspect is something I can appreciate, but it definitely is not for everyone. The total lack of sex scenes is what steered me away from this game a long time ago, so I wasn't totally blindsided when I finally took a chance and played it. However, if you end up loving the other things this game has to offer, this part can make you question whether this game is worth keeping up with (especially when we consider the lengthy development time for this game).

All-in-all, if you're a sucker for top-tier renders and engaging dialogue, this game is an absolute masterpiece. That is, as long as you are willing to put up with waiting a LONG time for some lewd scenes or even the slightest romantic interaction with your favorite LI. I loved it, but I can see how it might not for everyone.

Nothing else in the AVN world quite compares to how Summer's Gone makes me feel. Is it perfect? No. No AVN is perfect, and Summer's Gone has its share of flaws, but they don't detract from the mood and atmosphere the story brings. Is this going to take an extremely long time to complete? Yes, it is. Very, very long. It could potentially be in the 10-15 year realm, possibly longer.

So why should you try it out? Once you give it a whirl and play through the content, you'll understand why SG has such a loyal following and why all the naysayers always return. If I could describe SG, it would be something like an ASMR AVN. When you're following the story and getting lost in the renders, and that perfect Vesky/The Intangible song hits, you'll understand what I mean. There's just no other AVN with as much potential as Summer's Gone.

Remember, if you end up loving SG and Ocean's work in general as much as I do, always try to show some support through Patreon, Steam, etc.

I loved the story and characters. The characters are well-developed and relatable, making the experience deeply engaging. The choices I made felt meaningful, impacting the direction of the story and character arcs. The art style and music perfectly complement the game, enhancing the overall experience. I'm eagerly awaiting the next update and can't wait to see where the developers take us next!

Great story, great renders, great characters and great game.
This is a masterpiece of a game, when you come for the porn and you stay for the story, you then know you are in for a treat. Even with no porn I kept playing it and never once got bored. Truly one of the best ever VNs.

Slow burn, excellent character development, can be funny times. The amount of paths that you can take to some of the love interests gives this game a nice replayable quality while you wait for updates.

Terrible rework. I just don’t recognize the game that I’ve been donating for several years. Everything has changed and not for the better. Yes, the quality of the renders is great, but everything else is an inflated bubble. The latest update is like a slap in the face. A lot of Bella’s fans have left .Soon, Sasha’s fans will understand that they are simply being milked while Ocean continues to drag out content with Sasha. At the time of writing this review, the number of patreons has dropped to 1303. With such decisions, the second season will be the last nail in the coffin.

The problem is neither the absence of lewd scenes nor the MC's impotence. If you are really depressed or traumatized, it's only natural. The problem is that this game fails in delivering the very things it promises to do: relationships and world building.
There are a billion LIs, but only two (Bella and Nami) are decently explored. You have two or three conversations with two or three other LIs (Mila, Victoria, Zara), and all the others are ??? N/A. Without taking into account that some of them are just pretty face, big boobs with no personality whatsoever.

This game has been reworked a thousand times and what was once an "interesting" MC has been watered down into something undistinguished. A lot of scenes have been cut. After 5 years I don't even know what the plot is nor where the game is going, except for the obvious overcoming the trauma and start living life again. 25 episodes planned? lol.

Yeah the renders are the best, but that's it. And the English is almost as bad as mine.

I went into this game with very high expectations and they were beat. The visuals are absolutley stunning from the renders to animations all great. I really loved the "cinematic" animations inbetween each update. The music choice was above average and very fitting for the game.

It is a very slow burn but is 100% worth it, the relationship building is incredible especially with Bella. I felt intrigued by the story throughout the whole game. The character designs are amazing as well a couple very unique looks and all with very in depth and interesting backstory.

All in all I give the game 5/5 it is exactly what it is trying to be and if people need fast lewds this is not the game for them but for people who want the story and emotional backround that builds into lewds this is one of the best games for it.

Wow, it´s like reading the first 30 pages of a below average novel, while glancing at a swimsuit calendar between pages.

The dev can make beautiful looking renders of girls in revealing clothes, I will give him that. That´s about it.

Perhaps Wattpad would be a better platform?

This game was amazing a few years ago... but with every update the dev goes back and ruins everything that was good about it… now it is just horrible. I wish I could play older versions of this game.

When this game just released it was really good. The dev probably was in some dark place and MC line had some depth to it. You believed that MC is depressed and needs help. But now it is just a dumb cheesy sitcom. There are no likeable characters in it at all.

