Season: A Letter to the Future

Last updated

Season: A Letter to the Future
Season A Letter to the Future cover art.webp
Developer(s) Scavengers Studio
Publisher(s) Scavengers Studio
Director(s) Kevin Sullivan
Platform(s)
ReleaseJanuary 31, 2023
Genre(s) Adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

Season: A Letter to the Future [lower-alpha 1] is a 2023 adventure game developed and published by Scavengers Studio. The player controls a young woman from a small village documenting the world as it comes to an end. The game was released in January 2023 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows.

Contents

Season received generally positive reviews from critics for its writing and art style.

Gameplay

In Season, the player controls Estelle, a woman traveling the world, as she records her experiences in her journal. She can document her sightings by writing, drawing, taking photos, and recording audio and videos. The game also features extended bicycling segments. When Estelle dismounts, she can interact with non-player characters and share her findings with them. [1] [2]

Plot

Season follows the story of Estelle, a young woman who leaves her isolated home for the first time to create a record of the world for the next generation before a mysterious cataclysm wipes everything away.

Development

Scavengers Studio was founded in 2015 in Canada and previously published Darwin Project before moving on to Season. According to Scavengers CEO Amélie Lamarche, "I really wanted the studio to build a game that is unique in its genre, accessible to a wide audience, and leads players into a striking story, elegant and fully felt. Kevin presented this idea to me at the right time and the universe it offered immediately charmed me. Season's creative direction pushes the boundaries of anything I’ve seen so far. It is a quest for adventures of astonishing beauty, but also full of the unexpected." [3]

Development was stalled after multiple current and former Scavengers Studio employees accused studio co-founder Simon Darveau of hostile workplace behavior during the development of both Season and Darwin Project. In response, the studio issued several measures to protect employees from further harassment. [4]

Marketing and release

Season was first revealed at The Game Awards 2020. [5] On June 2, 2022, a new trailer for Season was shown on at a Sony State of Play presentation, showing a release window for Autumn 2022 and now including the subtitle A Letter to the Future. [6] However, the development team later posted on the game's official blog that it had been delayed to early 2023. [7] [8] In October 2022, the development team released a demo for the game playable at Steam Next Fest. [9]

In December 2022, Scavengers Studio revealed a new release date for January 31, 2023. [10]

Reception

Season: A Letter to the Future received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic. [11] [12]

In Rock Paper Shotgun 's review of the game, Rachel Watts praised the storytelling, writing "The way its story unfolds feels highly engrossing, like watching a photograph slowly develop until you have a complete picture of this curious, beautiful place." [27] Writing for The Verge , Andrew Webster said, "I felt just like the main character: venturing out into the great unknown, constantly surprised and amazed by what I found." [28] Vikki Blake of Eurogamer praised the atmosphere and scrapbooking mechanics, but criticized the bike controls and the inability to create multiple save files. [29]

The game's art direction was also the subject of praise. Watts described the world as "bloody gorgeous", [27] while Vice wrote that the setting was "as dense and beautiful as it is fleeting" and the world design "makes the act of photographing the dying valley a melancholy joy." [30]

The Guardian liked the biking mechanics and the camera, but criticized the world the protagonist explored, saying the world "feels less like a real place and more like an amalgam of cultural influences scrubbed of their real-world significance". [24] GameSpot praised how much of the story and content was optional, giving the player freedom to decide what was meaningful to them, "It also acts like an insightful mirror, reflecting back onto the player not just what they experienced, but how they interpreted it". [17]

Sales

By June 2023, Season: A Letter to the Future had sold 60,000 units, which was deemed a commercial failure for Scavengers Studio. This resulted in layoffs at the developer sixth months after release, leaving only 16 employees left. [31]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryResultRef
2020Ubisoft Indie Series 2020Special PrizeWon [32]
20212021 NYX Game AwardsPC Game - Best Visual ArtWon [33]
2021Xsolla XDC Contest CanadaSpecial PrizeWon [34]
2022indiePlay China Game AwardBest Overseas GameWon [35]
2023 Webby Awards 2023Independent CreatorWon [36]
Best Art DirectionNominated

Notes

  1. Stylized as SEASON: A letter to the future

Related Research Articles

Insomniac Games, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Burbank, California and part of PlayStation Studios. It was founded in 1994 by Ted Price as Xtreme Software, and was renamed Insomniac Games a year later. The company is most known for developing several early PlayStation mascots, Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet and Clank, as well as the Resistance franchise, 2014's Sunset Overdrive and the Marvel's Spider-Man series with Marvel Games. In 2019, the studio was acquired by Sony Interactive Entertainment, becoming a part of SIE Worldwide Studios.

