Summertime Madness

About

"Summertime Madness" is a single-player first-person puzzle game where you play as a painter who, after being cheated and trapped in a painted canvas, must find your way back to the real world. Explore an evolving island with surreal landscapes, as solving puzzles and uncovering mysteries will cause new areas to emerge. The game takes place in Prague, July 20th, 1945 during the city's siege, adding historical depth to this artistic and mysterious world.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

69%

Audience ScoreBased on 49 reviews

graphics12 positive mentions

grinding5 negative mentions

The game features stunning visuals and a captivating art style that immerses players in a beautifully crafted world.
The soundtrack is relaxing and complements the game's atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience.
The game offers a variety of puzzles that, while sometimes frustrating, can be satisfying to solve and encourage exploration.

Many puzzles are tedious and rely on trial and error, leading to a frustrating gameplay experience rather than a stimulating challenge.
The time limit mechanic feels counterintuitive, as it contradicts the game's theme of exploration and relaxation.
Controls can be janky, and the linear design often results in excessive backtracking, which detracts from the enjoyment of the game.

graphics
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
44%
11%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning visuals and unique art style, which create an engaging atmosphere that captivates players. While many appreciate the colorful and artistic design, some critiques mention that certain elements can be visually overwhelming or confusing, detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the game's beautiful artwork and diverse scenery are highlighted as standout features, despite some concerns about gameplay mechanics and puzzle design.
- “Absolutely gorgeous visuals.”
- “The graphics of the game are stunning.”
- “Summertime madness got amazing visuals, the scenery is beautiful.”
- “The artwork is pretty, but some parts of it could be an eyesore. The music just isn't my type most of the time and is more depressing than relaxing.”
- “An art style that's too obsessed with appearing simple and charming.”
- “This culminates in a final level that feels like a personal insult, which includes jarringly confusing graphics that are purposely meant to waste time, with very little time needed to think about the solution but a whole lot of time needed to complete.”
gameplay
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
70%
13%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some praising its stunning graphics and creative puzzle mechanics, while others criticize it for being tedious and lacking meaningful engagement. Players noted a reliance on running around and flipping switches, with some puzzles feeling unnecessary or frustrating due to unclear mechanics and time limits. Overall, while there are inventive moments, the gameplay experience is marred by repetitive tasks and a lack of depth.
- “With stunning graphics, a captivating storyline, and flawless gameplay, it grabs the attention and imagination of players from the very beginning.”
- “The puzzles are a great variety, and no one puzzle seemed to stick around for too long or become tiresome, especially with the inventive hint mechanic.”
- “Despite that, the gameplay mechanic that gets combined with this part of the gameplay experience is pretty original and awesome.”
- “While keeping an eye out for several different collectibles and even a few secrets, the gameplay, with very few other puzzles like playing a piano and making sure cogs are in the right order, is mostly about running around and flipping switches in a maze-like setting.”
- “I spent a long time considering how to solve the puzzle using this mechanic, only to figure out it's not needed, meaning the wind and falling serve no purpose except to frustrate the player.”
- “Too much tedious back and forth in most places, especially in New Prague (half my playtime was spent on that one puzzle), plus the usual piano, rotating, etc. mechanics.”
music
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
40%
15%
The music in "Summertime Madness" is generally praised for its relaxing and fitting nature, enhancing the game's visual beauty and overall atmosphere. While some players find it enjoyable and conducive to focus, others feel it can be somewhat depressing or challenging, particularly during music-related puzzles. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a significant aspect of the game, contributing positively to the immersive experience despite some mixed opinions.
- “The music is relaxing and fits the game well.”
- “The game itself is beautiful, it's colorful, and the music fits in the game.”
- “Summertime Madness offers a nice game with colorful graphics and music fitting into this game.”
- “The artwork is pretty, but some parts of it could be an eyesore... the music just isn't my type most of the time and is pretty depressing rather than relaxing.”
- “Not to mention that unless you have an ear for music and know how to read notes, the only way to solve the piano boat puzzle is if you do it correctly by chance.”
- “The soundtrack doesn't get you over the edge when you are struggling with a puzzle.”
story
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
39%
17%
