I'll be the first to admit it - I'm a total sucker for a game that's got a lot of hype behind it, even if it's not exactly the best quality. I mean, I know I should know better, but there's just something about a game that's got everyone talking that makes me want to give it another shot. That's exactly what happened with this game. I remember the buzz, I saw it in the store, and I thought to myself, 'Hey, maybe I'll give it another go, even though I didn't get very far the first time around.'

And then... I finally beat the prologue. And the whole game, actually. But the thing is, the feelings I had about it didn't change. Instead of being unsure, I just knew that the game was... meh. It was like I'd seen the whole thing before, but without the excitement of discovery.

So, let's get into the good stuff. And by that, I mean the things that this game does well.

1. It looks really nice!

I mean, really nice. Even if the artwork can be a bit inconsistent at times. I'm talking about the usual stuff: the character designs, the environments... it's all pretty standard fare. But then there's the occasional weird one:

But the backgrounds? Always on point. My favorite is this one, the sauna:

2. The music is great.

Although, it doesn't really fit the atmosphere of the game. I mean, it's supposed to be a pioneer camp, but the music makes it feel more like a romantic, whimsical place, despite the rest of the setting.

Now, onto the not-so-good stuff. And let me tell you, there's a lot to talk about...

1. The text is incredibly boring.

This is a visual novel, essentially a book with illustrations and the option to choose the hero's actions. And if the illustrations are great, and it's fun to look at, the text is just impossible to read. The short sentences just keep coming, all saying basically the same thing (suffering and melancholy). Even when they're not, they're all structured the same way, with endless ellipses, and they're just so... bland. And the constant doubts and silly attempts to be philosophical or funny? It just doesn't work.

I could maybe forgive that if the story was engaging and interesting. But... it's not. I'll get into that in the next part, but for now, the second biggest problem is...

2. No real choice.

This is partly related to the story, but it's a bit off-topic. I think I might have idealized the genre, but I thought the choice would actually affect something other than who you end up with in the end. And that's it... (be warned, spoilers ahead).

Whether you agreed to argue or not, won the argument or not, but Alice is still going to try to make you look bad.

Whoever you go with, the same thing is going to happen in the dungeons.

And that's even if you ignore the fact that huge chunks of gameplay can pass without any choice and... attention... with huge chunks of boring text! No real difference in what you choose, even when that choice is available.

And... what's the point of playing, then? Searching for pretty endings?

And... attention! The idea is that you're supposed to play through the game multiple times to get special levels or storylines... But what's there to play through? Reading the same impossible text again and watching the same events for the second time? I'm not buying it. I don't get it.

Chasing after two rabbits... the mystical storyline is left unexplored.

This already relates to the storyline.

If this was just a romantic story about a camp and the girls there, it would all make sense. But... no! You guys? Need to wrap up the mystery at the end, which is completely illogical and came out of nowhere!

I'm talking about the scenes with the missing boy, the abandoned camp, and Semen's ending. Up until that point, everything was just everyday stuff, except maybe the setup and the constant desire of the protagonist to 'find answers!' What voice was that? What did they want? What happened, and how, and why, and from where... Nothing ever made sense. It would've been better not to introduce it if they weren't going to explain it.

The pictures don't match the actions.

This is already a bug not just for 'Infinite Summer' specifically, but for many visual novels in general. I thought I took more screenshots, but I'm afraid I'm going to fly right past them, but I guess I signed up correctly.

This is Semen hiding in the bushes, and the girls talking to each other:

This is Semen hiding in the bushes, and the girls talking to each other.And this is the girls sitting at a table with Semen:

And this is the girls sitting at a table with SemenAnd... it gets me down.

Disclaimer: I've gotta be real, it doesn't always work out this way, but it's definitely not as often as I'd like. Specifically, it's more like this:

I've gotta say, the more I played, the more I realized the game's flaws were more than just minor issues. Why bother with a story that's dull, poorly executed, and offers no real choices? Honestly, I tried to find something redeeming, but all I could find was some decent graphics and music. And let's be real, you can find those things separately.

I'm not gonna sugarcoat it – this game is a total waste of time. Don't be like me and waste your time too.

Don't make the same mistake I did.