Bientot l'ete

 PC
Bientot l'ete Image
Metascore
62

Mixed or average reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
4.4

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 33 Ratings

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  • Summary: Bientôt l’été is a videogame for two players. Two players who pretend to be lovers. They pretend to be lovers separated from each other by lightyears of deep space. They have lonely walks along the shore of a simulated ocean, thinking wistful thoughts of each other.Bientôt l’été is a videogame for two players. Two players who pretend to be lovers. They pretend to be lovers separated from each other by lightyears of deep space. They have lonely walks along the shore of a simulated ocean, thinking wistful thoughts of each other. Thoughts from ancient Earth literature by Marguerite Duras.

    The empty beach, the strong wind, the gentle music and a small colony of electric seagulls are their only companions. Yet their heart is full and their mind confused. Walk along the shore, until they meet the emptiness.

    When it all becomes too much, they run towards each other. Enabled by intergalactic networks, they touch each other’s holographic bodies in cyberspace. A surreal game of chess becomes the apparatus through which they, man and woman, can talk. The words they have were given to them, as they have always been to lovers everywhere.

    The sea remains, tugging at their hearts when not at their hairs and clothes, as it itself is tugged by the virtual moon. And as great as the desire for the other may be, they cannot stay away from the wind and the waves and the sand. Every time they find a new treasure. An abandoned tennis field. An heap of coal. A dead dog. Ordinary. Absurd. Meaningless. Yet comforting.

    Enter a café, exit a villa, enter a casino, exit the ruin of an ancient colonial mansion. We know this is not real. So it doesn’t surprise us. Nothing surprises us. It doesn’t matter when you feel the pain of love. Of being in love, of falling in love, of leaving in love. There is no such thing as time. There is only love. And it never stops. No matter how much it hurts.    … Expand

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Bientot l'ete - Alpha Test Version 3 Gameplay

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 12
  3. Negative: 3 out of 12
  1. Post Arcade (National Post)
    Apr 4, 2013
    75
    If you decide to pick up the latest artistic experiment from Tale of Tales keep in mind that the game’s subject matter with a little bit of background can start to make a lot of sense. It just requires you to think outside of the video game medium.
  2. 3DJuegos
    Feb 18, 2013
    72
    It's never easy to recommend nontraditional gaming experiences as Bientôt l'été. If you love original experiences and good aesthetics, this is a very experimental and unique proposal.
  3. Edge Magazine
    Feb 28, 2013
    70
    It’s a game about picking dialogue options that are metaphorically represented as potential moves on the board, but it’s that which goes unsaid that makes its semi-improvised conversations so intriguing.
  4. Telegraph
    Feb 18, 2013
    60
    While Bientôt l’été may lack the potency of Tale of Tales’ best work – the subversive, disturbing The Path is this writer’s personal highlight - there’s something to be said for a game that so boldly goes against the grain.
  5. Games.cz
    Mar 4, 2013
    60
    Poetics and esthetics of the French New Wave melted into the melancholic virtual reality, in which you may, or may not experience exceptional encounters.
  6. PC Gamer
    Mar 30, 2013
    57
    For all its awkwardness and self-regard, we need more games like this, that try to broaden the medium and aspire to better it. Eventually, we'll get one that succeeds. [Apr 2013, p.109]
    All this publication's reviews
  7. Eurogamer Germany
    Feb 20, 2013
    30
    In Journey I bonded more with my playing partner than any virtual café ever could facilitate. Bientôt l'été feels like a few steps backward trying to mask its emptiness with pretty pictures and French language. It screams for attention, eager to appear stranger than the rest, just foundering in the process.

See all 12 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 8
  3. Negative: 5 out of 8
  1. Alkirin
    Aug 9, 2013
    8
    This is a non-traditional gaming experience that explores the line where videogames meet art. The game makes no qualms about this either,This is a non-traditional gaming experience that explores the line where videogames meet art. The game makes no qualms about this either, expressing that it is something to explore as opposed to something 'beat' or 'win'.

    That would be the best way to describe it. This isn't playing a game, this is playing interactive art. Like all art, you either like it or you don't.

    I, for one, liked it.    … Expand
  2. fhouse
    Jul 5, 2013
    7
    A relaxing experience. It's about love, distance, memories. This kind of virtual communication between couples is quite thought provoking.A relaxing experience. It's about love, distance, memories. This kind of virtual communication between couples is quite thought provoking.

    I give it a 7, because among all these kind of artsy "non-game" relaxing stuff, it's pretty good, and it looks very nice. Has little science-fiction elements which make you think.

    Cons: The controls should be a bit more intuitive. Even with a gamepad it's not very convenient.    … Expand
  4. Xanifur
    Apr 22, 2013
    5
    This is a Tale of Tales game. They create interactive experiences, not games. Although I couldn't find anyone in the house, the AI suffices,This is a Tale of Tales game. They create interactive experiences, not games. Although I couldn't find anyone in the house, the AI suffices, and it is an interesting experience. I don't regret buying this title, I think of it as a donation to their next project. I highly recommend you check out their title "The Path". We need more small developers like this.… Expand
  5. wjomlex
    Feb 14, 2013
    2
    The main problem is how buggy and clunky this game is. The multiplayer doesn't seem to work at all, whether private or public, and theThe main problem is how buggy and clunky this game is. The multiplayer doesn't seem to work at all, whether private or public, and the developers don't seem to care. On the forums they give helpful advice such as "it worked when *we* tested it". I understand from the simulations what's trying to be accomplished here, but this sort of game is entirely about the experience, and there's simply nothing to do.… Expand
  6. Skylarz
    Mar 20, 2013
    1
    Far by the worst game ever. I only gave this game a 1 because it is in French and I love French, or else it would've been a 0. MultiplayerFar by the worst game ever. I only gave this game a 1 because it is in French and I love French, or else it would've been a 0. Multiplayer doesn't work and the game promised that you can play it in multiplayer. A high end graphics card is needed when the game doesn't look like it needs that much vram and etc. This whole "game" is a rip off, I exchanged my Sleeping Dogs hoping that this would be better, but nope. Do not EVER buy this game, it's a scam like WarZ! Yes I officially made a metacritic just so I can tell everyone how horrible it is.… Expand
  7. Suzugamori
    Jan 14, 2015
    1
    The game is beautiful to look at... for a couple minutes. The lackluster gameplay, and no real interaction with others leads to a boring,The game is beautiful to look at... for a couple minutes. The lackluster gameplay, and no real interaction with others leads to a boring, tedious game that relies on the fact that it's 'artistic' to carry it.… Expand
  8. Dejakritz
    Apr 20, 2013
    0
    This game is an unfinished scam. My description of it? It is really just a hodgepodge of randomness with hollow artsy fartsiness. This servesThis game is an unfinished scam. My description of it? It is really just a hodgepodge of randomness with hollow artsy fartsiness. This serves as failed attempt to conceal the fact that there is no game, just you, a player who might desperately seek justification for the money they wasted by pressing his or her face too closely to the screen or by giving this game a score higher than 0 on metacritic.… Expand

See all 8 User Reviews

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