Seasons after Fall Review

Seasons after Fall was released just a few months ago for PC, and due to the good reception, the French studio Swing Swing Submarine has widened its sights on launching its precious proposal on Xbox One. The title doesn't include news regarding it's version of Pc, but offers an adventure with mystical elements that start from a truly interesting premise, although as the hours pass the force is diluted like an ice cube in summer.

Duration

It's a shame that the potential is not as well used as it should be, something that often happens in many independent games. This budgetary rebound is evident both in the already commented lack of depth in their puzzles, the only challenge offered by the game, as in the overall design. Although the constant climatic changes that we can establish, can bring a different feeling, the game takes us constantly through the same scenarios in order to extend the experience for free. It's true that when the mapping is opened to favor the exploration new resources are used to offer new zones, but they are all very similar.

In short, Season after Fall, can take us between 7-8 hours, depending on the ability to overcome the puzzles that the game presents us.

Gameplay

In Seasons After Fall, the different seasons of the year are the base that underlies the whole development of the adventure, both narrative level and it's creative and playable facet. All part when we take the role of a seed that must take the body of a beautiful wild fox, to carry out the mission entrusted to him: obtain the powers of the Guardians of the Stations. A task entrusted to us by a voice that plays the role of both companion and omniscient narrator, and which helps us, albeit in a somewhat selfish way, on the way to find the giant spirits that protect such power: Winter Bear, The Autumn Crane, the Spring Eel and the Summer Cicada.

The game guides us progressively through wonderful two-dimensional scenarios drawn by hand, a sample of the sublime artistic work that has made the Gallic study, which stands as the main attraction of the product, coming to remember other similar titles of the genre as Ori and the Blind Forest. Learning leads us to be able to dynamically control the world around us, being able to change seasons to progress and unravel a story, which, while an ode to life and respect for nature, lacks the necessary strength to touch the little heart and mark us. Even so, it serves as a pretext to keep us steady to see its conclusion, with an outcome that also seems to be improved.

The good idea of Seasons After Fall also, has it's ups and downs at playable level. The first half of the adventure takes us by the hand in a linear way as we get the four seasonal powers. In the second half, the game opens exponentially to offer an exploration that lengthens the experience, something that suits you, since this adds a slight pinch of difficulty. In any of it's sectors, it's still a fairly simple game in terms of mechanics and, especially in their puzzles. In this aspect, could have taken a much bigger game, because there are wicker for it.

In Seasons After Fall, the only enemy that we can find is our mind, but much less we have before us a challenge. The scenarios vary drastically depending on the season of the year in which we are, which we can change quickly and swiftly. If we have to cross a pond, it's necessary to put the winter so that we can advance on its frozen ground; If we are in spring we must use it's torrential rains to reach a high part; If the sun shines in summer, use the growth of the flowers in our favor and, if the leaves fall in autumn, the mushrooms are born allowing us to reach our goal. A magnificent premise that could give a lot of game, proposing puzzles to make us guess what time is best in each moment. However ingenious in some designs of these puzzles, it's mechanics and resolution is exceedingly simple once we know the patterns with which the game usually challenges us. Even so, you will not be exempt from being caught by any of its sectors, and when we give it a corner is when we will feel a most gratifying feeling.

Grpahics & Design

At the graphic level, we have no choice but to take our hat off the beauty we have before our eyes. And is that a world treated with that love, with a very special color and with beautiful designs of both scenarios and handmade characters, we can only sit before him and see him moving. A movement, which is also accompanied by beautiful animations and visually striking visual effects. Without a doubt one of the two-dimensional artistic beauties of the season.

The soundtrack is another strong point, with a very well implemented ambient sound, and with few but precious musical moments that will give a special touch to the most intense moments of the adventure.

Conclusion

Seasons after Fall was born of an idea that is more than interesting, and also has a masterful technical section. But it's far from being a title that is more than remarkable due to the limited depth that comes to the possibility of changing the design of the scenarios and puzzles quite simple to solve. Even so, a product more than interesting for those looking for something different.