We’re well into 2024 at this point, but I wanted to highlight one of my favorite games that released in 2023. Although the game only released a little over one year ago, it somehow feels like ages ago to me. I played this game in a different season of my life — on the edge of a shift — but it still holds weight for me today. Fitting, given the themes of the game.
Season is a third-person meditative exploration game. Traverse the world outside your home village by bicycle and capture the sights and sounds before the season gets (literally) washed away.
This game caught my eye at PAX East 2020, right when the pandemic first hit. All the studio had in their little 10’x10’ space was a pull up banner featuring artwork of the main character, a cute rug, and a table with two computers for demos. I didn’t end up getting time to play the game at PAX, but I signed up for the studio’s newsletter and had been keeping tabs ever since. Over time, I had the option to playtest and preview the game while it was in development, but I opted not to. I knew that playing this game for the first time with as little exposure beforehand was the right move for me, just knowing how I like to experience games like this. And I was right. Spoiler alert, this game can and will hit you right in the feels.
The story of Season is one filled with themes of memory, war, love, loss, and the passage of time. As you leave home in the opening chapter of the game you are introduced to the main character Estelle and her mother, and right away the tears were flowing for me. The writing of the game feels very genuine and heartfelt, but also wistful and melancholy. Maybe I felt especially moved by it because of the moments I had been working through in my personal life at the time I played. Maybe I’m just a hopeless romantic. Either way, prepare yourself.
One thing that always draws me to an indie game is a beautiful art style, and Season is no exception. The sweeping sun-touched landscapes and stunning valley vistas are present throughout the game. Things are just as beautiful up close as they are from miles away. Season’s main method of transportation is a bicycle that glides you along winding roads and forest paths. Pedaling this bike using the PS5 controller came with an added layer of haptics that delighted me with the first pedal push. It is so satisfying to fly down a decline at top speed, but I found myself stopping often to admire the landscape and snap photos as I went.
Taking photos and audio recordings are part of your task as a record taker. You can arrange these artifacts on the pages of your journal as you travel. The more you record and explore the world around you, the fuller your journal will be. Personally, I found the scrapbooking element to be a lot of fun, and I spent as much time dedicated to perfecting my layouts as I did to uncovering the narrative of the game. There’s limited options for customization, but it was enough to satisfy the graphic designer and artist in me to create an aesthetically pleasing page.
Although the game is relatively short, I was impressed by the size of the map you can traverse. If you’re a thorough explorer you can easily clock over 10 hours playing. I spent about this much time myself and there were still areas I didn’t get to fully explore before I rolled credits. With all there is to discover in this game, I would gladly re-immerse myself in the wonderful time capsule of Season.
Season: A letter to the future is currently available on PS4, PS5, Steam, and Epic Games stores.
Skittzi is a variety streamer, cosplayer, and video game enthusiast. She loves indie games, RPGs, and many things in between. You can catch her live streaming more games like Season on Twitch at twitch.tv/skittzipoo.
