Seasons after Fall
- September 2, 2016
- Swing Swing Submarine
- 6h median play time
This beautiful puzzle-platformer is filled with attention to detail, and with its tight controls and clever puzzles I couldn’t recommend playing this enough.
"Seasons After Fall" is a 2D platform-puzzler game where you play as a fox with the ability to change seasons at will. By manipulating the environment, you uncover secrets and solve puzzles to gain the powers of the four Guardians, all while accompanied by a live string quartet soundtrack. The changing seasons significantly affect the world, allowing you to explore and interact with it in different ways.
Reviews
- Beautiful hand-painted graphics and art style.
- Charming and relaxing atmosphere with a soothing soundtrack.
- Unique gameplay mechanic of changing seasons to solve puzzles.
- Controls can feel unresponsive and clunky, especially during jumps.
- Lack of a map or clear objectives can lead to confusion and excessive backtracking.
- The story is simplistic and may not engage all players.
- story1,219 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of "Seasons After Fall" is often described as charming and visually captivating, with a narrative that unfolds gradually as players progress through the game. While some find the plot engaging and emotionally resonant, others criticize it for being simplistic, predictable, or lacking depth, with a few noting that it feels more like a children's tale. Overall, the game is appreciated for its artistic presentation and soothing atmosphere, though opinions vary on the effectiveness and complexity of its storytelling.
“The twists, the shifts of tone, all of it felt so well strung together, and I will admit this game did make me cry, and I found the story and emotions of the seed strangely relatable.”
“This game is beautiful with a truly unique story and style, the puzzles are also captivating, and just challenging enough to keep you involved and thinking while still enjoying the world around and the characters on their journey.”
“The story proved intriguing enough, as the truth about the characters gradually unraveled and you gain a clear picture of how the forest actually works.”
“The story felt confused on what it was trying to say, and ended up not saying much at all.”
“The story was very vague and although the voices for narration were good they didn't help explain why I was doing what I was doing.”
“The story is shallow and the voice acting roles seem unfitting.”
- music1,046 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The music in "Seasons After Fall" is widely praised for its beauty and ability to enhance the game's atmosphere, featuring a charming string quartet soundtrack that many players find enchanting. However, some reviewers noted that the music can be sparse, often cutting out unexpectedly or playing only during specific moments, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the combination of stunning visuals and a captivating soundtrack makes the game a delightful journey for many players.
“The music is incredible, it makes me feel like I am the fox in the game and I am running with the wind.”
“The soundtrack is really beautiful, fits perfectly with the visuals and some tracks even managed to give me goosebumps.”
“The music puts you in a good mood.”
“However, there were times when the music seemed a bit off, playing randomly and then stopping shortly after—not a major issue, but noticeable.”
“The music is practically non-existent, the 'puzzles' are very easy, and the voice acting is cringey ('little seed', anyone?).”
“The music was pretty when it was actually present, but a lot of the game was just atmospheric noise or silence.”
- graphics1,025 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Seasons After Fall" are widely praised for their stunning hand-painted art style, vibrant colors, and enchanting visuals that create a relaxing atmosphere. Many players appreciate the unique aesthetic, likening it to a living artwork, while the seasonal changes add depth to the visual experience. However, some critiques mention issues with optimization and control responsiveness, which can detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.
“The graphics are beautiful.”
“The visuals invoke a feeling of looking at a painting being done in real time, with soft textures, beautiful lighting, and gorgeous designs for every area of the game.”
“This game is visually stunning, using a gorgeous hand painted art style that's paired with a beautiful classical score.”
“Mediocre graphics (why so dark in most parts?)”
“After hours of running back and forth, even the prettiest graphics lose their charm.”
“The game runs smoothly on my quite average PC but it is one of those jumping games where you sometimes end up failing/falling simply because of graphics lag or keys not responding fully.”
