Summer Game Bang: Season

There are few questions as eternally compelling as “what happens after we’re gone”. As humans we are forever entangled in this mystery that by it’s very nature is impossible to unlock ahead of its destined course. Media has approached this question in many ways and video games such as Outer Wilds and Death Stranding have shown that interactive media can be deftly equipped to provide insightful looks into the concept of life, death and what comes after.

The long and inquisitive look at what happens as we approach the end of things is at the core of Season: A Letter to the Future, a new narrative adventure from Canadian developers Scavengers Studio. In Season you play as a lone traveler who leaves her life of safe seclusion to document the twilight of a civilization which resides outside of her hidden community. Equipped with recording and documentation materials such as a camera, an audio recorder and a journal, you mount your bicycle and set off on this journey of preservation. Your intent is to capture the final moments of the people and places you come across on your trek. You do so to provide a tapestry of captured images, sounds and stories in order to tell people what this world was like after its season has come to a close. You will see towering monuments filled with rich history, see peaceful and untouched landscapes and speak with reflective residents who know that a change is coming and are wanting to tell their stories to you before the moment is gone.

There is a somber yet deliberately veiled feeling of inevitable finality to the premise of Season, which promises a very heartfelt and provocative play experience. A hopeful mission sits before the player drenched in the weight of impending loss and sadness. Much like life itself we are all on a path to define our own stories before our final chapter in much the same way as the protagonist of Season. With its beautiful vistas, sensible storytelling and uniquely artistic gameplay Season has become my most anticipated game for the duration of 2022.

You can play Season: A Letter to the Future on PlayStation and Steam when it arrives in Autumn of 2022.