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

Summer's Gone [Ch. 5 Beta]

Pros:
Great Renders
Good Music

Cons:
Boring Story
Some Characters are really pointless and boring
The MC is unlikeable
Way Too Slow-burn
Lame Dialogues

Conclusion:
It's totally fine if people like this game, but to me this feels like one of these "great renders=5*" games.
The story is really not "great", drags at a milking pace, and just bores me to death.
You pretty much feel at a stand-still and don't advance in the story for the whole game, making it feel like a total waste of time.
If the pace keeps being the same, then I will bet that we will never see this game be completed.
The writing is just a chore to read and doesn't feel engaging at all.
There are some characters that I like, but most lack purpose and storytelling.
Others like the MC feel unlikeable and he comes off like a pussy, which is why it's so mind-boggling to me, why he is liked.
I have no problem that the game doesn't have sex, even though this is a Adult Porn Game Site XD.
But when you focus everything on the Story, then the Story better be good and engaging, which it is not.
From a presentation standpoint of the visuals and ambiance, this is truly a masterpiece.
But from a gameplay/story perspective, this feels like a huge waste of time.

I dont know what the developer is doing. The story aint that great that several chapters needed to be redone completely.

It looks very good now but the dialogues are a chore and the VN play out the same no matter what and is not engaging at all. We still dont know nothing about what happend to Summer and we are at chapter 5.

This VN still has no lewd content that contain sex and MC has no sexual urges... bruh its a adult game.

So no lewds, no story. Not as good as advertised.

Warning of blue balling is right lol

Ch.5 Beta

Story: 5/5
Render: 5/5
Gameplay:4/5 (Simple Story driven AVN)
Girls: 5/5 (Bella and Sasha HOLYYYYYYYYYYY amber also)
Potential: 10/5

it is story driven (which I like), blue balling I must say or maybe boring for some and maybe the build ups feels like no ups. yes it is not for everyone (esp if you want to fap), hell most AVN game i will only hold control key because the story does not engaging.

but this game, the story, the build up, the girls, the potential HOLYyyyyyy. Easily in my top 5.

I read some reviews about this game and its just pure hate lmao the dev stated that if you want lewd & fap you play the wrong game this game has none (for now maybe?).

Congrats on the game and good luck for the dev.
So season 1 wrapping soon right? cant wait for more!

Time of review Ch.5 Beta

Amazing game, i played hundred of Vn's over the years but this one stands out as my favourite right now. Quality over quantity

I love a lot about it, renders are stunning, models mesmerizing, the music is just captivating. I can empathize with the Mc , someone who struggles with life and we see weakness and vulnerability but also the silver lining on the horizon. The romantic love story with Bella is for me the best i have ever experienced in a Vn. By far! Don't know how Ocean managed, but it is really magical. Overall i felt a lot during my playthroughs and it really growed on me. I find it unfair to review it so low just for the lack of sex scenes, you get warned about it alot, the quality is obviously extremely high.So after years of lurking i decided to finally write a review and speak up.

If you got time, patience and love good stories with romance I strongly recommend the game. Oh and it also has Cinematics, i mean wow

Boring story, boring cast for the most part. Main character and some of the girls are cool but this is one of those games with a type, where every girl feels more or less the same and if that is not your type, well... Graphics are awesome. It has potential.

Incredible story, with complex and beautiful characters. Each character has a different personality and style. This is also one of the most stylized game with each character being amazing to look at.

There is no sex scene, but if you aren't a horny 15-year-old, you can appreciate the slow burn. The story had me hooked and at the end of this part, it left me with a hole in my heart like other great works of art I have read or played. This is going to be and is a 10/10 in my books.

I am definitely looking for it to be finished, and it will definitively be my favorite AVN.

Played the version with Ch 5 beta.

Incredible story, I love the fact that the game is focusing more on mental issues and the emotional side rather than just sex scenes on loop. And if you are able to relate with the emotional side of the game you will enjoy it a lot more I think.

A lot of work has been put in the characters you can feel it, whether it be physical appearance or personnality.

