A Summer's End - Hong Kong 1986
A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, and Linux
Available now for PC, Mac, and Linux!
A Summer’s End - Hong Kong 1986 is a visual novel game for PC. Follow the story of Michelle and Sam, and how their chance meeting evolves into a deeper romantic relationship. Set in vibrant Hong Kong in the year 1986, it is an original story about love, family, and culture.
A Summer's End - Hong Kong 1986 is about seeking identity and meaning in a rapidly changing world where conflicting world views and cultures collide. Inspired by Hong Kong cinema, 80s anime, city pop, and contemporary Asian literature, A Summer’s End - Hong Kong 1986 is an homage to the past and a visual delight for fans of retro art and fashion.
► Interactive character dialogue and two unique endings
► Point-based system to unlock bonus scenes
► Over 400 original and unique hand-drawn art assets, vibrant backgrounds and character art inspired by 1980s anime and media
► Original vaporwave and 80s inspired soundtrack
► Featuring music from Timecop1983, Crystal Cola, and Stevia Sphere
► Approximately 8 hours of playtime
Follow us for development updates and more below!
Website: https://www.asummersend.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/oracleandbone
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oracleandbone/
Tumblr: https://oracleandbone.tumblr.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oracleandbon...
Chinese translation now available!
Soundtrack available August 21, 2020
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $14.99 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Development log
- Korean Translation AvailableDec 21, 2023
- Chinese Translation AvailableJul 09, 2021
Comments
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deeply special game to me, thank you so very much. beautifully crafted
This game is so incredibly beautiful and is very special to me. Thank you for all the work that went into this masterpiece, I'm so excited to see what In the Ocean I Learned to Float brings :))
I downloaded the zip file (for OSX), but it says it is unable to expand the file because it is in an unsupported format. I run OSX 14.2.1 with the standard Archive Utility.
Amazing game! This is an awesome romance game, unless you're Asian then it's a horror game when Michelle is late coming home lol. [Seriously, I adore how authentic it is and rarely feel this seen.]
Looks interesting. Adding to my list so I can remember to check it out later.
This game touched my heart in a way no game has ever done before. I cried several times and just finished it to start over again :) I can't wait for your new game "In the ocean I learned to float" to come... Thank you very much.
Hello. Thank you for playing our game. We appreciate your sharing. Your kind words mean a lot to us! Thank you so much for your support. We're glad you're looking forward to our next project!
Any news on the once mentioned Collector's edition? I've been hyped for it for like, forever
Can you roll out an Android port?
Is there any interest in a German translation? We're happy to be able to add this amazing title to our portfolio and spread the game to the German domestic audience.
If you're interested in further inquiries, send us a DM on discord or an email to business@mimir-translations.org
Really wonderful! This game is a real inspiration.
do i smell GLG? HMMM?
oh dang oracle & bone respond to like every comment... 😳
Hello! We hope you like our game! Thank you very much.
I discovered this on steam recently and just wanted to say how much I loved it, extremely sweet and romantic and just exactly what I needed. Thank you for making it, I can't wait to see more of your work in the future.
Hello! Thank you very much for your support and for taking your time to comment and share. We're happy to hear that the game and story was what you were looking for. We appreciate your encouragement. We'll do our best in our next work. Thank you!
One of my favorite games of all time. Hands down. I purchased this game on here and on Steam. If I love a game enough, I'm totally willing to purchase it more than once.
I can't even begin to express how much I love this game. I have completed it 100% and still think about it daily. I finished it at least 2 months ago.
The art, soundtrack, story, and characters drew me in! I could not fall asleep until 5AM on a work night! It was worth it!
I literally can't wait for more.
Thank you Oracle & Bone for such a wonderful ride. <3
Hi there! Thank you so much for your kind and gracious support. We really appreciate you taking your time to share your feedback. It means a lot to our team to know you enjoyed the game experience and found it memorable in your thoughts. We hope you continue to look forward to our next project!
i just finished the game and i'm honestly speechless rn. everything about it is so perfect. the art style, story, and music.... oh god i loved every bit of it.
Hi there! Thank you for playing our game and sharing your thoughts. We're glad you found the game a good experience. We appreciate to hear from you.
I loved this game so much! It's so rare for me to find a romance story that feels relatable and "real". Thank you for making this. I'll be sure to check out your next project whatever it turns out to be!
It also made me want to watch Honk Kong cinema. Are the movie titles mentioned in the story real movies? And do English subtitles exist for them?
