Updates to WLW Visual Novel ‘A Summer’s End’: Dev. Acknowledge Hong Kong Protests, Teases Trailer, Delays Release to 2020
Oracle & Bone Studio’s upcoming Yuri visual novel, A Summer’s End - Hong Kong, 1986, has been delayed to early 2020. It was initially scheduled for release in December 2019. The interactive game looks to pay homage to Asian cinema and LGBTQ history.
On December 26, the developer posted on Twitter that, although the game was delayed, “hours of more content” were added to the game, as well as improvements to the story and art. The studio also promised the release of a new trailer in 2020, which it teased in a short video.
A Summer’s End - Hong Kong, 1986, follows the story of Michelle, a young woman living in Hong Kong in the 1980s. She meets the free-spirited Sam, and the two begin a relationship. As the women grow closer, Michelle is forced to choose between her feelings and tradition.
The visual novel boasts over 300 unique art assets, including 30 CG cutscenes, divergent paths with two endings, and adult-orientated scenes. According to the studio, A Summer’s End will have an average playtime of five hours.
Oracle & Bone describe the visual novel as a “story about seeking identity and meaning in a rapidly changing world where conflicting worldviews and cultures collide.”
The studio is looking to pay homage to classic Asian cinema, such as Early Summer and Rouge. The artwork and character designs are inspired by 80s anime, such as City Hunter, as well as Hong Kong-based manhua and contemporary fashion.
In a post on the official A Summer’s End website, the developers expressed the importance of telling an accurate account of lesbian love in 1980s Hong Kong, “ When we began our project, we worried about the authenticity of the story’s premise… We wanted it to be a believable and realistic love story. We had to do our research.” Oracle & Bone looked at LGBTQ history in China, including specific accounts. Although they admit that written statements and history are few and often prejudicial, ultimately, Oracle & Bone decided to acknowledged and contribute to both the queer women of Southern China who were able to live “quiet but beautifully fulfilled lives” and those who experienced suffering and tragedy because of their identity.
Finally, the studio looked to the current situation in Hong Kong, the setting of their game. Hong Kong, which is a special administrative region of China, has been experiencing massive ongoing protests about China’s control and influence (this is a drastic oversimplification). In a statement on its website (copied in its entirety below), Oracle & Bone acknowledge the “privilege of creating this work in a place where freedom of speech, right of assembly, and LGBT rights are relatively protected” and the “struggles that Hong Kong people are facing now.”
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