SEASONS AFTER FALL

Friendishly cute,this indie title is preparing audience for enjoyment.

trailer:

In this trailer shown at Gamescom in summer 2014, you can watch little fox jumping around,seeking,helping,chasing and solving puzzles – and you conclude it by now it is a platformer.

Swing Swing Submarine, the talented studio behind well-received puzzlers such as Blocks That Matter and Tetrobot and Co., has been hard at work on its latest project, Seasons after Fall. The exquisite-looking fairytale platformer is scheduled to arrive on consoles and PC at some point in 2016.

In Seasons, you’ll take on the role of a wild fox with mystical powers that allow you to “manipulate the life of the forest through dynamically changing the seasons.” Platforming elements will “move or expand based on which season you switch to,” so for example, you can freeze a progress-blocking waterfall by summoning Winter, or “call for Spring to make plants and flowers bloom, guiding you to previously inaccessible zones.”

I first became aware of the delightful title when I came across Philippa Warr‘s first-hand account of the game last December. In it, the developers discuss its intended difficulty level, or intentional lack thereof by saying, “We want [the] game to feel generous,” adding that they “don’t want the platforming to be a challenge.” In essence, I get the feeling that Seasons is meant to be a relaxing, exploration-based title, which is fine by me. From time to time, that’s precisely what audience need.