Summer Lesson: Miyamoto Hikari Reviews
The only thing that makes Summer Lesson worthwhile is that first-time playthrough. The gorgeous setting and the fact that Hikari herself is just so cute and likeable is what holds this illusion together - definitely not the gameplay… if it can even be called that. This a game that is not recommended for importing, even despite the fact all menus are in English and all dialogue is subtitled, unless there is an interest in VR experiences, not games or life-sims. As a VR experience, it is okay; it does a fine job of creating the illusion of playing a life-sim, even if that illusion only lasts for an hour.
I went into Summer Lesson: Hikari Miyamoto pretty blind just to see how someone would feel after importing it on a whim. I expected a game filled with fan-service and interesting uses of PSVR’s interactive controls. While it definitely lived up to both of those expectations, I was also quite pleased to find that the gameplay itself was both solid and incredibly complex (in a good way). My main point of frustration came from the subtitles which were very hit or miss. Sometimes they would be slightly out of sync with Hikari’s spoken lines and other times they would simply not be present at all. There are also points where being too close to Hikari will hide the subtitles from your view. These annoyances were minor though and I didn’t lose too much sleep over them. In the end, I spent somewhere in the ballpark of 10-12 hours playing. A single playthrough takes around 45 minutes to complete, but you won’t be able to see all of the Second Feel events or attain a high rating in just one playthrough. I found myself wishing for more content, but in the end I was still very happy with what was presented. The game’s $59.99 price tag may seem a little steep for what’s included, but it offers a type of experience that you’ll be hard-pressed find anywhere else. For those who don’t mind a language barrier, there’s also a 3-in-1 release which is only $10 more and includes Hikari, Allison, and Chisato’s routes (albeit with none of the DLC). Any way you slice it, this one’s worth picking up even if only for the sake of curiosity.
You may go into Summer Lessons just to sate your curiosity but it is also a great entry point into the realm of VR especially if you’re into dating sims, visual novels, and interactive storytelling. I for one am certain that I will never forget my hot summers with Hikari-chan.