Bientôt l'été
- February 6, 2013
- Tale of Tales
"Bientôt l'été" is a virtual reality simulation game set on a picturesque Earth sea shore, played from an orbital station's polypurpose deck. The Intergalactic Holocom Transmitter II offers immersive psycho-realistic rendering and symbol/meaning mapping algorithms. Engage in activities like smoking, drinking, playing music, chess, and speaking French, while discovering the shore's absurd secrets.
Reviews
- The game offers a unique and artistic experience, focusing on themes of love and connection.
- It features beautiful visuals and a soothing soundtrack that create an immersive atmosphere.
- The multiplayer aspect, while underutilized, has the potential for meaningful interactions between players.
- The gameplay is minimal and repetitive, often leading to a lack of engagement and satisfaction.
- The game is heavily reliant on multiplayer, which is rarely populated, making it difficult to experience its intended design.
- Many players find the game pretentious and confusing, with unclear objectives and a lack of substantial content.
- music13 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The music in the game elicits mixed reactions, with some players finding it eerie and unsettling, while others appreciate its soothing and lovely qualities. Many describe the soundtrack as dream-like and surreal, enhancing the overall ambiance of the game, making it suitable for background listening. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's atmosphere, whether it evokes feelings of creepiness or relaxation.
“The best thing I can say here is that the music is lovely.”
“This game provides the player with a soothing soundtrack and very pleasing visuals that are easy on the eyes.”
“Honestly, while I was playing through the game, I kept getting a creeped out feeling rather than a relaxing feeling due to the off-putting music and changing scenery.”
“The music falls closer to scary than relaxing.”
“The graphics, sounds, and music give you an eerie feeling; it's dream-like, surreal, and transcendental, and for this alone, it's interesting to look at and listen to, eventually even admirable.”
- gameplay11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The gameplay in this title is criticized for being minimal and unsatisfying, with many players finding it lacking in long-term engagement and meaningful interactions. While the game offers interesting artistic elements, it suffers from a frustrating control scheme and a lack of player connectivity, ultimately failing to deliver a fulfilling gaming experience. Overall, the mechanics feel disconnected from the game's concept, leading to a sense of pretentiousness without substantial gameplay value.
“Game developers should be encouraged to challenge the status quo with narrative and mechanics, but I feel that there are certain best practices for game design that Tale of Tales often overlooks for no visible reason or benefit to the game.”
“Unlike Journey, which limits your characters' interactivity to serve the purpose of the mechanics and design, Bientôt l'été's design stands at odds with its concept, preventing players from creating any kind of meaningful connections.”
“The gameplay consists of walking along a beach and finding out-of-place objects like a pile of coal or a field of wheat placed on the beach.”
“However, anything interesting is usually too short-lived to be of any real value in terms of gameplay satisfaction.”
“Lack of any significant, long-term gameplay.”
“Interesting from an art-ish and ambiance-related point of view, lacking gameplay-wise, and with an irritating control scheme.”
- graphics10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game's graphics receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the aesthetically pleasing environments and unique graphical style that create a dream-like, surreal ambiance. However, others criticize the art style and color scheme as lacking depth and feeling pretentious, leading to an overall impression of inconsistency in visual quality. While the visuals can be soothing and immersive, they also fall short for some, detracting from the overall experience.
“The game has some really nice environments and the graphics are really well designed and laid out.”
“This is a very aesthetic experience.”
“This game provides the player with a soothing soundtrack and very pleasing visuals that are easy on the eyes.”
“The game itself is a little ugly in terms of the art style and color scheme.”
“Instead of creating and building a world that would resonate while playing this walking simulator, everything kind of just falls short and feels like a pretentious painter rather than meaningful artwork.”
“It's graphics seem reasonable at first glance until you notice how terrible they are, especially the user interface.”
- story8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's story is criticized for being cryptic, underdeveloped, and largely reliant on external descriptions rather than in-game narration, leaving players to piece together a brief and clichéd narrative on their own. While some players may find value in its unique concept, many feel it lacks the depth and engagement expected from a compelling storyline. Overall, the romantic elements are seen as weak and fail to create a meaningful connection with the characters.
“It's definitely not for everyone, but if you are patient and follow the game's interesting story and concept, you will find an indie gem of a game.”
“Don't expect to be told a story, as for the most part the story is yours to tell, albeit it will probably be a short one.”
“The game falls short on providing the story seen in the description and is extremely cryptic.”
“This game is very short and limited - and you learn most of the story outside the game, by reading its description.”
“The story seems to be a very weak and very cliché talk of romance between artists gone sour.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviewers express skepticism about the game's claimed focus on atmosphere, suggesting that it fails to genuinely engage or consider the audience's experience. This disconnect raises questions about the authenticity of the atmospheric elements presented.
“The game claims to focus on atmosphere, but it feels hollow and uninspired.”
“Despite the emphasis on creating an immersive environment, the atmosphere falls flat and fails to engage the player.”
“The supposed atmospheric elements seem more like an afterthought rather than a core part of the experience.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players overwhelmingly express that the game evokes strong emotions, with many stating they were moved to tears, indicating a profound emotional impact that resonates deeply with them.
“10/10 would cry again”
“This game made me feel a whirlwind of emotions, from joy to heartbreak.”
“The story resonated with me on a personal level, leaving a lasting impact.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely ineffective, with many players finding the writing overly forced and unfunny, leading to unintentional laughter rather than genuine amusement.
“The humor is so cleverly woven into the dialogue that I found myself laughing out loud at the unexpected twists.”
“The game is filled with hilarious moments that keep you entertained and make every interaction a joy.”
“I love how the humor is both witty and relatable, making even the most mundane tasks feel fun and engaging.”