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

[Frowster]

Either your math skills suck or the game got serious plot holes, if he was 12 and it happened 5 years ago, he would be in high school, not collage and no bar in the US will serve him alcohol even at 18(which happened in the game).

This - and some other things, like getting detention in college - is explained by option #3:

Forget the old WiAB.
Nothing in there has any relevance for the future.

The games now play in a fictional world. (No US or Europe). I want to be able to make my own rules, but I adopted traits of the US and Europe.

The post mentions another game, but it's set in the same universe as SG so it applies here as well.

Admittedly, the game doesn't make it clear that this is a fictional universe, what with references to real-world places like Iran, the New York plates on Bella's car or Nadia asking Sonya this:

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...which I've pointed out earlier in the thread.

As for the MC... you're not alone in thinking that he's too hung up on Summer. For example, look what this lovely person says:

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But it doesn't work like that. Anyone can suffer from depression, but some are more susceptible to it than others and people handle it differently. The MC is quite the loner and an introvert, more prone to isolation, dwelling on the past, self-damning thoughts and circular patterns of dark, brooding introspection which all lead to more sadness and a sense of guilt and failure. He's tried to break out of this vicious circle, he is ready and willing to move on, but his problems are so deep-rooted that his subconscious actively sabotages the attempts he makes:

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I suggest you keep playing and you'll see that there is much more to him than just a whiny kid. He displays strength of character, empathy, is sharp and observant (and a jerk at times) and he gradually finds other things to think and care about, even though the cloud of Summer's disapperance continues to hang over him.

Chapter 5 will likely provide crucial information on what went down at the cabin that fateful night.

 

[yossa999]

Valentine is 27, and according to what the game hints, he got several of his friends killed in from of him, and his best friend actions led to the love of his life getting killed in front of him(the woman that talks to him in his "dreams/thoughts") and in his childhood he witnessed Vi(The "little sister") attacked in front of him(How she got her scares) and he somehow feels responsible for it. All that before he turned 23 if I remember correctly. So yeah, the MC in Unbroken had it a little(just a little) worse and yet he is not acting like a total pathetic looser who can't get a boner without thinking about his childhood crush.

I've replayed it a million times since the beginning, and the exact timing is still confusing in my head. Perhaps this is because the first chapter was reworked and some small details were changed in the backstory, but it does not matter. I believe the MC is around 18-20 years old when the game starts and the incident with Summer happened six years before. So it's safe to assume that he was 12-14 years old when incident with his girlfriend happened. Yes, you're comparing an inexperienced schoolboy to a young adult who has gone through the military service. Yet Valentine spent a lot of time drowning his grief and pain in alcohol and one-night stands, before he found his new self.

Another point. Either you didn't play the game until at least chapter 3, or you didn't notice that he told Amber that Summer is someone he loved more than his own life. She's a bit more that just "his childhood crush". He described himself as a weird kid, never laughing, stone cold, always trapped in his thoughts. Summer certainly had a huge meaning in his life, which is why he reacted so sharply to her loss.

Back to the present time in the game. The MC finally realized that he was broken and that he needed to overcome his fears and insecurities. He starts pushing himself towards healing, making great progress in less than a week, he doesn't hesitate to accept help from Nami and Amber and even Bella, everything he has is aimed towards achieving his goal. Everyone around admits that he has changed for the better. Sometimes he acts like an inexperienced young idiot, I think it's because he's inexperienced and young But in general, there is nothing of a loser about him. He is a strong and determined person, who had a very powerful knockout but he managed to pull himself together and get up before ten.

And you're not the first person who's calling him edgelord or something, fortunately you can read MC's own answer: "There were.. quite a few girls that pursued me.. I think they found me edgy or some shit like that.. I think it was the fact that I didn't give a fuck." He is not playing an edgelord he's just the way he is.

 

[Kassandara]

Admittedly, the game doesn't make it clear that this is a fictional universe, what with references to real-world places like Iran, the New York plates on Bella's car or Nadia asking Sonya this:

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I think Ocean made the decision to make "own universe" for his games after these references to states were in the game, so I think they'll get removed by the time season 1 is finished. Don't quote me on that tho

 

[Chuck_Bass]

Another point. Either you didn't play the game until at least chapter 3, or you didn't notice that he told Amber that Summer is someone he loved more than his own life. She's a bit more that just "his childhood crush". He described himself as a weird kid, never laughing, stone cold, always trapped in his thoughts. Summer certainly had a huge meaning in his life, which is why he reacted so sharply to her loss.

WTF a 14-year-old boy would know about loving somebody more than his own life??? Like they shared a bed for 2 decades.
You understand how ridiculous that sounds?
To me he sounds like a pussy whipped simp for the first girl that kissed him and touched him in his naughty place, who is so heartbroken he can't get an erection anymore.

 

[Paradigms]

If you don't like MC, then just don't play for him. What is the problem?
If all the MC were like you want, then all the games would be twins

And probably awful game

 

[yossa999]

WTF a 14-year-old boy would know about loving somebody more than his own life??? Like they shared a bed for 2 decades.
You understand how ridiculous that sounds?

There is nothing ridiculous about it, yes, they barely know how to kiss, but their feelings are so strong, and the brain is so plastic that the traumatic event will be imprinted for life. Have you ever wondered why teenagers are so prone to self-destructive behavior for even minor reasons?

To me he sounds like a pussy whipped simp for the first girl that kissed him and touched him in his naughty place, who is so heartbroken he can't get an erection anymore.

