The cozy genre within video games has become a source of relaxation and escapism. With more indie studios releasing their own creative ideas in the form of cozy games, there is something out there for every gamer to experience, cherish, and perhaps spread the joy of by getting their own friends and family to play it. This is what developers at Impossible want to convey with their game, Été.
You play as an upcoming painter who travels to the city of Montréal to find some career inspiration. Through your journey, you will befriend the locals, sell your artwork, have the chance to take painting commissions from people, and even design your own studio/apartment. Honestly, I was surprised by how much there was to do in Été, but this review will focus on the main aspects of the game during my time playing it.
The World Is Your Canvas
The opening minutes of Été instantly brought a smile to my face. With such vibrant colors and incredible music, I was quickly transported to another world, and the game caught my attention in two minutes after booting up.
Once reaching Montréal, your whole screen changes to white, and this is because of the game’s unique painting system, where you color the environment as you explore. In Été, exploration is the key to growing as a painter. As you walk around and explore any area, you can color your environment, discover new places, subjects, and people, and even unlock new pigments for your palette. The map has eight major areas to explore: Apartment, Market, Park, Neighbourhood, Alleyway, Railroads, and Warehouse. Let me tell you, they are not small. It will take a while to complete, but the more you discover, the more subjects you will gather to create new art pieces back in your apartment/studio.
Exploration feels very vast in Été. Essentially, the game reminded me of a coloring book because you mainly sit back, relax, and get lost while coloring and discovering the gorgeous city of Montréal. The entirety of the game is done in watercolors, which left me feeling satisfied as I explored and gave colors to the world around me. Once you have discovered enough, the game also unlocks a feature called infinite coloring that makes exploration a lot easier, so I prioritized unlocking that first in every area across the map.
Time and day are very much a big part of Été. You do have a day and night cycle, except there is a clock. Once it reaches nighttime, the game forces you to go to sleep, so it is important to prioritize your tasks for the day. Certain people or shops are only available on certain days or times. But luckily, the game can be played at your own pace, as there is no rush or any kind of deadline.
You Are Your Own Artist
The core part of Été is that it’s a painting game and a good one. The game’s design basically connects exploration and the artistic aspect hand-in-hand. You paint the environment as you explore and discover new subjects, ranging from objects, people, animals, nature, etc. These discovered subjects are added to your album as stamps, and from this ever-growing collection of stamps, you can create innovative and stunning art pieces. Each of these stamps is categorized so they are easy to navigate when you start painting. The game has no freestyle drawing, but these stamps can be edited, recolored, and resized however you want on the canvas. So, I would say there is still a lot of freedom in artistic creation, especially with the game’s huge stamp collection that is meant to be discovered.
The game’s painting mechanics are pretty straightforward and I got a hang of it pretty quickly. I recommend playing the game with a mouse and keyboard, as the developers suggested to me since it provides a more authentic experience with the game’s painting system than using a controller. I really thank them for informing me of this because it genuinely made the game feel more enjoyable.
Art needs to be shared because without an audience, art feels incomplete. Été solves this by allowing you to auction your art pieces at the local cafe in the market. You can hang up to three art pieces at once and after a day, you get money for each sale made. This is how your painter journey begins in the game, especially as the main way to make money, but eventually, when you start exploring different areas, you will come across side quests. Most of these side quests are commissions that other NPCs request you to fulfill. And yes, you do get paid.
The best part of Été is no matter what art pieces you create, there is no right or wrong. As a painter, you get the absolute freedom to let your ideas go crazy as long as you include the necessary subjects requested by the NPCs if it’s a side quest. The game also includes a creative mode once you select your easel stand so whenever you are in the mood to paint something, you can save it to your gallery.
Apart from painting art pieces, you can also design your own studio and apartment however you want. Now, I didn’t focus too much on this, but Été does include a very simple decorative system where you can select items from your inventory and place them anywhere within your own space. I thought the inclusion of this feature was a great way to be creative outside of the player’s easel. The items within the in-game furniture shop keep changing every day, so there are always more decorative purchases available.
A Cozy Game With Soulful Music
Music is essential when making a cozy painting game, and the developers at Impossible know this. I have to give kudos where it’s due because composer Eric Shaw and team surely knocked it out of the park with the music. In fact, while I was playing Été, the music felt like a piece of the puzzle that fit just right. It was melodious, personal, and soulful, and even now, after completing the game, I still have some of it playing in my head.
As always, I recommend playing the game with headphones to fully immerse yourself in the sounds. There is no voice acting or dialogue within the game, but that doesn’t make it any less expressive. A game about art should speak to its players through art itself, and Été does that with its colors, expression, music, and sounds of daily life.
The Freedom To Create
Years of gaming have changed me not just as a person but also as a gamer. Resorting to cozy games as an adult has become somewhat of a safe haven from life itself, and Été is one such game that I have been waiting to experience ever since it was announced. Now that I have it, it is one of the most relaxing games I have ever played.
Été is a game that sticks to its genre and wants its players to actually relax and play at their own pace. It is not a game you can rush; believe me, I tried. However, this system of the game actually helps the players to get immersed for long hours. Even though I was under a deadline, my playtime was roughly logged in at 27 hours by the end, and I think that should tell you enough. Été is like a Bob Ross video; you can play this game for hours without getting bored.
You don’t need to be an artist to play Été, and that’s the beauty of it. You don’t need to make perfect art pieces or be afraid you’ll mess up. Because ultimately, it is a game that encourages your creative side no matter how crazy it might be. In fact, the crazier, the better!
Été
I was surprised by how much there was to do in Été but at its core it is a game that sticks to its genre and wants its players to actually relax and play at their own pace. Most importantly, Été is like a Bob Ross video, you can play this game for hours and not get bored.
The Good
- Unique painting mechanics
- Can be played at your own pace
- Creative freedom to paint and decorate
- A story that celebrates art
- Lots of exploration
- Fun side quests
The Bad
- Minor performance issues
