“We are an independent studio, the emphasis here is on quality. We have taken great care of every activity, as happens in the case of games like Journey, but this is not as linear or restrictive. It’s not a triple-A open-world, but it’s not an artistically inspired game enclosed in a hallway either. It is somewhere in between“.
He expressed himself like this Kevin Sullivanthe creative director and writer of Seasonthe pre-apocalyptic videogame developed by Scavengers Studio. Presented during The Game Awards 2020 through a very evocative launch trailer, the title has received positive comments thanks to the topics covered and the particularly inspired graphic rendering.
Between suggestive landscapes and a Ghibli style, Season will accompany the player to the discovery of a world nearing its end: through a bicycle trip, the player will have the objective of recording testimonies of everything that could soon cease to exist due to a cataclysm.
In his interview with IGN, Kevin Sullivan talked about the concept that gave life to the game, also giving some more details about the gameplay. In fact, many had already compared Season to other titles such as Journey, Gone Home And Fire Watchbut the director specified that it will not be a “walking simulator”. The gameplay in fact will be much more structured, despite the particularly evocative atmospheres and scenarios that we will find ourselves facing.
Sullivan further specified that at the moment the title is in about half of the development stage, many ideas therefore have yet to be defined and implemented. The details of the plot remain unknown, but as IGN reports the player will find himself traveling and meeting different characters. The most interesting element of the interview is the confirmation that in the game we will have to do some choices, which will determine what we will be able to record and document along the way. This information lets us think about the replayability of the title, as it will take several games to discover all the secrets and possible implications. However, the ultimate aim remains to shed light on the history of the world, to discover its details to ensure that nothing is forgotten even after the unleashing of the imminent catastrophe.
Kevin Sullivan said the idea behind Season was inspired in part by his own travel across Asia, a land full of symbols and meanings but not always easy to understand for a foreigner. Also in Season “there will be layers of mystery and history that must be discovered and understood“, has explained. “Your task will be to record various things, speaking with people you will be able to bring these stories to light. There are important things that are happening in the present, and important things that have happened in the past: you will have to find out all of this. It is not just a journey, we want to reconstruct the feeling of being a stranger in a strange land, in search of meaning and purpose.“.
In addition to the travel experience, there is certainly the extremely topical issue of climate change: our world is also changing rapidly and this makes us reflect.
It seems that Season will be a very immersive experience, testimony of how much potential indies have in the world of narration and analysis of the present.
The game is expected in 2021 on PC and Playstation 5.
