Season: A Letter to the Future may have flown under the radar at State of Play June, but its approach to game design appears uniquely fresh and exciting.
Season: A Letter to the Future has been shown to the world, at Sony’s June State of Pay showcase, in its most complete version yet. And while hyped up titles such as Horizon Call of the Mountain and Final Fantasy XVI arguably stole the show, this upcoming indie gem stole my heart.
Every generation has a few video games that are influential, often particularly to game designers, that fly under the radar. Slower, more cerebral experiences that explore emotions and scenarios more complicated than adrenaline powered violence.
Games like Shadow of the Colossus, Okami, Journey and What Remains of Edith Finch, works that advanced the artform by doing things differently. However, few of these titles managed to turn their acclaim and innovative approaches into big sales figures at the time of release.
Season looks like it could share a similar fate. Possessing a unique art style, deliberate pacing, and some inherently emotional themes, it practically screams cult classic. Which on the one hand means it’s something to look forward to, but I also recognise could be seen as a backhanded compliment.
Essentially, this game doesn’t look like it’s going to sell a truckload of copies; which says more about my opinion of the average gamer than it does Season: A Letter to the Future. And I guess that’s why I find myself here; highlighting how damn hyped I am for Season: A Letter to the Future, rather than adding to the choir of Final Fantasy XVI chatter.
Of course, I have no idea if the game will deliver on the promise of its trailers. But this new gameplay approach, that revolves around capturing images and sounds, really suggests it could speak to more casual gamers.
Either way, we’ll see when Season: A Letter to the Future releases in Q3 2022 on PS4, PS5 and PC.