I don't know if they have subtitles, but here in this steam page there is a list of movies and music mentioned in the game https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2213828067
Thank you very much Pauline for sharing your perspective and feedback. We appreciate your sincere words and we're touched to know that you found the story genuine and resonating with your personal experiences. Hong Kong cinema is a major influence on us so we're also glad to hear of your interest in the films referenced in the game. As Afengard mentioned, Steam user ♫Chibi-Alien compiled a list of movies we referenced. As far as we're aware, many of them are not available with English subtitles, but 女人心 (Women) (1985) for example is available in Apple TV Movies and Google Play Youtube Movies with English subtitles. We wish you all the best in your journey of exploration!
I am deeply touched by this game, i enjoyed every minute of it, the writing, the graphics, the characters, it makes you feel and think that the characters may be out there living their own lives, i can't wait to see what you cook up next time, thank you so much for this work of art and love.
Hello Afengard. We really appreciate your kind message and words of feedback. We're glad to hear you liked the game and found the characters endearing. Your support means a lot to us and we're grateful for your interest in our next story and project. Thank you so much!
Hi!! I've heard of this game from a friend of mine and I can't wait to be able to play it!! I was wondering if you'd be interested in localizing it to French? If that's something you're considering, I'm looking to expand my translation portfolio so I'd be more than happy to work on translating your game. Let me know if you'd be interested!
Hello. We appreciate your introduction and interest in our game. We have plans to include additional translations for A Summer’s End. However, we do not have definitive timelines. We are a small team and at this moment we’re focusing our efforts on our next project. Please consider sending us your portfolio via our website contact: https://www.asummersend.com/contacts
I wanted to preface this by saying that I found this VN gem on a site. I also have ALWAYS been of the mindset that you should support any artist that you enjoy. Which is why I have come here and purchased the game.
This VN is one of the best one's I've had the pleasure of reading through. The artwork, the story, choice of music, and seeing the story from both characters viewpoint was done gorgeously. I honestly did not want it to end.
While going through the story, I kept getting this feeling and wondering, if this was all coming from personal experience. It was as if the dev was writing from their own diary. It is very touching, heartfelt, and beautiful, even though it hits you in the feels.
There were even a few times where I got annoyed with the MC with her wishy washy decisions, then it all came together. For someone who is straight, such as myself, this really made me think about the difficulty and shame that someone coming out must deal with. And that is saying something for someone who was a teenager during the 80's. *yes, dated myself*
Devs, I don' t know if you read these, but if you do, THANK YOU for a great story and much success in your future endeavors.
Hello there! Thank you very much for your support and for taking your time to share your thoughts. We take your feedback to heart and we appreciate it very much. We're really happy to hear you enjoyed the game experience and that you found the story heartfelt. The story and setting of A Summer's End is something near and dear to our hearts so it means a lot to us to know it resonated with you. Thank you for your cheer and encouragement. We'll do our best in our next project! We wish you all the best!
I've been thinking about this game for months. The art and the music is sooo so good. It's a simple story, but the representation it provides felt important, as a queer Asian femme myself <3. I have found it very relatable and inspiring in reminding me to be brave and to care about myself. I recently had an experience that put me in Michelle's shoes, but I thought about her journey and I chose courage and such beautiful things happened after that! Thank you so much for making this game!!!
Hello! We're glad to hear you enjoyed the game and found the story and characters resonating with your experiences. We're so happy to hear that wonderful things have happened in your personal journey and we're honoured that we could be a part of it. We wish you all the best and we hope many more beautiful and joyous moments to come for you. We appreciate your sincere sharing and support. Thank you very much!
As an asian lesbian, having this kind of representation of cultural nuances around family and queer identity meant everything to me. This is a beautiful game, with vibrant artwork, a catchy soundtrack and compelling historical setting. I loved this game, and I'm looking forward to seeing future projects!
Thank you very much for playing and sharing your thoughts! We're glad you enjoyed the game and appreciate your kind message. The story and message we wished to present in this game is something very dear to us. It means a lot to hear that the experiences represented in the game was something meaningful to you. Thank you for your support!
This game made me cry. I am in a place and time where I am away from family and those who matter to me. The main character is also like me shy and rarely people get to see the inner layer as I am sensitive to the abuse in the world. Truly a game I shall re examine when I am in a place and relationship that I can look to replicate such loving values with sincereity. One of the most all time moving games that had me balling my eyes out (lot of trauma and stress). Honestly I cannot forget this game and it has imprinter just how lonely my life is. I like the game but its also really sad haha
Hello. We really appreciate you taking the time to write out your thoughts. We're touched hearing that you found the story resonating with your personal experiences. We hope you can be in a better place soon. We wish you all the best. Thank you again for playing our game and sharing with us.