• With every update each previous chapter becomes smaller, planer, with less choices and in general more boring.
• Your choices do not affect anything – whatever you do you will always end up on the same spot.
• Most dialogues do not make sense now. The dev treats you like you are an idiot all the time.
• There were a lot of likeable girls in this game... but now every one is very repulsive.
• If you follow the dev on patreon you will see that he is a horrible lazy person that treats everyone around him like shit.
• You have to wait for a year to get 1-2 hour of boring content... in that time the dev does things nobody cares about and neglects the plot.

There is really no reason to play this VN anymore. There're so many great games here... but you will have hard time to find them because pieces of shit like this are getting overhyped.

The balls on this guy. I have to ask myself...what kind of guy creates an adult game where the MC is asexual (and thus impotent)? He's basically giving the middle finger to everyone who plays the game and two middle fingers to those who pay him for such a ridiculous scenario. It's like developing a mine site for gold and you decide to bring a wet noodle for a tool instead of a pickaxe. The balls. The sheer arrogance.

The dev is a good writer, the quality of his renders are amazing and he creates smoking LIs. His talent, however, is sadly wasted on this project. Five years of development (or so I've read, the exact number hardly matters) and the game has barely passed the middle school level of content. When will it actually become an adult game...you know, with actual adult content? MC is still asexual (complete with wet noodle) and little progress seems to have been made despite all of the women throwing themselves at him (the women are using porn logic apparently, even though the rest of the game isn't).

One of the LIs practically humps his leg like a dog in heat while begging for sex. She'd do almost anything for a hard dick (including giving him a beating if that would somehow help). MC is so uninterested he won't even touch her to give her some relief...she'd have been better off humping a tree or fire hydrant by herself, at least she could've kept a bit of her dignity that way. Oh, but he's such a great guy the women all keep throwing themselves at him. LOL!

It's a big joke and the dev is laughing all the way to the bank. A big part of the problem is that most devs can only make money for these types of games via the Patreon route, and this business model is deeply flawed. This business model encourages devs to dangle carrots in front of people who have money for as long as possible. It's walking a fine line...keep them interested and engaged but don't give them everything they want and let them get too satisfied. Hopefully the market for adult games grows to the point it becomes mainstream on Steam and other platforms so we see less of this bullshit.

A deeper part of the problem is the generally widespread puritanical mindset that instills shame and fear of sex and intimacy. So, many developers and authors decide to minimize sex in order to maximize the potential fanbase. Few things are more natural and vital than sex yet it continues to be demonized. Even violence and killing seem to be more accepted in the mainstream than nudity and sex. Wake up people.

Anyway, TLDR, you can have all the talent in the world but if you don't produce adult content for an adult game you get 1 star by default. DNF/default/forfeit. We can only imagine what the dev could've actually produced with those five wasted years (but not wasted financially...with passively aggressively tweaking the noses of Patrons and leeches alike as an added bonus) if he actually spent them making an adult game.

If anyone wants to argue if the years were wasted I reply...where's the beef? Where's the content? What does he have to show for all of that hard work (other than money)? There's no substance, it's all smoke and mirrors. No steak, all sizzle (with a side of wet noodle). I'm sure, in another five years, it'll actually be an adult game. Right?

This game even did not try to hook players by cheap lewd content it could provide in many situations. Its hard to find one good point that sells this game to me. It just has this charm that even when I am not completly sure what I see it makes it seem interesting. I don't get why we call our roommate a cheeto.. but propably because I didn't put enaugh attention into this story. I would like to change how we name her. Just little thing I find annoying in this story. Besides that love interests are damn hot. If not hot like demi gods then like goddesses. I can hardly find a potential love interest that isn't attractive. By giving Mc impotance they really did him dirty but at least in this way it gave him and Us a reason why there can be deeper, not sexual connection between Mc and his love interests.
Of course Mc needs to behave like emo, but look like younger Henry Cavill. Its obvious why. Just look at him. No wonder why girls jump on him like horny kittens. At least some of them. The more interesting girls aren't easy to sleep with and this game have its way to show it.

As a VN this title is top notch. As an eroge/fap material. It has almost nothing to offer. Bunch of pretty girls and nice tits from time to time. Some kissing too.
So if you are after a fap material. This isn't the game for you... yet. It is just full of teasing and hot moments but nothing else but when Mc gets his dick back in working condition... hm.. hm... I can only guess that there will be a lot of action. Broken hearts and lewd animations. Can't wait for season 2 to see it happen.

