We Tested Season A Letter To The Future A Soothing Stroll In A Declining World

According to Honoré de Balzac in Physiologie du mariage, "moving about is a science; it's the gastronomy of the eye.". This passage could have been written at the beginning of Estelle's notebook, which she uses to record the memories of a place that will soon be devastated by an unexplained catastrophe. Estelle is the binocular heroine of Season: A Letter to the Future.

This narrative adventure game takes the form of a reflective road trip and will be accessible on PC, PlayStation 4 and 5 starting on Tuesday, January 31. There are numerous stops along the routes, so traveling on foot or by bike is done at a slow pace.

The game invites us to savor the conversations with the final five occupants and go pet the final animals on the spot, who are unconcerned, while also immortalizing the bucolic landscapes with our eyes and cameras, feasting on soundscapes, and recording them with cassette recorders. This initiatory journey takes between six and eight hours, but the young woman moves slowly, giving it an unusual rhythm.

Interior monologue A straightforward notebook enables us to develop into the educated flâneur that Balzac so cherished. We fill it as we make our way from the mountaintop native settlement of Estelle to the ocean's edge.

We can arrange photos of the places we've been, sketches, the main character's thoughts, and sounds however we like on its white pages. It is true that this is an unexplained miracle that allows us to store these things on paper. The album is kept safe in a leather bag that is carried over the shoulder and can be opened whenever you want it with the push of a button.

The act of filling it makes me think of the creative hobby of scrapbooking, which involves organizing an album. Nevertheless, it offers a window into Estelle's thoughts and is neither a crude diversion for the player nor a utility menu showing quest lists or an inventory.

She shares her ideas with us by having us focus our camera on particular areas of the set, place our microphone in particular locations, or listen to particular stories. because a portion of the protagonist's inner monologue is collected in the notebook.

The orphan is lamenting the loss of her father at the same time as the valley, and we are left wondering what it is about the discovery of a different culture or the prayers to strange gods (called Vacarme, Tide, or Nothing) that makes people feel strange. Apocalyptic anxiety Despite this, the universe's modesty serves as the limit for the Les Canadiens de Scavengers Studio's production.

The world's population declines as a result of the end-of-the-world atmosphere. Although there are many complex and interesting characters, the young woman's complete benevolence may not be genuine.

Ultimately, the geography is somewhat constrained, and off-roading is not advised, in contrast to other games that celebrate strolling, like Zelda: Breath of the Wild. There aren't any completely concealed locations or secrets.

Routes that are clearly marked and follow well-defined paths dull the thrill of the road trip. The device's simplicity is eventually forgotten, though, little by little.

This game is comparable to the delicate Monument Valley or Assemble With Care, from the British developer UsTwo Games, in that what matters in the end is to give meaning to its story, which is close to a tale, to the search for poetry, and to the comfort offered by luminous landscapes. We are finally compelled to consider the impending catastrophe by this sweet parenthesis.

Oddly enough, it seems that everyone accepts it and views it as inevitable, much like the changing of the seasons. It's even more unsettling because in the distance, rusted road signs and collapsing freeway interchanges seem to point to a future in which several societies have had time to recover before eventually dissipating.

The season's response, found in A Letter to the Future, is in line with Balzac's dictum that "To stroll is to live," which asks how one can maintain hope when everything around them is crumbling. » Pixels' opinion: We enjoyed the poetic road trip that encourages strolling, sharing the character's stream of consciousness, traveling through stunning landscapes, and praying to strange gods.

The occasionally bombastic writing, the background bicycle crashes, and the small cast of characters were things we didn't like as much. If you enjoy taking your time to look at the scenery, enjoying listening to stories, and taking notes in a notebook, this game is more for you. It doesn't matter how much money a game costs; what matters to you is that it has heart.

Instead, it's not for you if: you think that things like Polaroid photos, vinyl records, vintage bicycles, and cassette recorders are way too "bobo"; you think that scrapbooking is no longer a pastime that is acceptable after the age of 11. Note from the Pixels: Two out of the three illusions failed.

to travel through stunning landscapes and offer prayers to strange gods. The occasionally bombastic writing, the background bicycle crashes, and the small cast of characters were things we didn't like as much.

It's more for you if: whatever the budget of a game, what matters to you is that it has heart; you like to take your time to look at the landscape; you like to listen to tales; and take notes in a notebook. Rather, it's not for you if: you consider Polaroid images, vinyl records, vintage bicycles and cassette recorders to be much too "bobo"; in your opinion, scrapbooking is no longer a hobby -acceptable time once passed the age of 11.

Note from the Pixels: Two out of the three illusions failed. to travel through stunning landscapes and offer prayers to strange gods.

The occasionally bombastic writing, the background bicycle crashes, and the small cast of characters were things we didn't like as much. If you enjoy taking your time to look at the scenery, enjoying listening to stories, and taking notes in a notebook, this game is more for you. It doesn't matter how much money a game costs; what matters to you is that it has heart.

Instead, it's not for you if: you think that things like Polaroid photos, vinyl records, vintage bicycles, and cassette recorders are way too "bobo"; you think that scrapbooking is no longer a pastime that is acceptable after the age of 11. Note from the Pixels: Two out of the three illusions failed.

The small cast of characters; the bicycle crash into the background. If you enjoy taking your time to look at the scenery, enjoying listening to stories, and taking notes in a notebook, this game is more for you. It doesn't matter how much money a game costs; what matters to you is that it has heart.

Instead, it's not for you if: you think that things like Polaroid photos, vinyl records, vintage bicycles, and cassette recorders are way too "bobo"; you think that scrapbooking is no longer a pastime that is acceptable after the age of 11. Note from the Pixels: Two out of the three illusions failed.

The small cast of characters; the bicycle crash into the background. It's more for you if: whatever the budget of a game, what matters to you is that it has heart; you like to take your time to look at the landscape; you like to listen to tales; and take notes in a notebook.

Rather, it's not for you if: you consider Polaroid images, vinyl records, vintage bicycles and cassette recorders to be much too "bobo"; in your opinion, scrapbooking is no longer a hobby -acceptable time once passed the age of 11. Note from the Pixels: Two out of the three illusions failed.

You enjoy taking your time to observe the surroundings, enjoying listening to stories, and taking notes in a notebook. Rather, it's not for you if: you consider Polaroid images, vinyl records, vintage bicycles and cassette recorders to be much too "bobo"; in your opinion, scrapbooking is no longer a hobby -acceptable time once passed the age of 11.

Note from the Pixels: Two out of the three illusions failed. You enjoy taking your time to observe the surroundings, enjoying listening to stories, and taking notes in a notebook.

Rather, it's not for you if: you consider Polaroid images, vinyl records, vintage bicycles and cassette recorders to be much too "bobo"; in your opinion, scrapbooking is no longer a hobby -acceptable time once passed the age of 11. Note from the Pixels: Two out of the three illusions failed.

This game is comparable to the delicate Monument Valley or Assemble With Care, from the British developer UsTwo Games, in that what matters in the end is to give meaning to its story, which is close to a tale, to the search for poetry, and to the comfort offered by luminous landscapes.