Developed by Scavengers Studio, the recently released Season: A Letter to the Future is one of those indies you can’t help but be intrigued by. We checked it out on a PlayStation 5.
When you see a game that’s self-described as a “third-person meditative exploration game” by its developer, you know it’s going to be different. Season: A Letter to the Future doesn’t contain any of the shooting, platforming of puzzle-solving you typically associate with narrative-driven third person games. Instead, you’re just out there in the world trying to catalogue as much as possible before “the season” ends – which in this case isn’t winter or spring but a huge event that wipes people’s collective memories of whatever happened to and between them.
It seems like an interesting premise from a philosophical point of view – though Season: A Letter to the Future generally doesn’t go in that direction as you find yourself taking photo and making audio recordings as you travel through its world. Instead, it’s more of a slowly unfolding mystery, in which you gradually find out about some very troubling events that seem at odds with the natural beauty of the valley you travel through.
You mostly do this on a bicycle, which is a nice relaxing way to travel through these lush environments – though the immersion does get lost sometimes when you briefly get caught on parts of the environment. In a game that works best when you let your mind wander and think about the things you come across, technical issues like that can be briefly frustrating.
Luckily, the story tidbits you pick up during your journey always make it worth pushing on. Although the valley visually looks like something you could see while on vacation somewhere, it introduces you to fantasy elements like sorcery and ‘identity-theft-by-way-of-deity’. It stays away from being a linear narrative that lays out all the details for you though, preferring intrigue and an air of mystery instead.
With some excellent writing and emotionally-laden sequences and choices to be made Season: A Letter to the Future is a game about getting lost and searching in a place that’s stuck somewhere between the past and the future, while trying to find your way in the present. It’s something to wrap your head around, and makes for a memorable indie experience because of it.
Score: 8.0/10
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