Some of the best story telling you could find in a Visual Novel.

You find games with 5/5 renders and animations, some with 5/5 story telling and 5/5 characters. But it's very rare to find a game with 5/5 for all of those (characters might be 4.5/5 - but they all look great)

The story and emotional content between Bella and the MC is so far above any other game. It forms a true and real connection between the player and Bella. This type of connection you may find in another game where the MC only has one or two LI's, therefore solely focusing on that characters relationship building, however, to have such as deep character such as Bella in a multi LI VN is very rare.

There's something about this game that keeps me hooked from episode to episode, constantly wanting to see what happens next, and how the overall plot of 'summer' gets resolved or figured out.

Some weird parts in terms of the whole basketball team and a weird take on the college basketball / college sports system.

Overall, this game has me hooked for the storyline over the intimate moments (in the future) which even I'm surprised about.

Nice work Ocean!

*on a single play, and the choices I've made, might be possible to alter things but I tried to stick with MC's personality and go about things "his" way and this is what I've come down to.

I like to embody the character I'm playing and one of my first gripes come from "out of character choices" for the MC He's a very emo, broken, husk of a man. He gets thrusted into situations that otherwise he would have never been in. A good handful of choices are very out of character and force you to respond in a way thats just not concurrent with the MC's behavior patterns. Also just kind of forced to make choices a little too early that have more impact than I would initially have thought. Leads into the problems that makes me shy away from giving this a 5. The writing is pretty excellent, the renders are beautiful, the animations looked good. It's not a bad AVN dont get me wrong, just some critiques in general.

However, the second issue is the LI's in general. Theres Victoria, Nami and Bella, anyone else should immediately be written off because they feel like an after-thought in the story. Even Victoria at times feels like an after-thought. It's mostly between Nami and Bella. There isn't much experimenting or establishing dating/relationships, it kind of goads you into making early choices in a sense. Which granted, sucks because out of the three, they all have a pretty strong reason to go for but you should also be able to test the waters just a little bit to understand what each impact is going to be.

Victoria is the first person you meet who has a significant impact on the MC from that short meeting due to circumstances, she really needs the MC because of said circumstances and it just feels off to push her away.

Nami is the unfortunate third-wheel lifelong friend(?) that has been by MC's side the whole time and is clearly suffering. Theres a deep connection and clearly alot of unspoken things between the two but isn't really expressed out loud you have to piece it together. Also would say its the MOST FAIR choice. People will see Nami as possessive, or controlling but I understand the character archtype of "missing your opportunity and feeling cheated" and thats Nami in a nutshell, without spoiling too much, you find this out fairly quick if anything. Nami's pretty damaged herself.

Bella is the bully that just holds similar issues to the MC that ends up hogging alot of his time and turns out they have a very strong impact on one another, this again is another obvious choice because they're practically inseparable once meeting and are always pushing each other.


Other LI's just cant really hold a candle to those three, theres not much to work with, nor time spent with them that make any significant impact. Would have been nice to test the waters, date multiple people, connect with them, figure out what makes them tick and what kind of person they are before being thrusted into something. Wouldn't necessarily say it has to be a harem, but playing the field when single is totally normal.

Good story, will see where it goes next.

Currently replaying through the completed rework through Chapter 5. I've already played through the current content, but man this game is so good I'm playing it all over with the rework as if I hadn't played this before. Lots of characters are fleshed out, the MC has been given a proper backstory and given an opportunity to connect with for those with also troubled pasts who've had to work through things within themselves. Each girl in the story is amazingly beautiful and unique in their own way. This game will continue to push the limits of top of line renders, environmental settings, and overall graphical beauty.

Game is in my current top 3, and I really don't see that changing anytime soon. And no matter what playthrough you're going through, you get an amazing LI to focus towards; there's no shortage of great ladies. I love the connections to Ocean's other game Where It All Began, and I'll continue to follow both games closely. Game is a 5/5, 10/10 you name it.
Team Bella, Team Nami, Team Mila, Team Zara, Team Vic, TEAM ALL THE LADIES.

Highly recommend. Great Game Ocean!

Finished Summer's Gone with every path but Jesus Christ what a high quality shit show...hear me out:

Bella is best girl for me, reminds me of my ex and has every quality I love about a woman. She also has the most content obviously, which puts her a step above the rest, AND the intimate moments are far superior and emotional than the others in my opinion.