This game is deeply beautiful and thought provoking. Not only lesbian lovers can learn from this game but all lovers at different stages of life should understand there is no specific route or pre-made model for love and for life, just be yourself, be happy, and support each other to the end of earth
Thank you very much for your feedback. We're glad you found the game a compelling and relatable experience. It means a lot to hear from you. We really appreciate your sharing and kind message!
I just finished the game in one sitting and it is amazingly well made! It’s not quiet what I was expecting or hoping for, but I enjoyed it immensely!
Great job in making this!
Thank you for playing our game. We're glad you enjoyed the experience!
Hi! I'm so sorry for the trouble, I'm getting issues launching this game on my Mac. Computer says the file is damaged and can't be opened. :(
Hello. We appreciate your inquiry. With the newer versions of MacOs, we recommend you to run the game using the itch.io application. Please see the bottom part of this post for a guide regarding MacOs installation instructions.
Thank you so much for the reply, i’ll try that!
Nothing short of amazing. I haven't really read/watched much of Hong Kong related media and since playing I feel I need to do so now. Both Michelle and Sam are adorable as well. Thank you for releasing an amazing vn~ <3
Hello Froey. Thank you very much for playing our game! We're glad we could spark an interest for you and that you enjoyed the setting and characters in the game. We truly appreciate your support and feedback.
I love this so much! the characters, music, art, backgrounds, and the way the story was explored in Hong Kong in 1986 showed how much effort was put into it. I will cherish this game, it's one of the best VNs or rather any type of media in general I've encountered, it's been a long time since I felt so attached (and so fast too!) to a story and its characters who felt real, I enjoyed reading and getting to know them with all the details about their lives and gestures.
I can't wait to unlock all the cutscenes in the gallery (trying to figure out how to unlock the only 2 left), I'm choosing different dialogues to see how interactions pan out and I enjoy seeing the differences.
Looking forward to more of your work Oracle & Bone! :)
Hello. Thank you so much for sharing your feedback! We're glad to hear that you found our game and story to be a cherished experience. It means a lot to hear that you found the characters to be endearing to you. We hope you enjoy the rest of the game. We really appreciate your words of encouragement and support. We'll continue to do our best in future works. Thank you!
Sfw? Just wanna know if i can play it in communal areas or not edit- oh lol just saw the nsfw patch
Hello. Thank you for your inquiry. Yes, adult orientated scenes can be disabled for a SFW play through.
Bought the game on Steam on release and it kicks ass. Great art, great tunes, great story. Please enjoy.
Thank you very much for your susport! We're glad to hear you had a good game experience. We appreciate hearing your feedback!
This game means so much to me - in terms of representation and being seen, not to mention it was just fun to play. Iunno how to say this, but I'm totally amazed how realistic you guys were able to make the scenarios. I've had such similar experiences: I'm half-Hakka descent, used to ride around a scooter w my gf on the back, did the whole star-gazing thing, etc. The only difference I guess, is that my "Michelle" chose the alternate ending where she left me, and I haven't been able to find anyone else since haha. Anyway, your artwork and dialogue and sound design is top notch. Will defo support your next work. Please keep it up!
Hello! Thank you very much for sharing your feedback and your personal experiences. We're touched to know how the game related to your family background and life experiences. Even though your path separated, we're sure both of you carry on a beautiful memory. Thank you again for sharing your story. We appreciate your encouragement and support.
This game has touched my heart in a deeper level, as a lesbian woman, i'm so happy and thankful for seeing a game like this. The writing, the art, the music, the characters, everything is so perfect and well made, thank you so much for making it. I hope you make more games like this <3 i'll buy all of them!!
Hello. Thank you for sharing your thoughts! It means a lot to us that this game has a personal connection to you. We're glad you enjoyed the story and game experience. Thank you very much your support and encouragement!
Oh my... I regret waiting and buying it on a discount, but hope it is better to buy here on itch then on Steam (better revenue share), and ask my partner to buy awesome soundtrack too.
So many outfits.. so many stunning landscapes and backgrounds.
So many things hits home even if I am not from Hong Kong of 80ties, but I am glad it was not too much heavy for me (like... uh.. The Chinese Botanist's Daughters movie) and.. gives me strength.
