Reviews

• gamedeal user

  Sep 29, 2021

  Another amazing YURI visual novel. There's a single route with 2 different endings. The story is great. Straightforward, engaging and heartwarming. There are no unnecessary fillers. That makes the game shorter than I wanted it to be, but still so very worth it. I enjoy this king of story a lot even though they always make me a little bit sad. And I did learn something about Hong Kong I didn't know before. lol The game is stunning. Absolutely gorgeous. Love the art very much. <3 The free patch is not explicit but it's in good taste and complements the story nicely. You will be missing out playing without it. Bought at 25% off but the full price is fair and worthwhile. Highly recommended. 10/10
• gamedeal user

  Oct 18, 2021

  I never made a steam review like this so I apologize if this isn't the best review out there but here it goes! A Summer's End - Hong Kong 1986 completed and 100% 11/10 Beautiful Game Beautiful Romance Beautiful Story Beautiful fucking ending How I got into the game: So I found this game because a friend of mine recommended it to me. And I won't lie, this was the most goddamn cathartic thing I have ever experienced. And I mean this in a great way, this game just does something to be able to capture you into its world almost instantly, and it's a quick read too and worth every penny. When added in with the adult patch it makes the Michelle and Sam's relationship develop a lot more. I'm usually stingy with sex scenes in my media, especially with how poorly written they tend to be sometimes. But in the case for A Summer's End - Hong Kong 1986, damn it made the characters' romance just be all the more deeper. And best part is that the adult patch is free! So please add it in if you want to! I find the name of the game "A Summer's End" to be so ironic, considering the fact that summer is never ending for me. I live in the vibrant world of Miami, where amazingly enough, we're remembered for our 80's aesthetics as well. In spite of the cultural differences that I as a Cuban might not be able to comprehend, I can still emotionally feel, understand, and connect to this game's underlying message. Just like the creators of this game wish that Hong Kong doesn't become remembered as a caricature of the city it once was, I feel the same way with Miami. Furthermore, I went through a similar experience Michelle did recently, forgetting about who she was as a person and forcing herself to be this person certain people wanted her to be. In my case, I forced myself to be in this relationship with this man that I never truly loved. I thought this man was my end game, and until recently...I was nothing more than a husk of a human being. Forcing myself to do things I didn't want to do for this guy. But I have to be honest with myself just like Michelle did, not just with her passions and pursuits in life, but just with...everything. I need to be me, be myself, and not let anyone tell me who I should and shouldn't be. I need someone who'll accept me and love me for who I am. That's something this game gave me one helluva reminder of, and I'm glad it did! The game's politics is definitely interesting, again I have no ancestral ties to any from Hong Kong but the game's ability to give me, an outsider this perspective of this other world that I didn't know much about that made me not just appreciate my living circumstance and the time period that I live in a bit more, but also a bit of hope and more awareness for the people of Hong Kong. Despite the game's pacing with the romance to a biiit on the fast end of the stick I still overall enjoyed what the game provided and I think it the romance is incredible and beautiful. There were so many references to cultural phenomena from that time period that I actually am also considering checking it out one day with how well this game has piqued my interest in regards to that culture. Nothing ever felt male gaze-y nor overtly fan service-y and the game has some of the most incredibly realistic depictions of LGBTQ charcters I've seen. And as a lesbian myself the depiction of these characters was well done too.
• gamedeal user

  Nov 20, 2021

  A thoroughly enjoyable experience from start to finish. As a gay woman married to another woman, I'll give this game a ringing endorsement as one of the absolute best in the genre. My playtime is ~3.6hrs as of writing this review but I'm a fast reader so mileage may vary. I've never left a steam review but I feel strongly that this game needs to be enjoyed by as many people as possible and if my review helps tip the scales towards that outcome, then I will be thrilled. Big Beats: - Overall, I would give this game a 10/10. - The characters are extremely likable, believable, and authentic. - Story is well-paced, interesting, with strong peaks and valleys of drama. - This game is fully complete as is - there is no fluff, no filler, and everything serves to build the world or the people within it. - The artwork and presentation is in all areas absolutely gorgeous. Utterly stunning, from the character sprites to the backgrounds to the UI of all things. It is truly above and beyond. - The music is brilliant! It features an original 80's vaporwave which lends a nostalgic, dreamy quality to a lot of scenes. Extra - Literally an Excuse to Ramble: - I have no cons to speak of. I would not recommend it if you are looking for things like multiple romance options, branching paths or a spread of endings. A minor note would be that I'm not sure of the value of having choices in this game. Caveat: I experienced just one of the two endings - it is my understanding that the ending I got was the 'best' which is framing this point. I have no curiosity for anything that could be less than that, narrative-wise, haha. - The game mostly focuses on the two main characters with extremely light and necessary involvement from others. Personally I thoroughly enjoy this dynamic because it delivers exactly what I want from a VN - time for the main characters to build intimacy and them (and you as the reader) to connect - instead of shackling me to nondescript NPC dullards whose qUiRky diatribes inspire violence within me. - I typically suspend my disbelief to some extent when playing visual novels and resign myself to tropes, cliches, or otherwise very 'anime' behaviors (you know exactly what I'm talking about) - but this was just *chef's kiss*. Just fucking brilliant. It is rooted in reality. The devs loved this and you can feel it from every screen. I was so immersed, I learned things, I felt things - the writing is top tier. - I just want to yell about scope, lol. I can't know how this was made but I'm so impressed at how concise and complete and beautiful this game is. It feels like Oracle and Bone were super smart about how they put this together - like they knew what they wanted to make and that vision bleeds from each screen. - There is a free 18+ patch which is tasteful ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)!!!! IMO this game is of considerable quality and is top tier. Thank you Oracle and Bone for sharing this with the world!
• gamedeal user