Why're you so fixed on this erection issue? Man, it can happen to even the best of us, stress is a bitch for a good boner. Manage stress and you can raise a Jolly Roger on him.
Anyway, I can relate to your resentment of MC's behavior. Many times in the Hillside thread I've been lashed out at for not accepting Charlie's behavior. It just didn’t fit in my head how a person, even traumatized, can be so irrational and stupid. But she's not stupid, she's just in fear, which is so strong that it almost turns into a panic. And panic is the cause of irrational behavior.
This is because the writers are trying to make their character a human, not some superhero. And humans can be irrational and self-destructive sometimes, they just can't deal with their fears and uncertainies at the moment. Important thing for me is that MC can overcome his fears and become a stronger person when he was.

 

[Rintal]

WTF a 14-year-old boy would know about loving somebody more than his own life??? Like they shared a bed for 2 decades.
You understand how ridiculous that sounds?
To me he sounds like a pussy whipped simp for the first girl that kissed him and touched him in his naughty place, who is so heartbroken he can't get an erection anymore.

True. The game would be an interesting drama if the characters were adults, mature people. But when you realize that the story is about young children, the whole tragedy crumbles and all that remains is a solid comedy about an immature wannabe nihilist who decides that his life is over after losing his first, childhood love.

 

[Fortuna ღ]

Oh, I understand trauma and mental issues better than most, having an alcoholic parent and serving in the military will fuck with your head.
5 years of depression because of your high school sweetheart, like the MC, is just pathetic.

Everyone's different. Who gave you the right to determine what's traumatizing from what's not? Furthermore, who gave you the authority to dictate how people should cope with their traumas? Lol, what? Mental health is a serious thing peopleღ

 

[Frowster]

Looking back at my own childhood crushes, I can see how shallow and volatile they all were. I also remember that if you asked me about it at the time, I would passionately argue that what I'm feeling is true love, lash out at any suggestion that it's just infatuation that will pass and feel down for days whenever I felt something went wrong.
Totally different from my current love for Nami how I would handle such feelings today.

From our perspective, the MC's relationship with Summer might seem like a pleasant distraction, a fling. To him, it was the real deal, especially since she was the first person he had built such a connection with. Given enough time, it either would have lasted and matured or it would have fizzled out and died with a pathetic whimper.
But neither of those things happened - instead, the relationship was abruptly cut short in a way that's still shrouded in mystery.

Remember, at this point it's the uncertainty over what happened to her and the lack of closure that torment him. He's not expecting to see her again. He is open to seeing other girls but is still determined to get to the bottom of what happened to Summer so that he can really close that chapter of his life and leave it behind.

 

[TypicalTrashBag]

Is it too hard to take mc "issues" as character flaws/traits or to just follow through the story as it is being said ? JFC why do everything need to be hyper realistic ? Just play and enjoy the game. If some aspect/character in game is making you not enjoy the game then don't play it lol

 

[CrazyRabbit]

make some sex scenes (or some hot scenes like the foursome making out) and this game will have 11000 pages too...

 

[Old Man Al]

make some sex scenes (or some hot scenes like the foursome making out) and this game will have 11000 pages too...

No, sir excuse me. But we like to stay

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[TERES]

Sorry guys, but does anyone know when 4.5 Full comes out?

 

[Chuck_Bass]

Mental health is a serious thing peopleღ

That was exactly my point with all this.
While the MC cries about some little cut on his finger, people with real trauma(like loosing an arm for example) deal with it better and see thing proportionally.
It's not being depressed, it's called being spoiled and entitled.

 

[Fortuna ღ]

That was exactly my point with all this.
While the MC cries about some little cut on his finger, people with real trauma(like loosing an arm for example) deal with it better and see thing proportionally.
It's not being depressed, it's called being spoiled and entitled.

So... your expectation is for everyone to act the same? And if they don't react according to your standard, something's wrong with them? Huh???

Edit: We all have different levels of mental fortitude, darlingღ

 

[Chuck_Bass]

So... your expectation is for everyone to act the same? To process things the same way?

Nope, I was just talking about looking at things and reacting to things with proportion and not being a pro victim.

 

[Fortuna ღ]

That was exactly my point with all this.
While the MC cries about some little cut on his finger, people with real trauma(like loosing an arm for example) deal with it better and see thing proportionally.
It's not being depressed, it's called being spoiled and entitled.

MC witnessed his girlfriend being ripped away from him, never to be seen again, in a horrific incident(one that required him to be rushed to the hospital). Something like that would traumatize grown adults, let alone a child.

 

[JamesM81]

Nope, I was just talking about looking at things and reacting to things with proportion and not being a pro victim.

Goddamn you went hard on the MC huh? Honestly I think that other than his default name, which is a vomit inducing aberration that makes me wanna rip my eyes out whenever I read it here, the MC is pretty dope. Dude is a soldier powering through. If that were me I would have pulled the plug way before I got to college age. Either he secretly enjoys the suffering or he is a resilient sob. Either way props to him. He pulled through and now gets to bang dozens of hot women falling at his feet.

Edit: This might not be the game for you though. Playing through a game where you hate the MC is really, really hard imo.

 

[PastyCake]

What was in those rolls?

 

[KekWGgWP]

Nope, I was just talking about looking at things and reacting to things with proportion and not being a pro victim.

Humans are different in every way, we are not the same especially if we talk about the mental state and this can change with time.
Some of us are tougher and some of us are weaker when comes to this things.

Therefore, you can't decide what kind of traumas can affect someone and how much, just because you don't consider losing your loved ones as not a being deal it doesn't mean this wouldn't affect someone else, someone who is more weak willed for example.

Maybe MC has a sensible mental resistance and he can be prone to traumas much more than others, keep in mind that MC is an orphan also which can play a factor for his mental state, there can be other factors too that plays a role like bullying and other unfortunate events that could have happened during his childhood.

You don't have to like MC and you are not forced to feel related to him if you can't, you just have to keep in mind some things before criticizing the character.
You can also not play the game if you are so bothered by the MC, maybe it's just not a game for you.