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A YEAR OF SPRINGS

A Year of Springs is the heartfelt story of three young women in Japan, facing issues with love, friendship, and gender. This visual novel is cute yet compelling, and highly recommended.
A YEAR OF SPRINGS Game Cover
96%Game Brain Score
story, emotional
gameplay
100% User Score Based on 852 reviews
Critic Score 83%Based on 2 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchAndroidPlaystation 5Playstation 4XboxSteam DeckWindowsPlayStationLinuxXbox Series X|SPCTabletMac OSPhoneXbox OneMobile Platform
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A YEAR OF SPRINGS Game Cover

About

A YEAR OF SPRINGS is a single player casual simulation game. It was developed by npckc and was released on September 28, 2021. It received positive reviews from critics and overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

"A Year of Springs" is a visual novel following three parallel stories of young women in a small town. Each story explores themes of self-discovery, friendship, and love, with supernatural elements woven throughout. The game features vibrant illustrations and a soothing soundtrack, creating an immersive and emotional experience.

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A YEAR OF SPRINGS screenshot
A YEAR OF SPRINGS screenshot
A YEAR OF SPRINGS screenshot
A YEAR OF SPRINGS screenshot
A YEAR OF SPRINGS screenshot
A YEAR OF SPRINGS screenshot
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100%
Audience ScoreBased on 852 reviews
story128 positive mentions
  • The game features a heartwarming story with relatable characters, particularly highlighting the struggles of transgender individuals in a sensitive and authentic manner.
  • The art style is cute and charming, enhancing the overall experience and making the characters feel more endearing.
  • It provides valuable representation of LGBTQ+ issues, including asexuality and aromanticism, making it a meaningful experience for players from diverse backgrounds.
  • The game is relatively short, which may leave players wanting more content and character development.
  • Some players found the pacing uneven, particularly in the third story, which could lead to confusion regarding choices and outcomes.
  • A few players noted that the dialogue could feel a bit simplistic or rough at times, potentially detracting from the overall immersion.
  • story
    374 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in "A Year of Springs" is a heartfelt and relatable exploration of the lives of three young women navigating their identities and friendships within the LGBTQ+ community. Users praise its deep emotional resonance, well-written characters, and the authentic representation of issues faced by transgender and asexual individuals, making it a touching experience for players of all backgrounds. The game's charming art style and engaging dialogue further enhance its appeal, creating a warm and comforting narrative that resonates with many.

    • “The story is very heartwarming, and it has very good LGBTQ representation too.”
    • “A year of springs is such a heartwarming and sensitively written story about gender and identity.”
    • “The story itself is well-written, and I love how supportive the characters are of each other's struggles and experiences.”
    • “Shame that if you already read the hot-spring story for free, you'll have to read it again just to read the later stories.”
    • “While I wish the story was even longer and let me see more of these characters, I am more than happy with what we got here.”
    • “The distinction between 'bi' and 'pan' is never explored in the story.”
  • emotional
    272 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is overwhelmingly positive, with players describing it as heartwarming, touching, and relatable. Many reviewers noted that the narrative deeply resonated with their personal experiences, particularly regarding LGBTQ+ themes, leading to frequent emotional responses, including tears of both joy and sadness. The game's portrayal of friendship, identity, and personal growth is celebrated for its sensitivity and authenticity, making it a powerful experience for many players.

    • “These three games together tell an earnest narrative of three women navigating their queerness and how it affects how they interact with the world and how the world treats them, touching on the cultural aspects with sensitivity and care.”
    • “A year of springs is such a heartwarming and sensitively written story about gender and identity.”
    • “This game is just as beautiful and emotional as I remembered it, and there were two scenes that especially hit me hard because they really put into perspective how far I've come in my own transition.”
  • music
    88 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is widely praised for its soothing and chill qualities, perfectly complementing the cute art style and heartwarming narrative. Players appreciate the consistency and fitting nature of the soundtrack, which enhances the overall experience and emotional depth of the story. Many find the music to be a delightful addition, making it a memorable aspect of the game that resonates with its themes and characters.

    • “The music fits perfectly.”
    • “I love everything about this game - the cute art style is iconic and the music fits the story perfectly.”
    • “Wonderful game, with cute animation, soothing music and extremely relatable content to me personally.”
    • “The music was fitting with the chill vibe it generally exuded and sound effects were limited in use but all were good.”
    • “The music also really gives me the feeling of simplicity which most of these stories have.”
    • “Despite dealing with many of the unpleasant things trans people face in public spaces, this game manages to never lose its feeling of pure comfort, in large part due to the cute artstyle and relaxing soundtrack.”
  • graphics
    74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are consistently praised for their cute and simplistic art style, which effectively complements the heartfelt storytelling and themes of identity and belonging. Reviewers highlight the charming visuals, often described as adorable and distinctive, along with a soothing soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. The art style not only appeals aesthetically but also serves to focus on the emotional depth of the characters and their narratives, making it a standout feature of the game.