I actually think Nami is the weakest cause while she does care about you, it comes off as a bit too possessive for my taste (obviously due to her crush). To the point where she makes the player feel bad for wanting to date these other characters, almost like a pre established relationship WHICH I LOATHHHHE in games. Let me choose someone without feeling guilty for fuck sake, why do Devs do this shit...and the playful horniness is literally just me irl so I'd rather not be invested in a clone thank you very much.

Mila is alright but I think her biggest issue is the lack of confidence. Her intimate moments are VERY nice and yet...I just can't find myself connecting with her on any real level. Shit even Zara has a generally better appeal for me. She's just; a solid middle candidate.

Victoria is my second favorite, I do love me the cute types and I think her model is GORGEOUS. BUT during the intimate adult moments she strikes me as wildly kinky underneath it all just like her sister, or perhaps dominant, I like that a paradox...At first I thought she just felt like a more laced clingy version of Nami, but then I realized she just likes to speak her mind and not give a shit. Her biggest issue is not having ENOUGH content so I can't properly get to know her more.

I can look past the inconsistency between the Chapters due to the CONSTANT fucking reworks, and even the lack of Sex, but if I had to point out one major flaw in my eyes, it's Chapter 5 SPECIFICALLY.

I dunno WHAT the fuck the Dev is smoking but you can see my rant about it here and with further pointing out here. The Dev's tell on deep rooted issues is actually something I can relate to on a personal level which is nice, they at least wrote the topic well, not perfect but well. Anyways that's pretty much it, it's a good read, with some good characters, but it leaves a fuck ton to be desired.

You can do better, you clearly have the skill in every aspect, so DO better.

the best AVN that I ever played, the characters are compelling, the writing is better than most AVN's out there, and the renders are the best I have seen in at least until now.
With that being said, this game is not for everyone, there is little to none sex scenes (for me it's not a problem because I am not playing exclusively for these kinda of scenes) also the game have a very long production time (also is not a problem for me, I liked it and I am willing to wait as long as Ocean wants if he is going to release this game)

A fairly enjoyable VN.

The story is actually quite interesting (for a "porn game" ) It is a fairly stupid plot but the delivery is good enough to compensate for some of the absurdity.
The plot is a typical male teenage erotic fantasy, but that's to be expected.

This is definitely not the typical porn game, with less focus on pornographic content and more on erotic content, both written and visual. It's decent enough, though apparently the dev removed a bunch of "content" for the steam release, i've played both versions (the steam version and the uncut version availalble here on the forums) and i found most of the cuts and changes to be understandable and genuinely not really an issue. Some of the nudity removal felt a bit unnecessary though, but that's just me.

Only criticism i have is that there aren't that many dialogue choices, and a few of the dialogue choices felt a bit too obscure in terms of what they meant for the MC's character development. Not a big issue, but It's a bit annoying trying to decifer the meaning of a dialogue choice based purely on a single very vague word.

Speaking of the main character. BAD VIBES is basically his surname. I genuinely felt a bit unconfortable with some of the "jokes" and comments the main character makes - without player input - especially in the very first episode where he genuinely gives a psycho vibe.

TLDR. I really liked it... it's decent. Looking forward to the next season. Main character is a bit too edgy, but he grows out of it to some degree.

There is no REAL sexual content in all of season 1- buyer's beware.
This little tidbit of information is not given to you until you download 10+ gigs worth of data and run it for the first time.

It's very good, don't get me wrong, but I prefer to wait until the story has progressed/matured to the point of MC having meaningful sexual encounters rather than getting teased by pointless tits and asses for no reason.

I would suggest waiting for season 2 because right now it all just feels like an introduction to the characters.

You can expect adult topics rarely treated in this type of games like: Depression, anxiety, violence, bullying and lewd scenes, with a strong focus in the story and the characters, leaving aside the lewd scenes for when those are needed or senses good, you won´t feel forced almost any scene because the efforts the dev puts in making a natural and "realistic" AVN are notables.

What i find good:
- Slow building relationships.
- Original and intriguing characters.
- Natural and realistic environments.
- Interesting and mysterious story.
- Exceptional quality of renders and animations.
- Exceptional capture of the essence in each moment.
- Good representation of mental problems like depression, anxiety or panick attacks.

What i find bad:
- Some choices/actions feel forced by the plot, don´t letting you choose as freely as you would like (related to some characters relations or future events).