The events taking place in the story are pretty well made, nothing really stands out as odd or forced in my opinion (still a VN game though, remember).

In this way I found the cohesion between characters and events taking place really good. And I don't think it's easy to do that so good job.

I will advise you to pass on the game if you're looking for more action, because there's not a single sex scene in the 10 hours of story for now.

All around it was a great experience for me, I really enjoyed the emotional side of the game as it made me reflect on some similar things about myself, so thanks again for creating this gem.

Good luck with future development.

Amazing world and character building.

Bella is the Top1 AVN LI and all the girls are gorgeous and mostly unqiue. The connections to Wiab make everything feel even more alive.

This AVN has by far the best/most beautiful renders compred to all other AVN's. The Dev really invests a lot of time into producing very high quality.

The MC isnt the usual perv/moron and not spineless at all yet still flawed/troubled.

The amount of bad reviews because of impatient whiners having tantrums is unfortante even tho the avn is upfront about it.

OK lets try to unravel this one, oh boy.
First off, one of the best VNs on the site, no doubt there, top 5 easy.
Super detailed scenes, models are gorgeous, 11/10. Music is phenomenal.
In my opinion, too many side characters are being set up, i hope all of them get enough content to be worth the addition.
Story is a VERY slow burn, like nothing happens in like 200 slides, definitely not for people who just came to rub one out.
Updates are very inconsistent and far in between, probably because dev works on two games at once. Still has enourmous potential, wishing to see this get completed in a few years.

Insane...

It's insane because it has excellent models, because the narrative is captivating and moves many feelings, even though it doesn't have more graphic scenes yet, it's excellent to play this novel, I hope it continues like this without losing what has been achieved so far, and the only drawback is the wait for new content ... but it's really worth it - congratz

Great game, but...

This game has all the hallmark characters to be imo the best adult VN out there hands down. It has among other;

1. An interesting protagonist that is emotionally very shutoff to the point that its debilitating but the character does show change and growth with a lot of potential.
2. The characters look beautiful, sometimes you'd say they are too attractive, but its a game and its fantasy so its more than justified.
3. Animations are great and spice things up nicely, even the short movie scenes show a quality game that gets much attention from the developers.
4. Story is interesting, this ties into point 1 above. Its interesting simply to see how the MC interacts with everyone in the game, their stories and his and how it affects each party. Though the concept or setting is one that has been done before many times over.

There are other things I can add to the pros but I feel these are probably the critical ones for me. Now the cons, which are not many but are significant;

1. Probably the worst aspect of the game is its slow development, yes I am calling it out. Yes, we get quality over quantity true, but lets just look at this bigger picture. Are we expecting this game to go on for 10 years? The reason I ask is simply at how slow the game progresses. I am not talking about sexual content even, that which is there is still fine when it comes to sexual aspects. What is concerning is that the game has a lot that it can do, in terms of story and content. The issue is that either the devs rush the game towards the end and ruin what has a strong start or they end up dragging this game out while milking it for all its worth. (which from a business pov is not stupid, its just frustrating) and it loses its luster. I believe its getting to a point where things need a stronger and more deliberate direction. Some purpose to the MC.
2. I will level with you, trying to express myself above in point 1 is tricky and I am not doing myself any favours as I have explained it. Long story short, the game needs more frequent updates for the type of content we are getting. There is very little substance to any of this content, nothing driving any particular story or narrative to any significant conclusion or even sub story. The MC can help Bella and so far thats almost the only real thing only because it was mutually beneficial, that as a sub story or plot is good, but we still see little to anything on that really. That what is there is just extra "fluff" if you catch my meaning. Which is fine and very nice ONLY when you get regular updates and not half a year or more between half a chapter work and maybe 1 chapter a year if you lucky...added on top of that that there is no lewd either.

Again, great game but I have my concerns and I feel I have some argument to be made here, but its well worth the play, just maybe not well worth the time between updates. So don't wait for this one, it will take years at this pace to come to a completion and if they rush it it could lose great potential, but they need to drop more updates more regularly.

Absolutely phenomenal.