    • “Beautiful game, visuals and music.”
    • “The art style is very cute with its simple vibe and thick lines, while having no trouble supporting the story.”
    • “The visuals are extremely cute and appealing despite the simplicity.”
    • “Its kind of like Escape from Tarkov, minus the plot, mechanics, gameplay, graphics, game engine, dev team, genre, message, and price of Tarkov.”
    • “The simplistic art style fittingly puts less emphasis on the characters' appearances, allowing more focus on their thought processes.”
    • “Despite dealing with many of the unpleasant things trans people face in public spaces, this game manages to never lose its feeling of pure comfort, in large part due to the cute art style and relaxing soundtrack.”
  • gameplay
    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is primarily focused on narrative, typical of visual novels, featuring multiple-choice selections that lead to various endings, but lacks significant interactivity beyond clicking through the story. While the gameplay is straightforward and somewhat limited, it compensates with well-developed characters and a charming art style, making the overall experience engaging despite its simplicity. Players can expect around 10 hours of content for a low price, emphasizing story over complex mechanics.

    • “First of all, I clocked in almost 10 hours of quality gameplay and for $5 that's an absolute steal.”
    • “As for the gameplay, with the exception of the epilogue, the three visual novels have multiple choices presented, which can lead to one of multiple endings.”
    • “The gameplay is what you would expect from a visual novel, and the plot is very chill, but the highlight is the characters.”
    • “However, you should be aware that you mainly click through the three different stories, so there is not much gameplay.”
    • “The game is heavy on story and light on gameplay, with multiple-choice selections as the only means of interactivity.”
    • “Its kind of like Escape from Tarkov, minus the plot, mechanics, gameplay, graphics, game engine, dev team, genre, message, and price of Tarkov.”
  • character development
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Haru's character development is described as a slow but rewarding journey, particularly in act 2, where it explores deep and realistic themes surrounding her identity. Reviewers appreciate the natural and wholesome progression of her character, which evokes strong emotions and culminates in a fulfilling narrative experience. Overall, the character development is seen as a standout aspect of the game, contributing significantly to its heartwarming story.

    • “It's wholesome and makes me cry on occasion. The character development is so natural, healthy, and wonderful to see, and it explores deep topics in a realistic and fulfilling way.”
    • “Haru's character development was very dragged out, especially during act 2, but the payoff was so worth it that I don't even care.”
    • “Her character development comes naturally in the second chapter, as she (or the player in this case) finally realizes that being trans is harder than she thinks while trying to hold a birthday party for Haru.”
    • “So much emotion and character development are packed into these short stories.”
  • humor
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is characterized by its sharp and witty writing, which effectively balances comedic elements with serious themes surrounding transgender rights and LGBTQIA+ issues in Japan. Players find the experience amusing, particularly when making relatable choices that lead to unexpected bad endings, adding to the game's charm despite its brevity.

    • “Picking the same kind of choices I would say in real life only to immediately get a bad ending was hilarious though, definitely worth its price even if the game is on the short side.”
    • “The writing hits a really nice tone depicting the state of transgender rights and LGBTQIA+ people in general in Japan in a realistic way, even for someone who is unfamiliar with them, while also being funny and sharp.”
  • atmosphere
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is enhanced by a strong musical score that complements its immersive environment, creating a captivating experience for players.

    • “This game features some great tunes that complement its immersive atmosphere beautifully.”
    • “The atmospheric presence in this game is truly captivating, enhancing the overall experience.”
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83%Critics’ scoreBased on 2 critic reviews
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5h Median play time
5h Average play time
3-6h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

A YEAR OF SPRINGS is a casual simulation game.

A YEAR OF SPRINGS is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Steam Deck and others.

On average players spend around 5 hours playing A YEAR OF SPRINGS.

A YEAR OF SPRINGS was released on September 28, 2021.

A YEAR OF SPRINGS was developed by npckc.

A YEAR OF SPRINGS has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

A YEAR OF SPRINGS is a single player game.

Similar games include one night, hot springs, If Found..., Missed Messages, A Normal Lost Phone, Newfound Courage and others.