January is the weirdest gaming month of the year. I’ve just put last year behind me, celebrating the best games and greatest experiences. With the echo of enormous experiences such as “Elden Ring”, “God of War: Ragnarök” and “Immortality” ringing around in my head, I start a new and blank year that will be filled with experiences. And then I couldn’t have had a more fitting start than this. Leaving everything you know behind and entering an uncertain future is the very basic concept of “Season: A Letter to the Future”. It’s a game about change. About saying goodbye. About getting to know yourself. Ghibli-like It’s also a game about valuing and taking care of what you have before it’s too late. There are some obvious links here to the world we actually live in. BEAUTIFUL REFLECTION: There are many great moments like this in “Season: A Letter to the Future”, where you put your bike away, take off your pack and draw and document it you see and experience. Photo: Scavengers Studio Here we are in a magical-realistic, Studio Ghibli-like world where the passage of time is divided into seasons. Exactly how long these seasons are, and what happens in the transition between them, is unclear – but I interpret it as the game’s version of ages. The transition from the Iron Age to the Middle Ages, for example. Or the time before and after everyone had a smartphone. At the same time, the season’s endings are described as world-destroying. An inevitable development that is treated as a natural part of life. You control a young woman who has grown up in a secluded mountain village. On the eve of the season, she decides to take a large notebook, a sound recorder and a camera with her, and travel down from the mountain and out into the world on a rickety bicycle. Her goal is to document her life and the lives of those who live in the areas around the mountain. Take pictures and recordings of objects, places, people, animals, nature, ruins, buildings and other things that can describe the lives lived. In a more figurative sense, it is also about developing a love for the world she lives in. The discoveries and considerations from her journey are meant for posterity. NEW HORIZON: The main character in “Season: A Letter to the Future” has never been outside the small village she grew up in. Photo: Scavengers Studio Ancient and mysterious It’s a pretty stripped-down game, this one. You cycle to places where there seems to be something exciting to see. You will find things to take pictures of, sounds to record, and postcards, pictures and other objects to paste into the book. It is almost completely deserted, but you meet a few people on the way that you can get to know. The conversations slide into memories from your own past. Underneath all this there also rests something ancient and mysterious. References to supernatural events, objects with magical properties and mythology-like religion. MYSTERIOUS: The gods that the people in “Season: A Letter to the Future” believe in have a magical but often tangible presence. Photo: Scavengers Studio The biggest of these mysteries is how the end of the season will actually be and what triggers it. “Season: A Letter to the Future” is amazing to watch. The picturesque visual style and gorgeous environments create an engaging and often surprising setting for the quiet, melancholic experiences. It is also exciting to gradually gain a better understanding of this universe. The curiosity of the main character is contagious. Repetitive At the same time, there is unfortunately a lot to go on in the script and dialogue. You are presented with one metaphor and abstract, floating formulation after another. Some of these hit the mark, others fall a long way short of the poetic fervor they aim for. An example here: A green space; I feel memory in the air like pollen. It reminds me of a poem my Dad was never able to finish. SLOW: Progress is slow in “Season: A Letter to the Future”. Then space is cleared for both reflection and enjoying every moment. Photo: Scavengers Studio When the actual gaming experience can also become a bit repetitive and boring, we are unfortunately a notch away from the magical gaming experience I had hoped for in advance. But beware, “Season: A Letter to the Future” also often touches on the level of ambition. Then the game offers a beautiful and reflective journey through an exciting fantasy world. PS: Launched on PC and Playstation on 31 January. The game is reviewed on PS5. I would also like to mention that the entire game is made in 21:9 widescreen, which is extra good news for those who will be playing it on a widescreen PC. news reviews Photo: Scavengers Studio Title: “Seasons: A Letter to the Future” Genre: Adventure game Platform: Playstation, PC Publisher/developer: Scavengers Studio Date: 31 January 2023 Hello! I am a freelancer and write about games for news. On a daily basis, I work at Level Up Norway. If you want to read more about games with horror elements, I can recommend my reviews of the games “The Last of Us Part I”, “A Plague Tale: Requiem” and “The Quarry”.
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A Letter to the Future” – Reviews and recommendations
