Sometimes, I’m even more satisfied not knowing. That setup makes for an engrossing collection of minor mysteries that I can either work to piece together or simply accept and move on. It’s up to players to seek out answers about the old ways by filling up a journal that’ll act as a lasting record of history. It’s not that humanity is gone it’s that it’s always in flux. Abandoned cars line the streets, which the protagonist excitedly observes like ancient relics from a previous, tech-oriented season. It’s borderline postapocalyptic, but in a way that feels oddly soft and comforting. I’m not there to judge, but to listen and understand.Ī large bulk of the six-hour game takes place in a small open-ended area where players are free to bike around and discover what happened in previous seasons through subtle environmental storytelling. No matter what discovery I make on my journey, I’m easily able to accept it as the natural order of the world. The next, I’m praying at the altar of a God that will wipe away a bit of my memory. One moment ,I’m serenely strolling through a field of cows, basking in the sun’s golden glow. Developer Scavengers Studio excels at crafting its own intriguing reality that blends naturalism with sincere spirituality. While it looks like a grounded slice-of-life tale initially, its tone more veers into quiet magical realism. I’m not there to judge, but to listen and understand. One previous season, for instance, brought a war, the remnants of which still linger through its landscapes. The word marks a major sea change in the world, almost operating like a prophecy. That may sound like a low-stakes setup, but seasons in this universe don’t just signal a few months of cold weather. Season: A Letter to the Future joins a small list of games that I’d describe as “road trip stories.” It follows a young woman who’s tasked with leaving her isolated hillside village to alert the world of an impending season change. Even when its written story wanders, its vibrant world and detailed sound design always speaks for itself. Season: A Letter to the Future is a meditative indie adventure that rewards players who are willing to slow down and take it all in. If you stopped playing the game there, you could still understand everything it communicates to you throughout its six-hour adventure. I can hear the gentle sound of my bike tires spinning, imagine the splashes of cool colors, and feel the smooth motion of my bike careening through the countryside. Rather, the broad strokes of it remain etched in my mind like a sketchbook doodle. Because I did really love everything about SEASON: A letter to the future, from the incredible art direction to the wonderful sound mixing to Maureen Adelson’s restrained performance as the Protagonist.It’s not that I can recall every moment of the scene beat for beat. I cannot remember the last time I played a game I enjoyed this much that left me this unsatisfied when it was over. It was like being promised a trip to Disneyland but never going beyond Main Street, U.S.A. As I watched the credits roll, it felt like it was just getting started, that I still had so much to see. Make no mistake, there is an ending to this game, but it comes so suddenly that I couldn’t believe I’d reached it at that point in my journey. But by golly, does it feel like an abridged one. And at eight hours, SEASON isn’t necessarily a short game. In fact, as somebody whose motto is “ain’t nobody got time for that,” I’ll take a short game over a long game any day. What does matter is deciding how you want to tell the story of this world. Whether or not this place actually exists doesn’t really matter. Her destination is the Museum Vault, an almost mythical place at the end of the world that is allegedly safe from the changing seasons. Traveling with a tape recorder, instant camera, and sketchbook, she’ll set off on bike from her hometown to document life as it exists now for future generations. There is a beautifully rendered world out there for the Protagonist to explore and discover. The season the Protagonist lives in is one marked by maladies of the mind, and throughout her journey, she’ll hear stories of how these unseen illnesses have incapacitated people from all walks of life. There’s been a season of industrial growth, a golden season of prosperity, and a season of war. Previous seasons have come and gone, changing the landscape and history of this world. Seasons in SEASON are-from what I can tell, as the game doesn’t necessarily explain them outright-what we would call eras.
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