Some of the negative reviews on here are absurd. Some of you are calling the main character weak, or calling him too aggressive, or too much of an asshole, or too much of a pussy. What do you think trauma does? This is a game for adults, and if you can't handle an emotionally complicated game that is based on story not Magical Big Dick SyndromeTM then maybe you should fuck off someplace else.

For those of us who can enjoy a story-driven narrative, this is a gem. More than that, this is an example of what happens when you take a genre like AVNs and elevate them to stories. The characters pop with personality. The main character is damaged and broken. There is uncertainty, there is pain. There is CONFLICT. So many of these games are essentially fantasies where the MC gets a free ride to explore as many of his desires as possible. That makes for a wonderful fap experience. But those make shitty stories.

Summer's Gone is agonizing in a different way. I started this game assuming I would hate Bella and love the Cheeto. But the worst case scenario happend - I loved BOTH. Bella is by far the best love interest in this genre. I was angry, then conflicted, then confused but excited, then sad, then intrigued, then flat out in love. If Bella walked up to me in real life it would fuck my life up, like wreck my existence because of what I would do for her. And the story isn't over, so there is more to experience.

Ocean, dude, bravo. Keep fighting the brave fight for story over instant gratification, for quality over quantity. You're making something special here. Lean into it, follow your instincts.

And for God's sake, let us end up with Bella.

UPDATE: I played through the final Season 1 version. It's somehow even better. It was like I had never played it, all of those emotions just rushing back and tearing through me. Fell in love with Bella all over again. Did another playthrough to finally show Nami love. And now, sitting here, knowing that Season 2 starts SOON but not NOW... brutal.

I bought it on Steam. I've never done that for an AVN. If you liked this game, support it. Few deserve it. This one does.

Cheers Ocean. Oh, and still let us end up with Bella.

The best I've played in this kind of games.... Nice story, well characterized characters, nice dialogues, good music and excellent renders. Also the connection it has with WIAB makes it even more engaging.
(deepL)

Typical protagonist is a frothing weeping cunt of a man but all vagina bearers everywhere love him anyway affair . The story is going for trauma but accidentally shows a loser's wet dream of what a loser male life should be instead so "deliberately" unlikable, misunderstood, doesn't care, oh so smarter than anyone else, no redeeming qualities, is a constant prick but loads of female attention and popular anyway. If the character in a story is a douche canoe then the world needs to react accordingly or he needs to hide it.

The guy Nika in this is unpleasant and socially inept which in a game with a focus on relationships is yeah . He is pretty childish in how he handles stuff, as a minor example there's one part in a gym where his sis invites her friend. He makes it clear he doesn't want her there and that she annoys him. She becomes so uncomfortable she just wants to leave. This is in a public space to someone that is only there because of a family member's invitation. Why is a man been a dick over something this innocuous? It's like playing a teenage girl, he's emotional shit is everyone elses problem.

The other characters are a lot more nuanced and cover a spectrum of personalities. I suspect they are the only reason people stick with this. One is kind off a psycho bitch but is at least socially capable, motivated, likes cars and treats her friends well can Nika take fucking notes please. Another is super competitive and is aiming to be an athlete her and Nika have a competitive relationship which I actually wish I'd seen more off Zara is great. Another is a very nice sociable person that got in an accident she's essentially ray of sunshine the person. The sister is a giant perv that likes rolls and is quirky. There's a dude which is that always at the gym friend we all have he's looking like someone that'll form a strong friendship with Nika. The stepmom is a compassionate hard working woman that is a saint for putting up with the two lunatics in her home. You get the point they all got their own thing going on personality and plot wise. The games woman and the male friends are mostly good. All actually feel like people. The game lacks any real antagonists so far.

The actual plot is a kinda a weird one. Essentially not much actually happens. Nika and his sister go college and meet friends and this is a trigger for the protag to oh so glacially begin shedding his cunt level, most of what occurs is relationship building.. I will actually give the game the benefit of the doubt here as the story is slow burn and at the end it feels everything is getting to the point to kick off. But what is there right now feels very much like a foundation for the actual plot to happen. The protags issues are left to do the lifting if you've read this far you know how well I feel that worked.