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its captivating narrative and visual beauty, while others criticize historical inaccuracies and a lack of depth. While it draws inspiration from classic literature and features intriguing elements, some find the overall storyline lacking and not engaging enough to warrant deeper exploration. Overall, the story is seen as a strong point for some, but a disappointment for others, particularly in terms of coherence and interest.
- “With stunning graphics, a captivating storyline, and flawless gameplay, it grabs the attention and imagination of players from the very beginning.”
- “The game takes inspiration from works of classic literature, such as Christopher Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus, but perhaps has more in common with Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray – another story about a secret pact centered around a painting.”
- “Summertime Madness is a short, yet challenging adventure puzzler with a great story and amazing visuals that create a very unique aesthetic.”
- “The game has no real storyline (other than the intro video), and the puzzles are consistently terrible.”
- “Personally, the premise of the story seemed counter-intuitive to me.”
- “You can shave some time off by replaying earlier chapters faster, because we all know that's what story-based games are all about: speedrunning, repetition, and optimization during the first (and for many, the only) playthrough.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of "Summertime Madness" to be excessively tedious and frustrating, with puzzles that often feel like time-wasters. Many reviewers highlight a particularly difficult level that exacerbates this issue, while the overall experience is marred by repetitive mechanics and a lack of engaging content. However, the introduction of an untimed explorer mode and additional checkpoints in certain puzzles offers some relief.
- “Summertime Madness is a collection of tedious and not very interesting puzzles, and games that blatantly try to waste your time are a big no.”
- “There is one level in particular that is so tediously difficult that it reaches a point of frustration, and throughout the game the hints are either too easy or too complex.”
- “Too much tedious back and forth in most places, especially in New Prague (half my playtime was spent on that one puzzle), plus the usual piano, rotating, etc. mechanics.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The game's optimization has been criticized for its confusing graphics and poorly designed puzzles that detract from the overall experience, particularly in the final level, which feels frustratingly timed and punishing. Players express disappointment that the focus on speedrunning and repetition overshadows the narrative, indicating a need for better optimization in future titles.
- “Hopefully, their next game is gonna offer more than pretty things to look at in a well-optimized package.”
- “This culminates in a final level that feels like a personal insult, which includes jarringly confusing graphics that are purposely meant to waste time, terribly boring 'puzzle' design, with very little time needed to think about the solution but a whole lot of time needed to complete, not to mention a timer that speeds to 15 minutes remaining, nullifying your performance in the rest of the game up to this point.”
- “You can shave some time off by replaying earlier chapters faster, because we all know that's what story-based games are all about: speedrunning, repetition, and optimization during the first (and for many, the only) playthrough.”
- “Hopefully, their next game is going to offer more than pretty things to look at in a well-optimized package.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
100%
The game's atmosphere is praised for its stunning visuals and emotional impact, effectively immersing players in its beautifully crafted environments. The art style and scenery, particularly in the neo Prague level, evoke strong feelings and draw comparisons to other visually striking games like The Witness. Overall, it creates a captivating experience that enhances gameplay.
- “A great little game to spend your afternoon on, with cool scenery and art style that kind of reminds me of The Witness. I especially like the scenery and atmosphere in the Neo Prague level.”
- “A great little game to spend your afternoon on, with cool scenery and an art style that kind of reminds me of The Witness. I especially like the scenery and atmosphere in the Neo Prague level.”
- “It's quite a gorgeous game in many ways and really evoked some strong feelings in places just with very effective atmosphere setting!”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is highlighted by a comically frustrating feature where attempting to quit results in the game freezing, requiring players to use ctrl+alt+delete to exit. This unexpected twist adds a layer of absurdity to the experience.
- “Hilariously, when you try to quit, the game stops responding and you need to use Ctrl+Alt+Delete to close it.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Many users feel that the game lacks significant replayability, with some noting that even after missing secrets, there isn't enough incentive to play through again.
- “While I didn't find most of the secrets, I don't see much replay value either.”
- “The game feels linear, and once you've completed it, there's little incentive to go back.”
- “After finishing the main story, I found no compelling reasons to replay the game.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
"Summertime Madness" is praised for its heartwarming experience, offering players an emotional journey that resonates deeply with both the mind and soul.
- “Summertime Madness is such a beautiful game; it's a heartwarming experience for both your mind and your soul.”