SEASON A LETTER TO THE FUTURE PHYSICAL SIMULATOR

Those interested in documenting the game world will quickly discover how satisfying it can be. If a person wants to ignore all the recording, picture taking, and sketching and just beeline through the game, they certainly can. And in the end, none of it is required to finish the game. The game also has a few “quests,” so to speak, that task the player with finding specific items to photograph or record in order to clarify certain story elements of Season.

It’s surprisingly fulfilling to complete the different sections, creating an artistically laid-out visual record of each person’s individual gameplay experience.īut players aren’t expected to just wander around the rolling hills and take random snapshots of anything interesting they spot, although that’s certainly an option. As the pages are filled, decorations or stickers will be unlocked that can be used to further personalize the book.

She can even jot down notable quotes from the various inhabitants she encounters. The game’s protagonist has a sketchbook in which she collects the drawings, photos, audio recordings (somehow), and even posters or notes found lying around. It’s an ideal setting for taking pictures, and thankfully Scavengers provides every opportunity to do so.

And the thrill of riding around a bend in the road to discover a vast landscape stretching to the horizon, fluffy clouds glowing pink in the sunlight, never gets old. The aesthetic of Season is a primary reason for this: simplified but with enough detail to make the world feel somewhat alive. It’s a relaxing highlight of the game that leaves one wanting more. If anything, the time it takes to move from one location to the next is almost too short, and many people will feel that this aspect of the biking sim is not emphasized enough. Much of the imagery in Season is incredibly picturesque, and it’s a pleasure to take in the brightly colored vistas. They set out from Caro Village on a bicycle and roll leisurely through a beautiful landscape filled with wildlife and the broken-down remnants of seasons past. It's an intriguing world that begs exploration, and luckily, that’s exactly what players are tasked with doing. Because the world that Scavengers Studio has created is a magical one, with mysterious gods who can grant or remove memories, as well as dangerous illnesses that can induce a permanent dream state or even affect people’s ability to forget. While at first glance it seems very similar to the real world, Season definitely does not take place on Earth, or perhaps it is set far in the past or future when different universal laws apply. Just what these seasons are exactly is a mystery, but they're a foundational element of this world and people can live through several seasons in their lifetime. But the main character feels compelled to document the world around her - using an audio recorder, a camera, and her drawing skills - before the season ends in the hopes of creating a record for posterity. This is a daunting endeavor because nobody has left the village in decades, as the outside world is a dangerous place where people tend to lose themselves, mentally if not physically. The game follows a silent protagonist who ventures outside of her isolated village after a friend predicts the imminent end of the current season. That being said, Season will probably only appeal to a certain type of player, one who doesn’t mind becoming a little moody and pensive. The result is an experience filled with nostalgia, wistfulness, and a touch of regret. The game is about memory and time, the dangers of dwelling in the past, and the importance of thinking about the future, and even encourages considerations about death. The developers behind Season clearly had a message they wanted to send, but it’s delivered in a vague enough way that players are left to draw their own conclusions about its meaning. However, those who delve into the indie game will find themselves on a generally enjoyable, albeit slow-paced, journey into a thought-provoking world.

SEASON A LETTER TO THE FUTURE PHYSICAL SIMULATOR

Season will be categorized by many as a walking, or rather biking, simulator and will unfortunately likely get overlooked for that reason alone. The second release from Scavengers Studio, Season: A Letter to the Future, offers a very different experience from the developer’s 2020 battle royale, Darwin Project.

Season a letter to the future physical