There's no fucking but it'll apparently be added by episode 7. The women are hot but at the moment there's no sex, dick or pussies you see kissing and the odd pair of tits. Not much to say really as the lewd part isn't added yet. I didn't feel it held the story back because the fact Nika is incapable of sex is brought up and addressed. Also one of the few moments I felt sorry for Nika because he wants to be normal in that department but cannot. He also doesn't make anyone else feel like shit over it, he handles it. If you're here for lewds I'd check back when it says 7 to see how it pans out because it's not there atm.

Visually and musically this is close to the best that can currently be done with Ren'py and Daz. The game has numerous scenes that look great and there are animations that are clearly designed to look good. I cannot think of a single moment where I looked at something and went it looks bad. Music is good probably the 2nd best game on this site music wise the music often matches and supports the scene. There's one particular moment where the song called save myself plays that is just beautifully done and is a step above what you usually see in something like this.

I really wanted to like this but the bad protagonist overshadowed everything. I kept pushing through this thinking it must get better to be so popular but it never did for me. I would say it's worth trying as he may not aggravate others as much as me and there is a lot done well here outside Nika but for me Summer's Gone is like a painting of a shit. It may be a great painting with incredible work and background but when the foundation is a shit it doesn't matter. Any story lives or dies with it's lead and you play what is essentially a loser he belongs in an NTR game as a cuck.

Summer's Gone is a testament to how far stunning visuals can carry a project.
It possesses middle school tier 2edgy4u writing with an unsympathetic main character. I understand it was the intention to portray the main character as "damaged" but they only thing that's accomplished is in creating, for lack of a better term, a real cunt. I simply don't see any reason at all any character in this game would want to tolerate him for any length of time, let alone pursue anything romantic with him.
The project suffers from dreadful pacing. Summer's Gone is not updated frequently. Unfortunately some of these precious few updates have been squandered on laboriously long basketball sequences with a meaningless table top game segment added. At the time of writing we cannot discern what the main plot to this game is, nor have we been given an especially strong understanding of the game's world.
Summer's Gone commits the cardinal sin of the nonstop introduction of new characters. From a mechanical stand point, each character in a novel is a tool to accomplish a specific function (highlighting character traits, reinforcing story themes). They should not be introduced because you got an idea for an attractive new model. Each new character cannabalizes limited screen time for the truly important main characters to receive development. Combined with the length of time between each update, one would need notes on each character to simply remember who they are and sadly enough each entry would be incredibly sparse.
It's a Dean's List D-

Another game that I only tried due to the ratings, and once again I find myself wondering what it is that people see here that is worthy of 5 stars.

The MC is plain horrible - like, not in a Raptus or Euphoria way, where they are meant to be unlikable sociopaths. No, the MC is just a whiny horrible person and you'll spend every minute of this story hoping for an option to throw him into the train tracks.

There is no sex -or at least there wasn't any before I dropped it-, which is weird, what with it being a lewd game. Nevertheless, no sex wouldn't matter if the story was good, but it isn't: remember that bottom-tier MC we talked about? For whatever reason every single girl out there wants to fuck him, instead of the more natural response, which would be to punch his face.

I'm giving it an extra star because the renders have good quality, even if half of the characters look the same.

In any way, if you're looking for a good story, a relatable or likable MC, or good lewd content, this novel isn't the place.

A novel about a melancholic asshole whose dick doesn't work and is a cunt to every one for no apparent reason(his "trauma" is never revealed), this is the first MC where I want to punch his face, this dude is unbearable but that doesn't stop the supermodels from fawning all over him.

The only saving grace of this novel are the renders.

This is not a slow-burn story, it is a no-burn story.

Apart from fancy renders, that are also breaking immersion, because each of the females in the game is some super model with permanent makeup and instagram style image filters.

The MC is an emo impotent guy, who for some reason has a demonic charm and all of the 20+ females want to have a go with him, but cannot because he is impotent ofcourse.

The story flow makes little sense in general, and while there are some ok parts, it does not save the overall situation.

I am not even sure what this game is doing in F95.

