A Summer's End - Hong Kong 1986

 PC
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 5 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5

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  1. PublicNuisance
    May 5, 2020
    8
    A Summer’s End handles it’s subject matter with a certain grace and realism. There aren’t any over the top sequences or story lines, what there is are a sweet; realistic look at two people coming to terms with their feelings for one another and how that will impact their lives. It is touching and thought provoking but won’t be for all. The dialogue in the game struck me as very realistic,A Summer’s End handles it’s subject matter with a certain grace and realism. There aren’t any over the top sequences or story lines, what there is are a sweet; realistic look at two people coming to terms with their feelings for one another and how that will impact their lives. It is touching and thought provoking but won’t be for all. The dialogue in the game struck me as very realistic, it didn’t seem like something that was written but felt like something two people would actually say to each other. The depiction of Hong Kong is also handled very well, it is almost a character just as Michelle or Sam are. As someone who has never been there I feel the game gave be a better feeling of being a spectator there than any other game has. The main menu gives you the 80’s vibes right off the bat and sets the mood. The soundtrack is also fantastic, that and the many 80’s references just nail the time period so well. The art is also some of the best I have seen in a visual novel. It’s colour palette and little details really make each scene pop. There is also sequences where the story jumps forward or back and when this occurs it turns the screen into a VHS tape that is rewinding or forwarding and I thought that was a great way to handle it given the time period. There aren’t a lot of choices to be made during the game but the ones that do come up seem to have more impact. The pacing of the game did feel a little slow at times. I also had trouble with the Michelle character at times as she is way more prone to trying to please others than I am.

    I played A Summer’s End on Linux. It never crashed on me and I didn’t notice any spelling errors. It allows you to manually save at any time and has 36 save slots. It uses version 7.3.4.596 of the Ren’Py engine. It opens on the wrong monitor but that is a bug with Ren’Py not the game. I played version 1.0 of the game.

    Disk Space Used: 1.4 GB
    VRAM Usage: 406-709 MB
    CPU Usage: 1-4 %
    RAM Usage: 1.7-2.9 GB

    One thing I will say is if you’re looking for a more lewd game you will be disappointed. I don’t say that as a slight against the game. I say that because there is a 18+ patch to the game but the definition of “adult content” by the developer and the one by some people will probably differ. I played with the path on and can say there is no nudity. Again that isn’t a slight against the game, just making sure people’s expectations are in check. If you are looking for a good story; dialogue; art and soundtrack you will be in luck. I finished my first play through in 3 hours. I paid $22.04 CAD for the game and feel that is a good price for it.

    My Score: 8/10

    My System:

    AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | 16GB DDR4-3000 CL15 | MSI RX 5700 XT 8GB Gaming X | Mesa 20.0.5 | Samsung 970 Evo Plus 500GB | Manjaro 20.0 | Mate 1.24 | Kernel 5.6.8-1-MANJARO    … Expand

Critic Reviews

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No score yet - based on 3 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. GameSpew
    May 5, 2020
    70
    The dialogue needs some work, but it’s still a valuable addition to the visual novel genre. Not only because of its awesome setting, but because it’s exciting to see a project proudly and loudly waving its LGBTQ+ story. With two different endings, A Summer’s End is worth two playthroughs – even just to admire the fantastic artwork, music and creative concepts a second time around.
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  2. Noisy Pixel
    Apr 27, 2020
    85
    A Summer’s End: Hong Kong 1986 is a must-read visual novel that connects with readers in several ways. This visual novel is pure art and shows a level of creativity that’s missing in other higher budget games available. There’s a clear focus on the emotions that the writers wanted to convey and they did it beautifully. The character illustrations are brilliant and the pacing is amazing, even though the conclusion does feel a bit rushed. Still, I’d keep an eye on anything coming from this developer in the future.
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  3. TheGamer
    Apr 26, 2020
    90
    Playing through A Summer’s End felt like seeing an eagerly-anticipated movie, and while the story took twists I hadn’t quite expected, I came away with a warm heart and a whole lotta joy. The game has the same appeal as a favorite comfort movie. While some might say that visual novels don’t really have the same replay value as a roguelike or hack-and-slash, I know I’ll be coming back to A Summer’s End time and time again.
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