Everlasting Summer

Trust me, I've played enough of the computer version of this game to know that it's an amazing told story with a fantastic concept. The characters are fun and funny, the person you grow and shape is fun to watch evolve and the writing and art are a dream...but then that's the computer game that is still getting updates and patches. The app is...a lot of work. It's hard to say that something as amazing as this story seems so broken here. The saving process, while easy on a computer, was clearly not changed or formated well for a phone. The buttons are tiny and I end up just progressing dialog more often than hitting the buttons I want. Meanwhile, while the computer version of the game is updated to translate many non-English words for the sake of English readers, it shows in this game that they may have used an older version to create the app. And this can range from the comical use of Russian language words to whole paragraphs made unreadable to Englisch speakers, like myself, then return back into English. My other complaint about this version of the game is the lack of a way to connect to a donation page. If you didn't know, the creator of this game is already moving on to create his second game (unrelated to this one). That could mean that the game here and on Steam may not get that much attention, but he is asking for donations to help fund the project. Whatever updates are made in this game, it might be a good idea to add a banner somewhere that go's to a donation page or a place to send money. Heck, if I had to pay to finish parts of stories or to get music in the games jukebox, I'd be fine because I know it's all going to something (and somebody) amazing.

A favorite streamer of mine started playing this. It had interesting art, I'm a big fan of narratives in video-games, what can go wrong? So I stopped watching the stream, downloaded the game (for free, a lot of charity points earned there) and started exploring. There's a lot to be disappointed at here. An imperfect translation is one element that goes wrong and makes the game look more amateurish than it really is, initial playthroughs also brought an element of frustration as to clarity in the choices. Maybe I want to romance one girl, I end up with another that I didn't want because I have no clue how to navigate the choices. A lot of the good endings, the really satisfying ones, will take a guide, luck, or a fair deal of trial or error. But I've noticed the weird cultural mis-steps less and less, and I've become more and more impressed with the game's branching paths. As you start to replay the game, lack of navigational clarity actually becomes a source of excitement. I've actively pursued one girl to obtain a completely surprise ending more about postmodern philosophy than romance. And while initial playthroughs may resemble a romantic comedy, later playthroughs, dealing with the mechanics of the protagonist's problems, resemble more serious efforts at existential theme. This game has over 12 endings, and ironically, the more endings you see, far from pulling you in different directions, the game looks like a more cohesive, riveting whole. Expect good characters, but better plot twists and mental manipulation.

Pathos & Ethos. Heart wrenching and immersive. Some of the Character Design & Setting initially put me off months ago. Now after download its all endearing. Its Basically an away at Camp Story that touches Harem Comedy. The writing is slow paced but you can scan read. The GUI aint perfect. Bough soundtrack after, may pick up Guitar after this... This stays with you, repeat to get good ending(s). U can tell the artists had complete creative license. These characters will stick w/ you, strongly for a long time after. You ought to be able to donate...