Perhaps this was very good once but as someone new I feel like that is not true now. It's quality workmanship applied in a misguided way. The game is slowly collapsing under a mixed identity, slow build up with little happening and a truly awful MC.

Positives

- MC & Bella- One of the few relationships on here that feel there is real chemistry. Chemistry that works because both people are broken. Whatever else I think I will give the dev immense respect for this because that is not an easy thing to pull off. It is one of the best dynamics on this site. It feels like there is a real spark there. Biggest problem is Bella is fun loving MC is not, as of right now that limits this dynamic. Seriously it's good, worth playing the game just for it. I expected to hate this route but it ended up been brilliantly done.

- Characters- Game has very good characters. Actually it's simply full of characters that are either likable, memorable or both. All also have their own interests and relationships outside MC which goes a long way to making them feel believable and builds the characters. They have unrealistic proportions in some cases (Mila) but mostly the women look hot. Also Mila's ass justifies them proportions, fuck realism in that case. Mega booty for life.

- Renders- I mean you can see for yourself it's high level. Same for animations. There is a real attempt to make the visual part of the VN pop and have scenes be visually striking. Once again massive respect for the work put in there.

Negatives

- Language. I'm not a native speaker but have lived in UK and US most of my life. Wormy, bibi in English make the character sound infantile and they pop up again and again, wormy also just sounds unflattering and gross that's how you describe a crawling crack addict not a dick. This is not how English speaking adults talk and those words do not work in that language it pulls you out again and again. What was wrong with dick, lil you, sausage, cock, dong and honey, babe etc? That really needs to be stopped.

- The MC (sorry this one is so long). Oh boy the games biggest problem. The two ton albatross dragging everything down. He believes he's some sort of string puller. When his plans as examples boil down to rob place, be violent and don't tell sister to have some sort of leverage on guy that wants to bang her...motherfucker have you not heard of an after school fight? These aren't genius he's utterly fucking retarded. He treats people like shit, isn't fun, is petty, immature and isn't insightful, funny, intelligent, kind nothing to make up for it. There's nothing there, he is an angry void to play. It's not interesting.

I'd give that a pass in your typical AVN where the "landlady" goes mad for guy that looks like a cracked out gollum and has the personality of A4 paper. We know what's up there. It doesn't fly or work in something more serious though. It feels like he wondered in from a different game. Oh as a bonus he's a teenager in a AVN that's more impotent than a 99 year old paraplegic.....fucking Yay!

Why do I want to play as this guy? He's awful.

- No Fucking. So there's no sex, to serve the story and build up. Except it crossed the line and stopped doing that already. There's 3 chars Mila, Victoria and Bella that are at the stage fingers, hands and oral at the least make sense. The dynamic is already at that stage. The fact these dynamics stopped progressing is holding the story back not enhancing it. This is without mentioning sex doesn't stop building a story or dynamics. You can well and truly eat the cake and fuck it in that regard. It's absence is really strange and brings issues. There was no reason both build up and sex can't coexist in a story.

The reason seems to be so the MC can wallow and suffer more. Which well do we not have enough of his bullshit to deal with without him been romantically and sexually incompetent as well?

- Identity Is Mainstream. If an AVN doesn't contain porn then it's competing with my time with other non pornographic stuff. It really is that simple and unavoidable. SG with sex scenes would blow 99% of AVNs on this site out of the water even with it's issues. It doesn't as easily compete with more mainstream books and VNs and that's a problem because it's closer to them than most stuff on Patreon or here. There's a reason something of this quality isn't on the front page even on a pirate site where it's free. It's a mainstream product and judged by that standard it simply does not stand out.

Conclusion

There's a good idea here. A broken dude crawling his way back from nothing and establishing himself, establishing relationships, making a future, revealing his past and the mystery and trauma from it. But the broken part has been allowed to go on FAAARRRR too long. It's the kinda thing an editor would drastically cut down for good reason. There is a point where build up becomes filler and this game smashed that point and just kept going.


TLDR Game with a great idea and visuals but has allowed it's story and chars to fester in a emodump.