Great to get to know about some real people and places of Hong Kong, and.. food not just been food.
I hope to see another insane work of yours.
Thank you Oracle & Bone, greetings from Ontario.~
Hello from BC! Thank you very much for your support. We appreciate to know that you found the game a positive experience and its story relatable to you. We'll continue to do our best and we're grateful for your company.
Thank you Oracle & Bone!
I absolutely loved this game.
The romance between Michelle and Sam felt absolutely real.
While the struggle on their way to a relationship felt sad at times, the ending was very satisfying and hopeful. A description of the ending I read somewhere that I found very fitting read as follows: "Hope in the face of an uncertain future".
Or to say it in other words: This game made me very happy.
The music and graphics, both in style and quality, also really helped to immerse me in this game.
Hong Kong in the 1980s with its music and cinema scene were a fantastic setting for this game.
The word setting feels a bit like the wrong word here because of the (historical) realities reflected in the game (the handover, the current situation of Hong Kong, the cultural background of the characters, etc.). This context and the execution of said context in the game elevates Hong Kong to be far more then a normal setting.
I will remember the story of Michelle and Sam (and Hong Kong) for a long time.
I'm very excited about the next game from Oracle & Bone. And it doesn't have to be a sequel to A Summer's End. Yes, I'm definitely interested in the future of Michelle and Sam.
But I've learned so much in this game that I'd also like to play a game set in a different place and/or time with different characters.
And now I'll listen to some Cantopop again (ok, ok mainly Anita Mui). Thanks for the Spotify playlists by the way.
P.S. Thanks also for creating a Linux version.
Hi Pommes. Thank you for sharing your reflection about the game. We appreciate your understanding about the story's setting and unique historical circumstances. We're very glad to hear you enjoyed the game experience. Thank you very much for your support and for giving this game a chance. We hope you look forward to our next work!
is this just yuri
AHHH!!! I'm shook
Im so shocked by the quality of this game-- it was amazing in every aspect. The writing was witty and moving, and so refreshingly natural. I really could imagine real people saying these things, and there were even awkward silences too, which just screamed slice-of-life.
The soundtrack is truly stunning and fits the vibe PERFECTLY. Honestly, I'll probably buy the soundtrack too cuz it's just SO GOOD. I especially loved "Smooth Funk" by Jared Stevenson, which I know is not included in the soundtrack, but I'm so thankful to HK1986 for introducing me to not only this, but other songs too that were mentioned in the story! I had the Deanie Ip song on replay the entire day yesterday LOL. Those 2 songs especially made me wanna fall in love so badlyyyy. The "Smooth Funk" one always makes me feel like I'm chilling in Sam's apartment when I hear that rad bassline. If anyone hasn't yet, check out the Spotify playlists for this game! I think I found Sam's Mixtapes (A and B sides, which is sooo cute and so classic cassette) on O&B's tumblr. UWUUU <3
The art, the colour palette, the entire aesthetic is BREATHTAKING and so, so pleasing.. I kept replaying so I could unlock everything in the gallery, and I also kept taking screenshots of everything lol. SO PRETTY. Also wow. I just wish I lived in the 80s, the outfits and style is just the best.
I also learned so much about Hong Kong during this time period, and I really appreciate the amount of effort y'all put into making this a respectful snapshot of the era, while acknowledging the struggles that are still going on. And thank you for making a game in the first place about asian WLW. I felt so, so, so represented and it hit me all the harder for being able to relate so well T.T
Ugh I can't stop saying good things. This is forever on my favourite game list. I've already recommended it to some friends. Thank you so much for creating this masterpiece, and I can't wait to see more from Oracle & Bone! Y'all are amazing and talented and <3
P.S. come on, I cant be the only one who felt anxiety every time Sam and Michelle were out and MICHELLE JUST WOULDN'T CALL HER MOM T.T Pleaseee Michelleeeee just let your mom know youre not coming home, I was getting so much secondhand stress eeeek
Hahaha omg you were not alone! I stressed out all the time and said to Michelle "Please call your mom!!" And when she finally was like "oops I should call my mom!" I could finally breathe lol
Thank you! I have enjoyed this story so much. I appreciate the effort that went into creating the backdrop of 80s Hong Kong, and I could certainly see a semblance to movies from Wong Kar Wai and others, especially with the vivid colors and art style. It worked for me anyway. I was lucky enough to spend some time in Hong Kong with friends before, and I could almost smell, taste, and hear the place come to life throughout the game. The adult content was just right for me, as you have described in your blog - it doesn't feel voyeuristic but flows naturally with the story. Like a sprinkle of spices on an already exquisite dish. Again, a wonderful game that I can totally recommend!