  Feb 8, 2022

  Straight guy here, game very obviously not written for me. Still extremely relatable and one of the best games I've ever played. The visuals are absolutely stunning and my jaw dropped whenever the characters appeared in a new outfit. At first, I thought the writing seemed a bit plain and idiomatically stiff, but by the end I actually felt it worked in the game's favor. It all comes across as very sincere and straight to the point which actually helps when dealing with complex emotions. I also highly recommend the adult patch - it's all tasteful and some of the scenes provide additional context and character development that I felt was oddly missing on my first playthrough. Most importantly for me, it's one of those rare pieces of media that instills a ton of optimism without ever avoiding tackling really difficult and potentially anxiety-inducing subjects. Love it.
• gamedeal user

  May 3, 2022

  I put this visual novel off long enough to find the right time and conducive atmosphere to play it. Despite my careful planning, it seems undeniable that this should fall into my neutral category. It disappointed me a bit, but I'm also quite happy that at least I was entertained with, as you probably already know, its interesting art style. [i]A Summer's End – Hong Kong 1986[/i] is a WLW/lesbian/yuri visual novel about a young adult love story between two women set in 80s Hong Kong. It's a basic love story about overcoming obstacles in a same-sex relationship wrapped in stunning visuals and accompanied by OSTs that fit the setting perfectly. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2808299501 I'll first talk about the praises. A Summer's End (ASE) presents audio and visual aspects depicting 80s Hong Kong well and unique. I think this is very fresh, excellent, and really shows the effort put in by the developer to provide an interesting and memorable experience for players through both. In ASE, the player is presented with an enchanting art style where the GUI, backgrounds, character designs, and CGs are perfectly combined to spoil the eye. The GUI design cleverly takes advantage of the VHS tape system, which no doubt fits the VN’s aesthetics. It amazed me and made me feel at home on the main menu to go to its sections just to see how they look. Hong Kong bathed in neon lights and various colorful advertising billboards are the backgrounds for most of the story. But it also doesn't forget to bring out natural sceneries that are still beautiful, refreshing, and still well-maintained as perfect variations to replace the bustling city scenes with natural atmospheres that usually appear in stories that take a summer theme. Character sprites are pretty and fashionable; stylish clothes and complementary accessories will not make us feel bored. Backgrounds and character designs combine to show elegant CGs with a few touches of emotions whenever they appear. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2808305021 In terms of audio, ASE still consistently shows its whole characteristic by using soundtracks that consist of loads of synthwave background music. I honestly didn't notice the tracks deeply, but I'm sure if you like the music genre, it will be enough to satisfy you. There is no voice acting here, but I didn't mind that. Sometimes I'm actually worried that voice acting has a significant contribution to reducing the enjoyment of the VN, especially for female characters, such as not sounding natural, being too shrill, and so on. So at least the absence of that feature could ease my worries a bit. However, the developer said the initial release has no plans for voice acting, but future releases related to this game may have plans for that, so there might be a little hope in the upcoming update or maybe other related projects to those who want it. Whatever the plan is, I hope that the quality will also be good. Now for the criticism. I can't fully recommend ASE because of the writing. It didn’t give an impression that could stick to my heart and even almost made me fall asleep reading it several times. The story is honestly average. It's familiar as is usually found in many romance stories for same-sex couples who are not supported by society, the relationship's obstacles and the good/bad ending are very predictable. In addition, ASE also intends to provide stories about the richness of culture and the entertainment industry so that it uses many references from outside the visual novel. It might appeal to most people, supports the character's role, and is a great way to make good use of a medium, but it's so unfortunate that it was getting boring and even seemed too broad at times. Not to mention that this short VN may only take at most 8 hours, which is also still lacking in exploring things that will further strengthen the characters' chemistry and romance development. I think it makes the story feel rushed. Maybe I complain too much, but the number one thing in visual novels for me is the story, that's why ASE is not my cup of tea. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2808305719 As an initial project from the developer, it should be fine for those who can enjoy the story. So I hope that in the next project with the same setting, [i]In The Ocean I Learned To Float,[/i] the writing will be improved. The early promotional picture already looks intriguing and made me expect a more complicated drama in it. I think ASE is a cool project that needs to improve the writing side more. Thus, I can't fully recommend this game. But if you are interested in enjoying the 80s Hong Kong atmosphere in a simple lesbian visual novel, then this is for you. [h3][quote]𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/33853800/]𝐎𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐤𝐚𝐢'𝐬 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞[/url] 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐑𝐏𝐆 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬[/quote][/h3]
• speepealette

  Aug 22, 2022

  words cannot DESCRIBE how gay i am
• Mochi

  Dec 2, 2022

  play this if you wanna feel gay and alive I'm a gay canto woman born in Canada who grew up with HK media. This game feels like it was made for me in the best way. - my friend, pepino
• kristenisshe

  Dec 23, 2022

  🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹💖✨✨✨✨✨
• gamedeal user

  Dec 30, 2022

  8 / 10
• inkyhearts

  Jan 14, 2023

  As someone who's not really a fan of the vn genre, this is probably the most well written and aesthetically appealing visual novel I've ever come across. The music is great (main menu theme is a BANGER) and the story is just beautiful. Definitely one that sticks with you long after you've finished playing the game. Buy this game you will NOT regret it (trust me I'm a lesbian)