A YEAR OF SPRINGS

lgbtq+议题很好，但这么无聊的故事也不多见。 对于跨性别者的社会议题探讨得很浅薄，仅仅停留在”（日本）社会对跨性别者存在偏见“的现实层面，并没有深入探讨偏见根源，思想碰撞更是不存在，作为一部难得的关注trans群体的游戏来说过于肤浅。 此游商店页面画了三个女主角，遗憾的是，剧情对除了小悠之外的两个顺性别女性友人的刻画接近为零——故事三个章节的主线都是两个妹子围绕”小悠又不开心了，我们做点什么让她开心点吧？“展开，沦为小悠的工具人既视感太强，那种日式闹别扭最后”大家永远是好朋友要永远幸福哦“的合家欢叙事，与游戏呈现出来的沉重性别议题格格不入，玩着让人非常别扭。 老实说，lgbtq+叙事出彩的游戏有很多，但绝不是这一部。

好写实，但现实比这个要烂100倍不止><

This is probably one of the best games for learning about how being Trans, and Aroace can effect someone. Although there are some things for being a Lesbian. This game handles everything so well, and showcases the more difficult parts and the discrimination that usually comes with being trans, but also shows that the world can be a super nice place too, and how supportive people can really be with all that stuff. Overall a really good game, and would reccomend to those who are a bit unknowledged on how that kind of stuff works. I actually played One Night, Hot Springs 6 years ago pretty much, and you know that story still makes me cry a lot, as I knew I was trans at a very young age, and it always made me feel isolated and scared of the world around me. And these stories capture it very well. I am now a very happy positive and bright transgirl, and I have a wonderful supportive wife now. 'v '

I decided to play 'A Year of Springs' on a brain that was tired, bored and craved for some stimulation, anything really, just needed something that was different than what I was doing almost every day, and oh boy, am I glad I decided to play this VN because of my boredom! I had read the description before playing, so I kind of knew what I was getting into, and I was right, but not completely, and I am happy that I was not correct all the way, lemme explain in detail. 'A Year of Springs' is divided into three stories and a epilogue in the form of a VN. All the chapters in the game revolve around three characters, Haru, who is a transgender woman, Manami, her best friend from preschool, and Erika, who is Manami's friend from high school, but becomes close to Haru as she begins to spend time with her. All the three characters are in their late teens or the age of 20, or soon to be. The first chapter is from the POV of Haru, second is from Erika's and the third is from Manami's. All the chapters are connected to each other and have different endings, depending on the choices you make for the characters. I will only talk about the first chapter as I don't want to get into spoilers for the later ones. The first chapter starts with Manami inviting Haru to celebrate her 20th birthday in a hot springs inn. Such a cool thing for a friend to do, right? And it is an extremely cool and a awesome invitation for most people, but not Haru, she's far from happy to go to a hot spring with her best friend, why? Because Haru is a transgender woman and can't stand the thought of being seen and ridiculed by other people, especially in a hot spring of all places, something she had to deal with her whole life. If you do decide to go, what ensues is a heartwarming coming of age tale of trying to do your best to be comfortable in your own skin and face the world on your terms. It is best summarised by a conversation Erika has in private with Haru, I am paraphrasing here: ''There are people who don't fit in and never will. So it's better to stop caring and enjoy yourself''. The entire game for me is 10/10 from the beginning, till the very end. I managed to complete the game in just over 2 hours, but I didn't get all the endings, so theres replayability there for people who want to get more out of the VN. Not for me, as I want to end it on the finale I chose on my first try, which was beautiful until the end, and even beyond that! Like I said, I thought I knew what I was getting into, a vulnerable story with a deep, underlying meaning, and I was not wrong. What I was pleasantly surprised by, was the absolute warmth, hilarity, sensitivity and hope that the VN instilled in me. Like Haru said, ''...Maybe the world is kinder than I thought it was'' 💛

such a cute, warm game :3 love it!!

A very cute game about girls figuring out who they are. Haru my baby Haru my skrungly Haru my blorbo

[h1] if you're trans, get it- if you're not trans, get it also [/h1] this game has been a real source of comfort for me through quite a dark episode ! i would recommend this title to anyone; however, *especially* if you are transgender, i cannot urge you to give this title a try enough ! a hopeful and comforting depiction of trans people living loved and full lives can feel incredibly rare and, in an increasingly dark and disheartening time, is incredibly precious :3 [h2] writing [/h2] the writing in A Year of Springs is just so sweet and heartwarming, but candid where it needs to be in tackling some relatively complex subjects ! you really grow to adore and root for each of the three women who make up the cast, all with their own personalities and struggles and all who deeply care for one another- some of the endings might break your heart a little, but the best ones (which aren't hard to get) are incredibly touching; for a relatively short experience i've been shocked at how attached i've become to all our main leads ! [h2] art, soundtrack and design [/h2] the illustrations and different designs and appearances for the characters are just adorable, with an artstyle that could only have been produced for the sole purpose of making you clutch at your heart with every drawing, and a soundtrack to match- perfect for calming nerves, sleeping or just chilling while you're busy ! each part of the game's experience, from the little chimes in the interface to the little ending cards, drip with a palpable sense of charm and care. [h2] trans gener hopeposting [/h2] most importantly to me, it's a wonderful depiction of a transgender character that i'm sure most people could relate to very heavily; working her way through friendships and relationships and the societal and existential difficulties being trans confronts you with, but holding an optimistic and comforting message ! in addition to this, it's not the 'point' of the game; it's one facet of one of the multidimensional characters and the challenges she faces, while creating a very endearing image of a complete and complex character who cares deeply for her friends. [h2] overall thoughts [/h2] i spent a relatively short time playing AYoS, taking a little under 5 hours to get all possible endings without using a guide to zoom through it, but in that time it's easily become one of my favourite games i've played over my lifetime. if you can afford to spend a fiver on yourself, i struggle to think of a better way to spend it than this ! if you feel down or lost or alone, it might just help ease that feeling; if you want a cute little game to play while you wind down for bed, this is the perfect game for it; if you want to play a game where [spoiler]two girls kiss at the end[/spoiler] then you can probably guess the end of that sentence ! i'm not a game critic, nor do i tend to write reviews- but from one heart to another: i hope you're doing well, i hope you give A Year of Springs a chance, and i hope it makes you feel just a little bit lighter :3 <3

By far the best queer representative game on steam, I cried a lot while playing. As a trans girl I've experienced all those struggles myself and it just made it all the more painful. Really emotional, really cute and really comforting. Headpats for all the transfems reading this (つ｡˃ ᵕ ˂)つ ⸝♡

this game is so cute... I thought it would just be a visual novel about cute girls, but then I discovered it's about acceptance and insecurities... really sweet, I loved it a lovely friend gave me this game too <3

Appreciate what the game is going for, but was not a fan of the writing, [spoiler] for instance the fact that being open with Haru about the issues booking the spa leads to a bad end [/spoiler], kind of made it look like you need to treat lgtb+ people with kid's gloves, instead of, you know, treating them like regular people