I am also impressed this is done in Renpy. It must have been a pain to tweak, for this game looks anything but your standard Renpy fare!
The only thing I was missing was choices. I know this is primarily a Visual Novel and not a choose-your-own-story-game. Still, while there needn't be an awful lot of choices, at least at some key story moments I would actually have liked to have more of a say in how they'd turn out. There are a few choices, but not enough for any replay value (for me). I found it surprising given the effort that clearly went into everything else: story, visuals, UI, soundtrack. It should have been ease to create some variations in dialogue.
BUY THIS!!! This is easily the best visual novel I've ever read, and one of the best games in general that I've ever experienced. -It needs to be made into a movie. The art and visual style is vibrant and gorgeous, the music -outstanding (the credits theme slaps so hard). The setting, dialogue and story felt so real and impactful, you can tell how personally invested the developers were. The setting of Hong Kong in the 80s is so incredibly interesting, and the effort taken to make it feel authentic is unreal.
If there's any merchandise or any other way of supporting the dev, I absolutely will. This is seriously impressive Bone and Oracle, you've made something really special that millions can enjoy. Can't wait for more.
P.S. I just got to the end and I am completely blown away with how amazing the experience was. I'm honestly scared to experience the other endings, Sam and Michelle together forever!
Thank you very much for sharing your feedback! We appreciate your support and your kind words of encouragement. It already means a lot to us to hear from you. We're glad you enjoyed the story and visuals. We're really happy to hear that the game was a good experience for you.
This game was absolutely beautiful in every way, and I'm so glad I bought it. The characters are amazing, and everything was handled wonderfully. I definitely cried at a point (but it was good crying). Thank you guys so much for making such a fantastic game!
Hello! Thank you so much for playing the game. We're glad you enjoyed the story and found it emotionally engaging. Your words means a lot to us. We appreciate your feedback and we'll continue to do our best in future projects. Thank you again for your support!
I NEED MORE!!! lol
As someone who adores vaporwave aesthetics, synthwave music, story-rich visual novels, AND wlw narratives (particularly ones that help add some cultural diversity to their respective mediums), this feels like it was made for me. Lovely story, characters, music, message, and ART. Oh man, the art... it's like I was completely transported into their world.
Thank you so much for this. I hope to see more from you/your team in the future!
Hello! Thank you so much for playing our game. We're glad we could create something that fits right into your interests and your understanding and care means a lot to us. We appreciate your feedback. We'll keep doing our best! We wish you the best too.
This looks great, unfortunately encountered a bug. On a fresh download from here on itchio, put the patch in and booted the game and got this error:
I'm sorry, but an uncaught exception occurred.
After initialization, but before game start.
Exception: DirectSoundCreate: Mixing buffer was lost
-- Full Traceback ------------------------------------------------------------
Full traceback:
File "E:\Games\Video James\a-summers-end-universal\renpy\bootstrap.py", line 316, in bootstrap
renpy.main.main()
File "E:\Games\Video James\a-summers-end-universal\renpy\main.py", line 561, in main
renpy.display.core.Interface()
File "E:\Games\Video James\a-summers-end-universal\renpy\display\core.py", line 1659, in __init__
renpy.audio.audio.init()
File "E:\Games\Video James\a-summers-end-universal\renpy\audio\audio.py", line 860, in init
renpysound.init(renpy.config.sound_sample_rate, 2, bufsize, False, renpy.config.equal_mono)
File "renpysound.pyx", line 383, in renpy.audio.renpysound.init
File "renpysound.pyx", line 98, in renpy.audio.renpysound.check_error
Exception: DirectSoundCreate: Mixing buffer was lost
Windows-7-6.1.7601-SP1
Ren'Py 7.3.4.596
A Summer's End - Hong Kong 1986 1.0
Wed Jun 24 23:21:39 2020
Hello. Thank you very much for your interest.
We're sorry such an error occurred when you launched the game. It may be an error associated with your audio input.
The most common solution seems to be restarting and then running the game as "admin." Another way around it might be to disconnect a headset if you're using one and run using speakers instead.
We hope this helps! Let us know if this works for you!
Yes both running as administrator after unplugging my headphones worked. Plugging them back in also let me still use them. Thanks!
That’s great to hear! We hope you enjoy the game!