Seasons After Fall (PC) Review

By Jamie Mercer 08.09.2016

Review for Seasons After Fall on PC

PC gamers have been utterly spoiled for choice recently by a slew of incredible titles from smaller studios offering enjoyable diversions from the mainstream. To use a cinema analogy, gaming is currently in an era of seemingly non-stop summer blockbusters, which, although enjoyable, can feel a bit samey after a while. There are, thankfully, also delicious art-house, foreign language films. The types that need subtitles and you think you got the message the director was trying to convey, but have to Google it later to double check. Seasons After Fall is one of those games, erm, films… Ah there goes the analogy...

You don't get more indie than a one-man studio, and that is exactly the case with Swing Swing Submarine's latest game, Seasons After Fall. Gamers take on the role of a seed that escapes its tree and possesses the body of a nearby fox who, with some reticence and coercion, aids the seed in collecting fragments of each of the four seasons in order to conduct the Ritual of Seasons. To do this you must run, jump, and manipulate the surrounding environs before ultimately coming face to face with the Guardians of the seasons.

The Guardians each grant a fragment that allows the current season to be changed from spring to summer to winter to autumn, and back again, in whichever order desired. What this may do to the terrain includes freezing lakes to allow walking over them, grow plants to allow for jumping on them to get to those hard to reach places, or flood an area with water. The majority of the early puzzles are pretty easy, but once you start gathering all four fragments, the struggle intensifies as you have more tools at your disposal, and with that comes different obstacles to overcome. Eventually it will be a case of switching seasons multiple times per puzzle to gain access to more areas, or even just to find your way back. Seasons After Fall ends up feeling like a cross between Ori and the Blind Forest and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons.

Screenshot for Seasons After Fall on PC

What hasn't been mentioned yet is just how amazing this game looks, sounds, and feels. The hand-drawn, slightly rough around the edges - yet equally beautiful - graphics, create an incredibly lush forest landscape. As the fox frolics through meadows, the grass ripples and sways, while seeds and flowers explode in bloom. The sound effects of the forest are of a very high quality, also, as leaves delicately crunch under the weight of the fox and flowers rustle as you brush by them. The musical score is equally mind-blowing, with Swing Swing Submarine employing a live string quartet to create some of the most outstanding original music in any game, let alone from an indie developer. The music adds a rich, vivid sense of life to the locations, and works charmingly alongside the visuals to create something truly special.

That such attention to detail is paid to the sound and visuals, it is then a bit of a shame to see less attention given to other areas in Seasons After Fall. The animation is a little bit jarring at times and the handling of the fox is a somewhat lacklustre, suffering from moving very quickly in the air while jumping to being rather sluggish on foot, which can make platforming a touch awkward at times. The story is pleasingly conceptualised, but sadly the experience suffers slightly from having to re-visit the same areas several times over to complete the adventure.

Screenshot for Seasons After Fall on PC

Cubed3 Rating

7/10
Rated 7 out of 10

Very Good - Bronze Award

Rated 7 out of 10

Seasons After Fall is a beautiful piece of interactive art. The design and sound are all executed flawlessly and are a genuine joy to behold. Swing Swing Submarine has really set the bar high for indie game production values. Sadly, the game does begin to feel slightly repetitive and some more puzzle elements - and especially new locations - would have been most welcome. As it stands, Seasons After Fall is a very pleasing and competent puzzle platform attempt, which, although short, will leave most players more than satisfied.

Developer

Swing Swing Submarine

Publisher

Focus Home

Genre

2D Platformer

Players

1

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  7/10

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  0 (0 Votes)

European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date None   Australian release date Out now   

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