Written by Jasmine Chen

As a newcomer to the world of games, I was intrigued when I heard there was a new visual novel set in 1980’s Hong Kong. Upon downloading the game, I quickly found myself transported into neon drenched cityscapes, sweeping seaside vistas, and parallel worlds, all set to an intoxicating vaporwave soundtrack. 

The story follows Michelle, a buttoned up office worker living in Hong Kong during the heydays of the 1980s. She meets Sam, a free-spirited woman and unconventional entrepreneur, by chance after an incident involving a broken heel. They share a mutual attraction. As their relationship progresses, Michelle is forced to make a decision between traditional propriety and her newfound feelings. It is a story about seeking identity and meaning in a rapidly changing world where conflicting worldviews and cultures collide. As the player, Tida and Charissa give you the choice to determine Sam and Michelle’s fate. 

When sitting down with Charissa and Tida, they told me their initial concept was to make the story into a comic, but ultimately, they decided that they wanted to give the player agency to determine which path Michelle would take. It’s clear that every detail of the novel, from the music and locations, to the characters’ clothing choices and dialogue, was given painstaking consideration. Charissa and Tida conducted exhaustive research to capture the feel of the era and changes that were happening in Hong Kong. With over 400 hand drawn art pieces by Tida, and an original soundtrack by Charissa, these two creators surprised even themselves with the scope and depth of the project. While many reviews have been written about the game, I was itching to get to know Charissa and Tida, and how they brought their vision to life. 

What are your artistic and cultural backgrounds?

CHARISSA:  My family immigrated here from Hong Kong when I was young. I didn’t really think much about Asian or Chinese culture until I was much older. I actually studied science, and I’m a practicing pharmacist. I always had an interest in art, but Tida encouraged me to try everything, writing, poetry, painting. And then, we eventually made a game together. 
TIDA: Because she’s really good. She feels like, “maybe I’m not able to do this”, so I encouraged her. Originally, I’m from Thailand, and then I moved to Toronto, Ottawa, and then I moved here. I’ve been doing art for a long time, since my dad is a painter.

What made you choose Hong Kong as the setting?

CHARISSA: I think one, the setting itself is interesting, just because it has a lot of contrast between East and West culture. There’s a lot you can represent in the changing politics, the changing culture. And personally, I was born there, my family is from there, I felt more comfortable representing [Hong Kong] versus other places. 

Why did you choose to self-publish the game rather than publishing with another studio?

TIDA: We want to be able to have freedom. I used to work in a studio, and I know that these publishers, they will usually be like, “Why don’t you just make this this way? Why don’t you just add this character?” And then, it’s not sincere anymore. So, we know in our heart we want to [self-publish]. It’s like I’m handing this to you, it’s from us, from all the people that we interviewed, all the Asian people, everyone that we want to represent. It’s just more sincere for us.

What has the feedback been like?

CHARISSA: So many people have reached out to us and told their own personal story.

TIDA: We received a lot of emails. “Michelle connects with me!” or Sam. This is not the story of one person. It’s for everyone that can connect. We’re really happy that people have. It's good feedback, because we didn’t know what it was going to be. Usually, the bad feedback is more like…

CHARISSA: I think people expected something else.

TIDA: “This is not cyberpunk.”, “Why are there no gangsters?” Or, “Why is the woman not super sexy?” So, they’re misunderstanding.

I feel like that’s why it’s even more important that you’re controlling how it’s marketed, how it’s being written about, that even in publicity, it’s being represented accurately.

TIDA: Yeah. 

There are a lot of people who don’t come out to their families, whether it’s because of cultural conservatism, or just what values their family has. How does A Summer’s End handle this sensitive topic?

CHARISSA: I think it is showing the changing times, changing culture. But at the same time, there’s something about Asian culture, you can’t really change too much. Your parents will always want the best for you, but in the way that they understand. For them, stability is probably the most important thing, over your personal desires, or your ability to experiment. It’s also a reflection of my own personal experiences with my mother, and I’m sure like so many other people. 

TIDA: Yeah, same thing, I also based it off my personal experience. It’s very difficult. Because in Thailand, for me, [being queer], it’s considered abnormal or wrong. Our parents, they want the best for you. If you play the game, there is a scene where Michelle comes out to her mom, and we worked really hard on that.

CHARISSA: You should never have to choose, is it your partner or your mother? It’s not like one or the other. In Asian culture, your family is so integrated with your life. You cannot just toss aside one for another.

TIDA: You have to understand them too, and I’m sure that our parents, they love us, they will slowly understand it. 

CHARISSA: It’s the beginning of understanding. 

What were some of the discoveries you made about Hong Kong and LGBTQ+ representation in the 80s?

CHARISSA: People think in the ‘80s, women had more freedom, women were entering the workforce, it was a new era. But I think it’s not true, because there’s people from the 1920s, 1800s that were already striving for individual freedom. 

We did try to represent that. We mention different movies, people, actresses, singers. Unless you look into them, you probably don’t know that their career and their life was a very defiantly strong queer expressive-

TIDA: Yeah, like Anita Mui.

CHARISSA: Anita Mui, Chinese opera singers. I think theatre and music in Asian culture, there is a lot of queer expression, but people don’t necessarily talk about it. It’s very coded. But still, it’s something that people carry. Cinema too, a lot of movies are, unless they are very queer, you have to read into it. It’s not always obvious.

TIDA: All these people in the past, we want to carry them with us. It’s really big in the game. It’s very personal, when you connect to it. We represent those people’s legacy.

What’s next for Oracle & Bone?

CHARISSA: Our current plans for Oracle and Bone will be launching a Chinese translation update for A Summer's End. We are also pleased to announce that a new game project is in development. It'll be a new story that takes place in 1960s Hong Kong and will explore the relationship between two actresses in a society emerging from great social change.

Thank you Tida and Charissa, we can’t wait to see what you dream up next! 

You can learn more about A Summer’s End - Hong Kong 1986 at https://www.asummersend.com 

Twitter: oracleandbone

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Youtube: oracleandbone 

Contact: contact@asummersend.com 

About the writer, Jasmine Chen

Jasmine Chen is a proud Chinese-Canadian woman whose lifelong study of theatre and performance has been the foundation of her artistic work. Her passion for social justice, history and human psychology can be found in her work on and off stage. Jasmine is an arts educator, but also an eternal student; her belief in continued training allows her to evolve as a cultural contributor. An avid traveller, foodie and nature lover — Jasmine lives a nomadic life, but she will always call Toronto home.