A Summer's End - Hong Kong 1986

Originally published on my HLTB profile.

Originally written and published on August 23rd, 2025.

A Summer's End - Hong Kong 1986 is a short and sweet period piece visual novel. Lots of pinks, blues and purples, packed together with a great 1980s-inspired soundtrack and presentation. I'm leaving satisfied.

The art looks fabulous and relies heavily on the vibrant colors of the idealized 1980s aesthetics. As a period piece from an interesting, and in games not often seen, place like Hong Kong, I think the art style lends itself really well. I also really liked all the different outfits of the heroines. I'm not too sure whether that's a common practice in visual novels to have that many different outfits (especially for the game's length), but I wholeheartedly welcome it.

The writing was to the point. It doesn't meander too much on excessive fluff or overly describing the situation, but it's not too fast-paced either. It manages to strike just the right balance. At least for me. The protagonists written are believable and likable. And when it comes to the secondary cast, even then, all the characters add a worthy layer of complexity to the protagonists. Even if you disagree with what they have to say, you can still understand where they might be coming from. It managed to create just the right mix of emotions within me.

I suppose you could point out that it could have been a bit longer, offer more, or nitpick about the perhaps slightly exposition dump-ey beginning. But that didn't bother me at all after I was invested, which really didn't take long.

Oh, and the music was great too. Fitting, fun to listen to, and accommodating for both the upbeat and somber moments. It's one of those soundtracks I can definitely see myself returning to, just to casually listen to it. So, yes, consider me a fan. 

 

Overall rating: 90%

Playtime: 8h 12m

Played on PC.