- gameplay758 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Seasons After Fall" is characterized by its unique season-changing mechanic, which allows players to manipulate the environment to solve puzzles. While the game features beautiful visuals and a relaxing atmosphere, many reviews highlight issues such as repetitive gameplay, clunky controls, and simplistic puzzles that may not engage more experienced players. Overall, the game is seen as a charming but flawed experience, appealing primarily to those who appreciate its artistic elements rather than challenging gameplay.
“The gameplay is straightforward, with basic controls for movement, jumping, actions, and the ability to change seasons.”
“The core mechanic involves switching between seasons to change your environment and solve puzzles; it adds a lot of depth to the gameplay while avoiding overcomplication, a trap that is easy to fall into with games of this genre.”
“I really enjoyed the gameplay, design, story, sounds, and controls.”
“Unfortunately, it really falls flat in terms of gameplay.”
“The gameplay is just run there, get that thing from over there and run back through the last area again, rinse and repeat.”
“The major flaw is that gameplay is very slow, due to the lack of a world map to make your way around, which clashes with its focus on backtracking, and the stiff controls.”
- atmosphere172 mentions
- 66 % positive mentions
- 32 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its beautiful visuals, calming music, and immersive sound design, creating a relaxing and enchanting experience that evolves with the changing seasons. Many reviewers highlight the game's artistic style and atmospheric storytelling, although some note that the gameplay can feel secondary and occasionally frustrating. Overall, the game is recommended for those who appreciate a serene and atmospheric journey, even if the mechanics may not be as engaging.
“The atmosphere is beautiful, changing with each season.”
“The visuals and sounds combine to create a bucolic, almost meditative atmosphere of a walk through woods and meadows, changing seasons as you please.”
“The music, the visuals, appreciate the game for what it is, and that is a sensation of colors and atmosphere.”
“Because of my roaming around, I've pretty much separated from the atmosphere.”
“This is important because the game lives off its atmosphere; gameplay-wise, it's rather dull.”
“Nevertheless, there is not half as much story to it, and the atmosphere doesn't quite catch up either.”
- grinding71 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The reviews consistently highlight that the grinding aspect of the game is characterized by tedious backtracking, sluggish controls, and repetitive gameplay, which detracts from the overall experience. While the game features beautiful visuals and an interesting premise, players often find themselves frustrated by the lack of direction and the need to replay the same areas multiple times, leading to a generally boring and ponderous experience. Despite some appreciation for the puzzle depth, the clunky mechanics and excessive repetition make the gameplay feel more like a chore than an enjoyable adventure.
“The art is nice and the music is lovely, but when your puzzle platformer has the same 4 areas you have to replay 3 times each, your platforming character has the grace of a forklift, some of your puzzles use mechanisms we haven't seen before and need to discover pretty much by accident, your main mechanisms are clunky and tedious, and your story is utter nonsense, it comes down to a generally poor experience.”
“Seasons After Fall is a beautiful game to look at and listen to, but it can often be tedious to play due to its insistence on repeated backtracking and general lack of guidance.”
“But after the wonder wears off, what remains is a tedious and mediocre puzzle platformer game with wonky controls.”
- emotional50 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its beautiful art, heartwarming story, and emotional depth, with many players finding it touching and immersive. While some felt the narrative was initially simple and somewhat childish, it evolves into a more profound experience that resonates deeply, especially with the right ending. However, a few reviewers noted that the ambiguous conclusion and simplistic gameplay might detract from the overall emotional impact for some players.
“The real heart of the game that gives it this replay value in my eyes is the story, which starts out deceptively simple and then transforms later in the game to something unexpectedly deep and heartfelt.”
“Absolutely gorgeous game with a heartfelt and touching story.”
“A lonely place where you're going to take part in a very heartwarming adventure that, at first, will sound very cliché and unoriginal but as you play you will discover that it holds more meaning than it occasionally throws at you.”
- stability48 mentions
- 2 % positive mentions
- 2 % neutral mentions
- 96 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with some players reporting significant glitches and bugs that can impede progress, such as freezing, falling through the map, and unresponsive controls. However, others have noted minimal issues, stating that most glitches are easily resolved by reloading the game. Overall, while some players enjoyed a smooth experience, many highlighted the need for improvements in stability.
