Season: A Letter to the Future is a gorgeous indie adventure that you won’t want to rush through.
I imagine that I’ll never forget the first time I rode my bicycle in Season: A Letter to the Future (stylized as SEASON: A letter to the future by developer Scavengers Studio). Shortly into my first journey outside the walls of my secluded village, I find a bright pink bike beckoning me to ride it. I gingerly walk it through the town’s gates and then hop onto it and take off. I’m suddenly gliding down a hillside like a bird on the wind, soaking in the picturesque landscape outside of my hometown for the first time.
It’s not that I can recall every moment of the scene beat for beat. Rather, the broad strokes of it remain etched in my mind like a sketchbook doodle. I can hear the gentle sound of my bike tires spinning, imagine the splashes of cool colors, and feel the smooth motion of my bike careening through the countryside. If you stopped playing the game there, you could still understand everything it communicates to you throughout its six-hour adventure.
Season: A Letter to the Future is a meditative indie adventure that rewards players who are willing to slow down and take it all in. Even when its written story wanders, its vibrant world and detailed sound design always speaks for itself.
Season: A Letter to the Future joins a small list of games that I’d describe as “road trip stories.” It follows a young woman who’s tasked with leaving her isolated hillside village to alert the world of an impending season change. That may sound like a low-stakes setup, but seasons in this universe don’t just signal a few months of cold weather. The word marks a major sea change in the world, almost operating like a prophecy. One previous season, for instance, brought a war, the remnants of which still linger through its landscapes.
While it looks like a grounded slice-of-life tale initially, its tone more veers into quiet magical realism. Developer Scavengers Studio excels at crafting its own intriguing reality that blends naturalism with sincere spirituality. One moment ,I’m serenely strolling through a field of cows, basking in the sun’s golden glow. The next, I’m praying at the altar of a God that will wipe away a bit of my memory. No matter what discovery I make on my journey, I’m easily able to accept it as the natural order of the world. I’m not there to judge, but to listen and understand.