<i>The Last of Us Part I</i> 2022 video game

The Last of Us Part I is a 2022 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. A remake of the 2013 game The Last of Us, it features revised gameplay, including enhanced combat and exploration, and expanded accessibility options. Players control Joel, who is tasked with escorting the young Ellie across a post-apocalyptic United States and defend her against cannibalistic creatures infected by a mutated strain of the Cordyceps fungus. The game includes a remake of the 2014 expansion pack The Last of Us: Left Behind, which follows Ellie and her best friend Riley. The original game's online multiplayer mode is omitted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PlayStation 5</span> Sonys fifth home video game console

The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North America, and South Korea, and was released worldwide a week later. The PS5 is part of the ninth generation of video game consoles, along with Microsoft's Xbox Series X/S consoles, which were released in the same month.

<i>Terminator: Resistance</i> 2019 first-person shooter video game

Terminator: Resistance is a 2019 first-person shooter game developed by Teyon and published by Reef Entertainment for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. The game is based on the Terminator franchise, set during the original future war depicted in the films The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. It was released in Europe on 15 November 2019. In the United States, the Windows version was released a day earlier through Steam, while the other versions released on 7 January 2020. An enhanced version of the game for PlayStation 5 was released on 30 April 2021. The same version was released for Xbox Series X/S on 27 October 2023. It received generally mixed reviews from critics, but the PC version received positive reviews from Steam users.

<i>Lego Builders Journey</i> 2019 video game

Lego Builder's Journey is a puzzle game developed by Light Brick Studio and published by Lego Games. When it first released on December 19, 2019, Lego Builder's Journey was initially an exclusive game for the Apple Arcade service on iOS, macOS, And visionOS; however, the game was subsequently ported to the Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows, with these ports both being made available on June 22, 2021. It was also ported to Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on November 25, 2021. The PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 ports of the game released on April 19, 2022. Lego Builder's Journey and Lego Brawls were the first two Lego games for Apple Arcade. Lego Builder's Journey has received generally positive reviews.

<i>Godfall</i> 2020 action role-playing video game

Godfall is an action role-playing game developed by Counterplay Games and published by Gearbox Publishing. The game was released for PlayStation 5 and Windows on November 12, 2020. It was also released for the PlayStation 4 on August 10, 2021. An enhanced version of the game containing all downloadable content up to that point, titled Godfall: Ultimate Edition, was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on April 7, 2022. It received mixed reviews from critics.

In the video game industry, 2021 saw the release of many new titles. The numerous delays in software and hardware releases due to the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic heavily impacted development schedules, leading to several games being delayed into 2022 or even postponed indefinitely. Additionally, computer and console hardware were impacted by the combined effects of a semiconductor shortage and a rising growth of bitcoin mining that strained the supply of critical components.

<i>Returnal</i> 2021 video game

Returnal is a 2021 roguelike third-person shooter video game developed by Housemarque and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The game was released for the PlayStation 5 on 30 April 2021 and for Windows on 15 February 2023. It follows Selene Vassos, an astronaut who lands on the planet Atropos in search of the mysterious "White Shadow" signal and finds herself trapped in a time loop.

<i>Kena: Bridge of Spirits</i> 2021 video game

Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a 2021 action-adventure video game developed and published by Ember Lab. The story follows Kena, a young spirit guide who uses her magical abilities to help deceased people move from the physical to the spirit world. The game is presented through a third-person perspective. The player uses Kena's staff for attacking enemies, and her pulse ability for defending against attacks. They are tasked with collecting small spirit companions known as the Rot, who help to complete tasks and battle against enemies.

<i>The Lord of the Rings: Gollum</i> 2023 video game

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is an action-adventure game developed by Daedalic Entertainment, which also published the game with Nacon. The game, set in the fictional world of Middle-earth created by J. R. R. Tolkien, takes place in between the events of The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring. The player controls Gollum through a series of locations, such as Cirith Ungol, Barad-dûr, and Mirkwood, as he attempts to find Bilbo Baggins and retake the One Ring whilst battling and avoiding Sauron. It was announced in March 2019 and delayed from its September 2021 launch window.