“No glitches, except for some clipping when your frames drop to 0.”
“This game has a ridiculous amount of glitches that really impede progress.”
“There were quite a few bugs and glitches that lead to either a crash or (in the case of falling through the map) a restart that I experienced in my playthrough.”
“Choppy, buggy (like the screen suddenly going black in winter mode, displaying only white snow), frequently impossible to access certain points because of the slow, unresponsive, inconsistent controls.”
- replayability28 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers limited replayability, primarily appealing to achievement hunters or those seeking to explore different endings. Most players find it a one-time experience, as the short playtime of 5-8 hours and lack of substantial content do not encourage multiple playthroughs. While the story has depth, it does not provide enough incentive for players to return after completing the main narrative.
“For people who like to achievement hunt, there's definitely some fun in that - I found I could get most of the achievements on the first run through, but the game definitely has replay value beyond achievement hunting.”
“The real heart of the game that gives it this replay value in my eyes is the story, which starts out deceptively simple and then transforms later in the game to something unexpectedly deep and heartfelt.”
“🔲 infinitely replayable”
“This is more a once and done game; I do not see it being categorized as a replayable game since you get most of the achievements just by progressing through the main story.”
“Sadly, the game is short; I finished it in 6-7 hours and it has no replay value.”
“You need to decide for yourself what a game you can finish in an afternoon (with no replay value whatsoever) is worth to you.”
- optimization16 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players experiencing significant performance issues such as stuttering, screen tearing, and unresponsive controls, particularly on lower-end systems. While some users noted that the game runs smoothly on average PCs, the overall consensus is that it requires better graphics optimization and more flexible video settings to enhance the gameplay experience.
“The game runs smoothly on my quite average PC, but it is one of those jumping games where you sometimes end up failing or falling simply because of graphics lag or keys not responding fully.”
“There were some drawbacks with performance and maps, but overall, I really liked it.”
“This game's optimizations couldn't let me play it.”
“The graphics are gorgeous, but my computer (8 GB RAM, i5 processor, no added graphics card) had a lot of issues with stuttering and screen tearing.”
“This game will eat up all of your available VRAM and start stuttering from time to time.”
“If the limited video settings and horrible optimization aren't enough, you can always turn your attention to the stale gameplay and artwork.”
- humor8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by the amusing interactions between the storyteller and the main character, along with well-crafted lore. While the game is described as simple and funny, some players find the lack of a map and a sparse fast travel system to be frustrating, leading to comedic yet exasperating moments of falling out of the game world. Overall, the humor adds a lighthearted touch, despite some gameplay frustrations.
“The story-teller has quite funny interactions with the main character, and the lore is well scripted.”
“Great game, simple and funny!”
“There's no map or minimap, something the game desperately needs, and the fast travel system is hilariously sparse, coming online only in the latter half of the game, and barely reducing the backtracking you need to do at all.”
- character development4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is present but lacks depth, leaving players with insufficient understanding of the characters' motivations and backgrounds. While the hand-drawn art style enhances the visual appeal, it does not compensate for the underdeveloped character arcs.
“The environment and character design is hand-drawn and looks very illustrative.”
“There is some character development, but not enough to fully grasp who they are or why they do this or that.”
Critic Reviews
Seasons After Fall Review – Ori Without the Story
If you are a platformer enthusiast who likes jumping around and solving puzzles, you will probably enjoy this game. Just go into the game expecting great visuals and a soundtrack, and you will not be unduly disappointed.
60%Seasons After Fall Review
The relaxing gameplay allows you to spend more time appreciating the merits of its design and message, while soaking in the wonderful musical score.
80%Seasons After Fall Review - PS4
Seasons After Fall is a gorgeous year-round romp through the forest that will pull at the heartstrings on more than one occasion. Every season brings fun and different dynamics to the game, complemented superbly by the soundtrack. Some puzzles and load times may frustrate, but they’re not enough to detract from the overall charm and enjoyment of the game.
80%