Everlasting Summer... | Everlasting Summer

Everlasting Summer. If only this novel was indeed 'everlasting' - because I personally didn't want it to end. A surreal world, a dreamlike artstyle, a nostalgiac feel (even though I had never heard of a Pioneer Camp in my life before playing/reading this). For a free game, it delivers that of which paid games often don't even come close to. It hosts a small but fairly deep range of characters with strange plot twists and unconventional story lines (Miku's route ohgoodlord). Although at times I was screaming at the monitor, begging to make a decision, when the chance came around to choose where to go next, or who to talk to, it was, in the end, satisfying. If only I knew Russian and could play the flurry of user-made mods that we find in the workshop, instead staring at their titles like we're squinting at a resteraunt menu through the lens of a sniper rifle scope.

When I first picked up this game, I honestly didn't think much, and I had no idea what the plot was, where we were going, and who I was going to meet. Personally, for any visual novel and especially Everlasting Summer, I think this is the best way to experience it. Anyway, as the days rolled by, I fell in love with the game and it's characters, settling upon one of them and almost crying myself to sleep when it was over and all 13 endings were done and my scrapbook was more full than the bags of sugar you need to carry (Damn Olga). Not only is the art well done, the music is gorgeous - the visual novel definitely wouldn't be the same without it. Sometimes I just sit at the menu screen and listen to the beautiful music by Sergey Eybog and 'Between August and December' (after your many runs through the game, you'll feel relaxed and almost heartbroken at the menu screen, trust me). I'm almost certain that you and Semyon (who is surprisingly relatable) will enjoy your time at Camp Ñîâåíîê, and you will forge memories that will last with you for time to come!

TLDR=
PROS:
- interesting characters, although cliched (which was surprisingly refreshing)
- a really interesting story
- cynical humour
- melancholic russian stlye of writing
- free, duh
- atleast 25 hours of gameplay (including time rolled up in a ball and crying on the floor)
- nostalgiac feel
- great artwork and CG
- beautiful music, one of the greatest OST
- great translation to English (although previously not too good)

CONS:
- the sprites seem lackluster to me, but it doesn't derive from the experience very much
- a filler minigame
- it isn't 'everlasting' for goodness sake
- one of the routes seemed very jailbait to me
- a couple of the route climaxes seemed a bit anticlimactic (patched out with alternative routes from the workshop)

9/10, one of the best games I've ever played and will stick with me for years to come.˜˜˜˜˜˜˜ dle 10.6˜˜˜˜˜˜ ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