<i>Stray</i> (video game) 2022 video game

Stray is a 2022 adventure game developed by BlueTwelve Studio and published by Annapurna Interactive. The story follows a stray cat who falls into a walled city populated by robots, machines, and mutant bacteria, and sets out to return to the surface with the help of a drone companion, B-12. The game is presented through a third-person perspective. The player traverses the game world by leaping across platforms and climbing up obstacles, and can interact with the environment to open new paths. Using B-12, they can store items found throughout the world and hack into technology to solve puzzles. Throughout the game, the player must evade the antagonistic Zurks and Sentinels, which attempt to kill them.

<i>God of War Ragnarök</i> 2022 video game

God of War Ragnarök is an action-adventure game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was released worldwide on November 9, 2022, for both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, marking the first cross-gen release in the God of War series, and is set to be released for Windows on September 19, 2024. It is the ninth installment in the series, the ninth chronologically, and the sequel to 2018's God of War. Loosely based on Norse mythology, the game is set in ancient Scandinavia and features series protagonist, Kratos, and his now teenage son, Atreus. Concluding the Norse era of the series, the game covers Ragnarök, the eschatological event which is central to Norse mythology and was foretold to happen in the previous game after Kratos killed the Aesir god Baldur.

<i>Spider-Man</i> (video game series) Video game series developed by Insomniac Games

Marvel's Spider-Man is a series of superhero action-adventure video games developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) for PlayStation consoles and Windows. Based on characters appearing in Marvel Comics publications, the games are inspired by the long-running comic book lore, while additionally deriving from various adaptations in other media. The series principally follows protagonists Peter Parker and Miles Morales who fight crime in New York City as dual bearers of the eponymous superhero persona while dealing with the complications of their civilian lives.

In the video game industry, 2023 saw significant changes within larger publishers and developers. Microsoft, after having satisfied worldwide regulatory bodies, completed its US$69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, making them the third largest game publisher in the world. Embracer Group, which had been in an acquisition spree over the previous few years, had an estimated $2 billion deal fall through, causing many of the studios under Embracer to either lay off staff or close entirely. Similar layoffs were seen at Unity, Amazon, ByteDance, Epic Games, Bungie, and Ubisoft, leading to over 9,000 jobs lost in the industry in 2023 and part of a larger trend of layoffs at technology companies in 2023.

The Last of Us is an action-adventure video game series and media franchise created by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The series is set in a post-apocalyptic United States ravaged by cannibalistic humans infected by a mutated fungus in the genus Cordyceps. It follows several survivors, including Joel, a smuggler who lost his daughter during the outbreak; Ellie, a young girl who is immune to the infection; and Abby, a soldier who becomes involved in a conflict between her militia and a religious cult. The games use a third-person perspective in which the player fights against hostile humans and cannibalistic creatures with firearms, improvised weapons, and stealth.

<i>Road 96</i> 2021 video game

Road 96 is a 2021 adventure game developed and published by French studio DigixArt as part of HP's OMEN Presents, with additional publishing support by Plug In Digital. The game is set in mid-to-late 1996 within the fictional nation of Petria, an authoritarian country ruled by a dictatorship undergoing a potentially transformative election season. The player controls several teenagers as they attempt to flee the country through Petria's northern border via Road 96.

<i>MultiVersus</i> 2024 video game

MultiVersus (MVS) is a free-to-play crossover fighting game developed by Player First Games and published by Warner Bros. Games for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. A platform fighter, the game features content from Warner Bros. franchises, including Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo, Game of Thrones, the DC Universe, and Cartoon Network franchises. Officially announced in November 2021 following online rumors and leaks, early access and open beta versions of the game ran from July 2022 to June 2023. The game was fully released on May 28, 2024.

Abandoned is the tentative title for an upcoming survival horror game being developed and published by Blue Box Game Studios, an independent video game company based in The Netherlands. Described as a "cinematic horror survival shooter" featuring "realistic" gameplay mechanics, Abandoned's premise centres around Jason Longfield, who must escape a forest after being kidnapped. A playable teaser of Abandoned, titled Abandoned: Prologue, is also in development and is planned to be released before the main game.

