History VisualNovel / ASummersEndHongKong1986

Michelle Fong Ha Cheung is a young professional working woman living in UsefulNotes/HongKong during [[TheEighties the heydays of the 1980s]]. During the summer of 1986-- a year after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-British_Joint_Declaration the Sino-British Joint Declaration was signed]]-- her carefully calculated life takes a detour one day when she breaks a heel on the way to work. This seemingly small act leads her to meet Sam Ka Yan Wong, a free-spirited and vivacious video store owner who seems to be everything Michelle is not. Despite being so different, there's a fast connection between Michelle and Sam... a connection that quickly turns into something more than just an odd friendship.

* TheEighties: As one can probably tell by the subtitle, ''A Summer's End'' takes place in Hong Kong in 1986. It's not simply an aesthetic choice-- besides being a homage to Asian cinema and music of the time, the story takes place one year after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-British_Joint_Declaration the Sino-British Joint Declaration was signed,]] and the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong handover of Hong Kong]] is a looming presence of uncertainty that comes up throughout the game several times.

* DecadeThemedFilter: Many [=CG=]s in the game have a neon overlay over them, leaning towards the blues and magentas commonly associated with TheEighties.

* {{Retraux}}: ''A Summer's End'' leans very hard into its [[TheEighties '80s aesthetic]], from the character art (which has a lot of visual cues from anime of the 80s such as ''Manga/CityHunter'' and ''Manga/KimagureOrangeRoad'') to the UI (which is made to resemble an old television with VHS setting menus) to the occasional use DeliberateVHSQuality. The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Os0l6TkEEs game's trailer]] is also [[https://www.asummersend.com/blog/recreating-an-80s-mv deliberately made to evoke the recording of an 80's music video,]] complete with 4:3 aspect ratio, VHS degradation effects, and rapid jump cuts.

* MultiEthnicName: Both of the main characters have Chinese names but also go by English names, though in Sam's case, hers is most likely not her legal name. TruthInTelevision for many people in Hong Kong.

A spiritual sequel, ''In the Ocean, I Learned to Float'', is in development.

Michelle Fong Ha Cheung is a young professional working woman living in UsefulNotes/HongKong during [[TheEighties the heydays of the 1980s.]] During the summer of 1986-- a year after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-British_Joint_Declaration the Sino-British Joint Declaration was signed]]-- her carefully calculated life takes a detour one day when she breaks a heel on the way to work. This seemingly small act leads her to meet Sam Ka Yan Wong, a free-spirited and vivacious video store owner who seems to be everything Michelle is not. Despite being so different, there's a fast connection between Michelle and Sam... a connection that quickly turns into something more than just an odd friendship.

''A Summer's End -- Hong Kong 1986'' is the first VisualNovel from Oracle and Bone Studios. It is described as "a new media homage to Asian cinema and Hong Kong’s golden age of entertainment". ''A Summer's End'' is a joint project between Charissa So and Tida Kietsungden and features a soundtrack that includes independent and contemporary artists such as [=Timecop1983=], Stevia Sphere, and Crystal Cola.

* PunnyName: Sam's English name came about as a pun. Back when she and Cecilia used to manage a shop together, at the end of each day Cecilia would ask Sam to grab dinner with her. "Let’s eat dinner" in Cantonese is "食晚飯", (roughly sounding something like "sik maan faan") and after saying it so many times Cecilia noticed it sounded a bit like "Samantha", and the name stuck.

''A Summer's End -- Hong Kong 1986'' is the first VisualNovel from Oracle and Bone Studios. It is described as "a new media homage to Asian cinema and Hong Kong’s golden age of entertainment." ''A Summer's End'' is a joint project between Charissa So and Tida Kietsungden and features a soundtrack that includes independent and contemporary artists such as [=Timecop1983=], Stevia Sphere, and Crystal Cola.

* AllWomenLoveShoes: Mrs. Tam, Michelle’s boss, is a shoe lover who is rumored among Michelle’s coworkers to have a closet of over 10000 pairs of luxury shoes. This is why when Mrs. Tam recommends a cobbler to Michelle after her heel breaks, Michelle knows they must be something special.

* FirstPeriodPanic: At one point Sam remembers her first period at 12 years old, in which trying to tell her older brother only results in him telling her to talk to her dad, who in turn tells her to go to the drug store. When she asks the man at the counter for "a medicine for bleeding," he misunderstands and tells her to go to the hospital, which understandably left the young Sam in a panic. Luckily a nurse at the hospital is able to give her a sanitary pad.
* HopelessSuitor: Joey, a man who works at Michelle's office, is clearly into her despite the fact she shows no interest in him. [[spoiler:Even in the game's "Bad End," in which Michelle stays with Joey at a restaurant instead of pursuing Sam, Michelle ends up with an unnamed man from America.]]

* PeriodPiece: The story takes place during [[CaptainObvious the summer of 1986.]]
* PunnyName: Sam’s English name came about as a pun. Back when she and Cecilia used to manage a shop together, at the end of each day Cecilia would ask Sam to grab dinner with her. “Let’s eat dinner” in Cantonese is "食晚飯," (roughly sounding something like "sik maan faan") and after saying it so many times Cecilia noticed it sounded a bit like "Samantha," and the name stuck.
* {{Retraux}}: ''A Summer's End'' leans very hard into its [[TheEighties '80s aesthetic,]] from the character art (which has a lot of visual cues from anime of the 80s such as ''Manga/CityHunter'' and ''Manga/KimagureOrangeRoad'') to the UI (which is made to resemble an old television with VHS setting menus) to the occasional use DeliberateVHSQuality. The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Os0l6TkEEs game's trailer]] is also [[https://www.asummersend.com/blog/recreating-an-80s-mv deliberately made to evoke the recording of an 80's music video,]] complete with 4:3 aspect ratio, VHS degradation effects, and rapid jump cuts.

* ShouldersOfDoom: As a proper OfficeLady of the 1980s, Michelle’s suit includes noticeable shoulder pads.
* TomboyishName: Samantha shortens her English name to Sam because it’s “easier to say and easier to spell.”