Last Day of June - Review

Last Day of June by Ovosonico released on 31^st August 2017, immerses the player in a beautifully created, emotionally charged and wonderous little story. 

Without giving too much of the story away, you play as Carl, the loving and devoted husband of June – a talented and kind hearted artist. Your actions and interactions within this charming and gentle puzzle game influence certain aspects and events within the game itself.

A basic but heartwarming or heartwrenching game depending on your perspective, one can play through within but a handful of hours. Memories you can access of the days events will help you decipher the puzzle that is the Last Day of June, but be warned – some memories you’ll not want to relive over and over again. Unfortunately, except for a handful of memories automatically skipped after the first or second viewing, you’ll need to go through the monotony of watching the same sequence unfold again and again or completing the same actions over and over to get the same result until you can move onto the next step.

The fantastic, evocative and clever musical score coupled with the soft colours and backgrounds of the game will manage to wrest control of your emotions as you guide Carl through the storyline. The attachment you’ll feel for various characters will potentially make your heart warm and your eyes water. Again, without spoiling the content, if you complete the game you’ll most likely gain more of an appreciation for your loved ones. A small cast of supporting characters appear throughout the game for you to interact with and control, and Carl and Junes quaint little house and village you’ll find yourself exploring will make you smile and feel sad all in the same moment. This game is suitable for all ages, but will not suit everyone. If you’re looking for a fast paced, loud and action packed experience, move along.

Overall, Last Day of June is a solid puzzle style game with a slightly different take compared to most games, but it still feels a little short. Probably the main true strength in the game is the way it is presented, with wonderfully thoughtful art and a suitably composed musical score, followed closely by an endearing storyline that grabs at your emotions. For me however, these factors weren’t quite enough to convince me that the game is as polished as it should be or lives up to it’s potential. It would have been nice to have lasted a little longer – perhaps a second storyline to follow whereby the player can choose, or automatically is switched to the new one once the primary storyline is complete but alas…

 A solid effort and a new take on gameplay, let down by repetition leading to take away from the emotional attachment you make to characters – something the game does so well, but falls short of with it’s repetition.

Thanks to 505 Games for supplying the game for review