First Look: Seasons of Heaven

Hello and welcome to this first look at Seasons of Heaven.

In this feature we take a look at upcoming games for Nintendo systems and the developers behind them. We'll take a look at currently released information and try to get a deeper understanding of the whole project.

For this first iteration of First Look I've chosen Seasons of Heaven.

Seasons of Heaven is the first true Nintendo Switch exclusive that got announced officially on the 8^th of December 2016. And before you ask, no Zelda isn't an exclusive and we haven't got any other official game announcements for the Switch yet.

So today I'd like to take a look at this game from french indie developer Any Arts Production.

The Developer:

Any Arts Production is a french video game studio based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 2014 by Nico Augusto a veteran screenwriter for french television and also the author of the Book Seasons of Heaven.

So far the developer has nothing to show for, which can be quite of worrying for a project this size, but on the other hand there is no baggage weighing them down.

Their official introduction video on Youtube doesn't tell us all too much either. It's much of the obvious PR Fluff often seen in such Videos, but Nico Augusto comes across as genuine. It seems that his project is truly a dream of his, and that is always a good sign.

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There is little information about Any Arts Production. They're Facebook and Twitter presence was quite inactive until several days ago. Of course with the official announcement of Seasons of Heaven this has changed. If this keeps up this is a good sign.

Any Arts Production is a complete dark horse. They don't have any track record in the Video Game Business. Their founder and studio head Nico Augusto however has a background in french television and is the author of the book their game is based off.

What you make from this information is your choice.

The Background:

Seasons of Heaven is based on the novel with the same name written by Nico Augusto. The Book tells the story of the downfall of our civilization and what comes afterward. It tells the story of a young boy named Yann, who suffers from Asperger's syndrome, and his faithful companion Ani, a french bulldog. Through telepathy the two can communicate with each other, which is integral to their survival. On their journey they'll meet key players of humanitys downfall and witness their enlightenment or downfall.

That is and excerpt from the official description of the book on Amazon. From this excerpt and statements from Author Nico Augusto you can tell that this book has a very spiritual core. Augustos background in mystic and paranormal TV programs also seems to shine through. It's hard to judge a book by it's cover, but it seems that Seasons of Heaven was self published by it's Author and didn't receive any editorial oversight. I can't say if the french version is better, but the English kindle version lacks some basic formatting.

The Story, however, sounds intriguing and, if told well, could also provide a good basis for the video game.

The Game:

First here is a short Teaser trailer for Seasons of Heaven. The full trailer will launch next week on 19^th of December.

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I have to say this Teaser takes it's name very seriously. What a tease. There is not all too much to talk about, but let us do it anyways.

From the get go the first thing you'll probably notices is the excellent graphical quality of the game. Even at 720p it looks comparable to several high profile PS4 games. But in todays day and age you have to be careful with such first looks. Remember Watch Dogs? Seasons of Heaven looks excellent, showing a high graphical fidelity and attention to detail, but until I see this game running on a Nintendo Switch I reserve further judgment. I trust the ambition of Any Arts Production, but they have to proof they are able to deliver on their promise.

Then what else can we talk about? Well the trailer shows us a very nature based and mystical world. Apart from one strange building there are no signs of a higher civilization. Nature seems to have claimed back much of the land.

Overall it's a very peaceful trailer and if we look at the main character, who suffers from Asperger's syndrome, and the general description of the book, it's safe to assume that the game will also follow suit.

So from here on everything is pure speculation.

I think that this game will be comparable to The Last Guardian on PS4. It will be mostly focused on puzzles and exploration. The open areas and wide fields shown in the trailer maybe hint at a open world like structure, but I think that this is pretty far fetched. After all Any Arts Production is a relatively small indie studio. Smaller, but well thought out and designed puzzle sections would be easier to achieve and probably suit the game better.

The telepathic link between Yann and Ani is also predestined to be used as a gameplay mechanic. The Ability to switch between the two characters to explore and solve tasks is a safe bet. I'm sure it will build the core of the gameplay for this title.

The Verdict:

Seasons of Heaven is an interesting sounding project. It looks quite ambitious for a first project from a small indie developer, but I think they are passionate about this game. So for now I would say I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt. At the same time I wouldn't advise to get hyped about this game. There are too many unknown factors still. There is a very realistic chance that everything may fall apart.

Seasons of Heaven is a interesting looking game, which still has to prove that it can move beyond it's promise and become what its developer intend.

Source for all images