Season: A Letter To The Future is a highly original open-world adventure game developed by Scavenger Studio. Players take on the role of Estelle, a young woman living in a world that is on the verge of being wiped out by a cataclysmic event and who decides to explore her local area on her bike and document the last moments of this world before things change forever.
This is the game's central mechanic; taking photos and recordings of different locations in Season: A Letter To The Future and adding them to Estelle's journal for the next generation to find. This list covers a few helpful tips to help beginners make the most of the game.
10 Enjoy The Experience
Season: A Letter To The Future is a highly unconventional, original title with stunning visuals and a unique narrative that is, simply put, a real treat for players to have the opportunity to experience (and reminds one of other titles that deconstruct the open world genre).
It's clear that the game has been inspired by mindfulness and meditation in some way, and its mechanics and gameplay both serve to deepen the sense of immersion that players feel. The game is relaxing and moves at a fairly slow pace, so players should focus on simply enjoying the experience for what it is - it's great while it lasts.
9 Explore The World As Much As Possible
The world of Season: A Letter To The Future is far bigger than players might initially think, especially given the title's relatively short runtime of six or so hours.
And, there are surprises and things to discover around just about every corner of the game. So, players should really take the time to explore every nook and cranny to make sure they don't leave any stone unturned (don't worry - players aren't punished for exploring like they are in some other open-world titles). Doing so gives a tremendous sense of satisfaction when players get to the end of the game, especially given that it revolves around telling a community's story.
8 Get Creative With The Journal
One of the greatest things about Estelle's journal in Season: A Letter To The Future is that players can put whatever they want in it, just like a real journal. Players might choose to take photos of the same vista at different angles or show wildly different perspectives on a particular scene.
The journal in Season: A Letter To The Future is one of the game's central mechanics (making it a much more relaxed experience than plenty of other open-world titles), as well as being a way for players to express their own creativity. So, players should really do as much as they want to with it.
7 Paying Attention To The World Is Key
Season: A Letter To The Future is a game remarkably rich in details and unexpected surprises, putting it on equal footing with some of the strongest open-world titles out there. There's almost endless material for players to photograph and record for Estelle's journal, so paying attention to the world that the game creates is key.
Noticing all the minor details that make Season: A Letter To The Future not only helps players appreciate the complexity of the title but also seriously enhances the overall sense of immersion. This is a game that does an incredible job of drawing players into its world, and all its subtle details are a massive part of making it feel more real.
6 Give Each Character Plenty Of Time
There are a handful of NPCs in Season: A Letter To The Future, including Estelle's mother, a monk, an artist, and a widow, and Estelle can interact with them in various ways.
These characters are one of the game's strongest points (not unlike some other classics of the open-world genre), so players should take plenty of time to really get to know them and their backstories as fully as possible. Players who do so will likely finish the title feeling far more of a sense of accomplishment, having been able to get as much out of the title as possible, rather than just scratching the surface.
5 Keep An Open Mind
As mentioned elsewhere in this article, Season: A Letter To The Future feels as if it's inspired by mindfulness at times, and the title's explorations of other philosophical and ethical concepts really set it apart from almost any other game that's been released to date, as well as making it as memorable as some of the strongest open-world titles out there.
Keeping an open mind about the themes and concepts explored or touched on by the narrative is generally the way to get the most out of Season: A Letter To The Future. And honestly, it's worth it for a game as poignant and moving as this one.
4 Think Choices Through
The decisions that players make in Season: A Letter To The Future have a direct impact on how the game's narrative plays out, as well as how it ends (which really adds to the sense of immersion players feel in a way that is reminiscent of some of the most immersive open-world titles out there).
So, it's important that players really think through the implications of their decisions before making them. It can be tricky to know how Estelle's actions are going to impact the story at times, but, in short, if players focus on doing their best to help the community of Tieng Valley, then it's hard not to feel positive about how the game's narrative concludes.
3 Not Everything Is Meant To Be Understood Immediately
Some of the concepts and mechanics in Season: A Letter To The Future are, to put it simply, somewhat esoteric, and their meanings and significance won't be clear at all to players until midway through the title, or even towards its end.
Players should understand that this is simply the way it is, rather than feeling like they need to understand everything that's happening in the game at all times. This isn't really possible and was likely not even the developer's intention, either. Sooner or later, everything in the title starts to come together.
2 Don’t Rush
It's entirely possible for players to breeze through Season: A Letter To The Future by getting from point A to point B as quickly as they can ignoring the game's optional content and areas.
Honestly, though, this defeats the purpose of the title altogether. Season: A Letter To The Future doesn't present a challenge to players in the way that difficult games often do, so there's very little sense of accomplishment in rushing through the game. Instead, players should focus on unwinding, getting as much as they can from the game's story, and taking it all in.
1 Players Can Tell Their Own Story
One of the parts of Season: A Letter To The Future that makes the game so special is how much flexibility players have in how they approach the game's central task, which is filling up Estelle's journal with photographs and recordings from different locations.
Players can choose to include whatever they want in the journal. By giving players this much agency in deciding what they want to be immortalized and what they feel should be forgotten, each person who plays the title will likely have a completely original approach to it. So, players should focus on filling the journal with memories they find meaningful and not worry about getting the task 'right.'
Season: A Letter To The Future is out now on PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.