References

  1. Hutchison, Meg (June 2, 2022). "Discover the gameplay and story of Season: a Letter to the Future". PlayStation.Blog. Archived from the original on September 15, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  2. Beane, Christian (June 8, 2022). "Season: A Letter to the Future Release Date". Dbltap.com. Archived from the original on September 15, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  3. "Media". Play Season. Scavengers Studio.
  4. Valentine, Rebekah (January 25, 2021). "Scavengers Studio creative director accused of belittling, screaming at, groping employees". GamesIndustry.biz . Archived from the original on December 22, 2022. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  5. Miranda, Felicia (December 10, 2020). "The Game Awards 2020: Every Game Announcement and Reveal". IGN . Archived from the original on November 17, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  6. Grodt, Jill (June 2, 2022). "Stunning Indie Game Season: A Letter To The Future Coming This Fall". Game Informer . Archived from the original on September 15, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  7. Romano, Sal (July 29, 2022). "SEASON: A letter to the future delayed to Q1 2023". Gematsu. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  8. Adam, Khayl (July 31, 2022). "Serene Cycling Game Season: A Letter to the Future Has Been Delayed". Push Square . Archived from the original on September 15, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  9. Chalk, Andy (October 3, 2022). "Steam Next Fest returns with hundreds of new demos and dev streams". PC Gamer . Archived from the original on October 3, 2022.
  10. Conditt, Jessica (December 8, 2022). "'Season: A letter to the future' is a solo cycling adventure coming to PC and PlayStation January 31st". Engadget . Archived from the original on December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  11. 1 2 "SEASON: A letter to the future for PC Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  12. 1 2 "SEASON: A letter to the future for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  13. Andriessen, CJ (January 26, 2023). "Review: SEASON: A letter to the future". Destructoid . Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  14. Colantonio, Giovanni (January 26, 2023). "Season: A Letter to the Future review: an unforgettable meditation on memory". Digital Trends . Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  15. "Review: Famitsu review scores – February 8, 2023". Famitsu . February 8, 2023. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  16. Summer, Samara (January 26, 2023). "Season im Test: Das PlayStation-Exklusive hat uns trotz seichtem Gameplay tief berührt" [Season in the test: The PlayStation exclusive touched us deeply despite the shallow gameplay]. GamePro (in German). Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  17. 1 2 Delaney, Mark (January 26, 2023). "Season: A Letter To The Future Review - The Meditation Game". GameSpot . Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  18. Loveridge, Sam (January 26, 2023). "Season: A Letter to the Future review: "As beautiful as it is quaint"". GamesRadar+ . Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  19. Tiraxa (January 28, 2023). "Season : Ce jeu PS5 inattendu qui sort des sentiers battus va réellement vous étonner !" [Season: This unexpected off-the-beaten-track PS5 game will truly amaze you!]. Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  20. Greer, Sam (February 3, 2023). "Season: A Letter to the Future review". PC Gamer . Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  21. Flores, Natalie (January 26, 2023). "Season: A Letter to the Future is one of the best games I've played in years". Polygon . Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  22. Banas, Graham (January 26, 2023). "Mini Review: Season: A Letter to the Future (PS5) - Fascinating Exploration Amid a Cataclysm". Push Square . Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  23. Erskine, Donovan (January 26, 2023). "Season: A Letter to the future review: If I could turn back time". Shacknews . Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  24. 1 2 Hetfeld, Malindy (January 26, 2023). "Season review – atmospheric road trip game with a muddled message". The Guardian . Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  25. Verbrugge, Kieron (January 26, 2023). "SEASON: A Letter To The Future Review – An Unforgetable Experience". Press Start Australia. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  26. Gordon, Rob (January 26, 2023). "SEASON: A Letter To The Future Review - Heartfelt Records Of A Time Lost". Screen Rant . Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  27. 1 2 Watts, Rachel (January 26, 2023). "Season: A Letter To The Future review: a melancholy travelogue of a gorgeous post-war world". Rock Paper Shotgun . Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  28. Webster, Andrew (January 26, 2023). "Season: A Letter to the Future is a soothing bike ride through the end of the world". The Verge . Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  29. Blake, Vikki (January 26, 2023). "Season: A Letter to the Future review - a thoughtful premise with some minor snags". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  30. Price, Renata (January 26, 2023). "Scrapbooking at the End of the World in 'SEASON'". Vice . Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  31. Dealessandri, Marie (June 26, 2023). "Over half of Scavengers Studio laid off". GamesIndustry.biz . Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  32. "2020 Edition" . Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  33. "2021 Winners" . Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  34. "Winners of Xsolla's XDC Contest Canada announced". June 9, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  35. "2022 indiePlay China Game Award" . Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  36. "Top Games". Webby Awards . Retrieved July 24, 2023.